"Edward Willett - Andy Nebula" - читать интересную книгу автора (Willett Edward)

тАЬNot after seeing those teeth,тАЭ I shot at him as I climbed the stairs, but my gut clenched. IтАЯd
been approached by street-level meatmen before; I told them тАЬno,тАЭ and they lifted. But if one
of the herd-owners had his eyes on me...and now that I thought about it, it seemed strange the
guy in the weathercoat would be asking about me the same day this тАЬspacerтАЭ came asking
about musicians. I could almost feel the jaws of some hidden trap closing in on me as I reached
the dim and grimy second-floor corridor.
I found room 206, then stopped, listening. There was plenty to hear: a man and a woman
screaming obscenities from across the hall; the latest Sensation Single pounding from next
door. I grimaced; I hated that pre-packaged fluff. But I could hear nothing from room 206. Was
that a good sign or not?
For a moment I considered leaving Fat SloanтАЯs and sleeping in the street after all, even
though Sloan would never refund my money--but then the wind shook the window at the end
of the hall, and I took a deep breath. I was probably worrying about nothing. Just coincidence.
I knocked.
тАЬEnter,тАЭ said a voice. Strange; Sloan had said the spacer was a man, but this sounded almost
like a woman. I grinned, suddenly feeling better. Now, that would be an interesting turn of
events! I stuck the keychip into its slot and, as the door swung inward, stepped through--
--and jumped back out again, tripping over my own feet and falling backward with a crash
that shook the whole floor. I scrambled back until my spine pressed against the wall.
Two purple eyes on moist reddish-orange tentacles slid around the edge of the door and
focused on me. A third eye joined them. тАЬAre you unhurt?тАЭ said the voice that had told me to
enter.
I found my own voice. I also found I couldnтАЯt do much with it. тАЬI--I--тАЭ
тАЬMy name is...тАЭ He made a noise like tearing metal. тАЬIn your words...Water that Falls from
the Sky?тАЭ
тАЬRain?тАЭ I croaked. I resolved to kill Sloan.
тАЬYes, Rain! Like what it is doing outside.тАЭ A fourth eye rounded the corner, and then the
entire creature.
Picture a stalk like a plantтАЯs, reddish-orange and dotted with irregular patches of silver and
gold. Give it four insect-like legs, positioned equidistantly around the stalk, so it can move
instantly in any direction. Top the stalk, about four feet up, with eight writhing tentacles. Put
eyes on four of them and have the others end in four smaller tentacles each. Add a mouth at
their base, and breathing slits in the stalk that slowly open and close with a wet sucking sound,
and you have my roommate. тАЬYouтАЯre a Hydra!тАЭ
тАЬThat is what your race calls us, yes.тАЭ The alien sounded slightly miffed. тАЬWe would prefer
you to call us...тАЭ He shrieked something well above high C.
Edward Willett Andy Nebula: Interstellar Rock Star 4


тАЬNot since my voice changed,тАЭ I muttered.
тАЬWhat?тАЭ
тАЬUh--nothing.тАЭ I remembered I was sitting on the floor and scrambled to my feet. Fat SloanтАЯs
floors are nothing you want to sit on for long. тАЬIтАЯm sorry I yelled. Fat Slo--uh, the man who runs
this place told me IтАЯd have a roommate, but he didnтАЯt tell me heтАЯd be--uh, one of you.тАЭ
тАЬAh. Well, certainly I have the advantage of you there, for I did expect that my roommate
would be human.тАЭ Although his voice had that odd almost-feminine pitch, his Fedspeech was
easy to understand, perfectly unaccented. тАЬWonтАЯt you come in?тАЭ
тАЬUh--yeah. I mean, thanks.тАЭ Clutching my synth and my mealpac to my chest, I edged into
the room. The Hydra made room for me, but not very much, and I dreaded the thought of
bumping up against one of his--