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The Stars My Destination ( Tiger! Tiger! ) :: Bester Alfred
Страница: 150 из 164After three minutes of agonized struggling they realized that they could not get through the labyrinth to Foyle. It was locked to the outside but not from the inside. Dagenham and Y'ang-Yeovil backed up to confer.
«We can't get to him,» Dagenham shouted, «But he can get out.»
«How? He can't jaunte, obviously, or he wouldn't be there.»
«No, he can climb. Look. He goes left, then up, reverses, makes a him along that beam, slides under it and pushes through that tangle of wire. The wire can't be pushed in, which is why we can't get to him, but it can push out, which is how he can get out. It's a one-way door.»
The pool of molten copper crept up toward Foyle.
«If he doesn't get out soon he'll be roasted alive.»
«We'll have to talk him out . . . Tell him what to do.»
The men began shouting: «Foyle! Foyle! Foyle!»
The Burning Man in the maze continued to move feebly. The downpour of sizzling copper increased.
«Foyle! Turn left. Can you hear me? Foyle! Turn left and climb up. You can get out if you'll listen to me. Turn left and climb up. Then…Foyle!»
«He's not listening. Foyle! Gully Foyle! Can you hear us?»
«Send for Jiz. Maybe he'll listen to her.»
«No, Robin. She'll telesend. He'll have to listen.
«But will she do it? Save him of all people?»
«She'll have to. This is bigger than hatred. It's the biggest damned thing the world's ever encountered. I'll get her.» Y'ang-Yeovil started to crawl out. Dagenham stopped him.
«Wait, Yeo. Look at him. He's flickering.»
«Flickering?»
«Look! He's. . . blinking like a glow-worm. Watch! Now you see him and now you don't.»
The figure of Foyle was appearing, disappearing, and reappearing in rapid succession, like a firefly caught in a flaming trap.
«What's he doing now? What's be trying to do? What's happening?»
He was trying to escape. Like a trapped firefly or some seabird caught in the blazing brazier of a naked beacon fire, he was beating about in a frenzy, a blackened, burning creature, dashing himself against the unknown.
Sound came as sight to him, as light in strange patterns. He saw the sound of his shouted name in vivid rhythms:
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEPOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
Motion came as sound to him. He heard the writhing of the flames, he heard the swirls of smoke, he heard the flickering, jeering shadows . . .
«We can't get to him,» Dagenham shouted, «But he can get out.»
«How? He can't jaunte, obviously, or he wouldn't be there.»
«No, he can climb. Look. He goes left, then up, reverses, makes a him along that beam, slides under it and pushes through that tangle of wire. The wire can't be pushed in, which is why we can't get to him, but it can push out, which is how he can get out. It's a one-way door.»
The pool of molten copper crept up toward Foyle.
«If he doesn't get out soon he'll be roasted alive.»
«We'll have to talk him out . . . Tell him what to do.»
The men began shouting: «Foyle! Foyle! Foyle!»
The Burning Man in the maze continued to move feebly. The downpour of sizzling copper increased.
«Foyle! Turn left. Can you hear me? Foyle! Turn left and climb up. You can get out if you'll listen to me. Turn left and climb up. Then…Foyle!»
«He's not listening. Foyle! Gully Foyle! Can you hear us?»
«Send for Jiz. Maybe he'll listen to her.»
«No, Robin. She'll telesend. He'll have to listen.
«But will she do it? Save him of all people?»
«She'll have to. This is bigger than hatred. It's the biggest damned thing the world's ever encountered. I'll get her.» Y'ang-Yeovil started to crawl out. Dagenham stopped him.
«Wait, Yeo. Look at him. He's flickering.»
«Flickering?»
«Look! He's. . . blinking like a glow-worm. Watch! Now you see him and now you don't.»
The figure of Foyle was appearing, disappearing, and reappearing in rapid succession, like a firefly caught in a flaming trap.
«What's he doing now? What's be trying to do? What's happening?»
He was trying to escape. Like a trapped firefly or some seabird caught in the blazing brazier of a naked beacon fire, he was beating about in a frenzy, a blackened, burning creature, dashing himself against the unknown.
Sound came as sight to him, as light in strange patterns. He saw the sound of his shouted name in vivid rhythms:
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEPOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
FOYLEFOYLEFOYLE
Motion came as sound to him. He heard the writhing of the flames, he heard the swirls of smoke, he heard the flickering, jeering shadows . . .