Connie Willis - Dooms Day Book

Mr. Dunworthy opened the door to the laboratory and his spectacles promptly steamed up.

Am I too late? he said, yanking them off and squinting at Mary.

Shut the door, she said. I cant hear you over the sound of those ghastly carols.

Dunworthy closed the door, but it didnt completely shut out the sound of O, Come All Ye Faithful wafting in from the quad. Am I too late? he said again.

Mary shook her head. All youve missed is Gilchrists speech. She leaned back in her chair to let Dunworthy squeeze past her into the narrow observation area. She had taken off her coat and wool hat and set them on the only other chair, along with a large shopping bag full of parcels. Her gray hair was in disarray, as if she had tried to fluff it up after taking her hat off. A very long speech about Mediaevals maiden voyage in time, she said, and the college of Brasenose taking its rightful place as the jewel in historys crown. Is it still raining?

Yes, he said, wiping his spectacles on his muffler. He hooked the wire rims over his ears and went up to the thin-glass partition to look at the net. In the center of the laboratory was a smashed-up wagon surrounded by overturned trunks and wooden boxes. Above them hung the protective shields of the net, draped like a gauzy parachute.

Kivrins tutor Latimer, looking older and more infirm than usual, was standing next to one of the trunks. Montoya was standing over by the console wearing jeans and a terrorist jacket and looking impatiently at the digital on her wrist. Badri was sitting in front of the console, typing something in and frowning at the display screens.

Wheres Kivrin? Dunworthy said.

I havent seen her, Mary said. Do come and sit down. The drop isnt scheduled till noon, and I doubt very much that theyll get her off by then. Particularly if Gilchrist makes another speech.

She draped her coat over the back of her own chair and set the shopping bag full of parcels on the floor by her feet. I do hope this doesnt go all day. I must pick up my great-nephew Colin at the Underground station at three. Hes coming in on the tube.

She rummaged in her shopping bag. My niece Dierdre is off to Kent for the holidays and asked me to look after him. I do hope it doesnt rain the entire time hes here, she said, still rummaging. Hes twelve, a nice boy, very bright, though he has the most wretched vocabulary. Everything is either necrotic or apocalyptic. And Dierdre allows him entirely too many sweets.

She continued to dig through the contents of the shopping bag. I got this for him for Christmas. She hauled up a narrow red and green-striped box. Id hoped to get the rest of my shopping done before I came here, but it was pouring rain, and I can only tolerate that ghastly digital carillon music on the High Street for brief intervals.

She opened the box and folded back the tissue. Ive no idea what thirteen-year-old boys are wearing these days, but mufflers are timeless, dont you think, James? James?

He turned from where had been staring blindly at the display screens. What?

I said, mufflers are always an appropriate Christmas gift for boys, dont you think?

He looked at the muffler she was holding up for his inspection. It was of dark gray plaid wool. He would not have been caught dead in it when he was a boy, and that had been fifty years ago. Yes, he said, and turned back to the thin-glass.

What is it, James? Is something wrong?

Latimer picked up a small brass-bound casket, and then looked vaguely around, as if he had forgotten what he intended to do with it. Montoya glanced impatiently at her digital.

Wheres Gilchrist? Dunworthy said.

He went through there, Mary said, pointing at a door on the far side of the net. He orated on Mediaevals place in history, talked to Kivrin for a bit, the tech ran some tests, and then Gilchrist and Kivrin went through that door. I assume hes still in there with her, getting her ready.

Getting her ready, Dunworthy muttered.

James, do come and sit down, and tell me whats wrong, she said, jamming the muffler back in its box and stuffing it into the shopping bag, and where youve been. I expected you to be here when I arrived. After all, Kivrins your favorite pupil.

I was trying to reach the Head of the History Faculty, Dunworthy said, looking at the display screens.

Basingame? I thought he was off somewhere on Christmas vac.

He is, and Gilchrist maneuvered to be appointed Acting Head in his absence so he could get the Middle Ages opened to time travel. He rescinded the blanket ranking of ten and arbitrarily assigned rankings to each century. Do you know what he assigned the 1300s? A six. A six! If Basingame had been here, hed never have allowed it. But the mans nowhere to be found. He looked hopefully at Mary. You dont know where he is, do you?

No, she said. Somewhere in Scotland, I think.

Somewhere in Scotland, he said bitterly. And meanwhile, Gilchrist is sending Kivrin into a century which is clearly a ten, a century which had scrofula and the plague and burned Joan of Arc at the stake.

He looked at Badri, who was speaking into the consoles ear now. You said Badri ran tests. What were they? A coordinates check? A field projection?

I dont know. She waved vaguely at the screens, with their constantly changing matrices and columns of figures. Im only a doctor, not a net technician. I thought I recognized the technician. Hes from Balliol, isnt he?

Dunworthy nodded. Hes the best tech Balliol has, he said, watching Badri, who was tapping the consoles keys one at a time, his eyes on the changing readouts. All of New Colleges techs were gone for the vac. Gilchrist was planning to use a first-year apprentice whod never run a manned drop. A first year apprentice for a remote! I talked him into using Badri. If I cant stop this drop, at least I can see that its run by a competent tech.

Badri frowned at the screen, pulled a meter out of his pocket, and started toward the wagon.

Badri! Dunworthy called.

Badri gave no indication hed heard. He walked around the perimeter of the boxes and trunks, looking at the meter. He moved one of the boxes slightly to the left.

He cant hear you, Mary said.

Badri! he shouted. I need to speak to you.

Mary had stood up. He cant hear you, James, she said. The partitions soundproofed.

Badri said something to Latimer, who was still holding the brass-bound casket. Latimer looked bewildered. Badri took the casket from him and set it down on the chalked mark.

Dunworthy looked around for a microphone. He couldnt see one. How were you able to hear Gilchrists speech? he asked Mary.

Gilchrist pressed a button on the inside there, she said, pointing at a wall panel next to the net.

Badri had sat down in front of the console again and was speaking into the ear again. The net shields began to lower into place. Badri said something else, and they rose to where theyd been.