Part 19 (2/2)

'Very formal of him.'

'I thought that stuff really hit you.'

'You never tried it? Everyone's Everyone's tried it!' His eyes looked just a little wild. tried it!' His eyes looked just a little wild.

'You want to see now? While we're waiting?'

'No, thanks.'

'Thought you were an investigator.'

'On this occasion I'm only curious.'

'We're all curious. Why else are we put here if not to learn?'

'You're very calm about it all, I must say.'

'Not like there's a law against it, is there?'

Trix almost flung away her cool and asked, Really? Drug abuse is legal in Really? Drug abuse is legal in this century? this century? She reflected on how some of the guys back home would punch the air if they only knew. She reflected on how some of the guys back home would punch the air if they only knew. The future's bright. The future's cla.s.s C. The future's bright. The future's cla.s.s C.

'So what have you got here?' she asked.

'Let's line them up.' Torvin seized on the distraction and started sorting through his pharmacological a.r.s.enal, dividing pills from pills like Trix had sorted Smarties into different colours as a kid. 'This is your basic H pill. This, your chaser, is the most important your SE-limiter.'

'Side effect, you mean?'

'Keeps the pleasure to the pleasure centre no craving, no comedown. Only that makes you urinate, so you want the dry dose ' he tapped another pill 'but that's a mean little pill, so to avoid the cramps you need to take a rehydration tablet to correct the imbalance. And to play double safe, if you need bringing around in a hurry, you have the pick-up handy.' He paused, the shadow of that smile on his face. 'But you know that bit. That bit you gave me.'

'And there was me thinking drugs were a recreational thing. Sounds too much like hard work to me.' Trix smiled. 'Unless you've got a gin-and-tonic pill on you?'

Torvin tutted. 'That stuff's incredibly bad for you, you know.'

'Guess I'll stick to medicinal purposes only.' She turned to watch the enormous TV. 'Do you like sport?'

'Not much,' Torvin murmured, separating his pills into the compartments within a neat pillbox the size of a fountain-pen case.

'Then let's flick channels. Hey, you don't know when that big Aristotle Halcyon special is coming on, do you?'

He stared at her, the slightly s.p.a.ced-out smile back on his face. 'You haven't had enough of exploding moons?'

'Mine is a professional interest,' she a.s.sured him.

'Let's check the ten-one-one news.' Torvin started flicking channels. 'That's bound to be covering the whole circus.'

109.

The Doctor wandered along empty corridors, wondering at which point in its construction a luxury conference podule became luxurious. There was little sign of it so far just bare plastic bones and panels. It was like walking through the sunbleached skeleton of some vast monster adrift in s.p.a.ce.

He had the uncomfortable feeling he was about to make a terrible discovery.

Peering in on so many white, unfinished room-sh.e.l.ls it seemed inevitable that one would be splashed crimson.

In fact, the largest room of the lot was splashed a good many colours. They pulsed and glowed as if the walls were alive, spelling subliminal messages through strange, glowing hieroglyphs and primal pictures. There was a small stack of empty paint containers in the middle of the room, and he read the labels.

'Halcytone. . . ' He smiled. 'By Aristotle Halcyon. Nice to know Falsh is loyal to his own.'

The patterns reminded him a little of the glints and glimmers of light playing behind the charred black walls of the ruined Carme Inst.i.tute. Perhaps this stuff was all the rage.

To one side was a vast window looking out on to the stars. Once constructed, he supposed the podule could be piloted to anywhere that afforded a spectacular view.

The walls themselves were spectacular enough, but there was something about them the Doctor found oddly unsettling. He dabbed one with a hand-kerchief, and it came away damp and glowing. Still wet. Where were were the builders? Perhaps Torvin would know. the builders? Perhaps Torvin would know.

Strangely unsettled by the endless, engrossing patterns on the wall, the Doctor wandered back out to continue his search.

In his office on the station, Falsh sat at his desk, contemplating his upcoming schedule. He had to be on Callisto for the vidcast, but there were several other matters vying for his attention too.

Suddenly his PA barged into the office.

'What is the meaning of this, Nerren?' Falsh asked coldly.

'The newscast, sir,' he babbled. 'The discovery on Leda. Channel 313. You have to see this, sir.'

' You're You're telling telling me me what I must do?' what I must do?'

Nerren fumbled with the tiny remote. 'Yes, sir.'

Falsh watched as the report came up, all screens. A few seconds later he started swearing.

110.

Chapter Fourteen.

'. . . Shock news of an apparently new form of alien life discovered on the Jovian moon of Leda. . . '

'Doctor!' Trix yelled. 'Doctor, quick! You have got to see this!'

'The creature, which resembles a slug crossed with a caterpillar, apparently has no need of air or moisture and has a body built to withstand the freezing vacuum of s.p.a.ce. . . '

'Doctor, you're missing it!'

'. . . Nicknamed the s.p.a.ce slug, the new life form was discovered by Gaws Murphy, a known political agitator believed to be affiliated with the militant wing of the Empire Trust, known colloquially as the Old Preservers. . . '

Falsh couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing. 'What in the name of. . . ?'

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