‘What’s a Tuan creeper doing here?’
‘That thing was a Tuan creeper?’ asked Krath. ‘Are they savage?’
‘I didn’t mean whatever was moving through the tree tops,’ I said. ‘I just noticed an unusual plant. It doesn’t matter.’
We continued through the trees in silence for a few minutes, before Playdon checked his hand sensor and spoke again. ‘We’re nearly there. I don’t know how Joth managed to make it this far from the dome, especially if he came the direct route through the forest, but it looks like he’s been perfectly still since Jarra and Fian located him.’
I didn’t like the sound of that, but I reassured myself that the sensors would have warned us if Joth was dead. A moment later, I saw a limp figure propped against the trunk of a Griffith hybrid. We dropped down to the ground beside him, and I saw he was unconscious, with an angry red rash on his hands and face, and one arm dripping blood from a long gash.
I heard Playdon report back to Dig Site Command on a private channel, before taking out a medical kit and giving Joth a couple of shots. ‘Hospital Earth Africa Casualty said we should give him some broad spectrum treatments.’
‘Why is he unconscious?’ asked Dalmora.
Playdon set up the hover stretcher next to Joth. ‘My hand sensor is showing lots of anomalies on his body readings. His temperature is too high and his pulse too fast, so I think he’s ill.’
I watched anxiously as Playdon and Fian carefully lifted Joth on to a stretcher. I couldn’t remember ever seeing anyone as ill as this. People had accidents of course, but they didn’t get ill.
Just as we fitted the cover over the hover stretcher, it started to rain, the water suddenly pouring down in torrents that forced their way through the tree canopy overhead. It was a long, slow struggle to get the hover stretcher through the trees to our sled, and then we had to drive back to the dome. I sighed with relief when we finally sent Joth through the portal to hospital. He would be all right now.
16
Joth died thirty-one hours after he reached Hospital Earth Africa Isolation and Disease Control. The cause of death was given as malaria variation 2789 Beta.
Lecturer Playdon came into the hall just after we’d finished eating dinner and told us what had happened. I sat there in stunned disbelief. I’d been so happy thinking I’d helped save Joth, when I hadn’t saved him at all. I’d thought he’d be back with the class in a few days time, but we’d never see him again. I felt physically sick.
‘University Asgard is sending us a grief counsellor,’ said Playdon. ‘He’ll be using my room as his office between nine in the morning and seven in the evening every day and you can talk to him whenever you wish. I am, of course, available as well.’
Given my history with psychologists, I certainly wasn’t going anywhere near a grief counsellor. There was no point anyway. Nothing was going to bring Joth back.
‘As with any sudden death,’ continued Playdon, ‘I’m afraid there has to be a formal investigation. Given our special circumstances here, a Dig Site Federation Accident Specialist is working with an Earth Investigating Officer. I’ve just been giving them details of what happened, Petra is with them now, and they may wish to talk to some of the rest of you over the next few days.’
I hadn’t noticed Petra was missing, hadn’t even thought about her until Playdon mentioned her name. Chaos, when I thought how she must be feeling …
Playdon’s voice had a tired, depressed edge to it now. ‘Work on the dig site is suspended until we receive clearance from the Dig Site Federation to continue. We’ll focus on lectures until then. I hope you’ll all do your best to support each other through this difficult time, and if I can help in any way then just let me know.’
He stood there waiting for a moment, but no one broke the shocked silence, so he went to sit on his usual chair in the corner of the hall. Only my friends from team 1 were sitting at the table with me, but I still instinctively stared down at my tray on the table, with its empty glass and plate of crumbs, trying to hide my face and emotions. Joth had only been 18. He should have married one day, had kids, lived to celebrate his hundredth, but he was dead.
‘Why did Joth do it?’ Dalmora’s voice softly mourned. ‘Why did he go out there? He surely didn’t want this to happen.’
‘He’d just had an argument with Petra,’ said Fian. ‘I’ve a bad feeling I was involved.’
I looked up at him, startled, and saw him tugging at his long hair with both hands. ‘You? Why?’