NAAN (The Rabanians Book 1) (42 page)

I nodded. “I’m very happy to hear that,” I said, but I didn't think he meant it.

“I’d be happy to hear from you. I mean if you have new ideas,” he continued and looked at me.

“You’ll be the first to know,” I said.

The Doctor nodded and looked at Daio.

“I understand you met with Kashir,” said Daio suddenly and looked at me.

I opened my eyes wide in surprise. “Yes, that's true,” I said.

“It wasn't an accidental meeting.”

“No. I went to see him. I wanted to hear how things were going. I thought he needed some encouragement after our failure.”

“Was it an interesting meeting?” asked Daio.

I nodded. “Yes, I suppose. We talked of many things.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“Not really,” I said.

Daio sighed lightly and looked at the Doctor.

“He said you had an idea,” Daio said and looked back at me.

I shook my head, “No, no new ideas.”

“So Kashir was imagining things?”

“Maybe he just misunderstood me.”

“What exactly did you tell him that led him to think you have a new idea?”

I gritted my teeth. “I don't remember.”

“I’ve known Kashir for many years," said the Doctor. "He is very young but also very talented.”

“I’m sure of that,” I said.

“And I know he doesn't imagine things.”

“Maybe that’s his problem,” I said.

“Sosi, please,” said Daio.

“Like I said, we talked of many things,” I said trying to avoid the subject.

“But he said you told him you have a new idea about the plague.”

“I didn't tell him any such thing."

Daio sighed. He stood and walked towards me. "Sosi, do you have a new idea?"

I looked at him and shook my head. "Not anything we can implement,” I said.

“That is not what Kashir understood.”

“I can’t read Kashir's mind. I don’t know what he understood or not.”

“You are putting us all at risk!” said Dug suddenly.

I took a deep breath.

“You have a new idea that you are not telling us.” summarized Daio.

“Maybe,” I said.

“What is it?”

“Why is it important? You are not going to do anything anyhow.”

“Because I want to know what to expect,” said Daio.

“There is nothing to expect. You know well enough I have no intention of interfering.”

“So why did you meet with Kashir?” asked Dug.

I didn't know what to say.

“We need to know what you are doing,” said the Doctor.

I looked at his large face, beyond Daio's shoulder. The Doctor gritted his teeth and looked like he was struggling to hide what he was thinking.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you are a risk factor and we need to know your plans,” said Dug.

I looked at Daio. This whole thing was getting out of hand. It was just an idea. It might be completely stupid. It might make a lot of sense and still not work. 

“The meeting with Kashir was innocent. I didn't plan to do anything. I don’t want to have another failure on my hands.”

“So why don't you tell us what you are thinking?”

“There is nothing to tell.”

“Labeling you a risk is a hard thing for me to do, but look at it from my side,” said the Doctor.

“Your side? I thought we were all on the same side.”

“You have unclear intentions…”

“No I don't,” I cut him off.

“You tried to turn Kashir against me, and you are keeping silent now.”

I rose quickly and without saying anything more I left the kitchen. I went to my room, sat on my bed in the darkness. I could have told them. Maybe they would have laughed, or maybe they would have gotten so excited that they would agree to test it, but there was no way to tell which direction things would have gone. Still such a test might not even be realistic. Maybe the reservoirs were different? Maybe a success in one would be a failure in another. Maybe the damn plague would get even worse. Another failure would make it certain that I would not be able to stay on Naan anymore even if everyone in Naan agreed to let me.

I heard something and walked to the window. Dug was walking the Doctor to his car.

“I won't take the risk,” I heard the Doctor saying.

“I completely understand,” said Dug.

They stopped by the car. The Doctor started the car. Dug raised his voice and said something that I couldn’t hear. The sentence was short, only three or four words, but all I heard was the name of
Daio
.

The thoughts of the Doctor disturbed every neuron and synapse in my brain. He was afraid of me and I was afraid of him. The only difference was that my fear was justified. Doctor Afgena Tarki was not what he looked like on the outside. I had no doubt whatsoever about it, but I didn't know what to do. His look the night before had been menacing. I was sure he and Dug had been talking about me when they were walking to his car. Dug’s mention of Daio before he left bothered me. What had he said? Was it,
Daio loves him
? Was he implying that he felt bad for me? Maybe he’d said '
Daio is too sensitive
,' or maybe
'Daio doesn’t need to know
.'  The last one was a bit long, but definitely possible:
Daio doesn’t need to know you are not going to take a risk and that you plan to eliminate my crazy brother
. 

Maybe I was exaggerating. I felt unwanted at best and at risk at most. I knew I had to leave. I thought maybe if I left for a while they would realize I had no intention of doing anything rash.

All of these arguments were enough for me to put some food and water in a backpack and leave. As I crossed the fields with a headlamp to guide my way, I hoped to get to the same mountaintop I’d visited with Su-thor. My plan was to stay there until dawn and then wander into the deep valley we’d seen and disappear.

The gases released from the underground cavities contain non-toxic molecules if exposure occurs in small doses. When the molecules enter the reservoirs, and evaporate into the atmosphere from the surface of the water, they go through a complex process of chemical disassembly and reassembly. One of the byproducts of this reaction is a deadly molecule that enters the respiratory system, adheres to the lung tissue, and starts a process that leads to inflammation. Protecting the population from the inflammation process requires reengineering of the molecular coupling sites.

When I wasn't thinking about the Doctor I thought about that damn paragraph. I guess it bothered me most because I kept feeling that I’d blown the stupid thing all out of proportion. I had a new understanding of the paragraph but that's all. I felt stupid. I didn't have any plans. I’d left partly because I felt offended and completely misunderstood. I also wanted to leave in order to give everyone time to think things through.

I thought of Su-thor. I could have offered to join me, but I didn't want to put her at risk. The food I took with me would only last for a few days and after that I would need to improvise. I didn't want to drag her into this mess. I knew she would probably get mad at me, but she didn’t know my life depended on her safety.

I had little time to rest on the mountaintop. When Mampas had set and Dion was about to rise I stood and looked to the right at the fields below and to their right   at the green stain. I still wasn't sure if these were the trees in front of the house. The fields started to clear and an uneasy feeling pushed me to turn and walk away from there. I remembered how, more than a year ago, I’d stopped on one of the hills, and debated whether to continue towards the town or to turn from it. I wondered now if I would have done things differently if I could go back in time. Would I look for another place to settle instead of coming into the town? I would not have met my brothers. I wouldn't have met Su-thor and make her sacrifice herself for this crazy planet. I thought of her now and felt deep sorrow.

When Su-thor went towards the stairs on the second floor she noticed Sosi’s door was open.

“Sosi,” she called, and pushed the door open a bit further. “Are you here?”

The bed at the corner of the room was made up and on the pillow was a large piece of white paper. She walked in and looked around.  “Sosi,” she called again as she walked towards the bed.

I want trip, I come in few days.

The words, in pidgin Mampasian, covered the entire sheet. She lifted the paper and looked at the letters. Sosi had repeated each letter several times as if he was afraid his handwriting was not clear.

“Trip?” she mumbled and left the room in a hurry. She went down the stairs walked outside onto the paved surface at the front of the house. She looked beyond the trees to the fields thinking maybe she'd be able to see him walking there. “Something is not right,” she said to herself. She looked at the paper again. There was some clue in the Mampasian letters. Why would Sosi write in Mampasian? She remembered that the Doctor had been there last night. He had already gone when she’d gone down to prepare something to eat. Daio had still been in the kitchen but he didn't say anything. Sosi hadn't been there but the water pressure had been low so she had guessed he was probably already in the shower.

There was a noise behind her and she turned. Daio went outside.

“Good morning,” he said.

She lifted the paper towards him. “What do you know about this?”

“What is it?”

“Sosi left,” she said without hiding her anger. “What happened here last night?” she asked in Mampasian. Her Naanite wasn't strong enough to express what she felt.

“Come, let's sit,” he said waving to the house.

“What happened? Why do I need to sit down?” she asked following him into the living room.

“He probably left to cool off. I think it's a great idea.”

“Great idea? Why? What happened? Why did he leave all by himself?”

“Don't worry, he'll come back.”

“What did the Doctor want?” she asked. It was clear to her now that the events were related.

“The Doctor,” said Daio and sighed. “The Doctor is afraid he is going to do something silly that will cost us all dearly.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sosi didn't tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“It seems he has a new idea. I don't know exactly. An idea or maybe a new understanding.”

“About what?”

“Something about the plague. He has some idea how to end it and the Doctor is afraid he will do something without telling us.”

“What nonsense,” she said in Mampasian.

“My Mampasian is not that good,” Daio said.

“He has nothing. It isn't true.”

“I hope you are right. Apparently he tried to get Kashir, the Doctor’s helper, to help him behind everyone's back and the Doctor is very worried.”

“Do you believe this?  Do you believe that Sosi could do something like this?”

“I don't know. When I woke up this morning I thought there must have been some misunderstanding. In any case, I think it's for best that he has left for a few days. It will help calm things, and allow everyone to reconsider the whole thing.”