Part 7 (1/2)

I had the persistent feeling, listening to the conversations between the three of them, that I was constantly being carefully shut out of certain areas. It wasn't just that I'm a journalist, or that they had shady dealings with shadier characters. I had a real sense that there were things that Man Was Not Meant To Know at least, man outside their small group. It wasn't quite the same feeling I'd once had talking to a group of UFO enthusiasts, who were keen to impress upon me that they had secret knowledge that they couldn't risk sharing, and so constantly dropped hints and fragments of that arcane lore. It was more like the feeling I had during a conversation with two desperately shy gay friends who were out to each other, but not out to me, and were frantic not to let me know.

Bob quickly recovered his poise. 'We've got what you wanted right here,' he said, tapping the short cabinet with his foot. Peri looked nervous. Maybe Swan had been checking her blackmail photos or her Strawberry Shortcake collection.

'Pop it up on the table, there's a good chap,' said the Doctor.

Bob and Peri manhandled the cabinet onto his paper-strewn dining table while the Doctor took off his jacket. He extracted a small burglar's kit from the pocket and went to work on the cabinet's lock. A few more moments, and he quietly pulled the door open.

By now we were all standing around him, craning for a view. There was a thick envelope on the bottom sh.e.l.l; and on the top shelf, a bulky, colourful object. The Doctor reached inside and pulled it out.

It looked like a toy or a puzzle. It was all orange, purple and green plastic loops, forming a misshapen, hollow ball. The Doctor slipped his hand inside the s.p.a.ce, but it didn't fit well.

'What the heck is that thing?' asked Bob.

'This is an extraordinarily dangerous piece of technology,'

p.r.o.nounced the Doctor, turning it over in his hands.

'Fortunately, Sarah Swan has no way of discovering its secrets.'

While they were marvelling at this bit of nonsense, I reached into the cabinet and took out the fat envelope. It was packed with computer printouts and hand-written notes, an entire composition book full of what looked like phone numbers, net addresses, odd remarks like ”Easy”, ”Back door”; and ”Test???”. Every page had an a.s.sortment of random words. I was looking at computer pa.s.swords, dozens of them.

'If Swan couldn't do anything with that gizmo,' said Bob, 'why'd she bother hanging onto it?'

'Hope springs eternal.' said the Doctor. He took a wad of tissue paper out of his pocket, and started carefully wrapping the thing. 'Which means she must have some idea of its significance.'

'So now we've got it I guess you hand it over to the, uh, people you're working with?' said Peri. The Doctor nodded.

'So we did it, she said. 'The good guys win again.'

'Alas,' said the Doctor. 'I'm afraid we're not quite finished yet.' Peri didn't look at all surprised. 'There's one more of these... components out there somewhere. Swan doesn't have it; nor does she know where it is. Her email is full of exchanges with other collectors, her efforts to track it down. It was one of those collectors who informed my contacts that she had this.' He picked up the wrapped puzzle and put it into a shopping bag. 'There. I've already arranged a meeting with them. But I don't think I'll deliver this just yet.'

'What's the plan, Doctor?' said Bob.

'I want a little time to examine our strange device. This is my chance to learn something about it for myself... although I won't be able to stall them for long.'

'We're coming along to that meeting!' insisted Peri.

'Right on,' said Bob.

'I've already explained,' said the Doctor. 'They won't risk contact with anyone besides myself.'

'We risked a lot to get that for you!' said Peri. 'While you sat wherever you were and twiddled k.n.o.bs, we were breaking the law!'

'Perpugilliam Smith,' he said severely 'you have done far more dangerous and far more dubious things in your time. But few that have benefited your little planet more.'

'That's right, man,'; said Bob. 'We're not scared.'

'Stop trying to protect us, Doctor,' Peri insisted. She planted her fists on her hips and looked up at his face. 'It's time you let us in on what's happening.'

It made me think of my pet, Stray Cat. She was in my lap once when another cat climbed onto the balcony. She hissed and spat and bristled and then she took a swipe at my face: she couldn't attack the enemy, so she attacked whoever was around instead.

The Doctor raised both hands, scowling. 'I knew this would happen if I showed my face.'

'Since when did you ever take a no from someone?' said Peri.

'True,' said Bob. 'If they want more help from us, they have to include us.'

'Don't go overboard, Bob,' said the Doctor. 'We are trying to save the world. All right, see what I can arrange.'

'h.e.l.lo, Mond,' said the voice on the other end of the phone.

'Guess who.'

'Aw s.h.i.+t,' said Mondy. He glanced at the tape recorder set up next to the phone in his mother's bas.e.m.e.nt. The tape had automatically kicked in the moment it began to ring.

'Nice to hear your voice too,' said Swan.

'I thought you swore you would never so much as dial my mom's number.'

'I didn't dial her number,' said Swan, amused. 'Does she know you've got six other numbers forwarded to her phone?'

'You said you would never ha.s.sle my mom,' said Mondy.

'Why don't you run upstairs and see if I'm bothering your mom, said Swan sourly. 'Or maybe you'd like to shut up and find out why I called.'

'Oh my G.o.d. What? I guess you've already done about everything you can think of to me.'

'New technology is always comirtglikmg,' said Swan lightly.

Some buffer in Mondy's brain overflowed. 'All I ever did was get in an argument with you. That was two years ago. And it was your fault anyway for being such a b.i.t.c.h!'

'Whereas you're such a smooth diplomat.'

'Why can't you just drop it, Sarah? Why've you got to try and make my life a mess? How many other people are you s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up this way?'

He caught his breath, clutching the phone, waiting for her answer to come crackling through the silence. He half-expected to hear police sirens as she sicked yet another 911 call on him. He knew the answer, anyway: the technology is vulnerable, but human beings are the weakest links.

'That's not what this is about. I want a favour, Mond.'