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

emergence from the wormhole, I had some importance in WildeтАЩs life ... but I didnтАЩt want him
introducing me as such, and thus letting everyone present know where I was from.
Meg stepped over and caught my hands.
тАЬItтАЩs good to see you again, Ellen.тАЭ
 тАЬYeah, you too,тАЭ I said, and meant it. Her personality might be synthetic, but its appeal was
genuine. IтАЩd sometimes wondered what she saw in Wilde, whose fabled charm had never worked
on me. тАЬWhat brings you here?тАЭ Meg asked.
тАЬYou donтАЩt make yourselves easy to find,тАЭ I said lightly. тАЬSo I thought IтАЩd take the
opportunity.тАЭ
Meg smiled. тАЬYouтАЩre a busy woman, Ellen. You want something.тАЭ
тАЬOh, you know,тАЭ I said. тАЬPerhaps we can talk about it later?тАЭ
She was looking up at me, a small frown on her smooth brow.
тАЬOf course,тАЭ she said. тАЬThings should quiet down, soon.тАЭ
I laughed. тАЬYou mean, like when WildeтАЩs spoken to everybody?тАЭ
тАЬSomething like that.тАЭ She drew me to a nearby seat, just outside the huddle, and I sat down
with her. тАЬThis is all a bit exhausting,тАЭ she said absently. She stroked one bare foot with the other,
and stubbed out her cigarette. The monkey hopped from my shoulder and clutched the edge of the
ashtray, its big eyes entreating me. I shook my head at it. It bared its teeth, then turned away from
me and let Meg play with it.
WildeтАЩs voice, carrying: тАЬthis whole thing: turning his sayings into a scripture, and him into a
martyred prophet itтАЩs almost the only irrationality you people have left! I think he would have
laughed!тАЭ And with that WildeтАЩs laugh boomed, and those around him joined in, hesitantly. The
conversation broke up over the next few minutes, and Wilde ambled over and sat down beside me.
The three of us were perched as if on a log in an eddied swirl. Around us people partied on; now
and again someone would drift over, see no response signalled, and turn away. Some left, but most
hung around, tactfully out of earshot.
We exchanged greetings and then Wilde leaned away from me and sat shoulder-to-shoulder with
Meg.
тАЬWell, Ellen,тАЭ he said. тАЬYou got us where you want us.тАЭ He lit a cigarette and accepted a shot of
vodka. He looked down at his glass. тАЬThis has already had several other drinks in it,тАЭ he observed.
тАЬNice thing about vodka, of course, is it doesnтАЩt matter. Any taste is an improvement. IтАЩm drunk
already. So if thereтАЩs anything you forgot to ask us, in the debriefing -тАЬ
тАЬInterrogation.тАЭ I always hated the old statist euphemisms.
тАЬgo right ahead. NowтАЩs your chance.тАЭ He swayed farther back and looked at me with a defiant
grin.
тАЬYou know what I want, Wilde,тАЭ I said heavily. I was a bit drunk myself, and more than a little
tired. Gravity gets you down (and space sucks, but thatтАЩs life). тАЬDonтАЩt ask me to spell it out.тАЭ
He leaned forward. I could smell the smoke and spirits on his breath.
тАЬOh, I know better than that,тАЭ he said. тАЬThe same old question. Well, itтАЩs the same old answer:
no. There is no way, no fucking way IтАЩm going to give you people what you are so carefully not
asking for.тАЭ
тАЬWhy not?тАЭ
Always the same question, which always got the same answer: тАЬI wonтАЩt let you lot get your
hands on the place.тАЭ
I felt my fists clench at my sides, and slowly relaxed them.
тАЬWe donтАЩt want the wretched place!тАЭ
тАЬHah!тАЭ said Wilde, with open disbelief. тАЬWhatever. It wonтАЩt be me who gives you the means to
take it.тАЭ
It would have to be somebody else who did, then, I thought. I kept my voice steady, and quiet.
тАЬNot even to fight the Outwarders?тАЭ