Part 13 (1/2)
The chemists used a three-dimensional viewing tank to manipulate complex organic molecules. ”Is it in color?” Yes, and so was Inea's program. She added that last.” It would make an impressive if irrelevant demonstration, say, we'll make a couple dozen copies of a broadcast quality and be sure Inea's copyright is on it.”
It took t.i.tus three hours to organize everything, but at last he took Connie's black box out to the lab. Inea and half the crew were in the observatory, arguing over the schematics, steaming coffee mugs abandoned behind them.
Working fast, cloaked by a minimum of Influence, t.i.tus spliced the communicator into its circuit and replaced the boards that surrounded it, hiding it from view. If it didn't malfunction in the first test, he'd get his message out the first time they contacted Earth. He had already reinforced the entire crew's blindness to the black box. Only Inea could see it, and she wouldn't say anything.
He returned to his office and coded his message to Connie into his desk unit. The moment this system linked to the Project's system in Houston, Sydney, or Beer Sheva, the black box would call out the text from his desk unit and send it to a similar black box on the other end. He only hoped that one of Connie's people, not a Tourist, would pick it up.
In his report, he apprised Connie of his blood situation, and tersely reminded her that, despite his successes to date, he couldn't handle Abbot alone. He also warned her of the clandestine Project, and sketched his plans.
He wished it were all as simple as it sounded.
Idly watching Inea, all he wanted to do was write poetry in physics and make love. But he shook himself out of it, and breezed out of the lab, telling everyone he was going to the s.h.i.+p. Then he went in search of Abbot's stringers.
He'd already checked everyone who ever had access to his own lab and had found no trace of Abbot's meddling. He hadn't expected to. Now he strolled the halls, examining every pa.s.serby. He searched refectories and snack bars, and detoured through the gym. His most valuable quarry would be someone Abbot had Influenced but left unMarked, and that was hard to spot. So he moved slowly, and triggered belligerent reactions by staring-Mirelle could do this without upsetting people!
With nothing to show for the hour, he headed for Kylyd.
From early in his post-doctoral years, he had learned the only way to keep up on the branches of a complex project was with frequent personal appearances. The other department heads did the same, so he was not at all conspicuous.
Having legitimate business on the s.h.i.+p, he donned his suit openly and accompanied a group of workers on the ride out. While the sun had been up, he had dreaded his open trips, but now they were in shadow again.
He wandered about the s.h.i.+p, unsure if he'd recognize Abbot's Mark on a suited human. The life-presence was blocked by the suit, but he had Influenced suited humans. Something wasn't blocked by the insulation. Fractured particles dancing in the moonlight, speeding to oblivion.
Poetry stirred in his soul, poetry and magic, magic and Inea. There's no such thing as magic. There's a rational explanation for everything. Sure. He clomped up a slanted floor through a mangled airlock with an arch cut in it.
He squatted to peer at it. The last time he'd been here, they'd despaired of cutting that metal. Progress.
”Something wrong, Dr. s.h.i.+ddehara?”
The suit beside him bore a familiar technician's name. He rose and asked about the cutting while he studied the man.
”Oh, Dr. Gold did that yesterday with the magnetic scissors he made in the Biomed lab. You apply a shear planar magnetic field and the stuff falls apart. I guess it's not exactly a metala” well, that's not my field.”
He bore no trace of Abbot's touch, but t.i.tus's neck p.r.i.c.kled. Biomed. That was one place he couldn't wander freely, but Abbot could. ”Magnetic scissors. Fascinating.” Next thing you know, they'll make a sonic screwdriver!
”I saw Dr. Gold going that way,” the technician said, Pointing. ”He loves to explain it, but I don't think he's found anyone who understands what he's talking about yet.”
t.i.tus followed the man's directions and climbed into a wide Place where bulkheads had been wrenched open on impact. Two technicians were wrestling a device that looked like a scissors large enough to snip down a maple tree. When they had it positioned, the scissors sliced through the twisted bulkhead, and cautiously removed the large panel.
Through the new opening, t.i.tus saw Abner Gold's and Carol Colby's suits, and a smaller suit with a Biomed blazon.
Gold gesticulated so emphatically his feet left the deck, and he stumbled. t.i.tus picked his way toward them, mindful that sharp edges could damage his suit, and searched the communications channels until he found Abner's voice.
”. Sisi, that's not what you told me! Colby, she's lying, but I know what I know. You owe me answers. There are certain things I won't be a party to!”
”Calm down, Dr. Gold,” admonished the Director. ”We are all under a lot of pressure, and it's going to get worse, if we're forced to work in a spotlight. In a few days-”
”Few days! Now or I quit! Think about that, Colby! Can you afford to have me quit after what I've accomplished?”
”Abner, no one is indispensable. And your att.i.tude displays a certain lack of loyalty which-”
”Loyalty to what? Or doesn't that matter to you? You just do what you get paid to do and never think about-”
”Dr. Gold, you are hereby terminated, your security clearances revoked. Your final pay and-”
”Terminated? You can't fire me. I just quit.” He whirled and stalked away, coming toward t.i.tus.
t.i.tus stopped him. He was burning with curiosity about what had ticked Gold off, but he only asked, ”Abner, are you sure you want to do this? Think! I didn't hear what it's about, but this Project is history in the making.”
Gold took a deep breath and straightened, looking at t.i.tus with a strained smile. ”Thank you, t.i.tus, but I stayed up all night considering it all.”
”Well, I want a copy of your paper on the magnetic scissors. Brilliant work.”
Gold beamed. ”I'll see you get one.”
”After the reporters get through with my lab, I'll come see you off. I a.s.sume you'll be leaving with them.” Maybe then h.e.l.l tell me what's so terrible he can't countenance it.
His face fell. ”I suppose.” Abstracted, he pulled loose. ”Good luck, t.i.tus. You're a good man.”
The offhand compliment made t.i.tus feel inexplicably good as he turned toward the group watching them. Interestingly, he could perceive the misting pattern of Abbot's Influence around Colby, despite her lack of a Mark. The same signature appeared in the aura around the Biomed tech.
He went up to them. ”I'm sorry, Carol, I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”
”That isn't the first time I've fired someone, but-d.a.m.n, I wish I hadn't had to do that!” Deeply disturbed, she grasped at formalities. ”Oh, I'm sorry, t.i.tus, have you met Sisi Mintraub? She runs the Biomed maintenance shop. Sisi, this is the famous Dr. s.h.i.+ddehara.”
”Honored,” she offered in a sweet soprano.
”Likewise,” replied t.i.tus. ”Medical hardware, huh? Would you happen to know where the chemists' tank is now?”
”It's not my jurisdiction, but I saw it yesterday. Why?”
He told Carol about the demonstration idea, and she nodded. ”Sounds good. Sisi, tell whoever has the tank that if they're not using it, astrophysics needs it for the demo.”
”I'll tell them.” She flashed a dazzling smile at t.i.tus. ”But chemists are a possessive lot.”
Colby added, ”If necessary, tell them to call me.”
When Mintraub had gone, Colby prompted, ”Fill me in on this brilliant idea. I think it's the best any department's come up with so far.”
”It's from Inea and s.h.i.+mon, really,” he protested, and elaborated on Inea's visuals. ”What worries me is that it's not relevant to our work.”
”It does look relevant, though. On the other hand, you're right, some of the reporters know some science. Could you come up with something they'd appreciate?”
”Well, that's what I came out here for. To see if there's anything new on the lighting system. With the system up, I could use a standard star catalogue to pick out some stars with the correct spectrum, at least show them how it's going to be done when I have all the data.”
”There was nothing new as of yesterday. But it's worth checking. Lindholm, Rubens, and that Dutch woman whose name I can never remember were down by what we think is the drive chamber. They found a light panel they suspect is still operative, but they won't admit to knowing anything.”
”Can't fault them for being cautious. Nothing about this s.h.i.+p follows expectations. Magnetic scissors! Where did Abner ever get that idea?”
”t.i.tus, forgive me, but I don't want to talk about Abner now. And I'm late for an engineers' meeting. If they can solve just one of the power-supply mysteries, we can energize that light panel and discover its output spectrum. Our power just burns them out.”