Страница 12 из 51
“She’s going to pick X,” said Santoliquido. “Did she tell you that?”
“She didn’t. But X is the obvious one. She’s got the right combination for Risa — strength of character and voluptuousness. Why did you hate her so?”
“I don’t know. I can’t find any particular reason. Just an absence of sympathy. Looking back, I can’t pinpoint any single ugly thought from her, but yet I know I loathed her.”
“A pity,” said Santoliquido. “From Tuesday on, she’ll be living in Risa, unless I miss my guess. Do you want to withdraw your consent for the transplant?”
Kaufma
He waved his hand. “Let her do as she likes. But I hope she’ll take Y.”
“Your hope will he disappointed,” said Santoliquido. He looked at his watch. “I’m afraid I must leave you now, Mark. I’ll turn you over to a technician who’ll see to it that your new persona recording gets made right away. That is why you came here today, I’m sure you remember.”
“Yes,” Kaufma
“If you’ll come this way—” said Donahy.
Shortly Kaufma
He had been here many times. He had left a trail of recordings stretching back to the youthfully restless, ambitious Mark Kaufma
“Will you lie down here?” Donahy asked. Kaufma
The telemetering devices went into position. Kaufma
“You haven’t been with us for a while,” observed Donahy, making an entry in his dossier. “No, I haven’t. I suppose I’ve been too busy.” The technician shook his head. “Too busy to preserve your own persona! You must have really been busy, then. You know, you never would forgive yourself if you suddenly woke up as a transplant and found a year-long chunk of your life missing from your package of experience.”
“Absolutely right,” Kaufma
“Well, now, at least you’ll be up to date again. But we hope you’ll come to see us more regularly in the future. Here we go, now — lift your head a little — fine, fine—”
The helmet was in place. Kaufma
Kaufma
Within his mind his own resident personae made their presence felt. They reminded him of other duties of this day, still undone. Pla
Chapter 5
The island of Dominica rises like a great many-humped green beast out of the blue Caribbean, well down the chain of the Antilles. Trade winds blow steadily; a tropic sun keeps watch; the lofty mountainous spine intercepts rainfall and keeps the island constantly moist. Here in this still unspoiled island the Kaufma
The Kaufma