"Reed, Robert - TheTournament" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reed Robert)

better obsessions. But I don't take her teasing too seriously; I'm naturally
confident and self-assured, I hope. And besides, she lets me tease her in turn.
I like telling her she's one of those stuffy souls who pretend outrage, knowing
they lack the talents needed to win. "Poor Bette," [ say, 'without mercy. "Poor,
poor Bette."

I make a fair living with these June competitions. Then for the rest of my year
I'm in training, always preparing, always working my body and mind into shape
for next year's shot at immortality.

After Tuesday's competition, Bette calls to congratulate me.

"Did you watch?" I ask.

"No," she lies. "I just saw your name posted, that's all."

It was my first day of real competition, and I'm already among the last quarter
million contestants. Today's opponent was a man-child, a giant built of muscle
and sinew, and for the morning's contest I was the one awarded handicap points.
That's how the Net keeps things interesting. It has files on our body types,
muscle types, age and general physiology, and the formulas it uses have served
well for half a century. Even with my handicap points, I was behind at
lunchtime, the man-child lifting a mountain of iron over his bony brow. But in
the afternoon, sitting in a VR booth, I piloted my biplane in combat, downing
dozens of enemy craft and taking a healthy lead into this evening.

Bette tells me, "I didn't know you were such an expert in algebra."

"So you watched, did you?"

"Me? Never." Her face covers my wall; she doesn't bother softening it with a
vanity program. "That was pretty cocky of you, telling that kid to lift
quadratic equations for a change."

"You did see it," I shout.

She says, "Never."

She tells me, "I just hear the gossip, that's all."

I yawn, then say, "Bette, you know the rules."

"You need your rest. I know." But before she vanishes, she says, "I just wanted
to tell you, I've got a feeling about this year."

"What feeling?" I ask, trying not to seem too curious.

A wink, an amused grin. Then she says, "Never mind." She waves me off, saying,
"You need sleep, and never mind." 262 144