"Williamson-DarkStarOne" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williamson Jack)

"From whom?"

"Yo no se. Perhaps the beings of the mountain."

"Have you seen any mountain?"

"Not yet, senor. Nothing except the white frost that covers the ice all the way
to the sky."

"Perhaps -- I hope you find no mountain. Are you in danger now?"

"Yo creo que no. Now we are stopping again, farther from the wall. The circles
of color do not return."

"Let me speak to your commander."

"Mr. Hinch is below, sir. Sleeping. Or I think borracho."

"Get me Mr. Andersen."

"Andy here, sir." He spoke at once from the nose of the scout. "On the
interphone."

"This wall?" Glengarth's tone had sharpened. "What about it?"

"It looks natural enough, sir. A natural geologic upthrust. The fault line runs
north and south as far as we can see. Nothing to show when it happened. Could
have been a billion years ago. But -- well sir, I just don't know --"

Doubt slowed his voice.

"It has certainly stopped us. For all I know, it could have been created to keep
intruders off that island. If there really is an island. When you think about
what we seem to be facing, anything able to survive here would have to be highly
advanced."

"I suppose. What's this about Mr. Hinch?"

"He's down in his berth. Probably drunk."

"I see." Glengarth paused. "He's an odd one. A surprise to me when he wanted
command of the vehicle, but he'd had some kind of dust-up with the captain. Any
trouble to you?"

"None, sir. He just told us to carry on."

"Do that. Keep in touch. About this light in the ice?"

"Nothing I can explain, sir. A target-shape of expanding rings, colored like
that flash we saw from space. Maybe meant to tell us we're close enough."