Glancing hard at me, Mills said, “I'm not sure that would be at all prudent."
Linda said, “Dr. Mills, I have more than one encounter, incident, or personality clash to back my faith in them. Do you think you can trust my judgment? An absolutely candid answer only, please."
After a moment, Mills said, “What you're asking for is essentially a decision based on faith, Ms. Baines."
Linda nodded. “That's right. There will be times when that's all there will be to work with, Dr. Mills. Field work isn't quite like lab work. You don't always have empirical evidence at hand. Ed, say you're badly injured and only Dr. Mills is available. Do you have any reservations about her?"
I looked at Mills and said, “Nope."
"What's wrong with you isn't within her specialty."
"She'll do her best. She'll find a way. Mills is the kind who really hates to lose.” I grinned up at Mills and added, “That's just my opinion, of course. Based on faith."
Linda asked, “Steph? What do you think?"
"Her records indicate that she's superbly qualified, Linda, but I question her purpose and involvement. I am adequate for all of Ed's medical necessities."
That statement drew Steph a stark glance from Mills.
Linda said, “Dr. Mills, my spinal operation was performed by Elkor, the ship's computer at that time. Stephanie is his equal in many respects, including medicine."
Mills said, “I see. In that case, I'll second her question. Why will I be assigned to this particular team?"
"Field experience,” said Linda. “You'd have no specific medical duties on missions with them. When your intel-ops training is complete, you'd join them on a number of missions, then you'd be reassigned to another team."
"My question stands,” said Mills. “Why this team in particular?"
"I'll defer that question until later,” said Linda. “Are you still interested in gaining field experience?"
With only the slightest hesitation, Mills said, “Yes."
"In that case, head back to your office and call me."
"What am I supposed to do with these two?"
"What could you do with them, Dr. Mills? Nothing. They're under a six-hour quarantine, as per the bureaucracy's rules concerning this particular virus. When it's over, give Ed a physical for the record and send him back to duty."
With a disapproving expression, Mills said, “Ms. Baines, you have no medical credentials and we're talking about one of the deadliest viruses ever created. I..."
Linda interrupted with, “Mills, You're aboard a flitter that can manipulate fields as well as any of your laboratory filtering devices. The lady beside you is actually the flitter computer's human-interaction persona. She is a field manifestation. Also, Ed can call up a personal protective field of his own. There is absolutely no risk of infection in that hangar, Doctor. The quarantine is only a means of assuaging the fears of others. Call me when you get to your office. Out."
Linda tapped the ‘off’ icon and the screen disappeared. Mills looked first at Stephanie, who smiled at her, then at me. I gave her a grin and a shrug, then sipped my beer.
"In that case, good evening to both of you,” said Mills.
Steph and I watched Mills step to the edge of the deck and down to the concrete, then march to the hangar doors. She gave the door three deliberate bumps with her foot and it cautiously opened a bit, then she walked out. A few moments later the guards and their rifles were hauled out by the others in biosuits.
As soon as she was gone, I punched up Linda's screen again.
Linda instantly asked, “Well, what do you think of her?"
"Linda, Doc Mills is a charm school dropout,” I said. “Why inflict her on us? What did we ever do to you, lady?"
With a small grin, Linda asked, “What the hell would you know about charm school? I want that stick out of her ass before I drop her on anybody else, Ed. We may be able to use her in the field, but she needs to learn some flexibility."
"Uh, huh. I feel so privileged, don't you know. Well, we have six quiet hours in here to think of a way to talk you out of this, right?"
She nodded. “That you do, but stick around for breakfast and then stop by my office afterward. If Mills shows up in the hangar again, try to be civil. If she joins our group, you can give her a hard time then."
I shrugged and patted Tiger. “Wonderful. Okay. Later, Fearless Leader."
Before Linda tapped off her screen, she grinningly said, “Bye, bye, Dragonfly."
Chapter Twenty-One
Once Linda had signed off, I pulled my current book up on the screen and settled back to read a bit.
"Steph, if anyone but Doreen or Linda calls, I'm not in."
"Ed..."
To save her from telling me for the umpteenth time that she couldn't tell an outright lie, I said, “Yeah, I know. Okay, then tell them I'm unavailable. Or just route the comm stuff through the console so I can see who's calling."
Steph stood up and walked around me to stand by the screen.
"That I can do. But why?"
I looked Steph over from toes to hairline. She was excellent. Simply excellent. And brilliant. Steph had absorbed most of the world's knowledge and stashed it for reference. Ask her about damned near anything and she could probably come up with an answer, but about why people feel compelled do things or not to do things, she was always asking ‘why?'
"Because it's late, miLady. Because I've been trying to finish this damned book throughout a week of interruptions, and because I don't feel like rehashing the mission or chatting about trivia with base ops people I barely know."
"You might begin to know them better if you chatted with them."
"In case you hadn't guessed, I'm referring to Mills, Angela, and Alexis. Give me a reason for knowing any of them better tonight in particular and maybe I'll do it."
Looking Steph over again, I said, “You're infinitely smart and supremely beautiful. You've become some kind of a goddess, ma'am."
With a wry look, she said, “Thank you, but I'm truly curious about why you isolate yourself at times when it seems likely that others will want to congratulate you. Many people very often actively seek such attention from others."
Shrugging, I said, “They need it. I don't. It irritates me."
Steph opened her mouth and I said, “If you're going to ask ‘why’ again, don't, please. You probably already know all the possible textbook reasons that anyone's ever listed. Just pick one that looks as if it'll cover matters and drop the subject."
Stiffening just as Selena would after hearing such a remark, Steph asked, “Would you like me to leave you alone, too, Ed?"
"No, Steph. Just find other topics."
"Are you sure I wouldn't interrupt your reading?"
"Don't worry about it. I like talking with you."
She just sat staring at me. The trouble with being an omnipresent ship's computer is that you can't feign hunger, thirst, fatigue, a need to visit the bathroom, or other duties as an excuse to break off a conversation.
Flitter operations and a conversation with me and probably the complete operation of an outfit like General Motors might possibly have required nearly five whole percent of Steph's capabilities, so her next action would have to be one of personal preference.
After a moment, Steph simply said, “Perhaps later, Ed,” then vanished. Tiger sensed the tension and hopped down to the seat next to mine, then stepped across to my lap, where he settled in and looked up at me.
I patted Tiger and hit the ‘next page’ icon on the screen before me.
"Things are fine, Tiger,” I said, patting him again.
Sometime around midnight I bookmarked my spot, called up a field ‘bed', and stretched out on it. Tiger had experience with unseen fields, but he'd never become accustomed to sleeping without visible means of support. He hopped onto the field bed and walked carefully over to me, then parked on my chest like a little sphinx.
As an afterthought, I waved at the cameras that
watched the hangar from their corner alcoves near the ceiling, then opaqued the flitter's canopy.
At seven Sunday morning the big doors rolled back and an un-biosuited Dr. Mills came into the hangar with two assistants, one male and one female, who carried medikits.
The noise of the doors woke me up and I looked around the flitter, but saw no Stephanie.
I stood up to stretch, then hopped off the flitter. Tiger stood at the edge of the deck and said something, then sat down. I patted him as I watched Mills approach.
"Well, good morning,” said Mills, looking at Tiger. Glancing up at me, she added, “And to you, too, I guess. I thought I should drop by to see if you were still alive."
Her eyes met and followed my gaze as I looked her over. She was in her mid-thirties, maybe five-seven or eight, and looked about one-thirty or so. Brown hair and eyes.
Not excessively blessed with looks, but definitely not bad looking, either. Nice eyes and a moderately full blouse. Slightly flared calves below her skirt. She looked sturdy and carried herself in a competent, confident manner.
"You look damned good without that biosuit,” I said, “If you're here to check me over, you can come with me to the bathroom and get some samples, then I'm gonna wash up and visit the mess hall."
"Where's your friend? Stephanie?"
"She's around here somewhere.” Apparently to the hangar in general, I said, “Steph, Tiger can run loose in the hangar if he wants."
A disembodied Jessica Rabbit voice said, “I'll move the barrier field outside the hangar and tell him."
"Thank you, milady."
Steph made some cat noises and Tiger answered her, then he hopped to the concrete floor and walked away. Mills stared after him as Elkor's cat-golem silently appeared on the flitter deck where Tiger had been.
"Hi, Elkor,” I said. “You're going with him?"
When Mills turned to see who I was talking to, she stepped back a pace in startlement and eyed Elkor's faux cat warily. Elkor regarded her silently for a moment, then answered me.
"Yes, Ed,” said Elkor. “I would like to observe Tiger's reactions. He hasn't been to the Carrington complex since you found him."
I nodded. “Watch for rats. If he goes after one, are you going to stop him?"
"No. It is his nature to do such things.” Without a hint of humor, he added, “It is extremely unlikely that he'll make contact with one, however."
Grinning, I said, “Uh, huh. Okay, but don't be too obvious about preventing it, okay? There's more than his hide to consider. Gotta keep his little furry pride intact, too. Your medbots would work in a cat, wouldn't they?"
"Yes, Ed. The medbots adapt to the host. But I will not allow Tiger to be harmed."
Nodding again, I said, “Elkor, I can't imagine having better friends than you and Stephie. Thanks very much for being here."
Elkor said, “You're welcome, Ed,” then vanished from the flitter deck.
I turned to see Elkor reappear beside Tiger, who was nosing around a storage locker. Mills stared at the two of them for a moment, then fixed her gaze on me.
"Who or what was that?” she quietly asked.
"That was Elkor. He's kind of like Steph, but he seems to prefer wearing a cat suit when he visits."
After another long glance at Tiger and Elkor, she asked, “Was he with you on last night's mission? Why isn't he listed as one of your passengers or personnel?"
I passed on trying to explain things to her before breakfast.
"He's special personnel, so you'll have to ask Linda about him. You didn't happen to bring any coffee with you, did you?"
She shook her head. “No. I don't drink coffee, so it didn't occur to me to..."
Turning to look at her assistants, I rather abruptly said, “Yeah. Okay. How about you people? Anybody got a thermos?"
Both of them shook their heads.
"Figures,” I said. “You guys probably drink some kind of fancy tea. C'mon, doc. You can get some of my vital juices and see me naked."
Her assistants chuckled. Mills glowered. As I headed for the bathrooms, everybody moved to come along, so I stopped.
"You two wait here,” I said. “Doc Mills can handle things.” Hearing my own words, I turned to her and added, “And I didn't mean that as a cheap innuendo, okay?"
Mills said, “These people are my assistants. I'd prefer to have them present."
I shook my head. “Just you, Doc. I have my reasons."
"I'm afraid I'll have to insist."
"Leave them here or stay here with them. Last chance."
She stood glaring at me for a moment, then took a medikit from the woman assistant and told them to wait.
When we'd put some distance between ourselves and the assistants, I said, “You may see some things that aren't for public viewing, Dr. Mills.” I opened the restroom door and said, “And that's not an innuendo, either, but it's why they couldn't come with us."
She arched an irritated eyebrow at me, but said nothing. As soon as we'd entered the restrooms, I reached up and pulled my briefcase down. Her eyes widened considerably. They widened further when I let go of the case and it didn't fall to the floor. It simply vanished.
"That, for instance,” I said. “And other stuff, like this: Three suit on."
I watched myself vanish in a sink mirror and noted Mills’ response, a quick step back from me.
"Three suit off,” I said, and reappeared. “Now that you know I wasn't just being difficult out there, give me a specimen cup so I can take a leak. Then you can draw some blood and whatever else you need to do and I can take a shower."
Without a word she opened the medkit and handed me a lidded container. I stepped into a stall and filled the container, then capped it and used my implant to field-lift it through the air to the sinks as I finished taking a leak. Mills stared at it as it wafted past her and settled on the ledge below the mirror.
"That too,” I said. “I have implants for communications and manipulating field energy. They aren't supposed to become common knowledge, even here at Carrington."
Feeling vastly better after draining my bladder, I washed my hands and pulled my briefcase down again to take out my toiletry kit, coffee mug, and a small jar of instant coffee, then closed the briefcase and let it return to its usual position above my head.
After filling the cup with water, I used my implant to spot-heat the water until it was boiling. Mills watched me seemingly stare intently at the mug for a few moments, then saw the results and softly gasped.
"How did you do that? With the implants?"
"Yup. It's a trick Stephanie taught me."
I then tapped what looked like about enough coffee into the jar lid and dumped it into the water. As Mills watched intently, I used a field tendril to stir the coffee, then another tendril to cool it to an immediately drinkable temperature.
Leaning against the sink, I sipped some coffee and said, “Mmmm. Good enough. Okay. Blood test before I shower?"
Mills wordlessly opened her kit and removed a syringe with a reloadable test tube.
"I'll need to fill two of these,” she said, strapping my upper arm.
"Just leave me enough to get by and let Linda know if you find anything unusual."
With an odd grinning look she asked, “Ms. Baines? Not you?"
"Linda first, then me. She'll be pissed if you don't."
She filled both tubes and capped them, then put them away as I unstrapped my arm. Taking a stethoscope out of the bag, she told me to take off my shirt.
As I did so, I asked, “Will this be a complete physical?"
Mills shook her head.
"Just a cursory,” she said, setting her checksheet on the sink. “Thump and listen, blood pressure, questions."
When Mills finished thumping my chest and listening, she flashed a penlight in my eyes and watched the results. I tapped my watch's button to call Linda.
She answered, “My, aren't you up early this morning?"
"I have guests.
Mills is almost finished with me,” I said. “After I clean up, do you want to meet me in the mess hall? I'll buy you breakfast."
"Such a gracious offer. Can't, though. Busy. Take Dr. Mills, if you haven't already pissed her off this morning. She has some questions."
"Okay, but I'm disappointed, miLady. I only come here to see you, you know."
"Oh, I know you do, Ed. So drop by my office after breakfast and see me then."
"You got it. Mills, too?"
"Mills, too."
"What's-his-name the sailor won't be there, will he?"
"No, but he's here now and he heard that."
"Oh, good. Bye, miLady. See ya ‘round, Emory."
Emory laughed and said, “Up yours, Ed."
"Bye, Ed,” said Linda, then she clicked off.
Mills simply stared at me disapprovingly for a moment, then firmly zipped her bag shut without comment.
"What?” I asked.
She eyed me sharply for a moment, then said, “He's a Navy captain and she's the head of security for 3rd World Products. I think a bit more respect is due them. Beyond that, I'd very much appreciate not being called ‘doc'."
I sipped my coffee as I met her irritated gaze, then said, “You mind your own damned business, lady. If you have what you came for, go do something with it."
Setting my coffee on the sink, I took off my pants, tossed them on the wall bench with my shirt, and tossed one of the towels from a sinkstand at the rack by the showers. It draped over a hook well enough, so I picked up my coffee and took another long sip before heading toward the showers.
Mills stood glaring at me for another moment, then said, “You must know that as a doctor I've often seen naked men before, so if you're trying to shock me, you've failed. Do you always go out of your way to put people off?"
Tuning the water to a pleasantly warm temperature, I grinned at her as I said, “Nope. Not me. I'm usually a poster boy for excellent manners and genteel dignity. You're getting special treatment this morning."
She came to the shower stall opening and looked me over fairly thoroughly, then asked, “What do you weigh; about one-eighty?"
"Good guess. One seventy eight the last time anyone weighed me. I'm told that's acceptable for someone six-two and fifty-two."
Book 4: 3rd World Products, Inc. Page 15