Yang asked, “Why did Brumado accompany Waterman on the EVA instead of Malater, as the schedule called for?”
“Beats me,” Reed replied, resisting the urge to look over at Vosnesensky again. “I’ll have to ask them.”
Li looked out from the screen in silence for a long moment, staring into Reed’s eyes, the worry lines around his mouth and eyes slowly evolving into just the slightest hint of suspicion. Or so it seemed to Tony.
“This is very serious,” he said at last. “The reports you have been sending indicate that nothing is wrong physically or psychologically with the surface personnel, yet their performance is degrading at an alarming rate. You must find out what is happening. If you cannot, I will have to recall the entire team and cut the surface exploration short.”
“No need even to think about that!” Reed flared. “If there’s anything seriously wrong-which I doubt-I am perfectly capable of determining the cause of the problem and taking the necessary medical steps to alleviate it.”
Li nodded, still looking suspicious, and said, “Please keep Dr. Yang informed on a daily basis. More than once a day, if necessary.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Anything else?” Li asked Dr. Yang, turning slightly to address her over his shoulder.
“I would like to go down to the surface,” she said abruptly. “To assist Dr. Reed.”
Vosnesensky shook his head violently.
“That’s not necessary,” Tony said. “If there’s a problem I can root it out. If I need assistance, rest assured I will ask you for it.”
Li glanced at Reed, then at Yang, then focused his eyes on Reed again. Even through the comm screen Tony could feel the suspicion simmering in those almond eyes.
“To transfer personnel from orbit to the ground is a major undertaking. We have only two landing/ascent vehicles remaining. I must reserve them for any major emergencies that may arise.”
“I assure you, it’s not necessary,” Reed said again.
“Conduct your examinations quickly,” said Li. “This is a matter of great urgency.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Very well. And stay in touch with Dr. Yang.”
“I will. Surely.”
Finally placated, though obviously not satisfied, Li ended the discussion and signed off. Reed stared at the blank display screen for long moments, his own shadowy reflection gazing back at him worriedly.
“Very good,” Vosnesensky said. “You did well.”
“Yes,” answered Reed, “but I’m not so certain that I did right.”
“We do not need another doctor here. It will only cause problems. You heard what Li said: already he is thinking of cutting the mission short.”
“But, Mikhail Andreivitch, if we are becoming sick…”
“You are the team physician.” Vosnesensky pointed a stubby finger at the Englishman. “You find out what is wrong and fix it. One doctor here is enough.”
He turned and slid the accordion-fold door open, ending the discussion.
Left alone in his infirmary, Reed drummed his fingers on his desktop. Something was definitely amiss, he knew. Despite the physical exams, there is something incubating here. Vosnesensky would never have reacted like that a week ago. The man was so safety conscious it was almost ludicrous. Now he refuses to consider bringing Yang down here to assist me.
Are we all infected with something? Are we all going mad?
Vosnesensky walked scowling past the galley, straight to his own privacy cubicle. Only then did he let himself sigh wearily and sit on his cot. The air mattress sighed back at him. His legs ached. He felt edgy, almost angry.
Doctors, he grumbled to himself. The more they poke you the more they find that is wrong. We have caught a bug, some form of flu, and for that Li thinks of abandoning the mission altogether. Madness! Absolute madness.
“Are you sick?” Jamie asked.
Ilona looked up at him with bleary eyes. “I don’t know what it is. My arms and legs ache terribly. I don’t seem to have any strength…”
“What did Tony say?”
A guilty look flushed her face. “I didn’t call him. I didn’t want to take the chance that he might order us to return to the dome because of me.”
They were in the lab module of the rover, Ilona sitting by the small diamond-tipped saw that they used to slice rocks into thin sections for examination. Jamie was standing next to her in the narrow aisle between the racks of equipment and the workstation counter tops. Joanna sat a few feet away, by the microscope, watching them intently.