Free No Future Christmas by Barbara Goodwin Page B

an
expedited learning pace.” She laughed. “There’s no time limit. You are allowed
to use study materials.”
    “I’m not sure I’m ready.” Mike flipped through the pages.
“There is so much to know.”
    “You’re the one who wanted to take this path. Now you have
to finish it.” Shauna gamely patted him on the shoulder and left the room.
    “Shit,” Mike murmured. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Chapter Five
     
    Mike raked his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth
time. The dog, now named Rover for his forays around the island, lay at Mike’s
feet while he studied. He’d nearly finished the test but was stuck on a
question. “At what altitude and heading do you fly your skycar in traffic when
emergency vehicles are signaling to get by? And how do you maneuver the skycar
out of the way of the approaching vehicles without getting in the way of other
traffic? Explain your maneuvers and reasoning in detail,” he murmured. “Shit.
That’s a tough one.” He drank some funny water, as he called it. Whatever it
was fortified with he felt an immediate energy boost and knew he needed the
help. He lowered his head and flipped through the skycar flying manual.
    “How’s it going?” Shauna interrupted.
    “A reason to stop. Thank God. Come here, woman.” Mike rose
and pulled Shauna to him. He nuzzled her neck and ran his hands up and down her
sides. “Mmm. Fantastic. I could eat you up, you smell so good.”
    “I’m not food, Mike, I’m me. And the reason I smell good is
because I’ve been helping Camille make chocolate chip cookies.” Mike’s stomach
rumbled. Shauna laughed. “Take a break. We’ll have a snack, the cookies are
still warm.”
    “Sold.” Mike twined his fingers through Shauna’s and led her
from the room. He needed her touch. Her fingers tightened and he gave her a
gentle squeeze. Something inside him shifted and Mike felt a sense of
completeness. A lump formed in his throat along with a knot in his stomach.
Would he have to live without her? He didn’t think he’d survive a lifetime
without Shauna.
    “Why are you so quiet?” Shauna asked.
    Mike wondered if he should tell her but knew it was too
soon. “I’m stuck on a question and it’s bothering me.”
    “Which one?”
    “One hundred seventy-three.”
    “Oh, that one. It’s always been one of the hardest to
answer. It’s also one of five that if you get it wrong you automatically fail
the test and have to study for another year before you can retake the test.
That question is so important because there are a multitude of sky accidents
and the emergency vehicles have to get to the victims before they fall to the
ground.”
    “Great. Thanks. Nothing like adding a little more pressure.”
Mike dropped into the chair at the table. When Shauna let go of his hand he
felt alone, bereft. How could a touch do that to him?
    “Don’t worry, Mike. You’re not sending the results to the
Global Guardians. For you it’s not a wait-another-year situation. Oh good, here
comes our snack.”
    “The Global Guardians score the test?” Mike looked down in
astonishment at his plate. “This is a snack?” The platter had a pineapple cut
into the shape of a canoe filled with chunks of mango, raspberries and
blueberries, two types of apples, three kinds of cheese and an assortment of
crackers. Camille put a plate full of chocolate chip, sugar and oatmeal cookies
in the center of the table.
    “I thought you’d need to shore up your strength.” Shauna dug
into her food.
    “Didn’t you tell me there was a food shortage?” Mike
couldn’t believe how sweet the pineapple was. He placed a piece of a yellow
cheese on a thin wafer and chewed. “This is fantastic.”
    “Yes, there is a food shortage. The population explosion has
intensified. People live well into their hundreds, babies don’t die much
anymore, cancer, AIDS, Parkinson’s and most other diseases are eradicated. The
Fearsome Foursome has decreed that we eat more