"Steve Perry - Matador 6 - The Albino Knife" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Steven)

"It would seem that such things are not absolute," Carlos said. His voice was dry, but there was a trace
of humor in it. They were trapped, but nobody was shooting at them. Not yet, anyhow.

Jarl nodded. If he were afraid, it didn't show. "So it would seem."

"Rajeem?What is it?"

"We are under attack, somehow," Carlos said. "They've gotten control of the computer and cut
lifesupport and dropped the airdoors. We're stuck here—unless Jarl can get us out."

The matadoor grinned. He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out an oval pellet about the size
of the tip of his little finger. He moved along the corridor toward the door behind them. He pressed the
pellet against the base of the carbonex where the lock mechanism joined the vacuum-proof barrier to the
floor, then turned and walked back to where the President and his wife stood. "It's newton-bleak, but
you might want to cover your ears. About five seconds from now."

Carlos and Beel put their hands over their ears, as did Jarl.

Five seconds later the carbonex shattered under the force of the stikcap. It was only a handsized
piece—carbonex was stronger than denscris or squashed steel—but it was enough to destroy the
imbedded lock. Jarl moved to the door again, and used his dotic boot to pull the door upward high
enough so he could grab it away from the hot spot and lever it completely open.

"I hope the pilot can hold orbit on manual," Jarl said.

"What does that mean?" Beel asked.

"It means we are going to have to shut the computer down," Carlos said.



Carlos stood in the computer hutch next to Jarl.

"Shum has got the radio working. There's a boxcar and a tug on theway, and the guard ship is
synchronizing. The comp never altered the security pulse the whole time."

Beel said, "What about our children?"

"Lil put in abetydelse com to Drean. No problems on Earth."

Carlos nodded. Drean was the matador in charge of the detail watching the children. Normally Lil would
be with him. "Any idea as to how they did it?"
Jarl shrugged. "It's not my field. I dropped a white cell program into the system but it came up blank.
Maybe a compdoc can find out."

"It could have killed us.Everybody on the ship."

"Not if that was the best it could do. Airdoors won't stop a prepared matador. If we hadn't gotten here
first, Shum or Lil would have, soon as they'd figured it out. But that's not what worries me."