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

I turned back to Flint. тАЬI want to see those transcripts.тАЭ

He nodded. тАЬThey're on-line. I'll set you up for access and you can log in from the shop.тАЭ He pointed to
the clutter of equipment at the far end of the room.
****

I actually had to use a keypadтАФit felt like I was handling an antique. Stone knives next, I thought. My
fingers fumbled several times over the touch-sensitive glass and I had to start over. Finally, I accessed the
file. I waited a second for the induction field to grab my optic nerve and fling the text up on my mind's
eye, then I shook my head. Stupid. That's what the screen's for.
I squinted as the text scrolled down the display. It was mostly routine stuff, descriptions of shipments,
maintenance logs. Then an entry caught my eye.
****

Always night here. I called them to me and they came, circled around me in the dark. Always
dark. Alpha is my consort. The chosen one.
****

More routine entries, then:
****

I am the physical manifestation of their collective psyche. Circle round me in the dark. Worship
me. Through me, they do not know death. I told one today to wash itself in the river Styx, heal in
the blood of the lamb. It walks down to the shore, steps off into the burning flow. Black head
bobbing in the fire, washing downstream in the yellow fire. E-field good for maybe a minute or
two. I could feel her life winking out like an explosion in my heart when her field collapses. Alpha
tells me later that this one doesn't die, lives on in blood of the lamb. I am the Redeemer. I am the
Redeemed.
****

I stared at the last entry for a long time, feeling a chill deep in my bones.

I logged off and went to look for Drake. The central common area was empty, and I walked around one
of the partitions to the sleeping quarters.

Flint was crouched on a stool in front of an andy. He had a short knife in one hand and he was cutting
carefully at the andy's lower torso. There was a red-stained rag in his free hand and he dabbed at the
freely flowing blood. I was shocked for a moment at the bright redness, but it was just good
engineeringтАФandy or not, oxygen is an efficient bio-fuel and hemoglobin an excellent carrier. I walked
closer to get a better look.

Flint heard my footsteps and turned around. He smiled and beckoned me closer. The andy's entire body
was covered with an elaborate pattern of scars. Tightly wound spirals of scarification on its flat chest
marked where a human's nipples would be. A meandering, branching lesion ran from just below the
andy's chin, sending tributaries out towards its arms and legs, flowing down until it was lost in the
shadowy тАШVтАЩ at the andy's sexless crotch.

Flint pointed down there and chuckled. тАЬDeep Station,тАЭ he said. He dug the blade into the purple-black
flesh and a thick bead of blood oozed up.