"Jeffrey Lord - Blade 20 - Guardians of the Coral Throne" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lord Jeffery)

The crew chief leaned over and shouted in Blade's ear as he stood up inside the vibrating, rattling cabin.
"Message just arrived at base for you, Mister Blade. You're to report to yourLondonoffice at ten A.M.
tomorrow. File Acorn."

"Thanks."

Blade sat down on the metal bench at the rear of the cabin and began unlacing his jump boots. In his
mind the message was echoing so loudly that for the time being it drowned out the noise of the helicopter.

Ten o'clocktomorrow morning, inLondon, and File Acorn. That meant starting back tonight, as soon as
the day's program of five jumps was over. Too bad. He'd planned to stay overnight at a little country inn
about, six miles down the road from the jump range. He'd stopped there on the way up and had good
memories of the food. He'd also noticed a particularly elegant young brunette staying there, apparently
unattached. He'd had notions of finding out if she was still there, actually unattached, and possibly
receptive and congenial. One more opportunity stamped out by his duties!

They were very special duties. The Royal Marine might serveEnglandby leading fighting men ashore on
hostile coasts. The Secret Service man might serveEnglandby ferreting out her enemies' secrets or quietly
eliminating her enemies' spies.

Richard Blade servedEnglandby traveling into unknown Dimensions.

Four men alone knew the whole secret of what he did. There was Blade. As far as anyone knew, he
was the only human being who had ever traveled into Dimension X and come back alive and sane.

Blade didn't get puffed up over this. In fact, both he and the others who knew what Project Dimension
X was all about and how dangerous it was would have cheerfully used a dozen different people if they
had that many. They looked for them, too. They had looked long and hard. They were still looking. But
so far all they had was Blade. He was a natural adventurer, who personally didn't mind at all living
dangerously. But forEngland's sake it would be far better to have a dozen people than just one. One
man's luck would sooner or later run out, and his death would bring Project Dimension X to a screeching
halt.

Worrying about that was the job of the other three men. There was Lord Leighton. The computer that
hurled Blade into the unknown was his creation. His hunchbacked, polio-twisted body held one of the
finest scientific minds and one of the worst tempers inEngland.

There was J. He had been and still was the head of MI6. He had seen Blade's perfect blend of physical
and mental qualities while the younger man was still atOxford. Over the years he had seen Blade go off
on one dangerous mission after another, first all over the world and then all over other worlds as well. It
was never easy for him, and never would be. As a professional spymaster, J was a lonely man, and
Blade filled the place of the son he had never had.

Finally, there was the Prime Minister. He sat very much in the background, accepting the miracle that
was Project Dimension X, protecting it, financing it, helping it in a thousand and one absolutely essential
ways without making any pretense of really understanding it. The Prime Minister was a politician, but he
was also an honest man, and he was just as devoted toEnglandas Blade, Lord Leighton, or J.
 So they made a good team. They were an unlikely quartet of miracle workers. But they were also a
successful one, in a deadly business where success was all that mattered.