Generation X - Crossroads by J. Steven York

Author:J. Steven York [York, J. Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-12-22T23:01:08+00:00

“I’ve been working on the movement dampers. I think we can program in a certain grace, despite the bulk of the thing, that should help.”

“See,” said Scofield, “it’s not just me. It’s the whole package.”

Ivan was unrelenting. “Nonetheless, the responsibility for the illusion is yours, and yours alone. Do not disappoint.”

“I won’t.” '

“Of course.” .

Bervin handed him the module, which sat comfortably in the palm of his hand. A small speaker and a battery holder formed the bulk of the package, and since they were held to the circuit board with rubber bands, he assumed it was a temporary arrangement. She reached over and touched a tiny push-button with the tip of a red-polished fingernail.

The voice that came from the speaker was somewhat flat and spaced the words out unnaturally, like bricks in a wall, but it was recognizably that of “Peg,” their young caller. “Death. To. Norman. Victory. For mutants. Over. All humans.”

Bervin seemed to read his face, took the unit, and made a few adjustments, then handed it back to him. He pressed the tiny button himself.

This time the voice was higher pitched, faster. It sounded angry, or at least righteous. “Death to Norman! Victory for mutants over all humans!”

“The phrases here,” she explained, “are just for demonstration purposes. The circuit will be tied to the control menu on the unit’s status display, giving the operator a fair amount of flexibility.”

He handed it back to her. “Good. Keep working on it. We need to move up our schedule. Our teenaged pawns have been making better time than we had expected.”

“Impossible.” Scofield ignored Ivan’s angry look. “I have to finish the sculpture, then cure the molds, then pour and cure the latex, insert the hair, and attach the appliances to the unit and blend them in. There’s only so much flexibility in the schedule. I can’t change the laws of physics!”

Ivan glanced at Bervin, who was nodding. “I might give you the first unit, maybe the second if I cut some comers, but the whole package just can’t be done any quicker than I promised.”

Though Scofield seemed sincere in this case, Bervin was the only one he really trusted. ‘ ‘We may have to arrange some sort of delay for our young friends, and that complicates matters. Still, I’m sure the Expatriate will think of something to keep them entertained.”

Paige rubbed her eyes and groaned. Boarding school life had made her soft. Back home, she’d been up with the chickens every morning. When she’d first come to the school, she’d been up jogging with the sun. These days, she wasn’t really human until nine, then only with the help of caffeine. It was really time to make some lifestyle adjustments while her family might still recognize her.

The girls had rolled out of bed early so that Sean and Emma could peel off for an appointment in Rapid City, South Dakota, while the kids took the Xabago to Devils Tower National Monument, or, as Jubilee called it, “that Close Encounters place.

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