Dr. Yang sat next to Li, pointing at the two lists displayed side by side on the screen.
"You see? Waterman and Brumado accomplished only half their scheduled tasks for the EVA."
Yang’s fingernail was long and red and carefully manicured. Li wondered why the physician bothered to lacquer her nails. She was not an especially good-looking woman, he thought, rather plain in fact, with a pug nose and overly thick lips. Her figure was nondescript. Yet she adorned her tan coveralls with a bright gold-mesh belt and she wore a necklace and several bracelets that clashed together like miniature cymbals whenever she moved her hands. Her mouse-brown hair had been recently clipped; she wore it in bangs that came down almost to her eyebrows. And her face was made up with lipstick and eye shadow, no less.
Has she decked herself out for me? Li wondered. Or is she trying to impress our dashing cosmonaut and astronaut? Li sighed to himself. As long as she doesn’t make any problems for me I won’t interfere. But he found himself wondering if her toenails were lacquered, also.
"Their performance seems to be seriously degraded," Yang said, softly but insistently.
Li roused himself from his conjectures about her sex life. "They had a strenuous journey down to the canyon floor. Perhaps they need more rest."
Burt Klein agreed. "You can’t expect them to stick to that schedule Waterman set up. It’s too crowded; there’s not enough time to do everything he wants done."
"Perhaps," said Dr. Yang. She leaned close enough to Li to work the computer keyboard. She was wearing perfume. Jasmine blossoms?
A set of colored curves sprang up on the display screen.
"These represent the performance parameters of all the surface personnel, based on their own reports of tasks accomplished," Yang said. "You can see that everyone’s performance is degrading."
Li fingered his moustache. "Yes, I see."
"Such a drop-off is normal," Tolbukhin said. "The same thing happens to personnel on the moon’s surface and even aboard the space stations."
Yang nodded curtly, but she said, "They have been on the surface for five weeks and some drop-off in performance is to be expected, yes. But please look at how steeply these curves go down."
"Hm," said Li.
"The big decline started only a few days ago. If their performance continues to degrade at this steep rate they will all be helpless by the end of this week!"
Tolbukhin’s snort told them what he thought of her fears. But Klein shifted in his seat uneasily.
For the first time Li felt troubled. "Might this be an artifact of the computer program? A coincidence, perhaps?"
Yang’s painted face took on a stubborn hardness. "That is not possible. I used the standard evaluation program. The personnel here in orbit do not show the same deterioration; nothing like it."
"Hm," Li said again.
"Something is definitely wrong."
"More than the usual fatigue factors?" Klein asked.
"Much worse."
"What do you think it could be?"
Yang shrugged her slight shoulders. "It might be psychological. Or it might be physical. Or a combination of both."
Tolbukhin laughed at her. "You cover all the possibilities, and as a result you tell us nothing of value."
Li cast a sharply disapproving glance at the cosmonaut. Then he asked Dr. Yang, "Have you checked the physiological profiles that Dr. Reed has been sending up?"
"Yes. That was the first thing I did. They all look normal enough. The surface team is in good health."
"And the psychological reports?"
"They seem normal also, although it is easier to mask a problem there than with the physical examinations."
"Have you spoken to Dr. Reed about this?"
"Not yet. The mission regulations clearly state that I am required to inform you of this problem before contacting anyone on the surface team."
"Ah, yes. The regulations. Well, let us both speak with Dr. Reed. Immediately."
Tolbukhin raised a skeptical eyebrow. Klein looked worried.
SOL 36: EVENING
"No, I have not seen any untoward deterioration of their physical condition," Tony Reed said to Li’s image on his communications screen. He glanced at Vosnesensky, scowling at him. "Everyone here seems to be in reasonably good physical shape. Naguib’s recovered from his bumps and bruises rather nicely."
Reed was sitting in the little cubicle of his infirmary. Off by the folding door, out of range of the TV camera built into the comm set, Vosnesensky sat on the examination stool like a menacing policeman, his arms folded stubbornly across his thick chest.
"Then how do you account for this deterioration in performance?" asked Dr. Yang, from behind Li’s shoulder.
Reed made a bland smile for her. "I’ll have to look into it. First thing I’ll do is run a few snap physical checkups to make certain that there’re no bugs infecting us."
"What is the team’s psychological condition?" Li asked, his long sallow face etched with lines of worry.
"No major problems. Everyone seems to be happy with their work. Even Patel has settled back to his work and stopped grumbling."
Yang asked, "Why did Brumado accompany Waterman on the EVA instead of Malater, as the schedule called for?"
"Beats me," Reed replied, resisting the urge to look over at Vosnesensky again. "I’ll have to ask them."
Li looked out from the screen in silence for a long moment, staring into Reed’s eyes, the worry lines around his mouth and eyes slowly evolving into just the slightest hint of suspicion. Or so it seemed to Tony.
"This is very serious," he said at last. "The reports you have been sending indicate that nothing is wrong physically or psychologically with the surface personnel, yet their performance is degrading at an alarming rate. You must find out what is happening. If you cannot, I will have to recall the entire team and cut the surface exploration short."
"No need even to think about that!" Reed flared. "If there’s anything seriously wrong — which I doubt — I am perfectly capable of determining the cause of the problem and taking the necessary medical steps to alleviate it."
Li nodded, still looking suspicious, and said, "Please keep Dr. Yang informed on a daily basis. More than once a day, if necessary."
"Yes. Of course."
"Anything else?" Li asked Dr. Yang, turning slightly to address her over his shoulder.
"I would like to go down to the surface," she said abruptly. "To assist Dr. Reed."
Vosnesensky shook his head violently.
"That’s not necessary," Tony said. "If there’s a problem I can root it out. If I need assistance, rest assured I will ask you for it."
Li glanced at Reed, then at Yang, then focused his eyes on Reed again. Even through the comm screen Tony could feel the suspicion simmering in those almond eyes.
"To transfer personnel from orbit to the ground is a major undertaking. We have only two landing/ascent vehicles remaining. I must reserve them for any major emergencies that may arise."
"I assure you, it’s not necessary," Reed said again.
"Conduct your examinations quickly," said Li. "This is a matter of great urgency."
"Yes, I understand."
"Very well. And stay in touch with Dr. Yang."
"I will. Surely."
Finally placated, though obviously not satisfied, Li ended the discussion and signed off. Reed stared at the blank display screen for long moments, his own shadowy reflection gazing back at him worriedly.
"Very good," Vosnesensky said. "You did well."