My G.o.d, you haven"t! Are you sure?
There was a brief pause. I am as sure as I can be. I am as sure as I can be.
Where?
She"s very far away. Still in Bangladesh. I can pinpoint her more accurately once I am there. I apologize for not getting back to this sooner but I have been busy with LEO.
Of course you have, Carmen. We have both been occupied in other matters. If she is alive.
She is very much alive.
"d.a.m.n, " Lance said aloud, for the good news had cut his concentration on Peter"s kinetic switch.
"Did I do something wrong?" Peter asked, picking up the monitor to find the mistake.
"No, boy, you didn"t. But I just heard some very good news that put me off what we"re doing here. Sorry about that. Excuse me a sec." Carmen, are you free to travel right now? Carmen, are you free to travel right now?
Yes, since you could not find the child on your own, and Lance caught amus.e.m.e.nt in her voice. and Lance caught amus.e.m.e.nt in her voice. That picture is at least three years old. You might not recognize her That picture is at least three years old. You might not recognize her Carmen subtly suggested that a male would not be able to make the leap of the child"s alteration. Carmen subtly suggested that a male would not be able to make the leap of the child"s alteration. I definitely will. I definitely will.
Lance was suddenly so full of what he needed to do now that he failed to recognize the note in her voice.
D"you know Kayankira of the Delhi Center? he asked Carmen. he asked Carmen. She"d arrange for local guides, unless you"re fluent in Bangla, which I am not. She"d arrange for local guides, unless you"re fluent in Bangla, which I am not.
Tirla is.
Ah, yes, the shopping Tirla. Good idea, and Lance grinned at the thought of finally meeting this young Talent whom Sascha was eager to protect and Rhyssa and Peter thought highly of. Peter usually saw his friend when he had an afternoon off while Lance attended to Adelaide Center business. and Lance grinned at the thought of finally meeting this young Talent whom Sascha was eager to protect and Rhyssa and Peter thought highly of. Peter usually saw his friend when he had an afternoon off while Lance attended to Adelaide Center business. I"ll ask Rhyssa if we can take Tirla with us. I"ll ask Rhyssa if we can take Tirla with us.
Better you should ask Sascha, Carmen said. Carmen said.
Whoever! Lance brushed that remark aside. Fleetingly he remembered that Tirla, who had a phenomenal Talent in languages, was, like Peter, too young to be officially employed by the Center. Why should Sascha be asked? Ah, he was head of training. Well, Lance would have to clear all travel plans for Peter, as well as Tirla, with Rhyssa as Center head. The trip to a totally different culture could be educational for both youngsters. Lance brushed that remark aside. Fleetingly he remembered that Tirla, who had a phenomenal Talent in languages, was, like Peter, too young to be officially employed by the Center. Why should Sascha be asked? Ah, he was head of training. Well, Lance would have to clear all travel plans for Peter, as well as Tirla, with Rhyssa as Center head. The trip to a totally different culture could be educational for both youngsters.
Speak to Rhyssa, Carmen said. Carmen said. My time is clear for the next few days. My time is clear for the next few days.
Lance explained the circ.u.mstances to Rhyssa and her sympathy for an orphaned child was immediate. She granted permission for an expedition involving Peter, Tirla, and Carmen Stein.
I don"t think Sascha will object, if Carmen is along.
Lance shook his head. Why would Roznine object? I understand she"s not in active training yet. would Roznine object? I understand she"s not in active training yet.
Ah! Sascha has a special interest in Tirla. He rescued her from Linear G and and a kidnapping attempt. I"ll tell you the full story another time. Although don"t be surprised at anything Tirla says or does. a kidnapping attempt. I"ll tell you the full story another time. Although don"t be surprised at anything Tirla says or does.
I won"t then, Lance promised without at all knowing what that might entail. Lance promised without at all knowing what that might entail.
Will Peter be doing the kinetics?
Johnny"s been wanting a long-distance test of that new carrier he"s had designed. Lightweight, just a sh.e.l.l really, but suitable for longer-distance teleporting. I"d like to see Peter using it. Kayankira is meeting us in Dhaka.
That"s right. You"re good friends. Have a nice trip, and Rhyssa"s mental tone briefly bubbled with suppressed laughter. and Rhyssa"s mental tone briefly bubbled with suppressed laughter.
"How would you like to take a short break from our our studies?" Lance asked Peter, grinning. While he regretted an interruption to this session, he realized that, since he"d been released from Padrugoi for weeks now, he hadn"t even thought to inquire of Carmen about her search for the Bantams" child. studies?" Lance asked Peter, grinning. While he regretted an interruption to this session, he realized that, since he"d been released from Padrugoi for weeks now, he hadn"t even thought to inquire of Carmen about her search for the Bantams" child.
"To do what?" Peter asked, surprised.
Lance was a single-minded instructor, a much stronger telekinetic than his first teacher, Rick Hobson, had been. Peter felt he already had far more control over his energy than ever before. He certainly didn"t want to interrupt these lessons.
"Remember when you dropped me and the shuttle full of kinetics in Dhaka?"
Peter nodded.
"Well, I have some unfinished business over there. We can try Johnny"s carrier and some of your push-pull techniques, which we really haven"t been able to do here," and Lance gestured around the old warehouse they were using as a schoolroom.
"I wouldn"t mind," Peter admitted. "Though it"s more Johnny"s technique than mine."
"Probably because Greene still doesn"t have the power you"ve got in your big toe."
Peter didn"t like anyone criticizing his friend and averted his face from Lance. He knew he had a long way to go before he could control his expression.
"Not that I"m criticizing the general in any way, Pete. It"s just wise to recognize limitations, that"s all. We"re to be there at sunrise their time."
"Will we be using the new carrier he sent us? That"s awesome," the boy said, his eyes gleaming. He and Lance had "ported about Jerhattan but a long "port would be a treat. "Back to Dhaka, huh?Zia Airport again?" Peter asked. He swiveled around to the monitor, asking it for the global coordinates and sighing with impatience at the time it took to access. He had a memory that was almost eidetic so he hadn"t had to call up a general map first. He"d practiced memory techniques while still in the hospital, inert on an A-frame bed with little else to occupy a busy mind. "It"d be nice to be be there," he remarked, placing his finger on the site. there," he remarked, placing his finger on the site.
"Call it education. You haven"t been many places yet on this ol" Earth and it"s about time you did some traveling; to see how the other half lives."
"Can we go to Australia, too, while we"re nearly there? You promised me I"d get to see kangaroos and wallabies and wombats," Peter said eagerly. "And Ayers Rock and Alice Springs."
"We can"t just take off and go sightseeing whenever we want to."
"But-"
"I"ve got an errand in Bangladesh."
They spent some time looking at the towns and cities of Bangladesh. Peter was fascinated by the flat landscape with not a single residential Linear or ziggurat on the flat, deltoid plains. Even Dhaka"s architecture was mainly in the traditional Bengali patterns.
The next day at the very early hour of four on a bright, crisp fall morning in early November, Lance and Peter waited by the new pa.s.senger carrier sh.e.l.l that General John Greene had had constructed for the purpose of kinetic transportation. It had, windows, which Lance thought a definite improvement. Carmen arrived with a slight, coffee-skinned, black-haired youngster, dressed modestly but with great style.
"Hi, Tirla, whatcha need that for?" Peter asked, lifting his arm to indicate her backpack. "We"ll only be gone a few hours."
"Stuff and junk," the girl responded in a clear, faintly accented voice. "You"re the Lance that makes Peter work so hard," she added, tilting her head and giving the tall Australian a searching look.
"Perhaps not as hard as he works me, Tirla." Then Lance handed a towel-wrapped parcel to her. "Keep that safe for me, please?"
She considered his answer for a moment before giving a sharp nod of her head. "Sure." She took the parcel and stowed it carefully in her backpack with a see-why-I-need-it glare at Peter. Then she pointed to the carrier. "We go in this? And Peter flies it?"
"I "port it, Tir," Peter corrected her. "Let"s go." He glided forward.
The girl snorted and crossed his glide pattern so he"d have to halt. "Ladies first!" She gestured for Carmen to precede her.
Carmen shot an Are you ready for this, Lance? Are you ready for this, Lance? before she ducked her head and took the right-hand rear seat. Tirla insinuated her slender body into the starboard-side front row. before she ducked her head and took the right-hand rear seat. Tirla insinuated her slender body into the starboard-side front row.
"Hey," Peter protested. "Lance should be there."
"Why?" Tirla said, regarding him for a long moment of condescension and Lance ended a possible argument by taking the vacant place beside Carmen.
"I can watch from back here just as well," he said.
"Oh, all right." Peter was too eager to leave to delay over a minor detail. He placed an old-fashioned paper-filled notebook on the flat surface in front of him and opened it to the page he had drawn up the day before under Lance"s supervision. Peter had been studying air routes and coordinates of airports and, since he"d be traveling through some sort of s.p.a.ce-just as he had kinetically flung shuttles to Padrugoi-he felt, and Lance agreed, that ordinary flight patterns could serve the purpose of orientation.
Tirla sat straight up, craning her neck to peruse his notations.
"Looks like gibberish to me."
"You"ve never seen any flight plans so you wouldn"t know."
Lance leaned forward. "Commercial airlines do not allow pa.s.sengers to talk to the pilot in takeoff or landing modes."
"I didn"t think Peter was commercial yet," Tirla replied, swiveling around to stare at Lance with confident and very beautiful pansybrown eyes.
"We"re working on it," Lance replied.
Tirla continued to hold eye contact.
Be careful with this one, Carmen said without looking at Lance. Carmen said without looking at Lance.
She"s not telepathic?
She can hear when she wants to. But so far, only wants to hear Dorotea and Peter And Sascha, of course.
I see.
I doubt it, Carmen replied. Carmen replied.
"Peter, let"s launch this. I"ve promised Greene a full report on its performance and comfort in long-distance hauling."
"Peter"s not supposed to work," work," Tirla protested, casually giving Lance Baden another of her scrutinies. Tirla protested, casually giving Lance Baden another of her scrutinies.
"For Peter this is play, fun, and cream tea with scones," Lance said, gesturing to Peter to proceed.
Abruptly they were not in the warehouse anymore but in very bright sun, planted on one leg of the telepad H. Safely outside the circ.u.mference of the painted circle around the telepad, Kayankira was seated at the wheel of a battered four-wheel-drive ground vehicle.
She dismounted immediately, a slender woman, a thick braid of black hair down her back, dressed in traditional Bengali garb. She ran toward them, her face beaming with delight.
You have arrived. Scarcely have I stopped the engine and you are here. How many minutes, seconds does such a journey take? Then the Delhi Center chief was shaking hands as the pa.s.sengers emerged into dry and dehydrating heat. Then the Delhi Center chief was shaking hands as the pa.s.sengers emerged into dry and dehydrating heat. I know you, Carmen Stein. Your mind is unmistakable. Lance, it is good to see your face, no longer contorted with the anxieties with which that appalling Barchenka burdened you. And has she not had her just deserts! And who is this? I know you, Carmen Stein. Your mind is unmistakable. Lance, it is good to see your face, no longer contorted with the anxieties with which that appalling Barchenka burdened you. And has she not had her just deserts! And who is this? She took a short step backward, throwing her arms wide in a surprise welcome, as Tirla emerged, looking about her in total amazement at the sun-washed plain of Zia Airport. She took a short step backward, throwing her arms wide in a surprise welcome, as Tirla emerged, looking about her in total amazement at the sun-washed plain of Zia Airport.
She"s frightened, Carmen said, and smiled rea.s.suringly, holding out her hand to Tirla. Carmen said, and smiled rea.s.suringly, holding out her hand to Tirla. She"s never been anyplace this open or uninhabited. She"s never been anyplace this open or uninhabited.
Ooh, but she looks like one of us. Kayankira touched her chest with both hands. She brought them together in the formal salute of her part of the world. Almost dazed, Tirla hesitated. In another second, she evidently recovered from culture shock. She folded her hands in front of her chest.
"Namaskar ji," she said in flawless Hindi. she said in flawless Hindi.
Kayankira"s expressive face registered total amazement.
Did you tell her everything about me?
We told her nothing, Kayan, Lance replied with a broad grin. Lance replied with a broad grin.
She gets your language right from your head, ma"am, Peter explained quickly so that the Delhi Center chief would not think badly of his good friend. Peter explained quickly so that the Delhi Center chief would not think badly of his good friend. She doesn"t know she does it but it"s what she does best. She doesn"t know she does it but it"s what she does best.
Ah, the little one I have heard about.
"Namaskar, kya hal he?" Kayankira replied. Kayankira replied.
"Stick to English, please, Tirla," Lance said. "We all understand that."
Tirla c.o.c.ked an eyebrow in his direction. "I am fine, thank you," she said to Kayankira very, very politely.
Ah, when she is old enough to be employed, I have first dibs.
Get in line, Carmen said. "Lord but it"s roasting out here." She fanned herself with her hand. "I need some shade where I can concentrate on locating. What is the child"s name?" Carmen said. "Lord but it"s roasting out here." She fanned herself with her hand. "I need some shade where I can concentrate on locating. What is the child"s name?"
"To the vehicle," Kayankira said, pointing to it and gathering her pa.s.sengers in the circle of her free arm to herd them toward it. Peter and Lance began shucking their jackets and rolling up their sleeves. Though Tirla was dressed for Jerhattan, too, she strode as if mere climate was not affecting her.
She was glad enough to reach the shade, drink thick sweet coffee, and munch her way through European-style breakfast breads in the Zia pa.s.senger terminal. She had eyes only for the fascinating promenade of pa.s.sersby and their sometimes exotic-looking burdens. Peter was trying to emulate Tirla"s composed manner but then she was more accustomed to Neesters from her years in Linear G.
"So, what is the child"s name, Lance?" Carmen repeated when she had had a restorative sip of the coffee.
"I don"t know. Wasn"t it mentioned in the journal?"
"I didn"t read it. When I realized that the father was dead, I used the photograph of the child as a focus."
Tirla paused long enough in her surveillance of the terminal to extract Lance"s rectangle from her pack and hand it to the finder. Carmen pa.s.sed it over to Lance who quickly riffled through pages, trying to find personal references.
"Ah, Amariyah?" He stumbled over his p.r.o.nunciation of the written word, putting the accent on the second syllable.
"AmaREEyah, I would say," Kayankira replied. "Though it is not a common Indian name, neither Muslim or Hindu."
"Nor does it sound Russian, which was the mother"s nationality," Lance said.
Peter groaned. Not another Not another shelkoonchik? shelkoonchik?
"A nutcracker?" Tirla asked, frowning at Peter.
Kayankira"s eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. Russian, too? Russian, too?
Carmen gave a shrug. She can do it with any language. She can do it with any language.
How does does she do it? she do it? the Delhi Center chief asked. the Delhi Center chief asked.
As well ask how Peter heaves s.p.a.ce shuttles about, Lance said with an equally bemused lift of his shoulders. Lance said with an equally bemused lift of his shoulders.