"Dick, Philip K - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dick Phillip K)

your bounty. So if the Voigt-Kampff scale has to be abandoned — "
"A new scale," Rick said, "will replace it. This has happened before." Three times, to be
exact. But the new scale, the more modern analytical device, had been there already; no lag
had existed. This time was different.
"Eventually, of course, the Voigt-Kampff scale will become obsolete," Rachael agreed.
"But not now. We're satisfied ourselves that it will delineate the Nexus-6 types and we'd like
you to proceed on that basis in your own particular, peculiar work." Rocking back and forth,
her arms tightly folded, she regarded him with intensity. Trying to fathom his reaction.
"Tell him he can have his owl," Eldon Rosen grated.
"You can have the owl," Rachael said, still eyeing him. "The one up on the roof. Scrappy.
But we will want to mate it if we can get our hands on a male. And any offspring will be ours;
that has to be absolutely understood."
Rick said, "I'll divide the brood."
"No," Rachael said instantly; behind her Eldon Rosen shook his head, backing her up.
"That way you'd have claim to the sole bloodline of owls for the rest of eternity. And there's
another condition. You can't will your owl to anybody; at your death it reverts back to the
association."
"That sounds," Rick said, "like an invitation for you to come in and kill me. To get your owl
back immediately. I won't agree to that; it's too dangerous."
"You're a bounty hunter," Rachael said. "You can handle a laser gun — in fact you're
carrying one right now. If you can't protect yourself, how are you going to retire the six
remaining Nexus-6 andys? They're a good deal smarter than the Grozzi Corporation's old
W-4."
"But I hunt them," he said. "This way, with a reversion clause on the owl, someone would
be hunting me." And he did not like the idea of being stalked; he had seen the effect on
androids. It brought about certain notable changes, even in them.
Rachael said, "All right; we'll yield on that. You can will the owl to your heirs. But we insist
on getting the complete brood. If you can't agree to that, go on back to San Francisco and
admit to your superiors in the department that the Voigt-Kampff scale, at least as
administered by you, can't distinguish an andy from a human being. And then look for
another job."
"Give me some time," Rick said.
"Okay," Rachael said. "We'll leave you in here, where it's comfortable." She examined her
wristwatch.
"Half an hour," Eldon Rosen said. He and Rachael filed toward the door of the room,
silently. They had said what they intended to say, he realized; the rest lay in his lap.
As Rachael started to close the door after herself and her uncle, Rick said starkly, "You
managed to set me up perfectly. You have it on tape that I missed on you; you know that my
job depends on the use of the Voigt-Kampff scale; and you own that goddamn owl."
"Your owl, dear," Rachael said. "Remember? We'll tie your home address around its leg
and have it fly down to San Francisco; it'll meet you there when you get off work."
It, he thought. She keeps calling the owl it. Not her. "Just a second," he said.
Pausing at the door, Rachael said, "You've decided?"
"I want," he said, opening his briefcase, "to ask you one more question from the Voigt-
Kampff scale. Sit down again."
Rachael glanced at her uncle; he nodded and she grudgingly returned, seating herself as
before. "What's this for?" she demanded, her eyebrows lifted in distaste — and wariness.
He perceived her skeletal tension, noted it professionally.
Presently he had the pencil of light trained on her right eye and the adhesive patch again
in contact with her check. Rachael stared into the light rigidly, the expression of extreme