"Mary Rosenblum - Home Movies" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rosenblum Mary)

Home Movies by Mary Rosenblum
Mary Rosenblum, Mary Freeman in mystery, is a graduate of Clarion West, a Hugo nominee,
and winner of the Asimov's Readers' Award. She has published eight novels, a collection of her
short fiction, and more than sixty short stories. For more information, visit her website:
www.maryrosenblum.com. Mary's latest SF novel, Horizon, will be released from Tor sometime
this year. In her latest tale, she reveals a dubious new way to experience vicarious thrills.
****
Her broker's call woke Kayla from a dream of endless grass sprinkled with blue and white flowers. A
fragment of client memory? Sometimes they seeped into her brain even though they weren't supposed to.
She sat up, groggy with sleep, trying to remember if she'd ever visited one of the prairie preserves as
herself. "Access," she said, yawned, and focused on the shimmer of the holo-field as it formed over her
desktop.

"Usually, you're up by now." Azara, her broker, gave her a severe look from beneath a decorative veil,
woven with shimmering fiber lights.

"I'm not working." Kayla stretched. "I can sleep late."

"You're working now." Azara sniffed. "Family wedding, week-long reunion, the client wants the whole
affair, price is no object. Please cover yourself."

"Your religion is showing." But Kayla reached for the shift she'd shed last night, pulled it over her head.
"A whole week?" She yawned again. "I don't know. I met this cool guy last night and I don't know if I
want to be gone a whole week."

"If you want me as a broker you'll do it." Azara glared at her. "This client is the most picky woman I have
had dealings with in many years. But she is paying a bonus and you are my only chameleon who matches
her physical requirements." She clucked disapproval.

One of those. Kayla sighed and turned to the tiny kitchen wall. "Did you tell her it's not our age or what
we look like or even our gender that makes us see what they want us to see?"

"Ah." Azara rolled her eyes. "I gave her the usual explanation. Several times." She stretched her very red
lips into a wide smile. "But she was willing to pay for her eccentricities, so we will abide by them."

"She must be rich." Kayla spooned Sumatran green tea into a cup, stuck it under the hot water dispenser.
"How nice for her."

"Senior administrator of Mars Colony. Of course, rich, or would she call me?" Azara snapped her
fingers. "You have an appointment with her in two hours." She eyed Kayla critically. "Appearance
matters to her."

"Don't worry." Kayla ran a hand through her tousled mop as she sipped her tea. "I'll look good."

"Do so." And Azara's image winked out.

Kayla shook her head, but the client was always right ... well, usually right ... and they were willing to pay
a lot to visit Earth vicariously from Mars or Europa or one of the micro-gravity habitats. She drank her
tea, showered, and dressed in a green spider-silk shift she had bought on a visit to the orbital platforms.
The color matched her eyes and brought out the red in her hair. It did indeed make her look good.