JК
The Stars My Destination ( Tiger! Tiger! ) :: Bester Alfred
Страница: 86 из 164»
Robin's lips trembled and then she began to cry. She sobbed and shook and Foyle had to steady her. «Well,» he asked. «Will you do it?»
She nodded. «You're so kind . . . It's . . . I'm not used to kindness any more.»
The dull concussion of a distant explosion made Foyle stiffen. «Christ!» he exclaimed in sudden panic. «Another Blue Jaunte. I…”
«No,» Robin said. «I don't know what blue jaunte is, but that's the Proving Ground. They…” She looked up at Foyle's face and screamed. The unexpected shock of the explosion and the vivid chain of associations had wrenched loose his iron control. The blood-red scars of tattooing showed under his skin. She stared at him in horror, still screaming.
He touched his face once, then leaped forward and gagged her. Once again he had hold of himself.
«It shows, eh?» he murmured with a ghastly smile. «Lost my grip for a minute. Thought I was back in Gouffre Martel listening to a Blue Jaunte. Yes, I'm Foyle. The brute who destroyed you. You had to know, sooner or later, but I'd hoped it would be later, I'm Foyle, back again. Will you be quiet and listen to me?»
She shook her head frantically, trying to struggle out of his grasp. With detached calm he punched her jaw. Robin sagged. Foyle picked her up, wrapped her in his coat and held her in his arms, waiting for consciousness to return. When he saw her eyelids flutter he spoke again.
«Don't move or you'll be sick. Maybe I didn't pull that punch enough.»
«Brute . . . Beast . . .»
«I could do this the wrong way,» he said. «I could blackmail you. I know your mother and sisters are on Callisto, that you're classed as an alien belligerent by association. That puts you on the black list, ipso facto. Is that right? Ipso facto. 'By the very fact.' Latin. You can't trust hypno-learning. I could point out that all I have to do is send anonymous information to Central Intelligence and you wouldn't be just suspect any more. They'd be ripping information out of you inside twelve hours. . .»
He felt her shudder. «But I'm not going to do it that way. I'm going to tell you the truth because I want to turn you into a partner. Your mother's in the Inner Planets. She's in the Inner Planets,» he repeated. «She may be on Terra.»
«Safe?» she whispered.
«I don't know.»
«Put me down.»
«You're cold.»
«Put me down.»
He set her on her feet.
«You destroyed me once,» she said in choked tones. «Are you trying to destroy me again?»
«No.
Robin's lips trembled and then she began to cry. She sobbed and shook and Foyle had to steady her. «Well,» he asked. «Will you do it?»
She nodded. «You're so kind . . . It's . . . I'm not used to kindness any more.»
The dull concussion of a distant explosion made Foyle stiffen. «Christ!» he exclaimed in sudden panic. «Another Blue Jaunte. I…”
«No,» Robin said. «I don't know what blue jaunte is, but that's the Proving Ground. They…” She looked up at Foyle's face and screamed. The unexpected shock of the explosion and the vivid chain of associations had wrenched loose his iron control. The blood-red scars of tattooing showed under his skin. She stared at him in horror, still screaming.
He touched his face once, then leaped forward and gagged her. Once again he had hold of himself.
«It shows, eh?» he murmured with a ghastly smile. «Lost my grip for a minute. Thought I was back in Gouffre Martel listening to a Blue Jaunte. Yes, I'm Foyle. The brute who destroyed you. You had to know, sooner or later, but I'd hoped it would be later, I'm Foyle, back again. Will you be quiet and listen to me?»
She shook her head frantically, trying to struggle out of his grasp. With detached calm he punched her jaw. Robin sagged. Foyle picked her up, wrapped her in his coat and held her in his arms, waiting for consciousness to return. When he saw her eyelids flutter he spoke again.
«Don't move or you'll be sick. Maybe I didn't pull that punch enough.»
«Brute . . . Beast . . .»
«I could do this the wrong way,» he said. «I could blackmail you. I know your mother and sisters are on Callisto, that you're classed as an alien belligerent by association. That puts you on the black list, ipso facto. Is that right? Ipso facto. 'By the very fact.' Latin. You can't trust hypno-learning. I could point out that all I have to do is send anonymous information to Central Intelligence and you wouldn't be just suspect any more. They'd be ripping information out of you inside twelve hours. . .»
He felt her shudder. «But I'm not going to do it that way. I'm going to tell you the truth because I want to turn you into a partner. Your mother's in the Inner Planets. She's in the Inner Planets,» he repeated. «She may be on Terra.»
«Safe?» she whispered.
«I don't know.»
«Put me down.»
«You're cold.»
«Put me down.»
He set her on her feet.
«You destroyed me once,» she said in choked tones. «Are you trying to destroy me again?»
«No.