Stealing Time by Rebecca Bowyer (acx book reading .txt) 📕

“This morning, please read through thefolders and have a think about how you want to approach theproblem. We’ll reconvene in two hours.” Varya turned her back onthe room, signalling an end to the presentation. She picked up thewhiteboard eraser and started to rub at her diagrams. It occurredto her as she rubbed out the final arrow that it might have beenhelpful to leave it there. Too late now.

“You okay?” Connor murmured at her side.Varya took an involuntary step sideways. He was too close, far tooclose, and speaking too softly. It was all just too intimate forher, and after her meeting with Sebastian she found her faith inher own perceptions starting to slip again. He’d always had thateffect on her, as though he carried some magnetic field around himthat messed with her own radar signals. When she was withSebastian, she always felt as though she was fighting through aconstant fog. In the past it had been a happy fog, mostly. Butstill a fog. She shook her head slightly.

“I’m fine.” She looked up, tried to smile alittle to give support to the lie. “Little tired, maybe.”

“You know, I was thinking. About how I couldbe useful in all of this. I was wondering if you’d like me to bethe liaison between us and Rest Time Corps? I know how they work; Iknow how we work, and you’d be free to focus on the research. Itwould also mean you wouldn’t have to…” He trailed offdeliberately.

“I don’t need… I mean, thanks, yes. Thatwould be great, actually.” Varya remembered her promise to Marisa,to try to share the burden around, to stop trying to take it all onher own shoulders. She sat down at the presentation bench at thefront of the room and shuffled her own papers, trying to gather herthoughts enough to start work herself. She was just wonderingwhether it might not be a bad idea to find another room, away frompeople, when the pregnant scientist pulled a chair over and satdown beside her.

“Hi, it’s Kayla, isn’t it?”

Kayla beamed. “Yes, that’s me.”

“And… how far along are you?” Varya mentallykicked herself at the inane question. How many times had she beenasked the same question herself during her pregnancy, and howannoying had it become?

“Twenty-six weeks. We’re so excited.”

“You’re not worried about still working? Imean, the chemicals in the labs…” Varya projected her own concernsonto Kayla, remembering her complete refusal to give up work beforeshe went into labour. Looking back, she was horrified that shehadn’t given any thought to her working conditions. Kayla waved adismissive hand.

“No, it’s fine. I’m on a project where I’vealready checked out all the substances we’re working with andthey’re all totally safe.” There was a brief pause, enough time forKayla to rearrange her excited expectant-mum face into analtogether more serious one.

“This time transfer tech. It can tell youwhen you’re going to die, can’t it?”

“Not quite. It can tell you the maximumamount of time you have left. This could be superseded by either aRest Time Chip’s initiation, or another catastrophic but unforeseenevent.”

“My friend’s sister, when she was thirteen,just passed away in her sleep. Nobody had any idea why, there wasno medical reason. Her heart just… stopped.”

Varya nodded thoughtfully.

“Do you think it could have been the end ofher life span?”

“Maybe,” said Varya. “But I don’t reallyknow a lot about how it works, I’m sorry. I’ve told you as much asI know. We were able to discover how to transfer it, but you’veseen how that worked out. No further research has been done on lifespans and any information about it has been suppressed by thegovernment. You could only imagine the general panic if word gotout. Some people would demand the technology to measure their lifespans. The repercussions from knowing the date of your prematuredeath were deemed too great.”

Kayla snorted. “We already know the date ofour premature death,” she said bitterly. “It’s sixty-five.” Sherubbed her belly and admired it for a moment. “Then again, if thislittle one was only meant for a short time in this world, I don’tthink I’d want to know.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sosorry, I didn’t mean… I didn’t think.”

Varya closed her eyes, took a quiet breath,and opened them again. “It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. I read aboutwhat happened to your son. It’s so unfair.”

“Thank you.” Varya picked up a sheaf ofpapers and held them in front of herself.

“I should probably get back to work,” saidKayla. “Time is ticking.”

“Yes,” said Varya. “It certainly is.”

Chapter thirty-six

Varya had just managed to get her mind focused on thetask at hand and was jotting down notes furiously as she rememberedfragments of the solution from the past. She almost didn’t hear herscreen vibrating. Annoyed, she picked it up and was planning tocancel the call, until she saw the caller ID.

“Connor is supposed to call you.” Varya madeno effort to hide her irritation. “He’s going to be the liaisonbetween our organisations for this project.” She frowned into thesilence. “Hello?”

A soft laugh. “I was calling to see if youwanted to meet up for lunch,” said Sebastian. “I can hear you’rewell into research mode, though, so…”

“I’m sorry, I just…” She wasn’t reallysorry.

“It’s okay. That tone of yours, just bringsback the memories, that’s all.”

Damn him. Damn him and his memories. She bither tongue and held her breath, willing herself to stay silent.

“How about dinner? I’ll leave here aroundsix.” She mentally kicked herself. “I could meet you at thatMexican place we used to take Kir to. It’s on my way home.” It washis voice, that hypnotic voice. Not the law enforcement one. Thathad never gotten him anywhere with her, which had taken him a whileto figure out. It was the perceptive I-can-see-right-through-youwarm tone that sent shivers down her spine.

“Done. I’ll see you there at six-fifteen,”he said.

She tapped the red circle on her screen andtried to regain her focus.

Chapter thirty-seven

At thirty-seven minutes past six o’clock, Varyapushed open the heavy door to El Nido. She knew immediately that itwas a mistake. If she was trying to keep her