when he came to class. Something must've happened before—the reason he was late, maybe. And he was trying to rattle us— specifically us, our Team." Which was, she thought, weird. What could Four Team Three have done to make Professor Appletorn so mad?
"But you said I did fine?" Lesset persisted. "How?"
Theo sighed.
" It depends was the right answer," she said. "It was correct, exactly the thing an advertent scholar would have said." She gave Lesset a smile. "I wonder how much data you have to have to decide that somebody's a nidj?"
But Lesset was off in another direction, looking vacantly at the walls and people sliding by for a moment before gathering together another question.
"Did you really read that paper? The one you cited?"
Theo turned to stare at her. "I said so, didn't I?"
Her friend lifted a placating hand. "You did, and I know you wouldn't ever lie about your research. It's just— why ?"
"Because Professor Appletorn's an Acknowledged Authority," Theo said patiently, "and I kept coming across cites to his paper when I was scanning the prelim lit. Reading one more paper wasn't that hard."
"Fact?" Lesset obviously had her doubts.
"Fact," Theo said firmly, and, noticing that her friend still looked tense, tried a joke. "See what you could be reading instead of The Faq ?"
"Oh!" Lesset's face went white, then red. "Oh!" she cried again. "That's just—antisocial!"
"Wait!" Theo held up her hand. "It was supposed to be funny—"
"To you, maybe! But I don't think it's funny to be laughed at." She took a deep, furious breath, and turned to walk away—or tried to, her upset making her oblivious to the direction of the belt's travel.
The ultra-safe, grippy surface of the belt would have assisted her flight, if she'd been properly balanced. Unfortunately, Lesset had thrown her weight at an angle to the direction they were traveling in, heedless of inertia. The resulting resistance knocked her off-balance; she staggered, her bag swinging forward over her shoulder, unbalancing her even more.
Theo snatched at her friend's arm just as Lesset threw herself backward in an awkward attempt to recover her footing, and the two of them went down in a heap, Lesset yelling.
The belt immediately slowed to a stop, and the other kids surged forward—then dropped back at the shrill sound of a whistle and shout of, "Safeties!"
"Stay where you are!" The taller of the two officials snapped when Theo tried to get up. "We have to run a scan."
This they speedily did, while Theo wished Lesset would get her bag off of her knee, and tried to figure out how late they were going to be for math.
"All right, you can stand."
Lesset stood first, head hanging. Theo flexed her bruised knee and followed.
"Names?" The shorter Safety asked, mumu pointed at them, the red "record" light showing.
"Theo Waitley," she said resignedly, and heard Lesset whisper her name.
"What happened?" The taller one asked.
Theo took a breath. "Lesset stumbled on the belt. I thought she was going to fall and tried to catch her."
"And instead of catching her, you both fell down, the belt stopped, and you, your Team, and all the rest of the students here are going to be late for class." The taller one shook her head and tapped her mumu. "I see you're flagged as physically challenged, Miss Waitley. Next time, I suggest you pay attention to your own balance and let your friend help herself." She gave Theo a stern look. "Unless you were trying to be disorderly?"
Theo gaped at her. "No!"
"Thumb-prints here," the shorter Safety said, presenting his mumu, screen up. "Three downs for Four Team Three, and notes in your files, Ms. Grinmordi and Ms. Waitley."
The Safeties stepped off the belt. "Everybody face front. Motion beginning on the count of three—One! Two! Three!"
The belt started up, slowly, steadily gaining momentum. Theo faced front, bottom lip firmly caught in her teeth, and pretended that she didn't notice Lesset's downcast look, or Roni's loud
"But you said I did fine?" Lesset persisted. "How?"
Theo sighed.
" It depends was the right answer," she said. "It was correct, exactly the thing an advertent scholar would have said." She gave Lesset a smile. "I wonder how much data you have to have to decide that somebody's a nidj?"
But Lesset was off in another direction, looking vacantly at the walls and people sliding by for a moment before gathering together another question.
"Did you really read that paper? The one you cited?"
Theo turned to stare at her. "I said so, didn't I?"
Her friend lifted a placating hand. "You did, and I know you wouldn't ever lie about your research. It's just— why ?"
"Because Professor Appletorn's an Acknowledged Authority," Theo said patiently, "and I kept coming across cites to his paper when I was scanning the prelim lit. Reading one more paper wasn't that hard."
"Fact?" Lesset obviously had her doubts.
"Fact," Theo said firmly, and, noticing that her friend still looked tense, tried a joke. "See what you could be reading instead of The Faq ?"
"Oh!" Lesset's face went white, then red. "Oh!" she cried again. "That's just—antisocial!"
"Wait!" Theo held up her hand. "It was supposed to be funny—"
"To you, maybe! But I don't think it's funny to be laughed at." She took a deep, furious breath, and turned to walk away—or tried to, her upset making her oblivious to the direction of the belt's travel.
The ultra-safe, grippy surface of the belt would have assisted her flight, if she'd been properly balanced. Unfortunately, Lesset had thrown her weight at an angle to the direction they were traveling in, heedless of inertia. The resulting resistance knocked her off-balance; she staggered, her bag swinging forward over her shoulder, unbalancing her even more.
Theo snatched at her friend's arm just as Lesset threw herself backward in an awkward attempt to recover her footing, and the two of them went down in a heap, Lesset yelling.
The belt immediately slowed to a stop, and the other kids surged forward—then dropped back at the shrill sound of a whistle and shout of, "Safeties!"
"Stay where you are!" The taller of the two officials snapped when Theo tried to get up. "We have to run a scan."
This they speedily did, while Theo wished Lesset would get her bag off of her knee, and tried to figure out how late they were going to be for math.
"All right, you can stand."
Lesset stood first, head hanging. Theo flexed her bruised knee and followed.
"Names?" The shorter Safety asked, mumu pointed at them, the red "record" light showing.
"Theo Waitley," she said resignedly, and heard Lesset whisper her name.
"What happened?" The taller one asked.
Theo took a breath. "Lesset stumbled on the belt. I thought she was going to fall and tried to catch her."
"And instead of catching her, you both fell down, the belt stopped, and you, your Team, and all the rest of the students here are going to be late for class." The taller one shook her head and tapped her mumu. "I see you're flagged as physically challenged, Miss Waitley. Next time, I suggest you pay attention to your own balance and let your friend help herself." She gave Theo a stern look. "Unless you were trying to be disorderly?"
Theo gaped at her. "No!"
"Thumb-prints here," the shorter Safety said, presenting his mumu, screen up. "Three downs for Four Team Three, and notes in your files, Ms. Grinmordi and Ms. Waitley."
The Safeties stepped off the belt. "Everybody face front. Motion beginning on the count of three—One! Two! Three!"
The belt started up, slowly, steadily gaining momentum. Theo faced front, bottom lip firmly caught in her teeth, and pretended that she didn't notice Lesset's downcast look, or Roni's loud
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