Атлант расправил плечи
Their Brothers’ Keepers
HehadbeentrainedtochartthecourseofoverninetytrainsanhourandtowatchthemrollsafelythroughamazeoftracksandswitchesinandoutoftheTerminal,underhisglasswallsandhisfingertips.Now,forthefirsttime,hewaslookingoutattheemptydarknessofadriedchannel.
Throughtheopendooroftherelayroom,shesawthetowermenstandinggrimlyidle—themenwhosejobshadneverpermittedamoment’srelaxation—standingbythelongrowsthatlookedlikeverticalcopperpleats,likeshelvesofbooksandasmuchofamonumenttohumanintelligence.Thepullofoneofthesmalllevers,whichprotrudedlikebookmarksfromtheshelves,threwthousandsofelectriccircuitsintomotion,madethousandsofcontactsandbrokeasmanyothers,setdozensofswitchestoclearachosencourseanddozensofsignalstolightit,withnoerrorleftpossible,nochance,nocontradiction—anenormouscomplexityofthoughtcondensedintoonemovementofahumanhandtosetandinsurethecourseofatrain,thathundredsoftrainsmightsafelyrushby,thatthousandsoftonsofmetalandlivesmightpassinspeedingstreaksabreathawayfromoneanother,protectedbynothingbutathought,thethoughtofthemanwhodevisedthelevers.
