"Davis, Jerry - Justification" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davis Jerry)

station on Harding Way, deep within the Old Town. Buildings of
brick and concrete a hundred years old stood quietly crumbling
amid the hustle and cries of street salesmen. Dale passed
prostitutes who had current wires braided through their hair and
into their scalp, and skinny teenage boys offering little bags of
pale blue powder, a drug called "Carny" which was actually the
processed spoor of some South American beetle. "It's like going to
a circus!" one told Dale. An Asian man in a black coat stood in a
doorway, watching him, and Dale realized the doorway belonged to
the address where he was supposed to meet Vlad.
"Hi," Dale said. "You work here?"
"What's your name?" the man asked.
"Dale."
"Come inside." He opened the door and ushered him though.
Dale was surprised, the inside looked like it had once been a
church. There were pews and an alter, and discolored paint on the
wall that marked where a huge cross used to hang. "You here to get
a doodad installed?"
"A doodad?" echoed Dale.
"A pleasure interface." His eyes bore into Dale's own. "No?"
"No. I was supposed to meet my lawyer----"
"Okay! Sorry, my mistake. Right this way." He led Dale
across the room and through another door. The room beyond was
small, cluttered with piles of computer decks and peripherals, and
had one large stained-glass window. In the corner was a chair with
a skull cap attached, an old cerebral induction setup. "Take a
seat, Vlad should be here any minute. I'll be right back." He left
and closed the door behind him, leaving Dale alone. Dale shivered.
It was cold and clammy, and smelled of mildew.
He sat in the induction chair and waited. Twenty minutes
went by, and Dale was just about ready to get up and leave when he
heard laughing voices and footsteps approaching. The door opened
and Vlad and the oriental man walked in, stifling their laughter.
It gave Dale the impression that they were laughing about him.
"Hey, Dale, are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Let's get started right now. Professor Aki here is
going to put you in a simple Alpha trance and we're going to feed
the essay into your subconscious. After we're sure it's firmly in
your memory and your attitude toward it is very positive, you're
going to write it out. I'll take it from there, and hand deliver
it to the local Census office. And you've got a new start! Okay?
Ready?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Aki, let's do it."
Professor Aki adjusted the skull cap and then turned to a
computer terminal. He hit a few buttons and suddenly, against his
will, Dale felt himself relax. Consciousness dropped away like a
stone falling down a deep, black well.
Consciousness came back like a car slamming into a wall.