"Scott Westerfeld - Non-Disclosure Agreement" - читать интересную книгу автора (Westerfeld Scott)

Now, this was not your basic Daniel Webster-style deal with Beelzebub тАФ swapping my soul for
unlimited wealth or devilish charm. The Devil had been priced out of the geek-soul market. Vast riches
were at that point pretty unremarkable for anyone with a software background. Hell, geeks can even get
chicks these days. Satan couldn't find anyone good to do the work, because he simply had nothing we
wanted.

This facet of the New Economy no doubt appalled the most beautiful of former angels, and had thus far
stymied his upgrade efforts (uncleverly codenamed: "Hades 2.0").

Until I came along.

You see, I wasn't totally dead.

I was having what's known as a "near-death experience." My singed but not irredeemable corpse was in
the back of a LAFD ambulance right now, headed toward probable reanimation at County General. But
instead of the usual approaching white light that goody-goodies enjoy, I was getting a sneak preview of
the Other Place. (We don't hear so much about those, do we? I figure it's a media selection thing тАФ
visions of hell don't get you on Oprah.) Soon, I was going to return to the living, whether I took the
Devil's offer or not. But I had seen what lay in store.

"So no money, no gnarly magic powers?" I complained as I scanned his contract. "What exactly do I get
for helping you?"

"In exchange for my help with my look-and-feel issues, you will receive certain highly proprietary
information."

"Microsoft source code? I knew that guy was on your side."

"No, something far more valuable," the Devil whispered. "The Secret of Damnation."

"The what?"

He sighed, and all drama left his voice. "The secret of how not to wind up in hell, imbecile."

"It's a secret? Isn't it like a sin and forgiveness thing? I mean, it all looks very Judeo-Christian down
here."

"Young man, it's not that simple. Because of your cultural background, you're merely seeing the
Judeo-Christian, uh ... front-end. But Hell has many facets, many aspects."

"So this is just the Judeo-Christian interface?"

"Yes, but the Secret of Damnation is universal," the Devil concluded. "The deeds and ideas that doom the
soul are the same everywhere."

"And this information is proprietary?"

He nodded. "Only God and I know the source code. You mortals are mere end-users."