Déjà Vu by Peter Cawdron
Author:Peter Cawdron [Cawdron, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: N12
Published: 2021-03-12T05:00:00+00:00
Run
âWe need to get the hell out of here,â I say.
âAgreed,â Gal says.
Pretty Boyâs already packing equipment into a couple of duffle bags.
In my age, electronics were rigid. Hard drives were hard, although most people had forgotten why there was any distinction. By my time, floppy drives were relics akin to cave paintings. Laptops had glass screens that could be chipped or cracked. Apart from cables, everything was stiff and unyielding. Electronics were encased in metal to protect circuit boards. Not so here. Iâm not sure what Pretty Boyâs shoving in his bag, but it probably contains exponentially more computing power than the Intrepid. The bag, though, could be from my era.
Gal grabs the picture of the coke ad and plants a kiss on it before replacing it on the shelf. Okay. Not weird at all.
âWe go.â
Ah, yeah. Iâm standing here with the cutting torch, ready to rock and roll. My finger itches the ignition switch, ready to fire it up if daddy comes back.
Gal sorts through the spacesuits scattered in the airlock, picking them up and shaking them. Iâm not convinced thatâs a viable test procedure, but he seems confident. He drapes two suits over his shoulder. Most of the helmets were crushed by the alien, but Pretty Boy finds one thatâs still pristine. Gal picks up the helmet I saw when we entered. He turns it toward me, smiling. Heâs proud of the spiderweb of cracks running through the back of the skull.
âLucky.â
If you say so.
âWhat about me?â I ask, looking for a helmet that hasnât been dented and doesnât have a deformed locking ring.
âNo,â Pretty Boy says, waving me away. âNo life. No need.â
I point at the center of my chest, saying, âWhat about this?â
âNo convection. No conduction. You will be fine.â
Iâd like to debate that last point, but for a short hop, heâs probably right. I want to ask about some of the finer details. Spacesuits arenât just about maintaining air and regulating temperature, they also protect against volatiles. The fine dust found on the Moon and Mars could damage machinery in my time. Given Iâm a machine, that seems pertinent, but weâre already rushing down the main tunnel, heading away from the city.
Gal stops to talk to someone. They look horrified.
âNull Veritas. Null Refusal. Contagion. View imagery. Evoke and spread.â
âNo?â
âOne hundred percent.â
Gal rests his hand on his friendâs shoulder. A small crowd gathers. Several other people try to get Galâs attention, but we push on down the tunnel.
âWhat was that about?â I ask, but Galâs distracted. Not with the Veritas, I hope.
Given my exposure to language in this time, Iâm guessing Null Veritas. Null Refusal equates to, âYou canât trust either network.â Contagion has retained at least some of its meaning. Iâm hoping View imagery is a reference to video of the creature. Iâve got no idea about Evoke, but spread seems pretty clear. The guy we just spoke to is organizing the people around him. Theyâre going to get the word out. I suspect some will struggle with being unable to trust the bedrock of their technological society.
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