"Mike Moscoe - Society of Humanity 03 - They Also Serve" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moscoe Mike)

As usual, Daga recovered first from the surprise. "Hey, look." A thin square, about a
foot on each side and a half inch thick, had risen from the box on two spindly legs. The
square went from black to gray to crystal clear on one side in the space of a breath. The
other side stayed flat black.

"That's weird," Willow said.
"But look on this side," Daga crowed, shading her eyes. Nikki did, and saw the distant
mountains. Daga jiggled the glass a bit. Now they had a perfect view of one of the taller
peaks on the horizon, as if it were only across the valley.

"Neat!" Emma exclaimed. "Let's turn it around and see what's happening in Hazel
Dell."

"Wait a bit," Daga answered, adjusting the square until the distant peak filled the glass.
"I've always wanted to go out there. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could find a good trail
through the mountains? There have to be valleys on the other side. Whole new fields to
farm."

The box began to hum; it throbbed under their hands. The girls, even Daga, stepped
back a pace or two.
"What's happening?" Willow shrieked.
"I don't know," Daga answered.

"It's coming alive." Emma smiled in a fay way.
"It's a machine," Daga insisted.
"We don't know what it is!" Nikki shouted as the noise rose. The box throbbed in the
warm sunlight; the girls took several more steps back. Nikki put her hands to her ears.
"We have to do something!" she shouted.

"What?" Emma squeaked.

Daga took a step forward as the box exploded in a blinding flash of light.



"The mountain's gone," the diminutive midshipman assisting at sensors mused. She'd
been introduced to Ray as Kat.
 "What?" Ray and Matt snapped at once. Ray clamped his mouth shut. This was a ship
matter; it was the captain's problem.

"Well, there was a mountain," the middie said, studying her board, "on our first orbit.
It's not there on the second."
"A mountain!" Matt echoed.

"Yes, Matt," Sandy answered, "five, six thousand meters' worth of mountain.
Snowcapped. Big."

"It's ... gone?" Matt gulped.
"The top two thousand meters," Kat corrected.