Chapter 11

“You can come up if you like,” he said. “I’m not sure if there’s anything I can offer you.”

Lucy’s smile returned. “We’ll see about that.”

They climbed the five flights of stairs—no lifts in habitation blocks due to the requirement that all citizens exercise at every opportunity—and Julian opened the door to admit Lucy into his humble abode.

“It’s just like mine,” she said, walking across to the far end of the narrow living space. “No computer?”

“No,” said Julian.

“No telephone or television?”

“No.”

“That’s a bit odd, isn’t it?”

Julian closed the front door. “Not so odd. No technology means no accidental infractions. No accusations of suspicious activity.”

“That’s a very restrictive way to live, surely,” said Lucy, exploring the module with all the gusto of a Christopher Columbus or a James Cook.

“The safest way,” he replied, growing more and more irritated by Lucy’s snooping.