"Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Roadside Picnic (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

"God, Red! Everybody calls you that.
I was all wound up before going into the Zone and cold sober to boot. I
hauled him up by his shoulder belt and told him in precise detail just what
he was and what maternal line he was descended from. He spat on the floor,
returned my pass, and said without any of the niceties:
"Redrick Schuhart, your orders are to appear immediately before Chief
of Security Captain Herzog.
"That's better," I said. "That's the ticket. Keep plugging away,
sergeant, you'll make lieutenant yet.
Meanwhile I was thinking, what was this curve coming my way? What did
Captain Herzog need me for during working hours? All right, I went off to
make my appearance. His office was on the third floor, a nice office, with
bars on the windows just like a police station. Willy was sitting at his
desk, puffing on his pipe, and typing some kind of gibberish. Some little
sergeant was digging through the metal file cabinet in the corner. A new guy
I'd never seen. We have more sergeants at the institute than at division
headquarters. They're all well-built healthy fellows. They don't have to go
into the Zone and they don't give a damn about world issues.
"Hello," I said. "You called for me?" Willy looked right through me,
moved away from the typewriter, laid a hefty file on the desk, and started
leafing through it.
"Redrick Schuhart?"
"The same, I answered, feeling a nervous laugh welling up. I couldn't
help it, it was funny.
"How long have you been with the institute?"
"Two years, starting my third."
"Family?"
"I'm alone," I said. "An orphan."
Then he turned to his little sergeant and gave him an order in a stern
tone.
"Sergeant Lummer, go to the files and bring back case number one-fifty.
The sergeant saluted and disappeared, and Willy slammed the file shut
and asked gloomily:
"Up to your old tricks again?"
"What old tricks?"
"You know what tricks. There's new material on you here."
So, I thought.
"Where from?"
He frowned and banged his pipe against the ashtray in irritation.
"That doesn't concern you," he said. "As an old friend, I'm warning
you. Knock it off, knock it off for good. If they get you a second time, you
won't get off with six months. And they'll kick you out of the institute
once and for all, understand?"
"I understand," I said. "That I can understand. I just don't under
stand what bastard could have squealed.
But he was looking through me again, puffing on his empty pipe and
flipping through the file. That meant that Sergeant Lummer had returned with
case #150.
"Thank you, Schuhart, said Capt. Willy Herzog, also known as the Hog.
"That's all I wanted cleared up. You're Free to go.