GAME OF MINDS
1563 4D
On the fourth floor of an old tattered-cellstone building, he found Doctor Norgrist‘s office. The door stood half open. A student came out, and Jeddin looked in. “Dr. Norgrist?”
“Yes? Oh. What do you want?” A stocky, broad-shouldered man in a dark-red academic singlesuit appeared from behind the door. As he looked at Jeddin‘s ArCorp uniform, his expression soured.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Doctor, but—“
“No, you’re not. What do you want, so I can get you out of here and get back to things I like?”
“No, Doctor, a young man I know asked me to contact you.”
“Tell me. Then go.”
From his pocket Jeddin produced the datacard he had rigged. He fingered it. The words ACTINIDE MONOPOLES?? SEE NORGRIST AT UNIV. appeared. He handed it to Doctor Norgrist.
“Where did you get this?” The doctor’s lips trembled, stiffened. He scrutinized the back of the datacard.
“My friend’s name is Engel Luce.”
“Oh. Where is he?”
“I can’t find him myself. Why?”
“I can’t tell you that. I wouldn’t anyway.”
“He’s disappeared, and before that he asked me to contact you with this. Do you have any message for him?” The humble approach seemed best with this arrogant academic, even if it didn’t go with the uniform and the facial makeup.
The doctor gave Jeddin a look of mixed curiosity and pity. “That’s no big secret to you people. Maybe it is to you, though — you don’t act like most of the assholes I see with that uniform on.” The doctor paused, apparently trying to work up another gust of unpleasantness; then, as Jeddin waited, he let it fade. “Monopoles, like terziards and auterhives, are remnants of the early life of the universe. A very few may still be lodged in the nuclei of certain heteromagic isotopes of the heaviest elements, the actinide series. Researchers are out digging for them and trying to rig up tests.”
“Heteromagic?”
“Oh. Some atomic nuclei are highly stable. That’s called magic. Of the rest, a few are more stable, maybe even superstable, under unusual conditions, such as the presence of certain superfine structures like monopoles. We’re refining some samples here right now.”
“Why? Are they valuable?” Perspiration flowed under Jeddin‘s dark makeup. It loosened.
A scornful toss of Norgrist‘s head. “Not like precious metal or gems. I guess you don’t understand. They’re supposed to possess some properties peculiar to H-space. The aliens know what that means, but we don’t. Most likely it’s something to do with their technology. They won’t tell us.”
Jeddin ran over all the words of the conversation in his mind. “Why would Engel be interested in this?” He looked down at the datacard the doctor still held. A brown makeup smudge marked its display. This could be trouble.
“Now that, I don’t know, but I know he was. He told me his father found some discarded test cores on their farm with labeled traces of lanthanide and actinide elements. The prior owner, DurCorp, I think, had been digging. That’s when I got interested. Engel‘s a nice young fellow. He left here suddenly — said his father had disappeared.” The doctor rubbed absently at the brown smudge on the datacard. Then he squinted hard at Jeddin. An odd smile came to his face. “Oh, I see. You know, I would have told you all this and more if you had told me you were an andro in the first place.”
Jeddin said, “It’s not really you I’m worried about. We’re not allowed in here.” He rubbed at his face where it itched, exposing a spot of pallor under the brown cream. Damn, he had to stop doing that.
“Yes, I know. It’s okay in this building. Come on in, I’ll tell you what else I know. Did Engel have a message for me? I’m worried about him. And his older brother. They both liked andros.” The doctor, almost too friendly, took Jeddin‘s arm and closed the door behind them. They sat down, the doctor at a table stacked with square blue datasheaves, Jeddin in a low chair facing him.
Jeddin improvised. “I’m worried about Engel too. I haven’t seen him lately. Or his brother.” The doctor stiffened slightly, then stretched his arms and hands out to loosen them. What was wrong? Jeddin‘s vigilance rose.
“I’ll tell you something else,” Doctor Norgrist said, his hands now behind his head. He seemed completely relaxed. “There are aliens loose on this world, in violation of the agreement they proposed and signed with us when they first came.”
“I thought they were restricted to the City.” The shadow flickered in Jeddin‘s memory.
“They are. But one was found in the body of a fat woman. At least the government thinks what they found was an alien.”
"‘Was’?”
“It appeared to be a biological of unknown type, with genetics we’re still digging into. It lysed into wet junk before the bio people could stat it. They could tell you more about that — I only know a few words of the bio stuff.”
“Where was this?”
“It was up where Engel‘s family had their farm.”
“I see.” Jeddin thought back. The shadows of a sleep cubby nagged at his memory; alarm rose in him. Why now? And why was Doctor Norgrist watching his eyes so closely?
When the almost-inaudible click of the door came behind Jeddin, he leaped over Doctor Norgrist‘s head, straight out through the fourth-story glass. Through the shattering, one word floated after him: “Damn!”
