Paulo. 'He seems rather confused.'
'I'm just about to check him.' Mara put down the files she was carrying and went over to the decompression chamber. She caught Andy's attention and made a gesture with her hand. Andy copied it and she nodded and made another gesture. Paulo and Hex recognized the moves – they were a sequence of tests for nerve damage that they'd done themselves the day before. They would take a few minutes to complete.
Hex turned away. 'Did you get that picture from Alex?' he asked Paulo.
'Yes. What was it?'
'Some part of his anatomy, I reckon,' said Hex. 'The resolution was terrible. I sent him a close-up of my big toe in return. And you'd never believe what I sent Amber!'
'I sent him the inside of my nose,' said Paulo with a laugh.
'Could have been worse,' said Hex.
Mara finished her tests and came back. 'Andy's suffering delayed shock. It's normal with cases like his. He'll be all right, given time.' She picked up a stethoscope from the desk. 'Now, who's first?'
She listened to their chests, checked their blood pressure, watched them wiggle their toes and fingers and did the co-ordination tests they'd just seen her do on Andy, then she picked up a device like a pizza cutter and ran it up and down their arms and legs to check for numbness.
'You guys seem fine,' she said at last. 'You were lucky. But remember, no diving for four weeks. You run a far higher risk of getting a bubble.' She went behind her desk and made some notes on her laptop.
Paulo rubbed his arm. The pizza-cutter wheel was like having ants run over your skin. 'Is it today the inspector's coming from Barbados?'
Mara sighed. 'They've had a change of plan, what with this assassin running around. It's a shame; I wanted them to see that video today.'
'E-mail it,' said Paulo.
'Isn't it a huge file?' Mara questioned.
Hex smiled. 'Give me five minutes.' He had his palmtop on his knee and had opened it and booted up in seconds. His fingers flew over the keys, the screen blinking and changing as he hopped around from website to website. Then he went to Mara's laptop. 'Where did you save the film?'
'On the c-drive.'
Hex called up the file and tapped in more instructions. A few more minutes of digital dexterity and he was finished. 'OK – it's on a secure website so all you have to do is send the address and they can stream it.'
Paulo asked, 'But could ArBonCo look at it?'
Hex's smile played at the corners of his mouth. 'They could. But luckily it was set up by a genius.'
'Hombre,' said Paulo, 'if Amber was here and you said that she'd put you in traction.'
The phone rang. Mara picked it up. 'Hello?' A pause while she listened. 'I don't have time to talk to a journalist.' Her voice took on a note of outrage. 'No. The shooting was nothing to do with ABC Guardians.'
Paulo looked at Hex. 'I think we're not wanted here,' he said quietly.
Hex nodded. They got up, waving silently at Mara as they left. She acknowledged them, then returned to her phone call. 'That's ridiculous. We don't condone violence. We would never, ever hire assassins. We are a peaceful organization. And you'll find the other environmental groups are too.'
'Hey,' said Amber, 'no wetsuits in the bar – house rules.'
Paulo and Hex looked nonplussed. With no other clothes at the medical centre, they'd had to put on their wetsuits to walk back. Amber was alone in her criticism, however; wetsuits or no wetsuits, Paulo and Hex were welcome to join the others, as they sat round a long table in the bar, having breakfast. Carl gave them high fives, Danny stood up and pulled out more chairs and Lynn passed them a jug of orange juice and a pot of coffee.
Danny sat down again. 'How was it, having the bends?'
Paulo poured some orange juice. 'Something I never want to repeat.'
Li handed him a copy of the daily paper. 'Look at this.'
The front page was devoted to the previous night's events. MURDER AT THE FESTIVAL , said the main headline, and underneath were directions to
'I'm just about to check him.' Mara put down the files she was carrying and went over to the decompression chamber. She caught Andy's attention and made a gesture with her hand. Andy copied it and she nodded and made another gesture. Paulo and Hex recognized the moves – they were a sequence of tests for nerve damage that they'd done themselves the day before. They would take a few minutes to complete.
Hex turned away. 'Did you get that picture from Alex?' he asked Paulo.
'Yes. What was it?'
'Some part of his anatomy, I reckon,' said Hex. 'The resolution was terrible. I sent him a close-up of my big toe in return. And you'd never believe what I sent Amber!'
'I sent him the inside of my nose,' said Paulo with a laugh.
'Could have been worse,' said Hex.
Mara finished her tests and came back. 'Andy's suffering delayed shock. It's normal with cases like his. He'll be all right, given time.' She picked up a stethoscope from the desk. 'Now, who's first?'
She listened to their chests, checked their blood pressure, watched them wiggle their toes and fingers and did the co-ordination tests they'd just seen her do on Andy, then she picked up a device like a pizza cutter and ran it up and down their arms and legs to check for numbness.
'You guys seem fine,' she said at last. 'You were lucky. But remember, no diving for four weeks. You run a far higher risk of getting a bubble.' She went behind her desk and made some notes on her laptop.
Paulo rubbed his arm. The pizza-cutter wheel was like having ants run over your skin. 'Is it today the inspector's coming from Barbados?'
Mara sighed. 'They've had a change of plan, what with this assassin running around. It's a shame; I wanted them to see that video today.'
'E-mail it,' said Paulo.
'Isn't it a huge file?' Mara questioned.
Hex smiled. 'Give me five minutes.' He had his palmtop on his knee and had opened it and booted up in seconds. His fingers flew over the keys, the screen blinking and changing as he hopped around from website to website. Then he went to Mara's laptop. 'Where did you save the film?'
'On the c-drive.'
Hex called up the file and tapped in more instructions. A few more minutes of digital dexterity and he was finished. 'OK – it's on a secure website so all you have to do is send the address and they can stream it.'
Paulo asked, 'But could ArBonCo look at it?'
Hex's smile played at the corners of his mouth. 'They could. But luckily it was set up by a genius.'
'Hombre,' said Paulo, 'if Amber was here and you said that she'd put you in traction.'
The phone rang. Mara picked it up. 'Hello?' A pause while she listened. 'I don't have time to talk to a journalist.' Her voice took on a note of outrage. 'No. The shooting was nothing to do with ABC Guardians.'
Paulo looked at Hex. 'I think we're not wanted here,' he said quietly.
Hex nodded. They got up, waving silently at Mara as they left. She acknowledged them, then returned to her phone call. 'That's ridiculous. We don't condone violence. We would never, ever hire assassins. We are a peaceful organization. And you'll find the other environmental groups are too.'
'Hey,' said Amber, 'no wetsuits in the bar – house rules.'
Paulo and Hex looked nonplussed. With no other clothes at the medical centre, they'd had to put on their wetsuits to walk back. Amber was alone in her criticism, however; wetsuits or no wetsuits, Paulo and Hex were welcome to join the others, as they sat round a long table in the bar, having breakfast. Carl gave them high fives, Danny stood up and pulled out more chairs and Lynn passed them a jug of orange juice and a pot of coffee.
Danny sat down again. 'How was it, having the bends?'
Paulo poured some orange juice. 'Something I never want to repeat.'
Li handed him a copy of the daily paper. 'Look at this.'
The front page was devoted to the previous night's events. MURDER AT THE FESTIVAL , said the main headline, and underneath were directions to
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