Sudbury. That was in Northern Ontario. Could they have?
That would be fabulous. Another ice man, frozen solid, maybe found buried deep in a mine.
But, sweet Jesus, she didnt want to think about that right now; she didnt want to think about anything.
Mary went back into the kitchen and filled a mug with the now-ready coffee, which she poured a little chocolate milk into from a half-liter cartonshe didnt know anyone else who did that, and she had given up trying to get it in restaurants. She then returned to the living room and put on the TV, a fourteen-inch set that normally didnt get much use; Mary preferred to curl up with a John Grisham novel, or, occasionally, a Harlequin romance, when she was home in the evenings.
She used the remote to select CablePulse 24, a twenty-four-hour news channel that devoted only part of its screen to the newscast; the right-hand side showed weather and financial information, and the bottom flashed headlines from The National Post. Mary wanted to see what todays high would be, and if it was going to finally rain, taking some of the awful humidity out of the air, and
the destruction of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory yesterday, said the Skunk Woman; Mary could never remember her name, but she had an incongruous white streak in her otherwise dark hair. Few details are yet known, but the facility, buried more than two kilometers underground, apparently suffered a major accident at about 3:30 P.M. No one was hurt, but the 73-million-dollar lab is currently shut down. The detector, which made headlines around the world last year by solving the so-called Solar Neutrino Problem, probes the mysteries of the universe. It opened with great fanfare in 1998, with a visit by renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. File footage of Hawking in his wheelchair going down a mineshaft elevator ran behind the Skunk Womans words.
And speaking of mysteries, there are claims from a hospital in Sudbury that a living Neanderthal was found inside the mine. We have a report from Don Wright. Don?
Mary watched, absolutely stunned, as a Native Canadian journalist gave a brief report. The guy they were showing on screen did indeed have browridges, and
God, the skull, glimpsed briefly in an x-ray that someone was holding up against a window
It did look Neanderthal, but
But how could that be? How could that possibly be? For Petes sake, the guy was clearly not a wild man, and he had a funky haircut. Mary watched CablePulse 24 often enough; she knew they werent above occasionally airing stories that amounted to little more than thinly disguised promos for current movies, but
But Mary subscribed to the hominid listserv; there was enough idle chatter on it that there was no way she could have failed to have heard if a movie about Neanderthals was going to be made here in Ontario.
Sudbury Shed never been to Sudbury, and
And, Christ, yes, it would do her some good to just get the hell away for a while. She pushed the backward-review button on her phones caller-ID display; a number with a 705 area code was the first to appear. She hit the dial button, and settled back into her Morticia seat, a high-backed wicker chair that was her favorite. After three rings, the voice shed already heard answered. Montego.
Dr. Montego, this is Mary Vaughan.
Professor Vaughan! Thank you for calling back. Weve got
Dr. Montego, lookyou have no idea how how swamped I am right now. If this is a joke, or
Its no joke, Professor, but we dont want to take Ponter anywhere yet. Can you come up here to Sudbury?
Youre absolutely sure youve got something real?
I dont know; thats what we want you to tell us. Look, were also trying to reach Norman Thierry at UCLA, but its not even 8:00 A.M. there yet, and
Jesus, she didnt want Thierry to get this; if this was for realalthough, God, how could it be?it would be absolutely huge.
Why do you need me to come up there? asked Mary.
I want you to take the DNA specimens directly; I want there to be no question about their authenticity or where they came from.
It would takeGod, I dont know, maybe four hours to drive to Sudbury from here.
Dont worry about that, said Montego. Weve had a corporate jet standing by at Pearson since last night, in case you did call. Grab a cab, get over to the airport, and we can have you up here before noon. Dont worry; Inco will reimburse all your expenses.
Mary looked around her apartment, with its white bookcases and wicker furniture, her collection of Royal Doulton figurines, the framed Renoir prints. She could drop by York University to pick up the appropriate primers, but
No. No, she didnt want to go back there. Not yet, not todaymaybe not until September, when she had to start teaching again.
But she would need the primers. And it was day now, and she could park over in Lot DD, approaching the Farquharson Building from a completely different direction, not going anywhere near where
Where
She closed her eyes. Ill have to go by York to get some things, but yes, all right, Ill do it.
Chapter 11
It was twenty-four days until Two would next become One, that fabulous four-day holiday Adikor Huld so looked forward to each month. But, despite propriety, he certainly couldnt wait until then to talk with the person he hoped would speak on his behalf at the dooslarm basadlarm. He could have called her with voice communication, but so much was lost when only words, without gestures or pheromones, were exchanged. No, this was going to be very delicate; it clearly merited a trip into the Center.
Adikor used his Companion to call for a travel cube and driver. The community had over three thousand cars; he shouldnt have to wait long for one to come and get him.
His Companion spoke to him. You know its Last Five, dont you?
Gristle! Hed forgotten that. The effect would be in full swing. Hed only twice before gone into the Center during Last Five; hed known men who had never done it, and he had teased them, saying hed barely gotten out with his life.
Still, it was probably a wise precaution to slip into the pool again before going in, to cut down on his own pheromones. He went and did precisely that.
Once done, he dried off with a cord, then dressed in a dark brown shirt and a light brown pant. No sooner had he finished than the travel cube settled to the ground outside the house. Pabo, still looking for Ponter, ran out to see who had arrived. Adikor walked out more slowly.
The cube was the latest version, mostly transparent, with two ground-effect motors underneath and chairs at each of its corners, one of which was occupied by the driver. Adikor got in, folding himself against the heavily padded saddle-seat next to the driver.
Youre going into the Center? said the driver, a 143 with a bald stripe running back over his head, where his part had widened.
Yes.
You know its Last Five?
I do.
The driver chuckled. Well, I wont be waiting around for you.
I know, said Adikor. Lets go.
The driver nodded and operated the controls. The cube had good sound-deadening; Adikor could barely hear the fans. He settled in for the ride. They passed a couple of other cubes, both of which had male passengers. Adikor thought that drivers probably felt quite useful; he himself had never operated a travel cube, but maybe that was a job hed enjoy
Whats your contribution? asked the driver in an easy tone, making conversation.
Adikor continued to look out the cubes walls at the scenery going by. Im a physicist.