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

тАЬNorth StaтАФтАЭ

There was a sharp click in my ears and the panel light went green.

тАЬConrad, you are locked. You are locked.тАЭ Signal sharp and clear.

About time, I thought. тАЬAffirmative, North Station.тАЭ

I tongued on the three-sixty display, saw a brief sparkle as the induction field wrapped around my optic
nerve, then I was sitting on empty space, streaking down into a glowing hellscape.

I followed the river Styx upstream. It flowed quickly in the middle, glowing bright yellow and fading to
orange and red near the banks. Patches of black crust seemed to grow out from the banks into the main
flow and break off, careening downstream. Billowing clouds obscured parts of the river, glowing red and
yellow as if with an inner light.

North Station was a sprawl of domes, blockhouses, and heavy equipment, scattered across a flat plain
of black glass on the high side of the river. A crude landing field was marked off by an тАШXтАЩ of blue lights.
Beneath the faint shimmer of an environment-field, I saw a crew of black-skinned andys crawling like
ants around a large, treaded vehicle.

I tongued back into realspace just as I landed with a slight bump. I powered down the drive, unstrapped
myself, and removed my helmet. I felt cold all of a sudden, naked and exposed. I had been augmented
for so long, it was like removing a limb.

I got my gear and strapped a portable environment-field generator to my belt. My ears popped as I
walked out the port and the ship's e-field merged briefly with my own. The sky was red in the direction
of the river, fading to deep purple on either side, framed by jagged cliffs and spires. Straight overhead,
blue and green auroras rippled across the black sky, peeking out from behind an inconstant curtain of
shredded cloud.

There were two men waiting for me at the bottom of the ramp. One of them was tall and lean, with long
blonde hair pulled back in a braid and a slight Asian cast to his features. His companion was almost as
big around as he was tall, and it looked like solid muscle. Definitely enhancedтАФhormones for sure,
maybe surgery. The skin on his scalp was sculpted in an elaborate series of ridges. His lip was split and
swollen, glistening in the light of the landing floods.

I raised my hand in the Company salute.

тАЬGentlemen.тАЭ Raspy buzz of enhanced subvocalization.

тАЬYou're Martin,тАЭ the blonde said. My jaw tingled faintly with the vibration of my mastoid speakers. тАЬI'm
Flint. This here's Drake.тАЭ He nodded towards his companion.

I looked at Drake. тАЬThat lip looks nasty.тАЭ

Drake returned my gaze with an expression of sullen defiance. тАЬI fell,тАЭ he said. A bubble of reddish
spittle formed on his lower lip and dribbled down his chin.

I looked back at Flint. There was a faint, wry smile on his face. This clearly had something to do with the