Mindscan

Sometimes you read in novels about people's mouths forming perfect "O's" of surprise; flesh-and-blood human faces can't really do that, but Karen's synthetic countenance managed it perfectly while Lopez asked her question. But that expression was soon replaced with one of anger "You're a woman," said Karen.

"How can you be so cruel? What does the fact that I lost a daughter to crib death possibly have to do with the matter at hand? Do you think I don't still cry myself to sleep over it sometimes?"

For once, Maria Lopez looked completely flustered. "Ms. Bessarian, I—"

Karen continued. "For God's sake, Ms. Lopez, to bring that—"

"Honestly, Ms. Bessarian," exclaimed Lopez, "I had no idea! I didn't know."

Karen had her arms crossed in front of her chest. I glanced at the jury, who all looked like they hated Lopez just then.

"Really, Ms. Bessarian. I — I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Honestly, Karen — I — please forgive me."

Karen still said nothing.

Lopez turned to Judge Herrington. "Your honor, perhaps a short recess…?"

"Twenty minutes," said Herrington, and he rapped his gavel.

31

The moonbus's airlock controls were located, logically enough, next to the airlock door. The pilot hadn't arrived yet, which was just as well. I got on board first, and waited for others to join me. I really only needed one, but — but, damn it, the next two people to board, a white woman and an Asian woman, came in together. Ah, well.

I moved to the airlock controls, and was about to hit the appropriate switch, when I saw that Brian Hades, of all people, was coming down the corridor, his pony tail doubtless bouncing behind him in the low gravity. Was I better off with him inside or outside? I had to make a split-second decision, and I decided I'd have even more clout if he was in. I waited till he'd passed through the door, and then I hit the emergency control that slammed the airlock shut.

The two women had already taken seats — and not together; I guess, although they'd been chatting, they weren't actually friends. Hades was still standing, and he turned in surprise at the sound of the airlock closing.

He turned and looked at me for the first time, his eyes wide. "Sullivan?"

I pulled the piton gun from the small backpack I'd placed on the seat I was standing beside, then cleared my throat in the dry air of the cabin. "Mr. Hades, ladies — please forgive me but…" I paused; there was a stab of pain through the top of my skull. I waited for it to abate a bit.

"Mr. Hades, ladies," I repeated as if my earlier words weren't still hanging in the air, "this is a hijacking."

I'm not sure what reaction I'd expected: screams, shouts? The three of them stared at me blankly.

Finally, Hades said, "You're kidding, right?"

"No," I said. "I'm not."

"You can't hijack a moonbus," said the Asian woman. "There's nowhere to take it."

"I'm not going to take it anywhere," I said. "We're going to stay right here, plugged into High Eden's life-support equipment, until my demands are met." There. It wasn't quite the lunch counter at Woolworth's, but it would do.

"And what are your demands?" asked the white woman.

"Mr. Hades knows — and I'll tell the two of you later. But first, let me say I don't want to hurt anyone; it's they who do the hurting. My goal is for all of us to walk out of here safe and sound."

"Mr. Sullivan, please," said Hades.

" 'Please'?" I sneered. "I said 'please' to you. I asked you. I begged you. And you refused."

"There has to be a better way," said Hades.

"There was. You didn't take it. Now, first things first. Mr. Hades, sit down — up at the front, there, in the first row."

"Or what?" said Hades.

"Or," and here I fought to keep my voice steady, "I will kill you." I held up the piton gun.

"What's that?" asked the Asian woman.

"It's for lunar mountain climbing," I said. "It will shoot a metal spike right through your chest."

Hades considered for a moment, then folded his long body into one of the two front seats. He then swiveled it around to face me.

"Very good," I said. "I've had enough of being spied on. Each of you: turn to the window next to you, and pull the vinyl shade down."

Nobody moved.

"Do it!" I snapped.

First the Asian woman did it, then the white one. Hades made a show of trying to lower his, and then he turned to me and said, "It's stuck."

I wasn't about to lean across him to try it for myself. "You're lying," I said simply.

"Close it."

Hades considered, then tugged theatrically at the blind again until it came down.

"That's better," I said. I pointed to the white woman. "You, get up and pull down all the other shades, please."

" 'Please'?" she said, mocking me mocking Hades. "What you really mean is, do it or I'll kill you."

I wasn't going to argue the point. "I'm Canadian," I said, my hand still holding the gun, but not raising it. "I can't help saying 'please.' "

She was stationary for a moment, then shrugged a little and got up, moving about the cabin, pulling down the rest of the blinds. "Now, close the door to the cockpit, too."