Tiona_a sequel to Vaz Read online

  Gettnor stared at him with a little bit of a “deer in the headlights” look on his face. Then he said, “Research.”

  For a moment Nolan expected Gettnor to expand on his one-word answer, but when nothing was forthcoming, Nolan asked, “What kind of research?”

  Gettnor opened his mouth, but then froze as if he didn’t know how to respond. After a moment, Tiona said, “Physics research. Well, and some chemistry too. He’s done a lot of work on energy storage.”

  Gettnor looked at his daughter for a moment, and then turned back to Nolan, “Yeah. Energy storage.”

  Nolan said, “Who do you work for?”

  Gettnor said, “Myself.” He said with a great deal of satisfaction, as if there couldn’t be a better employer.

  Nolan wanted to ask Gettnor how he funded his research and how he paid himself. Questions that he thought would help him understand Tiona’s financial situation, but they’d arrived at the Cosmic Cantina by then. Their conversation was interrupted by the business of placing orders for their burritos and Nolan’s careful maneuvering to make sure he paid for lunch.

  When Tiona realized that he’d paid for their meals as well, she snorted a little laugh and thanked him. Nolan had been worried that Mr. Gettnor would be embarrassed that a student had bought his lunch, but actually the man seemed completely oblivious to the implications. In fact, Nolan had been worried that Tiona would be embarrassed as well, but she seemed to accept his charity without any awkwardness. Well, she eats at the shelter. She must’ve gotten over any embarrassment about these kinds of things a long time ago.

  Nolan never got around to asking Gettnor about how his research was funded. Instead, Tiona asked Nolan to explain his research to her father. He did so, wondering how in depth he could go. Explaining what he did to most of his friends and family was difficult because it was so hard to explain in terms that they could understand. However, Gettnor apparently had at least some education in physics. Even if his research was in batteries he should be better able to understand Nolan’s work than a layman.

  Once Nolan started describing his project, Gettnor’s eyes lit up. He said, “So you’re the one who first precipitated the monolayer graphene?” Gettnor suddenly appeared to be extremely interested.

  “Um, yeah. Though the process results in many monolayers being put down, one on top of the other. So we usually call it multi-monolayer. It’s not graphite, because each monolayer covers the whole area of the copper disc we precipitate it on. It’s just that the precipitation method forms multiple monolayers.”

  Now Nolan found himself under a barrage of questions about graphene precipitation, how it might be scaled up, how fast it could occur, what the properties of the membranes were, and on and on. The questions continued until they’d gotten back to the lab and for a few minutes after that. Nolan had the feeling that they might have lasted all afternoon, but Tiona eventually interrupted to say, “Well dad, I’ve got to go to my class and I’m sure Nolan has to get back to his research.” She held out a manila folder like the lab kept graphene membranes in. Nolan wondered if she was giving her father a souvenir.

  Gettnor blinked; then looked disappointed. After a moment he simply said, “Okay.” He took the folder and turned to the door. He started to leave; then suddenly stopped. He turned back to Nolan and said, “It was nice to meet you… Goodbye.” Gettnor turned and left without waiting for a response from Nolan though Nolan felt sure the man had forgotten his name.

  Tiona walked her father out of the building, leaving Nolan sitting there thinking that Gettnor’s farewell words sounded rehearsed. It felt like Gettnor had chosen them from some kind of menu that popped up in his brain. As if he’d selected the words like a robot might pick them out. He snorted, she was right, her dad is weird.

  ***

  Dr. Eisner felt pleased with the progress his two grad students had been making on their projects. Nolan Marlowe’s work with graphene precipitation was especially exciting. The university’s Office of Technology Development had a lawyer hard at work to patent the process. They wouldn’t be able to publish until the patent process was complete, but Marlowe was writing his paper. In the lab he continued characterizing the mechanical and now the electrical properties of his multi-monolayer graphene.

  Tiona Gettnor, on the other hand, had initially been making progress at a much faster rate than he’d expected. Certainly she was smart as a whip. She was almost impossible to stump in their lab meetings. Every time she had run into a roadblock she had immediately come up with plans to get around it. Recently, however, she’d seemed distracted. Her last few doping schemes hadn’t shown much promise and she hadn’t proposed any ideas for new experiments. Eisner had found himself having to suggest possible next steps to her. She’d duly noted those possible steps when he presented them, but lacked the enthusiasm she’d had earlier. He wondered if something in her personal life was interfering. Boyfriend problems?

  Mentally he laughed at himself. He wouldn’t have thought of girlfriend problems if Marlowe was the one having trouble with his project.

  As Eisner headed back to his office, he suddenly realized that Marlowe was following along behind him. “Yes Nolan?”

  “Um, Sir, I was hoping to talk privately… maybe in your office?”

  Eisner shrugged, “Sure.” He led the way into his office.

  Marlowe closed the door behind him and Eisner waved him to a chair. Marlowe said, “Um, it’s about Tiona. Um, I think she might be having financial trouble.”

  Eisner frowned. The girl had a graduate assistantship which paid a small salary and let her avoid tuition, but it would be difficult to make ends meet on it. If she had a lot of debt built up from her undergraduate education he could easily imagine that she might have financial troubles. That might explain her apparent distraction here recently as well. To Marlowe he said, “What makes you think that?”

  Marlowe said, “I happened to see her downtown. I’d been down there to have dinner and was walking to the parking lot when she went by on the other side of Columbia. She was far enough away that I didn’t try and wave to her or call her name or anything. She didn’t see me…” Marlowe trailed off.

  Eisner said, “And so…?”

  “Um, she turned in to the homeless shelter!”

  Eisner shrugged, “Maybe she works there. Volunteers there I mean, you know, as a form of charity.”

  Marlowe said, “Yeah, that’s what I thought it must be. But then I thought about how old all her clothing is. And it’s out of style and doesn’t fit. So I started to worry… I probably shouldn’t have, but I followed her to the shelter and looked in…”

  Eisner felt like he was pulling teeth, “And…?”

  “She was eating there. With the… homeless people.”

  “Maybe they feed you if you volunteer there?”

  “Yeah, I thought of that,” Marlowe almost whispered. “I saw her go in there one other time. She left after about ten minutes. If she did any work, it wasn’t very much.”

  Eisner sighed, “Well, I’m not quite sure what to do with this. She has seemed distracted here recently, and from what you’re saying financial problems might be the cause. I’m not sure how to help her though.” He lifted an eyebrow, “I don’t have any skills as a social worker.”

  “Yeah,” Marlowe said, sounding depressed. “I don’t know how to help her either. I’ve been bringing in extra food in my bag lunch and offering some of it to her, but she hardly ever takes any. She’s so skinny when I first met her I thought she might be anorexic. Now I’m afraid she just can’t afford to eat.”

  Eisner studied Marlowe for a moment, “You sound like you really care about her.”

  Marlowe’s shoulders slumped a little, “Yeah. I don’t really understand it. She’s not really my type and she barely notices me, but I find myself thinking about her a lot… and now… worrying about her.”

  Eisner gave a little snort, “Well, not only am I a lousy social worker, but I hope you realize that a
physics professor is probably the last person you want to get relationship advice from?”

  Marlowe smiled, though it was brief, then faded. “I’m sure that’s true. I’d like to be a physics professor and I’m surely clueless about relationships myself. No, I don’t need advice. I just wanted to make you aware of her situation. Maybe you could cut her a little slack sometime if it seems like she needs it.” He gave a little laugh and a shrug, “Her dad visited her in the lab yesterday. He’s one weird dude.”

  Eisner’s eyebrows rose, “Really? I’ve been thinking she must not have a family if she’s got those kinds of financial problems.”

  Marlowe shrugged, “I asked him what he does, and he said ‘physics.’ But he says he works for himself and he’s such a weird guy I have a feeling he can’t actually hold down a job. He wears the same kind of used-looking, baggy clothes Tiona does.”

  They sat there in silence for a moment; then Eisner sighed, “Well, thanks for letting me know. I’m not sure what I can do to help, but just knowing that there’s a problem means that if an opportunity to help comes by, I’ll be able to consider it.”

  ***

  Jimmy Ray saw the skinny blonde chick start up the steps into the shelter. He got up from the wall he’d been sitting on and followed her in. He managed to insert himself into the line a few spots behind her. He couldn’t quite understand why he’d become so obsessed with this girl. She ate at the shelter most week nights, but never slept there. Her clothes were old and didn’t fit very well, but were always clean. Sometimes he thought she might have a job. Not a job that paid very well, but one that paid for a place for her to live. Maybe she just ate at the shelter because she was cheap… or crazy… who could know?

  This time he didn’t try to sit next to her. He sat at the next table, on the other side so he could keep an eye on her. He ate quickly so that he’d be done before she left. When she got up, he forced himself to wait a few seconds before he rose from his seat. He dropped off his tray, one person behind her, and went out the door about fifteen feet back.

  She turned north so Jimmy Ray started that way himself. For a moment he thought about how he’d sworn he wouldn’t do this again. But putting these bitches in their place made him feel alive. She had her nose up in the air like a lot of other women who wouldn’t talk to Jimmy Ray.

  They thought they were too good for him. He loved the moment they figured out that they might think they were too good for him, but they couldn’t get away from him.

  Pacing along about twenty feet behind her he started thinking about the moment she would realize someone was following her. She’d get scared and after a bit she’d start to run.

  But Jimmy Ray could run too. He might not look like it, but he could run and run and run. He wasn’t much of a sprinter, but he’d been on the cross country team for a while when he’d been in high school. These women would run on ahead for a bit; then he’d catch back up. They’d panic and gain a little on him, but he’d be patient and soon enough he’d be right behind them again. Sometimes, he’d slow to let them have a little false hope. He’d even let a few of them get away completely.

  Not this one though. She’d disrespected him too many times now.

  Ah, there it was. She’d just looked back over her shoulder.

  Sure enough, she sped up a little. Grinning to himself, he let her gain a little. When she looked back again she’d feel relieved.

  He saw her glance back. As expected, when she saw that she’d gained on him, she slowed a little. Now he started walking faster. Last week someone had brought a bunch of shoes down to the shelter and Jimmy Ray had scored these nice runners. It was like the gods wanted him to do another girl. The shoes didn’t even make any noise as he started to gain on the girl. The girl reached the bottom of the little valley and started up the other side. Jimmy Ray started to wonder if she was ever going to look back and realize that he was right behind her now.

  He didn’t want to catch her already. The chase was half the fun. Running them down until they were exhausted. Like a wolf, he thought to himself. I’m the big bad Wolf.

  He brought his feet down just a tiny bit harder so that they made noise.

  Sure enough she glanced back over her shoulder. Looked startled. Sped up again.

  Jimmy Ray sped up to match her.

  She glanced back again and saw him right behind her. She started to jog.

  Jimmy Ray stepped up his pace, thinking, This is more like it!

  They were going uphill and moving fast enough that Jimmy Ray was starting to pant. He knew she’d be starting to worry now.

  Suddenly, she cut across the Boulevard to the east and down a neighborhood street. Crazy bitch. Shoulda stayed out there on the main street where there are more people!

  The girl sped up again. So did Jimmy Ray. Most of the women he’d chased down had been pretty panicked by this point, glancing wild eyed back over their shoulders. Speeding up and slowing down as panic and exhaustion warred inside their bodies. This girl regularly glanced back, but kept a steady pace. She turned right at the corner.

  Jimmy Ray picked up his stride, wondering if she’d try to scream for help. Most of them didn’t try to yell until they were so short of breath they couldn’t even squawk. He’d started to close on her, but when she glanced back she simply picked up her speed and pulled back away. Damn! This girl can actually run!

  But she ain’t gonna be able to keep it up.

  The girl turned right again which put her going back west. Maybe she’s trying to get back to the Boulevard? Jimmy Ray picked up his pace again. He didn’t want her to get back to a big street.

  To his amazement, though he started to catch up, she immediately picked up her pace and pulled away. His breathing came hard and his legs started to ache and tingle. Is this bitch actually gonna be able to outrun me?!

  She turned left just before she reached the main Boulevard. She started running through a parking lot and away from the Boulevard. Jimmy thought, Oh, that was a screw-up! That main street would have been safer than an empty parking lot.

  Jimmy Ray sped up a little more. All the women he’d done this to in the past had eventually given up in exhaustion, but he was thinking he might have to tackle this one. She ran along the side of a big concrete building, and then turned around its corner.

  Jimmy Ray lunged after her.

  She seemed to feel him coming. As he stretched for her collar it danced out of reach. He lunged again.

  She stopped suddenly and leaned her back up against a big glass window.

  Ah, Jimmy Ray thought as he plunged past her and heaved to a stop, she’s finally blown out. He stepped back and grabbed a handful of the front of her shirt. With some surprise he noticed that there were lights on in the building behind her. Probably the cleaning crew, this hour of the evening. He also suddenly noticed that she had on an AI headset. She hadn’t had on an AI when she’d been eating dinner in the shelter! Uppity bitch! If she can afford one of those, she shouldn’t be eating at the shelter!

  He snatched the headset off and tossed it into the bushes behind him. He’d have to find her AI and destroy it with whatever record it had been making of this chase. But, first he had to get her away from the front of this window; there were people moving around inside. Good thing she’s too short of breath to scream.

  As Jimmy leaned to his left, getting ready to drag the girl away, she put her hand up towards him. He thought she was reaching up to fend him off, but then he saw a small canister in her fingers.

  It sprayed something into his eyes.

  Agony shot through Jimmy Ray. He leaned back, sucking in a breath to yell at her. This sucked the pepper spray down into his lungs as well.

  As if his eyes, throat, and lungs didn’t hurt enough, the bitch’s knee shot up between his thighs and crashed into his crotch.

  Seconds later, as Jimmy Ray crouched on his hands and knees in agony, he heard cops. How the hell did they get here so fast?

  The cops asked what had happ
ened and the girl told them how Jimmy Ray had chased her, offering the record from her AI as confirmation. They pulled him to his feet and dragged him inside the very building the girl had been leaning on.

  Through bleary-teary eyes, Jimmy Ray realized that the bitch had run a loop that had taken them around and brought them right up to the police station. It was like she’d been toying with him! She’d been leaning against the station’s windows when she’d attacked him! Isn’t there some kind of law against this? Entrapment or something?

  Mary Stone sat staring at the young woman with some bemusement. Short blonde hair and a cute face. She might have a nice body though it was hard to tell in the oversized clothing she wore. Certainly no one could accuse her of teasing or enticing men by the way she dressed.

  Mary had watched the video record from the woman’s AI in awe. The guy had chased her down the long hill from Rosemary Street and then back up the other side, running faster all the time. She’d led him out through a neighborhood then looped back around, through the parking lot out front and wound up against the front windows of the police station. All without ever seeming to get panicked. The video from her AI showed her glancing back over her shoulder at regular intervals, then running faster if needed to keep the man from catching her. Her breathing and footfalls were steady in the audio record, not at all the panicked gasping that you might expect from a slender young woman being pursued by a large man.

  “Ms.…” Mary looked down at a screen, “Gettnor?”

  The young woman nodded.

  “So, do you know Mr. McAllister?” She clarified, “Jimmy Ray McAllister?”

  Gettnor shook her head. “I assume you mean the man who chased and attacked me. No, I don’t know his name. However I have seen him at the homeless shelter quite a few times.”

  Mary blinked. Despite the worn, poorly-fitting clothing the young woman’s speech did not strike her as typical for the homeless people she had known. “Do you work at the homeless shelter?”