"Daniel Keys Moran - A Tale of the Continuing Time 01 - Emerald Eyes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moran Daniel Keys)

meter in diameter. In the middle of the depression was a small transparent container that had been clamped
into position; tubes so small that Amnier could barely see them from where he stood led to the container.
Amnier made his way down from the catwalk slowly. Montignet was already down at floor level. One of
the technicians was showing her listings from the devices that were attached to the transparent container;
Montignet rose up from
the computer, shouted, "Ellie, get me nutrient flow now," and went back instantly to the readouts.
Amnier reached the floor and found Malko Kalharri there, waiting for him. Kalharri was standing with his
arms crossed, pale blue eyes calm and rather relaxed. "Hello, Darryl."
Amnier sat down abruptly on a step four from the bottom. It put his eyes almost on a level with
Kalharri's. "Hello, Malko. How have you been?"
"Well. And yourself?"
Amnier shrugged. "Busy. I work. What is happening?"
"There was a source of radiation." Kalharri eyed Amnier speculatively. "It's gone now. Vanished. We
haven't been able to track it down."
"Assuming," said Amnier, "that you yourself have not caused this excitementтАФand I do not put it past
you, Malko тАФplease accept my assurance that I am not responsible for whatever has happened here today."
He looked directly at Malko. "Did you let them take this Jorge person to the hospital?"
"No. Of course not."
"It grieves you that you could not do so."
"It would have made Robin feel better."
"But he would still die."
Kalharri nodded. "Yes."
Amnier watched the technicians in silence for a moment as they rushed about at errands that he, and he
suspected Kalharri also, found totally incomprehensible. "If a living foetus comes out of this, and what I am
hearing leads me to believe it might, I shall find it all most suspect."
Amnier thought a smile might have touched Kalharri's lips for an instant. It was difficult to be certain.
"You're flattering yourself, Darryl."
"Perhaps. It is a danger in my profession." Amnier paused. "Our profession, I might say. You have not
forgotten how the thought processes operate, at any rate. I have not needed to say a startling number of
things."
"I have been thinking," said Kalharri, "about what you said to me the last time we talked."
Darryl Amnier stared at him in utter, complete amazement. "Malko, that was seventeen years ago."
"I think you may have been right. The United States was crumbling, in some ways." Kalharri spoke
slowly, with what was as close to reluctance as Amnier had ever seen from him. "I mean politically. In other
ways it was not. The Unification CouncilтАФthe entire superstructure which your Sarah Almundsen designedтАФit
is, in some ways, more vigorous than what we had; certainly better than what the Russians had, or the
 Chinese. Perhaps this United Nations is better. Perhaps it was even worth the deaths that came about in the
War."
"It's good of you to say so."
"Darryl."
"Yes?"
"You areтАФall of youтАФalready losing sight of what you fought for. I did not agree with you, and today I am
not certain that I was rightтАФbut your government is being overrun by the barbarians. It's already happening."
He said slowly, "I don't know if Americans will tolerate it."
Amnier said gently, "You're too much of a philosopher, Malko. It was charming when we were boys. But it
helped you lose the War. And it's not helping you at all now."
" '. . . In republics there is greater life, greater hatred, and more desire for vengeance; they do not and
cannot cast aside the memory of their ancient liberty.' "
Amnier looked at him quizzically. "Niccolo Machiavelli," he said after a moment. "The Prince, of course . .
. The Old Man would have been proud of you." He smiled distantly. "In the same work it says, this is a