"Weis, Margaret & Perrin, Don - Mag Force 7 02 - Robot Blues (b)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weis Margaret)

Book Two In The Mag Force 7 Series

CHAPTER
1

The means by which enlightened rulers and
sagacious generals moved and conquered
others, that their achievements surpassed the
masses, was advance knowledge.

Sun-tzu, The Art of War

The man followed the woman into the motel lobby. She
never glanced at him, never noticed him. No reason
she should. He was an unprepossessing type of man, the
type whom witnesses are likely to vaguely describe as
being of "ordinary build," "average height," with "no
distinguishing features." He kept his eyes on her.
The woman was attractive, or rather she might have
been if she had taken more care with her hair, her
makeup, and her clothes. Her hair was shoulder-length,
brown, lacked shape and body. Her clothes--a medium-
length skirt and mannish coat--suited her trim, perhaps
too thin figure, and that was about all that could be said
for them. She had a preoccupied, studious air about her
that was disconcerting, as if part of her were really some-
where else. She carried a shabby overnight bag that ap-
peared to have been hastily packed, for the tail end of
a blouse fluttered out from the side.
Slung over her shoulder were a small, worn purse and
the strap of a computer case. The case was made of
high-quality leather, appeared to have been packed
neatly and with care, with no odd bulges, no loose straps
or unbuckled buckles. She kept her hand possessively on




the computer case; the purse was forced to trail along
bellind. Obvious where she placed her priorities.
The man entered the lobby almost on the woman's
heels. No need to keep his distance. The hotel was
attached to the busy Megapolis spaceport and the lobby
was crowded with people, either wanting rooms or
checking out.
The lobby was circular, with a gigantic vidscreen al-
most two stories high that loomed over guests, while a
smiling personage with excellent teeth welcomed them
to the Megapolis Spaceport Hotel, inviting guests to reg-
ister at one of the automatic registration machines to be