Scorpio by Mel Keegan

Author:Mel Keegan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Published: 2011-02-05T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

To her credit, Yvette McKinnen did not even flutter an eyelash when Stone outlined to her the full extent of what they wanted. She knew just how far NARC clearances would take them, and she was equally as aware of the consequences, if the probe turned up nothing to warrant the intrusion. The probe was rendered quasi-legal by its NARC launch pad, but only hard results would vindicate it when the legal feathers began to fly.

She regarded Jarrat and Stone with amusement. “You two are lucky. That’s half your trick, isn’t it?”

“Meaning?” Jarrat hitched his denim-clad buttocks onto an unoccupied bench and toyed with an encoder very similar to the Ibex machine Del had seen on Denehy’s Spectrum.

“Meaning,” McKinnen said with dry humor, “even this thundercloud of yours has a silver lining.” She pulled up a stool. “Stone, get me a coffee, would you?”

He brought four, two mugs in either hand, and beckoned Del to stay. “Pull up a stool, Harry. This involves your patient ... actually, your patients, plural. You’ll want to be up to speed.” He handed around the mugs and leaned on the bench beside Jarrat. “What silver lining, Doc?”

McKinnen was intent on some data scrolling through her CRT, and gave them half of her attention. “The information you’re looking for is mostly so old, it’s archaic. If it were current, say three months or so, you’d have to access DAC-Tokyo direct, on Earth. Even if I fed an AI into the tachyon band network, you’d be looking at seven weeks, minimum, to get data back. But you’re asking for documents, records, stretching back a quarter century. As I said, you’re lucky. Those documents may be restricted, but at least they will be present in DAC-Venice, on Darwin’s. The system updates more or less quarterly. This data? No problem ... so long as it’s your heads rolling, Jarrat, Stone, not mine, if the bottom falls out from under you.” She graced them with a smile. “I will insist, I was merely following orders. I assume you’ve appraised Captain Cantrell of your intention?”

“Of course. Not that it’s Gene’s call.” Jarrat rested one elbow on Stone’s shoulder. “You forget, he’s purely an observer on this ship.”

“An observer,” McKinnen said musingly, “because Central remains unsure of you. Uncertain if they should trust empaths in the field.” She paused, and frowned at Harry. “Speaking of observers, Doctor Del, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings. I’ve had routine messages from my labs on Darwin’s. Following the Scorpio assignment NARC wants to resume the testing on Jarrat and Stone, and they’ve asked me to observe and report.” “Testing?” Stone echoed sharply. “Testing what?”

She gestured between them. “The empathy. The bond, the link, whatever it’s called. What levels of communication are possible between you? How far apart, in terms of distance, can you remain functional at a productive level? What forms of energy, stimuli, substances, interfere with the communication, like ECM? These are all sound questions.”

The healer was incensed. “They’re

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