"Keith Laumer - Bolos 8 - Bolo Rising" - читать интересную книгу автора (Laumer Keith)

She kept coming, one bare foot stepping across the ridge of bones and decaying flesh. Jaime heard
the power-up whine of the railguns.

"No!" he shouted suddenly, stepping out of the shadows beneath the Bolo. "Weapon release
countermanded!"

"What is your authorization?"

Authorization? All he had was the maintenance code Alita had given him, a code to allow humans to
approach the monster and live. He prayed he could make it work. "Authorization Code Tango, three-
three-seven Victor Delta niner! Maintenance!"

"Inis unit is not scheduled for standard maintenance," die Bolo said.

"Override Security Alpha, Code Delta Echo One-one."

"Identify yourself," the Bolo repeated.

The woman was standing just inside the fifty-meter line, her face pale as she looked from Bolo to
human and back again.

"C'mon!" Jaime called to her. "Tell him your name!"

"Sh-Shari Barstowe," she said, with a voice that cracked halfway through.

"Are you with the maintenance team?" the Bolo asked.

When the woman didn't answer, Jaime called to her again. Tell him yes\"

"Y-yes. I am."

"Advance, Technician Barstowe."

The woman was swaying a little on her feet, too dazed to respond. With a quick glance back at
Hector, and the array of flechette launchers still aimed at Shari, Jaime sprinted across the open
ground, catching her just before she collapsed where she stood. Gently, he helped her cross the
last fifty meters to the Bolo's side and sat her down, her back against the hard duralloy of one
of the titanic road wheels.

"I thought... I was dead."

"You damned near were. What the hell were you trying to do here?"

"What do you think?" she shot back. "I've taken all I'm going to take. Hector here was going to be
my ticket out." Her eyes widened. "My God! How did we, how did you get in thisтАФ"

"Easy. Hector is a friend of mine. You just have to know how to talk to him."

"Some fnend. You've, you've ruined everything."