"E. E. Doc Smith - The Galaxy Primes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

'By golly, I'm going to!' Then, a moment later, she said, 'Why, they're even harder] How do you, a scientist,
psiontist, and scholar keep in such shape as that?'
'An hour every day in the gym. Many are better - but a hell of a lot are worse.
'I'll say.' She finished her Chericol, picked up the ginger ale, sat down in her chair, leaned back, and put her legs up
on the bed. "That was a relief of tension if there ever was one. I haven't felt so good since they picked me as home-
town candidate - and that was a mighty small town and eight months ago. Bring on your dragons, Clee, and I'll slay
'em far and wide. But I can't actually be like she is ...'
'Thank God for that. Deliver me from two such pretzel-benders aboard one ship.'
'... But I could have been a pretty good actress, I think.'
'Correction, please. "Outstanding" is the word.'
Thank you, kind sir. And women, like men, do bring up certain memories, to ... to...'
To roll 'em around on their tongues and give their taste-buds a treat.'
'Exactly. So where I don't have any appropriate actual memories to bring up, I'll make like an actress. Check?'
'Good girl! Well, we've been in screen long enough, I guess. Fare thee well, little sister Brownie, until we meet
again.' He tossed the remains of their refreshments, trays and all, into the chute, picked up his shirt, and started out
'Put it on, Clee!' she whispered, intensely.
'Why?' He grinned cheerfully. 'It'd look still better if I peeled down to the altogether.'
'You're incorrigible,' she said; but her answering smile was wide and perfectly natural. 'You know, if I'd had a
brother something like you it would have saved me a lot of wear and tear. Ill see you in the morning before
breakfast.'
44
And she did. They strolled together to breakfast - not holding hands, but with hip almost touching hip. Relaxed,
friendly, on very cordial and satisfactory terms. Lola punched breakfast orders for them both. Belle drove a probe,
which bounced - Lola's screen was tight, although her brown eyes were innocent and bland.
But during the meal, in response to a double-edged, wickedly-barked remark of Belle's, a memory flashed into being
above Lola's shield. It was the veriest flash, instantly suppressed. Her eyes held clear and steady; if she blushed at all
it did not show.
Belle caught it, of course, and winked triumphantly at Garlock. She knew, now, what she had wanted to know. And,
Prime Operator though he was, it was all Garlock could do to make no sign; for that fleetingly-revealed memory was
a perfect job. He would not have - could not have - questioned it himself, except for one simple fact: it was of an
event that had not happened and never would.
And after breakfast, at some distance from the others, he told her, 'You're an Operator, all right; Brownie - and it
takes a damn good one to lie like that with her mind!'
Thanks to you, Clee. And thanks a million, really. I'm me again -1 think.'
Then, since Belle was looking, she took him by both ears, pulled his head down, and kissed him lightly on the lips.
'I know I said you'd have to kiss me next time,' Lola said, very low, 'but this act needs just this much of an extra
touch. Anyway, such little, tiny, sisterly ones as this, and out in public, don't count.'
45
THREE
Lola and Garlock went to town in the same taxi. As they were about to separate, Garlock said:
'I don't like those hell-divers - yellow, green, or any other color - and you, Brownie, are very definitely not
expendable. Are you any good at mind-bombing?'
'I never heard of such a thing.'
'You isolate a little energy in the Op field, remembering of course, that you're handling a hundred thousand gunts.
Transpose it into osmium or uranium or anything good and heavy. For one of these monsters you'd need two or three
micro-grams. For a battleship, up to maybe a gram or so. 'Port it to the exact place you want it to detonate. Reconvert
and release instantaneously. One hundred percent conversion atomic bomb, tailored exactly to fit the job. Very
effective.*
'It would be. My God, Clee, can you do thatT
'Sure - so can you. Any Operator can.'