"John DeChancie - Skyway 1 - Starrigger" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dechancie John)

 I turned on the microcam and panned the room for him. тАЬAs you can see, charming. HowтАЩre you?тАЭ тАЬI
think IтАЩm taking root. Seriously. I might need a little more camouflage around my back end. Can you see
me from up there?тАЭ
I went to the window. Behind the shutters it was glazed with nonglare material. The cabin was
completely sealed from the outside, and many degrees cooler.
тАЬI canтАЩt see anything but vegetables.тАЭ
тАЬHowтАЩs this? I have my hi-intensities on.тАЭ
I saw a glimmer. тАЬThere you are. Fine.тАЭ
тАЬMaybe IтАЩll be all right if IтАЩm that hard to spot.тАЭ
тАЬWhat about the hole you left in the scenery back in the parking lot? Suspicious, no? And it leads
right to you.тАЭ
тАЬI was watching the rear view. The stuff seemed to bound back up after we passed. Right now I canтАЩt
tell the view ahead from the one behind. This jungle is alive, believe me.тАЭ тАЬBit of luck. Okay. Now,
what about our situation? IтАЩm having second thoughts. Should we have made a break for it on the
Skyway?тАЭ
тАЬNegative, son. Much, much too easy to follow.тАЭ
тАЬRight, just thought IтАЩd ask. What next?тАЭ
тАЬWell, we know they picked up our trail from the restaurant pretty quickly. I expected that. Not too
hard to tail a rig. And weтАЩre pretty sure we lost them downtown.тАЭ тАЬHow sure?тАЭ
тАЬReasonably sure.тАЭ
тАЬSam, how did you know about that dirt road that followed the edge of the marsh? I didnтАЩt think you
knew Mach City that well.тАЭ
тАЬUsed to spend a lot of time here. There were these two women I knew, mother and daughter, and I...
well, thatтАЩs neither here nor there. Anyway, the city councilтАЩs been squabbling about draining that
swamp for years. I knew the idiots hadnтАЩt gotten around to it yet.тАЭ тАЬAnother piece of luck. However, we
are stuck here.тАЭ
тАЬFor the moment. But if we can sneak over to AliтАЩs Garage, weтАЩve got a chance. HeтАЩs an old friend
of mine. We hole up at his place, I get that new emulsicoat youтАЩve been promising me, plus some other
cosmetic changes. Then, with luck, we slip out.тАЭ
тАЬRisky. We could be spotted going there.тАЭ
тАЬSure, but I canтАЩt see another way. WouldтАЩve gone directly there, except we would have had to
double-back through town to do it. They wouldтАЩve picked us up again easily.тАЭ тАЬSo we sit here... for how
long?тАЭ
тАЬUntil they get tired of looking, or until theyтАЩre convinced we got through their net. Four Eri days.тАЭ
тАЬThatтАЩs also risky.тАЭ
тАЬSure. Wilkes is connected here. Hell, he might even own this place. But, have any better ideas?тАЭ
тАЬNot at the moment.тАЭ
Cheetah returned men with DarlaтАЩs tissue paper. Darla struck up a conversation with her, and they sat
down on one of the double beds to chat.
тАЬWell,тАЭ I said, тАЬIтАЩll let you know if I get a brainstorm.тАЭ
тАЬRight. Leave the key open.тАЭ
тАЬReally, Dad.тАЭ
тАЬHuh? Oh, sorry. Forgot about Darla.тАЭ
I hadnтАЩt.
Despite my disinclination to believe in such things, the possibility of a real paradox here loomed
large; in fact, if Darla wasnтАЩt faking, the paradox was a fact as cold and adamantine as the roadmetal that
had caused it. Will have caused it. But it was hard for me to swallow. On the Skyway, you hear wild
stories every day. IтАЩve met people who will swearтАФon any amount of Holy Writ youтАЩd care to put in
front of themтАФthat one day, out on some lonely stretch of road, they saw themselves coming the other
way... or that they were vouchsafed the paradoxical apparition of a relative whoтАЩd passed on the year