"Michael Swanwick - Tin Marsh" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swanwick Michael)

enforced by neural implant.

From long experience with its prospectors, the Company had prioritized these
rules, so that the first overruled the second, the second overruled the third, and the
third could only be obeyed insofar as it didnтАЩt conflict with the first two. That was
so a prospector couldnтАЩt decideтАФas had happenedтАФthat his survival depended on
the death of his partner. Or, more subtly, that the other wasnтАЩt taking proper care of
Company equipment, and should be eliminated.

It had taken time and experience, but the Company had finally come up with a
foolproof set of algorithms. The outback was a functioning anarchy. Nobody could
hurt anybody else there.

No matter how badly they needed to.

The тАШplants had sounded like a good idea when Patang and MacArthur first
went under contract. TheyтАЩd signed up for a full sidereal dayтАФtwo hundred
fifty-five Earth days. Slightly longer than a Venusian year. Now, with fifty-nine days
still to go, she was no longer certain that two people who hated each other as much
as they did should be kept from each otherтАЩs throats. Sooner or later, one of them
would have to crack.

Every day she prayed that it would be MacArthur who finally yanked the
escape cord, calling down upon himself the charges for a rescue ship to pull them
out ahead of contract. MacArthur who went bust while she took her partial creds
and skipped.

Every day he didnтАЩt. It was inhuman how much abuse he could absorb
without giving in.

Only hatred could keep a man going like that.

****

Patang drank her water down slowly, with little slurps and sighs and
lip-smackings. Knowing MacArthur loathed that, but unable to keep herself from
doing it anyway. She was almost done when he slammed his hands down on the
tabletop, to either side of hers, and said, тАЬPatang, there are some things I want to get
straight between us.тАЭ

тАЬPlease. DonтАЩt.тАЭ

тАЬGoddamnit, you know how I feel about that shit.тАЭ

тАЬI donтАЩt like it when you talk like that. Stop.тАЭ

MacArthur ground his teeth. тАЬNo. We are going to have this out right here and
now. I want you toтАФwhat was that?тАЭ

Patang stared blankly at her partner. Then she felt itтАФan uneasy vertiginous