A big man, completely Mercury-adapted and nearly eight feet tall, careened into Aubry and almost knocked her off her feet. He carried an oversize suitcase that was jammed closed and bulging. As Aubry watched the man move into the crowd, the suitcase burst open and a shower of greenleaf banknotes burst out. The big man made a mad scramble for his money, knocking over several others who were doing the same in the process. But Aubry’s father pulled her along, and she wasn’t able to see how the fracas turned out.
The family jostled through the crowd, but managed to stay together until they could reach the queue for the weapons detector.
“Step through the arch, young lady,” said an officious voice in her head. Like most police and sweeper units, this one could override her internal volume controls and communicate to her at whatever volume it chose. “Step through the arch. It won’t hurt a bit.”
She realized that it was a free convert of some kind who was talking to her—probably one associated with the weapons-detector arch. It was obviously trying to be nice to her, as much as such things could, and she gave it a smile and stepped through. There was a brief tingle and then a very real electric shock. Something had quickly and thoroughly moved through her and examined her minutely—all without asking permission. Aubry felt a little sick at her stomach at the thought. Then she saw that her father was having an even tougher time of it. The detector was giving his pocketbook the third degree. This was holding up the line, and some of the people stacked up behind Kelly were audibly grumbling.
Finally, they were done with the pocketbook, and Kelly was allowed to move on. Then Sint stepped through the arch, looking rather frightened. It held him there for a moment, and then informed him, in a loud voice, that he was going to have to give up his enigma box or he could not pass through. Kelly protested, but the arch convert was insistent.
“Those things have protected technology. Transporting them out system is a clear 4NB36 violation.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” said Kelly. The crowd’s grumbles were turning into open expressions of displeasure, but he pressed the issue. “We need it to keep the boy entertained on the trip we are taking.”
“It’s a 4NB36 violation,” the convert insisted. “It is within my prerogative to detain you. I’m offering confiscation in view of the violator’s obvious young age. But perhaps it is his parent who really wishes to smuggle the technology out?”
“It’s my favorite toy,” Sint spoke up bravely. “But if it’s not allowed, I’ll give it up.”
“It is not allowed,” said the weapons detector. The arch extended a tray, and Sint dutifully placed the enigma box on top of it. Tray and box were then absorbed into the arch, where they would obviously be reworked and destroyed by the detector’s grist. Aubry felt her father’s hand on her shoulder, pushing her along.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, “before I give that cop a piece of my mind and get us in trouble we don’t need right now.”
Sint started to cry a little bit. Aubry reached over and took his hand, and her father took hers. Together, the three of them made their way toward the departure shafts at the Hub’s center. They took seats in the waiting room and finally felt the familiar presence of Danis, back with them in the grist of the waiting room.