"Steve Perry - Aliens 03 - The Female War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Steven)

Billie was getting ready for bed when her 'com chinged. She almost ignored it; whoever it was
would try back at another time. She was exhausted and it was very lateтАФshe had gone back to the
'casting room after meeting with Wilks and Ripley and watched for Amy for another few hours.

All three of them had agreed it was an accident; someone had their ass in a sling by now for that
little technical error. She had caught the beginning of the transmission and had called the others within ten
seconds; they hadn't really missed anything, except the camera hitting the floor.

Billie sighed and stretched. There had been no sign of Amy, and now someone was calling in the
middle of the night.

She hit receive. "Yes?"

"Billie? This is Char Adcox. I didn't wake you, did I? I'm sorry to be calling so lateтАФ"

Billie felt her sleepiness slip away. "No, I was up. What's going on?"

"Did you see the ten-vee fubar this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I saw it."

Adcox sounded exhausted, too. "I've been thinking about what I saw. It brought back a lot of
historyтАФI'm sure it did for othersтАФ" She stopped, then laughed weakly at herself. "I'm sorry, I'm kind of
a mess."

'You don't have to apologize, Char, it's fine."

There was a pause at the other end so long that Billie was about to speak again, when she heard
the lieutenant take a deep breath. "I want to go with you," she said. Any trace of hesitation was gone. "If
you still want me along, that is. IтАФneed to go."

This was the voice of the woman she had seen on the tape of the psych files, strong and unafraid.
"Good. Welcome aboard."

They made arrangements for the next day and discommed.

Billie lay down to try to sleep. She instinctively liked and trusted Char Adcox, and was happy the
woman would be coming along. And having one of the linear dreamers on board wouldn't hurt.

Billie drifted off to a deep sleep. If the queen mother haunted her dreams, the next morning brought
no memory of it.
 7


Ripley opened her door and found Falk standing there, his face solemn. He had one hand raised to
knock and dropped it; the big man looked as if he had slept badly. He smelled of stale alcohol and sour
sweat.

"Falk," she said, "what a treat I was just on my way to breakfast."