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

The other shadow, a female, nodded in response. "Alors, let's stop lolling about and get
to work."

The man stood up and lifted a device that looked very much like a harpoon gun. As he
hefted it and focused its sights, his companion took a length of carlon rope from her utility


file:///F|/rah/E.E.%20Doc.%20Smith/Smith%20-%20d'Alembert%20Vol%204%20-%20Getaway%20World.txt (6 of 82) [2/3/03 12:42:00 AM]
 file:///F|/rah/E.E.%20Doc.%20Smith/Smith%20-%20d'Alembert%20Vol%204%20-%20Getaway%20World.txt

belt and tied it onto a stake that had been driven securely into the ground near the edge
of the cliff. "Ready," she said.

The man took aim with his weapon and fired. The harpoon shot out of the gun and flew
downward toward the roof of the house. Its plastic-bulbed tip shattered in the cranny
between the chimney and the sloping roof, releasing a gummy white liquid that solidified
immediately upon contact with the air. The instaweld formed a permanent bond between
the rooftop and the spear; only the use of a special solvent would remove the harpoon
from its new resting place.

The only sound so far had been the small but unavoidable pop of the harpoon's tip as it
came in contact with the building. The two people at the top of the cliff waited
breathlessly to see whether there was any reaction from inside the house. When none
came after three minutes, they let out silent sighs of relief; the rest of their mission could
be accomplished much more quietly.

With rapid efficiency, the man pulled the slack out of the line attached to the harpoon.
Then, with the merest of nods to his companion, he grabbed hold of the rope and began
lowering himself in a quick hand-over-hand motion to the roof of the house so far below
them.

The woman stood patiently at the top, watching her comrade make his descent and
staying ever alert for trouble. While the man was traveling down the rope, he would be
an exposed target, and she would have to guard him. As soon as he reached his
destination, he signaled up to her and she began her own descent, while he returned the
favor and kept watch for her.

The total transfer time to the rooftop was less than five minutes. The instant they were
both together, they wasted no time setting their attack plans into motion. They had
preselected one window as their primary point of entrance; moving swiftly and silently to
the east side of the steeply slanting roof, the man lay prone holding another, shorter
length of carlon rope. The woman took hold of the free end and began lowering herself
over the edge to determine whether the window was unlocked or guarded by alarms.

All this work with ropes and climbing was hardly new to these two people; indeed, their
familiarity with the equipment was almost inbred. The woman was Yvette d'Alembert,
and the man was her brother Jules, and until slightly over a year ago they had been the
premier aerialists in the entire Empire. As the star performers of the Circus of the
Galaxy, they had been dangling from ropes and swinging on trapezes since babyhood.