The Relic Keeper by Anderson N David

Author:Anderson, N David [Anderson, N David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pushca Publishing
Published: 2015-12-14T23:00:00+00:00

37

After an uncomfortable night they’d spent a dull day locked in the attic room. Philip and Rei had discussed plans and scenarios on where to go when they left Britain, although until they were across the Channel neither of them wanted to commit to anything. Philip also periodically made notes into the voice recorder on his c-pac, while Deon tried to teach Mathew some new skills on his, in particular how to use the interactive gaming facility on the ethervision. It was a long and dull day and Mathew was glad when the light had started to fade and Deon and Rei left for the Roamers’ encampment. If everything went to plan they would be able to leave the following day.

The door shut behind Deon and Rei, leaving Philip and Mathew in the subdued light of the cold room. Philip paced nervously around the two fenestrated sides of the room, looking out of each window at any passers-by in the street. Mathew sat in the centre of the room on an upturned box. He still had the c-pac that Deon had lent him and it was now set it to play patience, one of the few tricks he’d learnt to do with the machine over the course of the day. He sat quietly flicking the electronically displayed cards over in front of him, then wiping the deck and starting again, hardly looking at his anxious companion. He was still fascinated by the way that he could touch and interact with the projected images, although he had a problem comprehending that he could not feel the cards that his hand moved. Philip left the window and moved across to the far side of the room, producing a bottle from the bag that he’d brought with him.

“That queen there can go on the pile to your left,” Philip said.

“I don’t need your help,” replied Mathew.

“You know if you use the integrated system you don’t have to have to have the cards visible to everyone on the ethervision, then it won’t annoy anyone passing, who won’t have to tell you how to play the fucking game.”

“Or you could just ignore it!”

“Fuck this,” Philip said. “I’m having a drink. Want one?”

“No thanks,” replied Mathew curtly, not looking up from the cards that floated unsupported in the air in front of him, and selecting a ‘7’ from it.

“Don’t approve?”

“It’s nothing to do with me what you do, Philip. I’d just rather have a clear head.”

“Suit yourself.” Philip poured a measure of scotch into a metal beaker and downed the contents swiftly before refilling the cup.

“Are you going to get pissed?”

“Huh?”

“Are you getting drunk?” repeated Mathew, saying the words slowly and deliberately, as if he was talking to a non-too-bright twelve-year-old.

“I’m nervous. I’ve put my fucking neck out here. I have no contingency plan, and we seem to have no real strategy to work with at all. We have to rely on some over-zealous religious crank who we know very little about, and we’re about to

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