Ангелы и демоны

Chapter 21

           HelookedupatVittoriainclearastonishmentandthenwithoutwarningwasovercomebyafitofcoughing."Incred…ible…"hesaid,wipinghismouth,"andyet…"Itseemedhislogicwasstillresisting."Yetevenifthevacuumworked,thesecanistersaremadeofmatter.Antimattercannotbestoredinsidecanistersmadeoutofmatter.Theantimatterwouldinstantlyreactwith—"

           "Thespecimenisnottouchingthecanister,"Vittoriasaid,apparentlyexpectingthequestion."Theantimatterissuspended.Thecanistersarecalled‘antimattertraps’becausetheyliterallytraptheantimatterinthecenterofthecanister,suspendingitatasafedistancefromthesidesandbottom."

           "Suspended?But…how?"

           "Betweentwointersectingmagneticfields.Here,havealook."

           Vittoriawalkedacrosstheroomandretrievedalargeelectronicapparatus.ThecontraptionremindedLangdonofsomesortofcartoonraygun—awidecannonlikebarrelwithasightingscopeontopandatangleofelectronicsdanglingbelow.Vittoriaalignedthescopewithoneofthecanisters,peeredintotheeyepiece,andcalibratedsomeknobs.Thenshesteppedaway,offeringKohleralook.

           Kohlerlookednonplussed."Youcollectedvisibleamounts?"

           "Fivethousandnanograms,"Vittoriasaid."Aliquidplasmacontainingmillionsofpositrons."

           "Millions?Butafewparticlesisallanyonehaseverdetected…anywhere."

           "Xenon,"Vittoriasaidflatly."Heacceleratedtheparticlebeamthroughajetofxenon,strippingawaytheelectrons.

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