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World Of Ptavvs :: Нивен Ларри
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"But»
"You old fool! Do you think I want to choke to death? Every time I start to think about what happened I start strangling! I start thinking funny too; everything looks strange. I feel surrounded by enemies. But worst of all, I get so depressed! No. I don't remember anything. Get out."
Gamer sighed and ostentatiously put his hands on the chair controls. "If you change your mind-"
"I won't. So there's no need to come back."
"I won't be able to. I'm going after them."
"In a spaceship? You?"
"I've got to," said Garner. Nevertheless he glanced involuntarily at his crossed legs crossed this morning, by hand. "I've got to," he repeated. "There's no telling what they want, but it must be something worthwhile. They're going to too much trouble to get it. It could be a weapon, or a signal device to call their planet."
The travel chair whirred.
"Half a minute," said Diller.
Gamer turned off the motor and waited. Diller leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. His face began to change. It was no longer an expression he wore, a mirror of his personality, but a random dispersal of muscle tension. His breathing was ragged.
Finally he looked up. He started to speak and failed. He cleared his throat and tried again. "An amplifier. The- the bastard has an amplifier buried on the eighth planet."
"Fine! What does it amplify?"
Diller started to choke.
"Never mind," said Gamer. "I think I know." His chair left the room, going much too fast.
"They're both ruunin' scared," said Luke. "Headed for Neptune at one gee, with your husband an hour and a half behind."
"But aren't you sending someone after him?" Judy begged. "He isn't responsible, he doesn't know what he's doing!"
"Sure. We're sending me. He's got my partner, you know." Seeing Mrs. Greenberg's reaction, he quickly added, "They're in one ship. We can't protect Lloyd without protecting your husband."
They sat in Judy's hotel room sipping Tom Collinses. It was eleven hundred of a blazing August morning.
"Do you know how he got away?" Judy asked.
"Yah. The ET knocked everybody crosseyed when he threw that tantrum at the port. Everybody but Greenberg. Your husband simply picked out a ship that was on standby and had Lloyd take it up. Lloyd knows how to fly a Navy ship, worse luck."
"Why would Mr. Masney be taking Larry's orders?"
"Because Larry hypnotized him. I remember the whole performance."
Judy looked down at her lap. The corners of her mouth began to twitch. She began to giggle, and then to laugh.
"But»
"You old fool! Do you think I want to choke to death? Every time I start to think about what happened I start strangling! I start thinking funny too; everything looks strange. I feel surrounded by enemies. But worst of all, I get so depressed! No. I don't remember anything. Get out."
Gamer sighed and ostentatiously put his hands on the chair controls. "If you change your mind-"
"I won't. So there's no need to come back."
"I won't be able to. I'm going after them."
"In a spaceship? You?"
"I've got to," said Garner. Nevertheless he glanced involuntarily at his crossed legs crossed this morning, by hand. "I've got to," he repeated. "There's no telling what they want, but it must be something worthwhile. They're going to too much trouble to get it. It could be a weapon, or a signal device to call their planet."
The travel chair whirred.
"Half a minute," said Diller.
Gamer turned off the motor and waited. Diller leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. His face began to change. It was no longer an expression he wore, a mirror of his personality, but a random dispersal of muscle tension. His breathing was ragged.
Finally he looked up. He started to speak and failed. He cleared his throat and tried again. "An amplifier. The- the bastard has an amplifier buried on the eighth planet."
"Fine! What does it amplify?"
Diller started to choke.
"Never mind," said Gamer. "I think I know." His chair left the room, going much too fast.
"They're both ruunin' scared," said Luke. "Headed for Neptune at one gee, with your husband an hour and a half behind."
"But aren't you sending someone after him?" Judy begged. "He isn't responsible, he doesn't know what he's doing!"
"Sure. We're sending me. He's got my partner, you know." Seeing Mrs. Greenberg's reaction, he quickly added, "They're in one ship. We can't protect Lloyd without protecting your husband."
They sat in Judy's hotel room sipping Tom Collinses. It was eleven hundred of a blazing August morning.
"Do you know how he got away?" Judy asked.
"Yah. The ET knocked everybody crosseyed when he threw that tantrum at the port. Everybody but Greenberg. Your husband simply picked out a ship that was on standby and had Lloyd take it up. Lloyd knows how to fly a Navy ship, worse luck."
"Why would Mr. Masney be taking Larry's orders?"
"Because Larry hypnotized him. I remember the whole performance."
Judy looked down at her lap. The corners of her mouth began to twitch. She began to giggle, and then to laugh.