"Newman, Kim - Tomorrow Town" - читать интересную книгу автора (Newman Kim)

Gewell grinned, impishly.

"Ms Vanessa, that building is Big Thinks."

Richard whistled.

"Bee-Tee didn't used to be that size," said Jess-F. "Var-Z kept insisting we add units. More and more complicated questions need more and more space. Soon, we'll have to expand further."

"It doesn't show any telltale signs of megalomania?" asked Vanessa. "Never programs Wagner for eight straight hours and chortles over maps of the world?"

Jess-F didn't look as if she thought that was funny.

"Bee-Tee is a machine, Ms."

Sue-2 came back with food. Coloured pills that looked like Smarties but tasted like chalk.

"All the nutrition you need is here," said Gewell, "in the water and the capsules. For us, mealtimes are mostly ceremonial, for debate and reflection. Var-Z said that some of his best ideas popped into his head while he was chatting idly after a satisfying pill."

Richard didn't doubt it. He also still felt hungry.

"Talking of things popping into Zhoule's head," he said, "what's the story on Buster of the bloody fingerprints?"

Jess-F looked at Sue-2, as if expecting to be contradicted, then carried on.

"Big Thinks assessed the dispute situation, and arbitrated it best for the community if Sue-2 were to be pair-bonded with Var-Z rather than Buster."

"Buster was your old boyfriend?" Vanessa asked Sue-2.

"He is my husband," she said.

"On the outside, in the past," put in Jess-F. "Here, we don't always acknowledge arbitrary pair-bondings. Mostly, they serve a useful purpose and continue. In this instance, the dispute was more complicated."

"Big Thinks arbitrated against the arbitrary?" mused Richard. "I suppose no one would be surprised at that."

He looked from face to face and fixed on Sue-2, then asked: "Did you leave Buster for Mm Zhoule?"

Sue-2 looked for a cue, but none came.

"It was best for the town, for the experiment," she said.

"What was it for you? For your husband?"

"Buster had been regraded. From 'zenvol' to 'zenpass.' He couldn't vote."

Richard looked to Jess-F for explication. He noticed Gewell had to give her a teary wink from almost-black eyes before she would say anything more.

"We have very few citizen-passengers," she said. "It's not a punishment category."

"Kind of you to clarify that," said Richard. "I might have made a misconclusion otherwise. You say zenpasses have no vote?"