"Rob Swigart - AKA" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swigart Rob)

"Now where the hell are those pictures?" he muttered, tossing papers over his shoulder. He
grabbed a second handful of papers and tossed them too, and then another, until the air between
himself and Hubble was filled with fluttering white pages seesawing through the air like falling
leaves. "I stored them in this drawer. Goddam." He slammed the drawer closed.
"Dr. Merkin, it's not necessary to show..." Special investigator Hubble started to speak, but
Ambrose opened another drawer and began hurling papers over his shoulder again.
"Aha!" he shouted as the last papers settled to the floor. His desk was littered with scraps
and sheets of paper covered with penciled notes and equations. "Got 'em!" he shouted
triumphantly.
He handed Hubble three glossy eight-by-ten color pictures of Avery saluting from the hatch
of the Monastic. "There!" he said. "A yellow and brown broad check business suit. And an
orange silk choker."
"Dr. Merkin, really. I think you are dissembling. We are wasting valuable time." Hubble's
voice had grown very tense.
"Mr. Hubble, these are historic photos! These pictures of Mr. Augenblaue will go down in
history; pictures of the man who went out there and saw The Blue Light! What he wore when
he landed is important! You are the first person to see these photos outside of the staff here at
Augenblaue AeroSpace. You should be honored!" Ambrose settled in his chair, smiling thinly.
Constantine Hubble attempted to collect himself. The tightness in his voice spread to his
features; his face looked as if it were being pinched by a million fingers. A thin whistle parted
his lips and fled into a sigh.
"Doc-tor Mer-kin, please. We. Are. In. A. Hurry." A stratospheric voice.
"Right!" said Dr. Merkin with sudden vigor. "Let's get down to business. Well, Avery
climbed from the hatch. A technician had rolled an aluminum ladder up to the spacecraft,
which as you know is shaped something like a dumpling, or perhaps a bagel, with a door on the
side. All on fins, you understand. Notice the tops of the fins in this photo here. He came down
the ladder, waving and smiling and looking remarkably fit and youthful, as if he hadn't aged a
bit. That was an effect of the Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction. Only a month or so had passed
for Avery, although to us it was ten years, so he actually hadn't aged much at all. Nevertheless,
we were surprised that he looked so young. I said to my assistent, Dr. Rath, 'Ben,' I said, 'it is
remarkable to see him looking so young, don't you think? Even though he's been away only a
month, his time, it is surprising that he hasn't aged more.' And how do you suppose Dr. Rath
responded?"
Ambrose leaned forward, gazing directly into Hubble's darkening eyes.
"No," Hubble answered weakly. "I've no idea. And furthermore," his voice rose, "I dont
care!" Hubble's heated words half lifted him from his chair.
Ambrose remained unruffled. "'It certainly is remarkable, Ambrose.' Those were his very
words."
A peculiar keening sound started low in the back of Hubble's throat, and as it swelled in
volume it filled the room.
"Well." The scientist backed up in his narrative. "Avery descended the ladder, waving and
smiling. When he reached the ground he paused for a moment, taking it all in. The AeroSpace
complex hasn't changed drastically in ten years, but there were one or two new buildings at the
periphery of the field. He had a clear view of thern because the stands built for the launch had
been torn down. Except, of course, for that maroon fencing with the, uh, missing President's
profile on it. That's a national monument. But, to continue, Avery is very involved in the
company. Not like some chairmen of the board, who don't participate in the day-to-day
workings of the company. Avery was very interested, even that day, after being away for ten
years. He was checking out the field, and it was clear that he was involved."
This interview was not going well for Connie Hubble; somewhere he had lost the initiative,