"Steve Perry - Aliens 03 - The Female War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Steven)

she imagined that there would be enough soldiers willing to take the risks....

She closed her eyes. She wasn't sleepy, but the shower had relaxed her to a meditative frame of
mind. She wondered how Billie had made out with Lieutenant Adcox ... how old was Billie?
Twenty-three, wasn't it?

In October of Ripley's twenty-third year, she had given birth to a beautiful, squalling, perfect little
girl, Amanda Tei. Amy ...

Ripley let her mind fall deeper into the memory.
 "Shhhh, Amanda. Little sweet Amanda." She repeated the words over and over, a soft, lulling
mantra to the newborn she held. The hospital room was dimly lit and done in soft colors. She had never
met, and would never meet, the father; she had gone to a clinic, safer and neater for her single life. Except
now she was a mommy....

When the nurse laid the tiny child in her arms, Ripley had wept. She was so beautiful, so quiet and
sleepy and tiny! Perfect little fingers and nails, a headful of dark, silky hair.

The labor had been hard and long, but it was worth it.

"Shh, little baby, sweet Amanda," she crooned, wondering how she could ever show her daughter
how much she loved her, with this love that could move mountains....

A man's face suddenly appeared a few inches from her own, frowning, his hand reaching out to
touch herтАФ

***

Ripley yelped, sat up in bed, eyes wide. She covered herself with the towel and looked around the
room. No one. ButтАФthat face, that wasтАФ

The man's face had been in her head, in her daydream. And it had beenтАФ

"Bishop?" Ripley shook her head. The android, the one with the soldiers, decades after her
daughter had been born, years after her mother had failed to get home in time for her birthday.

Where had that come from? Bishop ... she hadn't thought of him for a long time; the last time
wasтАФshe had seen him lastтАФ

No good. Her pleasant wanderings had gotten weird somewhere; maybe the strain of everything
was getting to be too much to handle. Ripley sighed, confused and frustrated by her inability to know her
own mind. Maybe she was tired after all....

Ripley stood and reached for a coverall. She didn't feel like being naked anymore.



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