"Vernor Vinge - Rainbows End" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Vernor)

manage Rabbit. From inside the labs, Alfred would feed the Rabbit just the right misinformation. In the
end neither Rabbit nor Alfred's colleagues in the Indo-European Alliance would realize they had been
fooled. And afterward, Alfred could continue undisturbed with what might well be the last, best chance
for saving the world.

Alfred climbed into the gun turret and admired the fittings. The Barcelona tourist commission had spent
some real money on rebuilding these artifacts. If their mock battle this evening meshed with this physical
reality, it would be very impressive. He glanced at his Mumbai schedule тАФ and decided to stay in
Barcelona a few more hours.

02
The Return

Robert Gu should be dead. He knew that, he truly did. He had been a long time dying. He wasn't really
clear on how long. In this unending present, he could see only blurs. But that didn't matter, since Lena
had turned the lights down so low that there was nothing to see. And the sounds: for a while he had worn
things in his ears, but they were devilishly complicated and always getting lost or worn out. Getting rid of
them had been a blessing. What sounds remained were vague mumblings, sometimes Lena complaining at
him, pushing and poking. Following him into the John, for God's sake. All he really wanted was to go
home. Lena wouldn't let him do that simple thing. If it really was Lena at all. Whoever, she wasn't very
nice. I just want to go home....
And yet, he never did quite die. The lights were often brighter now, though blurry as ever. There were
people around and voices, the high-pitched tones he remembered from home. They talked as if they
expected to be understood.

Things had been better before, when everything was a mumbling blur. Now he hurt all over. There were
long drives to see the doctor, and afterward the pain was always worse. There was some guy who
claimed to be his son, and claimed that wherever he was now was home. Sometimes they rolled him
outside to feel the bright sun on his face and listen to the birds. No way was this home. Robert Gu
remembered home. There had been snow on big mountains he could see from his folks' backyard.
Bishop, California, U.S.A. That was the place, and this wasn't it.

But even though this wasn't home, his little sister was here. Cara Gu had been around before, when things
were dark and mumbling, but she'd always been just out of sight. This was different. At first he was just
aware of her high, piping voice, like the wind bells his mother kept on the porch at home. Finally, one day
he was out on the patio, feeling the sunlight brighter and warmer than it had seemed in a long time. Even
the blurs were sharp and colorful. There was Cara's high little voice asking him "Robert this" and "Robert
that" and тАФ

"Robert, would you like it if I showed you around the neighborhood?"

"What?" Robert's tongue felt all sticky, his voice hoarse. It suddenly occurred to him that with all the
mumbling and darkness maybe he hadn't spoken in some time. And there was something else that that
was even more strange. "Who are you?"

There was silence for a moment, as if the question were foolish or had been asked many times before.
"Robert, I'm Miri. I'm your grand тАФ "

He jerked his hand as much as it would move. "Come closer. I can't see you."