"Arthur C Clarke - Pruess, Paul - Venus Prime Vol1" - читать интересную книгу автора (Clarke Arthur C)

‘‘The word Sparta, what does that mean to you?’’
‘‘Sparta is my name.’’ Still she did not look at him.
‘‘What about the name Linda? Does that mean anything
to you?’’
She shook her head.
‘‘Or how about Ellen?’’
She did not respond.
‘‘Do you know who I am?’’ he asked.
‘‘I don’t believe we’ve met, Doctor.’’ She continued to
stare out the window, studying something a great distance
away.
‘‘But you do know that I’m a doctor.’’
She shifted in her chair, glanced around the room, taking
in the diplomas, the books, returning her gaze to him
with a thin smile. The doctor smiled back. Though in fact
they had met every week for the past year, her point was
taken—again. Yes, any sane person would know she was
in a doctor’s office. Her smile faded and she turned back
to the window.
‘‘Do you know where you are?’’
‘‘No. They brought me here during the night. Usually
I’m in . . . the program.’’
‘‘Where is that?’’
‘‘In . . . Maryland.’’
‘‘What is the name of the program?’’
‘‘I . . .’’ She hesitated. A frown creased her brow.
‘‘. . . I can’t tell you that.’’
‘‘Can you remember it?’’
Her eyes flashed angrily. ‘‘It’s not on the white side.’’
‘‘You mean it’s classified?’’
‘‘Yes. I can’t tell anyone without a Q clearance.’’
‘‘I have a Q clearance, Linda.’’
V E N U S P R I M E
9
‘‘That is not my name. How do I know you have a
clearance? If my father tells me I can talk to you about
the program, I will.’’
He had often told her that her parents were dead. Invariably
she greeted the news with disbelief. If he did not
repeat it within five or ten minutes, she promptly forgot;
if, however, he persisted, trying to persuade her, she became
wild with confusion and grief—only to recover her
sad calm a few minutes after he relented. He had long
since ceased to torture her with temporary horrors.
Of all his patients, she was the one who most excited
his frustration and regret. He longed to restore her lost
core and he believed he could do it, if her keepers would
permit him to.
Frustrated, bored perhaps, he abandoned the script of
the interview. ‘‘What do you see out there?’’ he asked.