Mironov hiked his almost invisible brows. “Go back?”
“With the winch, Alex,” said Jamie. “And we can even lay the extensible ladder over the fissure that we had to jump across.”
The Russian said nothing, but he looked across the table at Patel.
“Then it’s agreed,” Jamie concluded. “Rava and I will go back and get samples from the bottom of the ravine.”
Abruptly, Mironov slid out from behind the table and strode up to the cockpit. They stared at his retreating back.
Patel blinked several times, then resumed their conversation as if nothing had happened. “A uranium-lead ratio could give us absolute dating for this particular segment of the lava flow…”
“Excuse me.” Jamie pushed himself across the bench and got to his feet. Patel kept talking to Naguib.
Mironov was sitting in the driver’s seat, his fingers flicking across the control board, checking all the rover’s systems. Jamie slipped into the seat beside him.
“What’s wrong, Alex?”
The Russian took a deep breath. From behind them, they could hear Patel’s voice chattering away.
“Your fellow geologist would have let Naguib die out there, if he had his own way.”
“What? Rava?”
“I told him to bring the winch. He carried it as far as the fissure, but he refused to jump over. He threw the rig across the crevasse and then started back for the rover.”
Jamie fell silent, digesting the information. Rava must have panicked, he said to himself. And Alex is pissed as hell at him.
“But he did jump across afterward,” Jamie said at last. “He came over and helped us out.”
“After I threatened to break every bone in his scrawny body,” Mironov grumbled. “His yellow suit is an appropriate color. I even had to force him to share his air with Naguib.”
“He must have been pretty damned scared,” Jamie said.
“He is not dependable. Not in an emergency. I will not allow you to go out alone with him.”
Jamie shrugged. “Then you’ll have to come with us, Alex. If there’s really a vein of uranium down in that ravine-any radioactives at all-it’s crucially important to us.”
The Russian made a curt nod. “I will come. Naguib can stay inside and man the radio.”
“Okay. Now try to calm down. Patel may have panicked, but being sore isn’t going to help.”
“Yes. I know. But I would still like to wring his neck.”
Jamie tried to laugh. He patted Mironov on the shoulder and said, “Carrying a grudge can be just as damaging as giving in to panic. Try to see things in perspective, Alex.”
The Russian grunted.
Jamie got out of the chair and headed back to the table where Naguib and Patel were still chatting.
“Okay,” Jamie said. “Tomorrow morning we go back to the ravine-Rava, Alex, and me.”
“What about me?” Naguib asked as Jamie slid behind the opposite side of the narrow table.
“You stay inside and recuperate. You can analyze the samples we took today.”
“And who put you in charge?” Patel snapped. “Who elected you the captain of this team?”
Jamie blinked with surprise. “It just seems like the logical way to proceed. Abdul’s going to feel pretty stiff and sore tomorrow, I’m sure. That leaves you and me, Rava. And Alex.”
Patel’s nostrils flared. “Yes. Of course. You and me and our cosmonaut supervisor. And then the next day we return to the dome,” he said angrily. “And that will be the end of our three days here.”
Jamie leaned back on the bench, staring at Patel across the littered dining table, surprised at himself for expecting appreciation from his fellow geologist. Or even courtesy.
SOL 34: MORNING
Jamie awoke from the dream. For long moments he lay as still as death on his cot, gazing up at the plastic curve of the dome just starting to brighten with the new morning. At first he thought he was back in the rover, but then he recalled that they had returned from the excursion to Pavonis Mons a week ago. His sleep had been troubled by a strange, unsettling dream. It had not frightened him, exactly, but it had been disturbing.
He pulled himself up to a sitting position. Imagine dreaming you’re back in school. With a shake of his head he reminded himself that he was safe from that. He was on Mars. And this was the day they would start out for the canyon.