A Stainless Steel Rat Is Born

Начало книги

As I approached the front door of The First Bank of Bit O'Heaven, it sensed my presence and swung open with an automatic welcome. I stepped briskly through - and stopped. But I was just far enough inside so that the door was unable to close behind me. While it was sliding shut I took the arc pen from my bag - then spun about just as it had closed completely. I had stopwatched its mechanical reflex time on other trips to the bank, so I knew that I had just 1.67 seconds to do the necessary. Time enough.

The arc buzzed and flared and welded the door securely to its frame. After this all the door could do was buzz helplessly, immobile, until something in the mechanism shorted out and it produced some crackling sparks, then died.

"Destruction of bank property is a crime. You are under arrest." As it was speaking, the robot bank guard reached out its large padded hands to seize and hold me until the police arrived.

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