"I don't know, of course," Randall answered. "We'll see what Dr. Gerard has to say."
Within a few moments, the three men joined Lanson and Dr. Gerard outside Zor Ala's hut.
"What do you think, Doc?" asked Randall.
"Can't tell for sure," Gerard replied. "My medical knowledge is definitely limited. Furthermore, I have no equipment to make tests, but my diagnosis is meningococcus—cerebrospinal meningitis."
"Well, will the rest of us get it?" asked Jackson, edging away from the men who had been in Zor Ala's shelter.
"Could be," said Dr. Gerard seriously. "We'll have to keep him isolated, but I'm afraid some of us have already been exposed. We may have real trouble on our hands."
"What's the remedy?" inquired McClellan.
"Well, sulfonilamide, if we had it," replied Dr. Gerard. "But we don't have any medicine at all."
"What—what will we do?" asked Jackson apprehensively.
The doctor shrugged. "If I had access to a chemical laboratory," he said, "I could synthesize some sulfa, but I doubt if the Kralons would let me use theirs."