Flight of the Maita Supercollection 3: Solving Galactic Problems Collector's Edition Page 49

  He could barely contain his growing excitement, which quickly communicated itself to Mi, who came to ask him what was happening. He showed her the screen. She watched awhile then smiled radiantly at him. "I assume from your excitement that these aren't toxic chemicals?"

  "They're slightly toxic, but not fatal and not longlasting. It's a mixture of L T four slash H seven, D D two slash H three and F T nine slash H one."

  "H one? I didn't think they did anything."

  "No. By themselves they don't, but the combination seems synergic.

  "See? I'm learning the terms! I'm not totally stupid! H one by itself does no more than either of the others by themselves or in combination. It seems to catalyze or something.

  "Who cares? It works!"

  "If we only had some way to test it on something other than people!" she complained. "Those things are harmless enough used singly, but the combination could prove synergic in toxicity as well. That's one of the things we must consider very carefully before we try it on anyone. We must find some way to make fully definitive tests as soon as possible! Immediately!

  "Hal, I truly pray with every cell of my being this is a breakthrough, but don't get your hopes too high. We have other things that look good in a test tube. Unfortunately the virus doesn't kill test tubes.

  "If we could only test it!"

  "But we can Mi! It seems to work as well on the three strain as the four! We can test it on the rodents!"

  He smiled broadly at her. He was personally proud of this and didn't care who knew it. He wasn't a medical scientist. He had taught himself the equipment and processes. He had taught himself the terminology and had done something positive! All because he remembered reading a gardening magazine a couple of years ago and remembered something about an ancient war.

  This amazing woman had the foresight to call in a historian to aid in this research through the logic that small things in the past made large differences in the future and a historian was the most likely one to recall a small thing in the past. "The little things make the big changes!" might be tired and trite, but it could certainly be true!

  Hal remembered that more than a century ago in a small war plant hormones had been used to defoliate the overhanging trees to deny hiding places to ground troops from air strikes. Those hormones proved to have terrible side effects on the Kroons and it affected both the enemy and the users. Then a couple of years ago "Kroon Garden World" magazine printed an article about the defoliant and about the biomechanism it employed to kill certain types of vegetation. The substances had been dropped from production. They hadn't been produced in any commercial quantities since that war and were as much as forgotten except on some forbidden chemicals complists somewhere, but the gardeners wanted some production for home use in a weak form that would be safe if used properly.

  The artificial hormones caused the plants to grow themselves literally to death or, in the case of trees, to cause the leaves to grow themselves out of their own food supply and to drop off. In the case of the Kroons it could cause nerve and genetic damage and certain longterm mental disorders. It also could cause severe birth defects if a pregnant woman was exposed.

  This disease attacked the nerves and the virus was little more than a genetic chain. This one didn't even have the protein capsule around it which was why it was so susceptible to oxygen destruction in air.

  Mi called in the technician crew and explained how to mix the chemicals in the exact ratios Hal had used and how to inject an exact amount into the infected rodents in body weight ratio. It was all to be done with her usual attention to the most minute of details. There was a triple isolation chamber along with special clothing worn by the technicians as well as ultraviolet sterilization and a hydrogen peroxide shower for the clothing along with the shower for the Kroon on their way out of the second chamber. The peroxide faded their brightly colored skin and must never get in the eyes, but no one objected. There were more important things here than personal vanity.

  When the injection program was set up Hal took Mi back to the kitchens where they ate a very good meal. They discussed the possibilities of this method, then went to walk slowly along the escarpment to look out over the sea.

  This island was a magnificently beautiful place. The bright multicolored birds dipping low over the turquoise waters with the black patches underneath caused by the obsidian glassine lava laying close below the surface imparted an unreal quality to the scene. The white foam where the ebon spears protruded above the surface of the sea were a fantasy world in themselves. The lush greens of the foliage on the lower levels of the islands, the near colors of Tekif, the purple lines of the other islands, the pink sands of Sand Island – all of it added to a sense of peace despite their reasons for being there.

  I'm getting ridiculously poetic in my dotage, Hal thought. Like the hells I am! I'm very near to falling in love with this fabulous woman and it's perfectly natural to be poetic at these times!

  He looked to this brilliant, attractive, caring, warm woman walking by his side. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

  Yes, it was entirely possible he would fall in love with this woman – entirely possible!

  He wasn't aware he already had.

  * *

  Mi Yinn smiled up at Hal Korr and felt the warm glow spread through to her spirit.

  She so loved this man!

  They walked along the escarpment above the sparkling sea and felt the calmness and serenity that fairly radiated from him. This was a strong man in so many ways – solid and strong. If his experiments would prove workable this would be a perfect world regardless of its problems. She could see the natural limitations of the method. It would very probably stop the spread of the disease and would stop the damaging effects on the body if a method could be discovered to continue injections. The shots could never be allowed to stop – like insulin to diabetics. It would give them the time to find a definitive cure. If it worked it would save the race in that, though it may take many years, the disease could be prevented from spreading to anyone new. When all carrying it were dead it would be over. It was a truly terrible option, but thus far the only one.

  Time was perhaps the most important thing they could offer the race at this point. This step was vitally important to reaching that end. It gave them breathing space. With enough time, surely a cure would be found. This COULD give them that time. This MUST give them that time!

  Don't overreact. This will almost surely prove useless. If the mixture was synergic in effect in one way there was little doubt it would be in other ways – including toxicity.

  It was a breakthrough. It was a direction and this fantastic man's mind had found it. It made some slight order from a total chaos. It could lead to something positive without presenting the complete answer in itself.

  Those rodents must have one – ONE – of the forty being used to survive. Even if it weren't helped the basis would be there to continue the research in this direction. It would be shown that survivability was possible. The important thing is that some of the rodents remain alive throughout the injection period.

  I'm going to go mad until we have results and I'm going to be thrown into depression if those results are a total failure, she thought. If it were anyone but him it would simply be another one of those discouraging tangents one expects in science. With him I can't help caring deeply that it be successful. I pray with all my being to whatever uncaring gods may be to look to this man, the finest most deserving man the Kroon race ever produced, and find he is worthy. For this one time in all our history CARE, damn you!

  Hal saw the intense look on her face and turned up a corner of his mouth in question.

  "I was just praying to the gods I don't believe in to let this thing at least show us a direction to take against the virus," she explained.

  He smiled warmly at her. "You have to accept that whatever gods may exist would then be responsible for the plague in the first place. Either there are gods or a god, which would demand they
be in control of all things, or there's not, in which case entreaty to them is useless.

  "As the Ithians say, that means entreaties are useless in any and all ways."

  "Then I wish to lend my psyche to making it work, at least a little bit. Even if it isn't fatally toxic turns out to be the only result it can give us a direction for further research."

  "We all are lending our psyches to make something work."

  "Maybe we can all pull together as a unit, all people, to make one specific thing work."

  "Then it wouldn't work after we withdrew that power and we'd be as bad off as we are anyhow."

  She laughed and punched his arm playfully. "Don't go getting philosophical on me now! Let me dream!" she said as he held her close and tight for a moment.

  They walked silently around the perimeter of the mesa for about two hours, content to be together and to allow their individual fantasy worlds to hold sway for the time. It was a release. When they returned to the laboratory they were both refreshed, but still a bit apprehensive.

  The rodents were uncomfortable and snappish at one another, but even those with the highest doses weren't showing any serious ill effects. For the first time Mi allowed herself a tiny hint of hope. The cultures were prepared so they spent several hours at the microscopes compiling data records, then had a meal and went to bed. When they left the labs the rodents were still alive.

  In the morning the four rodents that had been injected with the smallest doses were dead. The four receiving the next smallest were lethargic and somewhat spastic. Those in midrange were all right if prone to biting one another and the three highest-dosed animals seemed back to normal. Mi's ecstasy was unhideable. The very smallest success they could have asked was theirs. The injections weren't immediately fatally toxic! There was definite direction to some part of the research at last! Here was definite reason to hope – for rodents, that is.

  That wasn't important. If such a thing could be given safely to the rodents it or something else could be given to the Kroon!

  Slides of the blood of the rodents and nervous tissue samples from those dead were taken and the morning was spent studying and codifying their results. It was another time of meticulous attention to the smallest details. Nothing could be safely missed in this.

  The dead rodents had their nervous systems destroyed. The plague had multiplied at a rate that allowed it to live in the tissue. Those sick were locked in a limbo situation and would most probably die. Mi ordered two of those to be reinjected with a much stronger solution.

  The next couple of tiers had strong increases in the virus, but they were dying if much more slowly. The highest concentrations had no live virus in their blood. It was totally eliminated.

  Hal danced around and said it worked, that they had cured the rodents of the virus and Mi had to tell him they had stopped the spread of the virus in those receiving the highest doses and that would be the effect in the upper midrange of dosage, but the virus already part of the nervous system was still there.

  "Love, this gives us time to find a cure! The one thing we must have and didn't have was time. Now we have it. People won't be infectious and won't die nearly so quickly with this kind of medication. We now have TIME! THAT'S the thing we MUST have and you gave it to us! IF we can use this on the Kroon race you've saved us from destruction!"

  Su Neaa, lab director of the isolation areas, led another young girl into the room. "Mi, this is the bravest and silliest girl I've ever seen. She's called Tu Hupp.

  "Last evening she injected herself with a midrange dosage of the serum."

  "Injected yourself!" Mi cried. "Girl! Whatever for?"

  "Because it wasn't harming the rodents and we must know if it would harm the Kroon and I knew no one would allow anyone here to test it so I did and I'm not one little bit sorry at all! I don't care what you say!

  "No one – believe me, NO one – is happier than I that it can be reported that the serum is not fatal. Not immediately, anyway. I've written down every one of my reactions, both physically and psychologically. I noticed that the injected rodents became a bit ... different."

  She handed a sheaf of notes to Mi.

  "If you weren't such a hero I'd reprimand your stupid use of yourself in this beyond your wildest nightmares," Mi said. "As it stands I'm more.... Thank you, girl, but there has to be more than this. Why? Why would you do such a dangerous impetuous and foolish thing, girl? What's really behind it?"

  "Because my brother and father both have the infection," she answered simply and turned to go.

  Mi read the notes and wrote down:

  Severe head pains.

  Blurred vision.

  Paranoia.

  Accelerated pulse rate and increased blood pressure.

  Hearing of strange sounds.

  Fear (Undirected.)

  Pain (Dull and not localized.)

  Exhaustion.

  Subject awoke refreshed, but confused. Said confusion lessens as routines are re-established.

  Snappishness increases with the mild stimulants in bev. Almost to point of rage.

  Sensitive to heat.

  Light hurts the eyes, but that passes after a short while.

  Feelings of frustration bordering on rage decline.

  Symptoms disappear within two hours after awakening.

  Food?

  Mild headache, slight nausea. Not debilitating.

  Mi picked up the com to call Enn Far.

  *

  Enn Far hung up the com and almost danced across the room. He had spoken with Mi Yinn. She reported that Hal Korr, of all the people on those islands, discovered something that could POSSIBLY alleviate those afflicted by plague to a minor degree IF it would work on people at all. Enn was to begin requesting the doctors treating sufferers get volunteers.

  When Mi Yinn said a thing was barely possible it was a sure sign it was a major discovery. She was the most cautious person he could imagine. It was possible it was as slight as she said, but not likely. This WAS their first real breakthrough! It was true he mustn't react too strongly in case the thing was a failure, but it WAS a major breakthrough. The direction of research they discovered earlier was about to pay off. He could feel it!

  Ponn! Call Ponn!

  He took up the comset and waited until Ponn was located. The doctor was with patients. He was also researching on his own and had found something that may be valuable if the reports Enn had heard were true. While he was too modest to mention it himself there were reports he was using something he made in his own labs and was giving it to the worst affected patients at less than cost.

  "Nil? We want you to get some volunteers together to test a new serum or something," he greeted.

  "If you're joking I'll personally strangle you to death," Ponn replied. "I volunteer. I'll get as many as I can – far more than you can use."

  "I'm to tell you this is totally untested, that there are very serious side effects, it may not work at all. Because of the way the thing's supposed to work it could even accelerate the plague in some. There's still a chancy period."

  "If it doesn't kill you or destroy your nervous system it's better than the plague. How soon can I get the stuff? A year ago?"

  "Tomorrow. Mi is mixing the stuff now and is printing up the dosages and so forth. Someone named Jak is making a pickup bag for the copters."

  "Enn, this is wonderful! It's almost like shock to ... this is wonderful!"

  "Don't get anyone's hopes up too high! We could get riots if we promise more than we can deliver."

  "Gods, don't I know it! I'll personally be standing on the pad to take the serum.

  "Do you know how it works?"

  "I have some idea. Don't use it on yourself until you see the likely side effects. If it renders you unconscious for ten days it would be unwise for the doctor to be under its influence too soon."

  "Could be. Background me."

  "It's a discovery by our friend, Hal Korr," Enn answered. "It causes the virus to grow out
of control and to become weakened. It seems to leave out part of the chains, whatever they are, and the virus dies. Mi says it'll give us some needed time, but she's cautious to an extreme as to whether or not it'll prove of real value."

  "We can only wait and hope. I see her reservations, but I won't say anything for the moment. It could backfire after we see what seem to be improvements on primary cursory examination.

  "In other words it may look good at first, but prove worthless. This is NOT a cure, Enn. It may be a way to stop the spread of the virus and to give us some time to find a real cure. It could stop it from getting worse in the patient. Maybe it'll cause only a very temporary remission. It'll probably buy us a year or something."

  They hung up and Enn smiled at the world. A year – and hope! This was, as Ponn said, wonderful!

  The com buzzed again. It was Sop Lett. Sop said he was going to include a package for the eyes of Enn Far only. He was to be ready for it.

  Good news often arrives in bunches. It had to be the constitution and for the first time in a long while he could spend a little time reading it over. He could now concentrate on something other than a horrible sickness. This constitution could cure some fatal sicknesses itself – if it wasn't a false remedy. What had Nil Ponn called it? Temporary remission? For the first time in a long while there would be a point to considering such a document. Maybe it would be an important cure, too!

  I'm giddy. I'm silly. I don't care!

  Okay. This wasn't a cure, but it could be used to stop the spread of the virus so the race would survive. That was enough!

  * * * * *

  Something was nagging at him. Something in the hidden recesses of his mind was trying to get out. It happened at times and there was always something there. It would come out. Patience was all he needed.

  Jak Tall knew it would come out in its own time and couldn't be forced. He sat on the rock looking over the sea and took out another glamp twig. He inspected it minutely not actually seeing it at all and tasted it before inserting it into the side of his mouth.