"Zelazny, Roger - My Lady Of The Diodes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Zelazny Roger)

УYes.Ф

УThen have a seat at that empty table and set up the board. IТll be by in a few moments. I make all the moves for the machine. Which do you want: black or white?Ф

УWhite. IТll be offensive.Ф

УThen make the first move.Ф She was gone.

I set Maxine on the floor beside the table, opened out the board and dumped the pieces. I set them up and clicked my tongue in signal. УPawn to Queen four,Ф said Maxine.

An hour later, all the games were over but ours. The other chess players were standing around watching. УFellaТs good,Ф someone stated. There were several assents.

I glanced at my wristwatch. Seekfax 5000 was taking more time between moves. From the corners of my eyes, I could see that uniformed guards flanked me in a reasonably unobtrusive manner.

There was a puzzled expression on SoniaТs face as she made the moves for her machine. It wasnТt supposed to take this longЧЧSome flashbulbs went off, and I heard my name mentioned somewhere.

Then Maxine launched into a dazzling end game. IТm no chess buff, but I think IТm pretty good. I couldnТt follow her up and down all those dizzying avenues of attack, even if there had been half an hour between moves.

The 5000 countered slowly, and I couldnТt really tell who had the advantage. Numerically we were about even.

Sonia sighed and moved her Bishop. УStalemate,Ф she said.

УThank you,Ф I said. УYou have lovely hands,Ф and I left.

No one tried to stop me, except for the representative of the local chess club, because I hadnТt done anything wrong.

As we drove home, Maxine said: УWe can do it.Ф

УWe can?Ф

УYes. I know just how he works now. HeТs a wonderful machine, but I can beat him.Ф

УThen how come he stalemated you back there?Ф

УI let him do it. I didnТt have to beat him to find out what I wanted to know. HeТs never been beaten yet, and I didnТt see any point in disgracing him in front of all those chess people.Ф

I didnТt like the way she accented that last word, but I let it go without comment.

In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of Sonia KronstadtТs Mercedes. She followed me home, drove around the block a couple of times, and vanished.

==========

Over the weeks, I had obtained all the equipment I needed, including the paraffin for the chewing gum molds.

The Seekfax 5000 had been flown in from Massachusetts and was going to be flown back. It had to be transported to and from the airport, however, in a truck. So I was about to become a hijacker.

I buttoned down my red-and-white-striped blazer, used my handkerchief to dust off my spats, smoothed my white trousers, adjusted my red silk Ascot and my big black false mustache, stuffed more cotton into my cheeks, put on my straw hat and picked up my canvas sack and what was apparently my alligator-hide sample case. I had this outfit on over slacks and a sport shirt, which made me hot as well as florid.

I waited around the corner from the delivery dock.