[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
shoulders, she let herself lean over against him. She did not look like someone who carried within her
mind the entire history and records of a worldwide criminal syndicate.
He waited until she was finished, letting her weep into his side. Then he sat back, gripped both her
shoulders firmly, and looked into her eyes. "You'll be safe, Katla. Safe and well taken care of. I'll see to
that myself. You'll be able to start a new life, with new friends, in a different place. And eventually you'll
grow up, have a normal life, and be able to forget much of this."
Chest heaving, she shrugged indifferently. "Maybe what you say is true. Maybe it will happen like that. I
don't know. It doesn't matter. Mom's gone, so it doesn't matter. I I'd like to believe you, Mr.
Cardenas."
He grinned and sat back a little farther. "I told you: call me Angel. Use the English pronunciation if it
makes you feel better."
She had to smile at that. "No matter what happens, I won't be able to forget. See, Ican't forget anything.
I've never been able to. I don't know how."
A voice came from behind them. "Hey, you two. How's everything going in there?"
Cardenas glanced back at the concerned sergeant. "We're managing, Fredoso. Be done here soon, I
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think." The big man nodded and closed the door.
"Who's that?" Katla was looking past the Inspector. "Friend of yours?"
"My partner. Sergeant Fredoso Hyaki. He's a good man. When we get back to the Strip I'm going to let
him take you around to meet some people who will help you to begin your new life." He eyed her
questioningly. "If that's all right with you, that is."
"Why can't you do it, Mr. Angel? You said you'd look after me yourself. I think, maybe, that I could
like you."
It was enough. A weight lifted from Cardenas's chest. "I'll be there, to be with you, every moment I can,
Katla. But as an NFP Inspector, there are other things only I can do. I'll visit you and take you around
myself as often as I possibly can. When I can't, Mr. Hyaki will look after you." He smiled encouragingly.
"You'll like Fredoso. Everybody does. He's just a big teddy bear."
For the first time, her mood seemed to lighten ever so slightly. "He reminds me of Sorong."
Cardenas repressed a laugh. "Now that you mention it, he does, doesn't he? You be sure and tell him
that, every chance you get. Just think of him as your protector. Anything you need, you can ask him." He
rose from the couch. "Will you come with us, Katla? Will you let us help you?"
"Why not?" Standing, she was almost as tall as he was. "Like I told you before, there's nothing for me
here. Not anymore. So I might as well go with you." Her tone, her expression, even her posture radiated
hatred and loathing."Anything's better than going back to Daddy and his lepero friends."
Putting a comforting arm around her shoulders, Cardenas guided her toward the doorway. "Is there
anything you'd like to bring with you? From here?"
She shook her head sharply. "I don't want anything from here. I don't want to remember this place at
all."
"No clothes, personal items, nothing?" he reiterated.
She looked up at him. "If the NFP has the money to give me a new beginning, then maybe it could buy
me some new clothes?" She showed signs of coming back to life. "I remember some shoes I saw in
Olmec. Black, with flutterheels. Of course, I don't guess I can go back to Olmec, but..."
He patted her shoulder. "The Strip is full of stores. EvenI know that a girl can't buy shoes off a box; you
have to be able to try them on."
She nodded. Color was returning to her face. "You can do a virt fitting if you have the right kind of
scanner, but that doesn't tell you how it feels to walk in them. They don't have a sim for that, yet."
"You're a tecant. Maybe you can design one."
"It'd be fun to work with shoes. See, if you just had a little activatable sensing platform that could link to
the virt, and could figure out an algorithm that would let you compensate for the differences in customer
mass, you could..." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl wyciskamy.pev.pl
shoulders, she let herself lean over against him. She did not look like someone who carried within her
mind the entire history and records of a worldwide criminal syndicate.
He waited until she was finished, letting her weep into his side. Then he sat back, gripped both her
shoulders firmly, and looked into her eyes. "You'll be safe, Katla. Safe and well taken care of. I'll see to
that myself. You'll be able to start a new life, with new friends, in a different place. And eventually you'll
grow up, have a normal life, and be able to forget much of this."
Chest heaving, she shrugged indifferently. "Maybe what you say is true. Maybe it will happen like that. I
don't know. It doesn't matter. Mom's gone, so it doesn't matter. I I'd like to believe you, Mr.
Cardenas."
He grinned and sat back a little farther. "I told you: call me Angel. Use the English pronunciation if it
makes you feel better."
She had to smile at that. "No matter what happens, I won't be able to forget. See, Ican't forget anything.
I've never been able to. I don't know how."
A voice came from behind them. "Hey, you two. How's everything going in there?"
Cardenas glanced back at the concerned sergeant. "We're managing, Fredoso. Be done here soon, I
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
think." The big man nodded and closed the door.
"Who's that?" Katla was looking past the Inspector. "Friend of yours?"
"My partner. Sergeant Fredoso Hyaki. He's a good man. When we get back to the Strip I'm going to let
him take you around to meet some people who will help you to begin your new life." He eyed her
questioningly. "If that's all right with you, that is."
"Why can't you do it, Mr. Angel? You said you'd look after me yourself. I think, maybe, that I could
like you."
It was enough. A weight lifted from Cardenas's chest. "I'll be there, to be with you, every moment I can,
Katla. But as an NFP Inspector, there are other things only I can do. I'll visit you and take you around
myself as often as I possibly can. When I can't, Mr. Hyaki will look after you." He smiled encouragingly.
"You'll like Fredoso. Everybody does. He's just a big teddy bear."
For the first time, her mood seemed to lighten ever so slightly. "He reminds me of Sorong."
Cardenas repressed a laugh. "Now that you mention it, he does, doesn't he? You be sure and tell him
that, every chance you get. Just think of him as your protector. Anything you need, you can ask him." He
rose from the couch. "Will you come with us, Katla? Will you let us help you?"
"Why not?" Standing, she was almost as tall as he was. "Like I told you before, there's nothing for me
here. Not anymore. So I might as well go with you." Her tone, her expression, even her posture radiated
hatred and loathing."Anything's better than going back to Daddy and his lepero friends."
Putting a comforting arm around her shoulders, Cardenas guided her toward the doorway. "Is there
anything you'd like to bring with you? From here?"
She shook her head sharply. "I don't want anything from here. I don't want to remember this place at
all."
"No clothes, personal items, nothing?" he reiterated.
She looked up at him. "If the NFP has the money to give me a new beginning, then maybe it could buy
me some new clothes?" She showed signs of coming back to life. "I remember some shoes I saw in
Olmec. Black, with flutterheels. Of course, I don't guess I can go back to Olmec, but..."
He patted her shoulder. "The Strip is full of stores. EvenI know that a girl can't buy shoes off a box; you
have to be able to try them on."
She nodded. Color was returning to her face. "You can do a virt fitting if you have the right kind of
scanner, but that doesn't tell you how it feels to walk in them. They don't have a sim for that, yet."
"You're a tecant. Maybe you can design one."
"It'd be fun to work with shoes. See, if you just had a little activatable sensing platform that could link to
the virt, and could figure out an algorithm that would let you compensate for the differences in customer
mass, you could..." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]