Rolltown. Mack Reynolds
Читать онлайн.| Название | Rolltown |
|---|---|
| Автор произведения | Mack Reynolds |
| Жанр | Научная фантастика |
| Серия | |
| Издательство | Научная фантастика |
| Год выпуска | 0 |
| isbn | 9781479425907 |
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Copyright © 1976 by Mack Reynolds.
All rights reserved.
*
Published by Wildside Press, LLC.
wildsidepress.com | bcmystery.com
Books by Mack Reynolds
THE BAT HARDIN SERIES
Commune 2000 AD
The Towers of Utopia
Rolltown
THE HOMER CRAWFORD SERIES
Black Man’s Burden
Border, Breed nor Birth
The Best Ye Breed
THE JOE MAUSER SERIES
Mercenary from Tomorrow
The Earth War
The Fracas Factor
Time Gladiator
Joe Mauser: Mercenary from Tomorrow (with Michael A. Banks)
THE JULIAN WEST SERIES
Looking Backward from the Year 2000
Equality in the Year 2000
THE LAGRANGE SERIES
Lagrange Five
The Lagrangists (with Dean Ing)
Chaos in Lagrangia
Trojan Orbit (with Dean Ing)
THE UNITED PLANETS SERIES
Planetary Agent X
Dawnman Planet
The Rival Rigelians
Code Duello
Amazon Planet
OTHER BOOKS
Ability Quotient
After Some Tomorrow
After Utopia
Brain World
Computer War
Computer World
Day After Tomorrow
Depression or Bust
Galactic Medal of Honour
Of Godlike Power (aka Earth Unaware)
Perchance to Dream
Police Patrol: 2000AD
Satellite City
Section G: United Planets
Space Pioneer
Space Search
Space Visitor
The Computer Conspiracy
The Cosmic Eye
The Five-way Secret Agent
The Space Barbarians
Tomorrow Might be Different
Trample an Empire Down
CHAPTER I
Bat Hardin was getting fully immersed in his book when Ferd Zogbaum’s knock came on the door. He gave a grunt of displeasure, marked his page and got up.
Ferd’s camper was on the slow and awkward side, comparatively, so Bat suggested that they take his electro-steamer. Linares proper was about a kilometer down the road and it took them only minutes to arrive.
On the way, Bat said, “What do you expect to find?”
“Darned if I know,” Ferd said grumpily. “It wasn’t my idea to go into town. It was yours.”
Bat said, “I thought we’d just scout around a little. Do you speak Spanish?”
“No. A little German.”
“That’ll do us a hell of a lot of good,” Bat said. “A great couple of snoopers we’ll be. About all I can say in Spanish is una mas cerveza, por favor.”
“What does that mean?”
“Another beer, please.”
“Great,” Ferd grinned sourly. “We’d better make a beeline for a bar, then.”
The town of Linares boasted a population of approximately 14,000 and had little call to fame. The area was not particularly suited to farming, mining nor, certainly, industry, and since its scenic attractions were only fair, tourism was also a matter of little gain. Thus it was that the community had hardly participated in the growth of Mexico proper such as the progressive cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara, Vera Cruz and above all Mexico City itself. In fact, Linares remained a town of yesteryear, a sleepy, dull and, at this time of the year, at least, dusty backwash to the days of Pancho Villa.
The main highway leading west and, further on, south, compounded insult to injury by avoiding Linares proper. Bat and Ferd had to take a side street to the village zocco or plaza, the center about which every Mexican hamlet, village or city revolves.
It differed not at all, except possibly being amongst the least picturesque in all the Republic, from the norm. There was a park, a bandstand in its center, iron benches about the perimeter, patches of sad flowers spotted here and there. A score of trees provided perching for multitudes of birds which evidently had no respect for