Chapter 33 Chapter 33 The Missing Person

"Admiral Hellman?" "It's me. General O'Toole?" "Oh yes. Just you?" "Of course. I just woke up a few minutes ago, and I have a meeting with Dr. Brown in an hour. Why are you up so early?" "While you were sleeping, I received a top-secret cable from COG headquarters concerning the Trinity. They want to know what's going on." "What do you mean, General?" "Is it okay to say it here, Admiral? Did you turn off the tape recorder?" "Okay, it's closed now." "They asked two questions: When Posov died, did he tell anyone about the arrangements? Did anyone else on the team know about the 'Trinity' plan?"

"You should know the answers to those two questions." "I wanted to check that you told Dr. Brown they insisted I ask before calling back. What do you think of these circumstances?" "I don't know, Mike. Maybe there are people on Earth who are nervous and that Wilson's death freaked them out." "I freaked out too, but I guess that's not the reason. Maybe they know something we don't know." "Well, I think we'll find out soon. All the NASA officials insisted that we evacuate Rama immediately, and they didn't even agree to let the crew stay a few more hours. This time, I think they There will be no compromise."

"Admiral, remember when we met with Posov on the way here and talked about the conditions for activating the 'Trinity'?" "Some impression. What's the matter?" "Do you still disagree with Posov? He said that we must know why before starting. You said that if the earth thinks that danger is coming, you personally think that it should not understand and must implement the instructions." "I don't know what you mean, General, why ask that question?" "I want your permission, Otter, to call COG headquarters back and wonder why, at this particular time, they want to know about the Trinity. If we're in danger, we have a right to know The truth."

"You can ask, Mike. But I bet it's just a matter of routine for them to ask." When Gallos Tabry awoke, Ramari was still dark.He put on his flying suit and remembered that today he was going to transport the crab-shaped creature he had captured to the Newton.If the order to retreat was confirmed, they would be out of here after daybreak.Gallus called up the retreat planning program from the palmtop and added the crab-shaped creatures to it. He looked at his watch. If Rama had a regular schedule, it would be dawn in 15 minutes.Galos smiled secretly: Rama has given people so many surprises and surprises, so no one is sure whether the lights will be turned on as expected; however, if the "sky" is really bright, he would like to see Watch "Sunrise" in Rama before breakfast.

A hundred meters away, the crab-shaped creature's cage was silent, as it had been since it was lifted from its companions by helicopter until now.Gallows turned on the light, trying to see through the tough, transparent walls of the cage to see if the creature had moved during the night.The guy was obviously still in his original position, not moving at all.Gallos left the camp and walked towards the Sea of ​​Columns. He waited for the sudden, silent shock of light, for the dawn of Rama.Then he recalled his last conversation with Nicole the night before.She inadvertently revealed the possible cause of Posov's pain before his death, and there is something strange about it.He could also vividly recall Posov's perfectly healthy appendix, leaving no doubt that the original diagnosis had been wrong.But why didn't Nicole tell him about the diagnosis of the drug reaction?In particular, she also secretly investigated this issue...

Gallos came to an unavoidable conclusion, that is: Dr. de Jardin has lost trust in him. Maybe she thought he had given Posov some medicine in private without consulting her.He pondered, trying to figure out what Nicole was thinking. A strange thought popped up suddenly, and he couldn't help but feel very guilty. "By the way, it must be like this." He pondered, "Nicole somehow knew about the Schmidt-Hagenrist project, so he became suspicious of the four of us?" Gallos began to suspect that perhaps General Posov's pain was really not a natural physiological phenomenon.Then he recalled the rowdy, headache-inducing meeting the four of them had had.

When he was informed that he would remain aboard the Newton during the first operation, Brown said to Hellman dejectedly: "You must talk to him, Otter, and you must make him change his mind." Ott Heilmann believes that Bosov is unlikely to change his decision easily because of his plea. "In that case," replied Brown in exasperation, "we'll all have to say goodbye to our contractual rewards." Throughout the meeting, Frances remained silent, and she seemed unfazed.When Gallos left, Brown was heard asking her: "Why don't you speak? Your loss will be greater than anyone else. Maybe you already have a plan, but I was kept in the dark?"

In a casual glance, Gallos saw Frances smile slyly.At the time, Gallos didn't care.It is strange to think about it now, but she seemed so sure at the time.At this moment, when the astronaut Garros was waiting for its "sunrise" in La Mali, her smile haunted him and kept coming to his mind.According to her knowledge of pharmacology, she is fully capable of giving General Posov some medicine at any time to cause painful symptoms similar to appendicitis.But she did something so... so audacious, just to get a higher payout for the pre-launch contract? In an instant, Rama was filled with light again.As always, Rama's scenery is magnificent and breathtaking.Gallows turned around slowly, looking at the impossibly huge bowl-shaped structure at the north and south ends of Rama.Basking in the magic of Rama's sunshine, he made up his mind: to talk to Frances about it as soon as he had the chance.

It was Elena Tugyeva who was asking questions, which was strange enough in itself. At this time, almost all astronauts are eating breakfast.Dr. Brown and Admiral Hellman were leaving the table for another interminable meeting with officials from the International Space Agency. "Where's Dr. Gao An?" she asked innocently. "I've never seen him late." "He must have not heard the alarm, he fell asleep." Gallows pushed away his folding chair, stood up from the table, and said, "I'll call him." A minute later Gallows came back in bewilderment, shrugged his shoulders, and said:

"He's not here. I suppose he's out for a walk." Surprised, Nicole pushed aside the unfinished breakfast and stood up. "We've got to find him, or he won't be ready when we leave," she said worriedly. Everyone else noticed Nicole's uneasiness. "What's the matter?" Richard asked with concern, "One of our scientists went out for a walk in the morning, and why did he rush the doctor like this?" He switched on his intercom and called, "Hi, Dr. Takagishi, No matter where you are, this is Walkerfield calling, please answer so that we can finish our breakfast in peace."

There was an anxiously long silence.Every team member knows that there is an absolutely strictly enforced communication discipline: you can turn off the intercom for a long time, but in any case, you must always listen. "Takagishi-kun," Nicole's voice was full of anxiety and uneasiness, "How are you? Please answer!" Still an unnerving silence.An ominous feeling returned to Nicole's heart, and she was sure that her friend must have encountered serious problems at some point. "I've explained to you twice, Dr. Maxwell," said David Brown angrily, "that there is no way I can partially evacuate the team. All of our personnel must be dispatched to find Dr. Takagishi as quickly as possible." As soon as we find him, we will all evacuate Rama without delay. As for your last question, it is not the case that people do not want to obey the evacuation order." He turned to Admiral Heilmann, handed him the microphone, and cursed, "Fuck it. Ott, you come and talk to this stupid bureaucrat. He thinks that, a million kilometers away, he is more powerful than us giving orders." Useful!" "Dr. Maxwell, this is Admiral Hellman. I fully agree with Dr. Brown. In any case, due to the delay effect of communication time, we cannot argue. We will carry out the proposed plan. Tabry and I Will remain at Camp Beta to crate and pack the large equipment, including the crab-shaped creature, while I coordinate the search. Brown, Sabatini, and De Jardin will travel across the icy sea to 'New York 'Go, if the professor went out by himself, probably went there. Walkerfield, Tugeeva and Hiroshi Yamanaka will go to find him by helicopter." He paused for a moment and said, "You don't have to call back right away. The search will have started before your telegram arrives." Back in her cabin, Nicole carefully packs the medical supplies.She blamed herself for not foreseeing that Takagishi would seize the last chance to scout 'New York'. "You've made another mistake. All you can do now is that when you find him, you're really ready for everything," she said to herself. She silently thought about what else she should bring to ensure Gao An was needed in case of injury or illness, but she forgot to bring more food and water for herself.She was puzzled by the fact that her two companions were involved in the search for the Japanese scientists, but it couldn't be said that they had planned it on purpose.Everyone knew that Takashi was very concerned about the city of 'New York', so in this case it was no surprise that Brown and Sabatini would go with her to search there. Just as Nicole was about to go out, she saw Walkerfield standing outside the door. "Can I come in?" he asked. "Of course," she said. He came in hesitantly, seeming a bit distracted and embarrassed. "What's the matter?" Nicole asked after an awkward silence. He smiled and said shyly: "Well, just now, I thought it was a good idea, but now I suddenly feel that it's a bit stupid, maybe a little childish." Nicole noticed something in his right hand, "I give You bring something," he went on, "a charm that will bring good luck. I want you to take it to 'New York'." Walkerfield held out his hand, and Nicole recognized that it was the little robot Prince Henry. "Needless to say, you are brave and clever, though sometimes a little luck may make all the difference." Nicole was both surprised and moved.She took the little robot from Walkerfield, staring at its intricate face in admiration. "Would you like to tell me what special talent this little prince has?" She asked with a smile. "Oh, of course," said Richard cheerfully, "he likes to while away the good evenings in taverns with fat knights and talkative fellows; and with rebellious dukes and earls Fight, or court and woo the beautiful French princess." Nicole blushed slightly and asked, "If I am lonely and want the prince to make me happy, what should I do?" Richard walked up to Nicole and pointed out to her the keypad that was mounted on the bottom of Prince Henry. "He can carry out a lot of commands," Richard said, handing her a stick the size of a pin. , is talking; pressing the 'A' key is acting." Nicole put the little prince in the pocket of her flight suit and said: "Thank you Richard, this really made me like it." Walkerfield said a little flustered, "Well, you know, it doesn't mean anything else. It's just that we've just been through these cataclysms, and I think, I mean, maybe..." "Thank you again, Richard." Nicole interrupted him, "I appreciate your concern" and they walked out of her cabin together.