falling. Her hands clutched at the orthogel chair she was sitting in, and her eyes finally closed.
At that moment she had an oppressive sensation of somebody else being there with her. Her fingers gripped the chair again, only it seemed to her now that she felt some slight pressure back.
Her eyes snapped open, suddenly very much awake. Cautiously she pressed her fingers again into the chair, this time in order. There was a slight pause and then she felt a counterpressure back. But it wasn’t in the same order. It was the same sequence, in reverse!
Somebody using the orthogel to communicate with her. It could only be Six. Hmm! Perhaps that no-name from Kwaide was good for something after all! Surreptitiously, she moved her fingers against the chair, this time in a different order. It was immediately repeated to her, an exact copy of her message. She smiled radiantly. Yes!
“I said something which amused you?” Atheron was enquiring.
“Well, I . . .”
“I am glad to see that you appreciate the irony of the chronicles.”
Diva bent her head. “Yes, it is very . . . strange . . . isn’t it?”
“Keep on like this and I’m sure we’ll find ourselves in commontime again.”
He used that carrot every day. “Great,” she said, unconvinced.
“Then you must work harder to achieve it.”
She tried to put on a discouraged expression, but really she was exultant. Who would have thought she would be so anxious to communicate with that irritating boy from Kwaide! She didn’t much care who she talked to any more, as long as it wasn’t Atheron.
She frowned for a second. But how could they understand each other? And then her brow cleared. Of course. Next time they met they could work out some sort of a code, though it would have to be without being watched or heard by Atheron. She couldn’t even imagine what the punishment would be for secretly talking to another apprentice.
Diva raised her head to the interscreen, and found it all of a sudden much easier to pay due attention to her lessons. It was only a remote type of personal contact, but it would be so very, very much better than nothing at all.
Six was in the middle of a problem when he felt the sides of the chair press against his fingers. He thought straightaway of the girl from Coriolis. He had only seen her twice since they arrived, and the last time had been months ago. It seemed they were both very bad students, undeserving of commontime. It had to be her. Nobody else would be trying to contact him. So she had finally decided that he was better than nothing! How the mighty were fallen! Six returned the pressure, finding no difficulty in multi-tasking and managing at the same time to listen with an attentive expression to his teacher. Over the last months his mind had sharpened, and he no longer found such long periods of concentration difficult. He was quicker to learn. He raised an eyebrow as he was forced to admit it. He was sharper mentally and physically. Amazing what being shut up in a bubble or two could do for you! But to be able to talk to somebody all the time . . . now that would make a difference! Even if it was Diva, who was living under the incomprehensible illusion that she was better than him!
Renewed, his fingers drummed out a staccato music on the chair, and then danced up and down happily as it was returned to him. They would have to work out a code, he thought. He would make a special effort in the next few days and with luck Atheron would give them some commontime. He thanked Cian that she had found out how to do this. He was sure he would have turned into some type of zombie without any fellow Sacran contact. If you could call Diva Sacran, that was. He was inclined to think she belonged to a different system altogether.
It was another three days until they managed to get their half an hour together, and by then Six had had time to think out a code. He realized that if Atheron became aware of what they were doing he would
At that moment she had an oppressive sensation of somebody else being there with her. Her fingers gripped the chair again, only it seemed to her now that she felt some slight pressure back.
Her eyes snapped open, suddenly very much awake. Cautiously she pressed her fingers again into the chair, this time in order. There was a slight pause and then she felt a counterpressure back. But it wasn’t in the same order. It was the same sequence, in reverse!
Somebody using the orthogel to communicate with her. It could only be Six. Hmm! Perhaps that no-name from Kwaide was good for something after all! Surreptitiously, she moved her fingers against the chair, this time in a different order. It was immediately repeated to her, an exact copy of her message. She smiled radiantly. Yes!
“I said something which amused you?” Atheron was enquiring.
“Well, I . . .”
“I am glad to see that you appreciate the irony of the chronicles.”
Diva bent her head. “Yes, it is very . . . strange . . . isn’t it?”
“Keep on like this and I’m sure we’ll find ourselves in commontime again.”
He used that carrot every day. “Great,” she said, unconvinced.
“Then you must work harder to achieve it.”
She tried to put on a discouraged expression, but really she was exultant. Who would have thought she would be so anxious to communicate with that irritating boy from Kwaide! She didn’t much care who she talked to any more, as long as it wasn’t Atheron.
She frowned for a second. But how could they understand each other? And then her brow cleared. Of course. Next time they met they could work out some sort of a code, though it would have to be without being watched or heard by Atheron. She couldn’t even imagine what the punishment would be for secretly talking to another apprentice.
Diva raised her head to the interscreen, and found it all of a sudden much easier to pay due attention to her lessons. It was only a remote type of personal contact, but it would be so very, very much better than nothing at all.
Six was in the middle of a problem when he felt the sides of the chair press against his fingers. He thought straightaway of the girl from Coriolis. He had only seen her twice since they arrived, and the last time had been months ago. It seemed they were both very bad students, undeserving of commontime. It had to be her. Nobody else would be trying to contact him. So she had finally decided that he was better than nothing! How the mighty were fallen! Six returned the pressure, finding no difficulty in multi-tasking and managing at the same time to listen with an attentive expression to his teacher. Over the last months his mind had sharpened, and he no longer found such long periods of concentration difficult. He was quicker to learn. He raised an eyebrow as he was forced to admit it. He was sharper mentally and physically. Amazing what being shut up in a bubble or two could do for you! But to be able to talk to somebody all the time . . . now that would make a difference! Even if it was Diva, who was living under the incomprehensible illusion that she was better than him!
Renewed, his fingers drummed out a staccato music on the chair, and then danced up and down happily as it was returned to him. They would have to work out a code, he thought. He would make a special effort in the next few days and with luck Atheron would give them some commontime. He thanked Cian that she had found out how to do this. He was sure he would have turned into some type of zombie without any fellow Sacran contact. If you could call Diva Sacran, that was. He was inclined to think she belonged to a different system altogether.
It was another three days until they managed to get their half an hour together, and by then Six had had time to think out a code. He realized that if Atheron became aware of what they were doing he would
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