“Yes, your future’s secure, Kris. Aren’t you
grateful?”
“NotifIcan’tstaywithmyfamily.
Besides.. .” I shrugged. “Security’s not
enough for me anymore.”
Theexaminerfrowned.“Thisexamis
required because—”
“The first off-Earth colonists couldn’t
handle wild weather,” I interrupted. I’d read
everything I could about colonization.
“Couldn’thandle?Theythoughtthey’d
drownwhenitrained.Windmadethemgasp
for breath. When it snowed, they refused to
leave their shelter. They demanded to return
to Earth. Our planet can’t afford such a waste
of resources again. All prospective colonists
must pass the entire weather exam. Good luck
in the future.”
Jumpingoutofthechair,Isaid,“Sir,
evenifI’mnotacolonist,don’tmakemea
quitter.IfIam,myfutureisn’tworthmuch
anywhere.”
Hetiltedhisheadforamoment.Then
hetappedhisscreenagain.“Wedon’tlikethe
wordquittereither, Kris. You’re authorized to
complete the exam.”WEATHER TEST #2: WIND
Opening the door, I promised myself:I
won’t fail here.Thisobstaclecoursewouldbe
different. I could see where I was going. And
withnothingtolose,Iwouldn’tbenervous.
I wore special protective gear this time—
a“sweater,”whichfitovermyshirt,anda
“hat,”whichfitontopofmyhead.Both
were made of weird, thick cloth. Theysqueezed against me strangely, but weren’t
uncomfortable.
When the door closed, the fans powered
up,purringlikeacatIsawonvideoonce.
Thesimulatedwindsswitcheddirections
often. This room, one of the largest I’d ever
seen, had no obstacle course. No furniture,
either.
Multiple wall slots snapped open. Small
objects of different materials and shapes
rolled, fluttered, and rattled across and above
thefloor.Theexaminer’svoiceannounced,
“Collectalltwelveobjects.Youhavethree
minutes.”Abuzzersounded.
“Where do I put them?”NOW WIND!? GRRR! IF I EVER
MEW-EEP! GET HOLD OF YOU...!6