[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Back and forth Ruth paced. She'd be at the pantovive in a moment, he knew. She
hadn't used it yet in his presence, but he could see her glancing at it. He
could sense the machine drawing her into its orbit.
Kelexel glanced up at the manipulator controlling her emotions. The strength
of its setting frightened him. She'd be immune to it one day; no doubt of
that. The manipulator was a great metal insect spread over the ceiling.
Kelexel sighed.
Now that he knew Ruth was a wild Chem, her ancestry heavily infused with
storyship bloodlines, he found his feelings about her disturbed. She had
Page 75
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
become more than a creature, almost a person.
Was it right to manipulate a person? Wrong? Right? Conscience? The attitudes
of this world's exotics infused strange doubts into him. Ruth wasn't full Chem
--never could be. She hadn't been taken in infancy, transformed and stunted by
immortality. She was marked down at no position in Tiggywaugh's web.
What would the Primacy do when they found out? Was Fraffin correct? Would they
blot this world? They were capable of it. But the natives were so attractive
it didn't seem possible they'd be obliterated. They were Chem --wild Chem. But
no matter the Primacy's attentions, this place would be overwhelmed. No one
presently partaking of its pleasures would have a part in the new order.
Arguments went back and forth in his mind in a pattern much like Ruth's
pacing.
Her movement began to anger him. She did this to annoy him, deliberately
testing the limits of her power. Kelexel reached beneath his cloak, adjusted
the manipulator.
Ruth stopped as though drawn up against a wall. She turned, faced him.
"Again?" she asked, her voice flat.
"Take off your robe," he said.
She stood unmoving.
Kelexel exerted more pressure, repeated his command. The manipulator's setting
went up
... up ... up ...
Slowly, woodenly she obeyed. The robe dropped to the silvery piled carpet,
leaving her nude. Her flesh appeared suddenly pale. Rippling tremors moved up
and down her stomach.
"Turn around," he said.
With the same wooden movement, she obeyed. One of her bare feet caught the
emerald belt. Its chain rattled.
"Face me." Kelexel said.
When she'd obeyed, Kelexel released the manipulator's pressure. The tremors
stopped moving across her stomach. She took a deep, ragged breath.
How superbly graceful she is, Kelexel thought.
Without taking her gaze from him, Ruth bent, picked up the robe, slipped into
it, belted it
There!
she thought.
I've resisted him. I've asserted myself at last. It'll be easier next time.
And she remembered the sodden pressure of the manipulator, the compulsion
which had forced her to disrobe. Even in that extremity, she'd felt the
sureness that a time would come when she could resist Kelexel's manipulator no
matter its pressure. There'd be a limit to the pressure, she knew, but no
limit to her growing will to resist. She had only to think of what she'd seen
on the pantovive to strengthen that core of resistance.
"You're angry with me," Kelexel said. "Why? I've indulged your every fancy."
For answer, she seated herself at the pantovive's metal webwork, moved its
controls.
Keys clicked. Instruments hummed.
How deftly she uses her toy, Kelexel thought.
She's been at it more than I suspected.
Such practiced sureness! But when has she had time to become this sure? She's
never used it in front of me before. I've seen her each rest period. Perhaps
time moves at a different rate for mortals. How long to her has she been with
me? A quarter of her sun's circuit or maybe a bit more.
He wondered then how she really felt about the offspring within her body.
Primitives felt many things about their bodies, knew many things without
recourse to instruments. Some wild sense they had which spoke to them from
within. Could the potential offspring be why she was angered?
"Look," Ruth said.
Page 76
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Kelexel sat upright, focused on the pantovive's image stage, the glowing oval
where
Fraffin's almost-people performed. Figures moved there, the gross wild Chem.
Kelexel was suddenly reminded of a comment he'd heard about Fraffin's
productions --"Their reverse dollhouse quality." Yes, his creatures always
managed to seem emotionally as well as physically larger than life.
"These are relatives of mine," Ruth said. "My father's brother and sister.
They came out for the trial. This is their motel room."
"Motel?" Kelexel slipped off the bed, crossed to stand beside Ruth.
"Temporary housing," she said. She sat down at the controls.
Kelexel studied the stage. Its bubble of light contained a room of faded
maroon. A thin, straw-haired female sat on the edge of a bed at the right. She
wore a pink dressing gown.
One heavily veined hand dabbed a damp handkerchief at her eyes. Like the
furniture, she appeared faded-dull eyes, sagging cheeks. In the general shape
of her head and body, she
resembled Ruth's father. Kelexel wondered then if Ruth would come to this one [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

zanotowane.pl

doc.pisz.pl

pdf.pisz.pl

kajaszek.htw.pl