brought his meals so many times, he knew that the doorway was activated by a heat sensor set into the wall. It would be turned off now, the portal closed for the night unless there was an emergency that overrode its computer command to remain closed.
Stoner made an emergency. The screens showing his heartbeat and blood pressure suddenly sprouted jagged, urgent peaks that turned blazing red. A chorus of electronic beeps wailed as Stoner stood patiently in the middle of the room, bathed in moonlight.
The portal glowed and opened, and a flustered young technician in a white lab coat rushed in, then skidded to a stop when he saw Stoner standing there.
“Wh…what the hell’s goin’ on?” the young man sputtered. He was tall and skinny, his hair a dark unruly mop, his coat open and flapping, pockets bulging. An intern, Stoner knew at once, stuck with the midnight-to-eight- A.M. shift.
“Looks like a glitch in the monitoring equipment,” Stoner said calmly.
The youngster peered at the wildly fluctuating screens. “Jesus Christ! There’s a crash wagon on its way.”
With a grin, Stoner said, “You’d better tell them to relax and forget it.”
“Yeah…yeah…” The intern pulled a pencil-sized black cylinder from his shirt pocket and spoke into it. “Campbell, this is McKean. No sweat. He’s okay. The goddamned electronics are screwed up.”
Stoner heard a tinny voice squawking angrily. The intern frowned as he said into the slim communicator, “Well, then wake Healy up and tell him to check it out himself. I’m here with him and he’s perfectly okay.”
Stoner smiled back at the youngster and slid an arm around his skinny shoulders. “You got here damned fast.”
“That’s what I get paid for.”
Together they stepped through the open portal, into the corridor outside.
“I’m going out for a swim,” Stoner said. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
The intern blinked several times and knitted his brows, as if trying to remember something that kept slipping away from him.
“Why don’t you just erase the videotapes and the monitoring records for the past half hour and the next hour or so,” Stoner told him. “They’ll just be botched up anyway.”
“Yeah…I guess I should….”
“Of course. That will be the best thing to do. No need to bother Dr. Healy.”
“Right.”
Stoner left him standing there in the corridor, looking befuddled, and walked swiftly to the nearest door that led outside.
It was a beautiful night, warm and scented with flowers. The tropical breeze sighed softly as Stoner strode alone across the lawn, through the gap between two lab buildings, and out to the fence that surrounded the Vanguard complex. He scaled the fence easily, crossed the highway—deserted except for a pair of huge tandem-trailer trucks barreling along almost silently—and sprinted out onto the beach.
The moon grinned down at him lopsidedly.
Stoner took off his slipper socks and rolled up the legs of his pants to the knee. He waded calf deep in the gentle surf, feeling the cool, delicious touch of the world ocean.
The eternal sea, he thought, bending down to scoop up a handful of salt water. It glowed slightly in his palm, reflecting the moonlight. Life began in the sea, Stoner said to himself. Did it begin that way on your world, too? Are there oceans on the planet of your birth?
He let the water drain from his hand as he turned his face up toward the heavens. There were few stars to see in the moon-bright sky. But several very bright ones hovered almost straight overhead. Space stations, Stoner realized. Looking back at the moon, he saw dots of light here and there on its mottled face. They’ve built bases on the moon. Big ones.
After a few minutes of stargazing he splashed back onto the sand and sank to his knees. The ocean stretched out before him, murmuring its eternal message, and beyond the horizon was the infinite span of the universe. Stoner knelt and waited, a worshiper, a
Stoner made an emergency. The screens showing his heartbeat and blood pressure suddenly sprouted jagged, urgent peaks that turned blazing red. A chorus of electronic beeps wailed as Stoner stood patiently in the middle of the room, bathed in moonlight.
The portal glowed and opened, and a flustered young technician in a white lab coat rushed in, then skidded to a stop when he saw Stoner standing there.
“Wh…what the hell’s goin’ on?” the young man sputtered. He was tall and skinny, his hair a dark unruly mop, his coat open and flapping, pockets bulging. An intern, Stoner knew at once, stuck with the midnight-to-eight- A.M. shift.
“Looks like a glitch in the monitoring equipment,” Stoner said calmly.
The youngster peered at the wildly fluctuating screens. “Jesus Christ! There’s a crash wagon on its way.”
With a grin, Stoner said, “You’d better tell them to relax and forget it.”
“Yeah…yeah…” The intern pulled a pencil-sized black cylinder from his shirt pocket and spoke into it. “Campbell, this is McKean. No sweat. He’s okay. The goddamned electronics are screwed up.”
Stoner heard a tinny voice squawking angrily. The intern frowned as he said into the slim communicator, “Well, then wake Healy up and tell him to check it out himself. I’m here with him and he’s perfectly okay.”
Stoner smiled back at the youngster and slid an arm around his skinny shoulders. “You got here damned fast.”
“That’s what I get paid for.”
Together they stepped through the open portal, into the corridor outside.
“I’m going out for a swim,” Stoner said. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”
The intern blinked several times and knitted his brows, as if trying to remember something that kept slipping away from him.
“Why don’t you just erase the videotapes and the monitoring records for the past half hour and the next hour or so,” Stoner told him. “They’ll just be botched up anyway.”
“Yeah…I guess I should….”
“Of course. That will be the best thing to do. No need to bother Dr. Healy.”
“Right.”
Stoner left him standing there in the corridor, looking befuddled, and walked swiftly to the nearest door that led outside.
It was a beautiful night, warm and scented with flowers. The tropical breeze sighed softly as Stoner strode alone across the lawn, through the gap between two lab buildings, and out to the fence that surrounded the Vanguard complex. He scaled the fence easily, crossed the highway—deserted except for a pair of huge tandem-trailer trucks barreling along almost silently—and sprinted out onto the beach.
The moon grinned down at him lopsidedly.
Stoner took off his slipper socks and rolled up the legs of his pants to the knee. He waded calf deep in the gentle surf, feeling the cool, delicious touch of the world ocean.
The eternal sea, he thought, bending down to scoop up a handful of salt water. It glowed slightly in his palm, reflecting the moonlight. Life began in the sea, Stoner said to himself. Did it begin that way on your world, too? Are there oceans on the planet of your birth?
He let the water drain from his hand as he turned his face up toward the heavens. There were few stars to see in the moon-bright sky. But several very bright ones hovered almost straight overhead. Space stations, Stoner realized. Looking back at the moon, he saw dots of light here and there on its mottled face. They’ve built bases on the moon. Big ones.
After a few minutes of stargazing he splashed back onto the sand and sank to his knees. The ocean stretched out before him, murmuring its eternal message, and beyond the horizon was the infinite span of the universe. Stoner knelt and waited, a worshiper, a
Similar Books
Scandalous Heroes Box Set
Serenity King, Pepper Pace, Aliyah Burke, Erosa Knowles, Latrivia Nelson, Tianna Laveen, Bridget Midway, Yvette Hines
