Miss Gluck uttered a low moan. It was not a moan of pain.
The Doctor continued.
"The watch stem was conclusive, of course. But we were curious. We collect data, you know. We aren't entirely a cube for coining money. That question about his reason for dying. He was a nihilist, a man to whom nothing means anything, or who thinks it doesn't. Of course something always does. And the thing that did was his loyalty to Bios."
Miss Gluck managed to speak. She was unquestionably a woman thirsty for knowledge above all else. Her voice was a voice in a dream.
"Yes, I was curious about that. His loyalty to Bios, despite the fact that he wanted to die."
Dr. Munro didn't answer for about fourteen seconds. Then he did.
"He just thought he was a nihilist. But the last thing he had to do was a job for Bios and that was going to be his last joke on everything, you, me, Nepenthe. Of course he didn't care for anything—and of course he cared for something. Everyone does so long as they're alive. Otherwise, why bother to even die?"
Firelie Gluck said nothing in reply to that. But after a minute the Doctor said:
"Of course he had to tell the truth because he thought nothing meant anything at all. That's why Miss Froon asked him those questions I wrote out. What's that, Firelie? Who cares about Miss Froon?"
And then for about twenty minutes neither of them strictly speaking, said anything.