Queen of Angels by Greg Bear Read Free Book Online Page A

of the desk as she approached. You have a quarter till appointment with federal coordinator R Ellenshaw. She had made her appointment with pd supervisor D Reeve. News was speeding and she had guessed right. Large green eyes steady on the greeters face, she said, Fine. Do I wait? Not here, please, the greeter said. His eyes pinpointed her with faint disapproval and obvious longing. Youll have a seat in third tier, lobby two. She narrowed her eyes and fixed on the greeter until he averted. Then she shivered slightly nodded and walked away adding an extra lilt to her stride. Disliking that common mix of critique and lust she wished to faintly strut the transform and increase the tension. It was a neutral flaw, not socially damaging but perhaps provocative. A distant revenge on Thea. The greeter would not disapprove of Theo but might not lust for her either. Why Took an escalator to third tier lobby two. Sat with the coffee drinkers and their timeismoney expressions. Examined them casually sherlocking as hobby, and fell into her perpetual muse about how unfortunate sherlocking was a blind jape. Cannot riddle from ambiguous evidence; no detective can avoid the blunder of two or three way outcomes of deduction. Deduction and detection could not be cars on a slaveway; they must freely turn. Still, sherlocking was an amusement and sometimes its results were intriguing. Here for example: a young man on the clear turbo to a needles point federal/state job, dressed as second generation therapied (or natural) might dress in the younger crowds, face bland but not without character. Mary Choy guessed him a conscientious but not inspired bed partner; he had three fingernails on his right hand red and gold lacquered with marriage inquiries from large families: Only in the high federal ranks did such manners dance the norm, families clans gens statting their position in the nomenklatura made largely ceremonial by President Davis before Raphkind. Such positions did not breed high physical passions; they did breed manners, and among the therapied manners rarely hid aberrations. Nice young man in a pleasant deadend existence prime candidate for eloi upon middle age. A pretty parasite. Coming in to the waiting area, somebody more vital: a female transform wearing styles to hide her orbital adaptations, an exotic in the combs. All eyes drawn. The exotic saw Mary Choy and acknowledged kinship with a smile. Came to sit. May 1? Mary indined. The orbital transform bent with strained grace; her muscles now tuned to the bonds of Earth. She obviously shuttled often and was proud possessor of two zone body chemistry; such a transform was too expensive for private payment and must have been federal or firm/house funded. The nice young man decided this orbital transform was too much even for fantasy and ignored her. Others less meshed in the hierarchy admired her openly. Mary was pleased when she sat beside her. Pardon my awkwardness, the orbital said. Im still adjusting. Bichemical. "So I specked. "Ive only been landed eight hours. Youre pd. arent you? Mary inclined again. No sherlocking necessary; the urn-forms were commonly known and varied little from city to city. "And you, she said, are from the Greenbelt? The orbital transform smiled. How keen, she said. Who did you? "Dr. Sumpler. "His group did me too. I must visit him while down. Are you pleased? She considered describing the melanin depletion but since the news would have little practical value to a bichemical, simply gave the polite Yes. Very. The orbital transform saw signs of Marys impending departure for appointmenther glance at the glowing flasher on the wall, her own symbol coming soonand offered her a card. Im down for a week. Much work. Id enjoy company. We can reminisce through old style catalogs. Mary laughed, took the card, offered her own. That would be fun. Everythings on the card. The name on the card: Sandra Auchouch. Pronounced Awshuck. Of course. Pleasure to meet you. The orbital