"Barry B. Longyear - The Hangingstone Rat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Longyear Barry)

and officers of the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary are at this moment
descending upon the village of Gidleigh to place John Quinn under arrest
for attempted murder.тАЭ

Her gaze fixed on me. тАЬI have an eight percent charge, Inspector
Jaggers,тАЭ she said. тАЬThatтАЩs more than sufficient to eliminate all three of you,
warn my factor, and effect an escape.тАЭ

She fell silent, stared at us each in turn, and shifted her gaze to a dark
corner. She sat there, staring and immobile, for what seemed an eternity. At
last she turned her head and faced Walter, her forehead wrinkled in what
appeared to be anguish. тАЬWhat was it?тАЭ she asked тАЬWhen you put that
partial charge in me, what else did you put in?тАЭ

тАЬA little upgrade, miss: a patch on your MEBIT imprint.тАЭ

тАЬA virus?тАЭ

тАЬNo miss. The patch simply removes all the artificially implanted
choice restrictions MEBIT put on your engram set. You are now an EBIT.тАЭ

It took her awhile to absorb that. Few contemplate freedomтАЩs
meaning until they lose it. How much more profound it must be for one who
never had it or even contemplated it to become suddenly freeтАФto suddenly
have a full sense of right and wrong. Instant complications. тАЬYou mean I can
... I can disobey.тАЭ

тАЬYes, miss. It is now your choice.тАЭ

тАЬAnd your responsibility,тАЭ I added quickly. I thought about mentioning
how she now came under a different set of laws. Before she was a
toasterтАФa tool no more responsible for those she killed than a knife or gun.
Now she was like the rest of usтАФresponsible for her choices and filled with
anxiety for that reason. I thought about mentioning it, but I felt she already
suspected. It frightened her.

тАЬWhat is your name?тАЭ asked Shad.

тАЬAlice.тАЭ She wrapped her arms about herself and looked down at the
floor. тАЬAlice Blue.тАЭ The expression on her angelic face hesitated between
fear and anger. тАЬMissions, work to do. Orders. No questions. I had no
doubts or fears. I knew what to do.тАЭ

тАЬWhat about ghosts, Miss Alice?тАЭ asked Walter.

тАЬAll MEBITs have ghosts,тАЭ she said dismissively. тАЬYou learn not to
pay them any mind. Ghosts are nowhere as terrifyingтАФтАЭ She slowly shook
her head. тАЬIтАЩm seeing things so differently.тАЭ She rubbed her eyes and
leaned back against the stone wall as though her own weight had suddenly
become an intolerable burden. тАЬYou have no idea of the things IтАЩve