"Barry B. Longyear - The Hangingstone Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

тАЬLetтАЩs see if we can find Shad.тАЭ

****

After half an hour of steadily increasing rain, an unpleasantly chilly
wind from the west encouraging the appreciation of warmer climes and
more sheltered endeavors, all of the other seekers had departed. It was
curious watching as the rain seemed to heal the place where the explosion
occurred. The stone dust washed from the blasted granite bedrock, clumps
of earth eroded, a muddy pool began forming in the bottom of the small
crater.

тАЬI wonder how long it will take, sir, before all signs of what happened
here are swallowed,тАЭ said Walter, still holding the umbrella between me and
the rain. My coat had water repellant pretensions that were also eroding as
the rain continued.

тАЬMonths,тАЭ I guessed. тАЬPerhaps only days.тАЭ I looked over the hilly
expanses of the former artillery range. Heather, peat bogs, rocks, the view
of the edges softened by the great solvent, rain. The only evidence that
anything had ever exploded out here was at our feet and fading as we
watched. тАЬExistence is such a transitory thing, Walter, our marks of passing
so slight. In the midst of living, though, life seems so enduring, our
accomplishments gigantic and eternal. Yet when death touches us, this
sense of permanence evaporates like the illusion it is. Perhaps thatтАЩs why
so many of us hang onto life so.тАЭ

тАЬLingering in hopes of permanence, sir?тАЭ
 тАЬThe return of its illusion, perhaps. Do you keep a backup copy of
your engrams, Walter?тАЭ

тАЬIndeed I do, sir. Rent-A-Mech insists on it. Perish the thought
something should happen to me. Should it, however, my training,
experience, and, most importantly, client preferences and requirements
wonтАЩt be lost. Neither will I. A new can, and at most IтАЩd lose a day or two. It
affords me a measure of security and protects the firmтАЩs client information.тАЭ
He faced me. тАЬWerenтАЩt D. S. ShadтАЩs engrams backed up?тАЭ

тАЬNo.тАЭ

тАЬDear me, sir. Why is that, if I might know?тАЭ

тАЬA half dozen excusesтАФit takes time, too bothersome, uses too
much memory in the mainframe, and so on. Most bios donтАЩt do it, though,
because it feels creepy.тАЭ

тАЬCreepy, sir?тАЭ

тАЬThatтАЩs ShadтАЩs word. An uneasiness. I think, because weтАЩre originally
human naturals, we hold onto this illusion that weтАЩre unique irreproducible