The hottest part of the day was past, but the evening breeze that alternately lifted the plain white curtains and pressed them flat against the screens in Linda’s cabin was still too warm to be of any comfort. Listen to the Chapter 25 podcast with roboreader Sangeeta. Max sat on the edge of the small bed, stripped to his underwear and t-shirt, sweating and waiting for the dinner bell. After dinner, he imagined, he would lie here and wait for breakfast. Then lunch, and then dinner again. Eventually he would become nothing more than a great, fat, sweating lump, venturing out only to eat. Joel was right – if you’re going to drop out you have to commit to it. This was about as out as he could get. Although Linda had promised to explain everything to him, the information she’d offered was vague and minimal. She and her compatriots at the Freedom Club, she said, had been keeping an eye on Herman Grunding, as well as Perske and a think tank that Linda called the Jasons. How a bunch of granola munching Luddites in the Pennsylvania Mountains managed that was not something she was willing to go into, just yet anyway. Max had only come to their attention when he’d logged in as Herman and started raising red flags by lumbering around and asking lots of questions that Herman would surely have known the answers to. The door opened and the curtains snapped tight against the screens. Linda stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind her. “Here you are,” she said. “Is everything all right?” “Sure. Just doing my part. Staying low, dropping out.” “Had enough of hornworms?” “Yep,” said Max. “It’s not much of a hobby. The tomatoes are as good as dead anyway. I figure Joel can collect them himself, if he’s hungry.” Linda shrugged and stood quietly for a while, apparently in search of a reply. When she didn’t find one, she made her way to the bathroom. The water ran briefly in the sink, then she stepped out as she dried her hands on the rough hand towel from the hook next to the bathroom mirror. “You know,” said Max, “it’s not as exciting being on the lam as I might have imagined.” “It never is.” She tossed the towel into the bathroom where it landed soundlessly on the tile. “There are,” she said as she crossed the room to sit beside him on the bed, “ways to pass the time.” “Checkers?” She placed her hand lightly on his thigh. “Not board games.” Max blinked. “It’s very hot, you know.” Linda plucked at the leg of his boxers. “It would be cooler without these.” He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks, but I don’t think so.” “Don’t you like me?” “It’s not that. I have,” he said slowly, “a problem. It’s the drugs, mostly.” She slid closer to him, pressing her leg against his. “Are you sure? Have you tried?” “Of course,” said Max. He stood and stepped away from the bed. “Would you like to just lie down for a while? Until dinner.” She pulled her shirt over her head, unbuttoned her shorts and pushed them down to the floor, then stretched out naked on the bed. “Please?” Max climbed onto the bed and she snuggled against his side. “I’m sorry – about your problem,” she whispered. “So am I.” He stared at the ceiling as sweat trickled off his brow to the pillow behind his head. When the bell finally rang in the distance he took a shower, dressed in a fresh shirt and overalls, and walked with Linda down to the tent to eat. *** {{Pause=0.5}} “Attention, brothers and sisters,” called a man standing by the fire pit where the Freedom Club members gathered after dinner. He was dressed in robes similar to Joel’s but much cleaner. Even from a distance of twenty feet or more under the dim light of the crackling fire, Max could see that the man had wispy white hair and skin that was dry and loose. Despite his announcement, the chattering of the crowd subsided only slightly. “Your attention please,” he said more forcefully. “I have a few announcements to make before this evening’s workshop.” Linda patted Max’s knee and leaned back to rest her elbows