"Rajnar Vajra - Viewschool" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vajra Rajnar)

seated in a random order, but the same crew would return day after day. I shook my head. The money
that taxpayers were wasting on these sunken wrecks! Hell with it, time to stop procrastinating....

I pressed the controller's green button and ViewNet obliged by streaming an elaborate image into my
optic nerves: a small classroom complete with a wall-clock, a chalkboard, windows revealing someone's
conception of a typical schoolyard, and a row of bizarre students seated at old-fashioned desks. At
home or wherever they were incarcerated, my flock was actually seated; I could tell from the postures. I
hoped they'd obeyed instructions to be in a darkened room. Kekipi was fidgeting.

Delighted with the image quality, I double-clicked the green button to let ViewNet do its thing for the
students and watched their real faces. The Broms girl and Cher showed no reaction. The other kids
stared at each other with a mixture of surprise plus individual quirks such as hostility, terror, or contempt.
Buddha was the only one smiling.

"Good morning,тАЭ I announced with a bucket of fake cheer. тАЬI'm Mr. Phillips. Welcome to Last Chance
Senior High School.тАЭ Fat Chance Senior High....

"I hear you, but where the fuck are you?тАЭ Q-Ball demanded. тАЬAnd whatтАФ"

"He's in Chicago,тАЭ Cher interrupted, exhaling a blue cloud of ViewNet smoke.

How the hell had she figured that out? Being from Shreveport, I don't exactly have a Windy City accent.
тАЬQ-Ball,тАЭ I said mildly, тАЬkeep it clean. I'll make myself visible soon."

I wanted the students to react to each other's proxies before they got a look at mine. That way I might
pick up cues to help me best tailor my appearance for each student.

"Ho, Phillips,тАЭ Q-Ball continued, cranking up the decibels and ignoring Cher. тАЬSuppose you say what's
the fuck's goinтАЩ on. I got no bug hat, so how come assholes like the snake and Sir Lose-a-lot be poppinтАЩ
in my hang?"

I frowned. тАЬSomeone must've explained this setup to you already. Perhaps you don't know how to listen.
Did you hear me telling you to keep it clean?"

"Yeah, I heard. Suppose you come over to my hang right now and say again."

His proxy appeared calm, but in real life the boy was raging, pacing in circles, punching the air. I kept
quiet and waited for his curiosity to build.

"Nobody told nothinтАЩ to me,тАЭ he finally muttered.

"Show of hands, everyone,тАЭ I announced. тАЬAnyone besides Q-Ball confused?тАЭ To my surprise, Buddha
and White Night raised their arms. Possibly, Madeline's hand twitched. An uncomfortable thought
lumbered my way: I was just the most recent link in a chain of people who'd written these kids off.

"This isn't virtual-reality in the usual sense, class. A few weeks ago, some doctor examined each of you
then gave you an injection or maybe something to drink. Right?"

Q-Ball rolled his eyes. тАЬShe use a needle long as my dick. I asked what foтАЩ and the bitch mouth off, said
it would тАШimprove my attitude.тАЩтАЭ