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

Mae. YouтАЩll get it back later, Victor."

"Oh. Okay, but I want first xmit rights." He brightened. "YouтАЩll be my cameragirl, Dixie. Just
come back on me anytime I have something important to say."

"Will do, Victor." She panned the notepad camera in a long sweep, away from him.

No one bothered them as they walked halfway around the ground floor. The blackout job was very
thorough, but just as at buildings 0994 and 0999, there was an ordinary door with an old-fashioned
card swipe.

Ellen took a closer look. "We disabled the locks on 0999 just for the fun of it. Somehow I donтАЩt
think these black-plastic guys are that easygoing."

"I guess this is as far as we go," said Victor.

Dixie Mae stepped close to the door and gave it push. There was no error beep, no alarms. The door
just swung open.

Looks of amazement were exchanged.

Five seconds later they were still standing at the open doorway. What little they could see looked
like your typical LotsaTech ground floor. "We should shut the door and go back," said Victor.
"WeтАЩll be caught red-handed standing here."

"Good point." Ellen stepped inside, followed perforce by Victor, and then Dixie Mae taking local
video.

"Wait! Keep the door open, Dixie Mae."

"Jeez."

"This is like an airlock!" They were in a tiny room. Above waist height, its walls were clear
glass. There was another door on the far end of the little room.

Ellen walked forward. "I had a summer job at Livermore last year. They have catch boxes like this.
You walk inside easy enoughтАУand then there are armed guards all around, politely asking you if
youтАЩre lost." There were no guards visible here. Ellen pressed on the inner door. Locked. She
reached up to the latch mechanism. It looked like cheap plastic. "This should not work," she said,
even as she fiddled at it.

They could hear voices, but from upstairs. Down here, there was no one to be seen. Some of the
layout was familiar, though. If this had been Building 0994, the hallway on the right would lead
to restrooms, a small cafeteria, and a temporary dormitory.

Ellen hesitated and stood listening. She looked back at them. "ThatтАЩs strange. That sounds like .
. . Graham!"

"Can you just break the latch, Ellen?" We should go upstairs and strangle the two-faced weasel
with his own ponytail.