firm.
'Manfred.'
I opened the door. Manfred was standing outside, bending down, undoing his canvas sneakers. 'Cow-shit,' he said.
I took them from his outstretched hand and held open the door. 'If you had the bio-dome code, why did you come via the cow-shit?'
'This place is being watched. I came in the back way, using the Museum Services Access Code.'
He stepped in, looking round at the farmhouse table and the messy real food on it: a brown loaf, butter, eggs in a bowl.
'Do you want something to eat?' I said.
'I'm a Natural Nutrition man,' he said, meaning he eats only the most expensive synthetics, protein- and mineral-balanced for optimum health.
I took his sneakers to the sink and started swilling off the cow-shit. 'I had Enforcement round today,' I said. 'Parking fines.'
'That's an excuse,' he said. 'Enforcement wants to arrest you. I expect you know why.'
I didn't answer him. 'If you're looking for your robot, she isn't here.'
'I know that.'
'What else do you know? Or think you know?'
He pulled out a chair. 'Billie, I'm going to call you in the morning and offer you a chance to make the trip to Planet Blue with Moody Media. They were very impressed by your One Minute Special. They need an expert who can communicate. They don't want a scientist-type.'
'I am a scientist-type.'
'You're hiding Unknowns.'
I dropped his shoes into the sink. I didn't look at him. 'Don't talk rubb—'
Manfred grabbed my arm with surprising strength. He held my left forearm up to the light. There was a short, neat scar.
'That was where you had your tagger removed. Your data-chip has been reprocessed.'
'I was acquitted.'
'You were tagged pending further evidence.'
'There was no case against me.'
'Soon you will be under arrest. The parking fines have been cooked up to get you out of here without looking like a martyr. Once Enforcement have got hold of you, even if you're innocent, and I don't believe you are — no, don't argue, listen, even if you're Snow White — it will take you years to prove it.'
'So what are you saying?'
'I'm saying that you're a problem. Enforcement just wants you arrested because when they tried to bring a case against you three years ago — for acts of Terrorism against the State that included aiding, abetting and hiding Unknowns, you got away with it. They don't forgive and they don't forget.'
'I didn't get away with anything. I was tried and acquitted. I was not hiding Unknowns then, and I am not hiding them now.'
'And I am the Man in the Moon. Listen to me, Billie. I've had the go-ahead from the top — the very top — to offer you this one chance to leave quietly. This isn't the time for a big fuss about your arrest. We don't want any crap-headed liberals arguing over admissible evidence. Right now, you are an embarrassment. You're more trouble than you're worth. You bucked the system. That's not allowed. Either we get you this time — or you go. For reasons of the moment, we'd prefer you to go.'
'We?'
'Let's say I'm more than my day-job.'
'An informer?'
'I believe in the system. You don't.'
'No, I don't. It's repressive, corrosive and anti-democratic.'
'Then you'll be very happy on Planet Blue. There is no system.'
'And what happens when I come back?'
He didn't answer.
I started drying his shoes on a towel. 'Are they really coming for me, Manfred?'
'Yes.'
'What will happen to the farm?'
'It's legally yours — unless, of course, you can't clear your parking fines, and then the State may take it in lieu of payment.'
'You mean I'm going to lose the farm whatever happens?'
'No, you could claim the whole parking thing is a fabrication against you — which it is — and then Enforcement will ask to reopen your previous failed conviction on the grounds of new evidence from one of the Unknowns captured in the Space Compound.'
'There is no new evidence against me. There is no old evidence against me. There are no parking fines.'
I handed Manfred his shoes. He put them on. 'Play it
'Manfred.'
I opened the door. Manfred was standing outside, bending down, undoing his canvas sneakers. 'Cow-shit,' he said.
I took them from his outstretched hand and held open the door. 'If you had the bio-dome code, why did you come via the cow-shit?'
'This place is being watched. I came in the back way, using the Museum Services Access Code.'
He stepped in, looking round at the farmhouse table and the messy real food on it: a brown loaf, butter, eggs in a bowl.
'Do you want something to eat?' I said.
'I'm a Natural Nutrition man,' he said, meaning he eats only the most expensive synthetics, protein- and mineral-balanced for optimum health.
I took his sneakers to the sink and started swilling off the cow-shit. 'I had Enforcement round today,' I said. 'Parking fines.'
'That's an excuse,' he said. 'Enforcement wants to arrest you. I expect you know why.'
I didn't answer him. 'If you're looking for your robot, she isn't here.'
'I know that.'
'What else do you know? Or think you know?'
He pulled out a chair. 'Billie, I'm going to call you in the morning and offer you a chance to make the trip to Planet Blue with Moody Media. They were very impressed by your One Minute Special. They need an expert who can communicate. They don't want a scientist-type.'
'I am a scientist-type.'
'You're hiding Unknowns.'
I dropped his shoes into the sink. I didn't look at him. 'Don't talk rubb—'
Manfred grabbed my arm with surprising strength. He held my left forearm up to the light. There was a short, neat scar.
'That was where you had your tagger removed. Your data-chip has been reprocessed.'
'I was acquitted.'
'You were tagged pending further evidence.'
'There was no case against me.'
'Soon you will be under arrest. The parking fines have been cooked up to get you out of here without looking like a martyr. Once Enforcement have got hold of you, even if you're innocent, and I don't believe you are — no, don't argue, listen, even if you're Snow White — it will take you years to prove it.'
'So what are you saying?'
'I'm saying that you're a problem. Enforcement just wants you arrested because when they tried to bring a case against you three years ago — for acts of Terrorism against the State that included aiding, abetting and hiding Unknowns, you got away with it. They don't forgive and they don't forget.'
'I didn't get away with anything. I was tried and acquitted. I was not hiding Unknowns then, and I am not hiding them now.'
'And I am the Man in the Moon. Listen to me, Billie. I've had the go-ahead from the top — the very top — to offer you this one chance to leave quietly. This isn't the time for a big fuss about your arrest. We don't want any crap-headed liberals arguing over admissible evidence. Right now, you are an embarrassment. You're more trouble than you're worth. You bucked the system. That's not allowed. Either we get you this time — or you go. For reasons of the moment, we'd prefer you to go.'
'We?'
'Let's say I'm more than my day-job.'
'An informer?'
'I believe in the system. You don't.'
'No, I don't. It's repressive, corrosive and anti-democratic.'
'Then you'll be very happy on Planet Blue. There is no system.'
'And what happens when I come back?'
He didn't answer.
I started drying his shoes on a towel. 'Are they really coming for me, Manfred?'
'Yes.'
'What will happen to the farm?'
'It's legally yours — unless, of course, you can't clear your parking fines, and then the State may take it in lieu of payment.'
'You mean I'm going to lose the farm whatever happens?'
'No, you could claim the whole parking thing is a fabrication against you — which it is — and then Enforcement will ask to reopen your previous failed conviction on the grounds of new evidence from one of the Unknowns captured in the Space Compound.'
'There is no new evidence against me. There is no old evidence against me. There are no parking fines.'
I handed Manfred his shoes. He put them on. 'Play it
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