"Joan D. Vinge - Psiren" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Joan D)

handful of miserable-looking psions whoтАЩd come for their ration of human
contactтАФsomething I should have been doing for her. She jerked as I came up
beside her, catching her by surprise. I took the drinks out of her hands, keeping a
mug of bitter-root for myself. тАЬSorry. Why didnтАЩt you call me?тАЭ
 She looked at me with an expression I couldnтАЩt read. тАЬI didnтАЩt know you were
here.тАЭ

тАЬJule, I want to take the day off.тАЭ

Her face pinched. тАЬCat, not today. ItтАЩs half crazy around here without Ardan.
Mim and Hebrett canтАЩt handle it without you.тАЭ

The hell they canтАЩt. I opened my mouth to say it, changed my mind. I sighed,
and shrugged. тАЬIf you need me. ...тАЭ

She smiled. The smile stopped. тАЬYes, I want to talk about last night. Later. ...тАЭ

I nodded and went back to work. The morning passed in a haze of going
through the motions, setting up control exer-cises, watching them happen, listening
to a new dayтАЩs com-plaints from the тАШpaths and тАШports and teeks who were trying to
come to terms with the freak mind talents that were tearing up their lives.

And then I was alone with Jule in SiebelingтАЩs broom-closet office, sitting on
the corner of his perfectly organized desk and drinking soup. I watched Jule sipping
at her own cup, sitting in his chair; watched the kinetic sculpture on his desk, afraid
to let my mind focus. The sculpture was lifeless, nothing more than a tangle of metal
without Siebeling here to make it dance with his mind the way he did. You could tell
what sort of mood he was in by what it was doing.

тАЬLast night ...тАЭ Jule said finally.

тАЬWhy did you leave?тАЭ The words sounded hard.

She leaned back, the chair re-formed around her. тАЬBe-cause it wasтАжpainful.тАЭ
She bit her lip. тАЬI felt aтАФтАЭ

тАЬIt was beautiful! Everyone there, everyone in the roomтАФ she made them let
her into their minds and love her for it! And sheтАФsheтАФтАЭ

тАЬTouched you.тАЭ Jule nodded.

тАЬYeah.тАЭ I looked down.

тАЬThe strength of her sendingтАФтАЭ

тАЬSheтАЩs Hydran.тАЭ

тАЬYes.тАЭ JuleтАЩs eyes traced my profile. тАЬEven you couldnтАЩt resist her.тАЭ

тАЬYou couldnтАЩt either.тАЭ I leaned forward. тАЬBut why run away from it? It ought