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World Of Ptavvs :: Нивен Ларри
Страница: 77 из 127Give me another choice!"
"Well, give me a chance to! I haven't even thoughtabout it yet!" He screwed his young face into a smooth semblance of Garner's. "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Yeah, I've got something. You don't have to shoot on sight. You can wait to find out if what they're looking for is really on Neptune."
"What good will that do?"
"They could have left something on one of the moons, or in orbit. But if it's on Neptune, they can't get at it! Neither of their ships develops more than one gee. Neptune's pull is higher than that. They can't land."
"No good. The ET has a winged ship. But that's good thinking anyway, son;" -
"You bet it is," Anderson said angrily. "How- the hell is he going to get back up?"
Luke Garner looked like he'd seen a vision. After a moment he asked, "Son, have you ever thought of joining the Arms?"
"Why-" Anderson began modestly.
Who are you?
The two stared at one another.
WHO ARE YOU???????
"Lucas Launcelot Garner. Arm."
"Leroy. George Anderson's boy. The astronaut."
I DON'T WANT YOU FOLLOWING ME. The Mind was blasting, angry. Even when merely "thinking aloud," it held Garner and Anderson physically and mentally paralyzed. Then it came to a decision. Anderson reached toward the control panel. His fingernails rapped against plastic. He began fumbling at the catches on the guard panel.
Garner pushed him back with one hand.
It lashed him. Garner felt it stop his heart, and he gasped, horribly. Right now? he wondered. His sight turned red and went out.
He came back to life with a singing in his head. Anderson was looking terribly haggard. He had a spray hypo in his hand. "Thank God," he blurted. "I thought you were gone."
"Heart stopped," Garner wheezed. (Not this time.) "First time it's ever happened. What did you use?"
"Adrenalin in the heart. Are you all right?"
"Sure. Considering."
The young pilot was still pale. "You know what he told me to do? I was going to turn off the fusion shield! They'd have seen it on Earth." He shuddered. "In daylight they'd have seen it! Very lucky thing you stopped me. But how did you know?"
"I knew what he wanted for a result. Never mind. How did you know it was my heart?"
"I felt him do it. Well, we don't have to worry about him until we get to Neptune. He went out of range right after he stopped your heart."
"We'll have to shoot first with that bird."
"It'll be a pleasure," Anderson said furiously.
Kzanol strained to hang onto the enemy minds, but it was no use.
"Well, give me a chance to! I haven't even thoughtabout it yet!" He screwed his young face into a smooth semblance of Garner's. "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly. "Yeah, I've got something. You don't have to shoot on sight. You can wait to find out if what they're looking for is really on Neptune."
"What good will that do?"
"They could have left something on one of the moons, or in orbit. But if it's on Neptune, they can't get at it! Neither of their ships develops more than one gee. Neptune's pull is higher than that. They can't land."
"No good. The ET has a winged ship. But that's good thinking anyway, son;" -
"You bet it is," Anderson said angrily. "How- the hell is he going to get back up?"
Luke Garner looked like he'd seen a vision. After a moment he asked, "Son, have you ever thought of joining the Arms?"
"Why-" Anderson began modestly.
Who are you?
The two stared at one another.
WHO ARE YOU???????
"Lucas Launcelot Garner. Arm."
"Leroy. George Anderson's boy. The astronaut."
I DON'T WANT YOU FOLLOWING ME. The Mind was blasting, angry. Even when merely "thinking aloud," it held Garner and Anderson physically and mentally paralyzed. Then it came to a decision. Anderson reached toward the control panel. His fingernails rapped against plastic. He began fumbling at the catches on the guard panel.
Garner pushed him back with one hand.
It lashed him. Garner felt it stop his heart, and he gasped, horribly. Right now? he wondered. His sight turned red and went out.
He came back to life with a singing in his head. Anderson was looking terribly haggard. He had a spray hypo in his hand. "Thank God," he blurted. "I thought you were gone."
"Heart stopped," Garner wheezed. (Not this time.) "First time it's ever happened. What did you use?"
"Adrenalin in the heart. Are you all right?"
"Sure. Considering."
The young pilot was still pale. "You know what he told me to do? I was going to turn off the fusion shield! They'd have seen it on Earth." He shuddered. "In daylight they'd have seen it! Very lucky thing you stopped me. But how did you know?"
"I knew what he wanted for a result. Never mind. How did you know it was my heart?"
"I felt him do it. Well, we don't have to worry about him until we get to Neptune. He went out of range right after he stopped your heart."
"We'll have to shoot first with that bird."
"It'll be a pleasure," Anderson said furiously.
Kzanol strained to hang onto the enemy minds, but it was no use.