Sanctuary Falling (18 page)

A jarring jab to her elbow shook her mind from its study of temporal mechanics, back into the lunch line. Again the noise was too loud and the light too bright, but not as bad as before. They had stepped up to the utensil rack while she was otherwise occupied, and Carl was looking her worriedly in the eyes.

“Are you okay? Nobody was home a second ago,” He asked.

Annette shook his intruding concern off, what reason did he have to be worried for her. “I’m fine.” She tucked her pop-pad into her thigh pocket, lifted and began filling a tray with eating utensils.

Carl looked at her suspiciously and did the same. At the salad bar Annette piled spinach, carrots, cheese, ham and dressing on a plate then started for the tables. Tawny’s remote pin chirped again, “Carbohydrates missy, and get yourself a milk and a juice!”

Carl looked at Tawny’s spider-shaped remote pin with a bit of surprise, “That’s a remote pin? I thought it was just jewelry. You must have a cool room.”

Annette sighed. “Yeah, she is. Though, she isn’t exactly my room. I’m just staying there until after the test. It was more convenient for Niri to have me staying there during this preparation. I’ll get to move to the dorms as soon as I make the cut, or back to my foster-parents’ if I don’t.” Annette pretended to miss the bread and crackers while she spoke.

Tawny bleeped, “Roll, now, or I’ll tell Niri!”

Carl grabbed a small one with the tongs and slipped it onto Annette’s plate, “Strict isn’t she?”

Annette nodded and stared at her tray, feeling nausea wallowing around in her stomach. She reminded herself she would feel better once she ate. Beside her Carl filled his tray with at least a sample of everything they passed, but he was still thin from his metamorphosis. She watched him as she slid her tray along past the array of foods. Why was he was wasting his time with her she didn’t know. She looked up at him. She was still a short four foot nine inches. He was taller than when they met. He had to be almost a foot and a half taller than she was. His hair had grown out shaggier than when they met. His face was still baby smooth, she wondered if it was genetic or whether he took the time to shave. He was very much a fully mature man, though he was so thin he somehow looked younger. She wondered how old he was.

“Fourteen, last month,” He answered before she could ask. He also scooped up a glass each of milk and apple juice before Tawny could scold her for missing them.

Annette blushed in response, and thought of her own birthday.
 
She stopped, causing grumbles from everyone behind them in the line. Annette snatched her pop-pad from her pocket and glanced at the date indicator.
 
Her birthday was the day after the test, an interesting coincidence. She would either have the best birthday ever, or a reason to ignore the day for the rest of her life.

“Uh, Annette, I think we should get moving before we’re lynched,” Carl suggested shoving her tray onward with his and elbowing her to move.

Annette nodded back, tucked her pad back into its pocket and took control of her own tray. She’d been so absorbed and enthused by her training she’d forgotten all about her birthday. The year before Annette was old enough to enter pre-training,
 
her foster mother had arranged for a tour of the factor training center, and lunch in the cafeteria.
 
Here she was eating practically every day, but by her fourteenth birthday it might all be over with. After making a few more selections Carl had to elbow her again to get her attention.

“Come on, let’s go find some seats,” He steered her towards a large rectangular table almost filled with purple jump suited students. Given her own initiative, Annette would’ve sat at one of the small round tables at the fringe of the room. It was nearly always possible to find one of them empty or at least mostly so.
 
On reaching his selected table Carl sat his tray in front of one empty seat. Then he took Annette’s tray and sat it on the table next to his own and pulled out the seat for her.
 
“Milady,” he said forcing eye contact with her.

Her cheeks turned violently red again. She didn’t usually blush so much, but she also wasn’t used to guys giving her the time of day either, let alone pulling out her chair. “Thank you,” She mumbled, sitting quickly. She adjusted the placement of her tray, while he pushed her seat forward. He tried again to catch her eye as he sat next to her, but uncomfortable, she managed to evade him.

 
          
Annette bowed her head to give her customary thanks for her food. Across the table one of the second year trainees scoffed loudly, then jabbed the boy next to him, “Look, she’s praying, isn’t it cute. We have a guest visitor from baby school.” He and his friends then laughed loudly at his taunts. “Can we get you a sippy cup?” Another taunted.

Annette quietly tried to ignore them as she began her prayer.
 
With her head bowed and loose hair dangling in front of it, they couldn’t see it the shade of red her face was turning. She’d been taunted all of her life what was a little more? A thought crossed her mind for the first time, she could forgo giving thanks. At the thought of giving up one of the few things she still had from her parents, Annette’s embarrassment began to turn to anger. Why should she feel ashamed. She didn’t have to eat with these people! Annette started to push her chair back, but Carl’s
 
light hand on her arm stopped her.

“Real mature guys! Maybe you should rethink
 
who is acting wet behind the ears. As factors you will have to go out into the universe and at least be mature enough not to insult the cultures around you. You can’t even manage that here! I think you should go find somewhere else to sit!” Carl said staring down each of Annette’s taunters.

“Oh come on, she’s into that whole god-myth thing! How can she still believe that stuff? People have explored every corner of the universe and never seen him. How can he exist?” The lead bully retorted.

“Have you ever seen your personal data organization program?” Carl asked.

“Sure!” The bully pointed at his remote pin.

“No, that would be a remote pin. I’m talking about the program,” Carl said slowly, as if talking to a toddler.

“No, it’s in the computer.” The boy answered quickly.

“So, how do you know it exists?” Carl asked.

“It does stuff like wake me up and print out my papers and get my clothes cleaned.” The boy answered, a little slower.

“So, you’ve only ever seen the stuff it has done, never the program. You talk to it a lot don’t you? Maybe we should be laughing at you.” Carl continued to press.

The boy made a face, “No, man it’s like totally different. When I ask it a question or to get me something, it gives me an answer or whatever I asked for. God doesn’t do that!” The boy grinned as if he’d made a telling point in the debate.

Carl grinned back at him, “So what you’re saying is that,
 
it is real because it does all of that stuff for you, even though you can’t see it. It gives you what you ask for, sometimes even when it’s things you shouldn’t have, or it tells you it can’t give them to you. Right?” The boy nodded and Carl continued, “So the response isn’t always yes. Well, I would put forward that god exists and can be proven real with the same proofs you used. God has left everything he’s done for us just lying around to see. People talk to him all the time, and get answers. They aren’t always yes but they are always what’s best for the person. He gives people what they ask for, when it’s good for them, not before.
 
So, do you still think you should be laughing?”

The boy laughed back, “Name one person who has gotten what they asked for!”

Carl grinned, “Annette, despite all that Chavez argued to the contrary, she’s sitting here learning to be a factor. Now, I say again, I think you and your friends should find somewhere else to sit.”

A strangled argumentative sound escaped the boy’s throat before he backed his chair from the table and left, taking his tray. The others who had been so quick to laugh silently turned all of their attention to their food.

Annette was dumb struck. She couldn’t believe that Carl had gone to such trouble to defend her. She was un-used to people noticing her, let alone being on her side. Suddenly people were coming out of the woodwork, first Niri, then Tina, and now Carl. It occurred to her rapidly that she should show her appreciation, “Thanks Carl.”

He smiled and deliberately stabbed a forkful of salad, “No problem, besides I wasn’t just defending you. After all were kind of training to work for him anyway. Why shouldn’t I stick up for my future employer.”

Though he said otherwise, Annette sensed Carl’s main motive had been her defense, “Well, then, let me thank you for him too.”

“You better hurry up and eat, don’t forget it’s a long time to supper,” Carl smiled at her and shoved the fork in his mouth.

Annette started to spear her salad as well, then she realized that Carl had mentioned Chavez. Clearly rumors about her and her status had gotten around, and he had heard them. That served to redouble her questioning of his interest in her.
 
Annette eyed Carl suspiciously again. Was he in some strange way a part of the test? Could a student be in league with Angela, and part of her test? Annette’s intuitive inner voice told her Carl honestly wasn’t. All of a sudden many of the itchy places of her intuition all pulled together. Yes, a student could be part of Angela’s test, and so could some of the people being tested!

Annette speared a chunk of ham and stuffed it in her face then turned to Carl, “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Helping me become a factor,” Annette answered off hand.

He almost looked cute with a look of confusion on his face, “How did I do that?”

Annette smiled, “Just by standing up for me.”

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Chapter 6

Don’t Get Testy!

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Max hunkered down to avoid the camera as it swung back in his direction. Once it passed he darted down the corridor, until he was out of range of the camera. He checked the map on his pop-pad, around the corner was the target room, all he had to do was get inside and it would be free sailing. He pulled out a scanner and waved it in an arc in front of him, then he tucked it back in his pack. He started to move forward and paused, removing and replacing the scanner in the right pocket of the pack. For some reason, the woman in charge of his testing was a stickler about it. He didn’t want her docking points for a disorderly factor pack. Max tapped his pad and was relieved to see that the way to the room was clear of booby traps.
 
Stepping boldly forward he headed around the corner to the room. He was almost to the door when a sharp pain struck his chest, and he went numb from the neck down. He crumpled to the floor, dropping his pack and his pad.

“Ooooh, you came that close,” Niri said holding her fingers a hairbreadth apart.
 
She was standing over him with a laser rifle. The weapon wasn’t lethal, in fact it had no effect unless someone wore a training harness, like the one Max had on.

Max groaned, “Where did you come from?! I scanned the passage way! You weren’t there!”

Niri smiled, and picked up his equipment.
 
“I guess I cheated.” She answered, and then tapped the reset button on the training harness.

“You cheated? How in the heck am I supposed to complete the test when you aren’t playing by the rules you set!” Max shouted, feeling the feeling returning to his body.

“Well, technically you can’t. In fact most don’t.
 
As far as I’m concerned, you did just fine,” Niri offered him a helping hand up.

“What kind of test is it if you aren’t supposed to finish it? What’s more why let me get so close to the objective before cheating?” Max growled unstrapping the training harness.

“It was a partly problem solving test. You managed to get past most of the obstacles using your pack.
 
It also was a test of your, for lack of a better word, intuition. Though most just call it their gut. Believe it or not I have had a few people prepared for that little stunt, despite the fact that all scans, visual examination,
 
and even telepathic probing show the corridor to be clear. When I ask them about it later, they just say they had a gut feeling something was strange.” Niri answered.