Doctor Who_ Blue Box - Kate Orman [16]
The net is gonna change how we think.’
Peri was impressed. ‘Is that what it’s really like online?’
‘Ah, we’re still getting the hang of it. It’ll work as long as everyone in the world doesn’t get a computer.’
‘But isn’t that kind of the idea? To make computers like TVs, or toasters?’
Bob looked miffed. ‘It’s not going to make the net a better place if everybody in the world climbs aboard. College professors and scientists talking to one another is one thing.
But garbage collectors? Housewives?’
‘College students?’ snapped Peri.
Bob looked at her sideways. ‘H. G. Wells used to talk about creating a World Brain. Bringing all the world’s experts, all their knowledge, into one place. That’s what the net is gonna be: a World Encyclopaedia. Pure information from the best minds on the planet.’
‘And pizza.’
‘Lemme show you something here; said Bob. He fired up a brand-new IBM PC and pushed a diskette into the drive.
‘Same technology as the Columbia. Why don’t you have a look at the demo programs?’
What a way to spend Christmas Eve: watching a computer draw spirals. You would never have known the time of year from Bob’s house: there was no tree, no cards. No matter where they had happened to be, her parents always arranged something. A bit of tinsel on a twig, carols in the tent. They could make Christmas out of virtually nothing. To Bob, it seemed, it was virtually nothing.
What a relief to be interrupted by the jarring ring of the phone. She snatched it up before Bob could get his hands on it.
‘Hello?’
‘Hello, Peri. I trust you’re well.’
‘Fine, Doctor. Are you OK?’
‘Never better. How did things go with your little expedition?’
Peri sighed. ‘All I know is that whatever you’re looking for, it’s not in their computer room. I got to check the whole place before Swan scared us off, and there aren’t any locked rooms or secret labs that I could see.’ Her voice grew small
‘I’m sorry we couldn’t find out more.’
‘Given the circumstances,’ said the Doctor, ‘you’ve done remarkably well!’ Peri relaxed a little. Bob was practically jumping up and down, making ‘give me the phone’ gestures, but she held on. ‘And you’ve confirmed something I suspected: Swan’s project is a private one, not to be shared with her workmates. Even the government is not aware of what one of its contractors has hold of.’
‘What is it?’ Peri asked point-blank.
The Doctor hesitated. ‘Not yet, Peri. Not yet.’
‘Well,’ Peri said helplessly, ‘be careful.’
‘One more thing,’ said the Doctor. ‘It’s extremely rude to eavesdrop on other people’s phone conversations.’
‘Aw, shoot,’ said Mondy. ‘No way!’
He tossed the tape deck to me and scooted his seat forward, starting up the engine. ‘What about your equipment?’
I said; craning my neck. Bob’s study was dark.
‘Never mind that,’ said the phreak. ‘I swiped it from an FBI tap. They can have it back.’
‘Wait,’ I said, just as he pulled out. He slammed on the brakes and glared at me. ‘I want to talk to them.’
‘You’ve gotta be kidding,’ he protested.
‘Let me drive.’
‘No!’ He was already out of the driver’s-side door.
‘I’m serious!’ I said, as we ran around the bonnet, changing sides.
‘Not a chance!’ he insisted, sliding into the passenger seat.
‘It’s gotta be done!’ I said, grabbing the steering wheel.
Bob’s Pontiac roared out of the little court like a rogue elephant. We followed, trying to hang back as they wound through a series of suburban streets. But we must have been pretty conspicuous: they kept speeding up and slowing down, and I could see Peri looking back at us. Once they took an obviously random turn, and came back down the side street a minute