"Williamson,.Michael.Z.-.Freehold" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williamson Michael Z)

circumstances dictated that both guilty and innocent alike should
wisely flee for their lives. She shivered slightly. Did she really want
to leave? Wouldn't it be better to trust in her innocence? Where
could she go?

She aged ten years in the six blocks to the gate, then relaxed very
slightly when she saw Tom in the booth. What is he getting himself
into? she asked herself. The traffic control outside the gate
signaled a stop and she aged ten more years. Behind her, she
could see the barricades rising and swallowed hard. That made it
rather permanent, she thought. She picked a route north into
Maryland and kept the car on manual. She didn't know how long it
would be before an override signal got her. She'd have to lose the
car. She had no idea how, or where to go after that. Off planet,
maybe? The Orbitals were not as strict on ID, but fleeing criminals
were captured regularly. Outsystem? But where? Ramadan was
not friendly to unescorted women, Novaja Rossia demanded strict
qualifications and background checks, Caledonia was a UN nation .
. .

Counting the cash in her bag, she found a thousand marks in three
money cards and cash and a note scrawled, "All I can spare. Hate
to see you get driven like this. I disabled your override circuit, so
don't use auto. If you can, lie low for a few months, they may sort
this out. Still care about you." It was unsigned. She cried while
driving and tried to think of a solution.

Her mind was whirling too hard for thought, but she knew she'd
need cash before they locked her work and insurance number.
Stopping at a rest area, she picked a remote parking slot and
changed, hunched in the front seat. Wearing her uniform off base
would not only be distinctive, it was also an invitation to be mugged
and raped, especially for women. Once done, she pulled back
onto the highway and found a suburban exit. She pulled into a plaza
and used a bank terminal, then found another one a few blocks
away. Six different transactions yielded every penny she had in the
world, in small enough chunks that no single one would show up at
UNRS immediately. As she made the last withdrawal, an idea
occurred to her. It was insane, but there was no logical reason why
it was impossible. The odds were such that no bookie would take
the bet, but better than nothing, which was what she had now.

The Grainne colony had been independent for ten years now and
had not only refused to join the UN, but had refused to go along
with most of the common standards of ship registry, public health,
public standards or even reciprocity of laws. That was the crucial
bit. If she could make it there, they wouldn't extradite her. It was
quite the rogue as nations went. It also reportedly had an excellent
standard of living. As with many frontier worlds, there were not
enough people for all jobs. A frontier colony was not the nicest