"Kevin O'Donnel Jr. - A usefull Life" - читать интересную книгу автора (O'Donnell Jr Kevin)

ahead and get it over with? It's not like anyone here will miss me."
He sighed, but softly enough, he hoped, that his earpiece mike did not pick up the sound. Not
for the first time, he wished the mentally disturbed of the world would call the Psych line instead of the
Friendly Ear line. "Could you explain some of that, please? It's a little new to me, you see, and--"
"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"
He took a deep breath. A strange high hum came down the telephone line and lodged inside his
skull. He had never heard anything like it before. It filled his brain, blurred his vision, and shivered the
bones in his neck.
She seemed to be saying something, but the hum either drowned out her words, or so disoriented
him that he could not understand her. His own lips moved. Though he had no idea what he said, the
hum stopped.
"Well? Do you think I'm crazy or not?"
He tried the deep breath again. This time, nothing happened. "You have a unique perspective on
the world, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. Tell me--"
"Never mind. Thank you. Goodbye."
"No, wait!" he said, but she did not heed him. She hung up.
Defeated, he stabbed the disconnect button.

#

An hour later, the phone rang again. Since the RANDOM button did not light up, he expected a
friend, or a supplier, or in the worst case, a creditor. "Pincushions Unlimited, Jess speaking."
"Hello, Jess. I wanted to apologize for breaking off so abruptly earlier this afternoon."
He stared at the phone set built into the arm of his chair. He opened his mouth. He closed it.
He shook his head once and said, "How? How did you get this number?"
"Superior technology, Jess. Remember where I'm from?"
"Yes, but--"
"I thought you said you believed me." A teasing quality entered her voice. "Oh, Jess, now my
feelings are hurt. Didn't you at least notice the buzzy sort of white noise in the middle of your mind?"
"That was you?"
"Yes---well, not me, personally, you understand, just my overrider. They issue them when we
arrive. Very useful in unpleasant situations. Sometimes you just have to convince someone that he has to
do what you want, not what he wants. So you tap it, think the command, and it's done. And
afterward-- well, you don't remember giving me your name and phone number, do you?"
"No. No, I don't." He swallowed hard as potential uses for such a device suggested themselves
to him. "God, if that ever fell into the wrong hands--"
"It can't. It's implanted bio-electronics, keyed to one particular set of genes. Even if someone
could cut it out without killing it, it wouldn't work for him. So don't worry. Besides, it's not all that
powerful---it won't run for more than ten seconds at a time, and takes forty-eight hours to recharge." A
near-giggle escaped her. "Rather like some men I know."
"Um.... Um.... You sound like you're in a better mood."
"Oh, I am!"
"Well, that's nice. What, um, what provoked it?"
"I've decided to accept your advice. I'll give life another month. May I still talk to you?"
"Sure! Yes, listen, I wanted to ask you, where is your home?"
"Are you an astronomer?"
"No."
"Then what difference would a name make?"
"None. Would you like to talk about your home? Why do you miss it so much? What does it
have that Earth doesn't?"