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

through a camera mounted below the nose of the ship, so that his vision was cut off at the top by an arc
of metal but wide open below. The camera and tape were extreme wide-angle, wider than human vision,
but for his convenience he was shown only the central portion in normal perspective, with the option of
turning his view in any direction to the limits of the lens.

The city rushed up at him, hundreds of times faster than it had when he parachuted in; he felt a moment of
vertigo. Then his plunge was slowing; a full-speed impact would have vaporized the ship and probably
the entire city as well. Still, he flinched mentally as the image of the palace came up and seemed to smash
into him.

There was something about the last few seconds that bothered him. "Back it up, then come forward at
quarter speed," he ordered the computer.

Obediently, the view pulled back, so that he was again hanging in midair, approaching the city. This time
the speed was much less, and he was able to make out more detail instead of just a blur. Something
flickered at the bottom of his field of vision as he neared the city wall; then again.

"Stop a minute."

The computer obeyed; the forward motion stopped, and the flicker became a. short line of golden light,
frozen immobile in the air over Teyzha's ramparts.

"I'd like some magnification; zoom in slowly."

He kept his gaze fixed on that yellow line as the image enlarged; it was tipped with silver. The silver tip
was in turn tipped with glowing red.

It was a missile; the ship had gone in shooting, as well as providing covering fire on the ground.

"What is that?"

"Restate question."

"Identify that missile I'm looking at."

"Ordnance model MHE-fifteen, serial number one-one-seven-zero-one-five. High-explosive warhead,
shrapnel-loaded, antipersonnel type. Impact fuse. Range—"

"That's enough. Why'd you fire it?"

"Enemy personnel on thoroughfare provided target of opportunity."
"Run the tape from the belly camera, one-quarter speed."

He was looking straight down, the ground sweeping by underneath, as the ship once more approached
the city. He watched as a barrage of missiles ripped the city wall apart; that had been the first flicker. A
string of antipersonnel missiles then laced the main avenue, and incendiaries sprayed into flame atop the
surrounding buildings. Heavy lasers flashed across the streets, cutting through softer materials and igniting
anything flammable.

He continued to watch as the plaza swept underneath and the shattered wall of the palace cut off vision