When they arrived at Room 3-G, Ponter was standing up, looking out the window, his broad back to them. He was wavingand Reuben realized that TV cameras must be trained up at his window. A cooperative celebrity, thought Reuben. The media are going to love this guy.
Reuben coughed politely, and Ponter turned around. He was backlit by the window and still hard to make out. But as he stepped forward, the doctor enjoyed watching Marys jaw drop when she got her first good look at the Neanderthal. Shed briefly seen Ponter on TV, shed said, but that seemingly hadnt prepared her for the reality.
So much for Carleton Coon, Mary said, after apparently recovering her wits.
Say what? said Reuben sharply.
Mary looked puzzled, then flustered. Oh, my, no. Carleton Coon. He was an American anthropologist. Hes the guy who said if you dressed a Neanderthal up in a Brooks Brothers suit, hed have no trouble passing for a regular human.
Reuben nodded. Ah, he said. Then: Professor Mary Vaughan, Id like you to meet Ponter.
Hello, said the female voice from Ponters implant.
Reuben saw Marys eyes go wide. Yes, he said, nodding. That thing on his wrist is talking.
What is it? asked Mary. A talking watch?
Much more.
Mary leaned in for a look. I dont recognize those numerals, if thats what they are, she said. Andsayarent they changing too fast for seconds?
Youve got a good eye, said Reuben. Yeah, they are. The display uses ten distinct numerals, although none of them look like any Ive ever seen. And I timed it: it increments every 0.86 seconds, which, if you work it out, is exactly one one-hundred-thousandth of a day. In other words, its a decimal-counting Earth-based time display. And, as you can see, its a very sophisticated device. Thats not an LCD; I dont know what it is, but its readable no matter what angle you look at it or how much light is falling on it.
My name is Hak, said the implant on the strange mans left wrist. I am Ponters Companion.
Ah, said Mary, straightening up. Um, glad to know you.
Ponter made a series of deep sounds that Mary couldnt understand. Hak said, Ponter is glad to know you, too.
We spent the morning having a language lesson, said Reuben, looking now at Mary. As you can see, weve made some real progress.
Apparently, said Mary, astonished.
Hak, Ponter, said Reuben. This is Gillian.
Hello, said Hak. Ponter nodded in agreement.
Hello, said Gillian, trying, Reuben thought, to remain composed.
Hak iswell, I guess computer is the right term. A talking, portable computer. Reuben smiled. Beats all hell out of my Palm Pilot.
Doesdoes anyone make a device like that? asked Gillian.
Not as far as I know, said Reuben. But sheHakhas an apparently perfect memory. Tell her a word once, and shes got it for good.
And this man, this Ponter, he really doesnt speak English? asked Mary.
No, said Reuben.
Incredible, said Mary. Incredible.
Ponters implant bleeped.
Incredible, repeated Reuben, turning to Ponter. It means not believableanother bleepnot true. He faced Mary again. We worked out the concepts of true and false using some simple math, but, as you can see, weve still got a ways to go. For one thing, although it clearly seems easier for Hak, with her perfect memory, to learn English, than for us to learn her language, neither she nor Ponter can make the ee sound, and
Really? said Mary. She looked quite earnest, Reuben thought. He nodded.
Your name is Mare, said Hak, demonstrating the point. Her name is Gillian.
Thatsthats amazing, said Mary.
Is it? said Reuben. Why?
Mary took a deep breath. Theres been a lot of debate over the years about whether Neanderthals could speak, and, if they could, what range of sounds they could have made.
And? said Reuben.
Some linguists think they couldnt have made the ee phoneme, because their mouths would have been much longer than ours.
So he is a Neanderthal! declared Reuben.
Mary took another breath, then let it slowly out. Well, thats what Im here to find out, isnt it? She set down the small bag shed been carrying and opened it up. She then pulled out a pair of latex gloves and snapped them on. Next, she removed a plastic jar full of cotton swabs and extracted one.
I need you to get him to open his mouth, said Mary.
Reuben nodded. That ones easy. He turned to Ponter. Ponter, open mouth.
There was a seconds lagHak, Reuben had learned, could convey the translation to Ponter without the others hearing it. Ponter rolled his continuous blond eyebrow up his browridgequite a startling sightas if surprised by the request, but did as he was asked.
Reuben was astonished. Hed had a friend in high school who could stuff his own fist all the way into his mouth. But Ponters mouth went back so far and was so capacious, he probably could have stuffed in not just his fist but a third of his forearm as well.
Mary moved in tentatively and reached her swab into Ponters mouth, swiping it across the inside of his long, angled cheek. Cells in the mouth slough off easily, she said, by way of explanation, apparently noting Gillians quizzical expression. Its the simplest way to take a DNA specimen. She pulled out the swab, immediately transferred it to a sterile container, sealed, then labeled the container, and said, Okay, thats all I need.
Reuben smiled at Gillian, then at Mary. Great, he said. When will we know for sure?
Well, Ive got to get back to Toronto, and
Of course, if you want, said Reuben, but, well, I called a friend of mine in Laurentians Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Laurentians a tiny university, but theyve got a great lab that does contract DNA forensics work for the RCMP and the OPP. You could do your work there.
Inco will certainly put you up at the Ramada, added Gillian.
Mary was clearly taken aback. I But then she seemed to reconsider. Sure, she said. Sure, why not?
Chapter 16
Now that Jasmel had agreed to speak on Adikors behalf, the next step should have been for him to take her out to the Rim and show her the scene of the so-called crime. But Adikor begged Jasmels indulgence for a daytenth or so, saying there was one more errand he had to run here in the Center.
Ponter, of course, had had Klast as his woman-mate; Adikor remembered her fondly, and had been very sad when shed died. But Adikor had a woman of his own, and she, wonderfully, was still very much alive. Adikor had known the lovely Lurt Fradlo as long as hed known Ponter, and he and Lurt had one son, Dab, a 148. Still, despite knowing her that long, Adikor had only occasionally been to Lurts chemistry lab; after all, when Two became One, it was a holiday and nobody went to work. Fortunately, his Companion knew the way, and it directed him there.
Lurts lab was made entirely of stone; although there was only a small chance of an explosion in any chemistry lab, safety dictated making the structure out of something that could contain blasts and fires.
The front door to the lab building was open. Adikor walked in.
Healthy day, said a woman, doing, Adikor thought, an admirable job of hiding her surprise at seeing a man here at this time of month.
Healthy day, replied Adikor. Im looking for Lurt Fradlo,
Shes down that hall.
Adikor smiled and headed along the corridor. Healthy day, he called, as he stuck his head in the door to Lurts lab.