Heads by Greg Bear

Author:Greg Bear
Language: pt
Format: mobi, epub, azw3
Published: 2011-02-26T18:20:52+00:00

I met a Cailetet man in the alley leading to the Ice Pit. 'You're Mickey, right?' he asked casually. He held a small silver case in front of him, dangling from one hand. He seemed happy. I looked at him as if he might utter words of absolute betrayal.

'We've just investigated one of your heads,' he said, only slightly put off by my expression. 'You've been shuttling, eh?'

I nodded. 'How's Rho?' I asked, somewhat irrelevantly; I hadn't spoken to anybody since my arrival.

'She's ecstatic, I think. We've done our work well.'

'You're sticking with us?' I asked suspiciously.

'Beg your pardon?'

'You haven't been recalled by your family syndics?'

'No,' he said, drawling the word dubiously. 'Not that I've heard.'

The families were being incredibly two-faced. 'Just curious,' I said. 'What's it going to cost us?,

'In the long term? That's right,' he said, as if the reason for my surliness had finally been solved. 'You're financial manager for the Ice Pit. I'm sorry; I'm a bit slow. Believe me, we're interested in this as a research project, If we perfect our techniques here, we can market the medical applications all over the Triple and beyond. We're charging you expenses and nothing else, Mickey. This is platinum opportunity.,

'Does it work?' I asked, still sullen.

He thumped the case. 'Data right here. We're checking it with history on Earth. I'd say it works, yes. Talking with the dead - I don't think anybody's done that before!'

'Who was it?' I asked.

'One of the three unknowns. Rho decided we'd work with them first, to help solve the mystery. Please go right in, Mickey. Nernst has designed a very nice facility. Ask questions, see what they're doing. They're working on unknown number two right now.'

'Thanks,' I said, wondering what distortion of protocol could lead this man to invite me into my own BM's facility. 'I'm glad it's working.'

'AU right,' the man said, with a short intake of breath. 'Must be off. Check this individual out, correlate ... on our own nickel, Mickey. Good to have met you.'

I stopped at the white line and queried. 'Goddamn it, yes!' William's voice roared from the speaker. 'It's open. just cross the goddamn line and stop bothering me.'

'It's me, Mickey,' I said.

'Well then, come on in and join the party! Everybody else is here.'

William had locked himself in the laboratory. Three Onnes and Cailetet techs were on the bridge, standing well away from the force disorder pumps, chatting and eating lunch. I passed them by with casual nods.

William sounded in no mood for visitors - this time of day was usually his phase of most intense activity. I swung on to the lift and descended to Rho's facility, twenty feet below the laboratory. The Ice Pit echoed with voices from above and below; the sounds seemed to come from all directions as I descended in the open lift, first to the right, then the left, cancelled, returned, grew soft, then immediate. Rho came through the hatch at the top of the chamber and rushed forward excitedly.

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