"Kim Stanley Robinson - Sixty Days and Counting" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robinson Kim Stanley)

Well, more grist for the mill. Over the past year Frank had been giving alternative
energy about a quarter of his working time, and now he saw he was going to have to
bump that up. Everything from now on would be jacked to emergency levels. Not a
comfortable feeling, but there was no avoiding it. It was like an existential condition,
as if he had become AliceтАЩs White Rabbit: IтАЩm late! IтАЩm late! IтАЩm late! And most of
the time he managed to obscure from his conscious train of thought the true source
of his anxiety.



One day, later that week, when he was deep in workтАЩs oblivion, Diane appeared in
his doorway, startling him. He was pleased, then nervous; they had not yet found a
new balance. After Caroline had called Frank with her emergency situation, Frank
had hastily called Diane to cancel before thinking of any plausible
non-other-woman-related reason for doing so, and so had given no explanation at
allтАФwhich opacity was suspicious, and probably more impolite than the cancellation
per se. Opacity was seldom conducive to rapport.
тАЬHi, Diane,тАЭ he said now, aping normality. тАЬWhatтАЩs happening?тАЭ
She looked at him with a curious expression. тАЬI just got a call from Phil Chase.тАЭ
тАЬWow, what did he want?тАЭ
тАЬHe asked me if I would be his science advisor.тАЭ
Frank found he was standing. He reached out and shook DianeтАЩs hand, then hugged
her. тАЬNow that is news we have to celebrate,тАЭ he declared, seizing the bull by the
horns. тАЬIтАЩm sorry about that the other night, I still owe you dinner! Can I take you
out tonight?тАЭ
тАЬSure,тАЭ she said easily, as if there had been no problem. She was so cool; maybe
there never had been a problem. Frank couldnтАЩt be sure. тАЬMeet you at,тАЭ she checked
her watch, тАЬat six, okay? Now IтАЩm going to go call my kids.тАЭ
But then she stopped on her way out, and again looked at him oddly. тАЬYou must
have had something to do with this,тАЭ she said suddenly.
тАЬMe? I donтАЩt think so. What do you mean?тАЭ
тАЬTalking to Charlie Quibler, maybe?тАЭ
тАЬOh, no. I mean, of course IтАЩve talked to Charlie about some of our stuff,
generallyтАФтАЭ
тАЬAnd heтАЩs been ChaseтАЩs environment guy.тАЭ
тАЬWell yes, but you know, CharlieтАЩs just part of a large staff, and heтАЩs been staying at
home with Joe, so he hasnтАЩt been a major factor with Chase for some time, as I
understand it. Mostly just a voice on the phone. He says he doesnтАЩt get listened to.
He says heтАЩs kind of like Jiminy Cricket was to Pinocchio, when PinocchioтАЩs nose
was at its longest.тАЭ
Diane laughed. тАЬYeah sure. LetтАЩs meet over at Optimodal, shall we? LetтАЩs say seven
instead of six. I want to run some of this off.тАЭ
Now that was something he could understand. тАЬSure. See you there.тАЭ
Frank sat in his chair feeling his chest puffed out: another clich├й revealed to be an
accurate account of emotionтАЩs effects on the body. Everyone was the same. It
occurred to him that maybe Charlie had had something to do with it, after all.
Someone had to have advised Chase whom to choose for this post, and as far as
Frank knew, Chase and Diane had never met. SoтАФthat was interesting.
Frank went over to the Optimodal Health Club just after six, waved to Diane on the
elliptical in the next room, and stomped up the Stairmaster for the equivalent of