Asimov's Science Fiction: March 2014 by Penny Publications Page B
Authors: Penny Publications
Tags: Asimov's #458
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President, yes. Mayor. It's only a supporting, but still Frederick Nooney is attached, Gonsalves to direct. I told Steve I'd give him an answer tomorrow, but this... is this some coincidence or what?"
"You should do it," said Robby. "Absolutely. What's it called?"
"Title on the script is 'Declaration,' but that will never fly."
Remeny almost choked on a snap pea. Robby started to laugh.
Then Dad did something that Remeny didn't think that an oldschool eighty-threeyear-old could. He opened a private channel to Robby in softtime.
=You there, son?=
=Maybe.=
Unfortunately he didn't know how to close Remeny's private channel with her brother, so she was able to eavesdrop.
=Look Robby, if this is what you want, I'm for it. I know you're in pain and miserable.
= =Only when I'm stuck in hardtime.
= =I get that. Ever since that day, all we've wanted is to help.=
His sympathy blip was (.8).
=I know it's hard for you but it's hard for us too. Your mother blames herself because she sent you...=
=Dad, stop. I love you but stop. You want to help me then take the damn part. It'll be good for the cause. My cause, Dad. But what I really want is for you to come home and help me with Mom. Because reality sucks and I'm giving up on it. We need to make Mom understand. All of us, face to face. Oldschool.=
"Stop saying you're sorry." Sturm was trying for stern but his blippage read embarrassed.
"I just didn't want Mom to freak," said Remeny.
"Well, she did and nobody was killed. I call that a win for our side."
"Think Dad can convince her?"
"He's an actor." Sturm scanned the crowd around the dance floor for Silk. "He'll give a performance."
The music twanged and couples began to take their places.
"Nine minutes after," said Sturm. "He's not coming."
"There's no schedule." Remeny's irritation climbed to (.3). "He's not a train."
"Bow to the partner, now bow to the corner, all join hands and circle to the left, please don't step on her, now circle to the right, and we go round and round."
Now that she was old enough to know better, Remeny was sick of square dancing. When she was twelve, ForSquare had been one of her favorite EOS playgrounds. She had loved the movement, the color, and the concentration it took to remember and execute all of the calls. When she was sixteen she had come in second in the Jefferson County Challenge. There had been more than twenty calls that day that involved changing avatars on the fly, on top of two hundred more traditional calls. A hell of a lot of remembering, but that was the point. It was all about teaching kids how to use their interfaces while they pretended to have fun.
"Promenade now, full promenade."
Crystal stalactites rose at random from the dance floor and the dancers weaved around them.
Another thing: the music was so loud that you had to shout to be heard. Okay for these kids, so young that they had nothing to say. But now that she was eighteen, Remeny preferred a quiet place like Sanctuary. It was better for flirting.
Remeny spotted Botão and waved. She skirted the dancers to join them.
"I'm here but I can't stay. I'm babysitting my sisters." Her avatar was wearing a
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
T-shirt.
"I like this." Remeny brushed a hand down the sleeve.
"Yeah." Botão tugged at the hem, stretching the front of the tee so she could admire it too. "My mom and I designed them and then I printed out ten on our home fab, sizes six and seven. I'll bring them to the Gates Center tomorrow and have the teachers send them home with the kids. Cost less than ten bucks."
"I was just there today myself."
"Oh my god, what if we had met?" She clutched her throat in mock horror. "You ask me, I say the whole secret identity thing is dumb. The oldschool is just trying to keep us from ganging up on them." She brushed up against Sturm. "What do you think, Sturm, or are you ignoring me on purpose?"
"You forgot the commas," he said, "and I wasn't ignoring you. I was looking for
"You should do it," said Robby. "Absolutely. What's it called?"
"Title on the script is 'Declaration,' but that will never fly."
Remeny almost choked on a snap pea. Robby started to laugh.
Then Dad did something that Remeny didn't think that an oldschool eighty-threeyear-old could. He opened a private channel to Robby in softtime.
=You there, son?=
=Maybe.=
Unfortunately he didn't know how to close Remeny's private channel with her brother, so she was able to eavesdrop.
=Look Robby, if this is what you want, I'm for it. I know you're in pain and miserable.
= =Only when I'm stuck in hardtime.
= =I get that. Ever since that day, all we've wanted is to help.=
His sympathy blip was (.8).
=I know it's hard for you but it's hard for us too. Your mother blames herself because she sent you...=
=Dad, stop. I love you but stop. You want to help me then take the damn part. It'll be good for the cause. My cause, Dad. But what I really want is for you to come home and help me with Mom. Because reality sucks and I'm giving up on it. We need to make Mom understand. All of us, face to face. Oldschool.=
"Stop saying you're sorry." Sturm was trying for stern but his blippage read embarrassed.
"I just didn't want Mom to freak," said Remeny.
"Well, she did and nobody was killed. I call that a win for our side."
"Think Dad can convince her?"
"He's an actor." Sturm scanned the crowd around the dance floor for Silk. "He'll give a performance."
The music twanged and couples began to take their places.
"Nine minutes after," said Sturm. "He's not coming."
"There's no schedule." Remeny's irritation climbed to (.3). "He's not a train."
"Bow to the partner, now bow to the corner, all join hands and circle to the left, please don't step on her, now circle to the right, and we go round and round."
Now that she was old enough to know better, Remeny was sick of square dancing. When she was twelve, ForSquare had been one of her favorite EOS playgrounds. She had loved the movement, the color, and the concentration it took to remember and execute all of the calls. When she was sixteen she had come in second in the Jefferson County Challenge. There had been more than twenty calls that day that involved changing avatars on the fly, on top of two hundred more traditional calls. A hell of a lot of remembering, but that was the point. It was all about teaching kids how to use their interfaces while they pretended to have fun.
"Promenade now, full promenade."
Crystal stalactites rose at random from the dance floor and the dancers weaved around them.
Another thing: the music was so loud that you had to shout to be heard. Okay for these kids, so young that they had nothing to say. But now that she was eighteen, Remeny preferred a quiet place like Sanctuary. It was better for flirting.
Remeny spotted Botão and waved. She skirted the dancers to join them.
"I'm here but I can't stay. I'm babysitting my sisters." Her avatar was wearing a
Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
T-shirt.
"I like this." Remeny brushed a hand down the sleeve.
"Yeah." Botão tugged at the hem, stretching the front of the tee so she could admire it too. "My mom and I designed them and then I printed out ten on our home fab, sizes six and seven. I'll bring them to the Gates Center tomorrow and have the teachers send them home with the kids. Cost less than ten bucks."
"I was just there today myself."
"Oh my god, what if we had met?" She clutched her throat in mock horror. "You ask me, I say the whole secret identity thing is dumb. The oldschool is just trying to keep us from ganging up on them." She brushed up against Sturm. "What do you think, Sturm, or are you ignoring me on purpose?"
"You forgot the commas," he said, "and I wasn't ignoring you. I was looking for
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