Читать онлайн «Just a Hint»

It was exactly seven A. M. when Federman finished typing the last data entry. The small console flashed a confirmation and, several miles away, the central processor began correlating the results of the previous evening’s observation run.

Federman winced as he stretched in the swivel chair, his spine cracking. Age seemed to make every strain and pop a cruel reminder, as if decay were audibly calling out its territoriality.

The classical music station playing on his desktop radio began an update of the morning’s headlines.

The weather would be beautiful over most of the country. The chance of rain in the nearby area was less than twenty percent. The current probability estimate for the likelihood of nuclear war this year still hovered around twenty percent, also.

Liz Browning backed in, pushing the door open with one foot as she balanced a cardboard tray with coffee, doughnuts, and the morning newspaper.

“Good,” she said, laying her load down on his desk. “I knew you could finish without me. I don’t know how you stay up all night reducing data without getting hungry. I just had to get some food!”

As a matter of fact, Federman had started noticing a growling emptiness in his stomach almost the moment the last figure had been typed. If his graduate student had been glad to let him finish alone, he was just as happy she had brought back the goodies.

“It’s love, Liz. Anyone who stays up all night has to be in love… in this case with astronomy. Either that or he’s crazy or in the army. ”

Elizabeth Browning grinned ironically, leaving crinkled smile lines around her eyes. Her straight brown hair was braided behind her back.

“Or it means he wants to beat Tidbinbilla into print with that new pulsar analysis. Come on, Sam. Outside it’s already a beautiful day. Let’s let some light in here.

“Cruel youth,” he moaned. “To bring these spotted hands and time-wracked limbs before the searching gaze of day. ”

“Aw, come on, Sam. You and I both know there’s no such quotation. Why do you keep making up fake Shakespeare?”

“Perhaps I’m a poet at heart?”

“You’re a scoundrel and a rogue at heart. That’s why I’m so incredibly pleased with myself for latching onto you as a research advisor. Everybody else may be losing their grants as the military budget increases, but you know how to finagle enough funding to keep the radio astronomy program here going. My biggest hope is that I can learn your techniques. ”

“You’ll never learn them as long as you fail to understand why I make up Bard-isms. ” Federman smiled.

Liz pointed a finger at him, then thought better of it.

“Touché,” she said. “I’ll enroll in Lit. 106 next term. Okay? That is, if there’s still a world then. ”

“Are we in a pessimistic mood today?”

Liz shrugged. “I shouldn’t be, I suppose. Every spring is seems there’s less smog and other pollution. Remember that eyesore wrecking yard on Highway Eight? Well, it’s gone now. They’ve put in a park. ”