"James Van Pelt - Of Late I Dreamt of Venus" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pelt James Van)

тАЬBeta should strike . . . now.тАЭ
A second convulsion colored the disk, this one a brilliant white at
its center which settled into a deep red, overlapping the first burstтАЩs
color. A third flash, duller, erupted on the globe.
тАЬWas that . . . ?тАЭ
тАЬPerfect as your money could buy.тАЭ
In the next ten minutes, four more hits. Elizabeth stood at the
window while red and orange storms pulsed in VenusтАЩ disk. Henry
joined her, mirroring her stance. He pursed his lips. тАЬYou can see the
dust. If this had been Earth, the dinosaurs would have died seven times.тАЭ
The planetтАЩs silver sheen faded somewhat, and lightning flashes
flickered in the roiling confusion.
тАЬNo dinosaurs ever walked there, Henry.тАЭ
He sighed. тАЬVenus has its own charms, or it did.тАЭ
Elizabeth looked at him. The reflected light from the window
caught in his dark eyes. They were the best part of him, the way they
looked at her when he didnтАЩt think she noticed. Sometimes she wished
she could just fall in love with his eyes, but then she saw the scar, and he
really was too short and so young, ten years shy of her forty, practically a
child, although a brilliant and efficient one. SheтАЩd ask the surgeon on her
own. Henry would hardly object to a few cosmetic changes while he
slept. What else was there to do during the down time anyway except to



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improve? She had been considering thinning her waist a bit, toning her
back muscles.
Henry clopped back to his station, then studied figures on a screen
she couldnтАЩt see. тАЬThere are seismic irregularities, as predicted, making
the final calculations more difficult, but the planet is spinning slightly
faster now, just a bit. WeтАЩve also pushed it out of its orbit a bit. The next
series will bump it back. YouтАЩre one step closer to your new Earth.тАЭ
She turned from him, irritated. тАЬIf Venus only becomes another
Earth, I failed. We can make it better. A planet to be truly proud of.
How are things on Earth, anyway?тАЭ
His fingers flicked over the controls. тАЬIn the twenty-seven years we
slept, your corporation in the asteroid belt has tripled in size, improving
the ability to redirect asteroids above projections. WeтАЩre two years ahead
of schedule there. The Kuiper Belt initiative is also ahead of schedule.тАЭ
He reread a section. тАЬWeтАЩre having trouble with the comet deflection
plan. Lots of support for redirecting the Earth-crossing asteroids, but
opposition to the comets. Some groups contest our aiming them all at
Venus. ThereтАЩs a lobby defending HalleyтАЩs Comet for its тАШhistorical and
traditional values,тАЩ as well as several groups who argue that тАШcomets
possess a lasting mythic and aesthetic relation with the people of Earth.тАЩ
The political wing of the advertising and public relations departments is