Part 56 (1/2)

”Like can you wire locks or memorize messages or get past a Minder or get stuff out of the lab?”

'Stasi's eyes got wider and wider.

”Catlin and Florian can do all that. They can kill people, for real. Take your head off with a wire. Pop. Just like that. Sam can get tools and wire and stuff. Maddy can get office stuff.” And eyeshadow. ”Tommy can get all kinds of stuff and what Amy and I do, you don't need to know about. What can you get?”

'Stasi got a more and more desperate look. ”My mama and my dad manage Ramirez's. Ramirez's. A lot of stuff, I guess. What do you need?” A lot of stuff, I guess. What do you need?”

She knew that already. Ramirez's Ramirez's was a North Hall restaurant. was a North Hall restaurant.

”Mmmmn,” she said. ”Knives and stuff.”

”I could,” 'Stasi said earnestly. ”Or food. Or most anything like that. And my uncle's a flight controller. All sorts of airline stuff-”

”All right. That part's good enough. Here's the rest. If you get in and you do anything stupid and get caught, you don't talk about us. You say it was just you. But you don't get get caught. And you don't bring anybody here without asking. And you don't tell anybody about us. Hear?” caught. And you don't bring anybody here without asking. And you don't tell anybody about us. Hear?”

'Stasi nodded soberly.

”Swear?”

'Stasi nodded.

'Stasi didn't talk much. Like Sam. That was a good sign.

”I vote yes,” Ari said. And Sam nodded, then. She looked at Florian and Catlin.

They didn't look like it was a bad idea. Catlin always frowned when she was considering somebody.

”They say all right,” Ari said.

So everybody climbed over the pipe and sat down: it was clean. Florian and Catlin always made sure the sitting place was, because otherwise people could tell they were running around in dusty places.

And Florian and Catlin just squatted down when they were relaxing.

So they got down to business, which was her telling a lot about the trip to Novgorod-Sam had his new sweater on and so did Tommy, and Maddy wore her scarf, but Amy's pin was too good to wear to cla.s.ses. Then they talked about the party Maddy was going to have, which they they were all going to be invites to, and Maddy was happy, about 'Stasi getting in, and about being important for a while. were all going to be invites to, and Maddy was happy, about 'Stasi getting in, and about being important for a while.

It was true Maddy was an early developer. The way Maddy sat and the way the light came up from their makes.h.i.+ft table showed that, real plain; and she was always slinking around and fluttering at the boys.

Tommy took it all right. It really bothered Sam: poor Sam had grown up big and he was in kind of a clumsy stage, because he grew so fast, Tommy said, but Sam was mostly always banging his head on things-like he was always misjudging how tall he was. He was quick as Florian when it came to fixing something, his fingers were so fast it was amazing to watch him, and he could figure out mechanical things very fast.

Sam also was in love with her, sort of, Sam always had been, like he wanted really truly to be a special friend, but she never let him, because she just didn't feel that close to Sam from her side; and it made her mad when she saw how he took Maddy seriously and worried about it, like he knew he wasn't really part of the House, and he lived down next to the Town. Maddy was rich and that wasn't ever going to come to anything, no more than Sam with her.

She had all this figured out, in a years-away mode, that none of them were really serious yet, but Sam was born serious, and Maddy was on on ever since she learned there was a difference in boys and girls. ever since she learned there was a difference in boys and girls.

She knew. You didn't breed guppies and study horses without figuring out how knew. You didn't breed guppies and study horses without figuring out how that that worked, and why all of a sudden boys and girls were getting around to teasing each other. worked, and why all of a sudden boys and girls were getting around to teasing each other.

She wasn't terribly interested. She resented the whole process. It made everybody act stupid, and it was a complication when you were trying to set things up with people.

Then she saw Maddy fake a trip when they were going out and nudge Florian with her hip.

You didn't push Florian: people b.u.mping him scared him. But he recovered fast and put his arm out and she grabbed it, lucky she hadn't landed against the wall, because Florian had learned in Novgorod not to react too suddenly when they were in crowds.

Maddy managed to put her hands on his shoulders and laugh and pretend to catch her balance before she got out the door.

What Maddy didn't see was the funny look Florian gave her retreating back.

But Ari did. He was still wearing it when he looked back at her, like he thought he had just been Got in some vague way and wasn't sure whether he had reacted right or not.

She didn't help him out either. And she doubted Catlin understood.

v It was a long time since Justin had come into Denys Nye's office. The last visit came back all too strongly: the heavy-set man at the desk, every detail of the room.

Giraud Nye's brother. One never forgot that either.

”Yanni said,” Justin began, at the door, ”you were willing to talk with me.”

”Certainly. Sit down.”

He came and sat down, and Denys leaned forward, hands on the desk. There was a dish of pastilles. Denys took one, offered the dish across the desk.

”No, ser, thank you.”

Denys popped one in his mouth, leaned back with a creak of the chair, and folded his hands on his stomach. ”Yanni sent me your work. He says you want to go Test. You're pretty confident about this one, are you?”

”Yes, ser. I am. It's a simple program. Nothing at all fancy. I don't think it'll have to run long.”

”I don't think it's a problem that the Test Division can show us much about. Jordan says it'll run, it'll run without a glitch. The trouble with your work, after all, isn't isn't what it does in generation one or even two. If it were, we-wouldn't have a problem with it, would we? We could just install and go.” what it does in generation one or even two. If it were, we-wouldn't have a problem with it, would we? We could just install and go.”

Grant had arguments for the run too, azi-view. Grant Grant understood how the Testers worked: Grant could do what the Testers did. But it was the last place he was going to say anything on that score, not if it cost him his chance, not if it was the one and only chance he would ever have. understood how the Testers worked: Grant could do what the Testers did. But it was the last place he was going to say anything on that score, not if it cost him his chance, not if it was the one and only chance he would ever have.

Nothing-was worth Grant's safety.

”I value the Testers' opinion,” he said quietly. ”And their experience. They have a viewpoint the computers can't give me; that's why we go to them last, isn't it?”

”That's why their time is more valuable. But they still can't answer the multi-generational problem.”

”I don't know, ser, I have a great deal of confidence in their emotional judgment. And the run would give me a lot if it could turn up anything, any any sort of input. Jordan is saying it should run. He isn't saying that just because he's my father, ser. Not to me. Not on something that important.” sort of input. Jordan is saying it should run. He isn't saying that just because he's my father, ser. Not to me. Not on something that important.”

Denys gave a slight, sad smile, and sighed. The chair creaked as he leaned forward and leaned his elbows on the table. And pushed a b.u.t.ton. The bone-deep hum of the Silencer enveloped them, afflicting the nerves and unsettling the stomach. ”But the problem is beyond a twenty-year study even if we gave you a full run with a geneset. That's the crux of it. Ultimately, proving whether you're right or wrong would take a Gehenna-style run. Twenty generations, generations, not twenty years. We're just d.a.m.n shy of planets to hand you. And what do we do with the culture that turns out if you're wrong? Nuke it? That's the scale you work on, son.” not twenty years. We're just d.a.m.n shy of planets to hand you. And what do we do with the culture that turns out if you're wrong? Nuke it? That's the scale you work on, son.”

He heard no no coming, in a slow, sarcastic way, and bit his lip and controlled his temper. ”Kind of like Emory,” he said, bitterly. Ultimate hubris, in Reseune. And almost said: coming, in a slow, sarcastic way, and bit his lip and controlled his temper. ”Kind of like Emory,” he said, bitterly. Ultimate hubris, in Reseune. And almost said: if your committee had had to vet her projects we'd still be a d.a.m.n production farm. if your committee had had to vet her projects we'd still be a d.a.m.n production farm.

But then he was in no wise sure what Emory had done twenty or thirty generations down, or how far, or whether Union itself worked, Denys' Gehenna-reference chilled him.

”Kind of like Emory,” Denys said slowly, without inflection. ”I'll tell you, Sociology has been mightily upset with your designs-the suggestion that they might have turned up a flaw in the projection programs, you know. You've given the programmers over there some sleepless nights. And quite honestly, we haven't spilled the fact to Defense. You know how excited they get.”

”I've never thought of going to them.”

”Never?”