Атлант расправил плечи

           "Areyoureadytowantwhatwewant?"

           Theyheardnoanswer.Galtraisedhisheadonceinawhileandlookedatthem.Thereweredarkringsunderhiseyes,buttheeyeswereclearandconscious.

           Inmountingpanic,thewatcherslosttheirsenseofcontextandlanguage—andtheirthreevoicesblendedintoaprogressionofindiscriminateshrieks:"Wewantyoutotakeover!...Wewantyoutorule!

           ...Weorderyoutogiveorders!...Wedemandthatyoudictate!

           ...Weorderyoutosaveus!...Weorderyoutothink!..."

           Theyheardnoanswerbutthebeatingoftheheartonwhichtheirownlivesdepended.

           ThecurrentwasshootingthroughGalt’schestandthebeatingwascominginirregularspurts,asifitwereracingandstumbling—whensuddenlyhisbodyfellstill,relaxing:thebeatinghadstopped.

           Thesilencewaslikeastunningblow,andbeforetheyhadtimetoscream,theirhorrorwastoppedbyanother:bythefactthatGaltopenedhiseyesandraisedhishead.

           Thentheyrealizedthatthedroneofthemotorhadceased,too,andthattheredlighthadgoneoutonthecontrolpaneclass="underline"thecurrenthadstopped;thegeneratorwasdead.

           Themechanicwasjabbinghisringeratthebutton,tonoavail.Heyankedtheleveroftheswitchagainandagain.Hekickedthesideofthemachine.Theredlightwouldnotgoon;thesounddidnotreturn.

           "Well?"snappedFerris.