"John Varley - Steel Beach" - читать интересную книгу автора (Varley John)

"Those pecs could use some more work," I told the gorilla hybrid, and
got out in a hurry.
#
The foyer had been transformed since my arrival. Huge blue holos of
ULTRA-Tingle convertees entwined erotically in the corners, and long
banquet tables had been wheeled in. Men in traditional English butler
uniforms stood behind the tables polishing silver and glassware.
It's known as perks. I seldom turn down a free trip in the course of my
profession, and I never turn down free food.
I went to the nearest table and stuck a knife into a p├вt├й sculpture of
Sigmund Freud and spread the thick brown goo over a slice of black bread.
One of the butlers looked worried and started toward me, but I glared him
back into his place. I put two thick slices of smoked ham on top of the p├вt├й,
spread a layer of cream cheese, a few sheets of lox sliced so thin you could
read newsprint through it, and topped it all off with three spoonfuls of black
Beluga caviar. The butler watched the whole operation in increasing
disbelief.
It was one of the all-time great Hildy sandwiches.
I was about to bite into it when Cricket appeared at my elbow and
offered me a tulip glass of blue champagne. The crystal made an icy clear
musical note when I touched it to the rim of her glass.
"Freedom of the press," I suggested.
"The fourth estate," Cricket agreed.
 #
The UniBio labs were at the far end of a new suburb nearly seventy
kilometers from the middle of King City. Most of the slides and escalators
were not working yet. There was only one functioning tube terminal and it
was two kilometers away. We'd come in a fleet of twenty hoverlimos. They
were still there, lined up outside the entrance to the corporate offices, ready
to take us back to the tube station. Or so I thought. Cricket and I climbed
aboard.
"It distresses me greatly to tell you this," the hoverlimo said, "but I am
unable to depart until the demonstration inside is over, or until I have a
passenger load of seven individuals."
"Make an exception," I told it. "We have deadlines to meet."
"Are you perhaps declaring an emergency situation?"
I started to do just that, then bit my tongue. I'd get back to the office, all
right, then have a lot of explaining to do and a big fine to pay.
"When I write this story," I said, trying another tack, "and when I
mention this foolish delay, portraying UniBio in an unfavorable light, your
bosses will be extremely upset."
"This information disturbs and alarms me," said the hoverlimo. "I,
being only a sub-program of an incompletely-activated routine of the UniBio
building computer, wish only to please my human passengers. Be assured I
would go to the greatest lengths to satisfy your desires, as my only purpose
is to provide satisfaction and speedy transportation. However," it added,
after a short pause, "I can't move."
"Come on," Cricket said. "You ought to know better than to argue with
a machine." She was already getting out. I knew she was right, but there is
a part of me that has never been able to resist it, even if they don't talk to me.