"E. E. Doc Smith - D' Alembert 9 - The Omicron Invasion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith E. E. Doc)

weren't laid out in the usual human grid pattern, but in a strange, alien system that made no immediate
sense. A river ran past a few hundred meters to the left, and beyond that, in the distance, was a range of
hills. This region had once been meadowland bordered by forest, but the ground had been trampled
underfoot by the constant slogging of thousands of feet, and the trees had been cut down and uprooted.
The end result was a mostly level stretch of dirt, devoid of any natural character.

The ground would not stay empty for long, though. Over to her right, beyond the inflated
buildings, Yvette could see a more permanent structure rising. It was still too incomplete to show any final
details of its form, but it did look strange to her sophisticated eye.

That one quick glance was all she was permitted at the moment. The alien with the gun barked
another order, and all eyes in the group trained on him. He pointed in the direction of one mylar building,
leaving little doubt in anyone's mind they were supposed to move that way. Yvette walked along with the
rest of them; this was neither the time nor the place to challenge someone with a blaster.

As her head began clearing from the yellow smoke's aftereffects, she took stock of her personal
situation. The aliens had taken away her blaster, yet had left almost everything else intact. Her utility belt
was still around her waist, and most of its compartments—including the ones with the minigrenades—
appeared untouched. Even the four knives she'd brought with her were still strapped securely to her wrists
and inside her boots. With this equipment and her own native abilities, she could put up a fight against
some pretty strong opposition.

She was surprised and more than a little puzzled. Either her captors were terribly careless or else
they showed a remarkable lack of concern about how much resistance could be offered.

The captives were lined up single file in front of a table. Each in turn had to kneel while one of the
aliens placed a slim metal collar around his neck. It was a simple and streamlined procedure, and the line
moved quickly until it came to Yvette's turn.

The DesPlainian looked the situation over. One of the aliens was seated at the table, placing the
neckbands on humans. Two armed aliens stood behind the table watching the crowd and prepared for
trouble. There were more of the aliens scattered around within a hundred meter radius, all armed with
strange but impressive-looking weapons.

Yvette knew she could kill the three aliens at the table with a few quick movements, but where
would that leave her? There were more who would instantly draw their weapons. Even if she could avoid
all of them, she had no place to go. The area had been worked flat, offering little cover to a fugitive. She
had no idea where on Omicron she was, or how she could rejoin her brother. She would be on foot, fleeing
a ruthless enemy whose sneak attack had savagely killed millions of innocent people. A few seconds of
defiance would lead to an early grave.

Besides, she had come to Omicron to find the invaders and learn what they were up to. Now that
she'd achieved the first objective, it would be a waste of a good opportunity to run away. Even if she
wasn't in the best position to learn everything she wanted, she was alive and in the middle of an enemy
base of some sort. That gave her something to work with.

With only the slightest of hesitations, Yvette knelt before the table. The alien seated there leaned
forward and placed one of the thin metal collars around her neck. The being's skin felt cool and somewhat
greasy against her own, and she had to brace herself not to flinch. The collar clicked into place around her
neck, loose enough for her to slip two fingers' width between it and her throat. It would allow her to