Read The softwire : Virus on Orbis 1 for Free Online Page B

doors of the metal vehicle slid up, and we all followed the Keeper onto the spaceway. I sat in one of the many seats, and it immediately shifted and conformed to the shape of my body. Two armrests emerged at my sides, and I ran my hands along the smooth, polished material.
Is everything this nice on Orbis?
I wondered.
    “A gravity cushion will hold you in place,” Theylor said. “Once the spaceway reaches the outside of the ring, you will be in zero gravity. Without the cushion, I am afraid your ride would not be very comfortable.”
    The monorail slid into outer space, clinging tightly to the shell of Orbis 1. I felt something push down on my body, an invisible force that kept me in my seat. It must have been the gravity cushion. I glanced at Max. She was laughing again, looking around to see where the force was coming from.
    Then the floor of the spaceway appeared to fade away beneath my feet. Everyone gasped at the illusion. I saw Theodore tap his toe on the floor to see if it was still there. I noticed Theylor staring through the floor at the moons, Ki and Ta.
    “Orbis certainly is a beautiful place, Theylor,” I said, trying to start a conversation.
    “The crystal moons have been very fruitful for us,” replied Theylor’s left head while his right remained fixed on the moons.
    “I’m surprised more people — I mean, you know . . . other species — don’t try to come here,” I whispered to him.
    “Oh, they do, but it is not allowed. Population control is an important part of our work here, along with protecting the sanctity of our moons.”
    “Theylor, can I ask you a question?”
    “You are free to ask anything you like, Johnny Turnbull.”
    “What happened when we arrived? Did something go wrong with the central computer?”
    Theylor did not respond right away. I thought maybe I’d hit a sore spot.
    “Theylor?”
    Theylor turned both heads toward me. “There is nothing to worry about now, but you must understand something. The central computer is a brilliant and magnificent machine. It is a necessity to our life on Orbis. More so than even the oxygen you need to stay alive.”
    “Like Mother was on the
Renaissance,
” I said.
    “Yes, and more. If Mother had failed on your journey, you would not be sitting across from me right now,” Theylor said. “If the central computer failed, neither of us would be sitting here.” He paused. “Our existence depends on the central computer. The Ancients spent much time and energy in building it. Some of the technology is still a mystery to us to this day. The central computer self-corrected the event that happened when you arrived, but the fact that the event happened at all is still very disturbing to some.”
    Theylor turned both heads back to the moons. There was a lot I wanted to learn about my new home, especially about the central computer, but I sensed the conversation was over.

The trip on the spaceway was quick. The ride through zero gravity let the transport travel at great velocities. Once the monorail passed back through the ring, gravity returned to normal.
    “Children, stay together now. We will cross through the Trading Hall, where you will be assigned your Guarantor.”
    As we followed Theylor off the spaceway, some of the other kids gathered around me.
    “Couldn’t you tell you were a softwire?” asked one girl who had never spoken to me on the
Renaissance.
    “How?” I replied.
    “But you knew you could move files around just by thinking about it,” she said.
    “I thought that was normal. I used to think speaking to Mother was normal,” I said, not accustomed to this much attention. I always kept to myself on the
Renaissance.
It felt odd discussing my newfound ability in front of everyone.
    “Well, I’m glad they discovered that you’re a softwire,” Max said so everyone heard. “Makes us humans look a little more important, don’t you think?”
    I heard Switzer scoff.
    The Trading Hall spaceway station was nothing like New