"Jeffrey Lord - Blade 36 - Return to Kaldak" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lord Jeffery)

ready to go, but we do have Cheeky."

Blade's first mental reaction must have been negative. Cheeky stood up, yeeeping indignantly, his
feathers bristling, shaking both paws at Lord Leighton. "Easy, Cheeky, easy," said Blade.

Leighton went on. "Cheeky is particularly suitable because of his small size, and his association with
Blade." (J noted that Leighton didn't use the word "telepathy.") "He is also intelligent enough to survive
for a while if he and Blade got separated."

"A short while, yes," said Blade dubiously. "But that depends on the climate and the weather. I'll have to
ask him." Leighton's eyebrows rose, and Blade's voice hardened. "If you treat him as an experimental
animal with no will of his own, I won't take him. I won't even leave him in your hands while I'm gone, and
the devil take the Official Secrets Act!"

J nodded. He rather wished Richard hadn't forced the issue so bluntly, but he certainly had the, right of
it.

"Very well," said Leighton. "You can ask his consent. But before you do, let me finish, if you please."

"The worst danger," Leighton continued, "is in the transitions into Dimension X and back to Home
Dimension. You see, we're not sure exactly how much molecular cohesion a body retains while
transitioning between Dimensions. You've done your best to describe your sensations, Blade, but I'm
afraid it hasn't been good enough."

J relaxed. If Leighton was willing to admit any sort of limits on their knowledge of the experiment, he
was likely to be reasonable. Then the scientist's next words grabbed his attention.

"If your molecules and Cheeky's lose their cohesion on the way, they might intermingle. They might also
not-ah-sort themselves out before you reached the other side. Do you remember the film The Fly?"

Blade obviously did. So did J. He imagined a monstrous creature, half Blade and half Cheeky, stumbling
out of the booth or lost in the wilderness of some unknown Dimension. Only a lifetime of selfcontrol kept
Blade's nausea from showing on his face.

"If the new booth hadn't worked out so smoothly the first time, I'd have my doubts," said Blade slowly.
"As it is, I'm willing to try it. What about you, Cheeky?" He spoke as if he was speaking to an intelligent,
rational being. J found himself looking around for the person being addressed.

"Yik-yik-yeeeek!" went the feather-monkey. Then he hopped up on top of Blade's head and clung with
all his fingers and toes buried in Blade's hair. Blade stood with a long-suffering expression until Cheeky
climbed back down onto his shoulder. Then he nodded.

"He's willing to try it."

"Splendid!" said Leighton, with genuine relief and enthusiasm in his voice. "The new booth is a real
breakthrough. The faster we can exploit it, the faster we can make the Project really successful. Or at
least less vulnerable to accidents," he added. "I'll really sleep a trifle better when the Project can survive
Richard's falling off a ladder while fixing the roof on that confounded Hampshire mausoleum of his!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Blade. "In fact, do we need to limit my equipment anymore? The fabric and