"James P. Hogan - Giants 1 - Inherit The Stars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hogan James P)

"Good morning. Avis San Francisco, City Terminal. This is Sue Parker.
Can I help you?"
Gray addressed the grille, located next to the tiny camera lens just
above the screen.
"Hi, Sue. Name's Gray -- R. J. Gray, airbound for SF, due to arrive
about two hours from now. Could I reserve an aircar, please?"
"Sure thing. Range?"
"Oh -- about five hundred..." He glanced at Hunt.
"Better make it seven," Hunt advised.
"Make that seven hundred miles minimum."
"That'll be no problem, Mr. Gray. We have Skyrovers, Mercury Threes,
Honeybees, or Yellow Birds. Any preference?"

"No -- any'll do."
"I'll make it a Mercury, then. Any idea how long?"
"No -- er -- indefinite."
"Okay. Full computer nav and flight control? Automatic VTOL?"
"Preferably and, ah, yes."
"You have a full manual license?" The blonde operated unseen keys as she
spoke.
"Yes."
"Could I have personal data and account-checking data, please?"
Gray had extracted the card from his wallet while the exchange was
taking place. He inserted it into a slot set to one side of the screen, and
touched a key.
The blonde consulted other invisible oracles. "Okay," she pronounced.
"Any other pilots?"
"One. A Dr. V. Hunt."
"His personal data?"
Gray took Hunt's already proffered card and substituted it for his own.
The ritual was repeated. The face then vanished to be replaced by a screen of
formatted text with entries completed in the boxes provided.
"Would you verify and authorize, please?" said the disembodied voice
from the grille. "Charges are shown on the right."
Gray cast his eye rapidly down the screen, grunted, and keyed in a
memorized sequence of digits that was not echoed on the display. The word
POSITIVE appeared in the box marked "Authorization." Then the clerk
reappeared, still smiling.
"When would you want to collect, Mr. Gray?" she asked.
Gray turned toward Hunt.
"Do we want lunch at the airport first?"
Hunt grimaced. "Not after that party last night. Couldn't face
anything." His face took on an expression of acute distaste as he moistened
the inside of the equine rectum he had once called a mouth. "Let's eat tonight
somewhere."
"Make it round about eleven thirty hours," Gray advised. "It'll be
ready."
"Thanks, Sue."
"Thank you. Good-bye."
"Bye now."