Fantastic Voyage - By Isaac Asimov Page 0,68

Dr. Duval, aren't you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because it's true. The higher echelons at the CMDF don't trust Dr. Duval. They never have."

"Why is that?"

"Because he is a dedicated man; completely innocent and completely involved. He offends others not because he wants to, but because he honestly doesn't know he's offensive. He doesn't know that anything exists beside his work..."

"Not even beautiful assistants?"

Cora flushed. "I suppose-not even assistants. But he values my work; he really does."

"He'd keep right on valuing your work, wouldn't he, if someone else valued you?"

Cora looked away, then went on firmly, "But he's not disloyal. One trouble is he favors free exchange of information with the Other Side and says so because he doesn't know how to keep his views unobtrusive. Then, when others disagree with him he tells them how foolish he thinks they are."

Grant nodded. "Yes, I can imagine. And that makes everybody love him because people just adore being told how foolish they are."

"Well, that's the way he is."

"Look. Don't sit there and worry. I don't mistrust Duval, any more than I do anyone else."

"Michaels does."

"I know that. Michaels has moments where he mistrusts everyone, both in this ship and outside. He even mistrusts me. But I assure-you I give that only the weight I think it deserves."

Cora looked anxious. "You mean Michaels thinks I deliberately damaged the laser? That Dr. Duval and I together . . ."

"I think he thinks of that as a possibility."

"And you, Grant?"

"I think of it as a possibility, too."

"But do you believe it?"

"It is a possibility, Cora. Among many possibilities. Some possibilities are better than others. Let me worry about that end of it."

Before she could answer, both heard Duval's voice raised anger: "No, no, no. It's out of the question, Michaels. won't have a jackass tell me what to do."

"Jackass! Shall I tell you what you are, you ..."

Grant was out front, Cora directly behind him. Grant said, "Hold it, both of you. What's up?"

Duval turned and said, fuming. "I have the laser back in order. The wire is shaved to the proper size; its joined to the transistor; and it's back in place. I've just told that to this jackass here . . ." He turned his face toward Michaels and snapped out, "Jackass, I said," then went on, "because he asked me about it."

"Well, good," said Grant. "What's wrong with that?"

Michaels said, heatedly, "Because the mere fact of his saying so doesn't make it so. He's put some things together. I can do that much. Anyone can. How does he know it will work?"

"Because I know. I've worked with lasers for twelve ears. I know when they work."

"Well, then, show us, doctor. Let us share your knowledge. Use it."

"No! Either it works or it doesn't work. If it doesn't work, I can't fix it under any circumstances because I've done all I can and nothing further can be done. That means we'll be worse off if I wait till we get to the clot to find out that 'it doesn't work. But if it works, and it will work, it remains jerry-rigged. I don't know how long it will last; a dozen blasts or so at most. I want to save every one of those blasts or the clot. I won't waste a single one of them here. I won't have the mission fail because I tested the laser even once."

"I tell you, you've got to test the laser," said Michaels. "If you don't, then I swear, Duval, that when we get back, I will have you thrown out of the CMDF so far and have you broken into so many small pieces ..."

"I'll worry about that when we get back. Meanwhile this is my laser and I do as I please with it. You can't order me to do anything I don't wish to do, and neither can Grant."

Grant shook his head. "I'm not ordering you to do anything, Dr. Duval."

Duval nodded briefly and turned away.

Michaels looked after him. "I'll get him."

"He makes sense in this case, Michaels," said Grant. "Are you sure you're not annoyed with him for personal reasons?"

"Because he calls me coward and jackass? Am I supposed to love him for that? But whether I have personal animosity against him or not doesn't matter. I think he's a traitor."

Cora said, angrily, "That's quite untrue."

"I doubt," said Michaels freezingly, "that you're a reliable witness in this case. -But never mind. We're getting to the clot and we'll see about Duval then."

"He'll