Firebird Read Online Free Page B

somewhere.”
    I didn't recognize it. The superluminal looked retro. Too thick through the hull. The two odd characters near the main hatch. Individual portals on the bridge rather than the wraparound.
    “So what do you think, Mr. Benedict?”
    Alex smiled pleasantly. “We'll be happy to assist you, Ms. Howard. I doubt there'll be any trouble moving the ring, or the plaques. The books should be okay. Photos are always a difficult sell, because they are not single items, if you get my meaning. But I think we can do reasonably well.” He hesitated. “Ms. Howard, I'm going to ask you to be patient, however. It might be possible to increase the value of these items if you'll allow me some time.”
    “Time to do what, if I may ask?”
    “I won't be sure until we learn more about Professor Robin.”
    He remained quiet until we got up into the night sky and had started home. It was not yet dark, but we had a crescent moon directly overhead. “There are some speculations about this guy,” he said.
    “Like what?”
    “Are you aware there's a Christopher Robin Society?”
    “No. I didn't know that. Is that really so? What is it? A society of physicists?”
    “Physicists, historians, enthusiasts.”
    “Okay.”
    “They meet monthly at Sanova.”
    I knew the tone. “We're not going, I hope?”
    “Why not?”
    “What would be the point?”
    “Who better to drum up interest in Robin artifacts than people who have a passion for his work?”
    “But aren't we talking about physics? How do you get collectors passionate about physics?”
    “Chase, we're talking about alternate universes and black holes.”
    We were passing over the Melony. Fireworks were being launched from one of the casinos. Somebody celebrating something. “Alex?”
    “Yes, Chase?”
    “A lot of people have disappeared. Why does Robin draw enthusiasts? What are they enthusiastic about?”
    His eyes caught some of the light. “Robin worked at the edges of science. He was interested, for example, in whether any part of us survives death.”
    “Oh.”
    “Okay?”
    “And what did he decide?”
    “I couldn't determine whether he'd ever reached a decision. Chase, Robin explored the fringes of science. He was looking for breakthroughs in areas that are considered beyond the pale by most of his colleagues. He asked questions nobody else dared to ask.”
    “Like whether there really are alternate universes.”
    “Yes.”
    “I thought the notion of alternate universes was an established fact.”
    “Mathematically. But Robin apparently wanted to find a way to cross over.”
    “Oh.”
    “And he thought maybe we were getting occasional visitors from one.”
    “You're kidding.”
    He laughed. “I think he was hoping. In any case, a lot of people are fascinated by the fact that he disappeared on the same night as the Kolandra Earthquake.”
    “I suspect a lot of people disappeared that night.”
    “He wasn't in the area where the quake hit.”
    “So what are they suggesting happened?”
    “The theory is that there was a collision that night. Between universes. That's what caused the quake.”
    “That's crazy.”
    “Ah, Dr. Kolpath, I'm glad to have that settled. However that may be, some of the enthusiasts—but I suspect none of the physicists—think Robin took advantage of the collision to cross into the other universe.”
    “Okay. I know you're not buying into any of this. Are you?”
    He laughed. “Of course not. But the more extreme elements make for good copy.”
    “I don't think,” I said, “that lunatics buy antiques.”
    “It doesn't matter. They'll raise the general level of interest in Robin. That's all we need.”
    “Okay.”
    “Some of the wackier elements claim he was looking into the possibility that there are ghosts. They've been arguing that he knew about people, or entities, who'd gotten caught in dimensional fluxes. And can't get clear. Plato described graveyards as being restless at night. He thought it was a result of