"Kim Stanley Robinson - Mars 1 - Red Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Kim Stanley)

a great deal of engineering. Nothing in the city was natural, nothing.

After a time he got to his feet. He walked through the park, looking at people. If I find
one good city I will spare the man. But in an open area masked figures darted together to
grapple and fight, surrounded by watchers who smelled blood. Frank went back to the
construction site to get more bricks. He threw them and some people saw him, and he had
to run. Into the trees again, into the little tented wilderness, escaping predators while high
on adrenalin, the greatest drug of all. He laughed wildly.

Suddenly he caught sight of Maya, standing alone by the temporary platform up at
the apex. She wore a white domino, but it was certainly her: the proportions of the figure,
the hair, the stance itself, all unmistakably Maya Toitovna. The first hundred, the little
band; they were the only ones truly alive to him any more, the rest were ghosts. Frank
hurried toward her, tripping over uneven ground. He squeezed a rock buried deep in one
coat pocket, thinking Come on, you bitch. Say something to save him. Say something
that will make me run the length of the city to save him!

She heard his approach and turned. She wore a phosphorescent white domino, with
metallic blue sequins. It was hard to see her eyes.

тАЬHello, Frank,тАЭ she said, as if he wore no mask. He almost turned and ran. Mere
recognition was almost enough to do it . . . .

But he stayed. He said, тАЬHello, Maya. Nice sunset, wasn't it?тАЭ

тАЬSpectacular. Nature has no taste. It's just a city inauguration, but it looked like
Judgement Day.тАЭ

They were under a streetlight, standing on their shadows. She said, тАЬHave you
enjoyed yourself?тАЭ

тАЬVery much. And you?тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs getting a little wild.тАЭ

тАЬItтАЩs understandable, donтАЩt you think? WeтАЩre out of our holes, Maya, weтАЩre on the
surface at last! And what a surface! You only get these kind of long views on Tharsis.тАЭ
 тАЬIt's a good location,тАЭ she agreed.

тАЬIt will be a great city,тАЭ Frank predicted. тАЬBut where do you live these days, Maya?тАЭ

тАЬIn Underhill, Frank, just as always. You know that.тАЭ

тАЬBut youтАЩre never there, are you? I havenтАЩt seen you in a year or more.тАЭ

тАЬHas it been that long? Well, IтАЩve been in Hellas. Surely you heard?тАЭ

тАЬWho would tell me?тАЭ

She shook her head and blue sequins glittered. тАЬFrank.тАЭ She turned aside, as if to