"Daniel Marcus - Heart of Molten Stone" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marcus Daniel)

The trip back to North Station took about five minutes. After I did what I needed to do, I lifted up to
about a thousand klicks and looked back at the fiery chaos of a planet tearing itself apart. The River Styx
looked like a cracked and blistered wound, leaking pus.

A perfect disc, searing white, blossomed near the equator and faded to a dull red. Seconds later,
another one blossomed in the north.
****

I had about a terra-week of acceleration to match velocities with Sol system before making the jump. I
wrote out my report.

Bioinfestation. Sterilization mandated. Regrettable but necessary.
 It was a lie, but I had no idea what truth was in all this mess. Truth was Drake's body sprawled like a
limp doll amidst the wreckage of my jumpship. Truth was Flint's life winking out in a white, searing flash,
while the reflection of the River Styx flickered in Leilani's amber eyes. Truth was Orbison's head on a
post and Schwartz stretched out like a tin Jesus bearing the weight of all our sins and folly. The truth was
a ghost, a shadow, a whisper. The only thing I was sure of was that I was tired.

When I got back to Gateway Station and filed my report, I found out that Schwartz had a wife
somewhere on Luna. I was passing through there on my way to Earth, so I decided to look her up. I
wasn't sure why, but it felt like something I had to do.

We agreed to meet in a bar I knew with a magnificent holoview of the Sea of Tranquility. We were
actually about a klick underground, but it looked completely real. I arrived early and got a table next to
the window. The landscape was a study in contrastтАФbright grey where the sun lanced off the surface,
deep black where the surface lay in shadow. I heard a rustling in front of me and looked up. She was
beautiful. I knew she would be. I wasn't at all surprised at her aquiline features, the cool intelligence in her
eyes, her smooth, dark skin. SchwartzтАЩ black Madonna.

We sat together looking out at the moonscape for what seemed like a long time. Words didn't seem
necessary. Then she turned to me.

тАЬWere you with him when he died?тАЭ

I nodded.

тАЬDid he ... say anything? Any last words?тАЭ

I thought about it for a moment. I could tell her the whole story. I could try.

тАЬYes,тАЭ I heard myself saying. тАЬHe said to tell you that he loved you. That's all.тАЭ

Her eyes grew moist. It must have been a trick of the light, but they seemed to flash amber for an instant,
the way a cat's eyes will glow briefly as it turns its head. She touched my hand.

тАЬThank you,тАЭ she said.

We sat there together for a little while longer, then I excused myself.