"Williamson, Michael Z - Freehold 01 - Freehold" - читать интересную книгу автора (Michael Z. Williamson - Freehold (BAEN) (v5) [htm jpg])

you—"

"Sorry," Kendra replied, waving the folder, "I've gotta take care of this for the
lieutenant right now." The old trick of looking busy had always seemed rather shallow
before. It now had a whole new meaning. She stepped outside, whipped her hat on and


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tried to walk slowly to her car, as if she were running an errand. Unlocking it, she
climbed in and discovered an overnight bag on the passenger seat. As she started the
engine, she glanced in. Street clothes, socks, shoes, underwear and some cash cards. Tom
must have used a security code to override her dorm room lock. She hoped that wasn't
traceable, but he was good at such things. That had made her nervous, when she
discovered he could crack codes and bypass records. Now she thanked Tom silently
while backing out carefully. A wreck now would really be hell. Could this really be
happening? She had to believe him, but it seemed so unreal.

The UN Bureau of Security was not known for its polite inquiries into alleged
crimes. If they believed a person was involved with "improper activity" or "activity
prejudicial to the public good," they proceeded to investigate thoroughly. The accused
was held incommunicado, all assets seized and in-depth interviews conducted with the
accused and any family or friends who might be involved. If they suspected any
dissemblance, they could always revert to the clauses that gave them authority to hold the
accused until they were satisfied. There were also numerous rarely enforced laws they
could invoke to continue their efforts. The story was that they only used those tactics
against someone they couldn't prosecute any other way, but Kendra had recently come to
believe, in part due to vids Tom had shown her, that those tactics were unfair and
designed to make the prosecutors look good, not do justice to the accused. She'd been
creeped enough by his near-sedition to stop seeing him. There were enough
antigovernment activists in America now without having to deal with out-and-out traitors.

It had a whole new feel now, she reflected briefly as she drove out of the logistics
zone of the sprawling base. They thought she was guilty. Several tens of millions of
marks worth of property had gone missing during the Mtali mission. She'd done the file
search, at the request of the chain of command, to determine how much. That was the
total extent of her involvement. She knew she was innocent and they couldn't prove
otherwise . . . or could they? "The wicked flee when no man pursueth" didn't apply when
circumstances dictated that both guilty and innocent alike should wisely flee for their
lives. She shivered slightly. Did she really want to leave? Wouldn't it be better to trust in
her innocence? Where could she go?

She aged ten years in the six blocks to the gate, then relaxed very slightly when she
saw Tom in the booth. What is he getting himself into? she asked herself. The traffic
control outside the gate signaled a stop and she aged ten more years. Behind her, she
could see the barricades rising and swallowed hard. That made it rather permanent, she
thought. She picked a route north into Maryland and kept the car on manual. She didn't
know how long it would be before an override signal got her. She'd have to lose the car.
She had no idea how, or where to go after that. Off planet, maybe? The Orbitals were not
as strict on ID, but fleeing criminals were captured regularly. Outsystem? But where?