"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Disappeared" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

he knew it. Ennis was ten months now тАФ the age when a child learned to speak
and
walk тАФ and he was beginning to understand that he was a person in his own
right.
Jamal had read the parenting literature. He knew he should encourage the
boy's
individuality. But he didn't want to. He wanted Ennis beside him always, in
his
sight, in his care.
Dylani understood Jamal's attitude, but sometimes he could feel her
disapproval.
She had been tolerant of his paranoia тАФ amazingly tolerant considering she
had
no idea as to the root cause of it. She thought his paranoia stemmed from
first-child jitters instead of a real worry for Ennis's safety.
Jamal wasn't sure what he would do when Ennis had to go to school. In
Gagarin,
home schooling was not an option. Children had to learn to interact with
others
тАФ the governing board had made that law almost a hundred years ago, and
despite
all the challenges to it, the law still stood.
Someday Jamal would have to entrust his boy to others тАФ and he wasn't sure he
could do it.
"So?" Dylani asked.
Jamal smiled. "He's trying to teach Mr. Biscuit to fly."
Mr. Biscuit was Ennis's stuffed dog. Dylani's parents had sent the dog as a
present from Earth. They also sent some children's vids тАФ flats because
Dylani
believed Ennis was too young to understand the difference between holographic
performers and real people.
Ennis's favorite vid was about a little boy who learned how to fly.
"How's Mr. Biscuit taking this?" Dylani asked.
"I'm not sure," Jamal said. "He's not damaged yet, but a few more encounters
with the wall might change that."
Dylani chuckled.
The boiling pot beeped. The noodles were done. Jamal put the pot in the sink,
pressed the drain button, and the water poured out of the pot's bottom into
the
recycler.
"Hungry?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Long day?"
"Two breakdowns in dome security." She grabbed a plate and brought it to the
sink. "Every available person worked on repairs."
Jamal felt a shiver run down his back. "I've never heard of that."
"It happens," she said. "Sometimes the jobs are so big тАФ "
"No," he said. "The breakdown in security."
She gave him a tolerant smile. "I usually don't mention it. The dome doors go
off-line a lot, particularly near the space port. I think it has something to