Asimov's Future History Volume 1 Read Free

time he was driving down the freeway it was turning into a typical Washington State Spring day. The sun was low on the horizon but very bright as he made his way to the office. As he pulled into his parking space he saw most of the team were already in. Georgina Jones was just getting out of her car and she waited for him.
    “Where’s the black armband?” she asked with an attempt at levity. She knew that she was likely to be first to go as she was the youngest and last to join the team.
    “I know,” was his laconic reply. Any attempt of optimism had evaporated on the drive in. He had decided that the project was to be curtailed and he was now totally prepared for the meeting. He decide to go quietly. Ranting and raving would only give Wilson satisfaction and he refused to give her that pleasure.
    “What do you think you’ll be reassigned to Georgie?” he asked trying to make conversation.
    She gave him a side-long glance. “Come off it. You know as well as I do that I’ll be out of here by the end of the day!”
    His attempt at countering this was rapidly cut short. “I know I’ll be the first to go and I cannot say I am particularly upset about it.”
    “Oh!” was the only reply he could give and the rest of the short walk to the project office was conducted in silence.
    The normal buzz of noise was missing when they arrived. Even Thor, the practical joker of the group, was sitting quietly. The only conversation between Lee Potts and Richard Falder was muted and nobody had bothered turning on their terminals and Personal Computers. Georgie turned quickly to her desk and started to tidy papers and file things away.
    David decided she meant what she was saying and was planning her imminent departure.
    As 9 o’clock neared the key project team members went through to the meeting room and ranged themselves around the table. David thought ironically that they always seemed to choose the same seats despite whatever order they entered the room in. He always chose the front corner seat, back to the window. There he felt he could survey the others to judge reactions. In addition it gave him ready access to the whiteboard. It was a well-known joke that he couldn’t talk unless he was drawing at the same time.
    Georgie sat opposite him. As the vision sub-system programmer she should have little problem finding new employment, it was a popular development area in many companies and although relatively short, her experience within Company would hold her in good stead. Lee and Richard sat next to each other at the far end of the table. Their work on the movement system meant that they spent most of their time together, which was quite convenient as they were living with each other. David could not imagine working with Sue all of the time. He enjoyed the change of conversation and focus when he was at home.
    That left Dr. Alfred Lanning at the head of the table as the project mastermind and Liz Avalon next to him.
    The whole concept had developed from an idea that Dr. Lanning and David had following on an accident in the laboratory, an accident partially caused by David himself. Liz worked on the development of the programmes to be encorporated in the brain. David focussed on the conversion of the programmes via the generator into pathways within the positronic brain.
    His reverie was disturbed as Coleen Wilson entered the room.
    “Well, let’s not stand on ceremony,” she barked. David could never think of her as just speaking.
    “Yesterday’s presentation was a disaster from start to finish, or should I say from fact to science-fiction.”
    This was accompanied with a pointed look at David. With a great deal of effort he restrained himself from replying.
    “It will therefore come as no surprise to you that the company is stopping the project with immediate effect.”
    Even though they were all expecting it, it still came as a shock and the effect of the words felt like a physical slap in the face.
    Lanning rose to