Child of Time by Isaac Asimov

Author:Isaac Asimov [Asimov, Isaac]
Format: epub
Published: 2010-05-22T00:25:28.772000+00:00

And now the time had arrived for the first press conference--the public unveiling of Timmie. Miss Fellowes had delayed it as long as possible. But Hoskins was insistent. Publicity, he had been saying all along, was essential to the financing of the project. Now that it was undeniably clear that the boy was in good physical shape, that he apparently wasn't going to come down with any twenty-first-century bacterial infection, that he was capable of withstanding the stress of a meeting with the media, it simply had to happen. Miss Fellowes' word might be law, but it was clear that there was one word she didn't have the leeway to utter. This time Hoskins wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. "I want to limit the public viewing to five minutes, then," she said. "They've asked for fifteen." "They could ask for a day and a half. Dr. Hoskins. But five minutes is all that I consider to be acceptable." "Ten, Miss Fellowes." She could see the determination in his face. "Ten at the absolute limit. Less if the boy shows any sign of distress." "You know he'll show signs of distress," said Hoskins. "I can't simply let a little whimpering be the signal to throw the reporters out." "I'm not talking about a little whimpering, doctor. I'm talking about hysteria, profound psychosomatic reactions, potentially life-threatening responses to a massive invasion of his living space. You remember how wild the boy was the night he arrived here." "He was frightened out of his wits that night." "And you think a bunch of television cameras poked into his face won't upset him all over again? Bright hot lights? A lot of loud-mouthed strangers yelling things at him?" "Miss Fellowes--" "How many reporters are you planning to let in here, anyway?" Hoskins paused and counted up mentally. "About a dozen, most likely." "Three." "Miss Fellowes!" "The Stasis bubble is small. It's Timmie's sanctuary. If you let it be invaded by a vast pack of--baboons--" "They'll be science reporters like Candide Deveney." "Fine. Three reporters." "You really are determined to be difficult, aren't you?" "I have a child to care for. That's what you're paying me for and what I intend to do. If I'm too difficult to work with, you can always give me notice, you know." The words slipped out unexpectedly. Miss Fellowes felt a sudden stab of alarm. What if Hoskins decided to call her bluff? Sent her away, called in one of the rejected applicants--there must surely have been rejected applicants--to take charge of Timmie? But the idea of dismissing her seemed to alarm Hoskins as much as it did her. "I don't want to do that, Miss Fellowes. You know that very well." "Then listen to me. The concept of a press pool isn't unknown around here, is it? Let your precious media people choose their representatives to come in here and inspect Timmie. Or, rather, to stand outside the Stasis bubble's door while I show him to them.

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