Getting Back by William Dietrich Read Free Book Online Page A

perfume and the tang of sweat. He was considering whether to try to kiss her when she turned and kissed him, quickly and hard. "That was fun!" she whispered.
    "You're going to get us detained."
    "No. The robots are stupid."
    He leaned forward to kiss her again but she pushed him back. "We can't stay here, though, in case they search this quadrant." She dropped down through the pipes to land lightly on the floor.
    "I thought you said the cops don't come," he called down to her.
    "I've never seen them, but… Come on, before it comes back."
    "Great." He dropped to follow her jogging form through the corridors.
    She turned this way and that with determined purpose, glancing upward at the dangling signs periodically for reference. The frantic beeping of the robot quickly receded and they began to relax, slowing to a brisk walk. As Daniel got his breath back he noticed a background murmur that rose in volume until it became the roar of falling water. She led him into a side passageway and down a flight of wet steps, his curiosity growing as the noise grew. Then out onto a balcony grating.
    "The water comes from the mountains," Raven said. "Someday I want to see its source."
    They were overlooking an underground reservoir, lit by only a few lights. A vaulted ceiling receded back into darkness. Water was pouring in from an unseen pipe, creating a pattern of ripples that sparkled in the artificial light. The water glowed blue, emphasizing the cistern's clarity.
    "This is my private spot," she said. They sat.
    "How'd you find this place?"
    "I've been coming down here for two years."
    "And you never got lost or caught?"
    "No one ever challenged me. I started drawing maps, deciphering signs, and slowly figured it out. It's been like exploring an underground world. When I found this reservoir it was like I'd discovered my own private lake."
    "Less pretentious than a restaurant, quieter than a club."
    She smiled. "Exactly. You should like me, Daniel. I'm a cheap date."
    She opened the pack and took out their dinner. Ordinary stuff: farmed-salmon sandwiches, wedges of genetically enhanced vegetables, vacu-packed brownies. "What did you bring us to drink?" she asked mischievously.
    He opened his mouth in surprise. He'd supposed they would buy something.
    "No matter." She pulled out a small pail that was tied to a string and lowered it over the railing to the pool below. When it filled, she lifted it up and sipped. Then she held it out to him with two hands like an offering.
    "Is it safe?"
    She laughed again, that delicious laugh. "It's the same water in your apartment except it hasn't flowed through the grub of city pipes yet. This way I don't have to carry a canteen. Water's heavy."
    He took the pail and drank, watching her over the rim. It seemed sweeter and colder than the water at home. "I'll bet this is against the rules."
    "Everything is against the rules, isn't it?"
    "Everything that's good."
    They ate quietly a moment, Daniel unsure whether he liked her or was merely intrigued by someone so eccentric. It would be interesting to get her in the same room with harridan Lundeen.
    Yet despite the kiss and her trespassing boldness she also seemed somewhat shy, he judged. Or at least reserved. Guarded. Her enigmatic replies deflected as much as they revealed, and she volunteered little. Why had she brought him here?
    "This isn't exactly the great outdoors," he finally ventured, trying to feel her out.
    "Don't you like it?"
    "It's weird. Interesting. Not a typical choice."
    "I'm betting you're not a typical man."
    "And you're not a typical woman?"
    "No."
    He made a guess. "A loner?"
    "I'm not alone with you."
    Daniel took a bite of brownie, watching her. Pretty. Smart. A bit full of herself, maybe. Self-absorbed, certainly. But interesting too. He leaned forward slightly and watched her unconsciously lean away. Standoffish: she liked to control relationships. Her assertion of leadership kept her safe.
    "Why did you bring me here?" he