Chapter 18

Dr. Ronald Scott found Dr. Susan Rowe where he expected to, at work on her microscope. Working side by side with her was Dr. Cindy Townsend.

Susan didn't notice his presence because of her intense concentration. The look upon Cindy's face was no less dedicated.

"See, there where the cell wall is distorted. It has the same characteristic signature." Cindy said to Susan.

"Yes, I see. You say it is consistent throughout all the test groups?" Susan asked.

"Yup. We have our keyhole. Now all we need to do is make a key." Cindy said.

"Twer that it were that simple. But it certainly is a major breakthrough. What about similar structures?" Susan asked.

"I've looked long and hard. I wouldn't want to go turning off cells in the pancreas or Brokaw's area in the brain because they happened to have similar distortions." Cindy replied.

"Wise child that you have become. We've been running searches for such tagends. So far negative. It's certainly not conclusive, but certainly very hopeful." Susan said.

"It certainly is. We know the caliber of our magic bullet." Cindy replied.

"Yes, but not the muzzle velocity, trajectory or what it's made of." Susan replied.

"How's the signature recognition automatic microscope coming? That should speed up the search dramatically." Cindy asked.

"Almost completed. Pam's riding herd on the software group. That should speed things up a bit ... Ron! I didn't hear you come in. I'm sorry. It's really good to see you again, it's been way too long." Susan said, rising and reaching for him.

They embraced warmly. Susan lifting her lips to be kissed. He didn't disappoint her. Cindy was next in line.

"Seems like we're all busy little beavers nowadays." he chuckled.

"Yeah, you heard?" Susan said, indicating her microscope.

"Only that Cindy's has made some kind of breakthrough. Seems to be the day for it." he said.

"Oh?" Susan asked.

"Brought you a little something." Ron said, removing a gift wrapped package from the pocket of his lab coat and handing it to Susan.

"A present?" Susan asked.

"Open it." he said.

"Not that I need to, except as a formality. Now that inverse square has diminished I can feel it. You've have made a breakthrough!" Susan said, excitedly opening the package.

"Better you than me. The thing gives me the creeps. Keeps making me try to think like a woman." Ron said, shuddering involuntarily.

Susan opened a velvet Jewel case. Inside, an ovoid of sparkling clear crystal with a speck of sapphire blue at it's heart. The sapphire sparkled at Susan's first touch.

"It's alive!" Susan gasped.

"Should be charged to first level, just borderline at the limit of it's capacity. Barbara couldn't wait. She wouldn't listen to my fears about her becoming a miniature neutron star." Ron said, not amused.

"Going to have to have a talk with that girl. She's too important to us all to take stupid risks like that." Susan said, sternly.

'Don't be too hard on her. She said it called to her. That it was unbiased and hungry. She was afraid it would pick up an undesired bias if she didn't set it right away." Ron said.

Susan lifted the crystal out of it's case by it's platinum chain. She turned suddenly and draped the chain around Cindy's neck. Cindy gasped.

"It's like ... a friend." Cindy said, warmly, lightly fingering the crystal.

"Full properties?" Susan asked Ron.

"Not yet. But close. I wouldn't let the defense department get a hold of it. Nor any terrorist groups ... although that might not be a bad idea. It would probably vaporize them just for practice." Ron said.

"It's capacity?" Cindy asked.

"On the order of six gigawatts. Perhaps one times ten to the twelfth Joules for a half nanosecond peak." Ron said, uncomfortably.

Cindy looked up startled.

"I can see what you mean about a miniature neutron star! How stable is it?" she asked.

"Fairly so or I wouldn't expose you lovelies to it. You could probably shoot it out of a cannon or use it to drill holes in diamonds if you could find one that large. we had to vacuum cement the tang for the chain. Seems to like platinum. But it's not an Ionic bond. I'm not sure what's holding it on." Ron replied, thoughtfully.

"So how long is the production process?" Susan asked.

"That little bauble took seven months to cook. I think that little brownout we had three months ago was when it reached equilibrium. Smoked half the equipment in my lab and left three NMR machines inert. Sucked their super-conducting magnets dry. It was a hungry little puppy. Might still be, but I wouldn't try for second level. I kind of like this portion of the world. " Ron replied.

"Can I try it out, Susan? I have a patient who's not going to make it very much longer. She's not responding to Chemo or radiation. I'm just sick with worry about her." Cindy asked, almost pleading.

"How's your staff?" Susan asked.

"Most all Sisterhood, but it's hard to keep them. They keep wanting to go on to become doctors themselves." Cindy replied.

"Alright. Full cleansing of the patient and attendants. Better do a closed session around hydrotherapy. How long ago was this set, Ron?" Susan asked.

"Night before last." Ron replied.

"Okay, you'll have to treat it like a first order induction. There won't be any guarantee's that the crystal will accept your patient. But it's worth a try if she's really terminal otherwise." Susan said.

"Yes, she is. I don't expect her to make it through the week otherwise." Cindy said, sadly.

"You realize that the shock may take her out anyway if she's that weak?" Susan asked.

"Yes, of course. I'm not after experimentation on a patient. You know me better than that. If I thought there was any hope at all I wouldn't ask." Cindy said.

"Alright. Make certain that everyone is cleansed and monitor for isolation. Wouldn't do to have some orderly find you stuffing a crystal up a patients vagina. What's the patients age?" Susan asked.

"Thirty-four, with three kids, ages five to eleven." Cindy said, visibly affected.

"I concur then. You need help setting it up?" Susan asked, softly.

"No, I can handle it. I want to get started right away though." Cindy said.

"I agree, better get moving." Susan said.

Cindy nodded. She quickly hugged and kissed the two of them and departed to make preparations.

"Any chance I can take you to dinner?" Ron asked.

"Yes love. I'd like that. It's the least I can do. You may have just saved a life." Susan said, softly.

Five days later Gale found Cindy sitting in an ICU control room. Staring at some monitors. She looked bedraggled and sunken. Tired.

"How's she doing?" Gale asked, softly.

"She's going to make it. It's a flipping miracle. She's in remission. There's going to be three young kids who are going to get their mom back." Cindy said, tears in her eyes.

"Good, then there's no excuse for you to sit up with her another night. Susan sent me to take you home. I have a good dinner in the oven set on a timer. I am to bathe you, feed you and take you to bed. If I get any arguments I am to use whatever tools I have available to me to forcibly restrain you and put you to bed." Gale said, taking Cindy's hand.

"I should monitor the remission." Cindy objected.

"Brigette should be here in a moment to fill in for you. You know she's quite capable. You can -and I don't doubt you will- monitor anything you want from the comfort of your own bed. But I will not tolerate you not sleeping. You may not need as much sleep as the rest of the planet. But everybody needs some. You've been here four days and quite frankly you stink. So come on and do the nurses a favor." Gale said.

"As soon as Brigette gets here." Cindy said, smiling half-way. It was all the energy she had left.

"Alright. I'll wait just that long. I am fully prepared to carry you out if need be. There are three different doctors who volunteered on my way in here to give you heavy sedatives if I couldn't handle you. I'm tempted to let them, but I don't need to because Jane is at my call if I need, and you know what that means." Gale chuckled.

"That won't be necessary. Here comes Brigette." Cindy said.

A moment later Brigette walked in. Gale tolerated it just long enough to let Cindy relate what she wanted monitoring. When Brigette said she got the point, Gale began pulling Cindy by the hand.

She got her home, bathed and half-way through dinner. Cindy nodding off with her fork in her hand. Gale gently picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. She removed their robes and crawled in with her. Holding her tenderly in her arms as she slept. Thinking of all the times Cindy had done that to her when she hadn't needed half the sleep Gale herself had. She kissed her softly on the forehead.