Читать книгу The Science Fiction Anthology онлайн

351 страница из 776

“I’ve never heard such gibberish in my life,” Somers said. “Are you going to hook up that computer?”

“Of course. I’m a human. I keep trying. I just wanted you to understand fully that there is no hope.” He went to the cargo hold.

After he had gone, Rajcik grinned and shook his head. “We’d better watch him.”

“He’ll be all right,” Somers said.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Rajcik pursed his lips thoughtfully. “He’s blaming the situation on a machine personality now, trying to absolve himself of guilt. And it is his fault that we’re in this spot. An engineer is responsible for all equipment.”

“I don’t believe you can put the blame on him so dogmatically,” Somers replied.

“Sure I can,” Rajcik said. “I personally don’t care, though. This is as good a way to die as any other and better than most.”

Captain Somers wiped perspiration from his face. Again the notion came to him that the problem—the real problem—was to find a way out of this hot, smelly, motionless little box.

Rajcik said, “Death in space is an appealing idea, in certain ways. Imagine an entire spaceship for your tomb! And you have a variety of ways of actually dying. Thirst and starvation I rule out as unimaginative. But there are possibilities in heat, cold, implosion, explosion—”