"No," Thorne said. "Never mind now, Arby. We know what we have to do. Let's go, kids!"
James looked up at the apartment and saw the lights being turned off. A few minutes later, Thorne and the kids appeared at the front entrance, on the street level. They got in a Jeep, and drove off. Malcolm went to his own car, climbed in awkwardly, and drove away in the opposite direction.
James considered following Malcolm, but he had something else to do now. He turned on the car ignition, picked up the phone, and dialed.
Field Systems
Half an hour later, when they got back to Thorne's Office, Kelly stared, stunned. Most of the workers were gone, and the shed had been cleaned up. The two trailers and the Explorer stood side by side, freshly painted dark green, and ready to go.
They're finished!"
"I told you they would be," Thorne said. He turned to his chief foreman, Eddie Carr, a stocky young man in his twenties. "Eddie, where are we?"
"Just wrapping up, Doc," Eddie said. "Paint's still wet in a few places, but it should be dry by morning."
"We can't wait until morning. We're moving out now."
"We are?"
Arby and Kelly exchanged glances. This was news to them, too.
Thorne said, "I'll need you to drive one of these, Eddie. We've got to be at the airport by midnight."
"But I thought we were field testing.
"No time for that. We're going right to the location." The front door buzzed. "That'll be Malcolm, probably. He pushed the button to unlock the door.
"You're not going to field test?" Eddie said, with a worried look. "I think you better shake them down, Doc. We made some pretty complex modifications here, and - "
"There's no time," Malcolm said, coming in. "We have to go right away." He turned to Thorne. "I'm very worried about him."
"Eddie!" Thorne said. "Did the exit papers come in?"
"Oh sure, we've had them for the last two weeks,"
"Well, get them, and call Jenkins, tell him to meet us at the airport, and do the details for us. I want to be off the ground in four hours."
"Jeez, Doc - "
"Just do it."
Kelly said, "You're going to Costa Rica?"
"That's right. We've got to get Levine. If it's not too late."
"We're coming with you," Kelly said.
"Right," Arby said. "We are."
"Absolutely not," Thorne said. "It's out of the question."
"But we earned it!"
"Dr. Levine talked to our parents!"
"We already have permission!"
"You have permission," Thorne said severely, "to go on a field test in the woods a hundred miles from here. But we're not doing that. We're going someplace that might be very dangerous, and you're not coming with us, and that's final."
"But - "
"Kids," Thorne said. "Don't piss me off. I'm going to go make a phone call. You get your stuff together. You're going home."
And he turned and walked away.
"Gee," Kelly said.
Arby stuck his tongue out at the departing Thorne and muttered, "What an asshole."
"Get with the program, Arby," Thorne said, not looking back. "You two guys are going home. Period."
He went into his office and slammed the door.
Arby stuck his hands in his pockets. "They couldn't have figured it out without our help."
"I know, Arb," she said. "But we can't make him take us."
They turned to Malcolm. "Dr. Malcolm, can you please - "
"Sorry," Malcolm said. "I can't."
"But - "
"The answer is no, kids. It's just too dangerous."
Dejected, they drifted over to the vehicles, gleaming beneath the ceiling lights. The Explorer with the black photovoltaic panels on the roof and hood, the inside crammed with glowing electronic equipment. Just looking at the Explorer gave them a sense of adventure - an adventure they would not be part of.
Arby peered into the larger trailer, cupping his eyes over the window. "Wow, look at this!"
"I'm going in," Kelly said, and she opened the door. She was momentarily surprised at how solid and heavy it was. Then she climbed up the steps into the trailer.
Inside, the trailer was fitted out with gray upholstery and much more electronic equipment. It was divided into sections, for different laboratory functions. The main area was a biological lab, with specimen trays, dissecting pans, and microscopes that connected to video monitors. The lab also included biochemistry equipment, spectrometers, and a series of automated sample-analyzers. Next to it there was an extensive computer section, a bank of processors, and a communications section. All the lab equipment was miniaturized, and built into small tables that slid into the walls, and then bolted down.
"This is cool," Arby said.
Kelly didn't answer. She was looking closely at the lab. Dr. Levine had designed this trailer, apparently with a very specific purpose. There was no provision for geology, or botany, or chemistry, or lots of other things that a field team might be expected to study. It wasn't a general scientific lab at all. There really seemed to be just a biology unit, and a large computer unit.
Biology, and computers.
Period.