Никанор Стариков – The Snipe’s Flight (страница 8)

Thoughts have rushed whirlwind, cold and accurate. It is not accident. This intended removal from system. After delivery of cargo. Means, it was necessary for someone that Ki has not seen, has not written down something. Or on the contrary – that could not tell something later.

I have sat down on hunkers, have run hand over the cold case. Total absence of energy. But sintetik of such class as has prompted me memory of the Snipe, had emergency accumulator with independent food. I have darted off and have run to the capsule. In the head knocked: «Bracelet, bracelet, bracelet». Having flown inside, I with scope have pulled off blanket. Where I left it, dark, not remarkable bracelet lay. I have seized him, having felt simplification wave, and have immediately stood. Time. It catastrophically was not enough. The crew waits for me in bar. My long absence will raise questions. But to leave Ki here, with possible proof in memory. I have returned on the ship, and except me nobody came here. Suspicions first of all will fall on me. It is necessary to do something urgently. The decision has ripened instantly, as well as half a century back on dangerous task. I have run back in cargo compartment. On the run activating bracelet, I have caused the hidden diagnostic interface. Having sat down near Ki’s body, I have groped on his neck, under composite plate, the hidden diagnostic port. From bracelet has moved forward thin as needle, the probe. I have inserted it into the port. On the mini-screen of bracelet lines of the code have started gleaming. About … and our Ki is not so ordinary as he can seem at first sight. All right, we will deal with it later. «The damaged synthetic mind of class KI-7 is found. Level of damages: critical. The dump of emergency memory is found. To restore memory?»

«To restore. And to restart kernel in the diagnostic mode», – I have given the command chosen on bracelet. The bracelet has begun to squeak. Ki’s body has moved, from the injured shoulder sparks have scattered. There have passed ten seconds, each of which lasted as hour. At last, in eye-sockets synthetics weak, uneven blue light has blinked. The mechanical voice interrupted by hissing and clicks has sounded from the built-in loudspeaker:

«The system … is started in emergency operation me. Level of damages critical. Report: attempt of unauthorized access to onboard the log din … after unloading of cargo. Found and stopped. The forward … is not identified. Physical impact the Viy … is applied»

The voice has broken. Access to logbooks. Someone tried to erase or copy data how cargo has left. And Ki, faithful to the program of protection of the ship, has prevented. And for it has been switched off. In the head has clicked: container number five. That, with anomaly of weight.

– Ki, – it is silent, but I have accurately told. – Can you support the main functions? Navigation? Monitoring?

«Negatively. Computing power is reduced by 94%. Only passive collecting data is possible. Recommendation: to tell the captain …»

– Let’s report, – I have promised. – But later. Now pass into the mode of restoration of dump of memory. Write down everything: any attempts of access to systems, all external signals, all movements on the ship. Keep data in the protected buffer. Got that?

Brain synthetics, even damaged, weighed logicality of the order. I, the technician instead of running for help, give him teams.

«You … do not tell the captain. Your actions contradict the protocol of safety», – the voice creaked.

I needed strong argument. Logical. The one that will understand the car.

– The attacker – someone from crew. Or someone who has access. If I give the alarm now, it will disappear or will destroy proofs. I need your data to calculate it. It is optimum way for preservation of the ship. Trust me.

Pause. The silence was broken by only weak hissing from the damaged case synthetics.

«Logically. Purpose: maintaining functionality of „Scythian“. Data will be written down. The mode of passive observation is activated. The mode of restoration is started».

– It is accepted, – I have disconnected the probe. – Remain, here, you will not restore the main functions and chains of system yet. As you will be ready, let me know on my communicator. I will give you the following instructions. Do not give signs of activity yet.

I have got up, have taken view of dark bulk of compartment. Who it could be? Gena? In principle it is logical, the key belonged to him and was on the crime scene. But why to it it? Alice? Vlad? The captain? Or … someone the stranger who has made the way aboard after mooring? Thoughts ran, were confused among themselves, but one was crystal clearly: game only began, and in this game I am definitely not one.

I left cargo compartment, have made sure that the door of lock was closed and the bulb was lit green, almost run has moved to exit. The bracelet was on the place, its cold metal soothingly pressed on wrist. Now I was fully equipped again. But now I had also ally – the Dumb, dying Witness hidden in empty belly of the ship. In several minutes I have reached bar and, having opened heavy metal door, have entered.

The Old Mine bar has met me by noise wall, clouds of tobacco smoke and roar of the hard rock flowing from cheap columns. Air was dense as soup. My workmates have already strongly located at the table in corner. Before Gena empty and thin circles flaunted. The captain Lavrov, having thrown off jacket, argued about something with Alice with fervency, swinging hands. Kim sat, having leaned back on the back of chair, his eye cold and estimating, slowly slid on the hall. He the first has noticed my emergence and has hardly considerably nodded.

– And, Mironov! – Gena has bellowed, having noticed me. – Nearly has overslept all fun! Drag chair and the back to us here!

I have squeezed through crowd dancing to table, representing the confused smile.

– Forgive, was late. This tablet … well, you understand.

– I understand nothing, – Lavrov, but without rage has grumbled. – Work is finished. Now have a rest. Hey, bartender! One more portion for my friend!

Have driven mug with muddy, foamy liquid to me. I have pretended that I take a sip, actually having only moistened lips. Inside everything has been compressed in hard, intense knot. I sat among these people, laughed at their jokes, Genya who already began to tell the bike about repair of the engine in orbit of Jupiter assented. And itself scanned their faces, looking for crack, hint, on fault shadow.

Gena was sincerely happy with our company. Alice, though smiled, but in eyes the habitual care was read. She continually darted the interested glance at me, and then is somehow confused it took away. The captain … the captain was oneself – rough, direct, looked at all as on the, a little eccentrical, but native team. Kim … and here he has not been readable. His face remained stone mask. Though I also saw that he has drunk three big mugs, what here was called beer. Only eyes were bright, and in them as it seemed to me, for instant something has flashed it seems … interest. Or it was play of light from the neon sign?

«He suspects, – cold stated in me part of the Snipe. – He is professional. He sees that you have not just forgotten the tablet. You have returned another. Alerted. He could feel it».

I with force have forced itself to relax, lean back on chair back, to take one more sip of opposite beer. It was necessary to merge with background, to become part of this noisy holiday. But somewhere in the depth of my consciousness, clear understanding ripened. By the ship, in dark cargo compartment, something has occurred. And here, in bar, among laughter and binge, the one who has struck it with wrench sat. Sat and, perhaps, looked directly at me.

Game took already deadly turn. I needed to wash to gather thoughts.

The bathroom in Old Mine bar was predictably dirty and become permeated with the smell of the chemicals masking absolutely other smells. I have splashed ice water in the face, looking at the reflection in the cracked mirror. Blue eyes of Sergey Mironov looked at me with cold confidence. In them there was no hint on intoxication also only concentration. I was as the ball of nerves wrapped in the weakened cover. I left the bathroom, intending to slip out imperceptibly on the street, to take couple of detours in circle of the building and to return to the ship while the crew was in separation. But plans – thing fragile, especially where women, alcohol and stress removed after long flight are involved.

– Mironov! Where has gathered?

The hand, tenacious and strong, has clasped my wrist. It was Alice. Her cheeks have turned pink, eyes shone not only intelligence, but also that fire that wakes up after the third mug of cheap, but strong ale. In them the call was read.

– So we go to dance with me. Do not shirk, Mirovnov. Someone has to entertain the girl.

It would be unnatural to refuse. Sergey Mironov with what I remembered him from memory scraps would be flattered with Alice’s attention. And the refusal could raise excess questions. I have allowed it to involve myself in thick of the dancing bodies.