"John Varley - Gaea 2 - Wizard" - читать интересную книгу автора (Varley John)

Scientists came to study. Later, tourists came to do what tourists do. She admitted anyone as
long as he signed a statement absolving her from responsibility.
In due time she was recognized by the Swiss government and allowed to establish a consulate
in Geneva. Other nations quickly followed, and by 2050 she had become a voting member of the
United Nations.
She looked forward to spending her declining years studying the endless complications of the
human species. But she knew that for real security the human race must need her. She must become
indispensable, at the same time making it clear that it would be impossible for any one nation to
claim her as its prize.
She soon found a way to accomplish that.
She would perform miracles.




1 The Ambassador

The Titanide galloped from the fog like a fugitive from a demented carousel. Take a
traditional centaur-half horse, half human-and paint it in Mondrian white lines and squares of
red, blue, and yellow: that was the Titanide. She was a nightmare quilt from hooves to eyebrows,
and she was running for her life.
She thundered down the seawall road, arms held out behind her like the silver lady on a Rolls-
Royce, steam snorting from her wide nostrils. Close behind her was the mob, riding tiny citipeds
and brandishing fists and clubs. Above them a police Maria slid into position, bellowing orders
that could not be heard over the hoot of its klaxons.
Chris'fer Minor backed farther into the arched tunnel where he had hidden when he heard the
sound of the riot horns. He pulled his jacket tight around his neck, wishing he had chosen another
refuge. The Titanide was sure to head for the fort as the only cover in sight. There was nowhere
else to go except the bridge, protected behind a high fence, and the Bay.
But the Bay was where she headed. She flew over the cracked asphalt of the parking lot and
leaped the suspended chain barrier at the edge of the seawall. The jump was of Olympic caliber.
She was beautiful in the air, sailing far enough to clear the rocks and most of the shallow, foamy
water. The splash was awesome. Her head and shoulders emerged, then more of her until she looked
like a human standing in waist-deep water.
The people were not satisfied. They began to tear out chunks of asphalt and shy them toward
the alien. Chris'fer wondered what the Titanide had done. This mob had none of the feral festivity
of pure alien-baiters. They were angry about something specific.
The rioteer in the hovering Maria turned on the sunburn gun, a device normally reserved for
use against armed disturbances. Clothes began to smolder, hair to crackle and curl. In no time the
parking lot was empty, and the former mob sizzled and cursed in the cold Bay waters.
Chris'fer heard the drone of approaching paddycopters. It was hardly the first riot he had
witnessed. While he was curious about the cause, he knew that hanging around was a sure way to
spend the week in jail. He turned and passed through the short corridor into the oddly shaped
brick building.
Inside was a trapezoidal concrete courtyard. It was surrounded by a three-tiered gallery. The
outer wall was pierced regularly by half-meter square holes. There was not much else to say about
the building; it was an abandoned hulk, but a well-swept one. Here and there wooden easels


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