"Ken Macleod - Fall Revolution 3 - The Cassini Division" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacLeod Ken)

had marked the Pleistocene were over; the next ice age, long overdue, would never come. With our
space-based lasers and nukes, we could shield the earth from asteroid impacts. We could bring
back lost species from the DNA in museum exhibits. Soon, any century now, we would control the
Milankovitch cycle. We were secure.
No wonder they had so few tourists here: who would want to leave a place like this? I sighed,
with a small shiver, and turned to the airport gate. w 2 After London I GOT MY airship journey,
after all. The flying-wing route took me as far as Bristol, a city that was still a port for Atlantic
traffic, though no longer for trade. The old city with its docks had been fairly well preserved, but
the quays where sugar (exchanged for, and grown by, slaves) had once been landed now sustained
only recreational craft. The new town was in the fashionable Aztec pyramid style, with a
projecting air-jetty about halfway up. We landed there at one p.m., having left Graciosa at eleven.
I was lucky to catch the dayтАЩs second flight to London. It left at around one-thirty in the afternoon,
and would reach Alexandra Port about six. This is the sort of thing that happens when you travel
inside an atmosphere.
 Weather, of course, is another. I stepped out of the, lift and on to the roof, to find large drops of
water falling from the grey sky, on to me. I dug out of my rucksack a hooded cape all part of the
suit, naturally and put it on. With the hood to keep water out of my eyes, it was easier to see where
I was. The roof had the size and appearance of a small park apart from the hills in the distance and
the curious visual effects the rain made, it could have been under a municipal dome anywhere. I
walked across the grass, past dripping trees and bushes, to where a small and gaily coloured
dirigible was moored to a central pylon. Other people were also making their way over, a couple of
dozen in all when weтАЩd climbed the spiral staircase and crossed the gangway to the airshipтАЩs
gondola. My fellow passengers were dressed similarly to me, but most carried rather more
equipment. From overheard conversations as we shook out our wet overclothes and took our seats,
I gathered that most of them were at least to themselves serious eco-tourists, earnestly studying
natural history or urban archaeology. But few had resisted the temptation to bring a rod or a rifle.
The hunting and fishing in London was reputed to be excellent.
The seating was arranged in a manner more like a room than a vehicle, but I had no difficulty
getting a ,seat by a window. The airship cast off on schedule, rising through the low cloud and then
passing beyond it. After staring out the window for half-an-hour at deciduous woodland
interrupted only by old roads and new buildings, I got up and wandered around asking people what
refreshments they wanted, then went to the galley and prepared them.
While the coffee was brewing I was joined by a woman who introduced herself as Suze. She
was small, brown-haired, hazel eyed, dark-skinned. Very English. I figured her for being about
her apparent age.
тАЬDid you know,тАЭ she said as we poured coffee into mugs and tea into cups, тАЬthat in the old
system, there were people who did this as a full-time occupation?тАЭ
тАЬDid what?тАЭ
тАЬServe refreshments on aircraft.тАЭ I knew this perfectly well.
тАЬReally?тАЭ I said. тАЬWhy? Did they ... enjoy it or something?тАЭ
тАЬNo,тАЭ she said earnestly, тАЬthey did it because it was a way of getting what they needed to live
on.тАЭ
I waved a hand at the rack of sandwiches. тАЬYou mean this was all they had to eat?тАЭ
тАЬNo, no, it was because -тАЬ
She laughed suddenly. тАЬYouтАЩre winding me up, arenтАЩt you?тАЭ
тАЬYes,тАЭ I admitted. I started pouring the coffee. тАЬLetтАЩs see if we can do the job better than the
wage slaves, shall we?тАЭ
When weтАЩd finished serving lunch to the other passengers we took our own trays. I saw that she,
like myself, was making to sit alone, so I asked her to join me. We talked as we ate.
It wasnтАЩt polite to ask neighbours what they were doing, where they were going, and so on. You