Part 24 (1/2)
A juddering memory pa.s.sed through Josh: Sophie, Sophie, and the message from that b.a.s.t.a.r.d consultant, what was his and the message from that b.a.s.t.a.r.d consultant, what was his name, Hammond, asking about organ donation and his baby name, Hammond, asking about organ donation and his baby girl still living while the machines kept her girl still living while the machines kept her ”Josh.”
small lungs pumping, blood moving through veins and arteries, feeding the brain that no longer ”Josh, it's all right.”
knew how to think, how to do anything but ”It's OK, you're back.”
live in the moment, as he needed to do now. He looked at Suzanne's eyes, the deep chestnut shade, and her hands were soft but strong, clasping his, giving rea.s.surance. as he needed to do now. He looked at Suzanne's eyes, the deep chestnut shade, and her hands were soft but strong, clasping his, giving rea.s.surance.
He was prostrate on the couch, Suzanne leaning over him, Yukiko holding his wrist to check his pulse. Then Suzanne raised his eyelid with her thumb.
”Has this been happening often?”
”Only when I think of... When I think about S-Sophie and the, the”
”Do you like blue ice-cream or purple?” asked Suzanne.
”Wha?”
Her fingertips came down, closing his eyes.
”Sleep.”
His chin rocked to his chest.
This is weird.
When he awoke, it was after not being asleep, but in some other deep place where he could have moved or opened his eyes, if only he had wanted to. Suzanne's words were a warm ocean, surrounding and healing him. And then he came back into normal consciousness, feeling calm.
”Well.” Yukiko looked at Suzanne. ”Very nice, Dr d.u.c.h.esne. I learned hypnosis at med school, but not like that.”
Petra said: ”I told them about Sophie's condition.”
He had never discussed it with her, but they had friends in common, and her expertise was investigation.
”How much better do you feel?” asked Suzanne.
”Well enough to eat just about anything.”
”You haven't tasted my food yet,” said Petra.
But the scents were compelling, and when they sat around the table, there was moussaka and salad, flat bread and houmous, along with stuffed vine leaves. Petra was clearly skilled. During the meal, they talked little; it was only when the coffee came out that they returned to their reason for gathering here.
”Josh did good work today.” Petra tipped him a fingertip salute. ”Cracked open a virapharm facility, using runaways as incubators. Which is Yukiko's area, except hers is the legal kind.”
”You're in research?” Suzanne asked Yukiko. ”Not a clinician?”
”Mostly research. Time-dependent transition-capable networks are my current interest.”
”Uh-oh,” said Petra.
”Look, they've got brains.” Yukiko raised her eyebrows. ”Josh has testosterone poisoning, maybe, but Suzanne's free from infection.”
”I understood every single word you said about networks.” Josh half-raised his coffee. ”It was just the entire sentence that was meaningless.”
”Terminal infection,” said Suzanne. ”But if you explain in simple words, he might understand. And maybe I will, too.”
”It's just the old six-handshakes-from-the-pope kind of thing. Pick anyone on Earth, and you'll know someone who knows someone who knows that person.”
”Sure.”
”Look, if all your friends and acquaintances were randomly distributed across the globe like, you're as likely to know a rice-farmer in Vietnam as your next door neighbour then it would be quite natural that everybody seems to know everybody. But in reality, the people you know are the ones you work with, and the ones you live near.”
”You're talking about nexus points.”
”Right. There's a huge number of people with a smallish number of friends, and a small number of people who are hugely connected. Even Josh knows this, because it's how websites and physical servers const.i.tute the Web. It's a straight-line graph: the more connections you're talking about, the fewer sites or servers have that number. And for disease vectors, nanoviral or not, a small number of patients are ma.s.sively infectious carriers.”
Suzanne said: ”I've been telling Josh about complex systems, including human minds, and how they change fast, far faster than most people realise.”
”Uh-huh.” Yukiko nodded to Josh. ”She's very fast. You understood what I meant about time-dependent networks, Suzanne?”
”I'm guessing that a person can be a natural nexus point like a webmovie star or Zak Tyndall, with thousands of people they can call on for a favour or have nexushood thrust upon them. If that's a word.”
”Right person, right place, right time. A potential disease carrier can go through their lives free from infection, but if they happen to catch it, suddenly they're a nexus point.”
Petra refilled everyone's cups.
”I'm just a simple copper. So Josh, who's going to win the Challenge? Bloods or Blades?”
”Probably.”
”How many teams are in the Challenge?” asked Suzanne.
”Er, two.”
Yukiko looked at Suzanne. ”At least he can count above one.”
[ SEVENTEEN ].
In the morning, Josh rolled off the couch as he came awake, landing in a crouched stance, checking the springiness in his legs.