"Tom Maddox - Gravity's Angel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Maddox Tom)

the rack outside. Down concrete steps I went and into the cold, musty air of the
tunnel. A dark blue, bullet-shaped shuttle car sat waiting. I was the only one
boarding. I told the car where I was going. тАЬSection 27,тАЭ it confirmed in its colorless
voice.

The repetitive color scheme of the lattice flashed by the windows.
Radiofrequency boosters were in red, superconducting dipoles in blue, quadrupoles
in orange; the endless beam pipes, where the straw-thin beams of protons and
antiprotons would circle, were long arcs of bright green. If there were a universal
symbolism of colors, these would say, intricate, precise, expensive, technologically
superbтАФthe primary qualities of the SSC.

About ten minutes later, the car slowed to a stop. The doors slid back, and I
stepped down into the tunnel. About fifty meters away, Diehl stood talking to a man
wearing blue overalls with the yellow flashes of a crew chief. The man looked taut,
white-faced. тАЬSo pull every goddamned dipole with that batch number and replace
the smart bolts,тАЭ Diehl said. They walked toward me, and the crew chief stopped at
a com station and plugged in his headset, no doubt beginning the evil task Diehl had
set him.
 тАЬWhat can I do for you, Sax?тАЭ he asked.

тАЬIтАЩve got a visitor,тАЭ I said. тАЬFrom Los Alamos. And sheтАЩs got some
interest-ing simulations of our full-power shots. I think you ought to see them.тАЭ He
looked startled; he hadnтАЩt expected me to ask for his timeтАФmoney, resources,
priority, yes, but not his time. тАЬOr maybe not,тАЭ I said. тАЬMaybe you should let me
have Dickie Boy put her Monte Carlos on the Thing. SheтАЩs got some strange stuff
there, and if it works out, we need to be prepared.тАЭ

тАЬSax, what the fuck are you talking about? IтАЩm tired, you know? WeтАЩre in the
home stretch here, on budget, on time . . . now take HoolanтАФyou know, who heads
the Meson GroupтАФhe knows nothing about this. He knows his experiments are
coming up soon, his simulations do not make shit for sense, and Dickie Boy is the
one to help him. But if he is not not available because you have him doing what you
consider the LordтАЩs work, HoolanтАЩs going to be pissed, because he cannot
understand why, in light of these approaching deadlines, he should have to come
begging for assistance.тАЭ

тАЬThen maybe you should come look at what sheтАЩs got.тАЭ I was playing a tricky
game, using my position as group leader to put pressure on him but betting he
wouldnтАЩt want to give up valuable time and maybe expose his ignorance. тАЬI think this
is really important.тАЭ

He was watching the crew chief explaining to six men that they would be
working in the tunnel until the troublesome smart bolts had been replaced. None of
them looked happy. тАЬJesus,тАЭ Diehl said. тАЬTake Dickie Boy if you can convince
him.тАЭ

тАЬThanks,тАЭ I said. He looked at me like he tasted something sour. I owed him
one, and one thing was sure: heтАЩd collect when and where he wanted.