"Mack Reynolds - Ability Quotient" - читать интересную книгу автора (Reynolds Mack)

Service Cross, Bronze Star and Silver Star, both with clusters. There is a
mistake in my National Data Banks priority rating. I wish to have it
protested."

There was a long moment before the screen said, impassively. "There is
no mistake in your priority rating, sir. However, since you have protested,
the matter will he investigated. You will be notified."

Chapter Five
Well, there was nothing more he could do with the data bank foul-up at
this point. He returned to the auto-teacher, sighed and sat down before
the screen. "Kay," he said. "English Literature One."

The screen lit up and he began to flick pages.

When he had finished, he looked down at his chronometer and scowled.
If anything, the second hand seemed to be going slower than ever. He
wondered if this thing was accelerating. He went on to Elementary
Chemistry and on completing that suddenly felt weary of it all. He took
one of the green pills, sat down at the desk phone screen and gave Jim
Hawkins' identity number.

Jim's less than handsome face faded in. He was obviously on his pocket
transceiver phone. He said, "Hi, old buddy. Where've you been?"

"Getting over a hangover. Where are you?"

"Auto-Cafeteria 32. It's on the ground floor of the Ad building."

"See you," Bert said.
 In the hall, as he waited for the special elevator, he looked up and down
the corridor. He could see the doors of four other suites and he wondered
vaguely who lived in them. Marsh had said that this level was reserved for
V.I.P.s.

On the street level, he had a little difficulty in locating the
Auto-Cafeteria, since the building was largely strange to him. However, he
asked questions a couple of times from passing students and found it. The
students evidently took him for an instructor, his age being what it was,
and possibly his conservatively cut but expensive clothing being unlike
their own.

Auto-Cafeteria 32 was on the large side and even at this time of day
must have held two thousand. He wandered around until he finally spotted
Jim Hawkins who was sitting at a table with three others. As Bert Alshuler
came nearer he recognized Jill Masterson, the perky little brunette Jim
was currently hot after. The others were strangers.

Jim introduced them and last names were promptly forgotten They
were named Clyde and Betty, had some classes in common with Jim—and