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

The memory was there, but it was painful and Rebel
flinched away from it. It keyed into the suicidal madness
she had fallen into earlier, and she wanted to keep her
distance from that. Though like a tongue returning again
and again to worry at an aching tooth, her thoughts had a
will of their own. тАЬMy memories are all in a jumble.тАЭ
Another slice of elevator stayed behind and another.
They stepped back. Heisen glanced around at the blank
faces. тАЬWell, tell you what, letтАЩs not go into that here.
Somebody might hear. IтАЩll give you the story at SnowтАЩs.тАЭ
The elevator opened. Hot, steamy air breathed into
RebelтАЩs face. This low, the gravity was over Greenwich
normal, and she felt clumsy and heavy-footed. They were
jostled forward into a vasty cavern of interlocking kelp
bars and surgical parlors, gambling lofts and blade
bazaars. A shifting holo banner struck her eye, and she
winced. Three strains of music clashed; the subimbeds
made her feel anxious and restless. Sweat sheened up on
her body. IтАЩve been here before, she thought. No, I
havenтАЩt.
тАЬDown Bakuninstrasse,тАЭ Heisen said. Away from the
uptown elevators the shops thinned and were broken by
ebony stretches of building foundation and habitat
supports. Light flared as they passed a wetware mall, and
Heisen stopped and pointed within. Rebel stared:
Customers edged down narrow aisles, passing slow hands
over the endless racks. Now and then somebody would lift
a wafer and slide into one of the programming booths that
lined the rear wall. Advertising holos flashed overhead:
suzy vacuum, said one. She looked to be some kind of
Amazon. The most beautiful boy Rebel had ever seen
floated over the single word angelus. And then she spotted
 the Rebel Elizabeth Mudlark banner. Against a starry
backdrop was a woman who was not her, doing something
she would never do. Rebel stared at it, horrified.
тАЬNotice the little comets in the background? You
treehangers are very fashionable this season.тАЭ
Rebel turned her stunned face toward Heisen. He
shrugged.
тАЬPrepublicity. TheyтАЩve got a lot of money tied up in you. I
wanted you to see what an expensive little piece of
developmental wetware you are. Come on.тАЭ
Down a slideway and into an access corridor with long
stretches of black stressed slag. On the lower reaches
slogans were crudely permasprayed in nightglo colors,
one over the other, in a tangled and almost incoherent
snarl, stay yourself god hates was overrun by
FREEMINDSFREEMINDSFREEMINDS which raged over
BURN BRIGHT BRAIN before smashing up against
SHAPESHIFTERSFACE DANCERS