Chapter 6: Research

There had been a council the night following the death of Harriet Lynn. Somehow the word had spread through the villages and the chiefs had assembled in Jake’s village. But they had brought no solution, and in the long run had been forced to accept Doc’s decision.

“I’m not going to retire and hide,” he’d told them, surprised at his own decision, but grimly determined. “You need me and I need you. I’ll move every day in hopes the Lobby police won’t find me, but I won’t quit.”

Now he was packing the things he most needed and getting ready to move. The small bottles in which he was trying to grow his cultures would need warmth. He shoved them into an inner pocket, and began surveying what must be left.

He was heading for his tractor when another battered machine drove up. It had a girl of about fourteen, with tears streaming down her face. She held out a pleading hand, and her voice was scared. “It’s--it’s mama!”

“Where?”

“Leibnitz.”

Leibnitz was near enough. Doc started his tractor, motioning for the girl to lead the way. The little dwelling she led him to was at the edge of the village, looking more poverty-stricken than most.

Chris Ryan, and three of the Medical Lobby police were inside, waiting. The girl’s mother was tied to the bed, with a collection of medical instruments laid out, but apparently the threat had been enough. No actual injury had been inflicted. Probably none had been intended seriously.

“I knew you’d answer that kind of call,” Chris said coldly.

He grinned sickly. They’d wasted no time. “I hear it’s more than you’ll do, Chris. Congratulations! My patient died. You’re lucky.”

“She was certainly dead when my men took her picture. The print shows the death grimace clearly.”

“Pretty. Frame it and keep it to comfort you when you feel lonely,” he snapped.

She struck him across the mouth with the handle of her gun. Then she twisted out through the door quickly, heading for the tractor that had been camouflaged to look like those used by the villagers. The three police led him behind her.

A shout went up, and people began to rush onto the village street. But they were too late. By the time they reached Southport, Doc could see a trail of battered tractors behind, but there was nothing more the people could do. Chris had her evidence and her prisoner.

Judge Ben Wilson might have been Jake’s brother. He was older and grayer, but the same expression lay on his face. He must have been the family black sheep, since his father had been president of Space Lobby. Instead of inheriting the position, Wilson had remained on Mars, safely out of the family’s way.

He dropped the paper he was reading to frown at Chris. “This the fellow?”

She began formal charges, but he cut them off. “Your lawyer already had all that drawn up. I’ve been expecting you, Doctor. Doctor! Hnnf! You’d do a lot better home somewhere raising a flock of babies. Well, young fellow--so you’re Feldman. Okay, your trial comes up day after tomorrow. Be a shame to lock you in Southport jail, a man of your importance. We’ll just keep you here in the pending-trial room. It’s a lot more comfortable.”

Chris had been boiling slowly, and now she seemed to blow her safety valve. “Judge Wilson, your methods are your own business in local affairs. But this involves Earth Medical Lobby. I demand--”

“Tch, tch!” The judge stared at her reprovingly. “Young woman, you don’t demand anything. This is Mars. If Space Lobby can stand me, I guess our friends over at Medical will have to. Or should I hold trial right now and find Feldman innocent for lack of evidence?”

“You wouldn’t!” Chris cried. Then her face sobered suddenly. “I apologize. Medical is pleased to leave things in your hands, of course.”

Wilson smiled. “Court’s closed for today. Doc, I’ll show you your cell. It’s right next to my study, so I’m heading there anyhow.”

He began shucking his robe while Chris went out with the police, her voice sharp and continual.

The cell was both reasonably escape-proof and comfortable, Doc saw, and he tried to thank the judge.

But the old man waved it aside. “Forget it. I just like to see that little termagant taken down. But don’t count on my being soft. My methods may be a bit unusual--I always did like the courtroom scenes in the old books by that fellow Smith--but Space Lobby never had any reason to reverse my decisions. Anything you need?”

“Sure,” Doc told him, grinning in spite of his bitterness. “A good biology lab and an electron microscope.”

“Umm. How about a good optical mike and some stains? Just got them in on the last shipment. Figure they were meant for you anyhow, since Jake Mullens asked me to order them.”

He went out and came back with the box almost at once. He snorted at Doc’s incredulous thanks and moved off, his bedroom slippers slapping against the hard floor.

Doc stared after him. If he were a friend of Jake, willing to invent some excuse to get a microscope here ... but it didn’t matter. Friend or foe, his death sentence would be equally fatal. And there were other things to be thought of now. The little microscope was an excellent one, though only a monocular.

Doc’s hands trembled as he drew his cultures out and began making up a slide. The sun offered the best source of light near the window, and he adjusted the instrument. Something began to come into view, but too faintly to be really visible.

He remembered the stains, trying to recall his biology courses. More by luck than skill, his fourth try gave him results.

Under two thousand powers, he could just see details. There were dozens of cells in his impure culture, but only one seemed unfamiliar. It was a long, worm-like thing, sharpened at both ends, with the three separate nuclei that were typical of Martian life forms. Nearby were a host of little rodlike squiggles just too small to see clearly.

Martian life! No Martian bug had ever proved harmful to men. Yet this was no mutated cell or virus from Earth; it was a new disease, completely different from all others. It was one where all Earth’s centuries of experience with bacteria would be valueless--the first Martian disease. Unless this was simply some accidental contamination of his culture, not common to the other samples. He worked on until the light was too faint before putting the microscope aside.

By the time the trial commenced, however, he was sure of the cause of the disease. It was Martian. Crude as his cultures were, they had proved that.

The little courtroom was filled, mostly from the villages. Lou was there, along with others he had come to know. Then the sight of Jake caught Doc’s eyes. The darned fool had no business there; he could get too closely mixed into the whole mess.

“Court’s in session,” Wilson announced. “Doc, you represented by counsel?”

Jake’s voice answered. “Your Honor, I represent the defendant. I think you’ll find my credentials in order.”

Chris started to protest, but Wilson grinned. “Never lost your standing in spite of that little fracas thirty years ago, so far as I know. But the police thought you were a witness when you came walking in. Figured you were giving up.”