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

and tell the platoon leaders where I am. Have them report what they've
done." Zoiza clicked his heels and rushed toward the door. "And tell Gaal to
come up here... Stop yelling, you scum!" he shouted at the man groaning on
the floor and kicked him lightly in the side with the toe of his boot.
"Useless. No-good trash. Search them!" he ordered Pandi. "Line them up.
Right here, on the floor. That woman, too."
Maxim went over to the woman, picked her up gently, and carried her to
the bed. He was confused and disturbed. This wasn't the sort of thing he had
expected.
"Candidate Sim!" barked the captain. "I said on the flooron the floor!"
He looked at Maxim with his unnaturally transparent eyes; his lips twitched
almost convulsively. Maxim decided that it was not for him to prescribe what
was right or wrong. He was still a stranger in this country; he had yet to
learn what they chose to love or hate. He lifted the woman and placed her on
the floor next to the stocky man who had been firing in the hall. Pandi and
another legionnaire turned the prisoners' pockets inside out. All five were
unconscious.
The captain sat down in the easy chair, threw his cap on the table, lit
a cigarette, and beckoned to Maxim. Maxim clicked his heels smartly and went
over to him.
"Why did you throw down your gun?" the captain asked in a low voice.
"You ordered us not to shoot."
"Sir."
"Yes, sir. You ordered us not to shoot, sir."
The captain's eyes narrowed as he blew a stream of smoke toward the
ceiling.
"If I had ordered you to stop talking, I suppose you would have bitten
off your tongue, eh?"
Maxim remained silent. This exchange irritated him, but he remembered
Guy's instructions.
"What does your father do?"
"He is a scientist, sir."
"Is he alive?"
"Yes, sir."
The captain looked hard at Maxim.
"Where is he?"
Maxim realized what he had blurted out. Now he would have to extricate
himself.
"I don't know, sir. Rather, I don't remember, sir."
"But you remembered that he was a scientist. What else do you
remember?"
"I don't know, sir. I remember many things, but Corporal Gaal believes
that my memory is deceptive."
Hurried footsteps echoed through the stairway. Guy entered the room and
snapped to attention.
"Get to work on this half-dead scum," ordered the captain. "You have
enough handcuffs?"
Guy glanced over his shoulder at the prisoners.
"With your permission, sir, we'll have to borrow a pair from Second
Platoon."