That’s why we didn’t go up to the base, Carrie thought. She followed Matt down to a shallower area of the island’s waterline, where Sarbin had beached himself. Matt sat down next to the Aquatile, and Carrie settled down on the other side. Matt made a couple of adjustments to the pad, and a cutaway image of the Leviathan Varis appeared among them, her internal organs clearly visible, along with the outline of the unborn child she bore.
“Damn,” Carrie said as she leaned forward to examine the Leviathan’s insides more closely. “I’ve stayed in hotel rooms smaller than Varis’s heart.”
Matt said, “As large as she is, you’ve seen how her seizures affect her.”
“And what causes them?”
Sarbin said, “The Leviathans believe they become ill because they’re sinful.”
“What do you believe?”
“Aquatiles don’t believe in sin.”
Matt said, “The Leviathans do, though, and they banish from the open ocean those who become ill. They make them come to these motile islands and follow them around awhile. Usually they get well within a few days.”
“Which makes it seem as if the banishment actually works.”
“And which is reinforced by the fact that sometimes they get sick again once they go back to their families.”
Carrie said, “But Varis hasn’t gotten better yet.”
“Not quickly enough. We suspect the pregnancy is the problem.”
“How close is she to delivering?”
“She’s about sixteen months along—so about another three months.”
“Damn,” Carrie said. “That makes my belly hurt just thinking about it.”
Matt said, “We’re not sure how to treat Varis herself—it’s been difficult analyzing what’s wrong with such a large being. But doctors and scientists here at the base have come up with tech they believe can protect the child from further infection, and strengthen her against Mom’s seizures.”
Carrie ran a hand through her dark hair, which was nearly dry. “So I’m the delivery system.”
Matt pointed within the holo to the unborn child’s position deep within Varis. “We don’t know enough about Leviathan physiology to design a self-propelled delivery system.”
“I read up on them as much as I could on the way here,” Carrie said. “I understand the difficulties. How will we even be able to see while we’re traveling inside her veins?”
“You’ll be wearing goggles that combine infrared imaging technology and sonography. Some things might be a little blurry or indistinct, but you’ll be able to see where you are and where you’re going—especially given your enhanced eyesight and echolocation abilities.”
“But how wide will a needle have to be to inject me?”
Matt grinned mischievously. “That’s been its own technical problem. But we think we have a solution.”
That solution started with Matt leading Carrie into his submersible shuttle, lifting off, and heading out just far enough over the ocean to settle into its waters just beyond the spot where Varis floated. Even from within the submersible’s small cabin, the Leviathan’s size was intimidating. Although, Carrie thought, the bigger the better if I’m taking a trip inside there. She told Matt, “When the Unity recruited me for this mission, the briefer told me I’d be taking a fantastic voyage. I thought that meant some kind of ocean trip.”
“At least you won’t be alone. Sarbin’s going in with you.” Matt turned and peered into the cargo bay behind them, which was filling up with water.
“With all respect to Sarbin, why?”
“Varis doesn’t trust Humans. She’s sentient, but she believes the superstitions about sin causing her illness. Sarbin, being a native and a fellow aquatic being, is the one who’s tried to convince her otherwise.”
“Except you don’t have a good explanation.”
“Which doesn’t help our credibility much. But we can’t wait for research breakthroughs here. Varis’s child will die unless we can protect it against whatever is making his mother sick.”
Carrie said, “Having a Human—an alien lifeform—crawling around inside your own body has to be a frightening proposition.”
“Which is why Sarbin will be there to reassure Varis that everything’s fine as you get this job done.”
Carrie stared upward at the dark mass of the Leviathan. “Let’s hope everything really is fine.”
“The Unity asked for you because of your abilities in a liquid environment—plus you have plenty of endurance, and you’ve shown that you keep your head in a tough situation.”
Carrie turned back toward Matt. “That sounds like you’re quoting from my file.”
Matt looked away from the submersible’s controls just long enough to glance back at her. “Well—I did read it.”
“You’re worried about Sarbin.”
Matt’s kept his gaze forward. “He’s my friend. I never expected I’d become this close to someone who can’t even live on land. I’ve saved his life at least once. And he’s risked his for me.”
Carrie returned to the co-pilot’s position. “I know what it’s like to lose someone close to you. I’ll take good care of him.”
Matt’s expression hardened. “If you don’t mind—who was it you lost?”
“My sister. Adriana. A man named Malcolm Vicari hurt her badly. She died a few weeks ago.”
“Oh.” Matt’s eyes seemed to lose focus, and it was a moment before he said, “I’m sorry.”
“Being here, working, is the best thing for me. Like I said, I’ll take good care of Sarbin. More likely, he’ll take good care of me.”
“Thank you for being here, then. One more thing…”
“What is it?”
“Something I have to tell you before we allow Varis in on our datalink transmissions. Even Sarbin isn’t hearing this. It’s about what I might have to do if the two of you get into trouble while you’re inside Varis.”
“What you might have to do?”
Matt shook his head. “I’m a deeply spiritual man. The idea of killing anyone is disgusting to me. But my orders from the Unity say that if Varis gets worse—if the seizures grow worse enough that it’s clear she’s dying, and you’re in trouble, I’m to use the submersible’s disruptors to cut you out of there.”
“Me? What about Sarbin?”
“I don’t have any orders regarding him. But I consider his life as important as yours.”
“As you should,” Carrie said. “But I wouldn’t want you killing Varis and her child to save me.”
“I don’t claim to know how anyone might choose to face death. I can’t even say how far my faith could take me if I were in there and in danger. But my orders are independent of your wishes… or… Sarbin’s.”
He was about to say, “even” Sarbin’s, Carrie thought. She said, “Then I guess Sarbin and I will just have to make sure Varis and her child live.”
Carrie stood at the entrance to the cargo bay as Matt continued holding the submersible steady, just behind and beneath Varis. She touched her left middle finger into her palm and her lifesuit tech activated, at a lower level than the usual spacesuit function. It covered her entire body and provided her with a bubble helmet.
Sarbin was in the water-filled cargo bay now. He wore a tight-fitting Aquatile variation on her lifesuit. “Varis is still nervous about this,” he said. “She’s decided to speak only to me.”
“Is she only listening to you, as well?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s good to know. You’ve got the medical pouch?”
Sarbin flipped over, faster than Carrie suspected would have been possible for someone of his bulk. “Strapped right to my belly,” he said. The pouch also contained some simple medical instruments in case either she or Sarbin had to perform an incision or seal up a wound.