"Lawrence Watt-Evans - War Surplus 01 - The Cyborg And The Sorcerers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Watt-Evans Lawrence)

Unable to move as he was, he could not attack them directly, and he was still too far away to help; he
needed something he could throw. He tried to figure out where the energy field holding him originated; he
could not see or hear any machinery at all, though he felt that now-familiar electric tingle all over his body.
He assessed his resources.

He wore a thin pressure suit of insulating plastic, from neck to ankle. An equipment belt, with no
equipment attached, was around his waist. He had gloves and boots, and nothing else. The boots and
belt might be useful armament; he tried to release the catch on his belt but discovered that he could no
longer move at all.

The warrior was stymied. There was no simple tactical solution, except to wait until the ship arrived to
rescue him. There was no need for combat training if all he had to do was wait. Therefore, his combat
personality shut itself off, abdicating control, and Slant was himself again, held immobile in an awkward
crouch in the middle of the marble floor by the wizards' magic while the three guards he had incapacitated
lay unconscious a few meters away.

The remaining two guards were just now becoming aware of what had happened; they drew their swords
and looked hesitantly from Slant to the Council and back.

"We have him; stay where you are," said the middle-aged woman.

Slant was still reorienting himself; his more specialized personalities often operated at such high speed that
time seemed to distort. It took him a moment to realize that the ' warrior persona had only been in control
for about ten seconds and that it would still be a few minutes before his ship reached the city.

When his head was clear, he shouted at the councillors, "Let me go and get out of here! This place is
going to be destroyed in a few minutes!"

They looked at one another, and a ripple of current seemed to flicker across his skin, but no one
answered, and he still couldn't move.
"Listen, I'm sorry about the guards, but it was self-defense. Get out of here! If you don't take shelter
you'll be killed!"

"I don't understand," said the white-bearded old man. "What will destroy this place? We see no one but
you, and we've taken your weapons."

"My ship! It'll be here any minute now!"

He still saw only blank incomprehension.

"Look, you can see I'm not lying! It's a starship, don't you know what that means? It's from the Bad
Times, the same kind of ship that almost wiped out your entire world three hundred years ago!"

"A sky machine, you mean?"

"Yes, a sky machine, a death machine."

The wizards looked at one another; another ripple ran through the field holding him.

"One minute to impact"