"Harry Harrison - One Step From Earth" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

that he was almost out of oxygen, but he could not stop before he finished this. He attached the green
tank and left it alone to fill the insulating layer by itself. Now the heater. He was dragging it toward the
airlock on the shelter. Letting go he staggered one step, two, then dropped unconscious.

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"More soup?" Otto asked.

"A good idea." He sipped the cup empty and passed it over. "I'm sorry about the names I called you.
Particularly since you managed to save my life right afterwards." Otto looked uncomfortable and bent
over the pressure stove.

"That's all right, Ben. I deserved what you called me and more. I must have panicked. I'm not used to
this kind of thing the way you are."

"I've never been to Mars before!"

"You know what I mean. You've been everywhere else. I've been to college and to the job and holidays
in theBahamas . I'm a city boy, a real urban dweller."

"You did fine when I blacked out."

"Without you there to back me up I suppose I had to. Your tank was empty and I was sure it was
anoxia.

I knew the shelter had oxygen in it so I just dragged you in here as quick as I could. I pulled off your
mask and you seemed to be breathing okay, but it was cold so I went after the heater, then the food.
That was all. I just did what had to he done." His words trickled off into silence and he looked owl-like
and frightened again behind his heavy-rimmed glasses.

"But that is all thathad to be done. All that can be done." Ben leaned forward, hammering the words
home. "No one could have done more. It is about time you stopped thinking of yourself as one more city
boy and faced the fact that you are one of the only two Martian explorers in the whole solar system."

Otto thought about it and almost straightened up his shoulders. "That is true, isn't it?"

"Don't you forget it. The worst is over. We are safely through that box of tricks, which is always what
troubled me, and we are at home on Mars. We have food, water, everything we need for months. All we
have to do is take normal precautions and we do our job and go back as heroes. Rich ones."

"We have to set up the transmitter first, but that shouldn't he difficult."

"I'll take your word for it, thanks." Ben took the soup and sipped at it noisily because it was hot. "I have
no idea why we even have to build another MT when we have one here. In fact I don't even know how
the thing works and no one ever bothered to tell me."