Judgment at Proteus

Compton,” she bit out. “What do I have to do to get rid of you?”

“It’s tricky, I’ll grant you that,” I conceded. “But enough chitchat. We came by to see how you were feeling.”

“I’ll feel better when you’re gone.”

“Terese,” Aronobal murmured, a hint of disapproval in her voice.

Terese grimaced. “I’m doing a little better,” she said in a marginally more civil tone. “But I’m still pretty tired.”

I looked at Aronobal. “Does she need a longer nap time?” I suggested. “Or is this a reaction to the drugs you’re giving her?”

“We are using no drugs,” Aronobal said. “All we have done so far is take samples for study.”

“Then what’s causing all the trouble?” I persisted. “Her trouble and her baby’s?”

“Do you mind not discussing me like I was a side of beef?” Terese put in crossly. “Look, I know you’re trying to help.” Her eyes flicked to Bayta. “Both of you,” she added, almost grudgingly. “But you’re not a doctor. You’re a—I don’t even know what you are.”

“Troubleshooter?” I suggested. “Fixer?” I cocked my head slightly. “Friend?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Terese said. “My point is that Dr. Aronobal could give you the full names and pedigrees of everything they’re doing, and you still wouldn’t have a clue whether it was helping or hurting me. Tell me I’m wrong.”

I pursed my lips. “No, probably not.”

“So stop trying to pretend you understand and let them get on with it,” she said. “Okay?”

“If that’s what you want.” I turned to Aronobal. “I wonder if I might have a moment alone with Ms. German.”

Aronobal hesitated, then bowed her head. “A few moments only,” she said. Nodding to Terese, she backed out of the room. I caught Bayta’s eye and twitched my head toward the door, and she slipped out, too.

“What?” Terese demanded warily.

“I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions,” I soothed. “First of all, what are they giving you to eat? Is it Human-style food, or something Filly?”

“It’s Human,” she said. “Bland stuff, mostly—soup, whole-grain bread, and crackers. Oh, and dinner last night was a fillet of something that tasted like chicken.”

“Any odd tastes to any of it?” I asked. “Especially bitter tastes?”

She shrugged. “Not really. Like I said, it’s all pretty bland. The chicken had a sort of glaze on it, but it was more sweet and sour than bitter.”

“What about liquids?” I asked. “They’re mostly giving you water, I assume, but are there any odd tastes in that?”

“No,” she said, an edge of exaggerated patience creeping into her voice. “What, you think they’re trying to poison me or something?” She gestured at the rolling stand beside her bed, with its impressive array of hypos and drawers full of medicine vials. “With my food?”

“I guess it really doesn’t make much sense,” I conceded. “But I’d appreciate it if you’d pay close attention to what you eat. Especially anything about the food that smells or tastes odd.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” Terese growled.

“Thanks,” I said. “One more thing. If Dr. Aronobal or anyone else asks what we just talked about, tell them I wanted to know where I could find Human-style food aboard Proteus, and that you told me you didn’t know.”

Terese stared at me, a sudden uncertainty in her eyes. “You’re serious, aren’t you?” she murmured. “You really think I’m being poisoned?”

“Actually, I can’t see any logical reason why anyone would do that,” I assured her. “I just believe in covering all the bases.” I gave her my best the-policeman-is-your-friend smile. “But don’t worry. We’re watching out for you, Bayta and I.” Beside me, Doug picked that moment to make a snuffling noise. “And Doug and Ty, too, of course,” I added.

Terese looked down at the watchdog. “Right,” she said dryly.

“I’ll be back later,” I said. “Try to get some rest.” With another smile, I left.

Bayta was waiting just outside the room. Again, I noticed, Ty had elected to go with her instead of stay with me. “Anything?” she asked quietly.

“Later,” I said. “Where’s Dr. Aronobal?”

She nodded toward one of the doors halfway to the reception desk. “Checking on some tests.”

“Good.” I took Bayta’s arm and turned in the opposite direction. “Let’s see if we can get out this way.”

No such luck. We’d gotten maybe five steps when Aronobal’s voice boomed out from behind us. “Mr. Compton! A moment, if you please.”

With a sigh, I stopped. I’d hoped to avoid any questions about what exactly Terese and I had talked about, preferring to let Terese’s version be the only one she got to hear. No getting around it now. “Yes, Dr. Aronobal?” I said politely as she caught up with us.

But to my surprise, the doctor didn’t launch into an inquisition. Instead, she glanced furtively behind her and then gestured quickly to an open door nearby. Frowning, I stepped in, nearly tripping over Doug as he scampered in ahead of me. Bayta followed, followed by Ty, followed by Aronobal. “My apologies,” the doctor said quietly as she closed the door behind us. “I understand this is not your concern. Nor perhaps is it mine. But I am troubled, and I have no one else to turn to.”

“I’ll of course do whatever I can to help,” I said, putting on my earnest face. This was some kind of trick, of course, but I didn’t mind playing it straight and dumb until I spotted the hook. “What seems to be the problem?”

Aronobal hesitated. “Building Twelve,” she said. “The one you tried to enter earlier.”

“Before Usantra Wandek stopped me?”

“Yes, that one,” she confirmed. “Something is being done in there, Mr. Compton. Something terrible.”

“What sort of something?” I asked. “And to whom?”

“I have neither answer,” Aronobal said. “But I heard Usantra Wandek when he returned. He was very upset, and made it clear to all that you were not to enter any building in the dome but this one.”

“Really,” I said, adding some interest to my earnestness and carefully filtering out the bemused disappointment. Did they really think I was this easy to manipulate? “Have you spoken to Chinzro Hchchu about it?”

Aronobal gave a sort of two-toned snort. “How can I?” she countered. “I am a mere doctor. He is chinzro.”

“That might make sense if I knew what it meant,” I said. “What kind of title is chinzro, anyway?”

“It is an ancient and noble title,” Aronobal said. She’d been speaking softly already, but now she lowered her voice even more, as if she fully expected Hchchu to hear her all the way over in Sector 16-J. “It means guardian, leader, and lord highest.”

“Impressive,” I said. “An old title from the Slisst Protocols, I assume?”

Aronobal drew back sharply, her blaze paling. “You have heard of the Protocols?”

“It’s what Proteus is running on at the moment,” I said. “I assumed you knew that.”

Aronobal shook her head. “I deal with illness, not philosophies.”

“Yeah, I have that in my business, too,” I said. “So I gather that you, a mere doctor, can’t talk to someone as lofty as the chinzro of this whole place?”

“Not when my suspicions involve one of usantra rank,” she said. “Not without evidence of wrongdoing.”

And there it was: the hook. Cue the earnest but gullible Human. “Well, maybe that’s something I can help with,” I said.

“Thank you,” Aronobal said quietly. “I knew that one who stands faithfully by his duty to protect the Human Terese German would be trustworthy.”

“Just call me Logra Compton,” I said dryly. “That means—what does it mean again?”