Heroic Measures (continued)

He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to step back.

Vivian’s eyes returned toward her lap. She closed her book, but remained seated. Looking up, her eyes shifted between Walter and Red, studying them both.

“Does he need to see us all at the same time?”

It took Walter a moment to grasp the question. His mind had drifted elsewhere.

“Uh,” he said, gathering his thoughts. “I guess not,” he added quickly, hoping to recover his poise. “I think he was just trying to save time and talk to all of us at once.”

“Ah,” Vivian responded with a slight nod. She made no move to rise.

Walter watched her, puzzled by her seeming reluctance.

She’s acting very strange. I wonder what’s up?

Red, from what Walter could tell, appeared to be equally discomfited by Vivian’s behavior. He shifted the position of his feet, rebalancing his weight while they waited for Vivian to decide whether or not she would accompany them back to Zing’s office.

Her expression went nearly blank before taking on an air of minor determination. She rose from the chair with her customary gracefulness, something that, even after knowing her for as long as he had, still struck Walter with awe.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s go.”

She tucked the book under her arm and waited for one the two men to led the way for her.

Red moved first. As he passed him, Walter caught a look that seemed to be more perplexed than anything.

I know what you mean . . .

He followed Vivian at a close distance, hoping that something in her stride or posture might provide him with a clue about her odd behavior.

#

The three of them arrived at Zing’s lab to find it empty. Not devoid of equipment, exactly, but lacking the presence of Dr. Zing. They checked it thoroughly, but other than finding a mug of cold green tea, they found little that hinted at the scientist’s current location. The temperature of the tea told them he had either completely forgotten about (possible and likely) or had not been in his lab for quite some time (equally likely).

They tried his office next. Several large packages were found there, but Zing was not. Walter breathed out a tired sigh. It had been a long, eventful day and he had about reached the limits of both his patience and endurance.

“Probably off having his chow mein,” Red remarked, now looking equally haggard.