"Walter Jon Williams - Surfacing (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Walter John)

"Half the time you don't even talk to me. I don't know why I'm eating


supper with you."


"Let me clean up. Then we can go to the Mary Villa."


Nick shook his head. "Okay," he said. "But you're buying. You cost me a


customer last night."


Anthony slapped him on the shoulder. "Least I can do, I guess."


A good day.


Near midnight. Winds beat at the island's old volcanic cone, pushed down the crowns of trees. A shuttle, black against the darkness of the sky, rose in absolute silence from the port on the other side of the island, heading toward the bright fixed star that was Overlook Station. The alien, Telamon, was aboard, or so the newscasts reported.


Deep Dwellers still sang in Anthony's head. Mail in hand, he let himself in through the marina gate and walked toward his slip. The smell of the sea rose around him. He stretched, yawned. Belched up a bit of the tequila he'd been drinking with Nick. He intended to get an early start and head back to sea


before dawn.


Anthony paused beneath a light and opened the large envelope, pulled out page proofs that had been mailed, at a high cost, from the offices of the Xenobiology Review on Kemps. Discontent scratched at his nerves. He frowned as he glanced through the pages. He'd written the article over a year before, at the end of the first spring he'd spent here, and just glancing through it he now found the article over-tentative, over-formal, and, worse, almost pleading in its attempt to justify his decision to move himself and the whales here. The palpable defensiveness made him want to squirm.


Disgust filled him. His fingers clutched at the pages, then tore the proofs


SURFACING 11 '


across. His body spun full circle as he scaled the proofs out to the sea. The wind scattered thick chunks of paper across the dark waters of the marina.


He stalked toward his boat. Bile rose in his throat. He wished he had a bottle of tequila with him. He almost went back for one before he realized the liquor stores were closed.


"Anthony Maldalena?"