Атлант расправил плечи
The Generator
"Youdon’tknowwhatyou’redoing,youmiserablejuveniledelinquents!Doyouthinkthatyou—you!—canhandleahigh-precisioninstrumentofscience?Whoisyourleader?Idemandtoseeyourleader!"
Itwashistoneofoverbearingauthority,hiscontemptandtheirownpanic—theblindpanicofmenofunbridledviolence,whohavenostandardsofsafetyordanger—thatmadethemwaverandwonderwhetherhewas,perhaps,somesecrettop-levelmemberoftheirleadership;theywereequallyreadytodefyortoobeyanyauthority.Afterbeingshuntedfromonejitterycommandertoanother,hefoundhimselfatlastbeingleddownironstairwaysanddownlong,echoing,undergroundcorridorsofreinforcedconcretetoanaudiencewith"TheBoss"inperson.TheBosshadtakenrefugeintheundergroundcontrolroom.
Amongthecomplexspiralsofthedelicatescientificmachinerythatproducedthesoundray,againstthewallpanelofglitteringlevers,dialsandgauges,knownastheXylophone,RobertStadlerfacedthenewrulerofProjectX.ItwasCuffyMeigs.
Heworeatight,semi-militarytunicandleatherleggings;thefleshofhisneckbulgedovertheedgeofhiscollar;hisblackcurlsweremattedwithsweat.
