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“Arrows,” John said.
“Yes. Good.” His eyesight must be exceptional to see such detail so far away. “We’ll use this coin in ourgame. If you win you can keep it.”
John tore his gaze from the coin and looked at her again, squinted, then said, “Okay. I always win,though. That’s why they won’t let me play gravball anymore.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“What’s the game?”
“It’s very simple. I toss the coin like this.” She flicked her wrist, snapped her thumb, and the coin arced,spinning into the air, and landed in the sand. “Next time, though, before it lands, I want you to tell me ifit will fall with the face of the man showing or with the eagle holding the arrows.”
“I got it.” John tensed, bent his knees, and then his eyes seemed to lose their focus on her and the coin.
Dr. Halsey picked up the quarter. “Ready?”
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John gave a slight nod.
She tossed it, making sure there was plenty of spin.
John’s eyes watched it with that strange distant gaze. He tracked it as it went up, and then down towardthe ground—his hand snapped out and snatched the quarter out of the air.
He held up his closed hand. “Eagle!” he shouted.
She tentatively reached for his hand and peeled open the tiny fist.
The quarter lay in his palm: the eagle shining in the orange sun.
Was it possible that he saw which side was up when he grabbed it . . . or more improbably, could havepicked which side he wanted? She hoped the Lieutenant had recorded that. She should have told him tokeep the data pad trained on her.
John retracted his hand. “I get to keep it, right? That’s what you said.”
“Yes, you can keep it, John.” She smiled at him—then stopped.
She shouldn’t have used his name. That was a bad sign. She couldn’t afford the luxury ofliking her testsubjects. She mentally stepped away from her feelings. She had to maintain a professional distance. Shehad to . . . because in a few months Number 117 might not be alive.
“Can we play again?”
Dr. Halsey stood and took a step back. “That was the only one I had, I’m afraid. I have to leave now,”she told him. “Go back and play with your friends.”
“Thanks.” He ran back, shouting to the other boys, “Look!”
Dr. Halsey strode to the Lieutenant. The sun reflecting off the asphalt felt too hot, and she suddenlydidn’t want to be outside. She wanted to be back in the ship, where it was cool and dark. She wanted toget off this planet.
She stepped under the canvas awning and said to the Lieutenant, “Tell me you recorded that.”
He handed her the data pad and looked puzzled. “Yes. What was it all about?’
Dr. Halsey checked the recording and then sent a copy ahead to Toran on theHan for safekeeping.
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“We screen these subjects for certain genetic markers,” she said. “Strength, agility, even predispositionsfor aggression and intellect. But we couldn’t remote test for everything. We don’t test for luck.”
“Luck?” Lieutenant Keyes asked. “You believe in luck, Doctor?”