The Phoenix Code Read Free Page A

realized he was making a joke, using it to ask if she wished he would leave. Given that he had come over to her as he said it, she suspected he didn't want to end their conversation. Of course, she could be wrong. But he reminded her of her father, an absented-minded architect who tended to talk in riddles during his more preoccupied moods.
    Megan put her hands on her hips. "I do believe, sir, that you're teasing me."
    His lips quirked up again. "It could be."
    She could tell he was still waiting for her response to his unasked question. "I'm sure my hair doesn't say 'stop.' "
    A grin spread across his face. "You're quick."
    Ah, that smile. It was fortunate this man lived as a recluse. Otherwise, womankind wouldn't be safe from either his dazzling smile or his nutty conversation. "Not that quick. I still don't get it about the birds."
    "Winter is coming and they have a long way to go." He sounded more relaxed now. "So they eat a lot. But they aren't greedy. And they don't cheat. They only take what they need." His smile faded. "Humans could learn a lot from them."
    Megan wondered what sort of life he had lived, that he saw the world in such terms. Then it occurred to her that given the value of his intellect and personal wealth, people probably wanted whatever they could get from him.
    "Perhaps we could," she said.
    "They followed me around too, you know," he said. "I sent them away."
    Her brow furrowed. "The birds?"
    "The suits from MindSim."
    "They offered you a job?"
    "Yes. I told them no." Then he added, "But perhaps I will consult for them, after all."
    Her pulse jumped. Was he offering her the chance to work with him? She kept her voice calm, afraid that if she appeared too eager, she would scare him off. "Maybe you should."
    He offered his hand. "I'm pleased to have met you, Dr. O'Flannery."
    She shook his hand. "And I you. Please call me Megan."
    "Megan." He nodded. Then he turned and started down the road. After a few steps, he turned back as if he had remembered something. "Oh. Yes. Good-bye, Megan."
    She raised her hand. "Good-bye."
    Then he went on his way, leaving her to wonder just what was going on out at MindSim.
 

    *2*
The Everest Project
    Megan hadn't expected her security clearance to come through so quickly. It made her wonder if MindSim hadn't begun the paperwork in advance, just in case. After a few weeks of negotiations, they flew her out to California to tour their labs.
    She felt like a kid in a computer-game arcade. She enjoyed this more than the pursuits her friends urged on her for "fun," like parties or holovids. Invariably, her parents joined the chorus, with hints that she should include a fellow in the postulated proceedings—son-in-law material, of course. Their unabashed lobbying drove her crazy. They were wonderful people and she loved them dearly, but she felt like running for the hills every time they got that grandparental gleam in their eyes.
    Out at MindSim, Tony and Claire showed her the snazzy labs first. In one, droids trundled around, gravely navigating obstacle courses. She spent half an hour putting them through their paces before her hosts enticed her to another lab. There she met an appliance that resembled a broom with wheels and detachable arms. It expounded at length on how it moved its fingers. Then she went for a walk with a robot that had legs. Its smooth gait put to shame earlier versions that had jerked along like stereotypical robots. Her hosts also let her try a Vacubot. She decided its inventors deserved a Nobel prize for their compassionate gift to humanity—a robot that could vacuum the house while its frazzled human occupants went out for pizza.
    "We also work on humanlike robots," Tony said as they ushered her down another hall. "This next lab designs the body."
    Megan's pulse jumped. "You've an android here?"
    "Unfortunately, no," Claire said. "This work is all theoretical. Development of the androids would go on at a facility in Nevada."
    It didn't surprise her