"Michael Swanwick - Vacumn Flowers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swanwick Michael)

RebelтАЩs skin crawled at the thought of a hundred
thousand strangers sharing her thoughts, her face, her
soul. Experiencing her innermost feelings, her deepest
emotions. She pictured them as pasty white insects,
swarming in blind heaps, biological machines without will
or individuality. тАЬNo,тАЭ she said. тАЬForget it. I wonтАЩt whore
my mind.тАЭ
тАЬNo, but damn it, you have no room toтАФтАЭ Heisen leaped
up, reaching for Rebel, and she started to her feet. She
found her balance and drew back a fist. SheтАЩd never been
trained in heavy gravity fighting techniques, but the
muscles of her new body integrated well with each other,
and she didnтАЩt doubt that she could drop Heisen where he
stood. Smash his nose first, and thenтАФ
тАЬStop.тАЭ SnowтАЩs arm shot out from her cloak (a flash of
corpse-white skin stretched taut over bones, small black
nipples on fleshless breasts) and formed a barrier
between them. The arm was long, anorexic, and covered
with silver filigree-exoskeletal muscle multipliers.
Powered on, sheтАЩd be able to punch her fist through a slag
wall or break bones without thinking. тАЬSo far IтАЩve been
speaking hypothetically; no offers have been made.тАЭ
Those unblinking eyes fixed on Rebel, as if she were a
mystery that they could penetrate by sheer force of will.
Without turning her head, she said, тАЬShe could be a trap,
Jerzy. DidnтАЩt you think of that?тАЭ
HeisenтАЩs face twisted. тАЬNo, IтАФbut she could be, couldnтАЩt
she?тАЭ He darted forward and jabbed a finger at the
floating wetware diagram. тАЬLook at that! That split in the
r-limb!тАЭ Then he calmed slightly. тАЬNo, you couldnтАЩt fake
something like that. She has to be legit.тАЭ But new sweat
had appeared on his forehead, and there was a wary look
in his eyes.
 Snow folded her arm back into her cloak. She dismissed
the diagram with a shrug. тАЬMore to the point, I find it hard
to imagine a persona bum suddenly finding happiness and
content in a new personality. ItтАЩs a fairy tale.тАЭ She glided
back to her prayer rug, graceful as a geisha. тАЬIтАЩm afraid,
child, that we are not ready to strike a deal at present.
Much as IтАЩd love to find out whatтАЩs in that intriguing mind
of yours.тАЭ At her side, Heisen trembled like a hound on a
leash. She shook her head. тАЬWeтАЩve found out as much as
we can without getting our fingers burned.тАЭ
In the silence that followed, one of SnowтАЩs hidden spikes
whispered in RebelтАЩs ear, in a voice that was both like and
unlike SnowтАЩs own: тАЬDeutsche NakasoneтАЩs goons will be
here in a minute.тАЭ A laser flashed holo images on one of
her retinas: a convoluted local street-and-gallery map.
Two blinking lights crept toward SnowтАЩs office.
тАЬJerzy will have to be sacrificed, but if you turn left when