“It’s fascinating,” said Felicia as she stared at the holographic image of planet Beta’s bleak landscape.
Felicia and Ursula Steiner were sitting side by side on a pair of the cramped laboratory’s padded stools as they intently watched the 3-D imagery of one of the cats limping across the bare, stony ground.
“It looks emaciated,” Steiner said.
“It’s dying,” said Felicia.
“Starving,” Steiner murmured.
“They’re all dying,” said Felicia. “All across the planet.”
“It is fascinating,” said Steiner, staring at the dying cat limping across the barren landscape. “The cats that went to Gamma all died within a few days of landing there, while the few who remained on Beta have survived all this time.”
“But now they’re dying,” Felicia pointed out.
Steiner called, “Emcee, how many of the cats are still active?”
“Sixteen,” replied the master computer’s voice.
“Across the entire planet?”
Emcee answered flatly, “The satellite sensors have detected sixteen of the animals still active. They all appear to be dying.”
“Starving to death,” said Felicia.
Clenching her fists, Steiner insisted, “We must acquire a few of those carcasses for examination, before they completely decompose.”
“Will Professor Kosoff allow a flight to Beta?” Felicia asked.
“He must! He’s got to!”
* * *
Kosoff wasn’t surprised by Steiner’s request.
“Pick up a few of the dead cats?” he asked as he sat behind his desk.
Steiner and Felicia were still in the bio lab on Gamma’s surface.
“Yes!” Steiner replied eagerly. “We’ve got to examine them before they completely decompose.”
Drumming his fingers on his desktop, Kosoff said, “Ursula, a mission to Beta won’t be as easy as hopping down from orbit up here to Gamma. Beta’s receding from our location, moving away farther each day.”
Felicia asked, “But it’s still within reach of a shuttlecraft, isn’t it?”
Kosoff asked, “Emcee, can one of our shuttles reach Beta?”
“Yes,” replied the computer’s voice, “although it will only be able to carry a fraction of its usual payload of cargo.”
“All we need is two or three of the dead cats,” Steiner urged.
Kosoff nodded. “Let me get approval from Earth.”
“We mustn’t lose any time!” Steiner pleaded. “Their dead bodies are decomposing rapidly!”
“I’ll order a shuttle outfitted for the mission. My call to Earth will be strictly pro forma.”
“But what if they say no?”
“They won’t. Trust me.”
* * *
Three weeks later, Brad returned from the Gammans’ village to find that Felicia was not at their quarters. Again. It was late, fully night, and he had been looking forward to a quiet supper with his wife.
She’s spending more time in her lab with Steiner than she is with me, he thought sourly. Then he immediately felt guilty. She’s busy examining the cats that have been brought back from Beta. She’s excited about her work. I guess I would be, too, if I were a biologist.
Still, he didn’t know if he should break out a prepackaged dinner and eat alone or wait for Felicia to return from her lab.
Neither, he decided. He left their quarters and walked through the darkness to the biology lab.
No one was in the lab. The main room was brightly lit, workbenches and equipment lining the floor. But Felicia wasn’t anywhere in sight. Then Brad saw there was a door on the far side of the room. She must be in there, he reasoned as he crossed the room.
A handwritten sign stuck to the door read, NO ADMITTANCE. DISSECTION IN PROGRESS.
That can’t mean me, Brad told himself as he opened the door.
The stench made his knees buckle. The reek of rotting flesh. Trying to keep from gagging, Brad saw that Felicia and Steiner were bent over the body of one of the cats, stretched out on the dissection table. Both women were in protective bio suits, wearing breathing masks and goggles.
Felicia looked up as Brad staggered into the lab, holding a hand over his face.
“Can’t you read?” Steiner snarled, without turning to see who had entered the room.
Felicia pointed to the closet on the far wall and said, “Get into a breathing mask and bio suit if you intend to remain in here!”
Steiner glanced over her shoulder at him, clearly annoyed.
Brad crossed the laboratory and pulled on a breathing mask. The oxygen felt cold and good. Then he struggled into one of the protective suits hanging in the closet. It was a bit small for him, sleeves and leggings ending several centimeters short. It felt snug as Brad slapped its fasteners over his chest.
“Goggles too,” Felicia called, still standing at the dissection table.
“And sterile gloves,” Steiner added.
At last Brad was adequately protected, although he knew that any alien pathogens would hardly attack human tissue. But rules are rules, he said to himself as he walked to the table where the two women were bent over their grisly work.
“Making progress?” he asked.
“Yes,” Steiner replied tersely.
Felicia looked up at him. “You’re right, Brad. These animals are nothing more than killing machines. They’re designed to breed, to attack the Gammans, and then to die.”
“After they produce a new generation,” Steiner added.
“And all aimed at killing the Gammans,” said Brad.
Steiner nodded. “It appears that way.”