"Chalker, Jack L - G.o.d. Inc. 2 - The Shadow Dancers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

pioneers managed to escape through the Labyrinth, a very primitive thing then,
and wait it out. When they were at last able to return, they found a wasteland.
All that you see-the animals, trees, flowers, everything-they imported from
other worlds. They redesigned the entire planet into a garden, and they swore
that never again would violence sear us. Out of that came the Corporation and
the system we now have."
That sorta explained a lot, like why most everybody looked like everybody else.
Ten to one that class thing was really who was related to who when they came
back. That was more'n a thousand years ago, but if they lived a couple hundred
years plus each it was to them like maybe the World Wars were to us.
"Ancient history," muttered Basuti, the cold fish and also youngest at
fifty-seven. "We're too damned fat and lazy for our own good, I say. No
discipline, no motivation. We've become a bunch of whores, that's what."
"Now, Alim, don't start that again," Dringa Lakuka put in. He turned to us.
"Basuti, there, was a priest and holy man until his older brother was killed in
an accident, forcing him to assume obligations in the real world. I think he'd
only be happy if we turned the entire world into a monastery."
"Many of us here would be far better off if we were closer to the gods than the
flesh," Basuti muttered, giving the eye to Mukasa and his girlfriend.
"We strive for balance on committees as vital as this one," said Mayar Eldrith,
clearing his throat nervously. "1 humbly suggest that we confine ourselves to
pleasantries for now. Our disagreements are none of these people's affair, nor
their concern. What concerns us is whether or not we are vulnerable to evil.
Someone very powerful has gone to a great deal of trouble to import this alien
organism and test it. We must know why. It surely isn't to take over a mere
Earth or two. Anyone with enough power to do that is hatching something aimed
clearly at us."
Sam and I exchanged a look, and I knew we was both thinkin' along the same
lines. All of a sudden, with two days to go, I felt like one big, fat, brown
worm on the end of a hook. Somebody real powerful set this up. Somebody like one
or more of the folks in this room. Somebody-Aldrath or maybe Mayar-already
figured that one out. To keep that shit comin' down without tippin' off security
as to where, it had to be somebody with a lot of knowledge and power in
security. One of these guys. So they was trottin' out their sacrificial lamb and
lettin' whoever have a good look, then they would all be watched like nobody
ever been watched before, hopin' somebody would try and tip off Vogel.
1 mean, guys who thought other folks' wars were neat and ran criminal syndicates
on a bunch of worlds sure as hell didn't give a shit about me. I started feelin'
a little sick and forgot all about eatin' or my talkin' or anything else.
"You have to excuth me wadieth and gentamen," I said softly. "Unweth theah's
thomething vewy impowtant foa uth to tawk about, I have much to do and thith ith
my wath night with my huthband foah a wong time." Damn! It was gettin' so bad I
couldn't say no I's, neither. Mix that with my usual accent and I must sound
like an idiot!
"Oooh! That's a cute way of talking," Ioyeo whispered loud enough for me to
hear. "What did she say?"
That did it. I kinda rushed away and nearly ran upstairs to the room. I felt so
damned miserable I was cryin' before I hit the bed, and still cryin' when Sam
came into the room.
He closed the door, came over, and just started gently rubbing my back. He