"Kim Stanley Robinson - Forty Signs of Rain" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Kim Stanley)

Then Marta walked into the lab. When she saw Frank she stopped, startled.

тАЬOh hi Marta.тАЭ

тАЬHi Frank. I didnтАЩt know you were going to be coming by.тАЭ

тАЬNeither did I.тАЭ

тАЬOh no? WellтАФтАЭ She hesitated, turned. The situation called for her to say something, he felt, something
like Good to see you, if she was going to leave so quickly. But she said only, тАЬIтАЩm late, IтАЩve got to get to
work.тАЭ

And then she was out the door.

Only later, when reviewing his actions, did Frank see that he had cut short the talk with LeoтАФand pretty
obviously at thatтАФin order to follow Marta. In the moment itself he simply found himself walking down
the hall, catching up to her before he even realized what he was doing.

She turned and saw him. тАЬWhat,тАЭ she said sharply, looking at him as if to stop him in his tracks.

тАЬOh hi I was just wondering how youтАЩre doing, I havenтАЩt seen you for a while, I wondered. Are you up
for, how about going out and having dinner somewhere and catching up?тАЭ

She surveyed him. тАЬI donтАЩt think so. I donтАЩt think that would be a good idea. We might as well not even
go there. What would be the point.тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt know, IтАЩm interested to know how youтАЩre doing I guess is all.тАЭ

тАЬYeah I know, I know what you mean. But sometimes there are things youтАЩre interested in that you canтАЩt
really ever get to know anymore, you know?тАЭ

тАЬAh yeah.тАЭ

He pursed his lips, looked at her. She looked good. She was both the strongest and the wildest woman
he had ever met. Somehow things between them had gone wrong anyway.

Now he looked at her and understood what she was saying. He was never going to be able to know
what her life was like these days. He was biased, she was biased; the scanty data would be inescapably
flawed. Talking for a couple hours would not make any difference. So it was pointless to try. Would only
bring up bad things from the past. Maybe in another ten years. Maybe never.

Marta must have seen something of this train of thought in his face, because with an impatient nod she
turned and was gone.



AFEW DAYS after Frank dropped by, Leo turned on his computer when he came in to the lab and
saw there was an e-mail from Derek. He opened and read it, then the attachment that had come with it.
When he was done he printed it all out, and forwarded it to Brian and Marta. When Marta came in about
an hour later she had already done some work on it.