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before about using that word. God power never fails. It is interrupted."
Ewen gave the girl a mischievous half smile. "And if it's not a GoD power
interruption, then a faulty slave motor or motors is a 100% probability.
Replace all slave motors in that section, test in accordance with Public
Safety Specification PSS/104A, and return motors to the nearest maintenance
depot for recycling or repair."
"Tools required?"
"Uh... I'd go for Toolkit 108."
"Not bad."
"What do you mean "not bad"? That was perfect!"
"It would be perfect only if you use the right wording and don't try to
be clever all the time," Jenine retorted.
"I don't have to try to be clever," Ewen fired back. "And your constant
bullying undermines my self-confidence."
Jenine laughed at that. She sat up and held out the datapad to Ewen. "Now
you test me."
Ewen did just that by tickling her feet. She responded by giving an
indignant cry and tucking them out of reach again.
"Why do you do that, Ewen? Does it give you pleasure to annoy me?"
Ewen flopped back on the floor. The burst of cheering from outside when
the Communications and Transport Faculty got a team mate to the top of the
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ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
pyramid changed to groans when their man was dislodged from the apex. There
was a loud squeal as the contestant used his suckers to break his slide to the
base. "No... But why does it annoy you, Jenine? Just because we were taught in
our first year that touching was wrong? That was ten years ago."
"It annoys me. You annoy me. That's enough reason."
He propped himself up on his elbows. "It's a serious question. We're now
allowed to do all sorts of things that we weren't allowed to do when we were
kids. I don't think you're ticklish. You play silly games on the pyramid,
which is pretty physical, and yet it annoys you if I touch you. Why?"
Jenine brushed her hair from her eyes. She still had the mass of natural
blonde curls that Ewen remembered when they first met ten years ago at the
selection centre. "Is it important?" she demanded. "And what's brought on
these stupid questions anyway?"
"I didn't tell you about my field trip with Father Winim yesterday. It
was boring really. We went to the Keltro chord- metro station to fix a
mag-lev's sliding doors. There was a couple sitting on a bench - a boy and a
girl about our age. Naturally, they moved away when they saw us, but not too
far. I watched them while Windbag Winim tested the doors. They were kissing
each other. On the mouth."
Jenine shuddered. "They do that on the outside. How can they? And the
clothes they wear-"
"My mother designs clothes," Ewen pointed out.
"Clothes which encourage their awful breeding habits. There's those tops
that show women's... you know. It must be horrible having those awful growths
on your chest."
Ewen didn't share her feelings of distaste. His mother's breasts looked
wonderful, but he always kept such thoughts to himself. Nevertheless, the ten
years at the Centre during their formative years had institutionalised both of
them almost to the point of no return. "It wasn't just the kissing. He was
tickling her as well, and she seemed to enjoy it."
"So?"
"So I merely wondered why she liked it, and you don't. It's not like
kissing."
"Because we're different. We're special. Our brains are special; our
bodies are special; we don't have body hair; women don't have those growths-
"Breasts," Ewen interjected, rolling the word off his tongue with
mischievous relish, knowing what her reaction would be.
She stared at him and grimaced. "Even the word's horrible. I don't know
how you can say it. You don't have to shave like men on the outside - like the
others. We're the GoD's chosen ones."
"I upset poor old Windbag," said Ewen pensively.
"So what's new? How?"
"There's a screw on the doors which is in difficult place. Windbag said
that they were always a problem so I said, why not alter the design of all new
doors? He got very angry. "Alter the design without the consent of the
Revelation Centre?" he squawked, and went on to give me a lecture about
tampering with the word of the GoD."
"He's right," said Jenine seriously.
"I hardly think changing the position of one screw is challenging the
GoD."
"It's not for us to suggest such things, Ewen."
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