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Kintner thought: young minds would never grow to their potential in the
creative desert that this world had become. There would never be another place
like this one they had stumbled on. "Get out, for God's sake," Kintner
murmured aloud. "Go for it."
Willard finally called late in the morning. Kintner steeled himself. But
instead of the terse instructions to sanitize the records and begin preparing
the coverup that
Kintner had been expecting, Willard greeted him with a strangely enigmatic
expression on the screen. "I had a very interesting talk with Leonard Sarvin
this morning. He's not the happiest of men, you know, Ed. He sees a lot of
political trouble brewing ahead over the whole MV business. And his personal
life's a
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walk last year, and the woman that he got mixed up with since has virtually
cleaned him out. He's not particularly enamored at life's prospects as they
stand, I'm afraid."
It was such an unusual conversation that Kintner just blinked, nonplussed.
That's& too bad," was the best he could manage in reply.
"What plans do you have for lunch?" Willard inquired.
"What?" Kintner shook his head "Oh, none in particular."
"I'd like you to join me. Not the executive lounge. Let's get out somewhere,
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away from this place for a change. Leonard is fascinated by this latest
surveillance information from Calom. An outrageous but intriguing notion has
occurred to us that I'd be curious for your reaction to. Do you think you
could suspend your disbelief for an hour?"
Sam and Jantowitz had given their accounts of what had happened the previous
evening. The team waited through the rest of the morning for something dire to
develop. But apart from a few questions from the ever-curious among the
project staff, all was routine. It seemed that Neville Ducaine might have put
two and two together, for he materialized unexpectedly in the Bolthole a
couple of times with unlikely excuses for poking around in the couplers; but,
finding nothing amiss, he evidently forgot the matter and had immersed himself
back in his own work upstairs by lunchtime. And whereas they had expected
Kintner to be buzzing everywhere, it turned out that he had gone off with
Willard, and they weren't even on-site.
Hugh volunteered for another visit to find out more about Otherwhere while
they
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didn't think they should risk it until things had settled down more.
Jantowitz, however, didn't agree. "Is probably the best time for it," he said.
"All the crazies are too busy pointing fingers at each others today. It is
this woman that he wants to see again. I say let him get on with it. Tomorrow,
things may be different."
Hugh picked up the phone on the desk that he had found himself sitting at and
called Professor Rauth's number. The office contained two other desks, equally
untidy and overflowing with papers, both unoccupied at the moment. The wall
opposite the two windows had shelves heavy with books, a couple of metal file
cabinets and two chalkboards. So this was where Matthew Shayne worked. He had
discovered that the University raised its own funding from various sources and
was thus free to pursue its own independent policies of teaching and research.
The federal juggernaut that molded scientific reality to conform to policy was
unknown. Shayne had an agent in San Francisco who negotiated his share of the
discovery rights that Rauth's department commanded.
"Herbert Rauth here. How may I serve you?"
"Professor& Herb. It's Mat Shayne. Or rather, Hugh Brenner."
A pause. "You're back?" Rauth's voice shed its customary frivolity.
"Yes."
"Okay, Hugh. I've been doing a lot of thinking. You have me persuaded."
"I'm glad."
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"Also, I have a list of questions that I'm curious about. Are you coming
over?"
"Well& I don't want to sound high-handed or disinterested, but complications
have developed back home and I could be brought back at any time. I really
need to try and get over to San Francisco if I can while the chance is here."
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure you're the better judge of your own business. Do I
take it that I'm required to cover for your sudden disappearance if anyone
asks?"
"If you would, please." That was something that they had talked about when
Hugh was here before. "I understand the disruptions that this must be causing
in your department," Hugh added. "I appreciate it."
"I assure you I'm too intrigued to contemplate otherwise."
Hugh bit his lip. "How is it affecting Shayne?"
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"He hasn't mentioned it, but I imagine having blackouts like this must be
troubling. But then he's a scientist, so he'll understand when the time
comes."
"You haven't mentioned anything to him, then?" That was another possibility
that Hugh and Rauth had agreed might be necessary.
"Not as yet. I may have to quite soon, though- especially if he finds himself
somewhere in the middle of San Francisco later today."
"I guess so. I'll accept whatever you judge to be best."
"That's something, anyway& You know, this really is the most astounding
business. I'm still not sure I fully believe it. I suppose you're quite used
to this
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