"James P. Hogan - Martian Knightlife" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

them from the subterranean part of the spaceport, out from beneath the plateau and into Gorky
Avenue, one of the three main canyon-bottom arms of Lowell City. The surroundings resembled a
curious mixture of multilevel mall, residential units, and recreation spots spread through a confusion
of interconnecting spaces separated by normally-open pressure locks. From a grotto of rocks and
palm fronds forming a ledge below several rows of office windows, a man-made waterfall cascaded
between a restaurant terrace and a childrenтАЩs play area to an artificial beach washed by breakers from
a mechanical wave maker. Farther on, the track ran above a sinuous lake with leafy banks and reedy
shallows, winding its way around sandbars where wading birds preened beneath steel piers supporting
the upper structure. Guinness stood with his front paws up on the window ledge, missing nothing.
Everywhere was busy, colorful and vibrant with peopleтАФan expression of the thrusting, restless
culture that had taken root in and was now rising from the red sands. Yes, Kieran told himself. The
time was about right here for a little real-estate investment to tie up some surplus funds.
On the far side of Gorky, the track entered another tunnel to pass through concrete galleries
excavated under the mesa, filled with plant and machinery, before exiting into Nineveh, beyondтАФthe
other arm of the branching Y of canyons containing Lowell. Nineveh was greener and more suburban
than the metropolitan setting they had left in Gorky. Algae cultivated in the aquatic radiation shield
between the outer layers of the domes and roofing gave its sky a peculiar pale-lime color. Prospect
Park lay out toward the end of the roofed-over section, ending at the access lock out to the
surface. It contained flower and plant nurseries as well as irrigated slopes of grass with a few trees,
and was also a zoo. Near its center was a crescent-shaped lake with an island in the widest part.
Opposite the island on the outer curve of the lake, a complex of apartment units rising in terraces
overlooked a bathing area next to a parking strip for regular road vehicles. Here, the maglev car
halted by an automated cafeteria and shop.
Kieran got out and stood for a moment to take in the view, while Guinness sampled and registered
the world of new odors, sights, and sensations. Then they walked up two levels of the terraces to
Number 357 Park View, which formed the central section of the complex. June had redone her front door in
orange and added a trellis with red and white roses to one side. Kieran nodded approvingly. тАЬThe
feminine touch,тАЭ he remarked to Guinness, who pricked his ears up in response but remained
unenlightened. Kieran produced a magnetic card bearing the code that June had forwarded and
inserted it in the door. The lock disengaged. Kieran led Guinness in and put his carryon and briefcase
down in the hallway.
There was a nice, feminine touch to the interior too, as Kieran would have expectedтАФbut with the
professional, pragmatic feel about it that befitted somebody like June: not too much satins and pink;
not too frilly and lacey. The living area had acquired a comfortable-looking couch of eggshell blue
that complemented the pale lilac wall at that end, along with a few other knickknacks that Kieran
didnтАЩt remember seeing before. June had added to her collection of designs, prints and paintings:
space views and Mars-scapes; architectural studies; some interesting abstracts; and of course, cats.
No sooner had the observation registered, when a fit of spits and hisses erupted from the passage
leading to the back rooms. Teddy was arched to twice her height, fur standing out like the rays of a
symbolic all-black sun, yellow-green saucers of eyes fixed on Guinness. The dog looked back
amiably, tongue lolling, and sat on its haunches as if to dispel alarm. тАЬHello, Teddy,тАЭ Kieran sighed.
тАЬOh, we havenтАЩt got to go through all this again, have we? WeтАЩre long-lost friends back again, you
silly animal.тАЭ He closed the door and ambled across to the kitchen area, with Guinness getting up to
follow. At the dogтАЩs movement, Teddy shot back to the far end of the passage in an inelegant display
of rear end framed in fur, and about-turned to glare defiance from the bolt-hole of the half-open
bedroom door. Kieran punched an order for a coffee into the autochef and filled a dish from one of
the closets below the sink with water for Guinness. While the dog lapped appreciatively, Kieran
unclipped the leash, took his comset pad from an inside jacket pocket, and slid out the handpiece to
call June. She answered a few seconds later.
тАЬHi there. So you made it okay? How was the trip?тАЭ