"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 4 - Getaway world" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

away with the effrontery of this invasion.

Jules's reflexes were faster, though. Stun-gun in hand, he downed two of the men across
the room before having to duck to avoid the blaster beam that sizzled the air above his
head. He turned his dodging motion into a low flat dive and a roll that brought him into
collision with the knees of the last remaining male. The fellow was knocked off his feet


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and tumbled over Jules's body, thereby receiving a blaster bolt intended for Jules. There
was only one foe left, a middle-aged woman with a steely glint in her eyes and a burning
blaster in her hand.

Under the proper circumstances, Jules could be as chivalrous as the most gallant
courtier. But niceties such as not shooting a woman did not apply when that woman was
trying to kill him. Raising his stunner once more, he squeezed off a shot that dropped the
woman in her tracks. before she had a chance to correct her aim. He looked around
quickly, making sure there were no other foes in the vicinity, then got to his feet and
raced out to see if his sister needed any help.

As she ran into the salon, Yvette d'Alembert looked hardly less formidable than her
brother. Though ten centimeters shorter and thirty kilos lighter, her body was still of the
sturdy DesPlainian stock. The gray jumpsuit that she, too, wore emphasized all the best
aspects of her feminine form. She was a sight that would be pleasing to the eyes of any
man-except one who had to come up against her in combat.

She found five antagonists waiting for her as she entered the room, all men. Two of them
she was able to dispose of immediately with her own stun-gun before she had to start
dodging the blaster beams that the other three were employing liberally.

She dived behind one large, overstuffed chair to avoid a beam that would otherwise have
hit her at chest level. Taking advantage of her cover, she shot down another of her foes,
and the remaining pair bolted. One of them tried to make it out the door, but Yvette was
not going to allow that. Lifting the massive chair off the ground, she threw it with all her
strength at the fleeing criminal. The man's blaster burned a hole through the upholstery,
but couldn't slow the heavy object in its flight path. The impact of its weight knocked him
hard against the wall, where he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Throwing the chair left Yvette devoid of cover against the beams of the final gangster.
She twisted away frantically as one bolt went by. It caught the edge of her gun, heating
the stunner so much that Yvette could not hold onto it. She dropped the gun and fell
behind a low coffee table, on top of which were several items of bric-a-brac.

The last man, thinking his opponent disarmed and helpless, stood up and aimed his
blaster carefully; he would take no chances on missing his shot this time. But he
reckoned without knowledge of Yvette's resourcefulness and skill. Grabbing a small
emerald statuette from the tabletop, the SOTE operative hurled it with all her DesPlainian
strength and aerialist's accuracy straight at the face of her enemy. The object hit him in