"Nancy Kress - The Rules" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

The west grew brighter still.

****

Tartell said, тАЬBefore you go any farther, Arthur, let me match your
impressive sleuthing, if you donтАЩt mind aтАФтАЭ Another gasping fit took him.

This one, Carmody could see, was much worse. Tartell turned purple,
even after the oxygen mask shot up to his face. His whole frail body
twitched and a terrible noise, low and inhuman, came from the back of his
throat. Death rattle, Carmody thought, jumping to his feet. Juanita rushed in,
followed by a white-coated man, and now Carmody could hear an alarm
ringing in back rooms of the building.

The doctor adjusted several dials on TartellтАЩs chair and, before
CarmodyтАЩs very eyes, the old man returned to life. So it was not oxygen
alone in that canister. But surely stimulants and brainies were dangerous to
someone so weak ... Tartell was throwing the last of his life onto an
artificially enhanced bonfire, so that it might burn brightly for the length of
this interview.

Nothing could have shown better the lengths to which the old man
was prepared to go.

Ice slid down CarmodyтАЩs spine.

****

тАЬ...what will happen to Saya.тАЭ The TV screen showed the Sisters of
Charity Mission as a ghost town. Desert wind blew between abandoned,
eroded buildings. Blew and blew and blew, swirling the sand. The camera
pulled back for a long shot, and the desert kept growing and growing, until
the shot was so high that features were barely distinguishable. Then a
sudden cut to a close-up: the skeleton of a child, half-covered with sand.

тАЬOh, cheesy,тАЭ Maddie Lomax said.

тАЬBut...тАЭ Brenda hesitated. тАЬIt could happen. If the desert really is
going to cover more and more land....тАЭ

Jim Lomax said sarcastically, тАЬLike you havenтАЩt heard that before?тАЭ

Ron DiSarto didnтАЩt like Jim speaking to his wife in that tone of voice.
Ron said harshly, тАЬItтАЩs different when you see it like this!тАЭ

And, all of a sudden, it was.

тАЬWell, somebody should do something,тАЭ Karen Smith said. тАЬBefore
itтАЩs really too late. My sister in Peoria ... and that bomb in D.C....тАЭ She