"03.Time Streams" - читать интересную книгу автора (McGough Scott)

silver man perceived more than just things. He perceived the
organization of things, their disposition, and what they
implied about their creator. The laboratory was a study in
the mind of Master Malzra-ancient, obsessed, brilliant,
tireless, preoccupied, short-sighted, grandiose....
Master Malzra, meanwhile, studied him. The man's gaze
was penetrating. Folds of aged skin drew up skeptically
beneath one eye. His nostrils flared, but he didn't seem to
breathe at all. One soot-blackened hand trembled slightly as
he raised it to scratch his ash-blond beard. He swallowed,
blinking-but with eyes like that, as hard and sharp as
diamonds, it seemed he didn't need to blink at all.
"Any noticeable change in the probe's energy profile,
Barrin?" Malzra asked over his shoulder.
It was a strange greeting. The silver man felt somewhat
offended.
"A reasonable enough question," came the response-from
Malzra's second, a master mage. Barrin stepped from beside
an injection mold. He wiped grit from his hands with a white
cloth. "Why don't you ask him?"
Malzra blinked again. "Ask whom?"
"Ask him," the mage repeated, quirking one corner of his
mouth. "The probe."
Malzra pursed his lips. He nodded. "Probe, I am Master
Malzra, your creator. I wish to know if you notice any
change in your energy profile."
"I remember who you are," responded the silver man. His
voice was deep and resonant in his metal form. "And I notice
a very definite change in my energy profile. I am awake."
A sibilance of voices came from the balcony.
Malzra seemed almost to smile. "Ah, you are awake. Good.
As you are doubtless aware, we've made some modifications to
you, hoping to enhance your performance, your intellect, and
your capacity for social integration." He ground his teeth
and could not seem to come out with anything else. Malzra
glanced back to Barrin for help.
The mage-lean, middle-aged in a white work smock-
approached. He patted the silver man's shoulder. "Hello.
We're glad you've woken up. How do you feel?"
"Confused," the silver man heard himself say, then in a
voice of wonder, he went on. "Everything seems to have a new
dimension. I am filled with conflicting information."
Barrin asked, "Conflicting information?"
"Yes," replied the silver man. "I sense, for example,
that though Master Malzra is your superior in rank and age,
he often defers to you due to his social disinclinations."
"Social disinclinations?" Barrin prompted.
"He prefers the company of machines to that of people,"
clarified the silver man.
Titters of humor came from the gallery. Malzra's