Mindguard by Andrei Cherascu Page B

the United Governments of Earth, the day after the
assassination of First President Corey McGillian, 2064
     
    “…and only
seventeen minutes late,” Ross said, when Sheldon and Isabel entered the
debriefing room arm in arm. Mac looked at Isabel, then at Sheldon,  Alex
and finally at White. Then he turned and looked at Sophie. “Sometimes I think I
should fire all these amateurs and just go ahead and buy a bunch of robots,” he
joked.
    Sophie smiled
and Alex noticed that she had the most attractive way of smiling, with the tip
of her tongue touching her lower lip. The gesture had a very candid charm.
    “Ms. Sophie
Gaumont,” Mac said with pathos, theatrically throwing his muscular right arm
towards Sheldon, “ this is the famous Sheldon Ayers.”
    The look on
Sheldon’s face suggested he did not appreciate the clowning around. The young
woman shot up from her chair and darted towards Sheldon, her arm outstretched.
The mindguard shook her hand with little enthusiasm.
    “It is an honor
meeting you, Mr. Ayers,” the young woman said. “Your reputation precedes you.”
    Sheldon finally
looked at her in a way that gave the impression his gaze had been moved there
by force. Alex simply stared in amazement, wondering if he felt more jealous of
Sheldon for getting the lovely woman’s enthusiastic attention, or of Sophie for
actually managing to make Sheldon Ayers look directly at her. He was sorry that
he wasn’t going to be on the team, but grateful that he had been permitted to
at least join in on the briefing.
    “It’s nice
meeting you, Ms. Gaumont,” Sheldon said, sounding like he couldn’t care less
about making her acquaintance. He looked at Sophie’s left hand. “I can see you
are not married, yet your name is not Miller. Are you the Educator’s stepchild,
then?”
    “You will have
to excuse Sheldon’s lack of manners, Sophie,” Ross intervened. “At mindguard
school they surgically remove the bone that makes you polite.” Sophie did not
react to Mac’s joke but she also didn’t seem offended by Sheldon. Her voice
remained friendly and professional.
    “I chose to use
my mother’s maiden name,” she said.
    “Because you are
ambitious and want to take full credit for your accomplishments.”
    “Something like
that, Mr. Ayers.“ The way she pronounced Sheldon’s last name made Alex think
she was insinuating that he was taking advantage of his grandfather’s
reputation. Meanwhile, Isabel was following their interaction with great
interest.
     “And
this,” said Ross, looking to ease the tension, “is mindguard Isabel Mensah, who
will also be joining us on the mission.” Sophie shook Isabel’s hand with
noticeably less enthusiasm than before. The woman responded with a reserved
smile and a slight nod.
    “You know,
Sheldon’s great for publicity and all, but she’s the capable one of the duo,”
White said. He was clearly bored and anxious to start the briefing.
    “I see you’ve
had the pleasure of meeting Mr. White,” Sheldon said, looking at Sophie. “What
he lacks in humor, he more than makes up for in senility.” The old man
responded with a gesture of the hand that had lived on throughout the
centuries.
    Sophie was
surprised by Sheldon’s joke. She chuckled, as the tension from before quickly
dissipated.  
    “All right,
everyone shut up and take your seats, boss’s orders,” Mac said. Everyone in the
room complied. Alex always admired Mac’s authority. Maclaine Ross was an
easy-going guy with a strong sense of humor. You could tease him, bicker with
him and make fun of his tight outfits but you instinctively knew when you
needed to do what he says.
    Sheldon looked
around and seemed to take notice of the holoprojector and the outdated
holopads. “You’re a prototech,” he said to Sophie, perhaps a bit abruptly. The
woman quickly got defensive: “Is that a problem, Mr. Ayers?”
    “No,” Sheldon
said, obviously feeling no need to add anything else.
    “Sheldon