"Thomas A. Easton - Silicon Karma" - читать интересную книгу автора (Easton Thomas A)

not wish to be bothered by telemarketers and junk mailers. The solution
had been to isolate the databases from the Internet. And now he was the
victim, and isolation was not possible because both he and his killer
were residents of the system. He had been killed twice since the first
time he had accepted an assignment from the computer. "Third time. I'm
dead."

"But not for long, and not for good. That wasn't ten minutes ago. I
rebooted you right away."

"So who killed me?"

The host shrugged. "It wasn't a real pop-up. I can check what all my
subroutines are doing, and none of them were in the neighborhood."

"Another resident, then. In disguise." Albert made a face and wished,
not for the first time, that the virtual world did not make disguise so
easy. Where everything was data, a wish and a suitable subroutine were
all one needed to reprogram appearance or to materialize a gun. Or a cup
of coffee. He sipped at the mug that now occupied his hand. "I wish you
could do these jobs yourself. It would be easier." He made a face. "And
safer."

"You know why I can't. The company wrote it into my software. No spying.
No eavesdropping, except accidentally, and even then, even if I learn
about a crime, I can't use the knowledge. The idea is to protect your
privacy and keep me from becoming a tyrant."

"And I'm your loophole."

The computer's persona chuckled. "I've got to have a cop, they said.
It's a cumbersome requirement, but I can't do a thing until you catch


file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/Tom%20Easton%20-%20Silicon%20Karma.TXT (2 of 158) [1/3/2005 12:38:20 AM]
 file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/Tom%20Easton%20-%20Silicon%20Karma.TXT

whatever thieves and rapists and whatnots show up within me."

Albert was silent while he wondered whether murder was truly a crime in
the virtual world. Indeed, he thought, it couldn't be. Since the victim
could be promptly rebooted, the deed hardly existed except as theft. The
victim necessarily lost all memory of events since the last B-cup.
Finally, he said, "So we both want to know who shot me." Then he added,
"I'd like to know why too."

"You must have annoyed someone."

He looked disgusted. Of course he had annoyed someone. "But my last
B-cup was three days ago. I haven't got the faintest ..."