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

vital signs. тАЬWhy is it always boys?тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs my fault,тАЭ said the woman, probably the mom. She sniffed but did not
cry.

тАЬOur fault,тАЭ said the dad.

тАЬYes, youтАЩre right,тАЭ she said miserably.

тАЬLetтАЩs make Joss comfortable.тАЭ Been heard hissing as Emsley pressed the
medfinger to the boyтАЩs temple. Joss immediately went limp. Emsley closed the boyтАЩs
eyes and unwrapped the towel. тАЬOh, dear,тАЭ he said. Blood spattered onto the float.
тАЬWere you able to find any of the fingers?тАЭ

The dad was already offering him a blood-smeared plastic bag containing the
severed fingers.

Emsley held it up to the brightly illuminated overhead. тАЬHmm,тАЭ he said. тАЬToo
mangled.тАЭ He dropped the plastic bag into the trash. The mom gave off a strangled
yip of protest as the lid closed for incineration.

тАЬDonтАЩt worry.тАЭ Zelmet Emsley smiled at the boyтАЩs parents. тАЬWeтАЩll grow him
better ones.тАЭ As he maneuvered himself behind the float to push it into the BioCore,
he noticed Been still squeezed against the bulkhead. тАЬAh, Been. IтАЩll see you
Thursday, then?тАЭ

****

Been didnтАЩt know exactly who had bought the personality transplant that he was
carrying in his mindsync, but that was often the case in his line of work. Besides, it
all was perfectly legal. Everyone had the right to be recast, especially when there was
a possibility that the client might go stale. Of course, the citizens of Little Chin could
ostracize anyone who was recast without consensus approval. Been suspected that
he was working for one of the leaders of the colony, which was why the client had
paid extra for covert delivery. BeenтАЩs problem was that he had no idea where he was
supposed to download the transplant. His contact on NonnyтАЩs Home had never
shown up. There had been no final briefing. With a one-way ticket, false ID, the
transplant, and a third of his fee in hand, Been had chosen at the last minute to
continue on to Little Chin in the hopes that the client would contact him there.

But as the year aboard the slipship dragged by, he had come to regard his
decision as foolhardy. How was he supposed to make delivery while remaining
undercover? Sneak up on Lars Benzonia, Acoa Renkl, and Elma Stitch and ask if
they were going stale? And if he couldnтАЩt connect, he might be stuck on Little Chin
with a personality transplant that only his client could unlock. His partial fee would
pay for a ticket to someplace else, but probably nowhere he wanted to go.
Meanwhile, the Consensualists would surely shun him once they found out that he
barely knew the difference between agronomy and astronomy. Been needed a
backup plan. He was sure that if he could only get a chance to talk to Harlen
Quellan, captain and owner of the Nine Ball, heтАЩd be able to strike some kind of