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

тАЬOh, weтАЩll be in touch,тАЭ he said bitterly. тАЬThere will be places in government for both us, IтАЩm sure. But a
great deal of reconstruction lies ahead.тАЭ He knitted his fingers, flexed his arms in his jacket, cracked his
knuckles. тАЬThat sanatorium will have to go. All of them will have to go. Right nowтАЩs the time to do it.тАЭ

The gray woman knew better than to object.


* **


тАЬThis bogieтАЩs a drone?тАЭ The sergeant was incredulous. Efficiently she tapped the coordinates of the
approaching helicopter into AARGGS, the anti-aircraft railgun guidance system.

тАЬStory is, itтАЩs some kind of experimental ECM ship that went nuts,тАЭ replied the captain. тАЬOps says the
people who let it loose think itтАЩs homing on our ground stations.тАЭ

Out on the perimeter of the Space Command headquarters base, batteries of TEUCER railguns bobbed
and swung on their pedestals.

тАЬInterceptors canтАЩt catch it?тАЭ

тАЬSure they could catch it. An F-41 could climb right on top of it, look down, shoot down. You seen any


file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry/Bureaub...0-%20Venus%20Prime%201%20-%20Breaking%20Strain.html (20 of 182)23-12-2006 18:54:42
 ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S VENUS PRIME: VOLUME I

of these new army choppers in action, Sergeant? They can fly about three feet off the ground at six
hundred klicks. And whatтАЩs on the ground between here and the mountains?тАЭ

тАЬOh.тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs right. Houses, schools, that sort of thing. So itтАЩs up to us in perimeter defense.тАЭ

The sergeant looked at the radar scope. тАЬWell, in about twenty seconds weтАЩll know. ItтАЩs still coming.тАЭ
She ordered AARGGS to arm even before the captain told her to do so.


The Snark howled across suburban ranch-house rooftops and backyard swimming pools and rock
gardens, across wide boulevards and artificial lagoons, lifting loose shingles, shaking the last dead
leaves from ornamental aspens, terrifying pedestrians, raising dust, and leaving muddy recirculated
lagoon water surging in its wake. The helicopterтАЩs antennas were continually broadcasting on all
restricted and unrestricted channels as it closed on the base, but it received no reply to its urgent
communications. The bare flat ground of the base perimeter swiftly approached. . . .


As the helicopter screamed in over the fences, over the waiting fire trucks and ambulances and police
vehicles, some observers notedтАУand later testifiedтАУthat the craft did not appear to be aiming for the
forest of space-directed radio antennas that were HQ Space CommandтАЩs most distinctive feature, but
instead was headed for the Operations Building, in front of which there was a helipad. It was a fine