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

She saw that the sarcasm in her voice didn't escape him. He reddened slightly. "Yeah. Well, I
wanted to talk to you for a minute, IтАФabout the trip. I want to go."

Ripley stepped back, surprised. Falk obviously took it as an invitation; he walked over to the desk
and leaned against it. He kept his gaze on the floor.

She looked him up and down. He had been sitting when she had met him the day before and she
hadn't realized how huge the man was. At least 195 centimeters and 100 kilos, barrel-chested and
long-legged. His receding hair was worn long in a blond ponytail, his mustache was slightly darker.
Embarrassment didn't rest well on his hard face, and he looked as if it were an unfamiliar emotion; one
corner of his mouth twitched, and his heavy brows were drawn together.

"We aren't offering money," she said finally.

His expression didn't change. "Yeah, that's fine. You still need help, don't you? I'm sorry I was such
an asshole. I want to go."

Ripley frowned. This wasn't the man she had met yesterday, the loud, wise-cracking, up-yours
pirate. He had admitted to having the dreams easily enough but treated them lightly. He said his woman
had insisted on the psych visits and he had called them a waste of time.

"Why?" she said.

Falk sighed and looked up, but not at Ripley. "The military channel," he said, focusing his attention
on the ceiling. "You heard about their little fuck-up yesterday?"

"I saw it."

"I was in the middle of a card game at a bar when it played. I almost had to beat the shit out of the
'tender to turn it upтАФ" He seemed out of breath and paused for a few seconds.

Ripley waited.

"Maria was one of those soldiers," he said. "She told me that she would be gone a while, said it was
standard drill shit. She told me not to worry."

Falk finally looked at Ripley. She saw that his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed in red. "Last night
some asshole dressed in a captain's uniform told me that there had been an 'unfortunate accident' on her
ship and that it'd be a good idea for me to keep quiet about it. The bastard stood there and lied to me; I
heard her name on that 'cast, I heard somebody yelling itтАФ"

Falk stopped and took a shuddery breath. All of Ripley's earlier dislike for the man evaporated. He
was obviously in great pain.
 "I'm sorry," she said, "I wish there was something I could do...."

"I want to go," said Falk. "I want to kill them." He didn't sound angry or desperate; his voice was
calm and matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing the weather. "I loved her."

"We're meeting at 0800 tomorrow in the dojo on C," she said.