Chapter 8 : Personal Video Record
‘You’re mad. You’re just going to let it happen.’
‘Nothing will happen,’ insisted Herbet.
Zak could sense himself about to lose his temper. Instead of doing something that would land him in jail, he turned and stormed out.
Now that he was convinced about the danger, he was not going to let this go. His last chance lay with Geremi.
He made his way to the Tech Room, and spied through the window. Geremi stood by his desk, apparently in heated discussion with a colleague who pointed at technical readings on the wall. Zak hadn’t spoken to him since his second escapade with Ragboy, and feared that he might be angry with him and not take kindly to being interrupted at work.
He was weighing up whether to call him, when he received a call himself. It was a pleasant surprise – his parents, inviting him for lunch in the Valles Marineris Restaurant.
Fighting hijackers would have to wait. Unfortunately, he still hadn’t prepared for the interrogation.
This time, Dad made his bid before the hors d’oeuvres arrived.
‘Zak,’ he said expectantly, ‘I take it you aren’t going to run off this time.’
‘No,’ conceded Zak.
‘Good. We always thought you were the model teenager. But in these last few months you have been an escalating problem. First, your school performance and lies about it, then your attempt to give us the slip, and now this rampant misbehaviour on board. I know the cause of all this – it’s your obsession with that violent game.’
‘That’s not really fair,’ protested Zak. It certainly didn’t seem so negative from his perspective.
‘Now we had been inclined to let you continue playing it once we arrived on Mars, especially until we had settled in. But I think it’s better that we ban you from playing altogether.’
