"Mercedes Lackey - Diana Tregarde - Killer Byte" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust
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Copyright ┬й1994 by Mercedes Lackey
First published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine #23, 1994
 Killer Byte
Mercedes Lackey
Diana Tregarde stared at her lover's back for five full minutes while his long, graceful
fingers flew over the keyboard of her computer. For all she could tell, he was
completely oblivious to her presence. That was not like him at allтАФa
two-hundred-year-old vampire does not abandon himself in a task so completely that
he ignores his immediate environment. Not if he wants to see his third century, at any
rate.
Oh well. At least he was safe enough here in the apartment. She had enough mystical
shielding on the place to stave off a psychic nuke.
"I've created a monster,тАЭ Di muttered to herself. тАЬI should never have shown him the
modem."
"Cherie?тАЭ he replied, absentlyтАФstill typing. He didn't even take his eyes off the
screen.
"Nothing,тАЭ she sighed. Well, her office was effectively occupied for the rest of the
evening, and so was her computer. It wasn't as if she needed the desktop computer
to work on the romances that paid the bills. Compared to her laptop, it was archaic,
only a 286, so slow it barely kept up with Andre LeBrel's flying fingers. She actually
preferred the laptop, if it came down to it. тАЬJustтАФtell me you aren't hacking again."
"I am not hacking again,тАЭ he said, then stopped typing long enough to flash her an
insouciant smile over his shoulder, tossing a lock of hair out of his eyes with a flick
of a finger. She smiled back; it was impossible not to. Sara says he looks like
Timothy Dalton. Ha. Timothy Dalton should look so cute. He didn't turn right back
to the keyboard. тАЬI must admit, I fail to see why you should be concerned about my
intrusions into cyberspace when they do no harm. I have simply established myself
in your world using the only tools at my disposal."
"Cyberspace?тАЭ she replied incredulously, as his dark brown eyes gazed at her
solemnly. тАЬCyberspace? Have you been overdosing on Spin magazine again?"
"After all,тАЭ he continued, never missing a beat, тАЬHow else was I to acquire a driver's
license and a Social Security number? We are in the 90s, cherie. I cannot simply
present myself at Ellis Island as an immigrant from some obscure nation."
Di nodded reluctantly. She hadn't asked how he'd gotten that Social Security
number, but she knew he had a lot of friends on the computer nets that were dubious
at best ... тАЬBut it's not legal,тАЭ she protested weakly.
"Neither am I,тАЭ he pointed out.тАЭ I am certain that laws condemning my kind are still
extant; a century ago people believed in vampires enough to legislate against their
mere existence. I know there are laws still in effect against yours."
Well, he had her there. There were laws against witches on the books all over the
country that had never been repealed. тАЬJust don't get caught,тАЭ she pled. He only
smiled.
"Anything that might be illegal I do on the terminals in the offices of many different
professors at the university,тАЭ he reassured her. тАЬNothing can be traced back to you."
Thus adding breaking-and-entering to his sins. She only shook her head. тАЬI don't
want to know any more,тАЭ she replied. тАЬI'm going to be working in the living room, let
me know if you find something interesting on those bulletin boards of yours."
Andre had taken to the computer nets and bulletin boards with the facility of