She got slowly to her feet, pushing her chair back. |
- Она встала. |
"I think I'll turn in. |
- Пожалуй, я пойду лягу. |
Anyone object?" |
Возражений нет? |
"Go ahead," Eller said. |
- Идите, - сказал Эллер. |
"Blake, how about some cards? |
- Блейк, не сыграть ли нам в карты? |
I want to relax. |
Надо рассеяться. |
Blackjack?" |
В "червонного валета"? |
"Sure," Blake said. |
- Конечно, - согласился Блейк. |
"Why not?" |
- Почему бы не сыграть? |
He slid a deck from his jacket pocket. |
- Он вытащил карты из кармана куртки. |
"It'll make the time pass. Cut for deal." |
- По крайней мере проведем время. |
"Fine." |
- Вот и хорошо. |
Eller took the deck. |
Эллер начал игру. |
He cut, showing a seven of clubs. |
Он срезал колоду и вытащил семерку треф. |
Blake won the deck with a jack of hearts. |
Блейк взял ее червонным валетом. |
They played listlessly, neither of them much interested. |
Играли они довольно небрежно, без особого интереса. |
Blake was sullen and uncommunicative, still angry because Eller had been proved so right. |
Блейк был угрюм и злился, что Эллер оказался прав. |
Eller himself was tired and uncomfortable. |
Сам Эллер чувствовал себя уставшим и не в духе. |
His head throbbed dully in spite of the opiates he had taken. |
У него болела голова, несмотря на то, что он принял болеутоляющее. |
He removed his helmet and rubbed his forehead. |
Он потер лоб. |
"Play," Blake murmured. |
- Играйте, - пробормотал Блейк. |
Under them the jets rumbled, carrying them nearer and nearer Terra. |
Под их ногами ворчали реакторы. |
In a week they would enter the system. |
Через неделю они будут в Солнечной системе. |
They had not seen Terra in over a year. |
Уже больше года они не видели Земли. |
How would it look? |
Какой она им покажется? |
Would it still be the same? |
Такой же, как всегда? |
The great green globe, with its vast oceans, all the tiny islands. |
Огромный зеленый шар с большими океанами и крошечными островками. |
Then down at New York Spaceport. San Francisco, for him. |
А затем они прибудут в космопорт Нью-Йорка. |
It would be nice, all right. |
Как приятно! |
The crowds of people, Terrans, good old frivolous, senseless Terrans, without a care in the world. |
Толпы землян, этих милых старых легкомысленных землян, глупых, не беспокоящихся о том, что происходит в мире. |
Eller grinned up at Blake. His grin turned to a frown. |
Эллер улыбнулся, но тут же нахмурился. |
Blake's head had drooped. His eyes were slowly closing. |
Г олова Блейка склонилась, глаза медленно закрывались. |
He was going to sleep. |
Он засыпал. |
"Wake up," Eller said. |
- Проснитесь, - сказал Эллер. |
"What's the matter?" |
- Что с вами? |
Blake grunted, pulling himself up straight. He went on dealing the next hand. Again his head sank lower and lower. |
Блейк вздохнул, выпрямился и стал сдавать карты, но голова его снова упала. |
"Sorry," he murmured. He reached out to draw in his winnings. |
- Простите, - пробормотал он и протянул руку к мизеру. |
Eller fumbled in his pocket, getting out more credits. He looked up, starting to speak. But Blake had fallen completely asleep. |
Эллер стал рыться в кармане, потом поднял глаза и увидел, что Блейк спит. |
"I'll be damned!" |
- Чтоб мне пропасть! |
Eller got to his feet. "This is strange." |
- Эллер встал. |
Blake's chest rose and fell evenly. He snored a little, his heavy body relaxed. |
Блейк дышал спокойно и даже похрапывал. |
Eller turned down the light and walked toward the door. What was the matter with Blake? It was unlike him to pass out during a game of cards. |
Эллер выключил свет и пошел к двери. |
Eller went down the corridor toward his own quarters. He was tired and ready for sleep. |
Он устал и тоже хотел спать. |
He entered his washroom, unfastening his collar. He removed his jacket and turned on the hot water. |
Войдя в туалетную кабину, он снял куртку и открыл кран с горячей водой. |
It would be good to get into bed, to forget everything that had happened to them, the sudden exploding blast of radiation, the painful awakening, the gnawing fear. |
Как приятно будет улечься в постель, забыть обо всем случившемся, об этом неожиданном излучении, о тяжком пробуждении, о мучительном страхе. |
Eller began to wash his face. Lord, how his head buzzed. |
Господи, как шумит в голове! |
Mechanically, he splashed water on his arms. It was not until he had almost finished washing that he noticed it. |
До конца умывания он ничего не замечал. |
He stood for a long time, water running over his hands, staring silently down, unable to speak. |
Но вот остановился и долго смотрел, как вода течет по рукам. Он молчал, не в силах произнести хоть одно слово. |
His fingernails were gone. |
Его ногти исчезли! |
He looked up in the mirror, breathing quickly. |
Задыхаясь, он поднял голову и посмотрел на себя в зеркало. |
Suddenly he grabbed at his hair. |
Потом запустил руку в волосы. |
Handfuls of hair came out, great bunches of light brown hair. |
Они выпадали горстями, большими прядями. |
Hair and nails... |
Волосы и ногти... |
He shuddered, trying to calm himself. |
Он вздрогнул, но попытался успокоиться. |
Hair and nails. |
Волосы и ногти. |
Radiation. |
Радиация. |
Of course: radiation did that, killed both the hair and the nails. |
Ну, конечно, радиация. |
He examined his hands. |
Он осмотрел руки. |
The nails were completely gone all right. There was no trace of them. |
Ногтей не было и следа. |
He turned his hands over and over, studying the fingers. |
Он вертел руками, осматривая пальцы. |
The ends were smooth and tapered. He fought down rising panic, moving unsteadily away from the mirror. |
Концы их стали гладкими и заостренными: Его охватила паника. |
A thought struck him. Was he the only one? |
Мелькнула мысль: только ли у него? |
What about Silvia! |
А у Сильвии? |
He put his jacket on again. Without nails his fingers were strangely deft and agile. Could there be anything else? They had to be prepared. He looked into the mirror again. |
Он надел куртку и снова взглянул в зеркало. |
And sickened. His head... What was happening? |
Что с головой? |
He clasped his hands to his temples. |
Он приложил руку к вискам. |
His head. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. |
Что-то не так. Ужасно плохо. |
He stared, his eyes wide. |
Он глядел на себя, вытаращив глаза. |
He was almost completely hairless, now, his shoulders and jacket covered with brown hair that had fallen. His scalp gleamed, bald and pink, a shocking pink. |
Теперь он стал почти лысым. Плечи его куртки были покрыты волосами, а лысый розовый череп блестел. Лысый, непристойно розовый. |
But there was something more. |
И не только это. |
His head had expanded. It was swelling into a full sphere. |
Его голова начала растягиваться и приняла форму шара. |
And his ears were shriveling, his ears and his nose. |
Уши и нос сморщились. |
His nostrils were becoming thin and transparent even as he watched. |
Ноздри уменьшились и оказались под глазами. |
He was changing, altering, faster and faster. |
Он изменялся все быстрее и быстрее. |
He reached a shaking hand into his mouth. |
Дрожащей рукой он коснулся рта. |
His teeth were loose in the gums. |
Зубы качались. |
He pulled. Several teeth came out easily. |
Он дотронулся до них, и многие выпали. |
What was happening? |
Что происходит? |
Was he dying? |
Смерть? |
Was he the only one? |
Только с ним? |