"Michael Swanwick - Tin Marsh" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swanwick Michael)The one whoтАЩs been cheated on, usually. So the day comes when she walks out of
the house and the poor schmuck is just standing there, saying, тАШWait. CanтАЩt we work this thing out?тАЩ He hasnтАЩt accepted that itтАЩs over.тАЭ тАЬSo?тАЭ тАЬSo thatтАЩs your problem, Poontang. You just havenтАЩt accepted that itтАЩs over yet.тАЭ тАЬWhat? Our partnership, you mean?тАЭ тАЬNo. Your life.тАЭ **** A day passed, maybe more. She slept. She awoke, still walking, with MacArthurтАЩs hateful mutter in her ear. There was no way to turn the radio off. It was Company policy. There were layers upon layers of systems and subsystems built into the walkers, all designed to protect Company investment. Sometimes his snoring would wake her up out of a sound sleep. She knew the ugly little grunting noises he made when he jerked off. There were times sheтАЩd been so angry that sheтАЩd mimicked those sounds right back at him. She regretted that now. тАЬI had dreams,тАЭ MacArthur said. тАЬI had ambitions.тАЭ тАЬI know you did. I did too.тАЭ тАЬWhy the hell did you have to come into my life? Why me and not somebody else?тАЭ тАЬI liked you. I thought you were funny.тАЭ тАЬWell, the jokeтАЩs on you now.тАЭ Back in Port Ishtar, MacArthur had been a lanky, clean-cut kind of guy. He was tall, and in motion you were always aware of his knees and elbows, always sure he was going to knock something over, though he never did. He had an odd, geeky kind of grace. When sheтАЩd diffidently asked him if he wanted to go partners, heтАЩd picked her up and whirled her around in the air and kissed her right on the lips before setting her down again and saying, тАЬYes.тАЭ SheтАЩd felt dizzy and happy then, and certain sheтАЩd made the right choice. But MacArthur had been weak. The suit had broken him. All those months simmering in his own emotions, perfectly isolated and yet never alone ... He didnтАЩt even look like the same person anymore. You looked at his face and all you saw were anger and those anguished eyes. LEAVING HIGHLANDS ENTERING TESSERAE |
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