"Robin Wilson - To the Vector Belong..." - читать интересную книгу автора (Wilson Robin)

young guy. Reminds me a lot of . . . тАЬ Lindstrom stops suddenly, once more at the
precipice of grief, obeying their unvoiced agreement.

тАЬItтАЩs okay,тАЭ says Jan softly. тАЬI know what you mean.тАЭ They both regularly
encounter young men about the age Tom would have been now, and even after ten
years, neither can help thinking, Hey! YouтАЩd be my Tom if . . . .
 They are silent. The pain of loss dulls to loss remembered but never goes
away, and a dead child is always a child. They embrace and kiss and separate. It is a
time for loving not love-making.

But the embrace cheers Lindstrom, pulls him from the passivity of regret into
thinking and scheming, where he is happiest.

тАЬThing is, babe,тАЭ he says, sitting up against the headboard and turning on the
bedside lamp so that he can look into her pretty, lined face, тАЬevery scientist,
politician, do-gooder, religious nut, and storm door salesman in the country is after
the guy, not to mention producers for 500 cable and shopping channels. Any one of
them can damage him. Together theyтАЩll tear him to pieces.тАЭ

тАЬHow about Uncle Sugar.?тАЭ

тАЬThe U.S.G.тАЩs even worse. Hell, the bureaucrats donтАЩt want any part of him.
He is a number one headache. DoesnтАЩt matter what AlтАЩs purposes are, if he has any.
Whatever he does, someoneтАЩs not going to like it and theyтАЩll blame the government
for not preventing it. And whoever gets control of Al, whatever that custody agency
does, theyтАЩre going to piss off some other agency with powerful political friends.тАЭ

тАЬAnd so youтАЩre stuck.тАЭ

тАЬSo far, yes. Know what Janet told me? Wegot Al because when they had that
interagency conference after the second one didnтАЩt make it and slopped goo all over
that Oakland dock and they were arguing over who was going to take on the press
and Washington and all the little old ladies with blue hair, she lost the toss.тАЭ

тАЬYou lost the toss.тАЭ

тАЬYes, I guess so. But hell, I never even had the coin in my hand.тАЭ

тАЬCall in sick.тАЭ

тАЬBug out, you mean.тАЭ Lindstrom gives it some thought. тАЬYeah. If I had any
sense IтАЩd do that. Let someone else worry. One way or another, someoneтАЩs going to
get hung out to dry on this one, and a guy whoтАЩs a couple of weeks from retirement
and no Civil Service protectionтАФwhooee! IтАЩm almost an un-person already.тАЭ

Jan rolls up on her elbow to look into his face. тАЬBut youтАЩre not going to fade
on this one, are you.тАЭ It is a statement, not a question.

Lindstrom is slow to respond. After a moment he slides down beneath the
covers, as if ready to burrow into sleep, and his voice is soft, muffled. тАЬCan you