2206 : Window Onto A New World
XI. The Preacher The Teacher
gone straight to the point at the start of their chat. While the interpretation didn't completely match everything he had experienced during the exchange, it was progressively winning him over. –
« Okay, I get the point » claimed the programmer, grinning as he slowly nodded upwards, « this is what you wanted to talk about all along » he confidently supposed, « that's why you were being so confrontational... you had me going ! » he chuckled in relief.
Startled at first by the unexpected reaction of his guest, the dark haired expert recognized an unhoped-for opportunity. He had a pretext to justify his earlier revelations, that he was more or less content of having made. Responding with a quiet expression of approval, he realized he had also been given an invaluable glimpse into the state of mind of his interlocutor. The recent frictions could work in his favour. Raising the sensitive security topic would still provoke tension, however, it wouldn't be unprecedented. Thus, it would make it easier for his new hire to put the situation in perspective. He didn't seem that much put off by their talk after all. { Better to go ahead while it seems the proper time } the scientific adviser mused in resignation. He had to address the question anyhow. –
« We should have ample occasions to further explore the subject » vaguely confirmed the quadragenarian, « but there's still one matter I would like to clear up » he gravely told the coder who was evidently awaiting an explanation, and not an additional surprise, « you're probably going to find this strange » hazarded the pundit, « and I apologize in advance if I offend or insult you » he respectfully mentioned, « but... we have reasons to believe that you might be spying on us » he candidly announced, « and I'd like to hear what you have to say about it » he inquired, taking his assistant off guard.
It had already been a demanding evening for the junior engineer. If the prior argumentation had taken him aback more often than he had cared for, the accusation had utterly winded him. The physicist reflected that if the junior developer was trying to deceive him, their engaging dialogue had possibly been too heated to allow him to notice. Perhaps he had been too caught up in his own thoughts, but he couldn't remember one single sign that he was being lied to, nor could he recall doubting the sincerity of his colleague for even one ever-so-fleeting second. Furthermore, he didn't feel even remotely threatened by his presence. He was under the impression that, despite all that Milton had unearthed, Evans was just being honest. And if not, Sturn would have no difficulty admitting he had been tricked by one exceptionally gifted actor. Anyways, he would soon be at peace with the issue as he could trust the interrogation would afford him the calm and clarity he needed to observe the techie, if he could just stop ruminating and instead focus on the voice of the young man. –
« Hmm... I... I don't know what to say » the programmer nervously replied after a while, obviously shaken, « I... I don't know where to begin » he declared, unable to come up with a denial or a defence, « I really have no idea why you think I could be a spy » he protested
The Threshold
146
Christopher Stewart