He paused and Dezhnev said, "Provided the bear is not there, eh, Yuri, my hero."
Konev said bitterly, "No, old sot, provided that I am held firmly to the ship. Albert was torn loose because he was attached feebly, a poor job on the part of the one in charge of that department. I want no poor jobs done on me."
Kaliinin said to no one, her eyes on her fingertips, "Albert must have struck a structure in such a way as to exactly fit it, electrically speaking. The chance of that happening was very low. Even so, I shall try to make use of an odd pattern on the ship and the suit in order to reduce the odds as far as I can manage."
Konev nodded. "I'll accept that," he said to Boranova. Then, to Morrison, "You say there is no heat transfer?"
Morrison said, "None that I could detect. Just size oscillation."
"Then I won't bother removing my garment."
Boranova said, "You understand, Yuri, that you won't stay out long. We cannot stretch the risk of deminiaturization indefinitely."
"I understand," said Konev and with Morrison's help he clambered into the suit.
Morrison looked through the hull of the ship and watched Konev.
Twice it had been the other way around. He had been outside looking in. (And for a while, that second time, he had been nowhere looking nowhere.)
Morrison felt a little chagrined that Konev seemed so composed. Konev did not turn to look into the ship. He held Morrison's computer in his hands, following Morrison's hasty instructions on the elementary aspects of expanding and focusing. He seemed entirely intent on his job. Was he really that icily brave? Would he continue to concentrate even if he were ripped loose as Morrison had been? Probably - and Morrison felt ashamed of himself.
He looked at the others on the ship.
Dezhnev remained at his controls. He had to stay near the membrane of the cell. He had suggested moving into the doldrums between the two streams. Nearly motionless as they would then be (probably turning in a slow eddy, actually), they would not risk the kind of accident that had torn Morrison loose. Konev had vetoed that at once. It was along the membrane that the skeptic waves moved and he wanted to be near them.
Dezhnev had also suggested turning the ship upside down. Up and down made no difference here in the cell, any more than it did in outer space. By turning upside down, the air lock would be on the side of the ship away from the membrane and that might keep Konev away from cytoskeletal structures.
That merely angered Konev. He pointed out that such structures might be anywhere in the cell and that, in any case, he did not want the bulk of the ship between himself and the membrane.
So he was out there, in just the way he wanted, and Dezhnev, paying close attention to his controls, whistled very softly to himself.
Boranova watched her instrument, looking up only occasionally to gaze thoughtfully at Konev. Kaliinin was fidgety. It was the only word. Her eyes shifted toward Konev a hundred times and they shifted away as many times.
Boranova said suddenly, "Albert, it's your instrument. Do you think Yuri can work it? Do you think he's getting anything?"
Morrison smiled briefly. "I preset it for him. There isn't much further for him to do and I explained the focusing. Just the same, I know he isn't getting anything, Natalya."
"How can you know that?"
"if he were to sense something, I would overhear it - or oversense it, perhaps I should say - as he oversensed me when I was out in the stream. I sense nothing; absolutely nothing."
Boranova looked surprised. "But could that be? If he sensed something when you held it, why shouldn't he sense something when he holds it?"
"Perhaps conditions have changed. Consider that all this agony that Konev says he detected when he followed my machine's broadcast of Shapirov's thoughts to me. That was not characteristic of what we heard before."
"I know. It had been almost idyllic before. Green fields. Mathematical equations."
"Can it be, then, that the living part of Shapirov's brain, if it is capable of consciousness, has just recently recognized its comatose position, that it has done so in the last hour, perhaps -"
"Why should that have happened in the last hour? That's too much of a coincidence that it should do so now, just as we are in the brain."
"Perhaps we have stimulated the brain by actually being in it, and brought the realization about in consequence. Or, perhaps it is a coincidence. The funny thing about coincidences is that they do happen. - And perhaps the realization that struck him with anguish not long ago has now caused him to sink into silent apathy."
Boranova looked uncertain. "I still can't believe that. Do you really think Yuri's not getting anything?"
"Nothing of any significance. I am quite certain."
"Perhaps I should call him in."
"I would if I were you, Natalya. He's been out nearly ten minutes. If he isn't getting anything, that's time enough."
"But what if he's getting something?"
"Then he'll refuse to come in. You know Konev."
Boranova said, "Tap on the hull of the ship, Albert. You're nearest his face."
Morrison did so and Konev looked in their direction. His face was blurred through the plastic headpiece but he wore an unmistakable frown. Boranova gestured for him to come in.
Konev hesitated, then nodded, and Morrison said to Boranova, "There's your proof."
Konev was brought in and they could see his face was flushed. They unbuckled his helmet and he drew in a deep breath.
"Whew! That's good. It was getting a little warm out there. Since I was attached to the ship, the size oscillation was less than I expected and the heat transfer was perceptible. - Help me get the rest of this plastic armor off."
Boranova said in a sudden small spasm of hope, "Is that why you were ready to come in? The heat?"
"That was certainly the chief reason."
"Did you sense anything, Yuri?"
And Konev scowled and said, "No. Not a thing. Nothing."
Morrison lifted his head. A muscle in his right cheek twitched briefly, but he did not smile.
"Well, Natasha, little captain," said Dezhnev with an air of faded bonhomie. "What do we do next? Any ideas?"
He received no answer, In fact, no one seemed to notice that he had spoken.
Konev was still mopping away at his chest and at the back of his neck. His look at Morrison had no bonhomie in it at all. His dark eyes smoldered. "There was a great deal of transmission out there when you were outside the ship."
"If you say so," said Morrison coldly, "but I told you that I don't remember a thing about it."
"Maybe it does make a difference who holds the device."
"I don't believe that."
"Science is not a matter of belief, but of evidence. Why don't we see what happens when you go out holding your own device exactly as I did? We'll have you bound firmly so that you don't come loose again and you can stay out the same ten minutes I did. No more."
Morrison said, "I won't do it. That's already been tried."
"And I sensed Shapirov's thoughts - even if you say you didn't."
"You did not sense his thoughts. You sensed only emotion. There were no words."
"Because you let go of the device. You admitted that yourself. Try it now, without letting go."
"No. It won't work."
"You were frightened because you were torn loose. This time you will not be torn loose, as I was not. You will not be frightened."
"You underestimate my capacity for terror, Yuri," said Morrison, shrugging.
Konev looked disgusted. "Is this a time to joke?"
"I'm not joking. I'm easily terrified. I lack your - whatever.