"Michael Swanwick - The Feast of Saint Janis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swanwick Michael)

DiStephano didnтАЩt know, he didnтАЩt want to. тАЬThere are still problems.
Africa has a high incidence of birth defects.тАЭ Because America exported
its poisons; its chemicals and pesticides and foods containing a witchтАЩs
brew of preservatives. тАЬWe hope to do away with the problem; if a major
thrust is made, we can clean up the gene pool in less than a century. But to
do this requires professionals тАФeugenicists, embryonic surgeonsтАФand
while we have these, they are second-rate. The very best still come from
your nationтАЩs medical schools.тАЭ
тАЬWe canтАЩt spare any.тАЭ
 тАЬWe donтАЩt propose to steal your doctors. WeтАЩd provide our own
studentsтАФfully trained doctors who need only the specialized training.тАЭ
тАЬThere are only so many openings at Hopkins,тАЭ DiStephano said. тАЬOr at
U of P or the UVM Medical College, for that matter.тАЭ
тАЬWeтАЩre prepared toтАФтАЭ Wolf pulled himself up short. тАЬItтАЩs in the papers.
WeтАЩll pay enough that you can expand to meet the needs of twice the
number of students we require.тАЭ The room was dim and oppressive. Sweat
built up under WolfтАЩs clothing.
тАЬMaybe so. You canтАЩt buy teachers with money, though.тАЭ Wolf said
nothing. тАЬIтАЩm also extremely reluctant to let your people near our medics.
You can offer them money, estatesтАФthings our country cannot afford. And
we need our doctors. As it is, only the very rich can get the corrective
surgery they require.тАЭ
тАЬIf youтАЩre worried about our pirating your professionals, there are ways
around that. For example, a clause could be writtenтАФтАЭ Wolf went on,
feeling more and more in control. He was getting somewhere. If there
wasnтАЩt a deal to be made, the discussion would never have gotten this far.
The day wore on. DiStephano called in aides and dismissed them.
Twice, he had drinks sent in. Once, they broke for lunch. Slowly the heat
built, until it was sweltering. Finally, the light began to fail, and the heat
grew less oppressive.
DiStephano swept the documents into two piles, returned one to Wolf,
and put the other inside a desk drawer. тАЬIтАЩll look these over, have our legal
boys run a study. There shouldnтАЩt be any difficulties. IтАЩll get back to you
with the final word inтАФsay a month. September twenty-first. IтАЩll be in
Boston then, but you can find me easily enough, if you ask around.тАЭ
тАЬA month? But I thought...тАЭ
тАЬA month. You canтАЩt hurry City Hall,тАЭ DiStephano said firmly. тАЬMs.
Corey!тАЭ The veiled woman was at the door, remote, elusive.
тАЬSir.тАЭ
тАЬDrag Kaplan out of his office. Tell him we got a kid here he should give
the VIP treatment to. Maybe a show. ItтАЩs a Hopkins thing, he should earn
his keep.тАЭ
тАЬYes, sir.тАЭ She was gone.
тАЬThank you,тАЭ Wolf said, тАЬbut I donтАЩt really need . . .тАЭ
тАЬTake my advice, kid, take all the perks you can get. God knows there
arenтАЩt many left. IтАЩll have Kaplan pick you up at your hostel in an hour.тАЭ
 Kaplan turned out to be a slight, balding man with nervous gestures,
some sort of administrative functionary for Hopkins. Wolf never did get
the connection. But Kaplan was equally puzzled by WolfтАЩs status, and Wolf
took petty pleasure in not explaining it. It took some of the sting off of