suddenly. A valve had opened; had been twisted shut. “But we can’t help him,” she said. “He’s dying.”
“Where is he?”
“In the sea.”
“In the sea? Go ahead.”
She shrugged. “That’s it! In the sea, more or less east of Joca Village. It might be a hundred miles from here, or two thousand. I don’t know; nobody knows. Larien didn’t want anybody to know, not even himself.”
Wergard had come into the room. She looked over at him, back at Dasinger. “It’s a bubble for deep water work. Something the Selks made on Cobril. Marine equipment. Larien had it brought in from Cobril. This one has no operating controls. It was just dropped off, somewhere.”
An automated carrier had been dispatched, set on random course. For eight hours it moved about the sea east of the mainland; then it disintegrated and sank. At some randomly selected moment during those eight hours, relays had closed, and the bubble containing Noal Selk began drifting down through the sea.
She told them that.
Dasinger said, “You said he’s dying . . .”
She nodded. “He’s being eaten. Some organism—it tries to keep the animals it feeds on alive as long as it can. It’s very careful . . . I don’t know what it is.”
“I know what it is,” Dasinger said. “When was it injected?”
“Two days ago.”
Dasinger looked at Wergard. Wergard shrugged, said, “You might find something still clinically alive in the bubble five days from now. If you want to save Noal Selk, you’d better do it in hours.”
“It’s worth trying!” Dasinger turned to Telzey. “Telzey, what arrangements has Larien made in case the thing got away from him?”
“It isn’t getting away from him,” she said. “The bubble’s got nondetectable coating. And if somebody tried to open it, it would blow up. There’s a switch in the house that will blow it up any time. Larien’s sitting two feet from the switch right now. But he can’t touch it.”
“Why not?” Wergard asked.
Telzey glanced at him. “He can’t move. He can’t even think. Not till I let him again.”
Dasinger said, “The destruct switch isn’t good enough. Isn’t there something else in the house, something material, we can use immediately as evidence of criminal purpose?”
Telzey’s eyes widened. “Evidence?” For a moment, she seemed about to
“Where is he?”
“In the sea.”
“In the sea? Go ahead.”
She shrugged. “That’s it! In the sea, more or less east of Joca Village. It might be a hundred miles from here, or two thousand. I don’t know; nobody knows. Larien didn’t want anybody to know, not even himself.”
Wergard had come into the room. She looked over at him, back at Dasinger. “It’s a bubble for deep water work. Something the Selks made on Cobril. Marine equipment. Larien had it brought in from Cobril. This one has no operating controls. It was just dropped off, somewhere.”
An automated carrier had been dispatched, set on random course. For eight hours it moved about the sea east of the mainland; then it disintegrated and sank. At some randomly selected moment during those eight hours, relays had closed, and the bubble containing Noal Selk began drifting down through the sea.
She told them that.
Dasinger said, “You said he’s dying . . .”
She nodded. “He’s being eaten. Some organism—it tries to keep the animals it feeds on alive as long as it can. It’s very careful . . . I don’t know what it is.”
“I know what it is,” Dasinger said. “When was it injected?”
“Two days ago.”
Dasinger looked at Wergard. Wergard shrugged, said, “You might find something still clinically alive in the bubble five days from now. If you want to save Noal Selk, you’d better do it in hours.”
“It’s worth trying!” Dasinger turned to Telzey. “Telzey, what arrangements has Larien made in case the thing got away from him?”
“It isn’t getting away from him,” she said. “The bubble’s got nondetectable coating. And if somebody tried to open it, it would blow up. There’s a switch in the house that will blow it up any time. Larien’s sitting two feet from the switch right now. But he can’t touch it.”
“Why not?” Wergard asked.
Telzey glanced at him. “He can’t move. He can’t even think. Not till I let him again.”
Dasinger said, “The destruct switch isn’t good enough. Isn’t there something else in the house, something material, we can use immediately as evidence of criminal purpose?”
Telzey’s eyes widened. “Evidence?” For a moment, she seemed about to