"Rudy Rucker - Postsingular Outtakes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rucker Rudy)

3: Heavenly Version of Mirrorbrane. She was in the Mirrorbrane, with Chu and Ond beside her,
floating amidst gauzy white mist. Yes, the place looked like heaven, with mounds and castles of clouds
and pyramidal rays of light, but the three of them were the only angels here. Had they died? Where were
the Mirrorbraners? And where was Bixie?

Over and over Jil called her daughterтАЩs name until finally тАФ

тАЬIтАЩm right here,тАЭ came the sweet voice from a cute, puffy cloud directly overhead. A moan of relief
escaped Jil; she stretched up her arms and Bixie dropped into her arms, nearly knocking her down.

тАЬItтАЩs fun here,тАЭ said Bixie, leaning against JilтАЩs shoulder, her arm around JilтАЩs waist. тАЬI can fly. IтАЩm glad
you came, Mom. I was lonely.тАЭ

тАЬI want to take you home now,тАЭ said Jil, hoping this were possible. The orphids on JilтАЩs skin were
inactive, if they were still present at all. Certainly the links to EarthтАЩs orphidnet werenтАЩt working here. So
how would she access that magic blue spaghetti code?

Anxiously Jil regarded Ond and Chu. They were peering down through a hole in the clouds at a
landscape not all that far below them.

тАЬHi, Bixie,тАЭ said Chu, glancing over at them. He favored Bixie with one of his rare smiles.

тАЬCan we go back?тАЭ Jil asked Chu.

тАЬProbably,тАЭ said Chu. тАЬI know the code by heart now. I simplified it. The blue spaghetti pattern was just
a special kind of knot.тАЭ He rummaged in his pants pocket and found a piece of string. тАЬI can make the
knot. ItтАЩll take a minute.тАЭ

Leaning over the gap in the clouds, Jil saw a town something like San Francisco, as if seen from an
airplane heading in for a landing. The San Francisco Bay geography was the same, but the city sprawl
was not so far advanced. The cars were big and curvy, and the тАЬangelтАЭ Mirrorbraners looked to be
regular people in colorful clothes.

тАЬIt almost looks like an earlier time,тАЭ mused Ond. тАЬLike the Twentieth Century. WeтАЩll fly down and
check it all out, Chu.тАЭ

тАЬWonтАЩt they chase after us?тАЭ asked Chu. His fingers were weaving his piece of string into an intricate
Celtic-style knot.

тАЬIтАЩm guessing that weтАЩll be the ones who look like angels in the Mirrorbrane,тАЭ said Ond. тАЬGlowing,
hovering, big, hard to see. WeтАЩll haunt the locals, weтАЩll make some heavy appearances. First of all we
pay back that Mirrorbraner who was poking you, Chu. Teach her some religion! WeтАЩll get concessions,
make some live-and-let-live deals. I figure to spend a few years hereтАФtill things back home calm down.
Will you keep me company, son?тАЭ
4: Who Made Who? тАЬThe angels made our world,тАЭ said Craigor, the words jumping unbidden into his
head. тАЬOh, thatтАЩs creepy. The big angel messaged that to me. Gladax. She says we shouldnтАЩt try to go to
their land.тАЭ

тАЬWe made their world,тАЭ shot back Jil, quick as a knife. тАЬI said that. We can do whatever we want to.