Timeline - Michael Crichton [63]
Stern thought, There is something more. Something he doesn’t want to say to us. Stern looked back at the transmission area. Trying to find the odd detail, the thing that was out of place. Because he was sure that something here was out of place.
“Didn’t you tell us that you’ve only sent a few people back?”
“That’s right, yes.”
“More than one at a time?”
“Almost never. Very rarely two.”
“Then why do you have so many machines?” Stern said. “I count eight in there. Wouldn’t two be enough?”
“You’re just seeing the results of our research program,” Gordon said. “We are constantly working to refine our design.”
Gordon had answered smoothly enough, but Stern was certain he had seen something—some buried glint of uneasiness—in Gordon’s eyes.
There is definitely something more.
“I would have thought,” Stern said, “that you’d make refinements to the same machines.”
Gordon shrugged again, but did not answer.
Definitely.
“What are those repairmen doing in there?” Stern said, still probing. He pointed to the men on their hands and knees, working on the base of one machine. “I mean by the machine in the corner. What exactly are they repairing?”
“David,” Gordon began. “I really think—”
“Is this technology really safe?” Stern said.
Gordon sighed. “See for yourself.”
On the big screen, a sequence of rapid flashes appeared on the floor of the transit room.
“Here she comes,” Gordon said.
The flashes grew brighter. They heard the chattering sound again, first faintly, then louder. And then the cage was full-size; the humming died away; the ground mist swirled, and the woman climbed out, waving to the spectators.
Stern squinted at her. She appeared absolutely fine. Her appearance was identical to what it had been before.
Gordon looked at him. “Believe me,” he said. “It’s perfectly safe.” He turned to the screen. “How’d it look back there, Sue?”
“Excellent,” she said. “Transit site is on the north side of the river. Secluded spot, in the woods. And the weather’s pretty good, for April.” She glanced at her watch. “Get your team together, Dr. Gordon. I’m going to go burn the spare nav marker. Then let’s go back there and pull that old guy out before somebody hurts him.”
“Lie on your left side, please.” Kate rolled over on the table and watched uneasily as an elderly man in a white lab coat raised what looked like a glue gun and placed it over her ear. “This will feel warm.”
Warm? She felt a burning rush of heat in her ear. “What is that?”
“It’s an organic polymer,” the man said. “Nontoxic and nonallergenic. Give it eight seconds. All right, now please make chewing motions. We want a looser fit. Very good, keep chewing.”
She heard him going down the line. Chris was on the table behind her, then Stern, then Marek. She heard the old man say, “Lie on your left side, please. This will feel warm. . ..”
Not long after, he was back. He had her turn over, and injected the hot polymer into her other ear. Gordon was watching from the corner of the room. He said, “This is still a bit experimental but so far it works quite well. It’s made of a polymer that begins to biodegrade after a week.”
Later, the man had them stand up. He expertly popped the plastic implants out of their ears, moving down the line.
Kate said to Gordon, “My hearing is fine, I don’t need a hearing aid.”
“It’s not a hearing aid,” Gordon said.
Across the room, the man was drilling out the center of the plastic earpieces and inserting electronics. He worked surprisingly quickly. When the electronics were in place, he capped the hole with more plastic.
“It’s a machine language translator and a radio mike. In case you need to understand what people are saying to you.”
“But even if I understand what they’re saying,” she said, “how can I answer back?”
Marek nudged her. “Don’t worry. I speak Occitan. And Middle French.”
“Oh, that’s good,” she said sarcastically. “You going to teach it to