"James Patrick Kelly - Chemistry" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kelly James Patrick)

press thumbs to a blood drawer. She printed two green
buttons that read Lily and Marja and explained that
green was for righties, red for gays. She had them sign
liability waivers and told them they'd need to give a
urine sample and warned them about side effects.
Although enhancement would wear off in four to five
hours, they might have trouble falling asleep
immediately after leaving the Hothouse; there was a
chance their next periods might be a couple of days off
schedule. She grinned, reminded them about the brownies
and ushered them through the booth.
"We're in this together, right?" Lily whispered as the
tree trunk doors opened. "You'll stop me before I do
anything stupid?"
Marja laughed and patted her on the back. "Sort of late
for that now."

Lily rubbed the button-sized swelling on her wrist where
the orderly had poked her with the pressure syringe. Her
purse hung loosely by her side.
"Pulse acelerated." Marja was practically vibrating as
the elevator climbed to the third floor. "Skin
temperature elevated. Apocrine sweat glands -- whew!"
She peered into Lily's left eye, "Doctor, your pupils
are dilated!"
"Stop diagnosing."
"Okay, so how do you feel?"
Lily considered and then giggled. "Like I'm six and it's
Christmas Eve. You're losing your corsage."
Marja repinned the orchid which the orderly had laced
with pheromones synthesized from her urine sample. The
doors slid open.
Fifteen or twenty faces turned, glowing with
expectation. Lily was instantly drawn to them,
understanding their conspicuous need because she shared
it. They had hauled themselves out of the icy datastream
into the warmth of high touch and beautiful feelings. As
the enhancement drugs gripped her, she felt the weight
of her life drop away. Tomorrow they would all go back
to their desks and workshops and counters and she would
ligate the arteries of a cybercorpse named Fred. But
that was far removed from this bright dream of lush and
immediate sensation. She let it fill her lungs and eyes
and ears; she wanted to lick it. A band stood poised to
play. Leaves like green hands waved at her. She itched
to rub her bare feet on the moss rug, shinny up that
palm tree, kiss all three of those men by the fountain
just to find out how they tasted. No, she wasn't going
to ask for her money back. She knew she would find him
here. Someone to love, for a little while at least. His