DeathWeb (Fox Meridian Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

then someone with basic security training, or even some local guy with barely any training at all, can do it. I’m confident of my software, Marie.’
    ‘And I am… reasonably confident of my hardware design,’ Jackson said. ‘There may be a little rapid prototyping involved, but I’m sure we’ll have everything ready for the presentation.’
    ‘Do I at least get to try it out?’ Marie asked.
    ‘We make sure it fits,’ Fox said, ‘and that it interfaces properly with your implant, but that’s it. We really want you to put the thing on and just do what it tells you.’
    Terri grimaced. ‘We’d normally at least try this out before we do it for real in front of an audience. I guess there’s nothing wrong with trying it in the lab with another tester. Wow. Now I’m nervous.’
    ‘It will make an exceptional demonstration of the capabilities of the system,’ Jackson said. ‘All we have to do now is make it work. However, Marie, that is not your concern. If you’re happy to do this, we’ll pay standard rates for the week. There’s a stand in the vendor hall which we can put you to work on, handing out leaflets, sweet-talking the delegates, and we’ll get you out to demo the harness. And after that, I think, we’ll have you in it on the stand because people will want to see it up close. Yes, I believe this is going to work quite well.’ His attention shifted to Fox. ‘You need to talk to Dia. She’s sorting out the debates and lectures we plan to get involved in. I’ll tell her about the presentation plans.’
    Fox nodded, sagging a little. ‘Yeah. So, Marie, you up for this? You can say no, but it’s paid work.’
    ‘And on a stage,’ Marie said, grinning a little. ‘I’ll do it. It’s for a good cause anyway.’
    ‘Which good cause is that?’ Fox asked.
    ‘Oh, I could really do with some better clothes for doing casting calls in.’
    11 th June.
    ‘The crew are having some difficulty getting the fabricator equipment into position,’ Vaughn said, her avatar shuffling a little in its virtual seat. ‘I’ve a list of excuses. Extra precision required in the support structures. Unusual size of some of the components causing difficulty. Basically, however, it comes down to Monday before the fabricator is in place and then they’ll need another day to clean up and make sure everything’s finished off properly.’
    Sam, who would not normally be sitting in on a Palladium board meeting, shrugged. ‘My apartment is paid through the end of the month. I was not planning to move in a hurry. I’ve never got to do it in a leisurely, measured fashion before and I plan to enjoy it.’
    ‘Jackson’s been informed?’ Fox asked. ‘He was keen on getting that fabricator to build him prototypes for the new hardware.’
    ‘He knows,’ Vaughn replied. ‘He’s been keeping a watch on the workmen ever since they started on the installation.’
    ‘Uh-huh, and I think my house guest will be okay with waiting on moving back for an extra couple of days. Marie?’
    ‘I’m fine. More time for acting practice. Once we’re back over there, I have to do housekeeping things too.’
    ‘Since we have our “demo dolly” here,’ Eaves said, almost keeping the smirk off his face, ‘perhaps we could discuss the conference?’
    ‘Pretty sure that’s a politically incorrect term,’ Fox told him, ‘but I’ll accept it once since she is a real doll. In the old, Hollywood sense of the word.’
    ‘You’re not really old enough to remember Hollywood,’ Sam pointed out.
    ‘I like old movies. Some of them.’
    ‘And they still do stage versions of Guys and Dolls in Chicago,’ Marie put in. ‘I can live with being a demo dolly. Especially since the contract came through and Mister Martins’ idea of standard rates is apparently a little higher than most people’s.’
    ‘You were thinking of standard rates for actors, I’d imagine,’ Eaves told her. ‘He was thinking of standard rates for short-term