Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition (69 page)

He inserted
another glamp twig in the corner of his mouth and went out to study
the generators in the channel. They were fine.

Damn it all! If
there's something there, let it out! Time, we don't have – not to
waste on my mind playing games with itself!

Stabbing at Shadows

*

This was worse
than the time of not knowing, not having real knowledge of what
happened among the people on the mainland. Enn Far and Dr. Ponn had
put their heads together and were trying the serum on five hundred
people. That was as much as they had available, but it must be
tested. There must be a safe determination as to the best dosage
and of how often the dosage must be repeated. It was all for Ponn
to determine, though he had projections and suggestions to work
from.

Mi Yinn knew
things were more than hectic ashore so she tried to control her
impatience. She tried to bury her thoughts in research, knowing
they hadn't even found the best way to handle this piece of the
puzzle. This stabbing in the dark was given a partial direction,
but it had become even more confusing than no direction by its very
nature. Killing the virus by making it grow was almost a
contradiction in terms. It still seemed so hopeless!

She picked the
handset up to do what she had sworn she would NOT do. Ponn had
enough on his mind without having her nagging, but she must know or
she wouldn't sleep or rest and would become physically ill herself.
She was again pushing herself to the edge of exhaustion and was
susceptible to all kinds of little things.

Damn it! She
had the right to know! It was from this island that the serum came
and it was TO this island results must come! How in all the hells
could the research here continue without followup data? Ponn knew
better than this! What could he be up to?

She became
angry! Just being logical, no one on this entire planet had more
need of or right to the information than this research group and
she was, by all the gods, going to get it!

Ponn came onto
the line and she tried her hardest to control her temper. He may be
a good doctor and a good researcher, but he was also a bit too
condescending. There was pure arrogance about him and regardless of
what the public thought she was beginning to seriously mistrust
him. Maybe it was her exhaustion, but something about him wasn't
quite right.

She shook off
the feeling.

"Mi! My dear!"
he exclaimed. "I've been thinking of you a lot! I'm awfully busy,
though. What can I do for you? Something quick, I hope, ha,
ha!"

"You can give
me the results of your tests and keep me up to date on the serum! I
can't carry on the new research without data! Why do you think we
have you as a central distribution center? Our research here is at
a virtual standstill without your test results!"

"Oh, ha, ha.
Yes, I see. It's been awfully hectic, you know. Up to here in
paperwork already. Figured you people would have much better things
to do than to sort papers. All that nonproductive bureaucracy has
detained progress forever already!"

"Dr. Ponn," Mi
replied through her teeth. "We can't very well work without
information. That data points the direction for any further
research. The serum doesn't cure a thing. I must have the data. We
must know if even what we have is sporadic or definite and whether
the subjects wake up a week later immune to the VG serum!"

"It seems to me
you already know all about it! You know the serum merely arrests
the virus. It doesn't kill it. Why should I waste my time sending
you what you already know?"

"I see. It's
asking too much of you and your valuable time to punch the keys on
the computer to have the data sent here. You might sprain your
valuable syringe finger!

"DOCTOR, I see
we've sent the serum to the wrong person. You aren't going to
cooperate so I suppose it'll be best to send the new one to someone
who WILL give us the data we very desperately need. If we've found
a cure in this new variation you would never inform us!

"Good-bye,
DOCTOR!"

She heard him
yell something as she hung up. She really was mad, now! She called
Enn Far and was yelling before he had time to answer her greeting.
She ran down after a long minute and apologized.

"Enn, that
pompous ass has refused to give us the data on the tests! I thought
Ponn was supposed to be somebody special! I thought he was the one
person we could trust! What is he doing? Why is he deliberately
obstructing this research?

"Enn, without
that information we're at a standstill on the only piece of
research that's yielded anything! That old fool will cost us the
cure! What is he trying to do?"

"Mi, I swear to
you I thought he was working very closely with you!" Far replied.
"I flatly guarantee you'll have every damned bit of data that's
been collected and that it'll be there before this day is done.
I'll also guarantee you'll get all future data instantly as it
comes in from whatever source. I'll set the next series up with Dr.
Mor. Lea Mor. Know her?"

"I've heard of
her. Thanks, Enn. I'm serious about our work coming to a standstill
here on reactive serum. I've been waiting and fuming. I should've
called you three days ago. The data should be supplied to us as it
comes in. Minutes are vital in this. The Kroon race is at stake. We
can't have some self-serving pompous ass pandering to the media out
there!

"I can't
understand Ponn's attitude! He knows the importance of field
information to medical research! What in all the nine hells could
he be thinking of? Has his own infection affected his mind in some
way we don't know about?

"I have to
control my temper. I'm very tired.

"I hinted that
we've found a possible cure to Ponn, then hung up. He'll probably
call you to try to get it. We don't have one."

"This is going
to be handled immediately. I promise it," Enn replied dryly.

They talked a
moment, then said their good fortunes. Mi buried her face in her
hands for a moment then went to the lab where Hal was staring into
the microscope screen.

"This one
works. That's three combinations," he said to her. "If the stuff
becomes resistant to one type we can use the next one.

"What's
happening, Love? You've been crying again! Don't let it get to you.
We've delivered so far and we'll lick this thing now. We have the
time."

"I called Ponn
to find that he's a pompous damned ass or probably something worse.
I called Enn so we'll have the data from all the tests before dark.
Enn thought it was being sent daily.

"Hal, I don't
believe this! We sent him the serum for the express reason that we
needed the data only he could provide! I don't know what's
happening out there!"

Su Neaa came in
to say the data was finally coming through in a huge rush. She was
afraid it would overload the computers, but Jak Tall laughed at her
and said the capacity was more than the lines could carry. If those
computers overloaded he would use his pocket calculator! They would
have to spend time with the special statisticians and computer
staff to correlate the data. This was the main point where they
would need the statisticians and other simpleminded bureaucrats she
originally planned to include on the islands. This was the one
place she could think of when pencil-pushing paper shufflers had
value.

Mi sighed
deeply and Hal reached to put an arm around her. "Don't take this
so personally, Love. Just call the first time you think of it in
the future. No sense in nervous collapse when a comcall will solve
it all. We'll have to catch this sort of stuff at the outset from
now on. It's done now and we have to make the best of it. If your
new contact gives you any trouble take care of it the first day –
and make Enn the first call. He'll very damned well see that you
get what you need!"

She smiled and
leaned tighter against him for awhile. She was the best chief in
the world at organizing and running things – so long as it was
smooth and easy. She made a solid plan for such things and followed
it to its conclusion. The trouble came when others didn't follow
the plan.

*

Enn Far hung
the comset lead and picked it up again immediately. He yelled
instructions, then called another office. He was becoming more
angered and more worried by the second. This would mean disaster –
and all because he had trusted Doctor Nil Ponn. Something was very
wrong.

Dr. Nil Ponn
hadn't impressed him as the kind to pull a stunt like this. He was
a bit theatrical and egocentric, but Enn thought the man had SOME
intelligence! The man had the virus himself, for the gods'
sake!

He walked in
circles and fumed. The fate of the race hangs in the balance while
some idiot plays games with the research! Why? If Mi didn't have
the information – and all the information – in one hour he was
ready to have a public execution or two!

Damn! The whole
race could perish from this thing! What was Ponn trying to prove?
Did he think he could write a book? Go on all the big television
talk shows? What if his stupidity had cost them a cure? What was
his real motive?

The set special
line buzzed. He answered quickly and was told that all stations
were reporting directly to the islands except for Ponn at station
one. Ponn was on another line with a waiting call. Enn shifted
lines and tried to control his temper.

"Dr. Ponn,
you'd better have one hell of an acceptable explanation," Enn said
coldly.

"I'm a doctor,
not a researcher or data collector for others," Ponn replied as
coldly. "I was speaking with Dr. Mi Yinn a short time ago, but we
were cut off. I've tried to call the island, but am told all lines
are occupied. I can't understand that.

"Dr. Yinn was
telling me about the new serum. I was wondering if you’ve learned
anything more about it and I'd really appreciate it if you would
expedite its delivery to me."

Mi told Enn she
had told Ponn there was a new serum and that he wouldn't be getting
it. There was another serum, but it had no advantages over the one
delivered so far as they knew. That was one reason they must have
the data. Ponn was up to something. The whole Kroon race could die
and Ponn was trying to con him into sending him the new serum.

Another "why?"
– but the answer was forming. Enn was, at the moment, working very
hard to control his rage.

"It's untested
yet and CAN'T be tested unless and until the results of the first
tests are known. It's possibly a cure, you know. A real, total,
final, complete cure, but they lack the background data. I'm sure
it'll come in soon, then we'll know. I'm sure you're sending the
data to them as you gather it so we can distribute the new serum as
soon as the results of the 'A' serum are statistically mapped or
something. I've asked my staff to see the data is sent directly
from each test station to the island. Hal said yesterday they
weren't getting the information as quickly as they should.

"I'll allow you
doctors to arrange delivery of the serums. I have far too much on
my mind to take directorship of that from the scientists. I'm sure
you can make your own arrangements with Mi about serum 'B' – after
all, you're her main data base.

"I really must
go. Good fortune."

He hung up
quickly before Ponn could ask the several questions that would
surely be burning him up!

"Steam in your
own gravy, you stinking slimy bastard! I'm going to know what
you're up to but, by all the gods, I want you to think it's cost
you the serum that would save your own worthless life! I want you
to beg, cringe and crawl for awhile before I have you stood against
a post and shot!"

What could this
once-proud and loved doctor be doing? Why was he trying to con the
council chairman? He had the virus, for the gods' sake! What could
he possibly gain?

Tomorrow that
special investigator will report. I'll know the answer to that
one.

Enn spent a
sleepless night. He was worried about Ponn and he was more worried
about the danger of them not receiving that data on the island. As
soon as the board was open in the morning he made a call the island
and got Mi out of bed.

"I'm sorry, but
I have to know if you got all the data?"

"We got it all
except station one. We haven't heard one word from Ponn. Enn,
what's he up to?"

"I wish I knew,
Mi," Enn answered sadly. He informed her what he’d done and about
the conversation. "I can't imagine what he has in mind, but he'll
go out of his mind if he thinks his actions will cost him a cure.
I, quite frankly, am beyond feeling anything but contempt for
him."

"It could well
cost the entire Kroon race a cure. Here. Hal wants to say
something."

Hal was
in her room? And he had awakened her? Enn smiled to himself. He
would like to see the children from that union of two very
different types of genius!

Hal talked for
a minute about Ponn and said he'd be in the lab and would answer to
talk to Ponn if he called there – because Mi was a bad liar while
he was quite good at it, himself. They said their good fortunes and
hung up.

Enn went
to dawnmeal, then to the council, then back to his chambers when
the call came through he left orders about. It was on a secure
line. A very flat, average voice made a report and asked a
question, received an answer and hung up. The good and much-loved
Dr. Nil Ponn had sold the serum to all who received it. He later
purchased a large piece of land in the country to the south with
the funds. He also saved enough of the serum to keep him alive for
several years if administered according to the schedule his
computers said would be most effective. A team was now moving in to
try to trace all who had received the serum and to collect the data
Ponn didn't collect. The question was in the form of a personal
plea from the voice to be allowed to kill Ponn slowly and
very
painfully. There was a
guarantee no one would ever know anything about that death. Ponn
would simply disappear suddenly and without trace.