The Jupiter Plague

“Sounds easy enough when you put it that way. But it’s very hard to take pictures through a half inch of steel.”

“What do you mean—?”

“I mean that old maid Chabel at World Health is so afraid of contamination that he has had a steel plate welded over the lock opening and he won’t permit it to be removed to investigate the lock or to take the pictures you just mentioned.”

“You can’t very well blame him, considering what happened when that air lock was opened once before. That and Rand’s warning. Until we learn more about Rand’s disease the wisest thing to do is to leave the ship alone.”

General Burke’s hair almost crackled with electricity when he brushed his hand angrily across it. “Maybe. And maybe again there are records in that ship about how they got the disease and who died of it and maybe how to fight it. There has to be something written there, and anything would be a help.”

“And there might be even worse infections there, which is why Rand sealed the lock behind him. If there were any records of importance he could have put them in his pockets before he landed, after all he was conscious enough to bring that ship home and set her down in one piece. You can argue this either way, Cleaver, and both answers make as much sense. As a last resort I might agree with you, if everything were going wrong. Open it up, we couldn’t be worse off. But we’re getting Rand’s disease under control. It can only be caught from birds as you know, so we’re wiping them out. Once the source of infection is removed we’ll be rid of Rand’s disease.”

“I know all about the damned birds, that’s why I’m here. I have my HQ in Fort Jay, but my division is out with shotguns and birdlime and butterfly nets, stumbling all over Long Island killing birds. They’ll do a good job, I’ll see to that, but it’s no way to fight a war. We need intelligence and what we need to know is in that ship. I’m asking for your help, Sam. After what you’ve done people respect what you say. If you said let’s take a quick peek into the ship there would be enough pressure on old Chabel so that he would have to relent. What do you say, son?”

Sam stared into his glass, spinning the amber liquid around and around. “I’m sorry, Cleaver. I wish I could help you, but I can’t. Not this time. You see I agree with Chabel.”

“That the last word, Sam?” Burke stood and put his hat under his arm.

“That’s it, Cleaver.”

“Well you’re wrong, son, and being bullheaded, but I can’t hold it against a man for sticking to his guns. But you think on it and when you change your mind come right to me.” He crushed Sam’s hand in his and turned to the door.

“I’ll think on it, Cleaver — but until there’s some new evidence I’m not going to change my mind.”

The door slammed and Sam grinned wryly and wriggled his numbed fingers. Ten years hadn’t slowed Cleaver down in the slightest. He finished his drink and pulled a clean suit of hospital whites from the drawer. He had a better idea now why Chabel wanted to see him.

Dr. McKay’s secretary had Sam wait before she let him into the office, and when she finally opened the door for him he walked into silence: McKay sitting behind his wide desk and Professor Chabel puffing his pipe silently in the corner. Sam knew they had been talking about him, and he would find out why quickly enough.

“You sent for me, Dr. McKay?”

“Yes, Sam, I — and Professor Chabel — wanted to talk to you. There, pull up a chair and make yourself comfortable.” McKay rattled the papers on his desk and looked unhappy. Sam grinned a bit as he sat down in the chair and McKay’s darting glance caught it, and he was a good enough diagnostician to read the correct meaning into it.

“All right, Sam, no beating around the bush then. We arranged for that buzzard Burke to see you, we thought it would be better that way, get it out in the open. He wanted you to help him, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did.”

There was tension in the room now and, without realizing it, Chabel rocked forward in his chair.

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that I couldn’t help him, and I told him why. As the situation stands now I feel that our decision, Professor Chabel, in sealing up the spaceship was a correct one. I don’t see how we could gain anything by opening it up, and we could lose a great deal.”