Farside (30 page)

She was sitting in the recliner in her quarters, facing the wall screen, which showed the three engineers side by side at a table in one of Selene’s conference rooms. Two of them were good-looking young men, the third an older woman, portly, matronly, wearing a scarlet red scoop-necked blouse that showed plenty of fatty cleavage. The men had the sense to wear ordinary business attire: dark cardigan jackets over turtleneck shirts.

“There are all sorts of rumors flying around Selene,” said one of the young men. He was blond, with pale blue eyes.

“I’m sure there are,” Cardenas said, eager to get back to the subject for their meeting.

The other guy, his dark hair shaved down to a fuzz, added, “Selene’s sending an accident investigation team to Farside.”

Before Cardenas could reply, the woman asked, “Do you think nanomachines could have had anything to do with the accident?”

“That’s what everybody’s wondering about,” said the blond.

Cardenas bit back the sharp denial that was her first instinctive reply. Measuredly, she answered, “That’s a possibility that must be investigated, of course. I think it’s a remote possibility, but still, the investigators will have to look into it.”

The blond went on, “I mean, Farside’s using nanos to build their mirrors, after all.”

“That,” said Cardenas, “is like saying that since Farside is using plasma torches in the construction of the underground facilities here, plasma torches might have caused the rocket’s explosion.”

“Not really the same, though, is it?” the woman engineer said, with a knowing smile that was almost a sneer.

Cardenas admitted, “Not quite the same, I suppose.”

The data bar across the bottom of the wall screen started blinking red, then displayed:
ADDITIONAL CALLER, MRS. ANITA HALLECK.

The screen split to show Halleck, looking elegant in a crisply tailored pale chartreuse blouse and with a long fall of chestnut hair draped artfully down one shoulder.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, a slight smile curving her full lips. “I just arrived here at Selene, only to find that you’re at Farside, Dr. Cardenas.”

Somewhat flustered, Cardenas replied, “I didn’t realize you intended to join this conference in person, Mrs. Halleck.”

“Oh, yes,” Halleck said coolly. “My staff must have failed to make that clear to you.”

The three engineers on the other half of the screen looked just as surprised as Cardenas felt.

“Well,” Cardenas temporized, “I should be back at Selene in a few days, at most.”

Halleck seemed to consider that information for a moment. Then, “I doubt that I can wait that long. But I do want to personally inform you that despite this unfortunate accident at Farside, I intend to press ahead with our construction of the mirrors using nanomachines. I want to make that perfectly clear.”

Cardenas sat up straighter. “I’m delighted to hear that, Mrs. Halleck.”

“Just because there’s been an accident at Farside, there’s no reason to delay our own work.”

The woman engineer’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes, of course.” The two male engineers glanced at each other, then they began to nod, too.

Cardenas suppressed a grin. At least Halleck has her head screwed on right, she thought. Now maybe we can get back to work.

*   *   *

Grant was just getting into bed when Trudy called. He started to tell the phone to answer, but hesitated as he realized that he was naked. Hell, she’s seen me naked, he thought. Still, he ordered the phone, “Reply audio only.”

Trudy’s face filled the wall screen. She looked tired, concerned, almost frightened.

“Grant? I’m sorry to call so late.…”

“It’s all right,” he said, sitting on his bed and pulling the sheet up to his waist.

“I’m worried about Professor Uhlrich,” she said.

“The Ulcer?”

“Grant, he’s terribly concerned,” she said earnestly. “He tries not to show it in front of you, but he’s worried that this team of investigators coming in from Selene is going to shut us down completely.”

“He’s worried he won’t get the Nobel Prize,” Grant replied sourly. “That’s the only thing he gives a damn about.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Isn’t it?”

Trudy bit her lip for a moment, then asked, “Can I come over to your place? We need to talk—”

“No!” he snapped.

She looked surprised, hurt.

Agonized, Grant explained, “Look, Trudy, my body’s filled with nanomachines. All this trouble might be my fault. I’m not going to risk hurting you. I can’t.”

“But you said Dr. Cardenas told you it couldn’t be your fault.”

“Who else? I get injected with nanos at Selene. I come back here and the tractor engine dies, then Win gets killed, and now the lobber blows up—everything I touch!”

“It’s not you, Grant. I know it’s not.”

He knew he should feel touched at her reaction. Instead he felt almost angry. “And how do you know it’s not?” he challenged.

Her face dimpling into a grin, Trudy said, “You’ve touched me, haven’t you? I haven’t fallen apart.”

Grant shook his head wearily. “Trudy, this isn’t a joke.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“You’re not made of metal,” Grant said.

“So there’s no problem then, is there?” She looked absolutely impish now.

“You can’t—”

“I’ll be there in five minutes,” Trudy said. Then the screen went blank.

SELENE

Doug Stavenger was getting into bed next to his wife, who was intently studying a handheld reader.

“Must be pretty interesting,” he said, sliding a hand along her naked thigh.

Edith gave him a sidelong glance. “Must be six thousand requests from Earthside news bureaus for interviews with Professor Uhlrich.”

“Because of the accident?”

“No,” Edith said, finally shutting down the reader and placing it carefully on her night table. “Because of New Earth.”

Stavenger felt his brows hike with surprise. “You mean that report Uhlrich released yesterday…?”

Edith snuggled down under the sheet as she replied, “Yep. Not only is New Earth just about the same size as Earth, it’s also got an Earth-type atmosphere: oxygen and water vapor.”

“And the news media are clamoring for interviews with the professor?”

“They surely are. He’s a famous man, all of a sudden.”

“They’re not asking about the accident?”

“Nope. I guess they figure rockets blow up now and then. That’s not news. New Earth’s atmosphere is news.”

Stavenger said, “Just as well, I suppose.”

“Got a lot of requests to visit Farside, interview the professor face-to-face.”

“Can’t do that,” Stavenger said. “The facility is under quarantine.”

“What? Since when?”

“Since late this afternoon. There’s a possibility that the rocket blowup was caused by nanomachines.”

“Holy spit! Nanos?”

“It’s a remote possibility, but if Farside is infected, we don’t want it to spread here.”

“Hell no,” Edith said with fervor.

“The council’s sending an investigating team over there tomorrow.”

“Will Kris Cardenas go with them?”

“Kris is already there,” Stavenger said. “She just missed being on the lobber that blew up.”

“Lord a-mighty on a bicycle,” Edith muttered. “What a news story that’s going to make.”

“No!” Stavenger snapped. “Not a word to the news media.”

“I knew you’d say that!”

“We don’t want to start a frenzy. Next thing you know the Luddites back Earthside will start trying to tell us how to run Selene again.”

“But we’ve got all these media folks wanting to interview Uhlrich.”

“Let them do it electronically. Nobody’s going to Farside.”

“Except me,” said Edith.

“No, no, no!”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she countered. Turning toward him, laying a hand on his bare chest, Edith said, “You can tell the Earthside folks that I’ll coordinate their requests for interviews. Tell ’em Farside’s too small to accommodate them all, so I’ll manage things from there and they can all pool their interviews, just like we did during the war.”

“I don’t want you going to Farside,” Stavenger insisted.

But he knew she would go anyway.

*   *   *

Sitting alone in her VIP suite at the Hotel Luna, Anita Halleck debated calling Carter McClintock while she was visiting Selene. She had sensed subtle vibes from Carter when she’d seen him at Farside. He’s interested, she thought. He’s curious to know what his father had.

Chuckling to herself, she thought, It would blow Morgan’s mind if he knew his son went to bed with me. It might give the old man a heart attack. That would be poetic justice.

And stupid, she decided. That part of your life is over and done with. No regrets, no looking back. The only part of your life you can shape is the future.

Still, she thought, Morgan’s thinking of putting money into Professor Uhlrich’s operation. And Carter’s at Farside to help his father make the decision. Morgan wants to use Farside to kill my program; that would leave Dan Randolph high and dry, after all the money he’s already sunk into it.

So she put through a call to Carter McClintock.

McClintock looked decidedly uneasy when his face appeared on the wall screen of Halleck’s sitting room.

“You’re on the Moon?” he asked, his handsome face wearing a patently forced smile.

“At Selene, yes,” she replied. “I came for a conference with Dr. Cardenas, but apparently she’s detained at Farside with you.”

“Not with me,” he blurted. “She … she’s working with Professor Uhlrich, you know. Building the mirrors for his telescopes.”

“Yes. I’m here to see what progress she’s made on the mirrors for my array. If any.”

“I’m sure she’s doing her best,” McClintock said.

“Of course.”

“Er … how long will you be at Selene?”

“Only a day or so.” Halleck hesitated, then plunged, “I thought we might have dinner together while I’m here.”

He blinked at that. “I won’t be able to get away,” he said hurriedly.

“That’s all right. I’ll come over to Farside. Pay my respects to the professor and all that.”

McClintock shook his head. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Anita.”

“And why not?”

“Farside is under a lockdown. The accident with the lobber, you know. Selene’s sending an investigation team and no one else is allowed to come in here until they’ve made their report.”

“You’re quarantined?”

“Lockdown,” he quickly corrected. “No one is allowed into the facility … for the time being.”

Halleck considered that information for a few moments. Then, “Does that mean we won’t be able to get together, Carter?”

Squirming, he replied, “I’m afraid it does.”

“Too bad,” she teased. “One of the reasons I came all this way was to see you again.”

Carter McClintock fell speechless. And Anita Halleck thoroughly enjoyed his distress.

INVESTIGATION

Grant stood in the reception area as the four accident investigators filed through the access tunnel from the lobber that had carried them to Farside.

Three men, all of them in unadorned blue-gray coveralls. Engineers, from the look of them, Grant thought. And one tall, willowy black woman who was obviously their boss. Wearing a sea-green long-sleeved blouse over darker slacks, with a necklace and bracelet of jade, she was strikingly good-looking in a lean, long-limbed way, like a professional athlete.

Even Nate Oberman, at the reception desk, seemed awed by her as the other three new arrivals lined up at his desk.

She ignored Oberman and walked straight to Grant.

“You are Grant Simpson, are you not?” she asked, in an accent that Grant recognized as Bantu.

“That’s right,” he said. “Professor Uhlrich sent me here to see that your accommodations are comfortable for you.”

“I am Latisha Luongo,” she said. “I am the head of this investigation team. Could you please take me to Professor Uhlrich?”

“Don’t you want to go to your quarters first? Unpack? Freshen—”

“Professor Uhlrich, please,” said Luongo. “Business before pleasure, Mr. Simpson.”

*   *   *

Trudy Yost sat at one of the consoles in the teleoperations center, watching the data rastering across its central screen. The big display screen on the wall showed a blurry sphere, New Earth. The resolution was poor, but it was the best that Trudy could get from the telescope at Mendeleev.

Josie Rivera was working the console next to Trudy, monitoring the construction robots at Korolev crater. Nate Oberman sat beside her. The other two consoles were unoccupied, dark and silent.

Trudy wondered why Oberman was here at the teleoperations center, instead of his regular post at the reception center. Not that there’s much of anything to do at the launchpad since the lockdown. Then she realized, Nate’s coming on to Josie!

“The accident team from Selene arrived this morning,” Josie said to Oberman.

“Yeah, I checked them in,” he replied.

Looking up from her screen, Trudy asked, “Do you think the investigators’ll poke in here?”

Oberman shook his head. “Probably not. They’re outside gathering up the pieces of the lobber. They’re not interested in what we’re doing.”

“Good,” said Trudy.

But Josie said, “I’ll bet they do come in here, sooner or later. They’ll want to stick their noses into everything.”

“Let ’em,” said Oberman. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Josie gave him a knowing grin. “What about those vids you showed me?”

“That’s got nothing to do with their investigation!”

“No,” Josie agreed, “but it might be the most interesting thing they see while they’re here.”

Oberman made a mock scowl at her. Trudy turned her attention back to her work.

*   *   *

Grant spent the day outside, tediously searching for pieces of debris from the wrecked lobber. This must be the way archeologists work, he thought as he spotted another twisted chunk of metal. He carefully photographed it before picking it up and labeling it with an indelible marker. He marked its position on the ground from the GPS satellites’ signal, and then deposited it in the cart that trundled faithfully behind him.