"Kay Kenyon -The Seeds of Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kenyon Kay)

"Too bad. I liked Ahrens. "
"And you'll like van der Zee. Zee. He's young, and quite brilliant. A prodigy, in fact. Youngest
astrophysics graduate ever out of Princeton. " Brisher looked down at her a long time, perhaps waiting for
her to squirm. She didn't. "Try to watch out for this kid, would you do that?" he said. "The crew likes you,
they'll follow your lead. He's young, maybe a bit of a hotshot. Take him under your wing, can you do that?"
"What am I supposed to do, make sure he gets naps?"
Brisher's face grew tight around his eyes. "Whatever it takes. "
"If the hearing doesn't go well, guess you'll have to find someone else to baby-sit Zee, huh?"
"You worried Clio? You have a reason to worry?"
"Not if I get justice, Ellison. I had nothing to do with those deaths. "
He swayed gently from one foot to the other, thinking. "Ah yes. Justice. I'm sure you'll get your share.
"
After the door closed Clio lay back on her pillow, drenched in sweat. Brisher would enjoy handing her
over to DSDE if the hearing could prove she used illegal meds. He admired DSDE. The Department of
Social and Drug Enforcement was cleaning up the country. Queers and drugs are destroying our youth,
spreading the epidemic. He'd see her in that light.

They had been clearing the dinner table, she and Mom and Elsie, when it happened. It was
Clio's turn to help. Petya was in the living room already back at work on the clock he'd taken apart.
Her younger brother liked to fix things. And he could fix anything. Retarded in most ways but that
one.
Elsie lit a cigarette and started running water in the dishpan. She always smoked when she did
the dishes. And then Mom was standing stock-still. She hissed a warning, and they listened for what
she heard, but Clio never knew what it was. Mother swung around, grabbed Clio's elbow, pushing
her to the stairs. "Run!" she cried, her face wild, and then at Petya, "Petya, now!" And then she ran
for the door and threw the bolt, yanked Petya to his feet, and then there were footsteps on the porch
and Clio was already in the spare room upstairs, inside the closet and fumbling at the window.
They always left the window open far enough to get your fingers under it to raise it. A large
empty spool of thread kept it open, the sash long since broken, and despite the bitter cold winters
they always left it open that far. Clio heard the front door smash, and still she waited for Petya. But
finally he was beside her, and she held the window for him and he got onto the roof, all six feet two
inches of him, and then into the big blue spruce tree, just like they'd practiced a thousand times.

Now on free time, Clio went hunting for Hillis in his usual hangout, Observation and Mapping,
Biological Survey Section. Here, Vanda's great science deck was shared by dozens of science teams and
staffed around the clock by clusters of serious, white-shirted analysts seeking knowledge and fodder for
their next publication. Monitors hugged the curved outer wall, scrolling and blinking in a hypnotic visual
array.
Clio walked through the astronomy section, where screens showed not stars but numbers, a desiccated
version of what she saw on every mission. A few techs looked at her, then through her, turning back to
their work. Clio put a strut into her walk. Go ahead, stare.
Up ahead, Hillis wasn't alone at his computer station. She'd have to share him today. As she walked up
to them, the young man turned and saw her, poked at Hillis, who was bent over the screen. Must be Zee,
she guessed. He was tall and slender, as though grown in too little light. Hillis glanced up, waved Clio over,
then went back to his keyboard.
"You're Clio. I can tell, " the young stranger said.
"How can you tell?"
He pursed his lips. "Subtle clues. " And he smiled. A nice smile, helping to soften the impression of his
colorless face and ears a little too big. Clio liked him instantly, despite Brisher, despite Ahrens. But she
always made up her mind about people instantly, it did no good to analyze, either way you were bound to be