Free Getting Back by William Dietrich Page B

weird, isn't it?"
    She took a sip. "Is it? They seem to find the right people to go."
    "Outback Adventure is listed as an export company, not a tourism outfit."
    She shrugged.
    "How do you know they're even legitimate?"
    "I've talked with them."
    "And?"
    "It's exciting, Daniel. Life-changing. They just have to keep a lid on information about the situation in Australia. That secret part adds a thrill."
    "But not for me."
    She sighed. "That's for you to decide, isn't it? I'm just trying to… not waste your time." Raven glanced out at the mall for a moment, then returned her gaze to him.
    "Why wouldn't I fit?"
    "Because you're confused. Because you have to be absolutely certain you belong there. It's a very rugged experience. Maybe you're better at adjusting to the city than you think, even if you don't realize it right now. My advice is not to give up on Microcore. It's a good company. They know what they're doing."
    "But I'm not adjusted. It's always the sideways view, like we talked about."
    She glanced out the cafe again. Did she have some boyfriend waiting out there? Her distraction irritated him. "Then call them up if you want."
    "I can't. It's encrypted."
    "I know. There's a password. Or words."
    "Can I get them?"
    She shifted restlessly. "I'm only hesitating because I don't want to mislead you. It's dangerous, difficult."
    "Which you can take and I can't."
    "I didn't say that."
    "Give me the password, Raven."
    "I warned you, right?"
    "You've done everything but let me judge."
    "All right." She conceded the point. "You can log in with 'Erehwon.' " She spelled it.
    "What does that mean?"
    "It's just code. And the passwords are 'Getting Back.' "
    "Getting back? To what, nature?"
    "It means whatever you want it to mean, I suppose."
    "But why an export company?"
    "To deter the casually curious, I think. To discourage mere tourists. After you listen to them it will make more sense."
    "What if we looked into it together?"
    She took another sip. "I don't think so."
    "As friends. We could even go together. Friends."
    "I'm not your friend, Daniel. I'm just this strange woman you met who's revealed a potential opportunity and decided it's better for us each to go our own way." She stood abruptly. "Look, this discussion is hard for me but I can't really explain why. Maybe you should just forget it. Forget me. Get on with your life."
    "I don't have a life."
    "Don't look for it from me."
    "I'm looking for something to shake up my life. Maybe this Outback Adventure is it."
    "Maybe. But you have to decide without me." Then she walked quickly away.
     
***
     
    The code gave him access to a web site with an opening picture of a red-sand desert, dotted with bright green trees. Australia, he assumed. Projected onto his apartment video wall, the scene had a brilliant vividness. Daniel felt like he was standing on a dune, heat on his back. The immediacy was arresting. "Welcome to Outback Adventure," a female voice intoned. "To begin your adventure, please enter the passwords."
    Dyson remained puzzled. Why would any company make it an obstacle to hear about its product? Surely that violated some profit commandment. Maybe it was a kind of reverse psychology.
    He cleared his throat. "Getting Back." There was a pause and then two tiny figures appeared at the edge of his screen, confirmation that the site had been activated. The two began angling up the dune toward Daniel.
    A teaser scrolled across the bottom of the screen. "For people who ask not what they do, but why they do." Then the picture froze.
    So Raven DeCarlo was a parrot of slogans. Not that different from Mona Pietri, perhaps.
    "Show more," he ordered.
    The couple advanced again, coming side by side near the top of the dune and closing to almost fill the screen, wind blowing through their hair. Daniel almost laughed. They were both striking and bizarre. The woman had flame-colored hair and sapphire-blue eyes (Daniel suspected imagery augmentation) and was a model of barbarian chic: