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serve. You understand?"
"Sure," said Abe, in a deep slow voice. He had a touch of some Eastern
European accent
Marie looked away from bun over to me again.
"Marc," she said, "this is Abe Budner, our Director of Food Services and chef
for the community kitchen. I'm hoping we can train people to take the chefs
job off his hands before long."
Abe Budner got up as slowly and solemnly as he had spoken, shook hands with me
and sat down again.
"We're just looking around," Bill said.
"Good," said Marie briskly. "Because I reatty dont have time to stop and talk
now. I can teU you all about this work this evening, Marc.**
We were Mmfa*A. Bifl and I left
"And this," said Bffl, knocking on the remaining door in the corridor, "is
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Etten-'s." We wailed, bat there was no answer to his knock. The door at the
far end of the corridor opened bemud us.
"Somethingr said a voice. We turned and I saw what looked like a boy of about
eighteen, wearing dark pants and a khaki shirt with two brass buttons pinned
on the left side of his shirt collar.
"Ellen's out checking the Ryan boundary,'* this individual said. Is there
anything I can do for you?"
He looked questioningry at me.
"This is Marc Despard, Doc," said Bffl.
"Marc Despard? I'm really glad to meet you, sir," said Doc flusteredly and
energetically, shaking my hand. "I've looked forward to meeting you."
"Well, now you have," I said. I was not exactly taken with him.
"Doc is Ellen's second in command," said Bifl. "His Ml name's Kurt Dockwiler,
but we all call him Doc. His militia rank is captain."
"Ohrisaid.
"I was just going to show Marc Ellen's office," Bffl added.
"You bet Come in," said Doc, stepping past us, throwing open the door and
leading us in. I followed him and Bill brought up the rear.
I don't know what I had expected; but Ellen's office was simply a tidy,
utilitarian place with the usual fifing cabinets, a perfectly dean desk and a
few extra chairs facing the desk as if she had been holding a conference
recently.
"If you'd Eke to wait," said Doc, "she ought to be back in about twenty
minutes. I can send over to the kitchen for coffee-or anything else,"
"No, I'm just looking around," I said. "I'D see her tonight"
"Of course!" Doc followed Bill and myself back down the corridor and out
through the outer office. "If I can ever be useful in any way, Mr. Despard,
the message center can reach me at any time."
"IH remember that,** I said getting in the jeep.
Bffl started up and we drove off.
"How old is he, anyway?" I said.
I don't know exactly," answered Bill. "Twenty or twenty-one, I dunk."
"He looks more like Ellen's age."
"Nothing wrong with that,** Bill said.
I looked at him. But his face was perfectly innocent of any particular
expression.
Tm just surprised there aren't any older men around to hold down a job like
that," I told him. "That's all."
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"We've got older men, of course," said Bill. He was heading the jeep back up
into the trees in the direction of the summer palace. "Most of them have
families, or at least somebody, who make them a bad choice for a high risk
occupation. Then again, none of them have Doc's qualifications."
"Qualificationsr
"His father was career army,** Bul said. "He absorbed a lot of the military
art, just by growing up in various bases. That and other things. He's a black
belt in judo and he's taught survival classes. Also he's a mountain climber."
There was not much to say to that I sat quiet during most of the ride back up
to the summer palace, and in that time I came around to feeling that I might
have been a little unfair to Doc.
"Well go see Porniarsk now,** BiH said, stopping the jeep once more at the
palace. "I didn't take you to him right away because I thought either Marie or
Ellen might have things they'd want to show you in their areas; and their
schedule is pretty well tied in with other things. Porniarsk, you can see any
time.**
! felt a warmth of old affection at the thought of the alien avatar. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]