Chapter 9

Jeriann came into the office. “I’ve got it down to twenty,” she said briskly.

“What?” said Docchi absently. Management details were unfamiliar to him and he was trying to pick them up as he went along. The scattered records were in order but some were still unaccounted for. “Oh. The deficiency biologicals. Good. How did you do it?”

“I asked them.”

“And they knew? It’s surprising. I’d expect them to be familiar with their standard treatment. But not something that’s entirely new.”

Jeriann smiled faintly. “I’m not that good. I did find out what they used to get and then scrounged around in storage until I found supplies. If the old stuff kept them healthy once it should do so now.”

He hadn’t thought of that, but then he wasn’t accustomed to considering the same things a doctor would. Any trained person would know that sulfa hadn’t been discarded with the discovery of penicillin, nor penicillin with the advent of the neo-biotics. Docchi studied her covertly; Jeriann was a competent woman, and an attractive one.

“Of the remaining twenty we don’t have biologicals for, I’ve determined we can make what eleven need.”

Only nine who were left out. It was a remarkable advance over a few days ago when there were forty-two. Nine for whom so far they could do nothing. It was queer how he worried about them more as the number diminished. Somehow it had greater significance now that he could remember each face distinctly. “And Maureen?” he inquired.

Instinctively Jeriann touched the decorative belt that was so much more than what it seemed. “I’m afraid I misjudged her. I couldn’t locate a thing for her.”

“You’re sure she didn’t destroy her prescription?”

“I don’t see what difference it makes as long as we don’t have it,” said Jeriann. “But yes, I’m sure. Once something is brought in it’s simply not possible for a person as ignorant of the system as she is to track down and destroy every entry relating to it.”

“All right. I believe you.” He glanced down at the list she’d given him. The actual figures weren’t as optimistic as her report had been. “Wait. I notice you say here that out of twenty that we don’t have supplies for that we can synthesize biologicals for eleven.”

She sat down. “That’s what I said. How else can we get them? We’ve got the equipment. The asteroid never did depend on Earth for very many of our biologicals.”

He knew vaguely how the medical equipment functioned, rather like the commonplace food synthesizers. “We don’t have anyone with experience.”

Jeriann shrugged. “I’m not a technician but I used to help out when there was nothing else to do. I expected to run it.”

The light flashed on his desk but Docchi ignored it. “Have you thought what an infinitesimal error means?” he asked.

“Of course.” He was struck by her calmness. “One atom hooked in the wrong place and instead of a substance the body must have it becomes a deadly poison. I’ve talked it over with the deficients. They agreed to it. This way they know they have a chance.”

“We’ll do something,” he acknowledged. “Pick out the worst and work for their deficiency. Check with me before you give them anything.”

“I’ve selected them,” she said. “There are four extreme cases. They won’t collapse today or tomorrow. Perhaps not in a week. But we can’t let them get close.”

“Agreed.” The light kept flashing annoyingly in his eyes. Another complaint. Nodding at Jeriann Docchi nudged the switch and glanced at the screen. “Anything wrong?” he asked.

It was Webber. “Nothing much. Jordan and I just bumped into an old acquaintance. I suppose we’d better bring him in.”

“Cameron,” exclaimed Docchi as Webber moved aside, revealing the man behind him.

The doctor’s clothing was rumpled and he hadn’t shaved but he was calm and assured. “You seem to be running things now,” he said. “I’d like a chance to talk with you.”

Docchi didn’t answer directly. “Where did you find him, Webber?”

“He was living out in the open near a stream which, I imagine, was his water supply. We were checking some of the stuff the guards didn’t wreck when we spotted him. We saw bushes move and went over to investigate, figuring it might be a geepee at loose ends. There was our man.”

“Did he give you any trouble?”

Webber shrugged. “He wasn’t exactly glad to see us. But he must have known there was no place to hide because he didn’t actually try to get away.”

“That’s your interpretation,” said Cameron, his face beside Webber. “The truth is I wanted to make sure you had no way of sending me back with the general’s forces. I was taking plenty of time.”

From beyond the screen Jordan snorted.

Cameron continued. “There was no use going back to Earth. My career wasn’t exactly ruined--but you can appreciate the difficulties I’d have. Anyway a doctor is trained to take the most urgent cases, and I thought they were here. I’m sorry only that I had to be discovered. It spoiled the entry I was going to make.”

Jeriann’s face showed what she thought. Relief, and was there something else? The thought was distasteful if only because it indicated there was now a normal human present. The deadly comparison was back with them.

But it was more than that--how much more was up to him to find out. Docchi kept his emotions far away. It would hardly do to let Cameron know what he thought. “Well, there’s work to do, if that’s what you want. Come up as soon as you can get here.”

Cameron cocked his head. “If they’ll let me.”

“They’ll let you.” Docchi switched off the screen and turned to see Jeriann getting up.

“Don’t leave. I want you to check on him.”

“Why should we check?” she asked in surprise.

Another one who accepted the doctor at face value. There would be plenty of others like her. Perhaps Cameron had remained for the reasons he’d given. If so it ought to be easy to prove. “Did I say we’d have to watch him? I didn’t mean quite that. Cameron’s here and we intend to use him. At the same time we must admit that he has many conventional ideas. We’ll have to give him our slant on what we need.”

She sat down. “I don’t want to waste your time or his.”

“You’re not.” Docchi pretended to be busy while they waited. He had to learn whether his suspicions were unfounded. Cameron may have stayed in the best medical tradition. But there was another tradition less honorable and it was an equal possibility.

It was better not to say anything to Jeriann. She respected the doctor but she wouldn’t be blinded by that attitude. She’d report any untoward thing she saw. And she was attractive. Sooner than anyone else save Nona, who couldn’t communicate, she’d learn what the doctor’s true motives were.

Docchi found himself studying her. She didn’t have to be that anxious. He wished she weren’t so eager for the doctor to arrive.

Cameron shook his head. “Don’t let your enthusiasm run away with you. I can help the deficients but if new treatments are developed it will probably be the result of ideas you people have.”

“What about the list? Can we synthesize for them?”

“I haven’t studied it and I’m not familiar with the medical history of everyone here. I do know three of the eleven that Jeriann’s selected and in each one she’s exactly right. It’s merely a matter of testing the preparations. I’ll check but I’m sure she can do it as well as I can.”

It was nice to know that they were doing all right by themselves, that they’d have gotten along without the doctor. It helped that he was here but they’d have survived anyway. “Can you do anything for Maureen?” asked Docchi.

“I don’t remember her. I’ll have to look it up.”

“The records aren’t in the best condition.”

“Guards?” Docchi noted that Cameron scowled. Either he was a good actor or he was sincere. “I tried to get the general to restrain them but he wouldn’t listen.”

“No harm done, I suppose,” said Docchi. He wanted to forget as much of that episode as he could. “However I can tell you what’s wrong with Maureen. No male hormones.”

“I remember.” Cameron pondered. “I’ve never had anything to do with her. Most of her treatment came direct from Earth. I don’t know. I really can’t say.”

“Most glands are paired. Can’t you transplant one, or part of one, from some of us? We’ll get donors.”

“Off hand I’d say that if it were possible it would have been done long ago. For reasons that aren’t understood transplants aren’t always effective. Sometimes the body acts to dissolve foreign tissue or, if there’s irritation, grow a tumor around it.”

“That’s why she’s still a deficient?”

“It’s my guess. They tried transplants but had to cut them out.” Cameron turned to Jeriann. “Do we have equipment for synthetic hormones?”

“Maybe. I never prepared any.”

The doctor leaned over the desk, flipping through the files until he came to the section he wanted. “Some test animals. Probably not enough,” he said after studying it briefly. “I’ll do something to keep her quiet until I can figure out a substitute.”

“No experiments on us, Cameron.”

He smiled wryly. “The history of medicine is a long series of experiments. If it weren’t for that we’d still be in the stone age, medically speaking.”

Docchi shrugged. “Suit yourself. Do what you can with Maureen.”

“What about Anti?”

“We haven’t had time to think about her.”

“I’ll see what I can do. If I stumble on anything that seems beneficial I’ll let you know.” Cameron turned to leave and Jeriann went with him.

Docchi watched him go. The doctor was an asset they hadn’t counted on. His presence would help silence the objections of those who agreed with the woman at the meeting but hadn’t said anything yet. This was the temporary advantage.

But there was still the doubt. Cameron might have stayed at the general’s request. A few serious illnesses or a death here and there might influence them to turn back. Somehow Docchi couldn’t credit the doctor with such intentions.

Then what? Well, the doctor might have remained with them on a long, long chance. A gamble, but he was the kind who took risks.

It was not suspicion alone that made Docchi suddenly tired and morose. He wished he could call Jeriann back on some pretext. She’d gone and she hadn’t looked his way when she left.

Anti bobbed gently in the acid. “What’s the contraption?”

“An idea of mine,” said Jordan, lowering the coils carefully so the acid didn’t splash.

Anti looked at it judicially. “Maybe next time you’ll think of something better.”

“Don’t be nasty,” said Jordan as the coils reached the surface of the liquid and began to submerge. “Cameron thinks it will work.”

“My faith is shaken.”

“It isn’t a question of faith and anyway he’s as good a doctor as we’ve ever had.” Jordan kept lowering until the mechanism reached the bottom. A single cable over the side of the tank was the only thing visible. Jordan wiped his hands on the grass. “I was thinking about radiation when this thing occurred to me.”

“Would you believe it? Once I was young and radiant myself.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Don’t think I wouldn’t trade.”

“You won’t have to,” said Jordan. “This is my idea, not the doctor’s. He merely confirmed it.”

“In that case it’s bound to work.”

Jordan pulled a tuft of grass loose and tossed it into the tank. It disappeared in a soundless blaze. To conform with what was expected of her, Anti blinked. “Don’t be so afraid we’re going to fail that you can’t listen to what I have to say. Do you want to be cured and not know why? I’ve run my legs off to make this gadget.”

“A figure of speech,” commented Anti.

“A figure of speech,” agreed Jordan. “To begin with we discovered that when you were exposed to space the cold caused the fungus flesh to die back faster than it grew. Right?”

“The fungus came from Venus,” said Anti. “It’s only natural it wouldn’t grow well in the cold.”

“The origin doesn’t have anything to do with it. Normally it doesn’t grow in flesh and it had to make concessions to live in the human body, the biggest one being adaptation to body temperature. At the same time the body cells tried to outgrow it but the faster they grew the more there was for the fungus to live in. A sort of an inimical symbiosis.”

“If you can imagine inimical symbiosis,” said Anti. “I can’t.”

“You haven’t tried very hard. Anyway, there seems to be a ratio between the amount of fungus in one connected mass and the vigor. The more there is the faster it grows, and conversely.”

“Such a pleasant reference,” said Anti. “Mass. Still it’s an accurate description of me, though I can think of a better one. Lump.” She swam, splashing ponderously toward the edge of the tank. “Are you trying to say that if I can ever get below a certain point my body will be able to keep the fungus in check?”

“Exactly.”

“What’s wrong with the treatment we discovered? Give me an oxygen helmet and tie me to a cable and let me float outside the dome.”

“You wouldn’t float as long as the gravity’s on. Besides, we can do it better. In space you lose heat solely by radiation. Radiation depends on surface and the larger a body is the more surface it had in proportion.”

“Convection is what you meant,” said Anti. “Acid alone helps, but a cold acid would combine treatments.”

“A very cold acid. Supercold.”

Anti nodded and nodded and then stopped. “A fine piece of reasoning except for one thing. When the temperature is decreased chemical activity slows down.”

“That’s the triumph of my gadget,” said Jordan. “It’s not only a refrigerant coil but electronically it steps up ionizations as the temperature is lowered. We sacrifice neither effect.”

Soundlessly Anti sank below the surface and remained there for some time. When she came up acid trickled over her face. “I had to think. It’s been so long since I dared hope,” she said. “When can I walk?”

“I didn’t say you would,” said Jordan hastily. “There may be a lower limit beyond which it’s dangerous to continue the cold acid treatment.”

“Then what’s the use?” said Anti. “I’m not interested in merely reducing. I’ll still be bigger than a house. I want to get around.”

“This is the first step,” explained Jordan patiently. “After this is successful we’ll think of something else.”

“What language,” said Anti. “The first step when obviously I’m nowhere near taking one. Can’t you turn off the gravity?”

If they did it would hinder others, and the odds were nearly a thousand to one. Of course they might compromise, a short gravityless period at intervals. It would be unsatisfactory to everyone but it might give Anti the encouragement she needed.

Besides, he was unsure they could turn off the gravity without also turning off the drive. Their momentum would carry them along at the same speed they had been going--but was it wise to tamper with a mechanism that till now was functioning so smoothly and was so important?

Jordan shook his head. “I said we’d think of something else and we will. Continue with this treatment and watch your weight go down.”

“Don’t think I’m not aware of your cheerful intentions,” said Anti. “How can you possibly weigh me as long as I have to stay in the tank?”

“The same way Archimedes did--fluid displacement. I’ve rigged up a scale so you can keep track of what’s happening.” He didn’t tell her what the scale was calibrated in. Absolute figures were disheartening. It was only the progress which counted.

Anti looked at the dial near the edge of the tank. “I thought it was just another gadget.” When Jordan didn’t answer she looked for him. “Hey, don’t leave me to freeze in this cold goop.”

“You’re not cold and you know it. You can’t feel a thing.”