The Golden Circuit (The Smith Chronicles) by Irvine John K

Author:Irvine, John K. [Irvine, John K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Irvine
Published: 2013-10-22T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

10:01 - Sunday, July 29, 2187 (Cryonics Lecture Lab, Mu-U, Tapi-36)

“Smith?”

…

“Smith?”

…

“Miss Smith?”

…

A weary Dr. Tamashito looked up from his register. He didn’t like the once a month Sunday a.m. ‘catch-up’ lecture, it took him away from his laboratory work.

“Has anyone seen Mikita Smith this morning, class?” he said, pulling at his beard.

The room was silent.

“Nobody knows anything about Smith?”

…

“Miss Thorn, you’re quite friendly with her, do you know of any reason why she’s not in today?”

“Dr. Tamashito, don’t you watch The Zip, or listen to the radio, sir?” asked Elspeth Thorn, timidly.

“No, I most certainly do not, Miss Thorn. I’m a scientist. I have no time for idle gossip, chit-chat and such-like nonsense. And besides, I’ve been in my lab. I haven’t seen or heard a soul.”

“Well, sir. In that case you won’t know the news.”

“News? What news? Is there any news? Is it something to do with Smith?”

“Sir. She’s wanted by the TTF, sir,” Thorn said, looking around nervously at her classmates.

“She’s what? Did I hear you correctly? Wanted?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why? For what? What has she done?”

“Um… She’s wanted, sir.. for murder.”

“For murder? Look, is this some kind of joke? What’s the date? It’s not April 1st, is it?” Tamashito stopped and looked around for a calendar.

The class were all looking down at their desks.

“Surely this cannot be true?... Miss Thorn?”

“It is, sir,” said Elspeth, her voice breaking with emotion. “It is true.”

Tamashito sunk down into his chair.

Mikita Smith. Well, I never. She was a surly girl, sometimes, yes, but very, very bright. And she perhaps needs to spend less with her protest group and more on her studies, that is true. But a murderer? It’s not possible!

Tamashito needed to think about this. He needed to think about a lot of things. He closed the attendance register.

“Class dismissed.”

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