"Foster, Alan Dean - Humanx 5 - Sentenced To Prism" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

of meters from his left side the gale smashed raindrops against the plexalloy.
Something in Machoka's suit beeped softly. Irritated, he threw Evan an
apologetic half smile while his fingers danced over the rightside controls. He
whispered toward his chest and Evan heard him say quietly, "No more calls for
the next hour, please." There was no way of telling whether he was commanding a
machine or a person.
Several telltales on the right side of his suit immediately went dark. Only one
remained active. It glowed a steady red.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Orgell said politely. He had not expected to
be more relaxed than the company president, but it was becoming clear such was
the case. It only left him feeling that much more confident. He had not the
slightest doubt he would be able to carry out whatever assignment the company
had in mind for him. He always had.
There is a small group of people who are convinced that they can do anything,
absolutely anything asked of them. Evan Orgell was one of them. Of course, he
wasn't omnipotent. He couldn't do everything. But he was con­vinced that he
could. That kind of conviction carries a power all its own.
Machoka tugged at his left sleeve until he'd revealed a slim bracelet. So Evan
had been wrong about the absence of body jewelry.
"What do you think of this?"
Evan leaned forward to study the bracelet. It was bright yellow and faceted all
the way around. "I'm not a gem­ologist. I couldn't tell you if it was a natural
stone or artificial, much less if it's worth anything."
"It's natural." Machoka seemed to be trying to hide his amusement and it
occurred to Evan there might be more to the adornment than first met the eye.
The pres­ident rose, walked over to stand close to Evan, and stuck out his arm,
palm up. "Here. Take a closer look."
Evan did so, wondering what he was supposed to be looking for. Many facets cut
by a steady hand, he decided. A dark wire appeared to run through the center of
the crystal with smaller wires branching out from it. Inclu­sions of some sort,
or at. integrated support matrix added by the jeweler to strengthen the stone.
He said as much to Machoka.
The older man couldn't conceal his pleasure any fur­ther. "No, you're not even
close."
Evan was a little miffed. He had serious work of his own to do, and if the
president of the company wanted someone to play guessing games with, he could
damn well find another candidate.
Machoka sensed his discomfort, adopted a more seri­ous mien. "Touch it." He
gestured with his wrist. "It has a most interesting feel."
Frowning, Evan reached out with his right hand. He received the impression of
something slick and waxy before a sharp sting made him jerk his hand back. The
bracelet twisted slightly before resetting itself on Machoka's wrist. As it
twisted, it separated for an instant. Evan could just make out two small yellow
imperfections at the point of separation: eyes. Then the head slipped neatly
back into a groove in the tail and the bracelet relaxed once more.
Machoka raised his hand and admired the ornament. "Not much of a charge, but I
imagine it's enough to scare of the majority of predators."
"If it was supposed to be funny, it wasn't." Evan nursed his tingling hand.
Machoka looked down at him. "I was told that you had a terrific sense of
humor‑except when the joke was directed at you." This time Evan wisely said