"Vernor Vinge - The Cookie Monster" - читать интересную книгу автора (Vinge Vernor)

Ellen nodded. "It looks like Gerry has gone way, way too far on this one."

"And heтАЩs stupid, too. Our team is going to a party tonight, downtown. All of a sudden, thereтАЩll
be sixteen people whoтАЩll know whatтАЩs been done to them. WeтАЩll be mad asтАУ" Dixie Mae noticed
EllenтАЩs pitying look.

"Oh." So tonight instead of partying, their customer support team would be in a drugged stupor,
unremembering the week that never was. "We wonтАЩt remember a thing, will we?"

Ellen nodded. "My guess is youтАЩll be well-paid, with memories of some one-day temp job here at
LotsaTech."

"Well, thatтАЩs not going to happen," said Victor. "IтАЩve got a story and IтАЩve got a grudge. IтАЩm not
going back."

"We have to warn the others."

Victor shook his head. "Too risky."

Dixie Mae gave him a glare.

Ellen Garcia hugged her knees for a moment. "If this were just you, Victor, IтАЩd be sure you were
putting me on." She looked at Dixie Mae for a second. "Let me see that email again."

She spread it out on the table. "LotsaTech has its share of defense and security contracts. IтАЩd
hate to think that they might try to shut us up if they knew we were onto them." She whistled an
ominous tune. "Paranoia rages. . . . Have you thought that this email might be someone trying to
tip you off about whatтАЩs going on?"

Victor frowned. "Who, Ellen?" When she didnтАЩt answer, he said, "So what do you think we should
do?"

Ellen didnтАЩt look up from the printout. "Mainly, try not to act like idiots. All we really know is
that someone has played serious games with your heads. Our first priority is to get us all out of
LotsaTech, with you guys free of medical side effects. Our second priority is to blow the whistle
on Gerry or . . ." She was reading the mail headers again, ". . . or whoever is behind this."

Dixie Mae said, "I donтАЩt think we know enough not to act like idiots."

"Good point. Okay, IтАЩll make a phone call, an innocuous message that should mean something to the
police if things go really bad. Then IтАЩll talk to the others in our grading team. We wonтАЩt say
anything while weтАЩre still at LotsaTech, but once away from here weтАЩll scream long and loud. You
two . . . it might be safest if you just lie low till after dark and we graders get back into
town."

Victor was nodding.

Dixie Mae pointed at the mystery email. "What was it you just noticed, Ellen?"