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 Let me in there, please, the doctor said as she floated above the trio.  No, you keep respiration going,
Mark. Laura, you move. I need to get some adrenaline into him!
One of the things that had kept the doctor busy for the last six months had been reading the extensive
medical reports written by the biologists who had studied Sar-Say. The Taff was not human, but his
biochemistry was sufficiently similar that most standard medical techniques worked on him. Like human
beings, the rate at which his twin hearts beat was controlled by a chemical in his bloodstream. It was not
exactly adrenaline, but it was close enough that the substitute would work.
She whipped an injector out of her emergency kit and made certain that it was set to dispense the proper
drug before jamming the injector end against Sar-Say s chest just below where she knew his primary
heart to be. She pressed the stud and there was a momentary hissing sound. She moved the injector a
few centimeters to the right and repeated the procedure. Then, without wasted motion, she pulled a
self-sealing monitor pad from her bag and adhered it to the brown fur midway between the alien s hearts.
On her wrist, her monitor immediately began emitting a strange double-thrumming sound.
 That s it, she exclaimed.  We have heart rhythm again.
A moment later, Sar-Say shuddered and drew a ragged breath. His eyes twitched and lost some of their
glazed look. The alien did not, however, wake up.
After examining his pupils -- the medical reports said their response to stimuli was as involuntary as in
human beings -- she turned to Mark.  All right, you can stop blowing now. His hearts are beating again
and he is breathing on his own.
Mark straightened up from where he had been crouching for what seemed an eternity. For the first time
he noted the crowd watching through the open hatch. There was a sudden commotion and the crowd
parted for the captain.
 All right, what s going on? Landon demanded as he elbowed his way through.
Pamela Faraday gave her medical report in a few well-chosen words.
 Will he live?
 Too soon to tell. We do not know enough about his species for me to offer an intelligent opinion without
further observation. I need to get him to the infirmary.
 Right. He singled out a couple of spacers who were hanging around outside the hatch.  You two, help
the doctor. Mr. Rykand, Chief Engineer Dresser, you come over here with me.
Mark had a worried look as he watched the two spacers gently lift Sar-Say s body from the deck. In the
microgravity environment, it was less a matter of lifting the limp form as guiding it through the hatch and
out into the passageway beyond. The crowd parted to make way as Dr. Faraday led the small party out
of sight in the direction of the infirmary.
 What happened? Landon demanded.
Laura Dresser recounted the events up to the moment that Sar-Say s unconscious form had floated out
of the computer.
 What was he doing inside the damned thing in the first place?
 We were tracing one of the circuits. I left him to answer the call from you. He must have reached inside
and short circuited the power cell.
 On purpose?
 Hardly, Captain. I doubt he tried to electrocute himself. He certainly didn t seem suicidal just before the
accident.
 Mark, is that the way you saw it?
 Yes, sir. Sar-Say was happy when he showed up and eager to help.
 Right, what happened next?
Once it was obvious what had happened, we grabbed his body and held him down on the deck while we
performed first aid.
 Quick thinking on both of your parts. You may have saved his life. What about the computer?
 I don t know. We ve been too busy to check.
 Please check now, Mr. Rykand.
 Aye aye, sir. Mark pulled himself to the computer and gazed inside. One did not need to be a specialist
to see that the big machine would never think again. He could see several spots where the circuitry had
actually melted.
 It s trashed, Captain.
 Well this is one fine hell of a mess! Landon muttered.
Neither of the others responded. The captain had said it all.
#
Lisa was worried.
She had been working to improve her pronunciation of Broan trade talk when word had reached her of
Sar-Say s accident. Those who saw her between her cabin and the infirmary saw a maniac arrowing
through the corridors, heedless of her own safety and that of others. Had she encountered traffic at the
passageway junctions, there might have been other patients for Dr. Faraday s care.
When she arrived in the medical office, she found Sar-Say strapped to a bed with a makeshift oxygen
mask over his snout. He looked so small and helpless laying there that large, globular tears welled up in
the corners of her eyes. The alien s own eyes were open and staring into space. They showed no sign of
recognition, however. The two orbs were not even pointed in the same direction.
Lisa arrived to find the doctor working on Sar-Say, too busy to answer her questions. Nor was Mark
available to tell her what had happened. With nothing to do, Lisa had waited in the passageway outside
the infirmary. One problem with microgravity, she discovered, was that it was not conducive to pacing,
and without that physical release for her tension, she felt ready to jump out of her skin.
Eventually, Dr. Faraday stuck her head out through the infirmary hatch.
 How is he, Doctor?
 I think he ll live. Whether there will be brain damage & well, we will have to wait and see. The chances [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]