"Destroyer 040 - Dangerous Games.pdb" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Remo)

"Listen," said Chiun. "We are not concerned with your stupid ear. What kind of gold medal should we win in the Olympics?"
"You?" the drunk said. He looked Chiun over carefully. "Maybe the Golden Age Mile. You can all walk."
"Not me," Chiun said. "My student." He pointed and the man craned his neck to get a better look at Remo.
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"He don't look so young either," the drunk said. "And he don't look like no athlete. I'm thirsty."
"Pick an event," Chiun insisted.
"Something that's not too hard. Maybe he can run. He looks like he's been running from cops. Can you run? A half-mile. Maybe he can run a half a mile?" He decided he was awake and he wondered who these people were and what they were doing in his zoo. Maybe while he was asleep someone had taken him from the zoo to the asylum.
"Yeah, I can run a half-mile," Remo said.
"Okay. Do a half-mile. Or meters. I think they do it in meters now. America has switched to the metric system. They even sell booze by liters now. And there's meters and millimeters and like that." He swelled his chest with pride. He felt like a patriot.
"Shut up," Chiun said. "Thank you." He returned to Remo. "Give the man a nickel for bis trouble."
Remo walked over to the drunk, who was still mumbling about meters and millimeters and liters. Remo slipped a fifty-dollar bill into the derelict's hand, keeping his back turned so that Smith, who paid all the bills, would not see.
"Here," Remo said. "Buy yourself an imperial load on."
"I don't believe all this," Smith said.
"He will win," Chiun said. "You will see."
"I can't wait," Smith said.
The cable car bumped to a stop at the platform and the drunk scurried out of the car, running with his new-found fortune to the nearest bar and, in the process, setting his own lifetime best for the 983-yard run.
When Smith, Remo, and Chiun stepped from the car, they noticed that everyone else in the zoo seemed to be running too.
"Something's happened," Smith said.
"These people are scared," Remo said. A man in
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a zoo guard's uniform ran toward them and Remo collared him.
"What's going on, pal?"
"Brian's escaped," the man said, as if that explained everything. He tried to resume running, but felt rooted to the spot. The skinny man's hand on his shoulder seemed to weigh a ton.
"That's great," Remo said. "Who's Brian?"
"Gorilla. Biggest gorilla in the world. Somebody got him riled and he snapped the cage door. He's going crazy. Lemme go. I gotta call for tranquilizer guns, buddy. Lemme go."
"Which way to the gorilla cage?" Chiun asked.
"Straight ahead," the guard said. "C'mon, lemme go."
Remo released the man's shoulder and the guard fled.
"We'd better leave," Smith said.
"Nonsense," said Chiun. "We will go to the gorilla. This will not really show you how fast Remo can run, but it may restore your faith in him, even if he is white, God help him, present company ex-cepted. Come."
Chiun walked toward the cage. Smith looked at Remo, who shrugged and followed Chiun. And because he could think of no place safer, Smith walked after them.
When they reached the area of the gorilla cage, the zoo was practically empty, and Brian was calming down. If he could be kept there, away from the main walkways of the zoo, it should not be too difficult for zoo guards with tranquilizer guns to recapture him.
Chiun had other ideas.
"There he is," Smith hissed.
"It's all right," Remo said. "You can talk up. Gorillas don't know you're talking about them."
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"Listen to Remo, Emperor. He knows about gorillas. And Monkeys."
Brian was seven feet tall and weighed more than 500 pounds. He was standing near his cage, scratching his head, looking around. When he saw the three men approaching, he jumped up and down, roared, and beat on his chest. Then he started toward them.
"We'd better leave here," Smith advised again.
"No need," said Chiun. "Remo will put the beast back in his cage."
"Why me?" Remo asked. "Why not you?"
"It is true," Chiun said, "that I have much more experience dealing with an ape, considering what I have had to endure in the last ten years, but I have no need to impress the emperor. You show him what you can do."
Remo sighed. Arguing with Chiun was a waste of time. It would be easier to put the damn gorilla back where he belonged.
"He's getting closer," Smith said. "I'd appreciate it if you fellows would agree on who was going to do what, or else let us get out of here."
"Easy does it, Smitty. Animals sense when you get nervous and it makes them mean," said Remo.
"I'll take your word for it," Smith said. "Let's go."
"The demonstration is set," Chiun said imperiously. He folded his arms and looked inscrutable.
"I'll put hun back," Remo said.
"And do not hurt him," Chiun said. "He might be a relative."
The gorilla was almost on them now, so Remo took a large step forward, ducked inside the beast's swinging arms, put a hand on the massive hard chest and pushed.