[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Burke was waiting for her outside the entrance to the lab. His
expression was bland. ?This better be important. I think I was onto
something, and we may not have much time left.?
?You may not have any time left.?He started to protest, and she cut him
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off with a gesture. ?No, in there.? She gestured at the operating
theater. It was soundproofed inside, and she could scream at him to her
heart's content without drawing everyone else's attention. Burke ought
to be grateful for her thoughtfulness. If Vasquez overheard what the
company representative had been planning, she wouldn't waste time
arguing with him. She'd put a bullet through him on the spot.
?Bishop tells me you have intentions of taking the live parasites home
in your pocket. That true?"
He didn't try to deny it. ?They're harmless in stasis.?
?Those suckers aren't harmless unless they're dead. Don't you understand
that yet? I want them killed as soon as Bishop's gotten everything out
of them he can.?
?Be reasonable, Ripley.?A ghost of the old, self-assured corporate smile
stole over Burke's face. ?Those specimens are worth millions to the
Bioweapons Division of the company. Okay, so we nuke the colony. I'm
outvoted on that one. But not on this. Two lousy specimens, Ripley. How
much trouble could they cause while secured in stasis? And if you're
worried about something happening when we get them back
166
ALAN DEAN FOSTER
to Earthside labs, don't. We have people who know how to handle things
like these.?
?Nobody knows how to handle 'things like these.' Nobody's ever
encountered anything like them. You think it'd be dangerous for some
germs to get loose from a weapons lab? Try to imagine what would happen
if just one of those parasites got loose in a major city, with its
thousands of kilometers of sewers and pipes and glass-fiber channels to
hide in.?
?They're not going to get loose. Nothing can break a stasis field.?
?No sale, Burke. There's too much we don't know about these monsters.
It's too risky.?
?Come on, I know you're smarter than this.?He was trying to mollify and
persuade her at the same time. ?If we play it right, we can both come
out of this heroes. Set up for life.?
?Is that the way you really see it?"She eyed him askance. ?Carter Burke,
alien smasher? Didn't what happened in C level of the processing station
make any impression on you at all?"
?They went in unprepared and overconfident.?Burke's tone was flat,
unemotional. ?They got caught in tight quarters where they couldn't use
the proper tactics and weapons. If they'd all used their pulse-rifles
and kept their heads and managed to get out without shooting up the heat
exchangers, they'd all be here now and we'd be on our way back to the
Sulaco instead of holed up in Operations like a bunch of frightened
rabbits. Sending them in like that was Gorman's decision, not mine. And
besides, those were adult aliens they were fighting, not parasites.?
?I didn't hear you object loudly when strategy was being discussed.?
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?Who would've listened to me? Don't you remember what Hicks said? What
you said? Gorman wouldn't have been
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167
any different.?His tone turned sarcastic. ?This is a military expedition.?
?Forget the whole idea, Burke. You couldn't pull it off even if I let
you. Just try getting a dangerous organism past ICC quarantine. Section
22350 of the Commerce Code.?
?You've been doing your homework. That's what the code says, all right.
But you're forgetting one thing. The code's nothing but words on paper.
Paper never stopped a determined man. If I have five minutes alone with
the customs inspector on duty when we turn through Gateway Station,
we'll get them through. Leave that end of it to me. The ICC can't
impound something they don't know anything about.?
?But they will know about it, Burke.?
?How? First they'll want to talk to us, then they'll make us walk
through a detection tunnel. Big deal. By the time the relief team gets
around to inspecting our luggage, I'll have made the necessary
arrangements with ship's personnel to set up the stasis tubes somewhere
down near the engine or waste products recycling. We'll pick them up and
slip them off the relief ship the same way. Everyone'll be so busy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
Burke was waiting for her outside the entrance to the lab. His
expression was bland. ?This better be important. I think I was onto
something, and we may not have much time left.?
?You may not have any time left.?He started to protest, and she cut him
Page 117
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
off with a gesture. ?No, in there.? She gestured at the operating
theater. It was soundproofed inside, and she could scream at him to her
heart's content without drawing everyone else's attention. Burke ought
to be grateful for her thoughtfulness. If Vasquez overheard what the
company representative had been planning, she wouldn't waste time
arguing with him. She'd put a bullet through him on the spot.
?Bishop tells me you have intentions of taking the live parasites home
in your pocket. That true?"
He didn't try to deny it. ?They're harmless in stasis.?
?Those suckers aren't harmless unless they're dead. Don't you understand
that yet? I want them killed as soon as Bishop's gotten everything out
of them he can.?
?Be reasonable, Ripley.?A ghost of the old, self-assured corporate smile
stole over Burke's face. ?Those specimens are worth millions to the
Bioweapons Division of the company. Okay, so we nuke the colony. I'm
outvoted on that one. But not on this. Two lousy specimens, Ripley. How
much trouble could they cause while secured in stasis? And if you're
worried about something happening when we get them back
166
ALAN DEAN FOSTER
to Earthside labs, don't. We have people who know how to handle things
like these.?
?Nobody knows how to handle 'things like these.' Nobody's ever
encountered anything like them. You think it'd be dangerous for some
germs to get loose from a weapons lab? Try to imagine what would happen
if just one of those parasites got loose in a major city, with its
thousands of kilometers of sewers and pipes and glass-fiber channels to
hide in.?
?They're not going to get loose. Nothing can break a stasis field.?
?No sale, Burke. There's too much we don't know about these monsters.
It's too risky.?
?Come on, I know you're smarter than this.?He was trying to mollify and
persuade her at the same time. ?If we play it right, we can both come
out of this heroes. Set up for life.?
?Is that the way you really see it?"She eyed him askance. ?Carter Burke,
alien smasher? Didn't what happened in C level of the processing station
make any impression on you at all?"
?They went in unprepared and overconfident.?Burke's tone was flat,
unemotional. ?They got caught in tight quarters where they couldn't use
the proper tactics and weapons. If they'd all used their pulse-rifles
and kept their heads and managed to get out without shooting up the heat
exchangers, they'd all be here now and we'd be on our way back to the
Sulaco instead of holed up in Operations like a bunch of frightened
rabbits. Sending them in like that was Gorman's decision, not mine. And
besides, those were adult aliens they were fighting, not parasites.?
?I didn't hear you object loudly when strategy was being discussed.?
Page 118
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
?Who would've listened to me? Don't you remember what Hicks said? What
you said? Gorman wouldn't have been
167
167
any different.?His tone turned sarcastic. ?This is a military expedition.?
?Forget the whole idea, Burke. You couldn't pull it off even if I let
you. Just try getting a dangerous organism past ICC quarantine. Section
22350 of the Commerce Code.?
?You've been doing your homework. That's what the code says, all right.
But you're forgetting one thing. The code's nothing but words on paper.
Paper never stopped a determined man. If I have five minutes alone with
the customs inspector on duty when we turn through Gateway Station,
we'll get them through. Leave that end of it to me. The ICC can't
impound something they don't know anything about.?
?But they will know about it, Burke.?
?How? First they'll want to talk to us, then they'll make us walk
through a detection tunnel. Big deal. By the time the relief team gets
around to inspecting our luggage, I'll have made the necessary
arrangements with ship's personnel to set up the stasis tubes somewhere
down near the engine or waste products recycling. We'll pick them up and
slip them off the relief ship the same way. Everyone'll be so busy [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]