"Tara K. Harper - Lightwing" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harper Tara K)

a long, straight line and slammed, hands first, into the re-
direction pad at the next intersection. A roll and double thrust
with her feet and a small flexing of the boost-chute fields,
and she was already near top speed. Luckily, there were few
others in the chutes. As fast as she was going, she had to
watch the proximity IDs carefully. She could augment the
boost-chute fields only so much before the chute guards were
alerted. A quick twist, and she was past the two aliens who
floated leisurely along in the same direction. An inline tum-
ble, and she hit the next redirection pad just before that other
H'MuтАФwith her esper, she sensed him coming down the
opposite tunnel long before his arrival triggered a light on
the proximity grid. And then she was shooting up into the
exit passage, flashing through the graduated grav field, and
slowing abruptly as she stepped out on the corridor floor of
the institute. By the time her stomach settled back in place,
her hair was smoothed and she could check her lab access.
She let her breath out in relief. She was not yet late enough
to be kicked off the lists.
As she slipped into the lab, the professor stared coldly at
her with one of his three pairs of eyes. He did not stop speak-
ingтАФthat was something, at least. Last time she had been
late, he had reprimanded her in front of the entire class. She
pulled her flashbook out of her pocket and expanded it, ig-
noring her lab partner's raised eyebrow. She would have to
hurry to catch up with the rest of the students, she thought,
slipping one of her wafer meals into her mouth and chewing
it mechanically as she jammed her temple jacks on. Her lab
partner, noting the circles under her eyes, powered up her
holotank for her. At least she got along better with her lab
partner than with the other students, she reflected. He was
not as status-conscious as the Federation students and, being
esper himself, was not envious of her E-level either. She had
helped him with his assignments more than once. Now, as
 she tried to figure out how far behind she was, he silently
sent the base program to her on her flashbook.
Surprised, she returned her gratefulness. Even if he was
again concentrating on his own holotank, he would pick up
that esper message easily.
Imaging through her temple jacks, she created a series of
beams in her holotank like the ones on which the other stu-
dents were working. The projected space in front of her filled
with white lines. Automatically, Kiondili separated them into
colors, then added the focal lens through which all transmis-
sions had to pass. With her attention split between the as-
signment and her worries, it took a minute to get the
simulated lens in place. Six weeks, she thought. Six weeks
and she would no longer be able to stay at the institute. She
could not petition for another scholarshipтАФshe had already
studied for the maximum of six years on Federation fundsтАФ