"Gordon R. Dickson - Time to Teleport" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dickson Gordon R)

might have come from the darkest of the Dark Ages, confirm me in my belief that the Members have
succeeded in developing some thing or things, or being or beings, that are actively dangerous to the
whole race as we know it today. In my mind the only solution is for us, for once, to set aside the
autonomy of our individual groups and form a single united, supreme authority to deal with this present
emergency. I leave it to you."

And with that Sellars sat down, yielding the floor.

Glancing swiftly around the room, Eli was aware of the shrewdness of Sellars' appeal that had particular
force with this particular audience. The fight among the groups had always been to narrow the fight—for
the leaders of larger groups to crowd out the spokesmen of smaller groups. And this would be a step
forward. For such a supreme authority, to be successful would have to be restricted to a few members,
and where would those members be found except among the few top-ranking representatives here at this
moment? Stek Howard's face was frankly interested, Kurachi of Plastics had a half-dreamy,
half-expectant smile on his face, and even old Bornhill's eyes were veiled and thoughtful under his gray
brows.

"Idiots," growled Eli to himself. For a moment he struggled with his conscience against the knowledge
that this was, strictly speaking, no longer any of his business. Then, abruptly, he gave in. "Ahoy, ahoy,
check!" he muttered to himself and, getting to his feet, raised his voice. "Mr. Chairman!"

Stek Howard, Chairman of the Day, came out of his pleasant abstraction and banged the gavel on his
desk before him.

"Underseas," he acknowledged.

"Thank you," said Eli. All eyes in the council room were on him now and he smiled pleasantly back at
them, but especially at Sellars.

They all looked back at him; and not, he noticed, particularly with approval. The wealth and size of
Transportation so overshadowed all of them individually, that usually their attitude was distrust of Sellars
and a bias toward Eli. Today, however, Sellars had dangled a juicy plum before their eyes and they did
not want Eli coming along and pointing out that it really belonged to somebody else.

"Spokesmen and Gentlemen," said Eli. "Iam surprised—in fact I am astonished at your reaction to what
you have just heard. I have sat here and listened in horror to what Transportation has just had to say. I
was assured that you had listened with horror too. At the close of his words I could hardly restrain myself
from jumping to my feet, and only held myself back because of the conviction that you, all of you would
be jumping to your feet, to say, as I am saying"—Eli turned to look Sellars blandly in the face—"that
Transportation has set forward the only possible method of dealing with this situation. And furthermore I
can conceive of no man more worthy or capable to head such a supreme authority than Spokesman
Sellars." He sat down.

The council sat back, shocked, as Eli took his seat. He leaned back and whispered to Kurt.

"Come on, Kurt," he said."Back to the office."

Slowly and with dignity he got up, inclined his head to the chairman, and led the way back and out of his
section. As he went up the ramp and passed out through the exit at the top of the amphitheater, a low
muttering of representative to representative across the low walls between sections broke out behind him;