Blue Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson [53]
The three men expressed their pleasure at this.
Later, down in the dining hall, Sax had a strong urge to tell Michel and Desmond about his encounter with Hiroko. The news would mean more to these two than anyone else. But something in him was afraid to do it. He was afraid of seeming overwrought, perhaps even delusional. That moment when Hiroko had left him at the rover, and walked off into the storm— he didn’t know what to think of that. In his long hours with Ann he had done some thinking, and some research, and he knew now that Terran climbers alone at high altitude, suffering from oxygen loss, not infrequently hallucinated companion climbers. Some kind of doppelgänger figure. Rescue by anima. And his air tube had been partially clogged.
He said, “I thought this was what Hiroko would have done.”
Michel nodded. “It’s bold, I’ll hand you that. It has her style. No, don’t misunderstand me— I’m glad you did it.”
“About fucking time, if you ask me,” said Desmond. “Someone should have tied her down and made her take the treatment years ago. Oh my Sax, my Sax—” He laughed happily. “I only hope she doesn’t come to as crazy as you did.”
“But Sax had a stroke,” Michel said.
“Well,” Sax said, concerned to set the record straight, “actually I was somewhat eccentric before.”
His two friends nodded, mouths pursed. They were in high spirits, though the situation was still unresolved. Then the tall doctor came in; Ann had come out of her coma.
Sax felt that his stomach was still too contracted by tension to take in food, but he noted that he was disposing of a pile of buttered toast quite handily. Wolfing it down, in fact.
“But she’s going to be very angry at you,” Michel said.
Sax nodded. It was, alas, probable. Likely, even. A bad thought. He did not want to be struck by her again. Or worse, denied her company.
“You should come with us to Earth,” Michel suggested. “Maya and I are going with the delegation, and Nirgal.”
“There’s a delegation going to Earth?”
“Yes, someone suggested it, and it seems like a good idea. We need to have some representatives right there on Earth talking to them. And by the time we get back from that, Ann will have had time to think it over.”
“Interesting,” Sax said, relieved at the mere suggestion of an escape from the situation. In fact it was almost frightening how quickly he could think of ten good reasons for going to Earth. “But what about Pavonis, and this conference they’re talking about?”
“We can stay part of that by video.”
“True.” It was just what he had always maintained.
The plan was attractive. He did not want to be there when Ann woke up. Or rather, when she found out what he had done. Cowardice, of course. But still. “Desmond, are you going?”
“Not a fucking chance.”
“But you say Maya is going too?” Sax asked Michel.
“Yes.”
“Good. The last time I, I, I tried to save a woman’s life, Maya killed her.”
“What? What— Phyllis? You saved Phyllis’s life?”
“Well— no. That is to say, I did, but I was also the one who put her in danger in the first place. So I don’t think it counts.” He tried to explain what had happened that night in Burroughs, with little success. It was fuzzy in his own mind, except for certain vivid horrible moments. “Never mind. It was just a thought. I shouldn’t have spoken. I’m. . . .”
“You’re tired,” Michel said. “But don’t worry. Maya will be away from the scene here, and safely under our eye.”
Sax nodded. It was sounding better all the time. Give Ann some time to cool off; think it over; understand. Hopefully. And it would be very interesting of course to see conditions on Earth firsthand. Extremely interesting. So interesting that no rational person could pass up the opportunity.
Part Three
A New Constitution
Prologue
Ants came to Mars as part of the soil project, and soon they were everywhere, as is their way. And so the little red people encountered ants, and they were amazed. These creatures were just the right size to ride, it was like the Native Americans meeting the horse. Tame