Energy #06 17 июня 1997

FANTASY - Roman G. Harrison, "Plague from Space" (Part 2).

                FANTASY



     Continuation of the novel Gary Harrison

             "Plague from Space"


                    2


     On the other side of the giant ship
came the muffled roar of engines and the roar of heavy 
machinery. Still hung over the airfield oppressive silence. 
Sure, for all recent years, this was the first case, when there 
was such a mess. Unexpectedly for all the ship flew a rusty 
ladder, fell almost to the very feet of Sam. In the hole

man appeared, threw her leg over the hatch and found the first 
step. Then he slowly and with difficulty he began to descend. 

     - Is something wrong? - Shouted
Sam the man upstairs. - We can help you with?

     His words have remained unanswered.

     - Um, I'll climb to meet him ...

     - He falls! - Nita cried.

     Meters in four of the hands of men of the earth seemed to 
have lost their power, they let go a step, and the man flew 
down. He rolled over and fell heavily on his side. Sam

Nita and ran up to him.

     - Beware - "Sam said. - Free of his hand, and I will move 
it back. Be careful. I think he has broken

hand.

     - Look at his face. What is it?

     Leather man was pale and covered
red bubbles, some of which
reached the value of a walnut, some of these bubbles burst, and 
from them pus flowed out. Similar ulcers were on his

neck and back of the hand.

     - Some type of boils - thoughtfully, "said Sam. - Just 
before I ever have not seen boils this size and in such 
quantity. Maybe ... 

     He did not finish the sentence, but Nita
realized that he wanted to say. When he
looked up and met eyes dilated eyes Nita, he read them the same
fear, which is reflected in his own
eyes.

     - Pahiakriya Tofolma - she said
so quiet that he could hardly understand her.

     - Maybe - he said - but it
not yet known. Yet we must take precautions.

     He remembered what happened a few years ago.

     Bacteria that Lieutenant Tofolm
then contracted during the stay of the First
Expedition to Venus, gave the first symptoms
infection after returning to Earth.

     Epidemic did not exist, but died
Many people, both men and women who
amputated arms and legs, and yet
today suffer from the consequences of this disease. Since then, 
the quarantine of all returning vehicles have been tightened to 
prevent the emergence of a new infection. 

     Howl turbines again brought him back to
reality. He ran to meet
returning an ambulance for
followed by the two police cars.

     - Stop! - He shouted and raised
hands, stood in the way of machines. Squealed the brakes, the 
car stopped. The police were already standing by. 

     - No, do not come close. Zooms out better than fifty 
meters. Since the ship went down a man, and he was sick. Now he

will be placed on a strict quarantine. Only
Dr. Mendel and I can approach the
him.

     - You hear the doctor's orders? Zooms out back! - Ordered 
the police captain. Both the police car drove off, but

ambulance did not move.

     - I can help you, Doc, - said
Killer with forced indifference, but
pale face betrayed his real
feelings.

     - Thanks, Killer, but the doctor
Mendel cope with this matter ourselves. No
should not be at risk of infection. Take ago. Contact with the 
hospital and detailed report to them everything that happened 
once to be able to connect to this Health Service. If I do not 
get another order, I will give this man

the hospital. Then we use the quarantine station. When you do, 
do, to seal his car. Do not forget to turn off ventilation. Let 
us know as soon as you hear something new. Good luck to you, 
Killer! 

     - And you, doctor!

     Killer vymucheno smiled and backpedaled.

     Nita opened both bags with the tools and fastened to the 
meter of body functions wrist of the astronaut.


     - Seems to have a broken beam
bone - she said, without raising glance
when Sam approached her. - Breathing is shallow, the 
temperature of forty and seven tenths. He was still 
unconscious. 

     Sam sat down beside her on her knees.

     - Allow me to proceed
himself. Stand back. It is not necessary that we both were at 
risk of infection, Nita. 

     - Do not melite nonsense. I have long been able to
infected. Do not say anything, because I'm in
Finally, also a doctor.

     - Thank you - for a moment he smiled
Sam. - I think I need your help.

     Patient's eyes were open, and from his
throat came gurgling sounds. Sam
forceps carefully parted his jaws and
examined the oral cavity.

     - Language of a parrot - he said and pointed out
characterized by a folded tongue, which showed a strong fever.

     - Also, inflamed mucous throat.

     Men's eyes were fixed upon them,
He frantically swallowing.

     - Try not to speak - said
him Sam. - With a throat that is impossible.

     - Sam, look at his finger. He
moves like writing something. He wants
tell us something.

     Sam put his hand in the astronaut's fat
pencil and held it to his plate for
letter. Patient's fingers were moving uncertainly. The man used 
his left hand, Apparently he was right handed, but could not 
move broken arm. With visible tension

patient deduced line by line, but before he finished his 
message, he again dropped his hand and lost consciousness.


     Nita looked at the plate.

     - Yes, he's really sick - she said. - What is depicted 
here, similar to a tree and a pencil - no, it's a spaceship. 
Big spaceship. This is what he wanted us to know? 

     Sam nodded.

     - He wants to warn us or tell us that the ship he's not 
alone. Well, I should verify this.


     Nita wanted to say something on the silent and looked at 
the device on his hand men.


     - His condition is unchanged, but its
need as quickly as possible to send to the hospital.

     - We can not do anything until
obtain a clear and unambiguous order
from the administration of health services, and in the meantime 
we need to help people all than we can. Do not attempt to 
straighten his arm, and put it on the bus, while I look into 
the ship. Before again touch the patient wear insulated gloves. 
I'll do the same. 

     Gloves, bend down to the
cubits, made of sturdy plastic.
Sam and Nita pulled them, then Sam put
his nose filter tube, threw over his shoulder, a medical bag 
and went on stairs. When he passed round the door, he

was in a room identical in length,
height and width, whose walls were made of metal. At the other 
end of the room there was another door, near which was

mounted video screen. This is obviously
was an air lock, and a second door led
inside the ship. When Sam pushed the button to
marked "OPEN", located in a small remote control, nothing 
happened. Door remained closed, controls

lock, it seemed out of order. To pressing other buttons, too 
have been no reactions. 

     Sam went to the video and found a number of
with a screen with a list of numbers. When he scored on the 
remote number two hundred and eleven, buzzer sounded and the 
screen came to life. 

     - Hello, is there anybody there? I say
out of the airlock.

     Almost all of the screen obscured the antigravity bed, 
behind which were visible racks with devices. Sam's question was

no response on the screen, there was no
movement.

     Then he called the engine room,
but here his call went unanswered.
Then he methodically checked all the above listed number. Again 
and again he heard the echo of your voice in all areas ship, 
but nowhere have not received any response. The rooms were 
empty, the sick man must be located on the ship one.


     When Sam came down the stairs
he saw that another car arrived, but
and it stopped very far.

     The car came a policeman, and at the same time from the 
speaker's voice: 

     - Dr. Berthollet, your hospital wants to talk to you. The 
employee will give you portable video. Please contact your 
local hospital. 

     Sam gestured that he had heard and
understood the message. He dropped his bag
instruments and picked up the video, which
employee placed halfway between the spacecraft and the machine.

     - How is the patient, Nita? - He asked.

     - Bad. The pulse was weak, breathing
is still superficial, and the temperature of all
still high. What do you think, should not
give him a fever and antibiotics?

     - Let me first talk to
hospital.

     Sam turned on the video, and a screen on it
staring at two people who were in
conference hall of the hospital. One of them was
stocky gray-haired man, whose
Sam has never met. Another was
Dr. McKay, director of the Institute
Tropical Diseases and chairman of the department who was 
involved in the prevention and treatment of disease Tofolma. 

     - We have heard about a man from the ship,
Dr. Berthollet - said McKay. - This
Professor Cheybl from WHO - World Health Organization. We can 
see patient?


     - Of course, Doctor.

     Sam turned the video camera so that
She was directed to the astronaut. At the same time he read the 
readings, which measures the function of the patient's body and 
reported that he discovered on the ship.


     - Are you sure that the ship more
no one? - Asked Cheybl.

     - No way, because I do not
unable to get inside. But I called every
room, where was the video, and nothing there
seen and not heard.

     - You said that you tried to open
the inner airlock door.

     - Controls are de-energized, they
should be activated by
external energy source.

     - That's enough for me - said
Cheybl.

     He has already made a decision.

     - It controls the gateway to work when the man left the 
ship. He himself had set in motion

external drive doors. That, and his warning about the disease 
in the ship give me a good reason, that I was able to take 
solution. I make arrangements to ship immediately put into 
quarantine and sealed. Its outer surface must be sterilized. No 
one should approach to the ship, until we establish that this

for the disease.

     - Take this man to the hospital - said Dr. McKay. - All 
patients in quarantine offices we will transfer to other 
offices. 

     - Do I need to treat
this patient?

     - Yes. We know from personal experience,
that support normal metabolism
will not bring any harm. Even if a person is ill unknown 
disease, it can affect the body only a very limited number of 
ways. I propose to give antipirinatsetiksalitsilat him and use 
a wide range of antibiotics. 

     - Megatsidin?

     - Okay.

     - A few minutes later we go
in a way.

     Nita has already prepared the injection site, which they 
were offered. Sam made them sick. Then he summed up the 
ambulance with open back door. When he pulled

rushed to the patient inside the machine in the sky
appeared first flying disinfectants.
They must have been on the road even during the
Video call and were only waiting for instructions of the 
authorities to WHO. These were the two jet helicopters, which 
are slowly circling around ship, and then disappeared behind 
it. There was deafening roar, up thick clouds of black smoke.


     - What is happening there? - Asked Nita.

     - Flamethrower. It will cover every square inch of soil 
and shell craft. Can not ignore any security measures

that the disease has not spread further.

     When Sam turned to close
the car door, he saw a starling, which
sitting on the ground, vainly trying to spread their wings. 
People were not the only creatures that fit "Pericles" harm.


     It must have hit a bird
scattered throughout the wreckage. Then he discovered the 
second starling, which open beak lying on its side and made no

signs of life.


         To be continued ...
- Oh, how beautiful it was without these