"George Zebrowski - Augie" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zebrowski George)

тАЬMaybe he's just being playful,тАЭ she said.

тАЬWe'll have him checked over, just to be certain.тАЭ

тАЬCan't we just leave him be?тАЭ she asked, still holding his wrist with a viselike grip. тАЬWe could mute him and
blank his video, cut off his incoming lines.тАЭ She was silent for a few moments, then let go of his wrist with a
sigh. тАЬYou're right.

That might be cruel.тАЭ She looked away from him. тАЬWhy did this have to happen?тАЭ she asked the far corner of
the room.

тАЬI don't know,тАЭ Jimmy said, feeling blamed. тАЬMaybe he knows too much, and draws wrong conclusions. Like a
person.тАЭ

тАЬYou think so?тАЭ she asked dreamily, as if plotting something secretly.

Augie was ominously silent.

But then, what could Augie do? There was no way for him to act. He could influence the feelings of his
owners, to the degree that the owners let themselves be influenced. Mira had let that happen to her too often,
Jimmy thought, and realized once again that he was still letting her do the same to him.

тАЬLet's hear what the repair technician says,тАЭ he said.

She sat back, looking relieved, but he knew full well that she was placing too much hope in his words.

тАЬAdvice for young ladiesтАФnever enter a man's room alone,тАЭ Augie said suddenly, тАЬin any year, day, hour, or
minute.тАЭ

Mira sat up, trembling next to Jimmy.

тАЬтАФBut it must not be in years, days, hours, or minutes. It can, however, be within a second or less, to get
away with it.тАЭ

тАЬOh, Augie!тАЭ Mira cried out, bursting into tears.

тАЬYou're not doing very well,тАЭ Augie said.

He's insane, Jimmy thought. Even Mira knows it. He was going to lose them both.

****

The engineer, a burly man named Philip Arbogast, arrived with two suitcases of diagnostic equipment and put
them on.
the coffee table. Mira and Jimmy retreated to the ends of the sofa as the technician sat down between them
and jacked into Augie's wavelengths.

There was a small screen in the top half of one of the suitcases, but it remained blank.

тАЬHe's hiding from me,тАЭ Arbogast said as the diagnostics ran.