"Arcady And Boris Strugatsky. Prisoners of Power" - читать интересную книгу автораbe sorry later."
Vepr replied indistinctly: he felt ill again, too miserable to worry about fortresses. Maxim opened his eyes and looked around. He was sitting on a mound of earth in the middle of a long corridor lined with rough concrete walls. A gap in the ceiling was either an opening for ventilation or a breach made by some missile. Standing some twenty steps away from him, Zef surveyed Ms surroundings with a flashlight. "What's this?" asked Maxim. "How should I know? It could be some sort of shelter. Or maybe it really is thethe Fortress. Do you know about the Fortress?" "No," said Maxim, crawling off the mound. "You don't... ," said Zef absentmindedly. He kept looking around, sweeping the light along the walls. "Then what the hell do you know! Massaraksh! Someone or something has just been here." "Human?" asked Maxim. "I don't know. It crept alongside the wall and disappeared. And the Fortress, Mac, is something very, very special. In one day we could finish up all our work out there. Aha, tracks." He squatted. Maxim squatted beside him and made out imprints in the dirt along the wall. "Strange tracks." "I've never seen anything like them." "Looks as if someone was walking on his fists." Maxim clenched his fist and made an impression next to the tracks. corridor. Something shimmered faintly, reflecting either a turn or dead-end. "Should we take a look?" "Shh," said Maxim. "Shut up and don't move!" Although it was silent, he sensed the presence of life in the corridor. Someone or something was standing up ahead; something small, with a strange weak odor, was hugging the wall. Maxim could not tell precisely what or where it was. It was observing them and seemed annoyed by their presence. It defied identification and its intentions were elusive. "Do we have to investigate?" asked Maxim. "I'd like to." "Why?" "We must take a look. Maybe this really is the Fortress. If it is, things are going to be a lot different from now on. I'm not sure it is, but since there are so many rumors, who can tell, maybe there's some truth to them." "Someone is there," said Maxim. "I can't figure out who." "You think so? If this is the Fortress, then according to legend, either the survivors of a garrison live here, or... The garrison just stays on here, you know, unaware that the war ended. During the war they declared themselves neutral, locked themselves in, and swore to blow up the continent if anyone came near them." "And could they?" "If this is the Fortress, they could do anything. Yes, indeed. Because of explosions and firing above ground, they probably believe the war is |
|
|