"Larry Niven & Steve Barnes - Achilles choice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry)

Sean Vorhaus was taller than she, and broader through the chest, with a longer stride. But
he was a sprinter, with a sprinter's power in his upper body. Jillian was built to run miles, not
meters. Her other physical discipline added the torso muscle that made them an obvious social item
around Pennsylvania Tech.
Sean's ruddy face glistened with sweat as he came abreast of her. They managed a quick,
bumping kiss without breaking stride.
Ah, the glories of coordination.
"How's the hip this morning?" he asked.
"No more 'click click.'
"Any word from Beverly?" He pointed to her Comnet. The Council might try to reach her now,
she supposed . . . but she didn't expect any contact before noon. Even so, it was comforting to
know that whenever or wherever the call came, whatever the answer was, she would know.
Their footsteps seemed to merge. "You know how I feel, Jill.''
She nodded. The grade steepened. They took a seventy-degree sprint up a ridge of ash and
shattered stone, breathlessly matching strides, Behind them the morning sun had cast a slender
silvery wedge on the western rim of the quarry.
Day was here. Almost certainly their last together. No matter what the Council's decision,
things could never be the same between them. Sean could never again be coach and mentor. Probably
not lover. Perhaps not even friend.
A chill swept her, and she focused on the steady rolling stroke of sole against rock.
The incline leveled out. Jillian's breathing normalized swiftly. The dark, stony earth
turned beneath her shoe, but she didn't stumble. Her ankles were strong. By both nature and
nurture, her entire body was as durable and flexible as copper wire. She compensated, caught her
balance, and ran on.
Sean brushed a lick of brown hair back from his forehead. "In a couple of hours. . . you
won't be mine anymore."
I never was.
The thought reached her lips, but went no further.
Sean saw the tension of restraint, misinterpreted its meaning, and hushed what he thought
would be a cloying endearment. "Let's"-he huffed for air-"not kid each other. Not now. You'll make
the team. And you're going for the gold. Even . . . if you come back to Penn Tech, you'll be


file:///F|/rah/Larry%20Niven/Niven,%20Larry%20-%20Achille's%20Choice.txt (2 of 58) [1/19/03 5:34:22 PM]
 file:///F|/rah/Larry%20Niven/Niven,%20Larry%20-%20Achille's%20Choice.txt

different. Linked. Just want you to know"-he puffed, sucking wind as she picked the pace up-
"wouldn't have missed this for the world. All of this-"
She tried to speak again.
"Bullshit," he said amiably. "Save breath. Need it. Race you to the bikes."
He broke into a run. As always, she dredged up strength from somewhere in her reserves to
follow him, match him. And as always, especially now, on this last of their days together, she was
careful not to pass him.


There were classes scheduled at Pennsylvania Technical University, but no one expected
Jillian Shomer to attend them. Not today.
She would wait for the word. Yes, or no. Go or stay.
Arm in arm they returned to her dorm room. They took a hot, leisurely shower together,
sluicing away the perspiration, soaping each other's bodies lavishly. Her long hard biceps femoris