The Intruder by Greg Krehbiel

it into her mouth.
    "I don't usually eat breakfast," she said. "I just study, or sleep."
    Jeremy noticed a book in her coat pocket, and suddenly realized he hadn't seen one since he'd come to Society. "You're a student?" he asked between bites. "Where do you go to school?"
    "Right here at the Capitol University ," she said, pointing vaguely to her left. "I'm studying anthropology." After a pause she added, "Pretty useless thing to study, huh?"
    "I wouldn't know," Jeremy said quickly, but he didn't want to get into that, so he continued. "You wouldn't happen to have a 10:00 lab in sociology in the Powell Building , would you?"
    Hanna's eyes lit up with surprise. "As a matter of fact, I don't. But I have a friend in that class. Are you a guest lecturer or something?"
    Jeremy laughed. "Nothing so grand. But I'm supposed to be there today." He looked up and studied Hanna's eyes for a moment. He noticed that she was looking straight at him with both eyes. Neither of them wandered. Perhaps her implant wasn't on, he thought, or perhaps she just had good control of her eye muscles.
    His gaze was suddenly distracted by something moving along the sidewalk outside the restaurant. He glanced away from Hanna in time to see a man's form glide past the main plate-glass window. Something about the figure troubled him, and he wanted a second look. It was as if he couldn't focus on the man, or as if he was walking in a mist in the otherwise bright and sunny weather.
    A mirror on the left wall of the restaurant reflected a view of the sidewalk where the man should appear, if he continued in the same direction along the sidewalk, but he wasn't there. Jeremy continued to look for some time.
    "Is something the matter?" Hanna asked.
    "I just saw someone float by, outside. It was really weird."
    Hanna smiled. "It's probably one of those hover-board things. They're all the rave at the university. You get yourself going and you just float along, about a foot off the ground."
    "Maybe," Jeremy said aloud, but he continued to watch the sidewalk. Why did the man look so funny, and why didn't he see him in the mirror?
    "So, uh," Hanna said, struggling not to giggle with embarrassment, "why did you use cash to buy your breakfast? Are you from Australia ?"
    Jeremy looked up. Australia ? What does that have to do with it?
    "No, I just had these coins and I wanted to get rid of them," he said.
    She shook her head disapprovingly. "You could have traded them in with a collector for four times their face value. They're hard to get these days."
    "I didn't know that," Jeremy said, feeling stupid.
    "What time is your first class?" he asked to divert conversation.
    "Nine. And if that means you want me to go, that's okay."
    "No, no, I didn't mean that. Please stay," he said earnestly. "I just ..."
    "You just wanted to change the subject," she finished his thought. "That's okay. But whether you meant it or not, you're right. I need to get going to class." Jeremy watched as she showed the first visible sign of checking her implant. Both her eyes moved up and to the left -- the default position for the clock.
    "I'm sorry," Jeremy said. "I didn't mean to be rude."
    Hanna smiled warmly at him. "You seem like a nice guy, Jeremy. I come here every morning at about eight. Maybe I'll see you sometime." She picked up her coffee cup and left.
    Jeremy sat for a minute, staring into space. He might have gone on like that for some time, but his implant called him back to life.
    From Doctor Berry . Reminder. Ten o'clock , Powell Building , Room Twenty-three A. There's a map in the university page.
    Jeremy activated his clock. He still had about an hour before he'd have to leave. Not another walk! 
    To Doctor Berry . Acknowledged.
    He accessed the university page on the hole and located the Powell Building . There was a large park about a quarter of a mile from the building. He packed up the remains of his breakfast and headed outside to take a leisurely walk in the general direction