"08 - The SSR Sings the Blues" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harrison Harry)

"Your identity is false." His voice had all the warmth of two rocks being
grated together. "Your shoes contain molebind projectors .

"There's no law against that!"

"There is on Paskonjak. There is a law against anything that threatens the
security of the Mint and the Interstellar Credits produced here."

"I've done nothing wrong."

"Everything that you have done has been wrong. Attempting to deceive our
security with false identification, stunning a guard, penetrating the Mint
without supervision-these are all crimes under our law. What you have
committed so far makes you liable for fourteen concurrent life sentences."
His grim voice grew even grimmer. "But there is even worse than that-"

"What could be worse than fourteen life sentences?" Despite my efforts at
calm control I could hear my voice cracking.

"Death. That is the penalty for stealing from the Mint."

"I haven't stolen anything!" Definitely a quaver now.

"That will be determined very shortly. When the decision was made to mint
five-hundred-thousand-credit coins every precaution was taken to prevent
their theft. Integral to their fabric is a transponder that listens for a
specific signal at a specific frequency. It answers and reveals the
location of the coin."

"Stupid," I said with more bravado than I felt. "Won't work here. Not with
all the coins you have made-"

"All now safe behind ten feet of solid lead. Radiation proof. If there are
any other coins not in our custody the signal will sound."

Right on cue I heard the pealing of bells in the distance. The iron face of
my inquisitor was touched by a fleeting cold smile.

"The signal," he said. We sat in silence for long seconds. Until the door
burst open and the hurrying guards dropped a very familiar bag onto the
desk. He lifted the end slowly and the coins jangled forth.

"So that's what they look like. I never

"Silence!" he thundered. "These were removed from the minting room. They
were found suspended in the chimney from the smelter. Along with these
other objects."

"Proves nothing."