"Jeffrey Lord - Blade 30 - Dimension Of Horror" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lord Jeffery)

Blade had often returned from the X dimensions dazed, unconscious or even dying, but never
before quite like this. His eyes were open, but fixed and staring, and his expression was one of
abject terror, every feature contorted into a mask of fear, the flesh pale and gleaming with sweat,
the muscles in his neck standing out like cables.

J took a step forward. "Richard?"

This could not be! Richard had always been the one man in all humanity who could not be
frightened by anything.

"Richard?" J called again.

Blade did not reply, but went on staring blindly at nothing.

Lord Leighton advanced carefully, right hand clutching an air pistol, loaded, as J knew, with
tranquilizer darts. It had been standard equipment in the laboratory for some time now. "Easy
does it," Leighton said gently. "Everything's all right, Richard. You're home."

At last Richard moved, leaning out of the case like a huge falling tree, landing on his hands and
knees with a force that must have been painful.

Lord Leighton took aim.

"Wait," J said, raising a restraining hand. "I don't think he's dangerous."

Richard's head lifted, tangled black hair dangling over his glistening forehead.

"What's wrong?" J asked gently. "You can tell us, Richard." Leighton had not lowered the pistol.
"He's a big man, J. If he gets rough . . "

"He won't get rough."

Richard raised a tightly clenched fist.
"Get back, J," Leighton warned.

The fist came down, striking the floor with an alarming thud. When the fist raised Richard's
knuckles were bleeding.

Then Richard began to scream, frightful howls, more animal than human, that echoed and
reechoed in the hardwalled cavern room. Again his fist crashed down, and again and again, each
time leaving a red stain on the floor. At last he half-turned, as if about to attack the delicate
structure of the device from which he had emerged.

Leighton squeezed the trigger.

Chapter 2

The tranquilizer took a surprisingly long time to take effect, though the dose was literally enough
to stop a horse. The dart pistol had originally been brought into the project when Blade had