"James Patrick Kelly - Dividing the Sustain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kelly James Patrick)

see one another. тАЬAnd I live here. In this тАШamazing placeтАЩ as you say. Tell me thatтАЩs
not from a script.тАЭ She pleaded with the overhead. тАЬCanтАЩt anyone come up with
some new lines?тАЭ

In BeenтАЩs experience, that was the kind of thing that people going stale said.
Ilona was silent for a moment. Then her eyes fluttered shut. But the babyface was
awake and watching him. The medallion had slipped on its chain and was resting
against IlonaтАЩs left breast.

тАЬHow does it feel to be gay?тАЭ said Ilona. Her eyes remained closed.

тАЬIt doesnтАЩt feel like anything at all,тАЭ said Been. тАЬI was a little dizzy back at the
party, but thatтАЩs because I still have sprites swarming me. Zelmet Emsley claims that
becoming gay is a pretty subtle recasting. I wonтАЩt feel the full effect for months. Or
even years.тАЭ
 She propped herself up on an elbow. тАЬSo did you have an active sex life when
you were straight? IтАЩll bet Zola is a handful and a half.тАЭ

тАЬYouтАЩd win that one.тАЭ

тАЬAnd you?тАЭ

тАЬI didnтАЩt get any complaints.тАЭ

тАЬMeans nothing.тАЭ Her laugh was bitter; it left a bad taste in BeenтАЩs mouth.
тАЬMen complain. Women settle.тАЭ

тАЬIтАЩm not sure thatтАЩs right,тАЭ he said.

She let her head drop and her eyes shut again. Several long minutes passed.
Been was tired too and he was feeling frustrated. He liked watching Ilona drowse but
sheтАЩd said that Harlen Quellan wanted to speak to him. Where was he?

тАЬTime?тАЭ He raised his voice, hoping to wake her up.

The lightboard hatch nearest him went into clock mode: 02:31:12, 02:31:13,
02:31:14. It was later than heтАЩd thought.

The babyface was smiling at him now. Been stood, walked uphill to the couch
and leaned close. тАЬWhereтАЩs your daddy, baby?тАЭ

тАЬGrrl, goo,тАЭ said the babyface.

He tried to do the math. If IlonaтАЩs baby had been actually born at nine
months, that would mean it would be twenty months old now. What could babies do
at twenty months? Talk? Walk? But then Zola had said that the baby had been
reembodied several times to keep it from being born. What was it thinking there
inside her? Other than having been an infant a hun-dred and thirty-two years ago,
Been hadnтАЩt had a lot of experience with babies. He had spent most of the last
seventy years subjective ferrying per-sonalities to the Thousand Worlds on slipships.