Track Star

"Look, you've put both of us in a difficult position."

"That's not my problem."

"It is now. 'Need to know' is a phrase that triggers an inquiry."

"And you think I don't know that."

"I don't care what you think. I care about what you do. Or did."

She looked at the motivational posters on the wall as she passed them by. Hadn't they become quaint in this day and age? And why does he not see the value of the code? If I shove it in his face any harder, he'll suffocate. "'So you say.'"

"'At's right. What am I going to do with you?"

"You could listen to what I've said."

"I'm listening right now, Lyrethia. We record body movements on this section of hall, not audio. I'm the only one listening, as far as I know."

"In that case, here's the deal. You've got a few years max to get your life organized and then that's it."

"Huh?"

"Yep. Now you're listening. Your life as you know it will soon be over."

"Funny. You had me there. What's really in your thoughts?"

"You don't understand. My team's experimentation has uncovered the ultimate chess game. We have figured out how to predict every move from now until...well, we're not sure. We've only got so much computing power at our disposal. In every future we've plotted, your life changes drastically in a few years."

"Chess? My life? What are you talking about? I don't have time to play games."

"That's the issue for you, isn't it? You assume your life is the only important one around."

"No I don't. I spend my days ensuring your lives are stable, Lyrethia. I attend meeting after meeting negotiating budgets so you have the lab space and equipment you need to get your job done right. I work 18-hour days, seeing my wife and kids on the weekends, IF I'm lucky."

He was talking but she wasn't listening. She recognized the defensive posture Dr. Tegsten had adopted and felt he would keep talking out loud to convince himself he was a martyr.

The floor disappeared beneath their feet as they walked to the double doors that led to the secure part of the building.

"Lyrethia, I don't have time to waste here. If there's a project you have to tell me about, do it now."

"Dr. Tegsten, in a little over two years, you will go on a golf retreat with your contemporaries. A splinter group from a set of unemployed university graduates, frustrated that their antiglobal message isn't making them as famous as they set out to be, attack the golf course, putting acid in the sprinkler system, killing grass, wildlife, everything within range of a windstorm that passes through the area that day. You will be taking an early morning run along the golf cart path. Need I say more?"

"Lyrethia, you're no longer funny. I want you to take a few days off and cool down. Whatever's going on in the lab, Nahbi can take care of for you."

She rolled her eyes. Just as clueless as ever. Always looking for their ideas that'll get him salary increases and a job promotion. "Whatever you say, Dr. Tegsten. I'll leave as soon as I pass instructions on to the team."

"You've been working hard lately and I appreciate that. But don't believe everything those computers tell you. Not once has one of those things made a difference in my life and look where I am. Positive thinking, Lyrethia! That's where you and the other team leaders should be focusing your efforts. Take your thinking cap off and relax for a few days. You'll realize how much you've been missing and might even see some sunshine. I'll send you a list of e-books that'll put you on the right track. Do nothing but read those books for the next week and I guarantee you'll be a different person when you return. And I don't need a fancy calculator to tell me that!" He patted her arm and walked through the double doors.