"Paul Di Filippo - Stink Lines" - читать интересную книгу автора (Di Filippo Paul)

Gyro's gaze thatsomething novel was occurring in the vicinity of his
stubbornly unmodified baldpate, reached up. His hands disturbed the vaporous
mock flames, but of course hefelt nothing."What, what, what?" he
spluttered."Oh, it's nothing. Just that your head appears to be burning up,
obviouslybecause you're angry with me. You see, I endowed my nanomachines with
theability to monitor human physiological responses, including EEG traces.
They'reakin to miniaturized emotiondetectors, only much more
sophisticated."With visible effort, Mayor Ramie composed himself, and his
crown of flames dieddown. "So everything I, ah, feel is going to be made, er,
objectively clear toeveryone?""More or less. But let's face it, Floyd -- you
were never exactly what anyonewould call 'poker-faced' before now."Mayor Ramie
seethed in silence for a few seconds, until his accusatory glaretriggered a
new response from the utility fog.From the vicinity of the Mayor's eyes twin
streams of tiny daggers flowed,impacting harmlessly on Gyro. The inventor's
involuntary laughter was the laststraw, sending Mayor Ramie storming out.Mina
Lucente entered hard upon the Mayor's departure. Chewing gum, she
wasaccompanied by an orbital cloud of evanescent pink pearls, each
encapsulating asmall snap. "Mr. Gearloose, I'm holding off hundreds of news
organizations thatwant to talk to you.""Is one of them the San Francisco
Examiner?""Yes.""Tell them they'll have an exclusive interview with me if they
send theirreporter Ginger Barks to Duckburg."Mina frowned. "Your old
sweetheart?" A giant glossy red Valentine heartmaterialized over her head,
then cracked into shards. "Very well, Mr.Gearloose!" Mina stamped off."And to
think I never even suspected .... Oh, well, it's all for the best.Things are
working out exactly as I planned."Little did Gyro suspect that he might soon
have to eat his words.Literally.Preening in front of his office mirror, Gyro
congratulated himself once again.Ginger Barks had entered Duckburg and was on
her way to his office. Her enforcedstroll through the living-comicbook town
(vehicles other than code-approved onessuch as Gyro's firecracker-mobile were
prohibited within the metro-park) wouldsurely impress her with Gyro's genius.
During their interview, as he expatiatedat length on his latest invention and
on his boldly adventuresome future plans,he would gradually direct the
conversation toward personal matters. By the endof their session, Gyro was
willing to bet, he'd have a date with Ginger. Afterthat, it was simply a
matter of time before she agreed to become Mrs. Gearloose.Gyro's door burst
open, hitting the wall with an impressive orange THWACK!!! Inrushed Li'l Bulb.
The lively small automaton was plainly very excited. Jumpingup and down, he
pointed backward out the door, then pinched the space where hisnose would have
been."What is it, Helper? Another leak at the bioremediation plant? I thought
wefixed that for good."Li'l Bulb shook his head in the negative. He began
another miming, then abruptlystopped. Folding his arms across his chest, he
composed himself patiently, as ifto say, You'll soon see.And see Gyro did. For
at that moment Ginger Barks, eternal romantic icon lodgedin Gyro's perpetually
adolescent heart, re-entered his life. Not unaccompanied,however. For
radiating from Ginger's entire body were innumerable stink lines.The
nanomachines had outdone their past creative efforts. The stink lines theyhad
created were inch-wide wavery ribbons of various bilious
shades:diarrhea-brown, vomit-yellow, squashed-bug-green,
fresh-road-kill-purple.Extending upward from Ginger's anatomy in varying
lengths, they resembled aforest of sickly, current-stirred kelp.Gyro was