"Andre Norton - Time Traders 5 - Firehand" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

Suddenly, guilt filled him, and he looked somberly at the archeologist.
He owed this man so much. "I won't go back," he said abruptly, "not to
what I was."

"I never imagined you would." Murdock had been well on the road to
the life of a petty criminal when the Project had discovered him, some six
Terran years previously, a boy with the instincts of a clan chieftain or
commando in an age where such talent was a detriment to all but very
specialized groups such as theirs. Ross had proven to be one of the best
finds they had made, maybe the best. "You've grown up, my young friend."
His eyes sparkled. "Except in the matter of patience."

"We'll need a lifetime of that," he responded quietly, suppressing the
regret that threatened to flood his voice.

"I don't know about that," his partner told him. "If I were you, I'd plan
on exhibiting my newfound abilities for Eveleen Riordan's approval a lot
sooner than that. A matter of days might be a more realistic target."


2
MURDOCK FELT HIS chest, his stomach, tighten. He took a deep
breath to steady himself, then met the other's blue eyes steadily. "Gordon,
don't joke about that. I don't find it funny…"

Ashe laughed. "Calm down, Ross Murdock. You've been feeling rather
sorry for yourself, I fear, to the detriment of your thinking."

"Go on." He would have liked to tell him in graphic detail where to put
that remark, but it was accurate, and he was more interested in an answer
right now than in verbally avenging the observation.

"Consider the matter from the Project's point of view. Five experienced,
very expensive Time Agents suddenly vanish, and in their place, a
full-fledged Hawaikan civilization complete with hitherto equally
nonexistent flora and fauna quite literally appears on the scene. What do
you imagine their response should be?"
 "Put a gate up as fast as they could slap one together and get back to
us." The hope withered in him. He did not dare let it run, not yet. "It's
been three months, Gordon," he said simply.

"Our time. Besides, there would be the little matter of dealing with the
locals and then locating not only the right period but the precise time, the
month and week and maybe even the day within it."

Ross turned his gaze to the eternally tossing ocean. "Why didn't you say
something before?"

He sighed. "Because I couldn't be sure. There were so many ifs, so many
things I just didn't know, so many suppositions and out-and-out guesses.