"Alastair Reynolds - Digital to Analogue" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Alastair)

Trying to stay sane, I wondered about the synths and the medical
gear. The music stuff I could handle; it could have been obtained easily
enough. Some of it looked second-hand, edges chipped, keys dusted in a
talcum of plaster and dirt, smudged with fingerprints - sorry - latents. (ThatтАЩs
what they always say, when theyтАЩre investigating a homi-cide, in those
books by McBain and Harris and Kellerman, those guys who always go on
about multiple murders, serial killers, that shit . . . check the body for latents
- gee, sorry, inspector, the state of putrefactionтАЩs too advanced . . . weтАЩll
have to rely on dental records if weтАЩre gonna find out who the hell that
poor sucker ever wasтАж)

But the EEG machine, those oscilloscopes - whereтАЩd she lifted them
from? God knew it was easy enough to stroll into a hospital these days,
easy enough to wander in and casually stab or rape someone - but even
now, was the country so shitty that you could stroll out with a van-load of -
what was it Python said, ha ha? Machines that go ping ... Oh God, I didnтАЩt
find it all that hysterical, right then.

тАШLog entry,тАЩ she said. тАШ06.10.1 am studying the encephalo-gram of the
subjectтАЩs so-called conscious mind. Brain music. A jumbled confusion of
overlaid electrical signals signifying the neural activity of the subjectтАЩs brain
from second to second. First impression: although the trace might look
normal enough to the layperson, no neurologist would accept that this was
the EEG trace of a walking, talking human being. ItтАЩs more evocative of
certain types of akinetic or psychomotor seizure. A kind of prolonged grand
mall convulsion.тАЩ She nodded, as if certifying her own theory. Then she put
down the paper. тАШNow the most critical part of the study commences. In
order to probe the extent of the takeover, I must force conditioned
responses from the sub-ject. Taken as an ensemble, they hold the key to
the nature of the takeover. Although weтАЩve now identified the likely
progenitor of the infection, the mechanisms of transmission are far from
certain. By regressing the subject back to the point of infection, I hope to
gain fresh insights. To gain full compliance I am about to administer
scopolamine intra-venously. Entry ends.тАЩ

She turned to smile. тАШNow, we can either do this quietly, and
efficiently, with minimum fuss for all concerned. Or we can do it messily,
and unpleasantly. WhatтАЩs it going to be?тАЩ - As if she was berating a dog that
had shat on the floor, not actually bawling it out, but playing on its instinct for
mood, its capacity for terror and confusion. She reached for a syringe, held
it up to the light and squeezed a few drips from the needle, then injected
me. тАШJust to get you into the swing, you understand.тАЩ

тАШIтАЩll do whatever you want,тАЩ I said, tears streaming down my face. тАШBut
please please please . . .тАЩ Then I just trailed off into simpering dejection.

тАШNow then,тАЩ she said, oblivious. тАШWhat say we have a nice little chat,
eh?тАЩ