"Rajnar Vajra - Passing the Arboli Test" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vajra Rajnar)

"There's an idea! I didn't think the Test was set up that way, but
unless the Tree-people made a mistake, you must be on the right track. Anyway,
I'm guessing we don't have time for debate. We'd better start looking for
weapons -- fast! What have you found so far?"
"Nothing yet, but I only got here a few seconds ahead of you. Let's get
to work. I think we're supposed to close the door."
"Right." I slammed the door and studied the room. The facilities hadn't
been modified for Arboli. Perhaps the aliens put up human visitors from time
to time.
The bathroom had an institutional look, more like something from a good
hotel than a similar room in a private home. Except for the towels. I edged
past my new ally and squeezed a towel thoughtfully. It was large, thick, soft,
and pink. Perhaps I could snap them at the blade-wielders when they showed up.
That would be sure to scare them.
Weapons, weapons. What about the towel rack itself? It appeared to be a
solid bar of stainless steel. I tried to pry it off the wall, but I couldn't
budge it. The damn thing was set into concrete.
The next potential weapon to receive my abuse was the shower
curtain-rod. Once again, steel. These fixtures had been built to last,
unfortunately. I learned something interesting and useless: I could do
pull-ups from the rod without bending it or pulling it from its socket.
"What do you think of this?" My partner was holding the heavy white
ceramic lid of the toilet tank.
"Not bad, but it might be hard to move it around fast enough. Better
keep looking, but hang on to the thing just in case. Anything useful in the
tank?"
"Just a bunch of plastic parts. I suppose we could choke someone with
the float if -- listen! What was that?"
I'd heard it too, a tiny click outside the door. I would've been
terrified, not just nervous, if I took this situation seriously. Only a game,
I told myself. But an important game.
"I don't know what that was," I whispered, "but we'd better get ready.
I gave the room a quick once-over. With a screwdriver and more time, I
might come up with all sorts of deadly weapons, not even counting the
screwdriver. For now, the tank lid seemed our best bet. Perhaps I could TP our




Page 6
attackers.
Think, Paul, _think_.
"Sharp blades" could mean swords or axes but I was betting it referred
to knives. What chance would we have against swords? Knives, unless thrown,
are infighting weapons. We needed was something that could act at a distance.
Some kind of club...
Another distinct click outside made us both jump and a childhood memory
bubbled up.
My grandfather had once shown me a trick he'd learned in the old
country. I almost smiled. We had two perfectly fine weapons at hand, hanging