CHAPTER 21
“What’s the buzz in the galley?” Matthew asked as Penny backed into the cabin carrying two plates of some kind of stir-fry. He had already poured shots of scotch into paper cups, though his own was still untouched.
“Ripler,” was all she said at first. Then when she saw his face, “No, he’s not there but he might as well be. His meltdown’s got everyone going. I could never understand it, really, but he’s always had this way of influencing people. And lately, he’s been almost messianic.”
“He’s not the only one.”
“If you mean a few more people are turning fey almost every day, no, he’s not.” She picked up her scotch and drank it straight down. “I swear by this. Keeps me immune.”
She splashed another shot into her cup, seemingly untouched by the day’s events.
He looked at the bottle. “About gone.”
“I’ve got another.”
He glanced at her.
“Not interested in your opinion, Matthew.”
“Well, I’m interested in yours. What’s happening to people here?”
She grew silent and seemed to be looking somewhere else. “It’s reminiscent of the effect of psychotropic drugs, particularly hallucinogens. Euphoria and obsessive wonder, at least for a while. Ripler seems the worst. Manic, almost apocalyptic.”
“But I doubt if somebody is spiking the coffee.”
“And unlikely to be accidental, like ergot poisoning.” She took a few bites of the stir-fry and, without looking up, said, “Some of the behavior is highly reminiscent of religious hysteria. I have no idea why this would happen here, but something is touching people, and for some, touching them deeply.”
“Except you.”
She gave him a weary smile. “Not much gets to me. Hey…are you all right?”
Like beads from an endless string, he fell through soundless space, past time and light, past all thought and understanding, fell one by countless one into a single instant with no beginning or boundary…
He drifted…
“Maaaathew? Heeeyyy!”
The bed came up as if catching him, and he clutched the sheet like a lifeline. Penny was leaning over him. Her face, finally coming into focus, showed fear.
“Matthew?”
“How did I get back?…”
“Don’t you ever do that again!” she said, and let out a deep breath.
“How long?…”
“A few minutes.” She reached for the bottle. “Any more and—listen, I don’t want you wheeled away strapped to a gurney, okay?” She brought the drink close to his mouth.
“Smells like violets,” he said.
“Drink it!”
He took the paper cup with both hands, swallowed a sip and savored the taste. “I don’t know, but just for a moment there, it did smell like violets. Really.”
He had never seen her flustered like this.
“Penny, I’m okay. I don’t know what happened, but I’m fine now.”
“All right, all right,” she said, “but it’s creepy enough around here as it is.” She looked at his plate. “Maybe you should eat, the meeting’s in ten minutes.”
He was hungry, and dove into the mounds of vegetables and rice, happy that he had an excuse to eat fast.
“Slow down!” she almost yelled. “Remember Emory?”
He slowed down, but not by much. In between mouthfuls, he asked her what had happened. She kept a steady eye on him.
“You just zeroed out. You wouldn’t answer me, you were just staring off into empty space. Then you fell back on the bed.”
“Glazed over?”
“No, you looked peaceful, although…I had a sudden feeling you would never come back.” She gave him a gentle shove. “I’m not through with you yet.”
“What?”
“Kidding.”
Her plate was empty. He had no memory of her eating anything.
“Did you eat when I was unconscious?”
“Of course not.”
“But…”
“Are you sure you’re back?”
“Yes, and I didn’t do it on purpose, you know.”
“Just get a grip. We need you.”
“And what about you?”
“I’ve had enough talk,” she said and flung her arms around his neck.
“Don’t we only have a few minutes?”
“Yes, so let’s use them.”
She fell over him on the bed, and every part of her was like a puzzle finding the one place in him that fit perfectly. Her hair washed over his face like a balmy breeze, and a memory came back, then slipped away, not lasting long enough to be forgotten.