"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 29 - Angado" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

twitterings, whispers, murmurings, sighs. A shadowed darkness
which slowly brightened to reveal a bizarre landscape composed
of crystalline facets gleaming with a fire of splintered colors. A
ball in which he stood with his feet resting on softly engulfing
shadows.

Before him stood a mirror image of himself.

A shape as tall, as thin, as skeletal about the face. One
wearing the twin of his scarlet robe. But the image was no
reflection and he recognized it at once. Master Marie, Cyber
Prime, the head of the Cyclan.

But how? How?

Normally communication with Central Intelligence was
preceded by the illusion of bubbles moving in continuous motion
with other bubbles all composed of gleaming light. An
experience unique to himself; each cyber had a different
experience. Then would come the actual contact during which
information was absorbed from his mind as water was sucked by
a sponge from a pool. An interchange in which orders were
relayed as fast. Organic communication of a near-instantaneous
speed. After would come the time of euphoria in which he drifted
in a zone filled with the scraps of overflow from other minds.

Never before had he known this confusion.

"Avro?" Marie sounded as confused as himself. "Are you
Avro?"

"Marie?" Avro caught himself, the evidence was before him.
Incredible as it seemed they stood face to face. "A coincidence,"
he suggested. "We both established rapport at the same time
and Central Intelligence has created this direct link. An
improvement if restricted to special occasions."

"Perhaps." Marie was slow to agree. "What have you to
report?"

"Dumarest is dead."

"Explain." Marie listened as Avro gave him the facts. "The
lagoon?"

"Can only produce negative evidence. Anything recovered
may, on examination, prove the death of Tron of which we have
no doubt. The rest must be based on a valuation of other
evidence. I regard it as conclusive."