"Robert Reed - Night Calls" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

happy, and confused, and absolutely enthralled. There was nothing to see;
there was nothing but black upon black. That was because there was
nothing there. Except for the Sisters and their own sun, the universe was
devoid of meaningful light. Eyes a thousand times stronger than FerrumтАЩs
would do no better. Only mirrors that were a billion times more powerful
could work, and then only when thrown high above the worldтАЩs atmosphere
... and even the luckiest of those telescopes would gather in nothing but a
few weak photonsтАФodd travelers from regions too distant and ancient to
resolve with any confidence whatsoever.

This was the Creation, utterly empty and divinely cold.

Save for this one tiny realm, of course.

тАЬWhere is that girl?тАЭ he growled.

тАЬStanding directly behind you,тАЭ said Rabiah, her deep voice laughing.

Then despite telling himself not to, Ferrum turned, ignoring the sky in
order to reach out and grab a body and face that he knew better than he
knew anything, including his own sloppy pounding heart.

****

The three of them stood close together in the absolute Night.

The hollering and chants in the camp gradually fell away, becoming
gentle conversation and reflective silence, and at some imprecise point
Ocher began to talk, using surprisingly few words to explain the basics of
his lifeтАЩs work.

тАЬHas Rabiah told you?тАЭ he began. тАЬIтАЩm a failed scientist. I tried
physics twice before falling into mathematics. But IтАЩm very good with
calculations, and my old school chums use me to test their ideas. тАШDo my
equations balance, Ocher? Are they pretty? And are we telling the truth
about the universe?тАЩтАЭ

тАЬWhat about the universe?тАЭ Ferrum managed.

тАЬIt is far larger than we can see,тАЭ the genius reported. тАЬThere is
physical evidence to support that hypothesis. Microwave radiations.
Exhausted particles from hot, bright places. Even the shape of the cold
holds its clues.тАЭ He had a pleasant voice, smooth and almost musical at
times. тАЬThe true universe is unimaginably grand, and it doesnтАЩt have to be
as smooth and empty as we find it here. Hydrogen and helium can pull
together, with help. Through simple probability, it can be shown that there
must be regions full of suns and worlds like ours, and presumably, worlds
very different from the handful that we know well.

тАЬBut not our realm, no.