"Jack McKinney - Robotech 02 - Battle cry" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinney Jack)

mechamorphose, the revised city plan relied on a vertical axis of orientation. The attempt to
recreate the horizontal openness of Macross Island was abandoned. The new city rose in three tiers
toward the ceiling of the massive hold. Ornate bridges spanned structural troughs; environmental
control units and the vast recycling system had been integrated into the high-tech design of the
buildings; EVE engineers-specialists in enhanced video emulation-were experimenting with sky and
horizon effects; hydroponics had supplied trees and shrubs; and a monorail was under construction.
The city planners had also worked out many of the problems that had plagued the city early on.
Shelters and yellow and black safety areas were well marked in the event of modular
transformation. Each resident now had a bed to sleep in, a job to perform. Food and water
rationing was accepted as part of the routine. The system of waivers, ration coupons, and military
scrip had proved manageable. Most people had navigated the psychological crossings successfully.
There would soon be a television station, and a lottery was in the works. In general the city was
not unlike a turn-of-the-century shopping mall, except in size and population. Remarkably, the
residents of Macross had made the adjustment-they were a special lot from the start-and the
general feeling there was a cross between that found in an experimental prototype community and
that found in any of the wartime cities of the last era.



file:///F|/rah/Jack%20McKinney/McKinney,%20Jack%20-%20Robotech%2002%20-%20Battle%20Cry.txt (4 of 95) [1/19/03 4:55:06 PM]
 file:///F|/rah/Jack%20McKinney/McKinney,%20Jack%20-%20Robotech%2002%20-%20Battle%20Cry.txt

Nearing the market now, Rick began to focus his thoughts on Minmei and how the day as he
imagined it would unfold. She would be knocked out by the sight of him in uniform; she wouldn't be
able to keep her hands off him; he would suggest the park, and she would eagerly agree-

"Rick!"

Minmei was running toward him, a full shopping bag cradled in one arm, her free hand
waving like mad. She was wearing a tight sleeveless sweater over a white blouse, and a skirt that
revealed too much. Her hair was down, lustrous even in the city's artificial light; her blue eyes
were bright, fixed on his as she kissed him once and stepped back to give him the once-over.

Inside the cool and crisp cadet Rick was projecting, his heart was running wild. She was
already talking a blue streak, filling him in on her eight weeks, asking questions about "spacic
training," complimenting him, the uniform, the Defense Force, the mayor, and everyone else
connected with the war effort. Rick, however, was so drawn to her beauty that he scarcely heard
the news or compliments; he was suddenly quiet and worried. Minmei drew stares from everyone they
passed, and she appeared to know half of Macross personally. What had she been doing these past
eight weeks-introducing herself on street corners? And what was all this about singing lessons,
dance lessons, and an upcoming beauty pageant? Rick wanted to tell her about the hardships of
training, the new friends he'd made, his unvoiced fears; he wanted to hold her and tell her how
much he had missed her, tell her how their two-week ordeal together had been one of the most
precious times in his life. But she wasn't letting him get a word in.

A short distance down the block, Minmei stopped in midsentence and dragged Rick over to
one of the storefronts. In the window was a salmon-colored belted dress that had suddenly become
the most important thing in the world to her.

"Come on, Rick, just for a minute, okay?"