"A. E. Van Vogt - The Silkie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Van Vogt A E)

'Work?'

'Yes.'

'News, drama, TV?'

'Yes.'

'Sport?'

'I watch it. I don't participate.'

They were passing through an underwater jungle. Huge waving fronds, coral piled high, an octopus
peering at them from the shadows of a cave, an eel darting away, and fish by the dozen. It was still the
wild part of the ship, where the conditions of a tropical Earth ocean were duplicated. To Cemp, who had
been nearly a month in space without a break, merely swimming here seemed like great sport indeed.

But all he said was, 'Well, friend, that's all there is for any one. A quiet, enjoyable existence is the most
that life has to offer anyone. If you're envying me my police duties, don't! I'm inured to it, but I have a
mating period only every nine and a half years. Would you care for that?'

The implication in his statement, that Silkies could engage in sexual activity only at intervals of nine years
or so, was not true. But it was a myth that Silkies and their closest human allies, the Special People, had
found it worthwhile to foster. Normal human beings particularly seemed to find great satisfaction in what
they conceived to be a major defect in the otherwise enviable Silkie.

After Cemp completed his reassuring communication, the dark emotion that had been radiating from the
V took on added hostility. 'You're treating me like a child,' he said in a grim manner. 'I know something
of the logic of levels. So don't give me any of these sophistries.'

'It's still mostly speculation,' Cemp answered gently. He added, 'Don't worry, I won't tell your wife that
you're unfaithful to her.'

'Damn you!' said the V, and swam off.

Cemp turned to another of his companions and had a very similar discussion with him. This one's secret
was that he had twice in the past year fallen asleep while on duty at one of the locks connecting the big
ship with outer space.

The third person he addressed was a female. Her secret, surprisingly, was that she thought herself
insane. As soon as she realised that her thought had come through to him, the substance of her
communication became hysterical'.

She was a graceful being, one of the breathers тАФ but completely unnerved now. 'Don't tell them!' she
telepathed in terror. 'They'll kill me.'

Before Cemp could more than consider what an unexpected ally he had found for himself, let alone
decide what made her feel she was insane, the female communicated frantically, 'They're going to lure
you into one of the shark tanks!' Her almost human face contorted as she realised what she had revealed.