Part 16 (2/2)
”You think Cindy McRae would like to be our flower girl?” Max asked, looking up into the air.
”I think she'd be honored,” Rodrick said. ”Who do you have in mind for best man?”
”It gets complicated,” Max said. ”We'll need to figure out a way to be sure to recover that grill. Can't leave that much good steel just rotting down in the jungle.”
Max stood and walked to the door, tried to open it from the wrong side, grunted, found the right point, and went out. Rodrick laughed. ”I think, gentlemen, that we'd better get the chief married, and quickly. ”
”Captain,” Jacob asked, ”have we got your approval on this project?”
”On two conditions,” Rodrick said. ”First, as Max said, we have to recover that metal. Steel is as valuable as gold on this planet. Second, you're not to go down to the jungle floor without specific permission from me.”
”Apache Two,” Jacob said, rising, ”let's go get ready to take us a look at a thunder lizzard.”
”If you're that sure you're going to see something down there like a dinosaur?” Rodrick asked.
”Whatever it is,” Jacob said, ”it's big. It shakes the ground when it walks, and it goes through the small trees and undergrowth like a tank.”
”Let me know when Max has your treetop landing pad ready,” Rodrick said.
Max went directly to Grace's lab when he left the captain's office. He almost collided with PaulWarden, who was conning out of the lab. He grunted a greeting and went into the room to find Grace just focusing an electron microscope.
”What are you up to?” he asked.
”Cross sections of nerve endings in the brain of a miner,” Grace said.
”Don't plan anything for Sunday after next,” Max said.
”I just don't know what's wrong with that woman,” Grace remarked.
Max got a pained look on his face.
”That Sage Bryson, ” Grace said, her face hidden in the viewer of the microscope. ”He's such a nice man, too.”
”Hey, Grace-”
”You set the date without asking me?”
”If it was gonna get set, someone had to do it,” Max growled, going up to put his hands on the outflowing line of her hips and kissing her on the neck.
”The brain fluid is an interesting series of compounds. If I can ever find out what exactly happens-”
”Turn around,” Max ordered.
”Sometimes I get reactions as if the silicon is going to burst into life,” she said, turning into his arms, lifting her own arms, putting one hand at the back of his head, fingers moving into his hair. ”Couldn't you have decidedthis Sunday?”
He had just found her lips when the admiral burst in, ”Grace-” He paused. Max groaned and pushed Grace away. She did not feel like laughing.
”Excuse me,” the admiral said.
”Is there a problem?” Grace asked.
”It can wait, Grace.”
”Go ahead,” Max said in deep agony. ”I gotta go build a landing pad for the jungle.”
”Watch out for snakes,” Grace called as he left.
”Maybe I'll find one that eats robots,” Max said.
The admiral looked after Max, his face showing puzzlement. His face should not have shown anything.
She hadn't constructed him to be able to express emotion.
”He was joking,” she explained. ”Now what is this problem that can wait but seems so important?” ”I don't know how to say it,” the admiral said.
”By forming words one at a time in some logical order,” Grace said.
”You're angry with me because I interrupted your lovemaking.”
”A bit irritated, perhaps. Not angry,” she said.
”I'm sorry.”
d.a.m.n it, she was thinking,he's becoming a teenager . She reached out and put her hand on his arm. He smiled. d.a.m.n, he was handsome.
”I think I need to ask your advice, Grace, on a personal matter.”
”I'll be glad to help,” she said.
”What is love?” he asked with a serious look on his face.
She'd learned long ago when she was momentarily stunned by a question to borrow time by answering with a question.
”Why do you ask?”
”I realize that it is a question without a simple answer,” he said. ”I have a.s.similated all of the material suggested to me by Miss Evangeline, in the library.”
”It's a tough question,” Grace agreed. ”People have been trying to give a concise answer, or a definition, for thousands of years. Is this a new research project or something?”
”In a way,” he said. He turned away so that she could not see his face. ”Actually, it's about Tina.”
”Ah,” she said.
”I know I'm not human, Grace.”
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