"Continuing Time - 01 - Emerald Eyes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moran Daniel Keys)

Suzanne Montignet. The slavesЧthe УgeniesФЧwere, of course, relocated along with
the research teams; and for the first time, the telepaths met the de Nostri.
And Carl Castanaveras found a friend, who was killed.

There were times when Shana de Nostri did not mind the fact that she was not
human.
Now was not one of those times.
She sat brooding on the mat at the side of the gym as a group of five
Peaceforcers put Carl Castanaveras through his paces. Her girlfriend Lorette was
with her, and the two of them were striking enough that the four Peaceforcers
who were not engaged with Carl kept sneaking glances, mostly at Shana. She was
no better looking than Lorette, only less modestly dressed. In gross
physiological detail they resembled human women closely enough that human men
often found them attractive. The differences were minor enough that a good
cosmetic bio-sculptor might have made them look human, had they desired to look
human. At one point while he lived, Dr de Nostri had, in a fit of conscience,
offered that option to the de Nostri. Their tails would have had to be
amputated, and their fur removed permanently; the claws would have been replaced
with fingernails. Facial reconstruction would have lowered the very high
cheekbones, replaced their flat, wide noses with noses that protruded properly.
Sexually they were more like humans than the cougars from whom the balance of
their genetic makeup was derived; male and female genitalia closely resembled
those of normal humans. The females had breasts that would, very likely, produce
milk in the likely event that any of the maturing seventy-three de Nostri
females ever bore children.
The de Nostri had, as a group, rejected the offer.
The de Nostri were proud of their appearance.
Lorette had, like most of the female de Nostri, made concessions to the morals
of theЧmostly AmericanЧhumans among whom they now found themselves. Her breasts
were covered by a loose blouse, and her genitals were covered by a pair of baggy
pants that had been altered to accommodate her tail.
Shana was nude except for her fur. Her nipples were clearly visible, and a human
who staredЧand some had, though not more than onceЧcould have made out the
outline of her genitalia through her fur.
She was damned if she was going to put on a second layer of skin when the
weather did not require it.
Just now, Carl was sparring with a hulk of a Peaceforcer who had to outmass him
two to one. Shana and Lorette were practicing speaking in English, rather than
the French they had learned as children. Though most of the staff spoke
understandable, hideously accented French, most of the thirty or so genies with
whom the de Nostri were sharing the buildings did not. It was a failing shared,
in even greater measure, by the New York City residents.
УI cannot see that it matters,Ф said Lorette primly, running her claws gently
through the brown-and-white-striped fur that covered ShanaТs back and shoulders.
УTalk to the telepath if you must, your boyfriend over thereЕФ
ShanaТs muscles tensed, and she growled so quietly that no human and most genies
who were not de Nostri would have heard it. LoretteТs ears pricked slightly, and
without pausing she continued, УЕor only your friend, if you will have it that
way. ButЕФ
She broke off again; the Peaceforcer sparring with Carl had picked the boy up