"Fritz Leiber - Damnation Morning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Leiber Fritz)

It began to sink normally. I started to touch my face, but didnтАЩt I started to try to remember my name.
but stopped. It would be bad tactics, I thought, to let myself become aware of any more gaps in my
knowledge. I knew I was alive. I would stick with that for a while.

The cage sank two and a half floors and stopped, its doorway blocked by the drab purple wall of the
shaft. My conductress switched on the tiny dome light and turned to me.

тАЬWell?тАЭ she said.

I put my last thought into words.

тАЬIтАЩm alive.тАЭ I said, тАЬand IтАЩm in your hands.тАЭ

She laughed lightly. тАЬYou find it a compromising situa-tion? But youтАЩre quite correct. You accepted life
from me, or through me, rather. Does that suggest anything to you?тАЭ

My memory may have been lousy, but another, long unused section of my mind was clicking. тАЬWhen
you get anything,тАЭ I said, тАЬyou have to pay for it and sometimes money isnтАЩt enough, though IтАЩve only
once or twice been in situations where money didnтАЩt help.тАЭ

Three times now,тАЭ she said. тАЬHere is how it stacks up; YouтАЩve bought your way with something other
than money, into an organization of which I am an agent Or perhaps youтАЩd rather go back to die room
where I re-cruited you? We might Just be able to manage it.тАЭ

Through the walls of the cage and shaft I could hear the sirens going full blast, underlining her words.

I shook my head. I said, тАЬI think I knew thatтАФI mean. that I was joining an organizationтАФwhen I
answered your first question.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs a very big organization.тАЭ she went on, as if warn-ing me. тАЬCall it an empire or a power if you like.
So far as. you, are concerned, it has always existed and always will exist. It has agents everywhere,
literally. Space and time are no barriers to it. Its purpose, so far as you will ever be able to know it, is to
change, for its own ag-grandizement, not only the present and future, but also the past. It is a ruthlessly
competitive organization and 1s merciless to its employees.тАЭ

тАЬI. G. Farben?тАЭ I asked grabbing nervously and clum-sily at humour.

She didnтАЩt rebuke my flippancy, but said, тАЬAnd it isnтАЩt the Communist Party or the Ku Klux Klan, or the
Aveng-ing Angels or the Black Hand, either, though its enemies give it a nastier name.тАЭ

тАЬWhich is?тАЭ I asked.
тАЬThe Spiders,тАЭ she said.

That word gave me the shudders, coming so suddenly. I expected the sigil to step off her forehead and
scuttle down her face and leap at meтАФsomething like that.

She watched me. тАЬYou might call it the Double Cross,тАЭ she suggested, тАЬif that seems better.тАЭ

тАЬWell, at least you donтАЩt try to prettify your organiza-tion,тАЭ was all I could think to say.