"FWLS51" - читать интересную книгу автора (A Future We'd Like to See)

HOW?!

I COULD turn around and start digging through their minds,
but it only works on surprised people, who have naturally lowered
defenses. Crazed technicians who wanted your blood didn't fall
into my vulnerability window.

"Dive into the next door you see! Then split up!" Benton
yelled, breath huffing. I spotted an EMPLOYEES ONLY door up
ahead, pulled it open, and ran directly into a wall.

Two minutes passed, my mind swimming around the nowhere land
of unconsciousness. What idiot puts a brick wall directly behind
a DOOR? I mean, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the
simple two-way portal?

When I came to, I noticed a few things. One was that the
three Engineers had recovered the box and were arm-twisting my
buddies. The other was the small crowd of salesmen bearing
DOORS, INC suitcases, wondering why I tried to enter the new X-
306 prototype model leaning against the wall.

I would have sat there and mused on the sheer silliness of
the entire situation if it weren't for the fact that an enraged
engineer had pulled me to my feet and was shaking me around.

"Thought you could steal our brainchild and get away with
it, huh?" the Engineer spat. "We don't take kindly to pilfering
students."

"Hey, I was going to return it once I was done..." I lied,
trying to break the grip. Surprisingly muscular for High High
students... must be all the heavy equipment they lifted on a
daily basis.

There was a high-pitched scream of pain, and one of the
engineers collapsed to the ground. Apparently Jody had managed
to work one of her hands to crotch level, and done something too
horrible to mention. She elbowed the guy in the stomach, and
ripped open her computer-storage satchel. Before anybody could
react, she had a neural jack cord wrapped around the neck of my
captor. I dropped from his grip, tumbling to the floor.

"Okay, let go of the artist there and nobody gets hurt," she
hissed. She was in Full Tantrum Mode; not to be reckoned with.
Like most humans, the Engineer behind Benton panicked at the
sight of this out-of-control girl, and let go of Benton.

"Over to the terminal," she said, nodding her head back to