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

only a small act of imagination to see it covered with a
demon mask of red and green lines. тАЬYouтАЩre my doctor!тАЭ
тАЬYour wetsurgeon, yeah.тАЭ The walk bridged a pond thick
with water lilies. Pierrots waited on tables by the waterтАЩs
edge. тАЬNot to worry, thoughтАФIтАЩm off-program. I wouldnтАЩt
turn my worst enemy over to those bastards at Deutsche
Nakasone on my own time. Not that I have any choice
when IтАЩm programmed upтАжтАЭ The crowd thickened and
slowed and came to a halt. тАЬHere. We go downtown now.тАЭ
 The elevator bank was set by the druid treeтАЩs trunk, its
vacuum sleeve tunneling right through the root network.
The cars were dirty and harshly lit and a whiff of urine
and stale body sweat emanated from them. As the crowd
swept forward, Rebel stared up wistfully, flashing on a
quick fantasy: She would fight her way free of the crush
and scramble up the tree trunk, nimble as a squirrel,
moving faster and faster as she swarmed higher and the
gravity grew less, surging from limb to limb. Until, at the
very top, she would pull knees to chest, brace toes against
bark, and leapтАж soaring high into the air, body taut and
outstretched, her flight slowing gradually, until at the last
possible instant sheтАЩd touch axis and be snagged by the
magnetic line, to be hauled far and away from here in the
time it took to draw a breath.
(But she didnтАЩt have the armbands or leg rings for the
magnetic field to grab. She would plummet like a stone,
with excruciating slowness at first, then faster, a wingless
Icarus, curving down to smash bloody dead against the
city walks. It was a stupid fantasy.)
тАЬDeutsche Nakasone is going to come looking for you.
You know that?тАЭ They stepped into a car along with a
hundred others. The doors sighed shut and the floor
dropped. тАЬThey want a clean recording of that personality
of yours. And then they want to revert you to Eucrasia
Walsh. Out of the goodness of their corporate heart, you
ask? Shit. TheyтАЩre just worried about retaining copyright.тАЭ
HeisenтАЩs face was so close to hers that their hoods kissed.
His breath was sour as he murmured in her ear. тАЬThey
donтАЩt care that to youтАФthe present you, the one you think
you areтАФitтАЩll be just the same as dying.тАЭ
Some of the elevator stayed behind to let off passengers;
the rest continued downward. A black-and-white painted
rude boy with a metal star hung about his neck cruised
Rebel, hooking a fist on his hip and throwing back his
cloak to reveal a body-length strip of flesh. She looked
away, wrapping her cloak tightly about her, and he
 laughed. тАЬBut why? Why are they doing this to me?тАЭ
Heisen sighed. тАЬItтАЩs a simple enough story,тАЭ he said, тАЬif
an ugly one. Do you remember being Eucrasia? Working
as a persona bum?тАЭ