"George R. R. Martin - Override" - читать интересную книгу автора (Martin George R R)

Kabaraijian reported to the station early the next morning, when Grotto's sun was fighting to dispel
the river mists. The row of empty launches was still tied to the dock, bobbing up and down in the
rapidly-thinning fog.
 Munson was inside the office, as always. So, surprisingly, was Cochran. Both of them looked up
when Kabaraijian entered.
"Morning, Matt," Munson said gravely. "Ed's been telling me about last night." Today, for some
reason, he looked his age. "I'm sorry, Matt. I didn't know anything about it."
Kabaraijian smiled. "I never thought you did. If you do hear anything, though, let me know. We're
not going to go without a fight." He looked at Cochran. "What are you doing here so early? Usually
you're not up until the crack of noon."
Cochran grinned. "Yeah. Well, I figured I'd start early. I'm going to need good estimates this month,
if I want to save my crew."
Munson had dug two collection boxes out from under his desk. He handed them to the two corpse
handlers, and nodded. "Back room's open," he said. "You can pick up your dead men whenever you
like."
Kabaraijian started to circle the desk, but Cochran grabbed his arm. "I think I'll try way east," he
said. "Some caves there that haven't really been hit yet. Where you going?"
"West," said Kabaraijian. "I found a good new place, like I told you."
Cochran nodded. They went to the back room together, and thumbed their controllers. Five dead
men stumbled from their bunks and followed them, shuffling, from the office. Kabaraijian thanked
Munson before he left. The old man had washed down his corpses anyway, and fed them.
The mists were just about gone when they reached the dock. Kabaraijian marched his crew into the
boat and got set to cast off. But Cochran stopped him, looking troubled.
"UhтАФMatt," he said, standing on the dock and staring down into the launch. "This new placeтАФyou
say it's real good?"
Kabaraijian nodded, squinting. The sun was just clearing the treetops, and framing Cochran's head.
"Can I talk you into splitting?" Cochran said, with difficulty. It was an unusual request. The practice
was for each handler to range alone, to find and mine his own swirlstone cave. "I mean, with only a
month left, you probably won't have time to get everything, not if the place is as good as you say. And I
need good estimates, I really do."
Kabaraijian could see that it wasn't an easy favor to ask. He smiled. "Sure," he said. "There's plenty
there. Get your launch and follow me."
Cochran nodded and forced a grin. He walked down the dock to his launch, his dead men trailing
behind.
Going downriver was easier than going up, and faster. Kabaraijian hit the lake in short order, and
sent his launch surging across the sparkling green surface in a spray of foam. It was an exhilarating
morning, with a bright sun, and a brisk wind that whipped the water into tiny waves. Kabaraijian felt
good, despite the events of the previous night. Grotto did that to him. Out on the High Lakes, somehow,
he felt that he could beat Bartling.
He'd run into similar problems before, on other worlds. Bartling wasn't alone in his hatred. Ever since
the first time they'd ripped a man's brain from his skull and replaced it with a dead man's synthabrain,
there had been people screaming that the practice was a perversion, and the handlers tainted and
unclean. He'd gotten used to the prejudice; it was part of corpse handling. And he'd beaten it before. He
could beat Bartling now.
The first part of the voyage was the quickest. The two launches streaked over two big local lakes,
past shores lined thickly with silverwood trees and vine-heavy danglers. But then they began to slow, as
the lakes grew smaller and choked with life, and the country wilder. Along the banks, the stately
silverwoods and curious danglers began to give way to the dense red-and-black chaos of firebriar
brambles, and a species of low, gnarled tree that never had received a proper name. The vegetation grew
on ground increasingly hilly and rocky, and finally mountainous.