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.Maya had spent her life avoiding the Vast Machine, but now shehad to trigger all their sensors and escape without being captured.She wassure the Tabula computer programs were searching the Vast Machine for avariety of data including the use of Michael's credit card.If the card wasreported as stolen, then she might have to deal with security guards who knewnothing about the Tabula.Harlequins avoided injuring citizens or drones, butsometimes it was necessary for survival.After checking out the rest of the hotels on the strip, she decided that theNewYork New York Hotel gave her the most options for escape.Maya spent theafternoon at a shop run by the Salvation Army where she acquired two usedsuitcases and men's clothes.She bought a toiletry kit and filled it with a can of shaving cream, ahalf-used tube of toothpaste, and a toothbrush, which she rubbed on theconcrete outside her cabin.The final detail was the most important: road mapswith pencil marks indicating a coast-to-coast trip with New York City as thefinal destination.Gabriel had left his helmet, gloves, and motorcycle jacket in the van.Back atthe tourist cabin, Maya pulled on the riding gear.It felt as if Gabriel'sskin, his presence, surrounded her.Maya had owned a motor scooter when shelived in London, but theItalian-made motorcycle was a large and powerful machine.It was difficult tosteer the bike, and whenever she shifted gears she heard a grinding sound.That evening she left the motorcycle in the New York New York Hotel parkinglotand used a pay phone to reserve a suite.Twenty minutes later she entered thehotel's massive atrium and approached the front desk carrying her suitcases."My husband made the reservation," she explained to the desk clerk."He'sflying in later tonight."The clerk was a muscular young man with a blond haze of close-cropped hair.Helooked as if he should be running a summer sports camp in Switzerland."Hopeyou two have a fun weekend," he said, and then asked for some form ofidentification.Maya handed over her fake passport and Michael Corrigan's credit card.Numbersflowed from the desk computer to a master computer and then onward to amainframe somewhere in the world.Maya watched the clerk's face intently,looking for a slight tension if the words stolen card appeared on the monitorscreen.She was ready to lie, to run, to kill if necessary but the clerksmiled and gave her a plastic card key.When Maya entered the elevator she wasrequired to slide the card into a slot and punch the correct floor number.Nowthe hotel computer knew exactly where she was: in the elevator going up to thefourteenth floor.The two-room suite had a huge television.The furniture and bathroom fixtureswere larger than anything to be found in a British hotel.Americans werefairly big people, Maya thought.But it was more than that this was aconscious desire to feel overwhelmed by grand furnishings.Maya heard screaming and then a deep grumbling sound.When she pushed open thecurtains, she saw that a roller coaster was on the roof of a building aboutfive hundred feet away from the window.Ignoring the distraction, she ranwater in the tub and sink, used a bar of soap, and dampened a few towels.Inthe suite's living room, she placed the road maps and a pencil on a sidetable.A paper bag with greasy wrappers from a fast-food restaurant was leftbeside the television.With each piece of trash and clothing, she wasconstructing a little story that would be read and interpreted by a Tabulamercenary.It was about ten minutes since the credit card number had enteredthe Vast Machine.Returning to the bedroom, she opened the suitcases andplaced some of the clothes in a drawer.Maya pulled out the small GermanPage 183ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlautomatic that she had found at Resurrection Auto Parts and slipped it beneatha folded shirt.The gun was the ultimate proof that she had been at the hotel.The Tabulawould never believe that a Harlequin would deliberately give up a weapon.Ifthe police discovered the gun, it would be registered in their database andthe Tabula computers that were searching the Internet would detect itimmediately.Maya was rumpling up the sheets and blankets when she heard a faint click inthe outer room.Someone had pushed a key card into the door lock and now hewas opening the door.Her right hand touched the sword case.She had the Harlequin desire to attackalways attack and destroy the threat to her safety.But that wouldn'taccomplish the true goal, to confuse the Tabula with false information.Mayaglanced around the room and sawa sliding glass door that led to a balcony.She drew the stiletto andapproached the curtains;it took her a few seconds to cut two strips of fabric.The floor creaked in the outer room as the intruder walked softly across thecarpet.Whoever was outside the bedroom door paused for a few seconds and Mayawondered if he was gathering the courage to attack [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]