Karen remained silent. A lick of anger flashed through him. The idiot had compromised evidence at a crime scene. He had—
Linus forced himself to take a deep breath. Shouting wouldn't change anything. Shouting wouldn't help. The kid knew he had made a mistake. Now wasn't the time to deal with it.
"All right," Linus said at last. "Freeze-dried and brittle as an Egyptian mummy. Let's do the rest more carefully."
Using exquisite care, the three of them lifted the body onto the board. It was feather light, maybe seven or eight kilograms. Karen wordlessly strapped it down, putting the broken foot into a strap of its own. Her movements were quick and tight, and Linus knew she was angry. Noah backed up a pace, remaining out of the way. Still without speaking, Karen drew what looked like a shiny sleeping bag over body and board, sealed the end, and picked up the entire assemblage by herself. Linus had to restrain an impulse to offer his help.
"I'll meet you lads back in the lab," she said, and then she was gone.
Linus turned back to Noah, who had his kit open and was going over the place where the body had lain with the wand of a small scanner. A bar of blue light inched slowly over the gray sand where the head had lain.
"What do you have it set for?" Linus asked.
"I'm doing an exclusion search," Noah replied. His voice was flat. "It'll catch anything that isn't silicon, iron, titanium, or magnesium."
"Good," Linus said, pulling out his own scanner. "I'll start at the feet."
They spent an hour going over the area. Noah's scanner picked up traces of DNA and Linus found several red fibers. Although he was fairly certain both belonged to the victim, he and Noah packaged both finds up for the lab. When they were finished, they rose. Linus half expected his joints to complain, but they didn't—kneeling on Luna didn't hurt like it would on Earth. Still, he was a bit tired. Wouldn't hurt to take a break.
"I'll get the casting materials," Noah said, heading immediately for the crater wall. Linus halted him with a hand on the shoulder. Even through two insulating suits, Linus could feel the tension in Noah's muscles. Clearly, he was feeling sorry for having screwed up. Good. He should feel bad.
Linus hadn't decided whether it was worth it to actively bawl the kid out later but one thing was for sure: He wasn't going to throw Junior a pity party now.
After Karen specifically mentioned how delicate the body was, he still broke it. He made her job more difficult, and it might even have complicated court testimony, since they'd now have to admit to a mistake in gathering evidence. So little Noah was stewing in his own guilt. Fine. Let him.
"Let's get this stuff back to the lab and take a break. We can do the casts later," Linus said."
"Shouldn't we do them now? Before the scene degrades?"
Linus made a wide gesture. "You're expecting wind and rain?"
"Oh. Right." Noah winced. "Old habits. Lieutenant Meeks would have skinned me alive for leaving an unfinished scene like this back in Madison."
"We're a little more laid-back up here," Linus replied. "Let's go."
Sometime later, they were back at the airlock listening to air hiss back into the chamber. Linus felt his suit sag a little around his body. He pulled off his helmet and ran a hand through silvering dark hair. It felt good to touch his own skin again. Noah, apparently feeling the same way, scratched his arms vigorously Linus also gratefully inhaled the more humid, flower-scented air of the corridor. How the old explorers survived days and days of breathing canned air, he didn't know. They were stowing the suits back in the lockers when Noah turned to Linus.
"Could I ask you to do something? 7 ' he said cautiously.
"What's that?" Linus set the helmet on its shelf and shut the locker door.
"I'm twenty-seven. Could you not call me kid?"
A laugh bubbled up, and Linus firmly swallowed it. Sure, he thought, why, I can think of a dozen other things to call you, but my mama
Linus forced himself to take a deep breath. Shouting wouldn't change anything. Shouting wouldn't help. The kid knew he had made a mistake. Now wasn't the time to deal with it.
"All right," Linus said at last. "Freeze-dried and brittle as an Egyptian mummy. Let's do the rest more carefully."
Using exquisite care, the three of them lifted the body onto the board. It was feather light, maybe seven or eight kilograms. Karen wordlessly strapped it down, putting the broken foot into a strap of its own. Her movements were quick and tight, and Linus knew she was angry. Noah backed up a pace, remaining out of the way. Still without speaking, Karen drew what looked like a shiny sleeping bag over body and board, sealed the end, and picked up the entire assemblage by herself. Linus had to restrain an impulse to offer his help.
"I'll meet you lads back in the lab," she said, and then she was gone.
Linus turned back to Noah, who had his kit open and was going over the place where the body had lain with the wand of a small scanner. A bar of blue light inched slowly over the gray sand where the head had lain.
"What do you have it set for?" Linus asked.
"I'm doing an exclusion search," Noah replied. His voice was flat. "It'll catch anything that isn't silicon, iron, titanium, or magnesium."
"Good," Linus said, pulling out his own scanner. "I'll start at the feet."
They spent an hour going over the area. Noah's scanner picked up traces of DNA and Linus found several red fibers. Although he was fairly certain both belonged to the victim, he and Noah packaged both finds up for the lab. When they were finished, they rose. Linus half expected his joints to complain, but they didn't—kneeling on Luna didn't hurt like it would on Earth. Still, he was a bit tired. Wouldn't hurt to take a break.
"I'll get the casting materials," Noah said, heading immediately for the crater wall. Linus halted him with a hand on the shoulder. Even through two insulating suits, Linus could feel the tension in Noah's muscles. Clearly, he was feeling sorry for having screwed up. Good. He should feel bad.
Linus hadn't decided whether it was worth it to actively bawl the kid out later but one thing was for sure: He wasn't going to throw Junior a pity party now.
After Karen specifically mentioned how delicate the body was, he still broke it. He made her job more difficult, and it might even have complicated court testimony, since they'd now have to admit to a mistake in gathering evidence. So little Noah was stewing in his own guilt. Fine. Let him.
"Let's get this stuff back to the lab and take a break. We can do the casts later," Linus said."
"Shouldn't we do them now? Before the scene degrades?"
Linus made a wide gesture. "You're expecting wind and rain?"
"Oh. Right." Noah winced. "Old habits. Lieutenant Meeks would have skinned me alive for leaving an unfinished scene like this back in Madison."
"We're a little more laid-back up here," Linus replied. "Let's go."
Sometime later, they were back at the airlock listening to air hiss back into the chamber. Linus felt his suit sag a little around his body. He pulled off his helmet and ran a hand through silvering dark hair. It felt good to touch his own skin again. Noah, apparently feeling the same way, scratched his arms vigorously Linus also gratefully inhaled the more humid, flower-scented air of the corridor. How the old explorers survived days and days of breathing canned air, he didn't know. They were stowing the suits back in the lockers when Noah turned to Linus.
"Could I ask you to do something? 7 ' he said cautiously.
"What's that?" Linus set the helmet on its shelf and shut the locker door.
"I'm twenty-seven. Could you not call me kid?"
A laugh bubbled up, and Linus firmly swallowed it. Sure, he thought, why, I can think of a dozen other things to call you, but my mama
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