"Larry Niven & Steve Barnes - The California Voodoo Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry)

some countries have contracted for more. Half a billion dollars' worth of
security.
Quite a system."

"Are you jealous?" she asked innocently.

"Cowles asked me to join up. I get all the stretch in the Park." Irritation
had touched Griffin's voice, very lightly

Tony's fingers kept moving in the hologram, sensors picking up finger
movement and wrist position, inputting far faster than any mechanical
keyboard. The sensors "learned" eccentric movements and habitual errors,
the individual shorthand of the operator, and together with voice cues
created an ideal programming environment. Minimum size of portable units
was no longer limited by the physical dimensions of a keyboard. He was
trying to keep his mind on
programming. The last thing he wanted to think about was Alex Griffin. But
it wasn't working.

Persecutor ... betrayer ... woman-thief ... savior.
Eight years before, a disguised Griffin had entered one of Dream Park's
infamous live-action role-playing games to solve a case of industrial
espionage. In the commission of that crime, a guard named Albert Rice had
died. Very
accidental it had been, but as even Tony's own lawyer had observed, dead
is dead.

Griffin had taken six years of Tony's life.

He had also taken Tony's lady, Acacia Garcia. Eventually, she had taken him
or somebody had dumped somebody. Tony had never been sure which.

Alex pointed in the video windows, picking out familiar faces in the rooftop
press. "Quite a party."

"Everybody's getting the time off?" Sharon asked.

"Sure. The Folly's almost finished. The Barsoom Project is cooking. Fiftieth
anniversary of groundbreaking for Dream Park is right around the corner.
Everybody's feeling pretty good. Dream Park's closed to the public for a
week. Some folks are taking off. Four hundred of us are staying right here
as NonPlayer CharactersтАФNPCs." He stretched, yawning
hugely. "Nice to be just another head in the crowd. For once. "

"Say not so. The Griffin actually taking a day off?"

"Scout's honor." He squeezed her waist, glanced back at Tony, and released
her.

Good old Griff. So considerate. So quick to hire Tony out of Chino, get him a