The Intruder by Greg Krehbiel Read Free Book Online Page B

-- not cheating it, or breaking it into its parts and rearranging it.
    As he thought about these things, walking itself became a kind of sacrament to Jeremy. It was his affirmation of Community values -- of living life the way it ought to be lived -- in the midst of hovercars.
    He also realized that his walks were getting a little easier. He was less distracted by the implant, but there were still a few things to get used to. Ghost images, for example. Sometimes, especially on his first day, noise in the communications signal came through the implant as strange, black blobs. As his brain learned to communicate with the implant, and since the implant was connected to his optic nerve, the "noise" was visible. The first time he saw one he thought it was a huge bird. Dr. Berry assured him that they were common and would go away after a while. 
     
    As Jeremy passed the huge yellow 'm,' he wondered what he was supposed to do to get some food. He entered slowly and looked around, trying to take in as much as possible. To his relief, there was a printed menu on the wall near the kitchen. He supposed he could have ordered ahead of time with his implant, but he wasn't sure how all that worked yet. Besides, he was in no hurry, and he craved some kind of human interaction, even if it was just placing an order.
    He decided on coffee, juice and a muffin, and he chose to pay with cash: he didn't need it anymore, and he wanted to use up what he had left. When Jeremy offered his coins, the attendant smiled at the novelty, and Jeremy noticed that several other people in the restaurant watched as he handed over the three blue disks. The attendant looked at them carefully, as if he hadn't seen any for a long time, and then handed back two yellows and one red. Jeremy took his change and his food and sat down, ignoring the eyes that followed him to his seat. He looked up, on pretense of watching the passers-by through the window, but intending to cow some of the more curious spectators into minding their own business.
    The packaging on his breakfast had him fooled, but he wasn't willing to fumble with the coffee while half the restaurant was watching him out of the corner of their eye, so he started with the juice, which was more straight-forward. When he was confident that interest in his visit had worn thin, he began to experiment with the white plastic lid on the coffee cup. He wasn't getting anywhere.
    "Hi. Can I help?" a friendly female voice interrupted.
    Jeremy looked up to see a slightly bedraggled but cheerful-looking girl -- or was she a woman? -- smiling at him. He motioned to the chair opposite the small table. "Please, join me," he said, craving some company. Besides, she was pretty, if a little young. Jeremy still hadn't met many people in Society.
    "Thanks," she said, and took the coffee cup out of his hand, tilting it so the cap faced him. "You do it like this," she said as she held the bottom steady and twisted the top in a counter-clockwise direction. Steam poured out of a half-inch hole on one side as she handed him the opened cup.
    "I need a cup this morning," Jeremy said. "Thank you. And by the way," he continued after a moment's pause, "my name is Jeremy."
    "Hi Jeremy. I'm Hanna," she said, and her voice told him that she was not a girl, but a young woman. It was not the pitch of her voice, which sounded as young as she looked, but something else; her inflection, perhaps, or something behind her eyes. Or maybe it was the way she drank from her gigantic cup of coffee. It was the relentless assault of someone long-accustomed to the need for a morning jump-start.
    "Nothing else to eat, Hanna?" Jeremy asked. "Would you like some of my muffin?" As soon as he said it he wondered if that was a little too odd an offer to make to a stranger, but she seemed to take it in stride.
    She smiled at him and shrugged. "Maybe just a small piece, for fellowship," she said, and reached across the table, taking a pinch off the side and popping