"Philip E. High - Butterfly Planet" - читать интересную книгу автора (High Phillip E)

The fat man laughed. “What an engaging little innocent you are.” He looked beyond Maynard and said:
“Difficult to believe that such can exist even in the ranks of the neutrals."

He looked again at Maynard. “We are a large organization, employing experts. You will be passed on to
these same experts for routine tests. Should these tests reveal something useful, you will be enrolled in the
organization at ten times the salary you are now receiving."
“With or without my consent!"

“Thank you for saving me the trouble of explaining, that is exactly the position.” He leaned back and
nodded briefly. “Take him away."

Hands descended on Maynard's shoulders. “Come along, friend."

Once more he was led to the gravity shaft, this time, however, there was no pressure in his back and he
was less dazed.

He wished briefly that he was some sort of superman or highly skilled agent such as one saw so often
depicted on the three-dimensional. Unfortunately his knowledge of self-defence and applied violence was
second-hand and basic.

His two escorts were lean, broad-shouldered and, all too clearly, professionals. He stood about as much
chance with them as a new-born lamb with a couple of tigers.

Nonetheless he was aware of desperation building something up inside him which, at any moment, was
liable to explode into action. Ill-considered and probably suicidal action he thought pessimistically but he
was unable to stop the tension building up. It was like a steam-head building up inside a boiler with no
safety valve and, in the long run, he knew, something would have to give.

In the street they urged him towards the waiting vehicle and he realized suddenly they were casual.
Perhaps they had decided he was harmless or, by now, so cowed that his resistance level was beneath
contempt. No weapon was pressed into his back and the men were doing their best to appear normal
before the surging crowds.

It was then that the pent-up desperation exploded into action but, even as he acted, he realized that his
mind was cool and detached and strangely uninfluenced by panic.

He lurched sideways, catching the man on his right in mid-stride. He spun, his nobbly technician's fist
clenched, and hit the other man in the stomach with all his force.

'Right', clutching desperately at his pocket, staggered sideways, tripped over his own feet and went
sprawling. ‘Left’ folded in half with a wheezing noise and sank to his knees.

Maynard leapt for the surging crowds on the sidewalk and, dodging and side-stepping quickly merged
with them.

Within two minutes he came to an intersection, he turned left and found himself level with a subway
entrance. He followed the crowds entering and was successful in catching the first train he saw just as it
was leaving. At the next station, he crossed platforms, changed trains and went back five stations in the
opposite direction.