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A voice came over the speaker. A voice from outside the cleanroom.
"You can move on out now." It was Ela. She was supposed to be asleep during Miro's shift.
"My shift isn't over for three hours," said Miro.
"I've got somebody else coming in."
"There are plenty of suits."
"I need you out here, Miro." Ela's voice brooked no possibility of disobedience. And she was the scientist in charge of this experiment.
When he came out a few minutes later, he understood what was going on. Quara stood there, looking icy, and Ela was at least as furious. They had obviously been quarreling again--no surprise there. The surprise was that Quara was here at all.
"You might as well go back inside," said Quara as soon as Miro emerged from the sterilization chamber.
"I don't even know why I left," said Miro.
"She insists on having a private conversation," said Ela.
"She'll call you out," said Quara, "but she won't disconnect the auditory monitoring system."
"We're supposed to be documenting every moment of Planter's conversation. For lucidity."
Miro sighed. "Ela, grow up."
She almost exploded. "Me! Me grow up! She comes in here like she thinks she's Nossa Senhora on her throne--"
"Ela," said Miro. "Shut up and listen. Quara is Planter's only hope of living through this experiment. Can you honestly say that it wouldn't serve the purpose of this experiment to let her--"
"All right," said Ela, cutting him off because she already grasped his argument and bowed to it. "She's the enemy of every living sentient being on this planet, but I'll cut off the auditory monitoring because she wants to have a private conversation wi
th the brother that she's killing."
That was too much for Quara. "You don't have to cut off anything for me," she said. "I'm sorry I came. It was a stupid mistake."
"Quara!" shouted Miro.
She stopped at the lab door.
"Get the suit on and go talk to Planter. What does he have to do with her?"
Quara glared once again at Ela, but she headed toward the sterilization room from which Miro had just emerged.
He felt greatly relieved. Since he knew that he had no authority at all, and that both of them were perfectly capable of telling him what he could do with his orders, the fact that they complied suggested that in fact they really wanted to comply. Quara really did want to speak to Planter. And Ela really did want her to do it. They might even be growing up enough to stop their personal differences from endangering other people's lives. There might be hope for this family yet.
"She'll just switch it back on as soon as I'm inside," said Quara.
"No she won't," said Miro.
"She'll try," said Quara.
Ela looked at her scornfully. "I know how to keep my word."
They said nothing more to each other. Quara went inside the sterilization chamber to dress. A few minutes later she was out in the cleanroom, still dripping from the descolada-killing solution that had been sprayed all over the suit as soon as she was inside it.
Miro could hear Quara's footsteps.
"Shut it off," he said.
