where does it say I can’t give things to the Challenger’s other Gifts?’
There was a pause. Hurple was not meeting anyone’s eyes.
‘Professor?’ said Adom.
With a sigh, the ferret gave them all an acquiescent wave of a paw.
‘YES!’ hooted Jay, and she planted a big fat kiss on Adom’s cheek, causing him to turn scarlet and forget his own name.
‘Ooops – sorry!’ she said.
‘No kissing me!’ chirped Hurple firmly.
Eo looked hopeful, but Jay just grinned at him and began to recode their route.
‘Right, my friends, first things first – Adom here needs his language capability extended by about four million per cent if he’s going to be properly in the loop. Luckily, when it comes to Assessment, Learning Programmes and the Glorious Greater Glasgow Way of Life – I’m your woman!’ She threw Adom a reassuring look. ‘In other words, one enchanted arm coming up!’
The pod detached itself, nipped along another side tube, paused a moment at the junction and then attached itself to the tail end of a train going in a different direction. It was a moment before the visitors realized what was odd about their new route…
‘Hey! The train – the water – it’s going up! said Eo, pressing his nose against the transparent wall.
‘But that’s impossible!’ spluttered Hurple. ‘Everyone knows water doesn’t just run uphill!
Jay snorted. ‘It does if you push it hard enough!’ she said, and, as the ferret drew an eager breath to ask questions, she stopped him with, ‘And if you think I know diddlysquat about hydraulic engineering or infrastructure technology, you can forget it right there. Half that stuff I haven’t covered yet and the other half I slept through!’
Eo laughed, Adom looked confused and Hurple tutted, appalled.
Jay just went on grinning, and their pod sped on past the sights of Greater Glasgow.
Even though it was already late when they reached the Sector where Jay’s mother worked, there were still lights on in the Neural Assessment pod.
Jay swore. ‘Somebody must still be working,’ she said. ‘I’d hoped we’d have the place to ourselves. OK, never mind. Try not to be noticeable, and follow my lead.’ She paused and looked at her companions, Adom in his medieval habit and sandals, Eo with a live animal draped round his neck. ‘Well…’ she said. Just follow my lead.’
She keyed in a code to open the door of the pod andwalked confidently in. A woman in a lab coat spun round, surprised.
Jay! What are you doing here?’
‘Hello, Mrs Chambers. I’m here for some stuff,’ said Jay with a straight face. ‘You know my mum has this conference…’
The woman rolled her eyes. ‘I swear your mother has the makings of a D-class, the way she manages to forget things! Can you find what you need by yourself, though, dear? Only I’m late leaving already.’
Jay reassured her, and promised they’d lock up when they left. The woman was clearly uncertain what to make of Adom and Eo, though. (Hurple was safely out of sight now in the bag.)
‘You’ve met my friends before, have you, Mrs Chambers? Amazing costumes, aren’t they?’ said Jay quickly, and the woman’s expression cleared.
‘Fancy dress party, eh? You’re sure to win a prize!’ she said, giving Adom a friendly shove with her shoulder as she passed.
Fortunately she was in too much of a hurry to notice his lack of reply.
‘Nicely handled,’ said Eo approvingly, once the technician was gone. ‘You didn’t actually lie and you didn’t tell the truth either. Well done.’
Jay gave him a mocking half-bow, and Hurple tutted.
‘The Assessor’s through here. Come on,’ she said, leading the way into the next room.
The Assessor was just a chair, and a kind of silver dome thing on an arm above it, and some discreet panels and keyboards to one side. As far as way-in-the-future technology went, it was pretty unthreatening-looking.
Adom, however, was having none of it. He just stood there, shaking
There was a pause. Hurple was not meeting anyone’s eyes.
‘Professor?’ said Adom.
With a sigh, the ferret gave them all an acquiescent wave of a paw.
‘YES!’ hooted Jay, and she planted a big fat kiss on Adom’s cheek, causing him to turn scarlet and forget his own name.
‘Ooops – sorry!’ she said.
‘No kissing me!’ chirped Hurple firmly.
Eo looked hopeful, but Jay just grinned at him and began to recode their route.
‘Right, my friends, first things first – Adom here needs his language capability extended by about four million per cent if he’s going to be properly in the loop. Luckily, when it comes to Assessment, Learning Programmes and the Glorious Greater Glasgow Way of Life – I’m your woman!’ She threw Adom a reassuring look. ‘In other words, one enchanted arm coming up!’
The pod detached itself, nipped along another side tube, paused a moment at the junction and then attached itself to the tail end of a train going in a different direction. It was a moment before the visitors realized what was odd about their new route…
‘Hey! The train – the water – it’s going up! said Eo, pressing his nose against the transparent wall.
‘But that’s impossible!’ spluttered Hurple. ‘Everyone knows water doesn’t just run uphill!
Jay snorted. ‘It does if you push it hard enough!’ she said, and, as the ferret drew an eager breath to ask questions, she stopped him with, ‘And if you think I know diddlysquat about hydraulic engineering or infrastructure technology, you can forget it right there. Half that stuff I haven’t covered yet and the other half I slept through!’
Eo laughed, Adom looked confused and Hurple tutted, appalled.
Jay just went on grinning, and their pod sped on past the sights of Greater Glasgow.
Even though it was already late when they reached the Sector where Jay’s mother worked, there were still lights on in the Neural Assessment pod.
Jay swore. ‘Somebody must still be working,’ she said. ‘I’d hoped we’d have the place to ourselves. OK, never mind. Try not to be noticeable, and follow my lead.’ She paused and looked at her companions, Adom in his medieval habit and sandals, Eo with a live animal draped round his neck. ‘Well…’ she said. Just follow my lead.’
She keyed in a code to open the door of the pod andwalked confidently in. A woman in a lab coat spun round, surprised.
Jay! What are you doing here?’
‘Hello, Mrs Chambers. I’m here for some stuff,’ said Jay with a straight face. ‘You know my mum has this conference…’
The woman rolled her eyes. ‘I swear your mother has the makings of a D-class, the way she manages to forget things! Can you find what you need by yourself, though, dear? Only I’m late leaving already.’
Jay reassured her, and promised they’d lock up when they left. The woman was clearly uncertain what to make of Adom and Eo, though. (Hurple was safely out of sight now in the bag.)
‘You’ve met my friends before, have you, Mrs Chambers? Amazing costumes, aren’t they?’ said Jay quickly, and the woman’s expression cleared.
‘Fancy dress party, eh? You’re sure to win a prize!’ she said, giving Adom a friendly shove with her shoulder as she passed.
Fortunately she was in too much of a hurry to notice his lack of reply.
‘Nicely handled,’ said Eo approvingly, once the technician was gone. ‘You didn’t actually lie and you didn’t tell the truth either. Well done.’
Jay gave him a mocking half-bow, and Hurple tutted.
‘The Assessor’s through here. Come on,’ she said, leading the way into the next room.
The Assessor was just a chair, and a kind of silver dome thing on an arm above it, and some discreet panels and keyboards to one side. As far as way-in-the-future technology went, it was pretty unthreatening-looking.
Adom, however, was having none of it. He just stood there, shaking
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