"Paul Preuss - Venus Prime 1 - Breaking Strain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Preuss Paul)

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 ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S VENUS PRIME: VOLUME I

тАЬI thought you were still at Fort Meade.тАЭ

тАЬThe director asked me to deliver his message personally.тАЭ

тАЬSurely he could have called.тАЭ

тАЬThe director requests that you leave with me and come to headquarters. Right away, IтАЩm afraid.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs impossible.тАЭ The doctor sat down, tensely upright in his old wooden armchair.

тАЬQuite.тАЭ The aide sighed. тАЬWhich is why the phone just wouldnтАЩt do, you see.тАЭ The orange-haired
fellow was still wearing his camelтАЩs hair overcoat and a Peruvian wool scarf around his neck, bright
orange; his shoes were high-tops of some shiny orange leather. All organics, flaunting his high salary.
Carefully he opened the coat and removed a .38 caliber Colt Aetherweight with a four-inch suppressor
from the open holster under his armpit. He was a symphony in orange. The pistol was of dull blue steel.
He leveled it at the doctorтАЩs ample belly. тАЬDo please come with me now.тАЭ


On her way back to her room, Sparta felt a pain in her left ear, so fierce it made her stumble and lean
against the plaster wall. Buzz and moan of sixty-cycle current through lath and plaster walls, clatter of
pots washing in the kitchen, groans of an old womanтАУthe old woman in 206, Sparta realized, without
knowing how she knew there was an old woman in 206тАУother rooms, other noises, two men talking
somewhere, voices that seemed familiarтАУ


* **


The doctor hesitated. He was not really surprised, but the game was moving faster than he had hoped.
тАЬLetтАЩs say . . .тАЭ He swallowed once, and went on, тАЬthat I donтАЩt come with you.тАЭ He had the feeling that
this was happening to someone else, and wished that were true.

тАЬDoctor . . .тАЭ The orange man shook his head once, ruefully. тАЬThe staff here is utterly loyal. Whatever
passes between you and me will never be discussed outside this room, I assure you.тАЭ

The doctor stood then and moved slowly to the door. The orange man stood at the same time, never
taking his eyes from the doctor, managing to seem deferential even while he kept the long barrel of the
Colt, hardly wavering, aimed at the fork of the doctorтАЩs wishbone.

The doctor took his Chesterfield from the coat rack and, hauling it on, got himself tangled with his scarf.

The orange man smiled sympathetically and said, тАЬSorry,тАЭ indicating that had circumstances permitted

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 ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S VENUS PRIME: VOLUME I