Read Online Maxwell Huxley's Demon by Michael Conn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael Conn
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are going ?”
“We ll, I’ll spend the mandatory three more days in the halfway rooms between solitary and the school. You need to see if I can look after myself, right?”
“Not this time Keith. This time it’s different.”
“There hasn’t been anything different in this place ever. Same classes. Same training.” Keith’s face reddens with anger. “You train me to escape only to re-capture me and then train me in new and better ways of escape . What, are you going to do, teach me how to build a Tardis this time?”
“No Keith, you’re writing your final exams this time.”
Keith sit s slightly straighter even as he tries to seem uninterested . “ Final doesn’t sound so good. Why would I bother writing your exam?”
“It’s just an exam, your first official one . If you pass , you get more freedom and m ove out of this school. On to—d ifferent things.”
“And if I fail?”
“You get P rocessed. If you choose not to write it, you get P rocessed. So this is j ust what you always wanted , Keith. Control of your own fate.”
“Let me get this straight. If I fail, I’m a vegetable. If I refuse to play with you, I’m a veg etable. If I play your game and pass , whatever that is, then you will send me on to some other place, one which I have no understanding of. One that could be worse than here . . . screw you, Dr. C.”
“Alright, alright, how about this? If you write this exam , I’ll giv e you your own lab, j ust like Max used to have. Hmm ? ”
---
Keith walks back into the residence. He feels eyes on him, other boys watching him as he walks along the rows of beds to his. At least his area is left as it was before. “W hat ! ” he says . Many sets of eyes turn away from him. Afraid. It’s easy to be afraid. If you don’t understand, you’ll easily be afraid .
I see empty bed s at the other end of the room. I hope he’s far away from here now. No more worries. I guess I might be on his side , but he left me behind. I’m the one who made him think about escape. I deserve more. I deserve everything they gave him. Everything he got without earning it. I deserved the chance not him.
Now I get the lab and then they all hurt.
Keith collapses on his bed. “You people are boring .”
Chapter 8 –Kitimat
At the first red light the truck stops , and everyone scrambles back into hiding within the empty bread racks . Soon enough, the reverse alarm sounds as the driver parks the truck. Max does his best to stay calm , but confined spaces aren’ t good for him. He feels the world spin. He guesses this is probably a normal reaction when you’re on the run from a sinister government organiza tion that is systematically kid napping children , and not one of his bouts starting . He counts his breathing and slows it down , then works on his plan to get into a hotel.
In his hiding space, Walker holds onto the digging bars to keep them from clanking, and check s that his laptop is in his backpack every few seconds, th en adjusts the backpack straps.
Virginia balances on one toe and then the other, using the time to increase her lowe r leg flexibility and strength. She wishes the truck would hurry up and park already.
Naomi picks a t an errant cuticle , senses the agitation of the others and the boredom of the driver. She wonders what her older sister is doing right no w.
At this point, i t occurs to Max that the driver might just leave them locked in here. I guess I should have had a plan for that. Break out with the digging bars? The truck hits the loading dock bumper, the engine turn s off, Naomi sneezes, and they all wait. The driver opens the trailer doors, ge ts the hand power fork lift, pulls the fi rst stack of racks out backward , spi ns and moves into the building.
Max pushes to get out of his hiding spot and his stack of racks fall s over. Walker , Virginia, and Naomi sm ile as he stand s up out of the pile of racks. “Just like a cat,” Virginia jokes.
Out of the truck ,
“We ll, I’ll spend the mandatory three more days in the halfway rooms between solitary and the school. You need to see if I can look after myself, right?”
“Not this time Keith. This time it’s different.”
“There hasn’t been anything different in this place ever. Same classes. Same training.” Keith’s face reddens with anger. “You train me to escape only to re-capture me and then train me in new and better ways of escape . What, are you going to do, teach me how to build a Tardis this time?”
“No Keith, you’re writing your final exams this time.”
Keith sit s slightly straighter even as he tries to seem uninterested . “ Final doesn’t sound so good. Why would I bother writing your exam?”
“It’s just an exam, your first official one . If you pass , you get more freedom and m ove out of this school. On to—d ifferent things.”
“And if I fail?”
“You get P rocessed. If you choose not to write it, you get P rocessed. So this is j ust what you always wanted , Keith. Control of your own fate.”
“Let me get this straight. If I fail, I’m a vegetable. If I refuse to play with you, I’m a veg etable. If I play your game and pass , whatever that is, then you will send me on to some other place, one which I have no understanding of. One that could be worse than here . . . screw you, Dr. C.”
“Alright, alright, how about this? If you write this exam , I’ll giv e you your own lab, j ust like Max used to have. Hmm ? ”
---
Keith walks back into the residence. He feels eyes on him, other boys watching him as he walks along the rows of beds to his. At least his area is left as it was before. “W hat ! ” he says . Many sets of eyes turn away from him. Afraid. It’s easy to be afraid. If you don’t understand, you’ll easily be afraid .
I see empty bed s at the other end of the room. I hope he’s far away from here now. No more worries. I guess I might be on his side , but he left me behind. I’m the one who made him think about escape. I deserve more. I deserve everything they gave him. Everything he got without earning it. I deserved the chance not him.
Now I get the lab and then they all hurt.
Keith collapses on his bed. “You people are boring .”
Chapter 8 –Kitimat
At the first red light the truck stops , and everyone scrambles back into hiding within the empty bread racks . Soon enough, the reverse alarm sounds as the driver parks the truck. Max does his best to stay calm , but confined spaces aren’ t good for him. He feels the world spin. He guesses this is probably a normal reaction when you’re on the run from a sinister government organiza tion that is systematically kid napping children , and not one of his bouts starting . He counts his breathing and slows it down , then works on his plan to get into a hotel.
In his hiding space, Walker holds onto the digging bars to keep them from clanking, and check s that his laptop is in his backpack every few seconds, th en adjusts the backpack straps.
Virginia balances on one toe and then the other, using the time to increase her lowe r leg flexibility and strength. She wishes the truck would hurry up and park already.
Naomi picks a t an errant cuticle , senses the agitation of the others and the boredom of the driver. She wonders what her older sister is doing right no w.
At this point, i t occurs to Max that the driver might just leave them locked in here. I guess I should have had a plan for that. Break out with the digging bars? The truck hits the loading dock bumper, the engine turn s off, Naomi sneezes, and they all wait. The driver opens the trailer doors, ge ts the hand power fork lift, pulls the fi rst stack of racks out backward , spi ns and moves into the building.
Max pushes to get out of his hiding spot and his stack of racks fall s over. Walker , Virginia, and Naomi sm ile as he stand s up out of the pile of racks. “Just like a cat,” Virginia jokes.
Out of the truck ,
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