Chapter Fifty-Four
The Morning Star took up orbit around Hades. Morn
returned to his office while North went into the hospital. The Doctors
took reading after reading, examined his eyes, put drops in them,
collected the resulting tears, and examined them again.
2 North was beginning to get irritated, because no one would tell him
what was going on. Finally, his Doctor came in, holding a readout board
and looking extremely worried. "We've got a problem," she announced,
calmly, "a serious problem. You've come in contact with one of those
nasty little Hashon bacterias to which Havens have little or no
resistance. It was probably transmitted by those scratches you got on
your face a while back. As this particular bacteria is only found in
mud of hot springs, your adversary must have done a poor job of washing
his hands in one of them."
3 "Why so serious?" inquired North. "Isn't there some antibiotic that
will take care of it? "
4 "Yes," admitted the Doctor, "we can eliminate the infection but the
damage has already been done. Have you noticed your vision blurring
lately, a tendency to keep your eyes closed in bright light?" North
nodded.
5 "The bacteria," the Doctor continued, "has invaded and seriously
damaged your optic nerves, beyond their abilities to heal. They're
degenerating. Your vision will become worse and worse. In a couple of
months you'll be
stone blind."
6 "Damn!" North hissed.
7 "We've got one hope," the Doctor continued, "a slim one. If there's
just a few, just a couple of undamaged cells, then we can grow a new
nerve. But we've got to go in and get them."
8 "Then, I'd suggest," commented North, "that you do it, quickly!"
9 The Doctor took a deep breath. "We can't use