"Philip E. High - The Artifact" - читать интересную книгу автора (High Phillip E)

“Over here.” Ransome pointed. There was a small desk containing four drawers, one of which was open.

Ransome pointed again. There!”

I was a little shaken: in the center of the drawer, palm upward was an open human hand.

I bent closer, shocked, not by the gruesome find but the hand itself. It was a complete unit. It had not
been hacked or surgically removed from the parent arm. There was no blood, bare bone or trailing
tendons. Where the wound should have been was pink normal flesh, no scar tissue as if the object was a
natural thing and life in itself.

I had regained my composure by now. “May I touch it?”

“Now just a minute.” One of the white coats thrust forward. “You could be destroying valuable—”

Ransome cut the sentence short. “Your protocol is showing, Darcy. We are asking you nicely, or would
you like me to pull rank?”

White-coat backed down. “I don't suppose it will really do much harm.” Needless to say, the hand when
I felt it was as cold and rigid as stone, but it was still flesh.

“Learn anything?” Ransome's face was intent.

“Call it confirmation, but I don't think this is the time and place.”
We left with scowling faces behind our backs; forensic had been hoping for some sort of revelation.

Outside, Ransome said: “Well?” almost aggressively.

“Right, right, but I warned you earlier in this case that my findings might be bizarre. This proves that
conclusion—Berenof knows how to create organic life.”

“Oh come on!” Ransome's words were almost an explosion. “Barret, you cannot possibly expect me to
believe that.”

“I didn't expect you to believe it. You asked me a direct question and I've answered it in exactly the
same way.”

“But it's insane, man. It takes science a year to produce anything organic, such as a kidney and even that
is clinically dead. It has to be incorporated in a living body in order to function.”

“I know all the arguments, Chief, and I have a moderate knowledge of the human body, but I cannot
change my opinion.”

“But surely you must see—” He appeared to run out of words suddenly and stood there just staring at
me.

“I have a choice,” I said. “I have been developed and trained to trust my faculties. Experience has
proved to me that they are nearly always correct so what would you do in my position?”