Fantastic Voyage - By Isaac Asimov Page 0,79

to share the risk, the necessity to face death alone, was what turned him coward.

"At the start, after all, the rest of us were frightened of the mere act of being miniaturized but that was carried through safely. After that, we all expected to move toward the clot, operate on it and get out, taking ten minutes perhaps, all told.

"But Michaels must have been the only one of us who knew this was not going to happen. He alone must have known there would be trouble and that we were about to rumble into a whirlpool. Owens had spoken about the ship's fragility at the briefing and Michaels must have expected death. He alone must have expected death. No wonder he nearly broke down.

"When we got through the fistula in one piece, he was almost delirious with relief. After that, he felt certain that we would not be able to complete the mission and he relaxed. With each successful surmounting of some crisis, he grew angrier. He had no more room for fear, only for anger.

"By the time we were in the ear, I had made up my mind that Michaels, not Duval, was our man. I wouldn't let him badger Duval into trying the laser beforehand. I ordered him away from Miss Peterson when I was trying to get her away from the antibodies. But then in the end, I made a mistake. I didn't stay with him during the actual operation and thus gave him his chance to seize the ship. There was this last little shred of doubt in my mind ..."

"That perhaps it was Duval after all?" said Carter.

"I'm afraid so. So I went out to watch the operation when I could have done nothing about it even if Duval were a traitor. If it hadn't been for that final piece of stupidity, I might have brought the ship back intact, and Michaels alive."

"Well," Carter got to his feet, "It was cheap at the price. Benes is alive and slowly recovering. I'm not sure that Owens thinks so, though. He's in mourning for his ship."

"I don't blame him," said Grant, "it was a sweet vessel. Uh-listen, where's Miss Peterson, do you know?"

Reid said, "Up and around. She had more stamina than you had, apparently."

"I mean, is she here at the CMDF anywhere?"

"Yes. In Duval's office, I imagine."

"Oh," said Grant, suddenly deflated. "Well, I'll wash and shave and get out of here."

Cora put the papers together. "Well, then, Dr. Duval, if the report can wait over the weekend, I would appreciate the time off."

"Yes, certainly," said Duval. "I think we could all use some time off. How do you feel?"

"I seem to be all right."

"It's been an experience, hasn't it?"

Cora smiled and walked toward the door.

The corner of Grant's head pushed past it. "Miss Peterson?"

Cora started violently, recognized Grant, and came running to him, smiling. "It was Cora in the blood-stream." "Is it still Cora?"

"Of course. It always will be, I hope."

Grant hesitated. "You might call me Charles. You might even get to the point someday where you can call me Good Old Charlie."

"I'll try, Charles."

"When do you quit work?"

"I've just quit for the weekend."

Grant thought a while, rubbed his clean-shaven chin, then nodded toward Duval, who was bent over his desk. "Are you all tied up with him?" he asked at last.

Cora said, gravely, "I admire his work. He admires my work." And she shrugged.

Grant said, "May I admire you?"

She hesitated, then smiled a little. "Any time you want to. As long as you want to. If - if I can admire you occasionally, too."

"Let me know when and I'll strike a pose."

They laughed together. Duval looked up, saw them in the doorway, smiled faintly, and waved something that might have been either a greeting or a farewell.

Cora said, "I want to change into street clothes, and then I would like to see Benes. Is that all right?"

"Will they allow visitors?"

Cora shook her head. "No. But we're special."

Benes' eyes were open. He tried to smile.

A nurse whispered anxiously. "Only a minute, now. He doesn't know what's happened, so don't say anything about it."

"I understand," said Grant.

To Benes, in a low voice, he said, "How are you?"

Benes tried again to smile. "I'm not sure. Very tired. 1; have a headache and my right eye hurts, but I seem to, have survived."

"Good!"

"It takes more than a knock on the head to kill a scientist," said Benes. "All that mathematics makes the skull as hard as a rock, eh?"

"We're all glad of that," said Cora, gently.

"Now I must remember what I came here to tell. It's a little hazy, but it's coming back. It's all in me, all of it. And now he did smile.

And Grant said, "You'd be surprised at what's in you, professor."

The nurse ushered them out and Grant and Cora left, hand in warm hand, into a world that suddenly seemed to hold no terrors for them, but only the prospect of great joy.

The End