Substitutes on Union Station (EarthCent Ambassador Book 21) by E. M. Foner

Author:E. M. Foner [Foner, E. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Foner Books
Published: 2023-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Eleven

“Are you working on a new avatar?” Fenna asked. “I can’t believe how many orders you get.”

Mike tapped the current palette at the edge of the oversized Dollnick artist’s tab with the stylus in his left hand to choose a new brush color. “I never even listed myself anywhere—it’s all word of mouth,” he told her proudly. “My dad sent the first few people to me, and with visor conferencing taking off, I get more jobs than I can accept.”

“Are you keeping up with your homework? After studying so hard to start at the Open University in the same class as me it would be a shame if you dropped out.”

“My mom would never let me—she’d take away my tab. Besides, it’s the first week of class. How could I be behind?”

Aisha’s daughter was about to answer when a young Verlock entered the lost-and-found and shuffled slowly towards the counter on which Mike was sitting cross-legged while working on his tab.

“Can I help you?” Fenna asked.

“Not – sure,” the Verlock said in a voice that the girl’s implant imparted with a deep note of despair. “Lost – detector.”

“Can you give me any details, or do you have a picture? We make holographic catalog entries of all the items brought in, and if you have a picture, I can enter it in the system to search for a match.”

The Verlock thought for a moment and then looked hopeful. “Mother – captured – image – to – send – grandfather. I’ll – go – home – and – get – it.”

“No, wait,” Fenna said as the young Verlock turned and began to shuffle off. “This is my first day of work and you’re the only client who I didn’t help. If you go home, my shift may be over before you return. Can you describe the detector, or tell me when you noticed it was missing?”

“Standard – neutrino – detector – modified – with – Kygers – shroud. “Passive – experiment, I – only – checked – trap – once – a – cycle.”

“So it may have been missing for more than a month.” The girl turned to look up at the racking behind the counter that contained the most recent items brought into the lost-and-found. “But then again, it might have just come in today.”

“Let him check the shelves,” Mike suggested. “The way you explained it, everything brought in during the last cycle will be in the front-facing units.”

“But I can’t allow anybody who doesn’t work here behind the counter,” Fenna said.

“I – will – not – break – rules,” the Verlock told them sternly. “I – will – look – from – here.” He took several minutes shuffling down the full length of the long counter with his eyes on the shelving units, but he failed to spot the detector. “I – will – go – home – for – image – and – return.”

“You can’t have your mother send it to your tab?” Mike asked.

The alien’s leathery features crinkled up in horror.

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