"He was living out in the open near a stream which, I imagine, was
his water supply. We were checking some of the stuff the guards
didn't wreck when we spotted him. We saw bushes move and went over to
investigate, figuring it might be a geepee at loose ends. There was our
man."
"Did he give you any trouble?"
Webber shrugged. "He wasn't exactly glad to see us. But he must have
known there was no place to hide because he didn't actually try to get
away."
"That's your interpretation," said Cameron, his face beside Webber.
"The truth is I wanted to make sure you had no way of sending me back
with the general's forces. I was taking plenty of time."
From beyond the screen Jordan snorted.
Cameron continued. "There was no use going back to Earth. My career
wasn't exactly ruined--but you can appreciate the difficulties I'd
have. Anyway a doctor is trained to take the most urgent cases, and I
thought they were here. I'm sorry only that I had to be discovered. It
spoiled the entry I was going to make."
Jeriann's face showed what she thought. Relief, and was there something
else? The thought was distasteful if only because it indicated there
was now a normal human present. The deadly comparison was back with
them.
But it was more than that--how much more was up to him to find out.
Docchi kept his emotions far away. It would hardly do to let Cameron
know what he thought. "Well, there's work to do, if that's what you
want. Come up as soon as you can get here."