Early on the fourth day, Braithwaite called to take him to what the lieutenant thought would probably be a lack-of-progress meeting in the chief psychologist’s office. As soon as they arrived it was clear that everyone had been waiting for them.
“Mr. Hewlitt, I am Diagnostician Conway,” said a tall Earthhuman whose features were shaded by his helmet. “For your benefit I shall outline the situation as simply as possible while hoping that you won’t be offended by the simplification. Please listen carefully and feel free to interrupt if you think it necessary.
“In order to avoid unnecessary speculation and consequent mental distress among the hospital personnel,” he went on, looking in turn at the people who were crowding Chief Psychologist O’Mara’s office, “I suggest that all knowledge of this search and its object be limited to those present, who are the only people with some idea of what we are looking for, and, naturally, the senior staff members who are already aware of the problem…”
And the suggestion of a diagnostician, Hewlitt had learned, was nothing less than an entry in future history.
“… even though it is extremely unlikely that we will find the entity in its natural state,” he continued, “which the last time I saw it was a fist-sized lump of pink, translucent jelly, although the coloration may have been due to a minor loss of blood while it was being surgically excised from Lonvellin’s body …”
Major O’Mara, Hewlitt decided, had to be the elderly, sternfaced officer in Monitor green who was seated at the big desk with Braithwaite standing beside him and Conway and the Rhabwar medical team facing them. They were all wearing lightweight suits, including Prilicla, who was using a gravity nullifier pack to hover because its wings were tightly folded inside the protective envelope. Apart from Naydrad, who had found a physiologically suitable piece of furniture to occupy, everyone stood and listened in silence.
“There was no opportunity for a close study of the creature,” Conway said. “Being an intelligent life-form, we required its permission for such a thorough and, for it, perhaps hazardous investigation. The only communication channel available was its emotional radiation, which provided accurate information on its feelings but no clinical facts. When Lonvellin insisted that its personal physician be returned to it without delay, reabsorption took place in eight-point-three seconds via the mucosa of an eating orifice. Except for the presence of two sources of emotional radiation and the increase of body weight, which matched exactly that of the virus creature, we could detect no physical indication of its presence within the host.
“But we must find this indetectable parasite,” he continued, “and quickly. It is an intelligent organism that so far has tried to be helpful even though its attempts, in the Hewlitt case, caused longterm physical and psychological distress. But an organism that can jump the species barrier, and has absolutely no medical knowledge beyond its own limited experience, cannot be allowed to run loose inside a multispecies hospital.”
Conway paused to look at everyone in the room before returning his attention to Hewlitt. When he spoke, his voice was calm and clinical, but the emotional accompaniment was causing Prilicla to wobble badly in flight.
“It is imperative that we reduce the field of search,” he said, “either by eliminating certain individuals or groups who are possible hosts, or by concentrating our efforts on finding the probables. The psychology staff are already plugged into the grapevine in the hope of hearing gossip about patients whose condition has deteriorated following treatment, or who have improved suddenly for no apparent reason. They will pass their findings, if any, to us for clinical investigation. But in a hospital, patients’ conditions will worsen or improve normally without the help of our intelligent virus friend.
“As an ex- host with long-term, personal experience of the organism,” Conway ended, “do you have any suggestions that might help us?”
As the only nonmedic in the room, Hewlitt was surprised that a question had been directed at him first. He wondered whether Diagnostician Conway was being polite or feeling really desperate.
“I, I didn’t even know it was there,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Speaking for the first time, O’Mara said, “You must know something even though you may not realize you do. Were you ever aware of any thoughts or feelings that seemed foreign to you at the time, or of seeing people, objects, or events from a viewpoint that might not have been your own? Do you remember having strange dreams or nightmares, or of behaving in what seemed to be an uncharacteristic fashion? The creature’s occupation of your body was complete and physically traceless but your mind, even subconsciously, should have been aware of it. In retrospect, can you remember anything of that nature?