Атлант расправил плечи
Their Brothers’ Keepers
Theactofnationalizationwasreadtotheassembly,tothesoundoffirealarmsirensanddistantcries.Itwasagraymorning,darkwithrainclouds,theexplosionhadbrokenanelectrictransmitter—sothattheassemblyvotedonthemeasurebythelightofcandles,whiletheredglowofthefirekeptsweepingoverthegreatvaultedceilingabovetheirheads.
"Butmoreterribleashockcamelater,whenthelegislatorscalledahastyrecesstoannouncetothenationthegoodnewsthatthepeoplenowownedd’AnconiaCopper.Whiletheywerevoting,wordhadcomefromtheclosestandfarthestpointsoftheglobethattherewasnod’AnconiaCopperleftonearth.Ladiesandgentlemen,notanywhere.
Inthatsameinstant,onthestrokeoften,byaninfernalmarvelofsynchronization,everypropertyofd’AnconiaCopperonthefaceoftheglobe,fromChiletoSiamtoSpaintoPottsville,Montana,hadbeenblownupandsweptaway.
"Thed’Anconiaworkerseverywherehadbeenhandedtheirlastpaychecks,incash,atnineA.M.,andbynine-thirtyhadbeenmovedoffthepremises.Theoredocks,thesmelters,thelaboratories,theofficebuildingsweredemolished.Nothingwasleftofthed’Anconiaoreshipswhichhadbeeninport—andonlylifeboatscarryingthecrewswereleftofthoseshipswhichhadbeenatsea.Astothed’Anconiamines,somewereburiedundertonsofblastedrock,whileotherswerefoundnottobeworththepriceofblasting.
