"Alan E. Nourse - Morley's Chain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nourse Alan E)

 There was one last chance. Cautiously his mind skirted the idea, picked it up, regarded it warily, then
threw it down again. He had promised himself never to consider it, years before, in the hot, angry days of
the Revolt. Even then he had had some inkling of the shape of things, and he had promised himself,
bitterly, never to consider that last possibility. StillтАФ
Another night in the cold out-of-doors could kill him. Suddenly he didn't care any more, didn't care
about promises, or pride, or anything else. He turned into a public telephone booth, checked an address
in the thick New Denver book.
He knew he looked frightful as he stepped onto the elevator, felt the cold eyes turn away from him in
distaste. Once he might have been mortified, felt the deep shame creeping up his face, but he didn't care
any longer. He just stared ahead at the moving panel, avoiding the cold eyes, until the fifth floor was
called.
The office was halfway down the dark hallway. He saw the sign on the door, dimly: "United
Continents Bureau of Employment", and down in small letters below, "Planetary Division, David G.
Hawke."
Tam felt the sinking feeling in his stomach, and opened the door apprehensively. It had been years
since he had seen Dave, long years filled with violence and change. Those years could change men, too.
Tam thought, fearfully; they could make even the greatest men change. He remembered, briefly, his
promise to himself, made just after the Revolt, never to trade on past friendships, never to ask favors of
those men he had known before, and befriended. With a wave of warmth, the memory of those old days
broke through, those days when he had roomed with Dave Hawke, the long, probing talks, the
confidences, the deep, rich knowledge that they had shared each others dreams and ideals, that they had
stood side by side for a common cause, though they were such different men, from such very different
worlds. Ideals had been cheap in those days, talk easy, but still, Tam knew that Dave had been sincere, a
firm, stout friend. He had known, then, the sincerity in the big lad's quiet voice, felt the rebellious fire in his
eyes. They had understood each other, then, deeply, sympathetically, in spite of the powerful barrier they
sought to tear down.
The girl at the desk caught his eye, looked up from her work without smiling. "Yes?"
"My name is Tam Peters. I'd like to see Mr. Hawke." His voice was thin, reluctant, reflecting
overtones of the icy chill in his chest. So much had happened since those long-dead days, so many things
to make men changeтАФ
The girl was grinning, her face like a harsh mask. "You're wasting your time," she said, her voice
brittle.
Anger flooded Tam's face. "Listen," he hissed. "I didn't ask for your advice. I asked to see Dave
Hawke. If you choose to announce me now, that's fine. If you don't see fit, then I'll go in without it. And
you won't stop meтАФ"
The girl stiffened, her eyes angry. "You'd better not get smart," she snapped, watching him warily.
"There are police in the building. You'd better not try anything, or I'll call them!"
"That's enough. Miss Jackson." The girl turned to the man in the office door, her eyes disdainful. The
man stood in the doorway, a giant, with curly black hair above a high, intelligent forehead, dark brooding
eyes gleaming like live coals in the sensitive face. Tam looked at him, and suddenly his knees would
hardly support him, and his voice was a tight whisperтАФ"Dave!"
And then the huge man was gripping his hand, a strong arm around his thin shoulders, the dark,
brooding eyes soft and smiling. "Tam, TamтАФIt's been so damned long, manтАФoh, it's good to see you,
Tam. Why, the last I heard, you'd taken passage to the RingsтАФyears agoтАФ"
Weakly, Tam stumbled into the inner office, sank into a chair, his eyes overflowing, his mind a turmoil
of joy and relief. The huge man slammed the door to the outer office and settled down behind the desk,
sticking his feet over the edge, beaming. "Where have you been, Tam? You promised you'd look me up
any time you came to New Denver, and I haven't seen you in a dozen , yearsтАФ" He fished in a lower
drawer. "Drink?"
"No, noтАФthanks. I don't think I could handle a drinkтАФ" Tam sat back, gazing at the huge man, his