A Cage of Butterflies by Brian Caswell Page B

right.”
    â€œBesides, ‘Metamide’ rings a bell. I’ve seen it somewhere.” Susan’s nose wrinkled slightly, in a way that Erik recognised. She was concentrating. “It sounds like a chemical …”
    â€œOr a medicine,” Eric cut in.
    Her eyes lit up, and without another word, she placed her mug on the table and moved over towards the desk. Opening one of the files which lay scattered around the desktop, she scanned a few pages, then stabbed her index finger at one of the entries. “There … it is a drug. Mrs Matheson was treated with it early in her pregnancy.” She read more carefully. “It’s used for high blood-pressure. I wonder …”
    A quick examination of the other folders revealed more. Metamide was the only drug which appeared on every one of the files.
    â€œMaybe we’ve hit on something.” Erik had joined her at the desk.
    â€œMaybe.” She sounded doubtful. “But it can’t be that simple. There has to be more. Richard would have noticed. And besides, Larsen already knows about it.” She turned to face him. “Why else would he use it as a password?”
    â€œGood point.”
    â€œAnd it doesn’t explain why all the Babies seem to have been born in the same hospital. If it were just Metamide, surely we’d see examples world-wide.”
    â€œYou’d think so.” Erik watched her as she retrieved her drink. “So, is it just a coincidence?”
    â€œIt may be. But I doubt it.” Susan sat down on the lounge, and Erik joined her. “I keep remembering two things Richard said. Once when he was talking to me, early on in the research. He said: ‘It has to be something local’; but later, when he was arguing with Larsen on the phone, I overheard him saying: ‘some drug company’s going to be ducking for cover before this is all over’. It doesn’t make sense. How can it be both?”
    â€œWhy not? Look, if whatever happened to the Babies was caused by their mothers taking the drug, it wouldn’t be so localised – but all the Babies did come into contact with it, so it is a common factor. I may not be a whiz-bang researcher” – he smiled before continuing – “but if neither explanation makes sense, it seems pretty logical that the answer might be a combination of both.”
    â€œYou mean?”
    â€œI mean, Metamide’s a pretty safe drug, or they wouldn’t use it on pregnant women, right?” Susan nodded. “And all the Babies were born in the same hospital, right?” Another affirmation. “But no kid born in that hospital whose mother wasn’t treated with Metamide was affected?”
    â€œAs far as we know.”
    â€œWell, add all that together, and it seems to me that you have a drug that’s safe on its own, and a hospital – or something in it – that’s safe on its own, but if you combine them, put them together, you end up with what we have here.”
    â€œA mutation?”
    â€œWell, it isn’t the common cold.”
    â€œAnd all we have to do is isolate the mystery factor. From eight years ago.”
    â€œEight years?”
    Susan pushed her hair back from her face. “The Babies are seven years old. We have no evidence – at least none that I’ve seen – of any other babies older or younger than them. So the factor we’re looking for, or the combination, occurred eight years ago, and only at that hospital. No wonder Larsen’s going bald. It could have been something in the food, or in the air … anything.” She paused. “Well anyway, now at least we can find out just how much Larsen does know. And maybe what he intends to do …”

XI
    ERIK’S STORY
    I guess you’d say I was the odd man out.
    Don’t misunderstand me. They never made me feel anything but “one of the team”, but facts are facts. Apart from