"James P. Hogan - Realtime Interrupt" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

props brought together in a void, with nothing behind.
He rose and moved to the window. The motion felt remote and disconnected, as if he were watching it from a
vantage point that was distant yet still strangely within. Beyond the glass was a city with tall buildings and a river
spanned by steel bridges. It felt familiar, but he was unable to name it. He searched his memories but found only
faded and scattered fragments from long ago. Of his recent pastтАФanything that might have some connection with
where he was and whyтАФthere was nothing.
He turned as he heard the door behind him open. A man entered, dressed in a physicianтАЩs smock. тАЬGood morning,
Joe. How are you feeling today?тАЭ the man said.
So his name was Joe? He made no answer.
The physician closed the door behind him and crossed the room. He had a square jaw and brow, smooth, pink
features, wavy blond hair, and heavy-rimmed spectacles: a physician caricature, the generic of a type, giving the
fleeting feeling of possessing no more substance than the room.
тАЬDo you know who I am?тАЭ he asked. Joe shook his head. тАЬIтАЩm Dr. Arnold. WeтАЩve known each other for quite
some time now.тАЭ
тАЬOh,тАЭ Joe said.
Arnold peered at him closely. тАЬDo you know who you are?тАЭ
тАЬIтАЩm Joe,тАЭ Joe told him.
The physician frowned and seemed momentarily perplexed. тАЬWell, of course youтАЩd know that. I just told you,тАЭ he
said.
тАЬIt was a joke,тАЭ Joe explained.
тАЬThat was funny?тАЭ
Joe shrugged. тАЬNot in a way that youтАЩd split your sides over. But kind of, I guess.тАЭ
тАЬWhy was it funny?тАЭ
Joe was beginning to find this a strange conversation. тАЬWell, if you donтАЩt know, I donтАЩt know how to tell you,тАЭ he
replied.
тАЬThen tell me why you think itтАЩs funny,тАЭ Arnold said.
тАЬLook, you donтАЩt need to lose any sleep over it. ItтАЩs not that big a thing. Why are we making such a deal out of
this?тАЭ
Arnold stared at him intently. тАЬBut I need to know. ItтАЩs important that I know everything that goes on inside your
head. ItтАЩs been pretty messed up, IтАЩm afraid. YouтАЩve been a very sick man, Joe.тАЭ
Joe didnтАЩt feel as if he had been sick. Not just at that moment, anyway. He did feel that Arnold was a strange kind
of person to be telling him that he had been. But then the coherence that had momentarily given clarity to his
thoughts fell apart again, and what happened next dissolved back into confusion.

тАЬItтАЩs great that youтАЩre up and about, Joe. We can show you the place, and you can start meeting some of the other
patients. That will do you a lot of good.тАЭ
 The nurseтАЩs name was Katie. They walked slowly along a wide corridor with windows on one side, looking out at
the river and the bridges. Moving felt more natural, but he still had occasional attacks of giddinessтАФespecially when
he changed his direction of vision too suddenly. Sometimes everything would go completely blank for a moment.
Arnold said it was because different parts of his nervous system were out of synchronization and needed time to
accommodate to sudden changes of input.
тАЬWhat city is this?тАЭ Joe asked.
тАЬThatтАЩs good: youтАЩre getting curious about things. This is Pittsburgh,тАЭ Katie said.
Somehow it did not come as a complete surprise. He had a vague recollection of coming to work here. But the
clearer details of his still-blurred memories were from another city of high buildings with a river.
тАЬHow long ago did I come to Pittsburgh?тАЭ he asked.
тАЬThe second-largest city in Pennsylvania, with a population of over two million, once known as the Gateway to
the West,тАЭ Katie recited, ignoring his question. She went on, sounding like a talking commentary at a museum
exhibit whose button had been pushed. тАЬIn the eighteenth century it was a scene of intense rivalry between the
British and the French, which caused five forts to be built here. It was a major producer of armaments for the Union