Skye Object 3270a Read Online Free PDF Page A

only in their eyes, that seemed to see deeper than ado eyes, and in their outlook. Skye had a hard time describing exactly what that outlook was . . . but it had much to do with the confidence, the patience, the self-assurance they all seemed to possess. They had seen and done so much, that they often seemed to know exactly what would happen next. It was a trait she found by turns annoying or reassuring, depending on her mood.
    Yan was generous enough not to teach her too much, allowing her to form her own opinions as she explored nature at the molecular scale. She loved seeing the structure of the world made real around her, feeling the strength of bonds between atoms, that joined to form molecules . . . it made her feel as if the mystery of existence was unfolding at her command.
    She drew in a deep breath, then let it go in a long sigh. “I want to do everything at once! Why does it always feel like there’s never enough time?”
    â€œEasy, ado,” Zia said. “We’ll fit it all in. We work now. Meanwhile, we let Ord hunt down M. Hand and make an appointment for us. Real people like to be formal, after all.” She reached under the table and caught Ord by one of its stubby legs, hauling the little robot out, while the leg stretched to twice its normal length. “Can you handle it, pet?” she asked, dropping Ord on the table. “Find this M. Devi Hand for us, and see if he’s willing to meet”—She turned back to Skye, with a questioning look—“when?”
    â€œTonight,” Skye said, as Ord rearranged its golden tissue, and stood on the table top, reclaiming an attitude of dignity. “Ord, see if you can get us an appointment for tonight, okay?”
    â€œYes Skye. Not too late though.”
    Zia rolled her eyes. “And Ord, try not to embarrass us by sounding like such an annoying little babysitter, okay?”

Chapter 4
    O rd had gotten the appointment with M. Hand, reporting the astronomer to be delighted at their interest in his work. “Rare enough for ados,” was the phrase the little robot reproduced for them in a soft, masculine voice. Skye wrinkled her nose, wondering if she should feel flattered or insulted at this comment. Then she decided it didn’t matter. M. Hand would see them, and this evening too. He had invited both of them to his home.
    So after work Skye waited for Zia as they’d agreed, by the koi pond in Splendid Peace Park. The park encircled the base of the city like a green skirt, and all the neighborhoods spilled down the city slopes to touch on it somewhere in its circuit. She watched as three musicians set up their instruments near the water. The day was drawing to a close. Kheth’s light spilled at a sharp angle over the city’s rim, so that the musicians’ shadows ran all the way across the pond, and beyond.
    Zia was late.
    Several picnickers arrived, laying out blankets on the grass. Skye felt hungry watching them. She stood on her toes, to see if she could spot Zia coming down the trail from the city library, but all she saw was a little boy out walking his dokey. The furry creature looked a little like a dog. It strolled beside the boy, hardly as high as his calf.
    Like the dogs Skye had seen in the VR, the dokey walked on four legs, but it also had two more limbs in front, both with little monkey-like hands. Its face was round and alert, like a flying fox. Most of its body was covered with short, thick, brown fur, except behind its ears where there sprouted tufts of green fur, and on its tail, where long green hair shimmered with every wag.
    The first dokey had been created only three years ago, as a class project in a genetic engineering course. Now they were everywhere, the only kind of pet city authority had ever allowed people to have. Skye knelt, careful to keep her skirt out of the grass. She didn’t usually wear dresses, but she had decided on one tonight because most real people