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Deathworld by Harry Harrison, Chapter - XII

Chapter - XII

XII. Further reading of the log produced no new evidence.

There was a good deal more information about the early animal and plant life and how deadly they were, as well as the first defenses against them. Interesting historically, but of no use whatsoever in countering the menace. The captain apparently never thought that life forms were altering on Pyrrus, believing instead that dangerous beasts were being discovered. He never lived to change his mind. The last entry in the log, less than two months after the first attack, was very brief. And in a different handwriting. Captain Kurkowski died today, of poisoning following an insect bite.

His death is greatly mourned. The "why" of the planetary revulsion had yet to be uncovered.

"Kerk must see this book," Jason said.

"He should have some idea of the progress being made. Can we get transportation—or do we walk to city hall? "Walk, of course," Meta said.

"Then you bring the book.

At two G's I find it very hard to be a gentleman and carry the packages. They had just entered Kerk's outer office when a shrill screaming burst out of the phone-screen.

It took Jason a moment to realize that it was a mechanical signal, not a human voice. "What is it?

he asked. Kerk burst through the door and headed for the street entrance.

Everyone else in the office was going the same way. Meta looked confused, leaning towards the door, then looking back at Jason. "What does it mean?

Can't you tell me?" He shook her arm. "Sector alarm.

A major breakthrough of some kind at the perimeter. Everyone but other perimeter guards has to answer. "Well, go then," he said.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be all right. His words acted like a trigger release.

Meta's gun was in her hand and she was gone before he had finished speaking. Jason sat down wearily in the deserted office. The unnatural silence in the building began to get on his nerves.

He shifted his chair over to the phone-screen and switched it on to receive . The screen exploded with color and sound. At first Jason could make no sense of it at all. Just a confused jumble of faces and voices. It was a multi-channel set designed for military use. A number of images were carried on the screen at one time, rows of heads or hazy backgrounds where the user had left the field of view. Many of the heads were talking at the same time and the babble of their voices made no sense whatsoever. After examining the controls and making a few experiments, Jason began to understand the operation.

Though all stations were on the screen at all times, their audio channels could be controlled. In that way two, three or more stations could be hooked together in a link-up. They would be in round-robin communication with each other, yet never out of contact with the other stations. Identification between voice and sound was automatic.

Whenever one of the pictured images spoke, the image would glow red. By trial and error Jason brought in the audio for the stations he wanted and tried to follow the course of the attack. Very quickly he realized this was something out of the ordinary.

In some way, no one made it clear, a section of the perimeter had been broken through and emergency defenses had to be thrown up to encapsulate it. Kerk seemed to be in charge, at least he was the only one with an override transmitter. He used it for general commands. The many, tiny images faded and his face appeared on top of them, filling the entire screen. "All perimeter stations send twenty-five per cent of your complement to Area Twelve.

The small images reappeared and the babble increased, red lights flickering from face to face.

"... Abandon the first floor, acid bombs can't reach.

"If we hold we'll be cut off, but salient is past us on the west flank.

Request support. "DON'T MERVV ... IT'S USELESS!

"... And the napalm tanks are almost gone.

Orders? "The truck is still there, get it to the supply warehouse, you'll find replacements ..."

Out of the welter of talk, only the last two fragments made any sense.

Jason had noticed the signs below when he came in. The first two floors of the building below him were jammed with military supplies. This was his chance to get into the act. Just sitting and watching was frustrating.

Particularly when it was a desperate emergency. He didn't overvalue his worth, but he was sure there was always room for another gun. By the time he had dragged himself down to the street level a turbo-truck had slammed to a stop in front of the loading platform.

Two Pyrrans were rolling out drums of napalm with reckless disregard for their own safety. Jason didn't dare enter that maelstrom of rolling metal. He found he could be of use tugging the heavy drums into position on the truck while the others rolled them up. They accepted his aid without acknowledgment. It was exhausting, sweaty work, hauling the leaden drums into place against the heavy gravity.

After a minute Jason worked by touch through a red haze of hammering blood. He realized the job was done only when the truck suddenly leaped forward and he was thrown to the floor. He lay there, his chest heaving. As the driver hurled the heavy vehicle along, all Jason could do was bounce around in the bottom. He could see well enough, but was still gasping for breath when they braked at the fighting zone. To Jason, it was a scene of incredible confusion.

Guns firing, flames, men and women running on all sides. The napalm drums were unloaded without his help and the truck vanished for more. Jason leaned against a wall of a half-destroyed building and tried to get his bearings. It was impossible. There seemed to be a great number of small animals: he killed two that attacked him. Other than that he couldn't determine the nature of the battle. A Pyrran, tan face white with pain and exertion, stumbled up.

His right arm, wet with raw flesh and dripping blood, hung limply at his side. It was covered with freshly applied surgical foam. He held his gun in his left hand, a stump of control cable dangling from it. Jason thought the man was looking for medical aid. He couldn't have been more wrong. Clenching the gun in his teeth, the Pyrran clutched a barrel of napalm with his good hand and hurled it over on its side.

Then, with the gun once more in his hand, he began to roll the drum along the ground with his feet. It was slow, cumbersome work, but he was still in the fight. Jason pushed through the hurrying crowd and bent over the drum.

"Let me do it," he said. "You can cover us both with your gun. The man wiped the sweat from his eyes with the back of his arm and blinked at Jason.

He seemed to recognize him. When he smiled it was a grimace of pain, empty of humor. "Do that. I can still shoot. Two half men—maybe we equal one whole." Jason was laboring too hard to even notice the insult. An explosion had blasted a raw pit in the street ahead.

Two people were at the bottom, digging it even deeper with shovels. The whole thing seemed meaningless. Just as Jason and the wounded man rolled up the drum the diggers leaped out of the excavation and began shooting down into its depths. One of them turned, a young girl, barely in her teens. "Praise Perimeter!

she breathed. "They found the napalm. One of the new horrors is breaking through towards Thirteen, we just found it." Even as she talked she swiveled the drum around, kicked the easy-off plug, and began dumping the gelid contents into the hole. When half of it had gurgled down, she kicked the drum itself in. Her companion pulled a flare from his belt, lit it, and threw it after the drum. "Back quick.

They don't like heat," he said. This was putting it very mildly.

The napalm caught, tongues of flame and roiling, greasy smoke climbed up to the sky. Under Jason's feet the earth shifted and moved. Something black and long stirred in the heart of the flame, then arched up into the sky over their heads. In the midst of the searing heat it still moved with alien, jolting motions. It was immense, at least two meters thick and with no indication of its length. The flames didn't stop it at all, just annoyed it. Jason had some idea of the thing's length as the street cracked and buckled for fifty meters on each side of the pit.

Great loops of the creature began to emerge from the ground. He fired his gun, as did the others. Not that it seemed to have any effect. More and more people were appearing, armed with a variety of weapons. Flame-throwers and grenades seemed to be the most effective. " Clear the area ... we're going to saturate it.

Fall back. The voice was so loud it jarred Jason's ear.

He turned and recognized Kerk, who had arrived with truckloads of equipment. He had a power speaker on his back, the mike hung in front of his lips. His amplified voice brought an instant reaction from the crowd. They began to move. There was still doubt in Jason's mind what to do.

Clear the area? But what area? He started towards Kerk, before he realized that the rest of the Pyrrans were going in the opposite direction. Even under two gravities they moved . Jason had a naked feeling of being alone on the stage.

He was in the center of the street, and the others had vanished. No one remained. Except the wounded man Jason had helped. He stumbled towards Jason, waving his good arm. Jason couldn't understand what he said. Kerk was shouting orders again from one of the trucks. They had started to move too. The urgency struck home and Jason started to run. It was too late.

On all sides the earth was buckling, cracking, as more loops of the underground thing forced its way into the light. Safety lay ahead. Only in front of it rose an arch of dirt-encrusted gray. There are seconds of time that seem to last an eternity.

A moment of subjective time that is grabbed and stretched to an infinite distance. This was one of those moments. Jason stood, frozen. Even the smoke in the sky hung unmoving. The high-standing loop of alien life was before him, every detail piercingly clear. Thick as a man, ribbed and gray as old bark.

Tendrils projected from all parts of it, pallid and twisting lengths that writhed slowly with snakelike life. Shaped like a plant, yet with the motions of an animal. And cracking, splitting. This was the worst. Seams and openings appeared.

Splintering, gaping mouths that vomited out a horde of pallid animals. Jason heard their shriekings, shrill yet remote. He saw the needlelike teeth that lined their jaws. The paralysis of the unknown held him there.

He should have died. Kerk was thundering at him through the power speaker, others were firing into the attacking creature. Jason knew nothing. Then he was shot forward, pushed by a rock-hard shoulder.

The wounded man was still there, trying to get Jason clear. Gun clenched in his jaws he dragged Jason along with his good arm. Towards the creature. The others stopped firing. They saw his plan and it was a good one. A loop of the thing arched into the air, leaving an opening between its body and the ground.

The wounded Pyrran planted his feet and tightened his muscles. One-handed, with a single thrust, he picked Jason off the ground and sent him hurtling under the living arch. Moving tendrils brushed fire along his face, then he was through, rolling over and over on the ground. The wounded Pyrran leaped after him. It was too late.

There had been a chance for one person to get out. The Pyrran could have done it easily—instead he had pushed Jason first. The thing was aware of movement when Jason brushed its tendrils. It dropped and caught the wounded man under its weight. He vanished from sight as the tendrils wrapped around him and the animals swarmed over. His trigger must have pulled back to full automatic because the gun kept firing a long time after he should have been dead. Jason crawled.

Some of the fanged animals ran towards him, but were shot. He knew nothing about this. Then rude hands grabbed him up and pulled him forward. He slammed into the side of a truck and Kerk's face was in front of his, flushed and angry. One of the giant fists closed on the front of Jason's clothes and he was lifted off his feet, shaken like a limp bag of rags. He offered no protest and could not have even if Kerk had killed him. When he was thrown to the ground, someone picked him up and slid him into the back of the truck.

He did not lose consciousness as the truck bounced away, yet he could not move. In a moment the fatigue would go away and he would sit up. That was all he was, just a little tired. Even as he thought this he passed out.

Chapter - XII |XII Kapitel - XII Capítulo - XII Глава - XII Bölüm - XII 第十二章

XII. Further reading of the log produced no new evidence. ||||||not one|recent| додатковий||||журнал||||докази Une lecture plus approfondie du journal n'a produit aucune nouvelle preuve.

There was a good deal more information about the early animal and plant life and how deadly they were, as well as the first defenses against them. ||||||||||||||||||||||||оборона|| Il y avait beaucoup plus d'informations sur les débuts de la vie animale et végétale et sur leur degré de mortalité, ainsi que sur les premières défenses contre eux. Interesting historically, but of no use whatsoever in countering the menace. |||of no||||||| ||||||взагалі ніякого||||загроза Interesting historically, but of no use whatsoever in countering the menace. Intéressant historiquement, mais d'aucune utilité pour contrer la menace. Интересен исторически, но бесполезен в противодействии угрозе. The captain apparently never thought that life forms were altering on Pyrrus, believing instead that dangerous beasts were being discovered. |||||||||||Pyrrus planet|||||||| |||||||||змінюються|||||||||| Капитан, по-видимому, никогда не думал, что формы жизни на Пирре изменяются, вместо этого полагая, что обнаруживаются опасные звери. He never lived to change his mind. ||survived long enough|||| Он так и не дожил до того, чтобы передумать. The last entry in the log, less than two months after the first attack, was very brief. Последняя запись в журнале, менее чем через два месяца после первой атаки, была очень короткой. And in a different handwriting. Captain Kurkowski died today, of poisoning following an insect bite. |Курковский|||||||| Капитан Курковски умер сегодня от отравления после укуса насекомого.

His death is greatly mourned. possessive pronoun|||| ||||оплакується Его смерть очень оплакивают. The "why" of the planetary revulsion had yet to be uncovered. ||||global||had not|||| |||||відраза||||| «Почему» планетарного отталкивания еще предстояло раскрыть.

"Kerk must see this book," Jason said.

"He should have some idea of the progress being made. «Он должен иметь некоторое представление о достигнутом прогрессе. Can we get transportation—or do we walk to city hall? Мы можем добраться до транспорта или прогуляемся до мэрии пешком? "Walk, of course," Meta said.

"Then you bring the book.

At two G’s I find it very hard to be a gentleman and carry the packages. They had just entered Kerk’s outer office when a shrill screaming burst out of the phone-screen. |||||||||piercing||||||| |||||||||пронизливий||||||| Они только что вошли в приемную Керка, когда с экрана телефона раздался пронзительный крик.

It took Jason a moment to realize that it was a mechanical signal, not a human voice. "What is it?

he asked. Kerk burst through the door and headed for the street entrance. Керк ворвался в дверь и направился к выходу с улицы.

Everyone else in the office was going the same way. Meta looked confused, leaning towards the door, then looking back at Jason. Мета выглядела сбитой с толку, наклоняясь к двери, затем оглядываясь на Джейсона. "What does it mean?

Can’t you tell me?" He shook her arm. Он потряс ее руку. "Sector alarm. «Секторная тревога.

A major breakthrough of some kind at the perimeter. Крупный прорыв какой-то по периметру. Everyone but other perimeter guards has to answer. |||perimeter guard|||| Все, кроме других охранников периметра, должны ответить. "Well, go then," he said.

"Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right. His words acted like a trigger release. Его слова подействовали как спусковой крючок.

Meta’s gun was in her hand and she was gone before he had finished speaking. Jason sat down wearily in the deserted office. |past tense|||||| Джейсон устало сел в пустынном кабинете. The unnatural silence in the building began to get on his nerves. |||||||start to|get to him|||

He shifted his chair over to the phone-screen and switched it on to receive . Он пододвинул свой стул к экрану телефона и включил его, чтобы принять. The screen exploded with color and sound. Экран взорвался цветом и звуком. At first Jason could make no sense of it at all. Just a confused jumble of faces and voices. |||confused mixture|||| |||плутанина|||| It was a multi-channel set designed for military use. Это был многоканальный набор, предназначенный для использования в военных целях. A number of images were carried on the screen at one time, rows of heads or hazy backgrounds where the user had left the field of view. ||||||||||||||||туманні|фонові зображ||||||||| На экране одновременно отображалось несколько изображений, ряды голов или туманный фон, где пользователь покинул поле зрения. Many of the heads were talking at the same time and the babble of their voices made no sense whatsoever. ||||||||||||murmur||||created||| ||||||||||||гомін||||||| Многие головы говорили одновременно, и лепет их голосов не имел никакого смысла. After examining the controls and making a few experiments, Jason began to understand the operation.

Though all stations were on the screen at all times, their audio channels could be controlled. In that way two, three or more stations could be hooked together in a link-up. ||||||||||connected||||link| Таким образом, две, три или более станций могут быть соединены вместе. They would be in round-robin communication with each other, yet never out of contact with the other stations. ||||circular|round-robin||||||||||||| Они будут поддерживать круговую связь друг с другом, но никогда не будут терять связь с другими станциями. Identification between voice and sound was automatic. recognition|||||| Идентификация между голосом и звуком была автоматической.

Whenever one of the pictured images spoke, the image would glow red. Всякий раз, когда одно из изображенных изображений говорило, оно светилось красным. By trial and error Jason brought in the audio for the stations he wanted and tried to follow the course of the attack. |||||imported||||||||||||||||| Методом проб и ошибок Джейсон настроил звук нужных ему станций и попытался проследить ход атаки. Very quickly he realized this was something out of the ordinary. |||||||out of||| Он очень быстро понял, что это что-то из ряда вон выходящее.

In some way, no one made it clear, a section of the perimeter had been broken through and emergency defenses had to be thrown up to encapsulate it. ||||||||||||boundary line|||breached|||||needed to|||erected|||surround contain| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||окружити| Каким-то образом никто не дал понять, часть периметра была прорвана и пришлось ставить аварийную защиту, чтобы его загерметизировать. Kerk seemed to be in charge, at least he was the only one with an override transmitter. |appeared|appear to|||||||||||||override transmitter|transmitter |||||||||||||||перекриваюч|передавач Керк, казалось, был главным, по крайней мере, он был единственным, у кого был блокирующий передатчик. He used it for general commands. |||||команди The many, tiny images faded and his face appeared on top of them, filling the entire screen. |||||||||||||occupying||| Множество крошечных изображений исчезло, и поверх них появилось его лицо, заполнившее весь экран. "All perimeter stations send twenty-five per cent of your complement to Area Twelve. ||||||||||personnel count||| ||||||||||комплект||| «Все станции периметра отправляют двадцать пять процентов вашего состава в Двенадцатую зону.

The small images reappeared and the babble increased, red lights flickering from face to face. ||||||||flashing red||flashing|||| Маленькие изображения снова появились, и болтовня усилилась, красные огни переливались от лица к лицу.

"... Abandon the first floor, acid bombs can’t reach. покиньте||||кислота||| "...Покиньте первый этаж, кислотные бомбы не достанут.

"If we hold we’ll be cut off, but salient is past us on the west flank. ||||||||салент||||||| ||||||||prominent feature|||||||side ||||||||помітний||||||| «Если мы удержимся, мы будем отрезаны, но выступ на западном фланге позади нас.

Request support. Запит| Запросить поддержку. "DON’T MERVV ... IT’S USELESS! |МЕРВВ|| |murmur|| |worry|| "НЕ МЕРВВ... ЭТО БЕСПОЛЕЗНО!

"... And the napalm tanks are almost gone. ||napalm|||| ||напалм|||| "...И танков с напалмом почти не осталось.

Orders? "The truck is still there, get it to the supply warehouse, you’ll find replacements ..." ||||||||||склад||| "Грузовик еще там, доставь его на склад снабжения, найдешь замену..."

Out of the welter of talk, only the last two fragments made any sense. |||хаоса|||||||||| |||confusion|||||||||| |||плутанина|||||||||| Из сумбура болтовни только два последних фрагмента имели смысл.

Jason had noticed the signs below when he came in. Джейсон заметил знаки внизу, когда вошел. The first two floors of the building below him were jammed with military supplies. |||||||||past tense verb|packed full||| Первые два этажа здания под ним были забиты военными припасами. This was his chance to get into the act. ||||to|||| Just sitting and watching was frustrating. Просто сидеть и смотреть было неприятно.

Particularly when it was a desperate emergency. |||||вкрай терміновий| Особенно, когда это была безвыходная ситуация. He didn’t overvalue his worth, but he was sure there was always room for another gun. the subject||overestimate||||||||||||| ||перебільшувати||||||||||||| Он не переоценивал свою ценность, но был уверен, что всегда найдется место для другого пистолета. By the time he had dragged himself down to the street level a turbo-truck had slammed to a stop in front of the loading platform. ||||||||||||||||came to a halt||||||||| Когда он спустился на уровень улицы, перед погрузочной платформой остановился турбогрузовик.

Two Pyrrans were rolling out drums of napalm with reckless disregard for their own safety. |||||||||careless|neglect|||| Два пирранца катали бочки с напалмом, беззаботно пренебрегая собственной безопасностью. Jason didn’t dare enter that maelstrom of rolling metal. |||||водоворот||| |||||maelstrom||| |||||вируюча маса||| Джейсон не осмелился войти в этот водоворот катящегося металла. He found he could be of use tugging the heavy drums into position on the truck while the others rolled them up. |||||||тянувши|||||||||||||| |||||||тягнучи|||барабани||||||||||| Он обнаружил, что может быть полезен, устанавливая тяжелые бочки на место на грузовике, пока другие их закатывают. They accepted his aid without acknowledgment. ||||without any| |||||визнання Они приняли его помощь без подтверждения. It was exhausting, sweaty work, hauling the leaden drums into place against the heavy gravity. |||||подъемка||свинцовыми||||||| |||||||heavy and cumbersome||||||| ||виснажлива|||переміщення||свинецький||||||| Это была изнурительная, потная работа — перетаскивание свинцовых бочек на место, несмотря на сильную гравитацию.

After a minute Jason worked by touch through a red haze of hammering blood. ||||||||||тумане||| |||||||in|||cloud||| ||||||||||туман||| Через минуту Джейсон наощупь пробрался сквозь красную дымку бьющейся крови. He realized the job was done only when the truck suddenly leaped forward and he was thrown to the floor. He lay there, his chest heaving. |||||rising and falling |лежав||||піднімаючись Он лежал, его грудь вздымалась. As the driver hurled the heavy vehicle along, all Jason could do was bounce around in the bottom. ||operator of vehicle|propelled|||||||||||||| |||швирнув|||||||||||||| Пока водитель швырял тяжелую машину вперед, все, что Джейсон мог делать, это подпрыгивать на дне. He could see well enough, but was still gasping for breath when they braked at the fighting zone. ||||||||gasping||||the others|stopped the vehicle|||| |||||||||||||зупинилися|||| Он мог видеть достаточно хорошо, но все еще задыхался, когда они затормозили в зоне боевых действий. To Jason, it was a scene of incredible confusion. |||||||unbelievable| Для Джейсона это была сцена невероятного замешательства.

Guns firing, flames, men and women running on all sides. ||полум'я||||||| Оружейная стрельба, пламя, мужчины и женщины бегут со всех сторон. The napalm drums were unloaded without his help and the truck vanished for more. Jason leaned against a wall of a half-destroyed building and tried to get his bearings. |||||||||||||||ориентироваться |||||||||||||||орієнтацію Джейсон прислонился к стене полуразрушенного здания и попытался сориентироваться. It was impossible. There seemed to be a great number of small animals: he killed two that attacked him. Мелких животных, казалось, было великое множество: он убил двоих, напавших на него. Other than that he couldn’t determine the nature of the battle. |||he could||||||| Кроме этого, он не мог определить природу битвы. A Pyrran, tan face white with pain and exertion, stumbled up. ||||||||усилие|поднялся| ||a||||||effort|| Пирранец с загорелым лицом, белым от боли и напряжения, споткнулся.

His right arm, wet with raw flesh and dripping blood, hung limply at his side. |||||||||||without strength||| Его правая рука, мокрая от сырой плоти и стекающей крови, безвольно висела на боку. It was covered with freshly applied surgical foam. |||||||foam ||||||хірургічний| Он был покрыт свеженанесенной хирургической пеной. He held his gun in his left hand, a stump of control cable dangling from it. |||||||||обрубок кабелю|||||| В левой руке он держал пистолет, из которого свисал обрывок контрольного троса. Jason thought the man was looking for medical aid. |||||||healthcare| He couldn’t have been more wrong. Он не мог ошибиться больше. Clenching the gun in his teeth, the Pyrran clutched a barrel of napalm with his good hand and hurled it over on its side. сжав||||||||схватил||||||||||||||| gripping||||||||||||||||||||||| Стиснувши зубами||||||||||||||||||||||| Сжав пистолет в зубах, пирранец здоровой рукой схватил бочку с напалмом и швырнул ее на бок.

Then, with the gun once more in his hand, he began to roll the drum along the ground with his feet. ||||||||||||||барабан|||||| Затем, снова с ружьем в руке, он начал катить барабан по земле ногами. It was slow, cumbersome work, but he was still in the fight. |||трудоемкое|||||||| |||awkward and difficult|||||||| |||незграбний|||||||| Это была медленная, громоздкая работа, но он все еще был в борьбе. Jason pushed through the hurrying crowd and bent over the drum. Джейсон протиснулся сквозь спешащую толпу и склонился над барабаном.

"Let me do it," he said. "You can cover us both with your gun. — Ты можешь прикрыть нас обоих своим пистолетом. The man wiped the sweat from his eyes with the back of his arm and blinked at Jason. Мужчина вытер пот с глаз тыльной стороной руки и моргнул, глядя на Джейсона.

He seemed to recognize him. Казалось, он узнал его. When he smiled it was a grimace of pain, empty of humor. |||||||||lacking any|| ||||||кривляння||||| "Do that. I can still shoot. Я все еще могу стрелять. Two half men—maybe we equal one whole." Два получеловека — может быть, мы равняемся одному целому». Jason was laboring too hard to even notice the insult. ||working||||||| ||працюючи||||||| Джейсон слишком старался, чтобы даже заметить оскорбление. An explosion had blasted a raw pit in the street ahead. Одна|||вибухнув||||||| Взрыв взорвал сырую яму на улице впереди. Вибух прорізав сирий вирваний ям біля дороги попереду.

Two people were at the bottom, digging it even deeper with shovels. ||||||||||using| Два человека были на дне, копая его еще глубже лопатами. Двоє людей були на дні, копаючи його ще глибше лопатами. The whole thing seemed meaningless. Ціла|||| Все это казалось бессмысленным. Усе це здавалося безглуздим. Just as Jason and the wounded man rolled up the drum the diggers leaped out of the excavation and began shooting down into its depths. ||||||||||||workers|||||excavation||||||| |||||||||||||||||яму|||||||глибини ями Как только Джейсон и раненый свернули барабан, землекопы выскочили из раскопа и начали стрелять в его глубину. One of them turned, a young girl, barely in her teens. |||faced us||||||| Одна из них повернулась, молодая девушка, едва достигшая подросткового возраста. "Praise Perimeter! Praise the| «Слава Периметру!

she breathed. она дышала. "They found the napalm. One of the new horrors is breaking through towards Thirteen, we just found it." Один из новых ужасов прорывается к Тринадцатой, мы только что нашли его». Even as she talked she swiveled the drum around, kicked the easy-off plug, and began dumping the gelid contents into the hole. |||||повернула|||||||||||выливать||ледяные|||| |||||turned||||||easy-to-remove|||||||icy cold|||| |||||обернула|||||||||||||крижаний|||| Пока она говорила, она повернула бочку, выбила пробку и начала выливать содержимое гелида в отверстие. When half of it had gurgled down, she kicked the drum itself in. When|||||gurgled||||||| |||||захлинулося||||||| Her companion pulled a flare from his belt, lit it, and threw it after the drum. ||||signal device||||||||||| ||||сигнальна ракета||||||||||| Ее спутник вытащил из-за пояса сигнальную ракету, зажег ее и бросил вслед за барабаном. "Back quick. "Быстро возвращайся.

They don’t like heat," he said. Они не любят жару», — сказал он. This was putting it very mildly. |||||understatedly Это было очень мягко сказано.

The napalm caught, tongues of flame and roiling, greasy smoke climbed up to the sky. |||||||кипящего||||||| Напалм загорелся, к небу поднялись языки пламени и клубящийся жирный дым. Under Jason’s feet the earth shifted and moved. Something black and long stirred in the heart of the flame, then arched up into the sky over their heads. ||||шевельнулось||||||||||||||| Что-то черное и длинное зашевелилось в центре пламени, а затем выгнулось в небо над их головами. In the midst of the searing heat it still moved with alien, jolting motions. |||||пекучей|||||||дёргающимися| |||||intense|||||||jerky| ||||||||||||тремтячими| Среди палящего зноя он все еще двигался чуждыми, трясущимися движениями. It was immense, at least two meters thick and with no indication of its length. ||величезний|||||||||||| Он был огромен, не менее двух метров в толщину, и без указания его длины. The flames didn’t stop it at all, just annoyed it. Jason had some idea of the thing’s length as the street cracked and buckled for fifty meters on each side of the pit. |||||||||||||warped and lifted||||||||| Джейсон имел некоторое представление о длине этой штуковины, поскольку улица трескалась и прогибалась на пятьдесят метров с каждой стороны ямы.

Great loops of the creature began to emerge from the ground. |loops||||||||| Огромные петли существа начали появляться из-под земли. He fired his gun, as did the others. Not that it seemed to have any effect. More and more people were appearing, armed with a variety of weapons. |||||з'являтися|||||| Flame-throwers and grenades seemed to be the most effective. Наиболее эффективными казались огнеметы и гранаты. " Clear the area ... we’re going to saturate it. ||||||наситити| "Очистите территорию... мы собираемся насытить ее.

Fall back. Отступать. The voice was so loud it jarred Jason’s ear. ||||||потрясла|| |||||that|shocked|| ||||||вдарив|| Голос был таким громким, что у Джейсона трясло ухо.

He turned and recognized Kerk, who had arrived with truckloads of equipment. Он повернулся и узнал Керка, который прибыл с грузовиками с оборудованием. He had a power speaker on his back, the mike hung in front of his lips. На спине у него был мощный динамик, микрофон висел перед губами. His amplified voice brought an instant reaction from the crowd. |поголошений|||||||| Его усиленный голос вызвал мгновенную реакцию толпы. They began to move. There was still doubt in Jason’s mind what to do. Джейсон все еще сомневался, что делать.

Clear the area? Очистить территорию? But what area? He started towards Kerk, before he realized that the rest of the Pyrrans were going in the opposite direction. Even under two gravities they moved . |||гравітаціях|| Даже под двумя гравитациями они двигались. Jason had a naked feeling of being alone on the stage. У Джейсона было неприкрытое ощущение, что он один на сцене.

He was in the center of the street, and the others had vanished. No one remained. Except the wounded man Jason had helped. He stumbled towards Jason, waving his good arm. Он, спотыкаясь, направился к Джейсону, махая здоровой рукой. Jason couldn’t understand what he said. Kerk was shouting orders again from one of the trucks. They had started to move too. Они тоже начали двигаться. The urgency struck home and Jason started to run. ||hit hard|||||| Срочность поразила меня, и Джейсон побежал. It was too late.

On all sides the earth was buckling, cracking, as more loops of the underground thing forced its way into the light. ||||||долбилась|||||||||||||| ||||||bending and cracking|||||||||||||| ||||||згинання|||||||||||||| Со всех сторон земля прогибалась, трескалась, когда новые петли подземной штуки пробивались к свету. Safety lay ahead. Only in front of it rose an arch of dirt-encrusted gray. ||||||||||засохшей| ||||||||||covered| ||||||||||покритий землею| Только перед ним возвышалась серая, покрытая коркой грязи арка. There are seconds of time that seem to last an eternity. ||||||appear||feel like|| Есть секунды, которые кажутся вечностью.

A moment of subjective time that is grabbed and stretched to an infinite distance. ||||||||||||limitless extent| ||||||||||||безмежний| Момент субъективного времени, которое схвачено и растянуто до бесконечности. This was one of those moments. Jason stood, frozen. Even the smoke in the sky hung unmoving. Даже дым в небе висел неподвижно. The high-standing loop of alien life was before him, every detail piercingly clear. ||||||||||||пронизливо| Перед ним была высоченная петля инопланетной жизни, каждая деталь была пронзительно ясной. Thick as a man, ribbed and gray as old bark. ||||textured||||| ||||ребристий|||||кора Толстый, как человек, ребристый и серый, как старая кора.

Tendrils projected from all parts of it, pallid and twisting lengths that writhed slowly with snakelike life. Щупальца|||||||бледные|||||вились|||| Thin extensions|||||||pale||||||||serpentine movement|animation вусики|||||||бліді|||||крутилися|||змієподібні| Отовсюду торчали щупальца, бледные и извивающиеся, медленно извивающиеся змеиной жизнью. Shaped like a plant, yet with the motions of an animal. And cracking, splitting. ||розколювання И трескается, расщепляется. This was the worst. Seams and openings appeared. Швы||| Seams appeared||| Появились швы и отверстия.

Splintering, gaping mouths that vomited out a horde of pallid animals. Треск|раскрывающиеся||||||||бледных| Fragmenting||||||a single|||| Тріщини||||блювали|||орда||| Расколотые, зияющие рты, изрыгавшие стаю бледных животных. Jason heard their shriekings, shrill yet remote. |||крики||| Джейсон слышал их вопли, пронзительные, но отдаленные. He saw the needlelike teeth that lined their jaws. |||needle-like||||| |||голкоподібні||||| Он увидел игольчатые зубы, выстроившиеся вдоль их челюстей. The paralysis of the unknown held him there. Паралич неизвестного держал его там.

He should have died. Kerk was thundering at him through the power speaker, others were firing into the attacking creature. ||гремел||||||||||||| ||гримів||||||||||||| Керк гремел на него через громкоговоритель, другие стреляли в атакующее существо. Jason knew nothing. |knew|no information Джейсон ничего не знал. Then he was shot forward, pushed by a rock-hard shoulder. Затем его рвануло вперед, толкнув твердым как камень плечом.

The wounded man was still there, trying to get Jason clear. ||||||||||free Раненый все еще был там, пытаясь вывести Джейсона. Gun clenched in his jaws he dragged Jason along with his good arm. |held tightly||||||||||| Сжав пистолет в пасти, он здоровой рукой потащил Джейсона за собой. Towards the creature. К существу. The others stopped firing. They saw his plan and it was a good one. A loop of the thing arched into the air, leaving an opening between its body and the ground. Петля существа выгнулась в воздух, оставив отверстие между его телом и землей.

The wounded Pyrran planted his feet and tightened his muscles. Раненый пирранец встал на ноги и напряг мышцы. One-handed, with a single thrust, he picked Jason off the ground and sent him hurtling under the living arch. |||||||||||||||летящим|||| |||||поштовх||||||||||мчачи|||| Одной рукой, одним ударом, он поднял Джейсона с земли и швырнул его под живую арку. Moving tendrils brushed fire along his face, then he was through, rolling over and over on the ground. |щупальца|||||||||||||||| Движущиеся щупальца опалили его лицо огнём, затем он вылетел, катаясь по земле снова и снова. The wounded Pyrran leaped after him. Раненый пирранец прыгнул за ним. It was too late.

There had been a chance for one person to get out. The Pyrran could have done it easily—instead he had pushed Jason first. Пирранец мог бы сделать это легко — вместо этого он первым толкнул Джейсона. The thing was aware of movement when Jason brushed its tendrils. ||||||||touched lightly||tentacle-like extensions Существо почувствовало движение, когда Джейсон коснулся его щупалец. It dropped and caught the wounded man under its weight. Он упал и подхватил раненого под своим весом. He vanished from sight as the tendrils wrapped around him and the animals swarmed over. Он исчез из поля зрения, когда вокруг него обвились щупальца, а вокруг роились животные. His trigger must have pulled back to full automatic because the gun kept firing a long time after he should have been dead. Его спусковой крючок, должно быть, перешел в полностью автоматический режим, потому что пистолет продолжал стрелять еще долгое время после того, как он должен был быть мертв. Jason crawled. |moved on hands and knees Джейсон пополз.

Some of the fanged animals ran towards him, but were shot. |||having fangs||||||| Некоторые из клыкастых зверей побежали к нему, но были застрелены. He knew nothing about this. Then rude hands grabbed him up and pulled him forward. |грубі|||||||| Затем грубые руки схватили его и потянули вперед. He slammed into the side of a truck and Kerk’s face was in front of his, flushed and angry. ||collided with|||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||піднесений|| Он врезался в борт грузовика, и прямо перед ним оказалось лицо Керка, раскрасневшееся и злое. One of the giant fists closed on the front of Jason’s clothes and he was lifted off his feet, shaken like a limp bag of rags. ||||hands||||||||||||||||||||| Один из гигантских кулаков сомкнулся на передней части одежды Джейсона, и его оторвало от земли, тряся, как обмякший мешок с тряпьем. He offered no protest and could not have even if Kerk had killed him. Он не протестовал, да и не мог бы, даже если бы Керк убил его. When he was thrown to the ground, someone picked him up and slid him into the back of the truck. Когда его бросило на землю, кто-то поднял его и затолкал в кузов грузовика.

He did not lose consciousness as the truck bounced away, yet he could not move. In a moment the fatigue would go away and he would sit up. That was all he was, just a little tired. Вот и все, чем он был, просто немного устал. Even as he thought this he passed out. |||||he passed out|| ||||||втратив свідомість| Даже когда он подумал об этом, он потерял сознание.