"It's not as hopeless as you think. Decisions can be changed. It won't
be the first time."
"Sure," said Docchi. "We'll wait and wait until it's finally changed.
We've got centuries, haven't we?" His face was blazing. It had slipped
out of control though he wasn't aware of it. Beneath the skin certain
cells had been modified, there were substances in his body that the
ordinary individual didn't have. And when there was an extreme flow of
nervous energy the response was--light. His metabolism was akin to that
of a firefly.
Cameron meddled with buttons. It was impossible to keep the lighting at
a decent level. Docchi was a nuisance.
"Why?" questioned Docchi. "We're capable, you know that. How could they
refuse?"
That was something he didn't want asked because there was no answer
both of them would accept. Sometimes a blunt reply was the best
evasion. "Do you think they'd take you? Or Nona, Jordan, or Anti?"
Docchi winced, his arms quivering uselessly. "Maybe not. But we told
you we're willing to let experts decide. There's nearly a thousand of
us. They should be able to get one qualified crew."
"Perhaps. I'm not going to say." Cameron abandoned the light as beyond
his control. "Most of you are biocompensators. I concede it's a factor
in your favor. But you must realize there are many things against you."
He squinted at the desk top. Below the solid surface there was a drawer
and in the drawer there was--that was what he was trying to see or
determine. The more he looked the less clear anything seemed to be. He
tried to make his voice crisp and professional. "You're wasting time
discussing this with me. I've merely passed the decision on. I'm not
responsible for it and I can't do anything for you."
Docchi stood up, his face colorless and bright. But the inner
illumination was no indication of hope.
Doctor Cameron looked at him directly for the first time. It wasn't
as bad as he expected. "I suggest you calm down. Be patient and wait.
You'll be surprised how often you get what you want."
"You'd be surprised how we get what we want," said Docchi. He turned
away, lurching toward the door which opened automatically and closed
behind him.
Again Cameron concentrated on the desk, trying to look through it.
He wrote down the sequence he expected to find, lingering over it to
make sure he didn't force the pictures that came into his mind. He
opened the drawer and compared the Rhine cards with what he'd written,
frowning in disappointment. No matter how he tried he never got better
than average results. Perhaps there was something to telepathy but he'd
never found it. Anyway it was clear he wasn't one of the gifted few.
He shut the drawer. It was a private game, a method to keep from
becoming involved in Docchi's problems, to avoid emotional entanglement
with people he had nothing in common with. He didn't enjoy depriving
weak and helpless men and women of what little hope they had. It was
their lack of strength that made them so difficult to handle.
He reached for the telecom. "Get Medicouncilor Thorton," he told the
operator. "Direct if you can; indirect if you have to. I'll hold on."
Approximate mean diameter thirty miles, the asteroid was listed on the
charts as Handicap Haven with a mark that indicated except in emergency
no one not authorized was to land there. Those who were confined to it
were willing to admit they were handicapped but they didn't call it
haven. They used other terms, none suggesting sanctuary.
It was a hospital, of course, but even more it was a convalescent
home--the permanent kind. Healthy and vigorous humanity had reserved
the remote planetoid, a whirling bleak rock of no other value, and
built large installations there for less fortunate people. It was a
noble gesture but like many gestures the reality fell short of the
intentions. And not many people outside the Haven itself realized
wherein it was a failure.
The robot operator broke into his thoughts. "Medicouncilor Thorton has
been located."
An older man looked out of the screen, competent, forceful. "I'm on
my way to the satellites of Jupiter. I'll be in direct range for
the next half hour." At such distances transmission and reception
were practically instantaneous. Cameron was assured of uninterrupted
conversation. "It's a good thing you called. Have you got the Solar
Committee reply?"
"This morning. I saw no reason to hold it up. I just finished giving
Docchi the news."
"Dispatch. I like that. Get the disagreeable job done with." The
medicouncilor searched through the desk in front of him without
success. "Never mind. I'll find the information later. Now. How did
Docchi react?"
"He didn't like it. He was mad clear through."
"That speaks well for his bounce."
"They all have spirit. Nothing to use it on," said Dr. Cameron. "I
confess I didn't look at him often though he was quite presentable,
even handsome in a startling sort of way."