A small tree stretched shade overhead. Waves lapped and made gurgling sounds against the banks. But there was no plant life of any kind, and no fish swam in the liquid. It looked like water but wasn't—the pool held acid. And floating in it, all but submerged, was a shape. The records in the hospital said it was a woman.
"Anti, they turned us down," said Docchi bitterly.
"What did you expect?" rumbled2 the creature in the pool. Wavelets of acid danced across the surface, stirred by her voice.
"I didn't expect that."
"You don't know the Medicouncil very well."
"I guess I don't." He stared sullenly3 at the fluid. It was faintly blue. "I have the feeling they didn't consider it, that they held the request for a time and then answered no without looking at it."
"Now you're beginning to learn. Wait till you've been here as long as I have."
Morosely4 he kicked an anemic tuft of grass. Plants didn't do well here either. They too were exiled, far from the sun, removed from the soil they originated in. The conditions they grew in were artificial. "Why did they turn us down?" said Docchi.
"Answer it yourself. Remember what the Medicouncil is like. Different things are important to them. The main thing is that we don't have to follow their example. There's no need to be irrational5 even though they are."
"I wish I knew what to do," said Docchi. "It meant so much to us."
"We can wait, outlast6 the attitude," said Anti, moving slowly. It was the only way she could move. Most of her bulk was beneath the surface.
"Cameron suggested waiting." Reflectively Docchi added: "It's true we are biocompensators."
"They always bring in biocompensation," muttered Anti restlessly. "I'm getting tired of that excuse. Time passes just as slow."
"But what else is there? Shall we draw up another request?"
"Memorandum7 number ten? Let's not be naive8. Things get lost when we send them to the Medicouncil. Their filing system is in terrible shape."
"Lost or distorted," grunted9 Docchi angrily. The grass he'd kicked already had begun to wilt10. It wasn't hardy11 in this environment. Few things were.
"Maybe we ought to give the Medicouncil a rest. I'm sure they don't want to hear from us again."
Docchi moved closer to the pool. "Then you think we should go ahead with the plan we discussed before we sent in the petition? Good. I'll call the others together and tell them what happened. They'll agree that we have to do it."
"Then why call them? More talk, that's all. Besides I don't see why we should warn Cameron what we're up to."
Docchi glanced at her worriedly. "Do you think someone would report it? I'm certain everyone feels as I do."
"Not everyone. There's bound to be dissent," said Anti placidly12. "But I wasn't thinking of people."
"Oh that," said Docchi. "We can block that source any time we need to." It was a relief to know that he could trust the accidentals. Unanimity13 was important and some of the reasons weren't obvious.
"Maybe you can and maybe you can't," said Anti. "But why make it difficult, why waste time?"
Docchi got up awkwardly but he wasn't clumsy once he was on his feet. "I'll get Jordan. I know I'll need arms."
"Depends on what you mean," said Anti.
"Both," said Docchi, smiling. "We're a dangerous weapon."
She called out as he walked away. "I'll see you when you leave for far Centauri."
"Sooner than that, Anti. Much sooner."
Stars were beginning to wink14. Twilight15 brought out the shadows and tracery of the structure that supported the transparent16 dome17 overhead. Soon controlled slow rotation18 would bring near darkness to this side of the asteroid19. The sun was small at this distance but even so it was a tie to the familiar scenes of Earth. Before long it would be lost.
Cameron leaned back and looked speculatively20 at the gravity engineer, Vogel. The engineer could give him considerable assistance. There was no reason why he shouldn't but anyone who voluntarily had remained on the asteroid as long as Vogel was a doubtful quantity. He didn't distrust him, the man was strange.
"I've been busy trying to keep the place running smoothly21. I hope you don't mind that I haven22't been able to discuss your job at length," said the doctor, watching him closely.
"Naw, I don't mind," said Vogel. "Medical directors come and go. I stay on. It's easier than getting another job."
"I know. By now you should know the place pretty well. I sometimes think you could do my work with half the trouble."
"Ain't in the least curious about medicine and never bothered to learn," grunted Vogel. "I keep my stuff running and that's all. I don't interfere23 with nobody and they don't come around and get friendly with me."
Cameron believed it. The statement fit the personality. He needn't be concerned about fraternization. "There are a few things that puzzle me," he began. "That's why I called you in. Usually we maintain about half Earth-normal gravity. Is that correct?"
"I'm not sure why half gravity is used. Perhaps it's easier on the weakened bodies of the accidentals. Or there may be economic factors. Either way it's not important as long as half gravity is what we get."
"You want to know why we use that figure?"
"If you can tell me without getting too technical, yes. I feel I should learn everything I can about the place."
The engineer warmed up, seeming to enjoy himself. "Ain't no reason except the gravity units themselves," Vogel said. "Theoretically we can get anything we want. Practically we take whatever comes out, anything from a quarter to full Earth gravity."
"You have no control over it?" This contradicted what he'd heard. His information was that gravity generators25 were the product of an awesome27 bit of scientific development. It seemed inconceivable that they should be so haphazardly28 directed.
"Sure we got control," answered the engineer, grinning. "We can turn them off or on. If gravity varies, that's too bad. We take the fluctuation29 or we don't get anything."
Cameron frowned; the man knew what he was doing or he wouldn't be here. His position was of only slightly less importance than that of the medical director—and where it mattered the Medicouncil wouldn't tolerate incompetence30. And yet——
The engineer rumbled on. "You were talking how the generators were designed especially for the asteroid. Some fancy medical reason why it's easier on the accidentals to have a lesser31 gravity plus a certain amount of change. Me, I dunno. I guess the designers couldn't help what was built and the reason was dug up later."
Cameron concealed32 his irritation33. He wanted information, not a heart to heart confession34. Back on Earth he had been told it was for the benefit of the accidentals. He'd reserved judgment35 then and saw no reason not to do so now. "All practical sciences try to justify36 what they can't escape but would like to. Medicine, I'm sure, is no exception."
He paused thoughtfully. "I understand there are three separate generators on the asteroid. One runs for forty-five minutes while two are idle. When the first one stops another one cuts in. The operations are supposed to be synchronized37. I don't have to tell you that they're not. Not long ago you felt your weight increase suddenly. I know I did. What is wrong?"
"Nothing wrong," said the engineer soothingly38. "You get fluctuations39 while one generator26 is running. You get a gravity surge when one generator is supposed to drop out but doesn't. The companion machine adds to it, that's all."
"They're supposed to be that way? Overlapping40 so that for a time we have Earth or Earth and a half gravity?"
"Better than having none," said Vogel with heavy pride. "Used to happen quite often, before I came. You can ask any of the old timers. I fixed41 that though."
He didn't like the direction his questions were taking him. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," said the engineer uncomfortably. "Nothing I can think of. I guess the machines just got used to having me around."
There were people who tended to anthropomorphize anything they came in contact with and Vogel was one of them. It made no difference to him that he was talking about insensate machines. He would continue to endow them with personality. "This is the best you can say, that we'll get a wild variation of gravity, sometimes none?"
"It's not supposed to work that way but nobody's ever done better with a setup like this," said Vogel defensively. "If you want you can check the company that makes these units."
"I'm not trying to challenge your knowledge and I'm not anxious to make myself look silly. I do want to make sure I don't overlook anything. You see, I think there's a possibility of sabotage42."
The engineer's grin was wider than the remark required.
Cameron swiveled the chair around and leaned on the desk. "All right," he said tiredly, "tell me why the idea of sabotage is so funny."
"It would have to be someone living here," said the big engineer. "He wouldn't like it if it jumped up to nine G, which it could. I think he'd let it alone. But there are better reasons. Do you know how each gravity unit is put together?"
"Not in detail."
The gravity generating unit was not a unit. It was built in three parts. First there was a power source, which could be anything as long as it supplied ample energy. The basic supply on the asteroid was a nuclear pile, buried deep in the core. Handicap Haven would have to be taken apart, stone by stone, before it could be reached.
Part two were the gravity coils, which actually originated and directed the gravity. They were simple and very nearly indestructible. They could be destroyed but they couldn't be altered and still produce the field.
The third part was the control unit, the real heart of the gravity generating system. It calculated the relationship between the power flowing through the coils and the created field in any one microsecond. It used the computed44 relationship to alter the power flowing in the next microsecond to get the same gravity. If the power didn't change the field died instantly. The control unit was thus actually a computer, one of the best made, accurate and fast beyond belief.
The engineer rubbed his chin. "Now I guess you can see why it doesn't always behave as we want it to."
He looked questioningly at Cameron, expecting a reply. "I'm afraid I can't," said the doctor.
"If it was one of your patients you'd understand," said Vogel. "Fatigue45. The gravity control unit is an intricate computer and it gets tired. It has to rest an hour and a half to do forty-five minutes work. It can't keep running all the time any more than any delicate machine can. It has to be shut down to clear the circuits.
"Naturally they don't want anyone tinkering with it. It's sealed and non-repairable. Crack the case open and it disintegrates46. But first you've got to open it. Now I know that it can be done, but not without a lot of high-powered equipment that I could detect if it was anywhere on the asteroid."
In spite of the engineer's attitude it didn't seem completely foolproof. But Cameron had to admit that it was probable none of the accidentals could tamper47 with it. "I'll forget about gravity," he said. "Next, what about hand weapons? What's available?"
"Nothing. No knives even. Maybe a stray bar or so of metal." Vogel scratched his head. "There is something that's dangerous though. I dunno whether you could classify it as a weapon."
Cameron was instantly alert. "If it's dangerous someone can find a way to use it. What is it?"
"The asteroid itself. Nobody can physically48 touch any part of the gravity system. But I've often wondered if an impulse couldn't be squeezed into the computer. If anybody can do that he can change direction of the field." Vogel's voice was grave. "Somebody could pick up Handicap Haven and throw it anywhere he wanted. At Earth, say. Thirty miles in diameter is a big hunk of rock."
This was the kind of information Cameron had been looking for, though the big engineer seemed to regard the occasion as merely a long overdue49 social call. "What's the possibility?"
Vogel grinned. "Thought I'd scare you. Used to wake up sweating myself. Got so bad I had to find out about it."
"Can or can't it be done?" demanded the doctor.
"Naw. It's too big to take a chance with. They got monitors set up all over, moons of Jupiter, Mars, Earth, Venus. This or any other gravity computer gets dizzy, the monitor overrides50 it. If that fails they send a jammer impulse and freeze it up tight. It can't get away until the monitor lets loose."
Cameron's mind was already busy elsewhere. Vogel was loquacious51 and would talk all night if encouraged. It wasn't that he lacked information but he had no sense of what was important. "You don't know how you've helped me," the doctor said, standing52 up. "We'll have to get together again."
He watched the engineer depart for the gravity generating chamber53 below the surface of the asteroid. The day had started badly and wasn't getting better. Docchi to Thorton to Vogel. All the shades of shortsightedness, the convalescent's, authority's, and finally the technician who refused to see beyond his dials. A fine progression, but somewhere the curve ought to turn upward.
The post on Handicap Haven wasn't pleasant but there were advantages—advancement was proportional to the disagreeableness of the place. After shepherding accidentals for a year any other assignment would be a snap. Ten months to go before the year was over and if Cameron could survive with nothing to mar43 his administration he was in line for something better, definitely better. This was where the Medicouncil sent promising54 young doctors.
When the robot answered it wasn't encouraging. "There's no answer. I'm sorry. I'll notify you when he comes in."
"Trace him," he snapped. "If he's not near the rocket he's somewhere in the main dome. I don't care how you do it, get him."
A few seconds of silence followed. The answer was puzzling. "There's no record that the pilot has left the rocket dome."
His heart skipped and his breathing was constricted56. He spoke57 carefully. "Scan the whole area. Look every place, even if you think he can't be there. I've got to have the pilot."
"Scanning isn't possible. The system is out of operation in that area. I'm trying to check why."
That was bad. He could feel muscles tighten58 that he didn't know he had. "All right. Send out repair robots." They'd get the job done—they always did. But they were intolerably slow and just now he needed speed.
"Mobile repair units were dispatched as soon as scanning failed to work. Is this an emergency? If so I can alert the staff."
He thought about it. He needed help, plenty of it. But was there any one he could depend on? Vogel? He'd probably be ready for action. But to call on him would leave the gravity generating plant unprotected. And if he told the engineer what he suspected, Vogel would insist on mixing in with it. He was too vital where he was.
Who else? The sour middle-aged59 nurse who'd signed up because she wanted quick credits toward retirement60? She slept through most of her shift and considering her efficiency perhaps it was just as well she did. Or the sweet young trainee—her diploma said she'd completed her training, but you couldn't lie to a doctor—who had bravely volunteered because someone ought to help poor unfortunate men? Not a word about women of course. She always walked in when Cameron was examining a patient, male, but she had the deplorable habit of swooning when she saw blood. Fainting was too vulgar for her and, as Cameron had once told her, so was the profession of her choice.
These were the people the emergency signal would alert. He would do better to rely on robots. They weren't much help but at least they wouldn't get hysterically61 in his way. Oh yes, there was the pilot too, but he couldn't be located.
The damned place was undermanned and always had been. Nobody wanted to be stationed here except those who were mildly psychotic or inefficient62 and lazy. There was one exception. Ambitious young doctors had been known to ask for the position. Mentally Cameron berated63 himself. Ambition wasn't far from psychosis, or at times it could produce results as bad. If anything serious happened here he'd begin and end his career bandaging scratches at a children's playground.
"This is not an emergency," he said. "However leave word in gravity with Vogel. Tell him to put on his electronic guards. I don't want him to let anyone get near the place."
"Is that all?"
"Send out six geepees. I'll pick them up near the entrance to the rocket dome."
"Repair robots are already in the area. Will they do as well?"
"They won't. I want general purpose robots for another reason. Send the latest huskiest models we have." They were not bright but they were strong and could move fast. He clicked off the picture. What did he have to be afraid of? For the most part they were a beaten ragged64 bunch of humans. He would feel sorry for them if he wasn't apprehensive65 about his future.
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1
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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morosely
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| adv.愁眉苦脸地，忧郁地 | |
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irrational
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| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
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outlast
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| v.较…耐久 | |
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memorandum
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| n.备忘录，便笺 | |
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naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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unanimity
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| n.全体一致，一致同意 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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rotation
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| n.旋转；循环，轮流 | |
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asteroid
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| n.小行星；海盘车(动物) | |
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speculatively
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| adv.思考地，思索地；投机地 | |
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smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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generators
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| n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司 | |
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generator
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| n.发电机，发生器 | |
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awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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haphazardly
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| adv.偶然地，随意地，杂乱地 | |
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fluctuation
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| n.(物价的)波动，涨落；周期性变动；脉动 | |
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incompetence
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| n.不胜任，不称职 | |
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lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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synchronized
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| 同步的 | |
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soothingly
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| adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地 | |
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fluctuations
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| 波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 ) | |
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overlapping
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| adj./n.交迭（的） | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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42
sabotage
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| n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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computed
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| adj.[医]计算的，使用计算机的v.计算，估算( compute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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46
disintegrates
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| n.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的名词复数 )v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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47
tamper
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| v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害 | |
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48
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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49
overdue
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| adj.过期的，到期未付的；早该有的，迟到的 | |
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50
overrides
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| 越控( override的第三人称单数 )； （以权力）否决； 优先于； 比…更重要 | |
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51
loquacious
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| adj.多嘴的，饶舌的 | |
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52
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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53
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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54
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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55
flipped
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| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
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56
constricted
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| adj.抑制的，约束的 | |
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57
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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58
tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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59
middle-aged
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| adj.中年的 | |
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60
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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61
hysterically
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| ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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62
inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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63
berated
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| v.严厉责备，痛斥( berate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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