Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: John Scalzi
petroleum.”
“It’s not a lizard,” Holloway promised. “Is the company telling you what to research?”
“Of course it is,” Isabel said. “More accurately, it’s telling me what not to research. Unfortunately, if I’m not cataloging lizards on this planet, I’m not doing much of anything else. I’m going to end up like Chen.” Chen was the xenolinguist.
Holloway moved his head, motioning to the data card. “This will keep you busy,” he said. “I guarantee it.”
Isabel looked at the card doubtfully but walked forward and extended her hand. “I’ll take a look at it,” she said, taking the card. “You’d better not be wasting my time, Jack.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’ve learned not to do that, at least.”
“Good,” Isabel said. “It’s nice that you got something out of the relationship.”
“It’s not currently much use to me on a day-to-day basis,” Holloway said. “Seeing that you’re in town all the time now.”
“Well, life is like that sometimes,” Isabel said. “We learn things too late, and then we don’t get to use them.” She looked at Holloway.
“I am sorry,” Holloway said.
“I know,” Isabel said. “Thank you, Jack.” She gave him another peck on the cheek, friendly again, but no more than that. “And now I really do have to go. You’ve made me late for my lunch appointment.” She patted Carl again and walked off, hurrying.
Holloway watched her go for a few minutes and then reached down and clicked the leash back on Carl’s collar. “I think that went well,” he said to Carl. “All things considered.”
Carl looked up at Holloway with what he judged was a fair amount of dubiousness.
“Oh, shut up,” Holloway said. “It wasn’t all my fault.”
Carl and Holloway turned their eyes back down the street just in time to watch Isabel turn the corner and disappear.
Chapter Six
“You’re late,” Bourne said on the steps of ZaraCorp’s administrative building. Holloway came alone; he’d taken Carl back to the skimmer, gave him a zararaptor bone, and turned on the air circulator.
“I was catching up with someone,” Holloway said.
“Saw Isabel, did you,” Bourne said. “You two still antagonizing each other?”
“Funny, she asked me the same question about you,” Holloway said.
“I bet,” Bourne said. “You know, Jack, I’m not one for reading too much into things, but even I can see that when you name a hill for your girlfriend, and then you have that hill strip-mined down to rubble, it’s not a good sign for the relationship.”
“There’s a reason I don’t come to you for advice about my love life,” Holloway said.
“Fair enough,” Bourne said. “I hear she’s seeing someone new.”
“I wouldn’t know about that,” Holloway said.
“Yeah, one of the new administrative group that transferred planetside a few months ago,” Bourne said. “A lawyer. Assistant general counsel. If you and I had gone to court, he’d probably have been the one that would have gutted your claim like a fish.”
“Sounds like a nice guy,” Holloway said.
“Well, you know,” Bourne said. “The general consensus is that Isabel traded up.”
“I thought we were late,” Holloway said, changing the subject.
“ You’re late,” Bourne said. “But I figured you’d be late, because that’s just the sort of antagonistic prick you are. So I told you to come twenty minutes earlier than I needed you here. We’re right on time. Now come on.” He walked up the steps.
“This place is as lovely as ever,” Holloway said, once they were inside the building. On Earth, the Zarathustra Corporation’s headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, were considered to be one of the major architectural achievements of the last century. On Zara XXIII, light-years from the need for public relations and corporate gamesmanship, the local headquarters were a nondescript block of cheap and durable building components designed to house
“It’s not a lizard,” Holloway promised. “Is the company telling you what to research?”
“Of course it is,” Isabel said. “More accurately, it’s telling me what not to research. Unfortunately, if I’m not cataloging lizards on this planet, I’m not doing much of anything else. I’m going to end up like Chen.” Chen was the xenolinguist.
Holloway moved his head, motioning to the data card. “This will keep you busy,” he said. “I guarantee it.”
Isabel looked at the card doubtfully but walked forward and extended her hand. “I’ll take a look at it,” she said, taking the card. “You’d better not be wasting my time, Jack.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’ve learned not to do that, at least.”
“Good,” Isabel said. “It’s nice that you got something out of the relationship.”
“It’s not currently much use to me on a day-to-day basis,” Holloway said. “Seeing that you’re in town all the time now.”
“Well, life is like that sometimes,” Isabel said. “We learn things too late, and then we don’t get to use them.” She looked at Holloway.
“I am sorry,” Holloway said.
“I know,” Isabel said. “Thank you, Jack.” She gave him another peck on the cheek, friendly again, but no more than that. “And now I really do have to go. You’ve made me late for my lunch appointment.” She patted Carl again and walked off, hurrying.
Holloway watched her go for a few minutes and then reached down and clicked the leash back on Carl’s collar. “I think that went well,” he said to Carl. “All things considered.”
Carl looked up at Holloway with what he judged was a fair amount of dubiousness.
“Oh, shut up,” Holloway said. “It wasn’t all my fault.”
Carl and Holloway turned their eyes back down the street just in time to watch Isabel turn the corner and disappear.
Chapter Six
“You’re late,” Bourne said on the steps of ZaraCorp’s administrative building. Holloway came alone; he’d taken Carl back to the skimmer, gave him a zararaptor bone, and turned on the air circulator.
“I was catching up with someone,” Holloway said.
“Saw Isabel, did you,” Bourne said. “You two still antagonizing each other?”
“Funny, she asked me the same question about you,” Holloway said.
“I bet,” Bourne said. “You know, Jack, I’m not one for reading too much into things, but even I can see that when you name a hill for your girlfriend, and then you have that hill strip-mined down to rubble, it’s not a good sign for the relationship.”
“There’s a reason I don’t come to you for advice about my love life,” Holloway said.
“Fair enough,” Bourne said. “I hear she’s seeing someone new.”
“I wouldn’t know about that,” Holloway said.
“Yeah, one of the new administrative group that transferred planetside a few months ago,” Bourne said. “A lawyer. Assistant general counsel. If you and I had gone to court, he’d probably have been the one that would have gutted your claim like a fish.”
“Sounds like a nice guy,” Holloway said.
“Well, you know,” Bourne said. “The general consensus is that Isabel traded up.”
“I thought we were late,” Holloway said, changing the subject.
“ You’re late,” Bourne said. “But I figured you’d be late, because that’s just the sort of antagonistic prick you are. So I told you to come twenty minutes earlier than I needed you here. We’re right on time. Now come on.” He walked up the steps.
“This place is as lovely as ever,” Holloway said, once they were inside the building. On Earth, the Zarathustra Corporation’s headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, were considered to be one of the major architectural achievements of the last century. On Zara XXIII, light-years from the need for public relations and corporate gamesmanship, the local headquarters were a nondescript block of cheap and durable building components designed to house