"Crawford Killian - The Empire of Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Killian Crawford)

by Wigner's cueing. That conditioning would make him miserable if he remained
on Earth for even an extra day.

"Is it too early for a drink?" Pierce asked.

"Ah. Gives me an excuse to show off the Napoleon brandy I brought back."

"Nice change from Tom Jefferson's white lightning."

Sitting in the small, disordered office surrounded by houseplants, the two men
sipped brandy from styrofoam cups. "Well, it's not bad" said Wigner, "but it's
certainly not all it's cracked up to be."

"Give it another century."

"Let's discuss your trip. If you catch the first jet tomorrow from KennedyтАФ"

Pierce shook his head. "I'd rather shuttle back from here to Glaciopolis, and fly

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across to Farallon City."

"Waste of time. There's only one transcontinental flight a day on Ore. Even with
the best connections, you'll have a three-hour wait at the Glaciopolis airport."

"Doesn't matter. It'll let me see what sort of changes the Colonials are making.
From Farallon City I can take the noon flight to Los Alamitos."

Wigner shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll have Gersen's staff advised, and you can
meet him in Farallon before you fly down."

"Good. I assume this is not a covert investigation."

"No. It's a small world at Los Alamitos. Any new face is sure to attract attention.
You could fake it fairly well as a scientist, of course, at least for a few days. But
the cover would keep you pinned down to one project. So just be your normal
inquisitive self, and see everything." He stood up, ending the interview. "Break a
leg, Jerry."

"Thanks, Eric." They shook hands; Wigner held on a moment longer than he
needed to. Pierce felt a small glow of affection. Wigner liked most people only
as they were useful to him and to the Agency. It was somehow touching to find a
hint of personal fondness coming through.

Back at Judy's desk, Pierce found his documents already prepared: a new Senior
Official's visa for his intertemporal passport, an Agency credit card, and part of
his medical papers.