Adam Brodie and the monster from the dark planet

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chapter Twenty Seven

Adam and Malcolm were sitting in an austere room with a creature sitting, or standing, behind a desk at the room's far end. The creature was called Miss Zzzz and was a mass of crab like claws and a single eye in a green, balloon like head.

Once Malcolm had got over his shock at this monster he protested that since he came from the Middle Ages he could neither read nor write.

"Nice try," said Miss Zzzz. "I read your file. You are the son of the Earl of Loxley and got a good education including the ability to read and write."

A single claw dropped a batch of paper and a pen down on the desk.

"Get on with it," said Miss Zzzz.

Her eye turned to Adam who got down to the task at hand. Miss Zzzz half floated and half scuttled to her desk at the far end and settled behind it, the eye ever watchful.

"What's the matter?" said Adam.

"I'm looking for a pot of ink."

"That's a modern pen. There is no pot of ink."

"Where is the ink?"

"Inside the pen."

Malcolm looked at the pen. "A writing implement with its own pot of ink? What will they think of next?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "Get scribing."

"What do we write?" said Malcolm.

In exasperation Miss Zzzz crashed a huge claw against a whiteboard.

"It's on the whiteboard," she said.

"It's on the whiteboard," said Adam.

The hour passed slowly. Adam did not know what upset him more, the lines, or the weird creature at the desk. He was glad when the bell rang and he could go to his next lesson, which was mathematics with Professor Einstein. His jokes were improving.

The weekend of the first week of the new academic year at the Nexus came, and Brigitte wanted to go to the library.

"This place has a library?" said Adam.

"Well duh! It is a school."

"This I must see," said Adam.

They took a buggy transporting them across the Nexus. Brigitte, because she took Matron's tablets, no longer suffered from travel sickness and was in good spirits no matter how fast they went. They alighted in a plaza.

Adam looked up at the high towers and the vehicles darting about among them. He stood transfixed by the vision. Brigitte patted him on the shoulder.

"Library."

They walked towards a tall building.

"How are the lines coming?"

"Slowly, very slowly."

"That was a dumb thing you did."

"I won't be doing it again or anything like it. You heard Trinity. I'm on my last warning. I have to stay for Jake's sake."

"I miss your brother," said Brigitte. "Jake was really nice. We'll see him again."

"When?" muttered Adam.

They came to an impressive looking door to an impressive looking tower. Over the top of the door was the word, Library.

"You wish to use the library?" said an android who stood at the door.