“Now, maybe, you’re starting to understand better what I’ve been talking about,” Ohira’s voice said from somewhere.
Michelle turned her head and saw a wall with wide steps leading to a higher level. Assorted objects lay scattered on the terraces: wheels, blocks, and other geometric forms; sets of bars and ladders resembling gymnastics equipment; pieces of mechanical assemblies. A larger form caught her eye at the edge of her vision. She began turning, felt instantly light-headed, and completed the movement in a slow, wary shuffle. It was strange. She knew that she was sitting still, yet she could feel her feet moving. She was moving . . . and found herself staring at a mechanical humanoid standing just several yards away.
At least, it seemed just yards away. It had no recognizable face or features—just a mushroomlike, multi-faceted turret studded with lens openings and sensor attachments, and a thicket of antennas above. It looked like a walking tool rack with accessories and appendages girdling its hips, and limbs more intricate than had been evident on the model she’d examined earlier. The mec remained motionless. It wasn’t linked to anybody. But the surprise of seeing it so close had left her feeling jittery. She wasn’t really here, she had to remind herself.
She looked down, and although she was prepared, she couldn’t suppress a reaction of mild revulsion at the sight of the lobsterlike form that she had been turned into.
“A bit of a shock the first time, isn’t it,” Heber’s voice remarked. Of course—they could follow what she was seeing, on the monitor.
Well, this wasn’t getting her very far, she decided. She concentrated her attention, took a step . . . and reeled uncontrollably, promptly falling over. Somebody laughed.
A huge shadow blocked out the light, and a pair of long silver jaws came down from the sky to close around her and set her back on her feet. “It takes a little while to get the knack,” Heber’s voice said. “We do have multi-legged models that stay upright automatically, but I thought you’d prefer something a little more familiar. Let’s start again. This time we’ll guide you through it. It’s not as hard as you’re probably thinking right now.”
CHAPTER THREE
Eric called Kevin from the Training Lab to say that Ms. Lang was ready to leave, and they would all meet in a few minutes in the lobby.
Her face was softer, tapering to a chin that was more rounded than it had appeared from a distance through the window. And her mouth was wider and more full-lipped closer up, with an upturn at the corners that gave her a homier look. Her eyes, too, were bright and alert, silently interrogating, alive to every response. Face to face, she was altogether less aloof and daunting.
“This is Kevin,” Eric said, introducing them. “And his partner in crime. . . . I guess you and Taki know each other?”
“Oh yes, Michelle and Taki are old friends already,” Ohira put in, nodding.
“Kevin and Taki are kind of unofficial staff here at Neurodyne,” Eric said. “That’s another advantage of having your own company.” He gestured. “Kevin, this is Michelle Lang, who takes care of Ohira’s legal matters businesswise.”
She smiled and took in his lean, wiry frame, tall for his age, clad in a pale blue shirt and jeans; narrow features with sharp, mobile eyes; mop of fair hair, tousled and shaggy. “Hello, Kevin. I’m pleased to meet you at last.”
“Hi,” Kevin responded. He would have liked to elaborate further with something witty and erudite the way people in movies always seemed to be able to, but nothing of that description suggested itself. But then, people in movies had scriptwriters to spend hours thinking it up for them.
“That was quite an experience,” Michelle said. “Now that I’ve had my reality expanded, I don’t think the world will ever seem quite the same again. I suppose you must be used to it.”
“It takes practice,” Kevin said.
“You did just great once you got the hang of it,” Eric said. “I think she’s going to be a natural,” he told Kevin.
Now that Michelle had seen the mecs, the plan was for them to drive to the house so that Kevin and Taki could introduce her to their “Bug Park,” which was what Ohira had really brought her to see. Eric looked around the group. There were three adults and the two boys. “Okay, I guess I’ll take Kevin back.” He looked at Ohira and Michelle. “Whose car did you two come in?”