tz.theicarushunt-第11节
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〃Thanks；〃 he said； maneuvering his way into the room and ing to a stop hovering beside my chair。 〃There aren't any monitors in the electronics shop； and I've never seen a Craea spacewalk before。〃
〃It's definitely a sight to behold；〃 I agreed； trying not to frown as I studied his profile。 The twitchy； nervous； sarcastic kid who'd been such a pain in the neck while we were waiting outside the Icarus had apparently been kidnapped sometime in the last six hours and replaced by this near…perfect copy。 〃How are you doing？〃
He smiled； a little shamefacedly。 〃You mean how e I'm not acting like a jerk？〃
〃Not exactly the way I would have put it；〃 I said。 〃But as long as you bring it up。。。？〃
〃Yeah； I know；〃 he said； his lip twisting。 〃That's another reason I wanted to talk to you； to apologize for all that。 I was。。。 well； nervous； I guess。 You have to admit this is a really strange situation； and I don't do well with strange situations。 Especially early in the morning。〃
〃I have trouble with mornings sometimes myself；〃 I said； turning back to the monitors。 〃Don't worry about it。〃
〃Thanks。 He's really good； isn't he？〃
I nodded。 Chort was moving slowly along the edge of the cowling that covered the intersection of the two spheres； his faceplate bare centimeters above the hull as he glided over the surface。 Here and there he would stop for a moment； touching something with his long fingers and occasionally selecting one of the squeeze tubes from the collection clamped to his forearms。 I thought about getting on the radio and asking what he was doing； but decided against it。 He clearly knew his business； and there didn't seem any point in distracting him with a lot of questions。 I made a mental note to pick up a set of zoomable hull cameras at our next stop。
The whistle from the radio speaker was so unexpected that Shawn and I both jumped； a movement that the zero gee magnified embarrassingly。 〃There it is；〃 Chort said as I grabbed my restraint straps and pulled myself firmly down into the chair again。 〃A small pressure ridge only。 Easily repaired。〃
He set to work with his squeeze tubes again。 〃I'll never understand about that stuff；〃 Shawn mented。 〃If it's so good at fixing hull cracks and ridges； why not coat the whole hull with it？〃
〃Good question；〃 I agreed； throwing him another surreptitious glance。 Calm； friendly； and now even making intelligent conversation。 I made another mental note； this one to restrict all my future interactions with him until after he'd had his morning coffee or whatever。
If Chort was a representative example of Craean spacewalking ability； it was no wonder they were so much in demand。 In less than ten minutes he'd sealed the ridge； tracked two jaglines radiating from that spot； and fixed them as well。 〃All secure；〃 he announced。 〃I will check the rest of the sphere； but I believe this is the only problem。〃
〃Sounds good；〃 I said。 〃Before you go any farther forward； you might as well go aft and run a quick check on the cargo and engine sections。〃
〃Acknowledged；〃 Chort said； turning around and heading back over the side of the cargo sphere。 He paused once； moved down the side toward the wraparound…
And suddenly； with another stomach…wrenching disorientation； I fell down hard into my chair。
Shawn yelped in surprise and pain as he dropped like a rock to the deck beside me。 But I hardly noticed。 Incredibly； impossibly； the Icarus's gravity field had gone back on。
And as I watched in helpless horror； Chort slammed against the side of the cargo sphere； caromed off the wraparound； and disappeared off the monitor screen。
〃Revs！〃 I barked toward the inter； twisting the camera control hard over。 〃Turn it off！〃
〃I didn't turn it on；〃 he protested。
〃I don't give a damn who turned it on！〃 I snarled。 I had Chort on the screen now； hanging limply like a puppet on a string at the end of his secondary line at the bottom of the artificial 〃down〃 the Icarus's gravity generator had imposed on this small bubble of space。 〃Just shut it down。〃
〃I can't；〃 he bit back。 〃The control's not responding。〃
I ground my teeth viciously。 〃Tera？〃
〃I'm trying； too；〃 her voice joined in。 〃The puter's frozen up。〃
〃Then cut all power to that whole section；〃 I snapped。 〃You can do that； can't you？ One of you？〃
〃Working on it；〃 Nicabar grunted。
〃puter's still frozen；〃 Tera added tautly。 〃I can't see him…is he all right？〃
〃I don't know；〃 I told her harshly。 〃And we won't know until we get him back…〃
I broke off suddenly； my breath catching horribly in my throat。 Concentrating first on Chort's fall； and then on getting the gravity shut down； it hadn't even occurred to me to wonder why Chort had fallen that far in the first place。 Why Jones hadn't had the slack in the primary line properly taken up； or for that matter why he hadn't already begun reeling the Craea back into the wraparound。
But now； looking at the outside of the entryway for the first time since the accident； I could see why。 Hanging limply over the sill of the hatchway beside the equally limp primary line was a vacsuited hand。 Jones's hand。
Not moving。
〃Revs； do you have a suit back there？〃 I called； cursing under my breath； trying to key the camera for a better look inside the entryway。 No good； Jones had turned the overhead light off and the shadow was too intense for the camera to penetrate。
〃No；〃 he called back。 〃What's the…oh； damn。〃
〃Yeah；〃 I bit out； my mind racing uselessly。 With the entryway open to space； the wraparound was totally isolated from the rest of the ship by the pressure doors at either end。 I could close the hatch from the bridge； but the way Jones was lying； his hand would prevent it from sealing。
The only other way to get to him would be to depressurize one side of the ship so we could open the door。 But we couldn't depressurize the sphere…there were only two vac suits left for the four of us still in here； and I wasn't about to trust the room or cabin doors to hold up against hard vacuum。 And without a suit for Nicabar； we couldn't depressurize the engine room； either。 My eyes flicked uselessly over the monitors； searching for inspiration…
〃He's moving；〃 Nicabar called suddenly。 〃McKell…Chort's moving。〃
I felt my hands tighten into fists。 The Craea's body was starting to twitch； his limbs making small random movements like someone having a violent dream。 〃Chort？〃 I called toward the microphone； 〃Chort； this is McKell。 Snap out of it…we need you。〃
〃I am here；〃 Chort's voice came； sounding vague and tentative。 〃What happened？〃
〃Ship's gravity came on；〃 I told him。 〃Never mind that now。 Something's happened to Jones…he's not responding； and I think he's unconscious。 Can you climb up your line and get to him？〃
For a long moment he didn't reply。 I was gazing at the monitor； wondering if he'd slipped back into unconsciousness； when suddenly he twitched again； and a second later he was pulling himself up the line with spiderlike agility。
Thirty seconds later he was in the wraparound； pulling Jones out of the way of the door。 I was ready； keying for entryway seal and repressurization of the wraparound。
Two minutes later； we had them back in the ship。
* * *
THE EFFORT； AS it turned out； was for nothing。
〃I'm sorry； McKell；〃 Everett said with a tired sigh； pulling a thin blanket carefully over Jones's face。 〃Your man's been gone at least ten minutes。 There's nothing I can do。〃
I looked over at the body lying on the treatment table。 The terminally sociable type； I'd dubbed him back at the spaceport。 He'd been terminal； all right。 〃It was the rebreather； then？〃
〃Definitely。〃 Everett picked up the scrubber unit and peeled back the covering。 〃Somewhere in here the system stopped scrubbing carbon dioxide out of the air and started putting carbon monoxide in。 Slowly； certainly…he probably didn't even notice it was happening。 Just drifted to sleep and slipped quietly away。〃
I gazed at the hardware cradled in those large hands。 〃Was it an accident？〃
He gave me an odd look。 〃You work with air scrubbers all the time。 Could something like this have happened by accident？〃
〃I suppose it's possible；〃 I said； the image of that massive search Ixil and I had spotted out in the Meima wilderness vivid in my memory。 No； it hadn't been any accident。 Not a chance in the world of that。 But there was no sense panicking Everett； either。
〃Hm；〃 Everett said。 For another moment he looked at the scrubber； then smoothed back the covering and put it aside。 〃I know you're not in the mood right now to count your blessings； but bear in mind that if Chort had died or broken his neck in that fall； we'd have lost both of them。〃
〃Blessings like this I can do without；〃 I said bitterly。 〃Have you looked at Chort yet？〃
He grunted。 〃Chort says he's fine and unhurt and refuses to be looked at。 If you want me to run a check on him； you'll have to make it an order。〃
〃No； that's all right；〃 I told him。 I'd never heard anything about the Craean culture being a particularly stoic one。 If Chort said he was all right； he probably was。
But whether he would stay that way was now open to serious question。 With that phony murder charge someone had apparently succeeded in scaring
