The Mind Pool by Charles Sheffield

happily. He was still standing between Leah and Tatty Snipes. “For Chan.”
    “See?” said Flammarion. “ He knows what he wants. But I’ll guarantee one thing—Commander Mondrian won’t make the Stimulator available if you refuse to cooperate and won’t go ahead with pursuit team training. That’s why I asked you: How important is Chan to you?”
    Flammarion paused. He had reached the end of Mondrian’s advice as to how to proceed. Now all he could do was sit and wonder how Leah would react.
    She burst into tears. “Chan, did you hear him?” She hugged Dalton to her. “Oh, Chan, you’re going to grow up—read, and write, and know the names of the animals and the flowers and the days of the week, and dress yourself, and learn the names of all your friends. Won’t it be wonderful?”
    “You’ll do it?” Flammarion stood up, stretching the creases in his wrinkled uniform.
    Leah’s tears gave way to rage. “Of course I’ll do it, you great fool. You’re offering me what I’ve prayed for. You think you’re so clever, knowing exactly which pressure points to push.”
    “I didn’t push—”
    “You decided where to probe and twist me, didn’t you, and you think you’ve won. But we’ll be the real winners, me and Chan. I’ll do it, of course I will. I’ll go away, and study, and do my best to work with your stupid Pursuit Team. But you’ll have to promise me something, Captain. Chan must have a full treatment with your machine, and you’ll have to give me regular progress reports. And I get to come here sometimes, to see for myself how he is doing. And you tell me at once when he becomes normal.”
    “ If he becomes normal. I told you, the Stimulator isn’t a sure thing. There’s a good chance it can fail. And even if it works, you won’t know for a while. It’s an odd process. It goes real slow at first, then all of a sudden the change comes in a big rush. But don’t get me wrong. There’s no guarantee that the change we want will ever come. Chan may stay a mor—a not too bright person, for all his life.” And if it doesn’t work, that won’t be very long.
    “Even if it doesn’t work, he’ll be no worse off then he is now. How often will I be able to come here and visit?”
    “Maybe a couple of times.” Flammarion wriggled again in his seat. Mondrian would go out of his mind when he learned how Leah Rainbow had bargained. “You see, it’s not a great idea to come here. The period when the Stimulator is being applied is very . . . intense. Tough for the person being treated, and tough for the one giving the treatment. There shouldn’t be interruptions. For Chan’s own sake, he ought to interact with just one person until the course is finished. And that person will be Princess Tatiana.”
    “How long—before we know?”
    “Nobody can say. Maybe a month or two, but it could be more. Anyway, by that time your training ought to be over, and you’ll have a Pursuit Team assignment.”
    “You’re telling me I may not see him at all.”
    “I don’t know—and I’m not trying to trick you. Miss Leah, can you get all this across to Chan? It would make Princess Tatiana’s job a lot easier if he really understood what was going on.”
    “I can try. It’s very abstract for him, but I’ll do my best.” Leah turned to Chan. “Channy, let’s go away and play, just us, in the swim-room. All right? Tatty and the Captain will stay here.”
    Chan nodded. “OK. Captain smell real bad. We’ll go.”
    “There.” Leah turned fiercely on Flammarion. “You think Chan’s not smart, but he just told you something you ought to have been told a long time ago. You smell. Captain Flammarion. To be more accurate, you stink. Come on, Chan, let’s get out of here. Tatty, don’t let him talk you into anything you don’t want to do.”
    She headed for the door, pulling Chan along by the hand. Kubo Flammarion stared after them in perplexity. He shrugged, scratched at his scalp, rubbed his