"Arcady And Boris Strugatsky. Prisoners of Power" - читать интересную книгу автора

"In short, you let him slip through your fingers."
"What could I do, Strannik? You know how it is."
"Damn it, Fank'. You didn't have to do a damned thing. All you had to
do was take a driver with you."
"All right, it was my fault. But who could have expected... ?"
"OK. Enough. What measures have you taken?"
"As soon as I was released, I phoned Megu. Megu didn't know anything
about it. If he returns, Megu will let me know immediately. Next, I put all
insane asylums under surveillance. He can't go far. He sticks out like a
sore thumb."
"And?"
"I alerted our people in the police department. I ordered them to
follow up every case, even petty traffic violations. He doesn't have
documents. I'll be informed if anyone arrested doesn't have identification
papers. He can't hide, even if he wants to. It's just a matter of two or
three days. A simple matter."
"Simple, you say? What could be simpler than getting into a car,
driving to the telecenter, and transporting a man here? But you couldn't
even handle that."
"OK, it's my fault. But such a coincidence - "
"Enough about coincidences. Do you really think he's crazy?"
"It's hard to say. He's more like a savage. Like a well-washed,
well-groomed savage from the mountains. But I can easily imagine a situation
in which he'd act like a lunatic. Then there's that idiotic smile, the
imbecilic speech. And he's a complete fool."
"Of course. You've taken the proper steps. But there's something else,
Fank. Contact the underground."
"What?"
"If you don't find him in the next few days, he'll undoubtedly turn up
in the underground."
"I do not understand what a savage would be doing in the underground."
"There's lots of them in the underground. Don't ask stupid questions -
just do what I tell you. If you lose him again, you're fired."
"It won't happen again."
"Good. What else do you have for me?"


PART TWO: LEGIONNAIRE

5.
Captain Chachu completed the briefing and barked: "Corporal Gaal,
remain. The rest are dismissed."
After the other platoon leaders had filed out, the captain, swiveling
in his chair and whistling the old soldier's song "Cool It, Mama," studied
Guy for some time. Captain Chachu bore no resemblance to Captain Tolot. He
was stocky and swarthy, with a large bald spot, much older than Tolot and,
not long ago, had fought in eight coastal actions. He had received the Fiery
Cross and three other medals for bravery under fire. People still talked
about his fantastic duel with a white submarine: his tank had received a