"Theodore Sturgeon - Microcosmic God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Sturgeon Theodore)

world that was home to him, a world where his motives were under-stood, and
where there were those who could help him.
Back at the NeotericsтАЩ building, he escaped yet again from the world of men into
his work.

Kidder called Conant the following week, much to the bankerтАЩs surprise. His two
days on the island had got the work well under way, and he had left with the
arrival of a shipload of laborers and material. He kept in close touch by radio with
Johansen, the engineer in charge. It had been a blind job for Johansen and all the
rest of the crew on the island. Only the bankтАЩs infinite resources could have hired
such a man, or the picked gang with him.

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 MICROCOSMIC GOD


JohansenтАЩs first reaction when he saw the model had been ecstatic. He wanted to
tell his friends about this mar-vel; but the only radio set available was beamed to
ConantтАЩs private office in the bank, and ConantтАЩs armed guards, one to every two
workers, had strict orders to destroy any other radio transmitter on sight. About
that time he realized that he was a prisoner on the island. His instant anger
subsided when he reflected that being a prisoner at fifty thousand dollars a week
wasnтАЩt too bad; Two of the laborers and an engineer thought differently, and got
disgruntled a couple of days after they arrived. They disappeared one night- the
same night that five shots were fired down on the beach. No questions were asked,
and there was no more trouble.
Conant covered his surprise at KidderтАЩs call and was as offensively jovial as ever.
тАЬWell, now! Anything I can do for you?тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ said Kidder. His voice was low, completely with-out expression. тАЬI want
you to issue a warning to your men not to pass the white line I have drawn five
hundred yards north of my buildings, right across the island.тАЭ
тАЬWarning? Why, my dear fellow, they have orders that you are not to be disturbed
on any account.тАЭ
тАЬYouтАЩve ordered them. All right. Now warn them. I have an electric field
surrounding my laboratories that will kill anything living which penetrates it. I
donтАЩt want to have murder on my conscience. There will be no deaths unless there
are trespassers. YouтАЩll inform your workers?тАЭ
тАЬOh, now, Kidder,тАЭ the banker expostulated. тАЬThat was totally unnecessary. You
wonтАЩt be bothered. Why-тАЭ but he found he was talking into a dead mike. He knew
better than to call back. He called Johansen instead and told him about it.
Johansen didnтАЩt like the sound of it, but he re-peated the message and signed off.
Conant liked that man. He was, for a moment, a little sorry that Johansen would
never reach the mainland alive.
But that Kidder-he was beginning to be a problem. As long as his weapons were
strictly defensive he was no real menace. But he would have to be taken care of
when the plant was operating. Conant couldnтАЩt afford to have genius around him
unless it was unquestionably on his side. The power transmitter and ConantтАЩs
highly ambitious plans would be safe as long as Kidder was left to himself. Kidder
knew that he could, for the time being, expect more sym-pathetic treatment from
Conant than he could from a horde of government investigators.