know?”
She pointed to her terminal. “I have a note here on your profile. It came up when you walked in.”
“I hadn't planned on it, but I suppose I could,” he said. “I could use the exercise.”
“I'll buzz you when they're ready,” she said.
Keith began to step away, then turned and went back to the counter. “What happened to Maria?”
“Nothing that I know of. Reassigned, I would think. How long was she here?”
“I don't know. About as long as I have been,” he said.
“Are you staying?”
He tapped the counter with his hand and walked away. The conversation didn't feel real. Something strange appeared to be going on, but he had no idea why he felt that way.
He poked his head into Carl's office on his way back to his own. “Good morning,” he said.
Carl turned around from his terminal. “Good to see you. Ready for a long day? I see that a lot has gone on the last few hours,” he said while pointing at his terminal.
“I'm ready,” Keith said. When he darted back into the hall, a strange sensation came over him. What was it? Was there something different about Carl's office? He stepped into his office and switched on his terminal before sitting down. He closed his eyes for a moment to recall his short time with Carl and realized what bothered him. Carl's terminal had displayed a security report. Was he checking up on Keith?
It didn't matter. Not now.
Keith rushed through a handful of maintenance reports, standard ones, plumbing and electrical. A number of the electrical reports were from the same area, which usually meant that a section would have to be evacuated so that a rewiring could be done. The whole idea had him wondering how old Newcity was. The complex, as Nellie called it, could have been named Newcity many years ago. Were there other complexes? Newer ones?
Keith shook his head. He worked slowly, reading the reports more closely as he passed from one to another. He wasn't even half-way through the electrical service reports when he switched to the security reports. His hand shook as he read through the first two. Hours ago, long before his alarm woke him, an exit three-quarters of the way across the complex went down. It was near the place where the electrical system was failing. He went back several reports. The electrical problems actually started near the exit and moved vertically several stories, then stopped being an issue.
He rolled through more security reports until he found one near where the electrical reports had quit showing up. This time, it was a mechanical problem with one of the doors. No wonder it was hard to figure out how the boy got in.
Keith checked the time each occurrence was reported and felt that he could tell how fast the boy moved through the maze. What he didn't know was why the boy came into the complex at all. What purpose could he possibly have for hiding in an alcove?
Reading the reports more closely caused time to slow for Keith. Like a dream, time appeared to wait until he was ready for it to go forward. The differences between the times the reports were entered and the real time it was in his office began to shorten. Keith read and watched. He could imagine the boy with the bullet hole in his forehead as he moved through the maze of stairwells and hallways – how could he be among people and not be recognized? The entire process shifted his sense of reality until finally, and without expecting it, a fresh report came through for the door connected to the alcove that he had seen the boy sitting in just yesterday, and as soon as he recognized the location, he was buzzed.
Keith jumped.
“The reports are ready,” the new girl said.
“I…I…ah, okay. I'll be right out.” This time Keith flipped through a few more reports, glancing to be sure that they were standard service requests. He let the terminal stand at a waste receptacle problem somewhere across the complex. He got up
She pointed to her terminal. “I have a note here on your profile. It came up when you walked in.”
“I hadn't planned on it, but I suppose I could,” he said. “I could use the exercise.”
“I'll buzz you when they're ready,” she said.
Keith began to step away, then turned and went back to the counter. “What happened to Maria?”
“Nothing that I know of. Reassigned, I would think. How long was she here?”
“I don't know. About as long as I have been,” he said.
“Are you staying?”
He tapped the counter with his hand and walked away. The conversation didn't feel real. Something strange appeared to be going on, but he had no idea why he felt that way.
He poked his head into Carl's office on his way back to his own. “Good morning,” he said.
Carl turned around from his terminal. “Good to see you. Ready for a long day? I see that a lot has gone on the last few hours,” he said while pointing at his terminal.
“I'm ready,” Keith said. When he darted back into the hall, a strange sensation came over him. What was it? Was there something different about Carl's office? He stepped into his office and switched on his terminal before sitting down. He closed his eyes for a moment to recall his short time with Carl and realized what bothered him. Carl's terminal had displayed a security report. Was he checking up on Keith?
It didn't matter. Not now.
Keith rushed through a handful of maintenance reports, standard ones, plumbing and electrical. A number of the electrical reports were from the same area, which usually meant that a section would have to be evacuated so that a rewiring could be done. The whole idea had him wondering how old Newcity was. The complex, as Nellie called it, could have been named Newcity many years ago. Were there other complexes? Newer ones?
Keith shook his head. He worked slowly, reading the reports more closely as he passed from one to another. He wasn't even half-way through the electrical service reports when he switched to the security reports. His hand shook as he read through the first two. Hours ago, long before his alarm woke him, an exit three-quarters of the way across the complex went down. It was near the place where the electrical system was failing. He went back several reports. The electrical problems actually started near the exit and moved vertically several stories, then stopped being an issue.
He rolled through more security reports until he found one near where the electrical reports had quit showing up. This time, it was a mechanical problem with one of the doors. No wonder it was hard to figure out how the boy got in.
Keith checked the time each occurrence was reported and felt that he could tell how fast the boy moved through the maze. What he didn't know was why the boy came into the complex at all. What purpose could he possibly have for hiding in an alcove?
Reading the reports more closely caused time to slow for Keith. Like a dream, time appeared to wait until he was ready for it to go forward. The differences between the times the reports were entered and the real time it was in his office began to shorten. Keith read and watched. He could imagine the boy with the bullet hole in his forehead as he moved through the maze of stairwells and hallways – how could he be among people and not be recognized? The entire process shifted his sense of reality until finally, and without expecting it, a fresh report came through for the door connected to the alcove that he had seen the boy sitting in just yesterday, and as soon as he recognized the location, he was buzzed.
Keith jumped.
“The reports are ready,” the new girl said.
“I…I…ah, okay. I'll be right out.” This time Keith flipped through a few more reports, glancing to be sure that they were standard service requests. He let the terminal stand at a waste receptacle problem somewhere across the complex. He got up
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