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.“It revived his body.By that time, the brain damage was too extensive.He had almost no neural activity left in his cerebral cortex.”“Neither did Mother,” Soz said.“A great deal more than Althor,” Rajindia said.Soz made herself stay calm, though she wanted to shake someone.“The first attempt to revive her didn’t succeed because after storing her neural patterns, her node had too little memory to activate her bioelectrodes.But you gave it more, right? You augmented it with her Rhon brain cells.”Corey Majda spoke.“You think Althor’s node is holding his mind, but it doesn’t have enough memory to fire the bioelectrodes in his neurons?”“Yes,” Soz said.“It sounds to me like a surefire way to destroy his brain,” Corey said.“It’s a risk,” Soz admitted.“But Mother survived it.”“Althor’s node had no time to store his mind,” Rajindia said.“They were in combat.”Her father finally spoke.“Soz, are you sure this isn’t just wishful hopes on your part?”“I can’t be certain.” It was true, though she struggled to admit it.“But we’ll never know unless we try.” She forced out the truth she had denied for so long.“It isn’t as if he has any other chance.”Rajindia glanced at Eldrinson.“It is your decision.”He answered quietly.“Try.”22The Viewing ChamberThe Bard particularly disliked hospitals at night.Death waited in the halls, at home in the dark hours.Nor had he ever liked the world Diesha, with its red hills, red mountains, and red air.Such a harsh place.Even after his visits during his last trip here, this ISC hospital felt strange and unwelcoming.He slouched on the sofa in the viewing room, half asleep, hungry but unable to eat.His legs ached.“Would you like some kava? I’m going for some.”He opened his eyes and fumbled on the sofa for his glasses.When he put them on, the blur standing in front of him resolved into Soz, dimly lit by a lamp across the room.Denric was sprawled in an armchair near the door, his head back and his eyes closed.They were the only family members who had accompanied him to Diesha.Del and Chaniece had stayed home to look after Dalvador and the younger children.He wished the doctors would let Roca travel, but they hadn’t, so he would deal with this all himself.He sat up straight, as tired as when he had first tried to go to sleep.“Yes, kava would be good.Thank you.”Denric yawned and opened his eyes.“I’ll go with you,” he told Soz.“Take a look around.” He stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.Despite the curl of hair that stuck up over his ear, he no longer looked like a boy.It bemused Eldrinson that yet another of his sons had turned into a man, this one a scholar who planned to attend the university on Parthonia if no more wars intervened.“Not much to see at the canteen,” Soz said.“This is my first trip offworld in years,” Denric said.“I want to see everything.”Soz squinted at him.“In the middle of the night?”“Maybe not now,” he allowed.“But at least the kava place.I’ve never been to a canteen.”“Well, hell,” Soz said.“Why not?”Eldrinson scowled at her.“Sauscony, watch your language.” He knew she was a soldier and probably said worse when he wasn’t around, but his instinctive parental reaction came out anyway.“Sorry, Hoshpa.” She didn’t glare the way she would have in her earlier teen years.She wasn’t a child anymore, either.His little girl had grown into a formidable woman.As Denric stood up, Eldrinson rolled his shoulders, working out the stiffness.The viewing window across the room was dark and opaque.The doctors, Callie Irzon and Tine Loriez, were in there.They could have worked on Althor in a biomech lab, but they didn’t consider it necessary.They weren’t operating, only trying to communicate with his node.They had been cloistered with him for such a long time.Hours.Soz followed his gaze.“We didn’t hear anything while you were sleeping.We checked at the doctor’s station outside.”Denric came over to her.“It’s taking too long.”“He’s been in a coma for months,” Soz said.“Even if this helps, it won’t happen immediately.” She didn’t sound convinced by her own words.“Yes.” Eldrinson rubbed the muscles in his neck, which felt like cords.He wondered if they would ever relax again.“Want to come with us?” Denric asked him.He had seen plenty of canteens in his travels with Roca.He found them about as interesting as an inert log.“I should wait here, in case anyone comes with a report.”After the children left, Eldrinson stretched out his legs, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.His attempts to sleep had so far been futile, but he tried anyway.Eventually the door opened again.Footsteps entered, only Denric’s heavier tread.Eldrinson yawned.“Did Soz stay in the canteen?” He opened his eyes—and froze.“Shannon?” Eldrinson stood up with alacrity.“What the blazes are you doing here?” The doctors had been adamant; Shannon wasn’t to leave Lyshriol until they understood if travel would adversely affect his remarkable brain.Eldrinson spoke sternly.“Does Rajindia know?”Shannon’s face was hard to read in the dim light.Then he spoke in cultured Skolian Flag.“I’m sorry.I don’t understand you.”Saints almighty.Eldrinson had never heard that voice in his life.Nor did he sense Shannon’s mind.He was facing a stranger, a man in his twenties, perhaps, though it was hard to tell with Skolians, who could cheat the aging process.Now that he looked more closely, he realized this man had a stronger jaw than Shannon and more classic features, with blue eyes instead of gray [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]