"Burstein, Michael A - Reality Check" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burstein Michael A)

Waxahachie. The dry heat also continued to make him feel very
uncomfortable; just because he remembered it from Los Alamos didnТt mean
that he was used to it.

Finally, they arrived at a small white car. Bicking helped David put his
bag in the trunk, and then he drove the two of them to the SSC. During the
ride, the technician made small talk about life in Texas. He had his own
perspective on it, as Bicking was a Caltech graduate who grew up in the
Pacific Northwest. Texas felt hot and dry to him too, but he was used to
the openness and the car culture. David nodded politely at his comments,
but didnТt really contribute much to the conversation. He kept looking out
the window, taking in the suburban area he saw surrounding the roads
outside the city.

In under an hour, they arrived at an administration building, in the town
of Waxahachie rather than anywhere near the ring. The collider ring, of
course, ran underground in an area which surrounded the town, as it was far
too big to fit in the town itself. David racked his brain for the full
dimensions of the collider, but couldnТt remember them.

The tech parked in an adjoining lot and escorted David to the office of his
contact. When the office door opened and a woman emerged, Bicking nodded a
quick goodbye and trotted away.

"Dr. Strock? IТm Kristin Anderson." She extended her hand, and he shook it
after barely hesitating. The laws of negia did say that one shouldnТt touch
a member of the opposite sex, but there were dispensations for politeness
and other such things. But it was still ingrained enough in David to cause
the hesitation.

"Please, call me David."

"And IТm Kristin. Well, IТm really Julia, but I prefer my middle name."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. She was a small woman, with dark
hair and large glasses that seemed to hide her face. She seemed to be the
sort of person who would get along with anybody. Or at least try to.

He noticed that she was staring at him with more than a usual intensity.
"Is something wrong?"

"No, itТs just that you look familiar, but I canТt place you."

David smiled. "I have that kind of face."

"I suppose so," she said, but with a trace of uncertainty in her voice. "It
doesnТt really matter."

The two of them sat down, and David started in. "Well, Kristin," he said,
"youТve brought me all the way here from Boston to see the SSC. Can you