Foxfire
Foxfire, pedaling fast toward her appointment with the Ausländer combine, burst out of the last
house-cluster. The path continued across a small, grassy park, split to weave around Ammaerln
House-row, then rejoined and disappeared into the hard-puff trees lining the drome's berm. She
kept her front wheel pointed down the path.
Remember: this is not a normal commute to work. I'm about to start spying on a bunch of
strangers from another continent.
Halfway across the park, she could just see around the first house in the row. New walls in every
direction! What are they doing to our homes? She hit the brakes.
The bike skidded in the gravel, tipping, sliding out of control, falling, about to dump her. Its
gyros kicked in automatically. A panicky moment later, Foxfire found herself, heart fluttering,
stomach clenching, crouched over a bolt-upright bicycle at a stand-still. She flashed her eyes
along the house-row: no one in sight. Gaia's hangnails! Thanks for small favors.
Gardens and paths linked the eight houses like beads on a Bear's bracelet-of-grace. The image
started tears in her eyes because these houses had lain empty, silent, near-death, for so long.
They reminded her of Bear and his early descendants, now at Home with the Lord, their bracelets
soulful memorials in the ante-chamber of the Tabernacle. Foxfire preferred to think of Grizzly and
the other living Bears. She counted to the third house in the row — always the chapel — and sent
up a prayer to keep them safe.
A loud clang broke into her reverie. Ausländer at work!
Foxfire set off again, furious and curious, furious that outsiders would dare change anything The
Tangent had built, curious about what they had done. She left the bike next to the glistening
walls of a new one-story entrance room — no roof yet — and scouted inside the newly formed Common
Areas. She followed the sounds of machinery and voices and found one person in each Area. Lots of
automata, though. We would do a lot more by hand, put more of ourselves into our homes and
offices. She asked for "Weir Annadetcall," each time getting a thumb that pushed her on down the
row.
The repairs and modifications were going swiftly. The activity and the resulting shininess
enlivened the dingy structure. Been a long time since I've seen building. Memory produced a dim
image, with no age of her own associated with it: a house-row, something like this one, near her
favorite swimming hole. Much too much time had passed since The Tangent had grown!
The last pointer came from a lanky man guiding a lumbering machine back into a self-propelled
container. He indicated the third house. Foxfire braced herself for a chapel's transformation to
something less useful.
Inside, the face, when the only person inside looked around at her, was familiar. Deep-set
dark-blue eyes under heavy brow. Lumpy, misshapen nose. Full, grainy lips. Coarse, black hair
drawn back into a ponytail. Rough, shiny, dirt-brown skin. An unassuming combination, yet oddly
commanding. Its expression of challenge shifted into recognition.
Leaning on a tall-desk, the man held up a finger to an llevar filled with faces and turned back to
her. "Is there a way I can help you? Or are you going to run off again?"
Two days ago, in a backyard of this house-row. Of course it's him. What else did you expect? Not
the boss-man himself. I snubbed the boss-man! Foxfire gasped out, "Weir Annadetcall?"
"Yes."
"Okra sent me."
"Ah, he did say to expect someone. Why you?"
You don't want to know. I don't want you to know. I'm here to watch you put together a clinic.
She tried a smile. I'm also supposed to catch everything I can about the other clinics you're
opening around Ganj Dareh and how you run your combine and what you're planning to do once you win
the anshin contract and anything else I can possibly absorb, understand, and relay back to Okra.
When the smile worked, she said, "I'm credited with noticing you first, in the neighborhood, I
mean." If I can do all that and still manage to walk and talk, that is.
"Ah." He studied her a moment, his eyes distant at first, then lively and interested once again.
"Nurse-in-Training, right?"
"Yes, how ..." The uniform, right? Duh, right. Pale-green, the pants and jacket had become
second-nature, noticeable only if she overloaded one of their many pockets.
Weir glanced anxiously at his llevar's screen. At least a dozen faces, most of them patient,
looked back.
Who are those people? Rude to ask him about them. The rest of his combine? No, probably just the
leaders. "Team leaders" Okra had called them. I've got to listen in on this will-see if I can.
Weir was saying, "We're having some problems repairing Patterns in the health-maintenance center."
He pointed with a thumb. "Do you think you could help?"
"Well ..." Gaia has split ends! "Maybe ..." What'd you expect? I — I didn't know what to
expect. Well, you got it, didn't you? Get hopping. What about the meeting? What about it? Weir
thinks you came to work, so you'd better look like you are. Listen if I can. But how?
"Good," said Weir. "Last three houses. I'll catch up with you in a little while." He turned
toward the will-see, then raised his finger again, this time to himself.
Chewing on his bottom lip, he gazed at Foxfire for a second or two, then parted his lips. Another
question for her obviously filled his mind. Then doubt tucked his mouth closed again. He sent his
attention through the nest of arches into the far end of the house, the chapel's prayer room.
She followed his look. But no Bear mural blesses its walls. The former occupants must have taken
it with them rather than give it up along with their homes. Sadness tugged at her. Images of
Corn's mural, her parents' mural, dozens of others she'd prayed under in other homes, flooded in to
reassure her. Especially when an elder led us in a will-see through the local connection to Our
Circle.
A quick waver of musical notes — a trumpet? a bugle? — brought her attention back to Weir. He
stared with concern at the meeting/will-be-seen. The metronomic tune beat heavily with the import
of passing time. Abruptly, he waved a meaty hand at her, gently sending her on her way.
Foxfire turned away obediently. What's he want to know about the chapel? Why didn't he just ask?
Then she remembered about listening. Okra's gentle demands had brought her obediently to this
place, had thrust her into the middle of these strangers, had put her here with only the skimpiest
of instructions. Skimpy to me, anyway. He probably thinks I know all I need to. Now, she felt
awkward and exposed, as if, at any moment, someone would yell at her. I'll just have to make it up
as I go along.
She dawdled, though her stomach twinged with panic.
Behind her, Weir said, "So, the Crew-for-Selling continues to meet its project schedule, most teams
more, some less. Six clinics opened for business today in neighborhoods strategic to Ganj Dareh, a
day early — congratulations! Six others: very confident you'll open tomorrow — well done! And
the last two teams —" he sighed dramatically "— that is, Kam's and mine — still at least two
days away. No comments, please.
"Overall status: satisfactory. Very satisfactory! Considering we're the first combine
foreign to start any operations on this continent in thirty-two years. Such an intrusion requires
us to balance upheaval in our base of prospective customers against the short timeframe typical for
proposal development and marketing. Considering all that, we're doing fine. That's not just me
talking; Günter also."
Foxfire heard faint applause and laughter, even cheers, from the will-see. She liked the ease with
which these people showed their pleasure.
Weir contined, "Looking ahead, let me suggest a few things:
"Kam, too much available realty means too little traffic in your clinic and too little exposure for
the expenditure. Your team had better relocate to a community with more residents. Try
Quelccaya. A lot of shopping there. Try to set up in a market where you can attract drop-ins.
Along with acu-tek personalized, offer remember-me trinkets and pocket infoplates that customers
can share with others. I'll plug one contingency day into your schedule. Use it wisely. Of
course, that means I get an extra day, too. Only fair, don't you think?
"Ford, you've incurred the least construction — due to a lot of preparation, considerable insight,
and a little luck — so you can pick up the print-advertising activity: pending our talk tomorrow
with our marketing consultant, find a printer for the leaflets and someone to deliver them to the
other teams. Inject some of our Geld into local business.
"Steg, lots of kids can be a good thing. They'll be most receptive to our invasion benign. Get
them excited, then maybe they'll bring their parents into your clinic. Connect into their Network
of Learning. Enlarge all your centers to accommodate teaching.
"Everyone else, you're on course; stay there! Now, let's just check current financials.
Synchro—"
Foxfire couldn't delay anymore. Someone could walk in any moment and catch her. Besides, I'd
never remember any numbers he's going to discuss. What kind of leader do I tell Okra that Weir
is? Like I've seen a lot to compare him to. Like Okra? Naw. Like Nurse Poplar? Well, yeah.
Their kind of approach is a lot easier to take when it isn't running my whole life.
She stepped outside. The line of hard-puff trees straight ahead, and the berm behind them, looked
normal, unperturbed by the changes in Ammaerln House-row. She glanced back along the building.
The entrance room now blocked her view of the path, but she could see how it introduced visitors to
the rest of the clinic. You come out under its arcade and you can immediately see where you're
going, whether it was examination & treatment, counseling — or health-maintenance.
Better get to my assigned place. She shuddered through a deep breath, then tried another and felt
calm spreading out through her. That's better! She marched down the house-row, soon heard voices
through a gutted door, and stepped inside. Two, maybe three, rooms had been merged. Walls had
been cleanly excised, leaving load-bearing columns behind.
"Hello there!"
Foxfire turned to the greeting. One woman of a pair beckoned to her. They were standing in the
sunlight from a large back window.
"From yesterday, right?" the woman went on with a grin as Foxfire approached. "I'm Dy. This is
Melha. I'm glad you came back so we could talk."
"Well, I ..." Spit it out, ndito! "I've been assigned by the neighborhood to observe your
procedures and methods. Maybe we can learn something."
"Wonderful! Melha and I were just talking about arranging the flow in here. Would you know
anything about — of course you would! A Nurse, right?"
"Nurse-in-Training."
"How long till you get your cap?"
"A Sevener."
"Almost there! Congratulations!"
Foxfire's cheeks warmed with a blush. "Thank you."
"Our Nurses are working at other clinics that are opening today, so they can't help us." Dy
beckoned. "Come look at these plans. Tell us what you think."
Melha handed over an llevar, its holoscreen hooded against the bright sunshine. I guess it could
be worse. Foxfire peered at the black-and-white drawing projected in the hood's shadow. She
struggled a bit, aligning the virtual with the physical. Yes, entrance there. This window,
there. Common, more public areas opening up from the entrance. More private areas, for exams,
lessons, chats, connecting through these doorways.
"What do you think?" Dy prodded gently.
Something had always bothered her about the Neighborhood Health Concern, where she took her
training. She noticed the same problem here. "You'll be treating children?"
Melha nodded. "Sure."
"Your Intimacy Gradient is built for adults, just like every other clinic I've seen. It's scary
enough, walking into the jaws of med-tek, without everything being so much bigger than you. Don't
you think?"
Dy widened her eyes as though struck with sudden insight.
Melha, less pleased with the revelation, quirked her mouth, then grinned suddenly. "Sure, I see
it! Should've seen it myself. Thanks."
Dy said, "So tell us what to do about it."
Foxfire grinned back — I could get to like this. And put the lie to my brothers, the way they
wouldn't let me do things. I can succeed away from home. — and proceeded to tell them
exactly how to change their clinic.
