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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..50350fa --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50138 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50138) diff --git a/old/50138-h.zip b/old/50138-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 663d4b8..0000000 --- a/old/50138-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50138-h/50138-h.htm b/old/50138-h/50138-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index ead3fc4..0000000 --- a/old/50138-h/50138-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6266 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Doomsday Eve, by Robert Moore Williams. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - -.ph5 { text-align: right; text-indent: 0em; } - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Doomsday Eve, by Robert Moore Williams - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Doomsday Eve - -Author: Robert Moore Williams - -Release Date: October 5, 2015 [EBook #50138] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOOMSDAY EVE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1><i>Doomsday Eve</i></h1> - -<p>by ROBERT MOORE WILLIAMS</p> - -<p>ACE BOOKS<br /> -A Division of A. A. Wyn, Inc.<br /> -23 West 47th Street, New York 36, N. Y.</p> - - -<p>DOOMSDAY EVE</p> - -<p>Copyright 1957, by A. A. Wyn, Inc.</p> - -<p>All Rights Reserved</p> - - -<p>Printed in U. S. A.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence<br /> -that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph2">SPLIT-SECOND RACE WITH WORLD'S END!</p> - - -<p>In the midst of the war—that terrible conflict that threatened -humanity's total destruction—the "new people" suddenly appeared. -Quietly performing incredible deeds, vanishing at will, they were an -enigma to both sides. Kurt Zen was an American intelligence officer -among the many sent to root them out.</p> - -<p>He found them. Taken captive in their hidden lair, he waited as the -enemy prepared to launch the super missile, the bomb to end all -bombs—and all life.</p> - -<p>If only he could find the source of the new people's power, Kurt alone -might be able to prevent obliteration of the Earth....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="ph2">CAST OF CHARACTERS</p> - - -<p class="ph3">KURT ZEN</p> - -<p class="ph4">His loyalty was greater than his love.</p> - - -<p class="ph3">NEDRA</p> - -<p class="ph4">She might be a "new" person—but she had old emotions.</p> - - -<p class="ph3">CUSO</p> - -<p class="ph4">He pitted Oriental cunning against Western ingenuity.</p> - - -<p class="ph3">SAM WEST</p> - -<p class="ph4">He wouldn't use his strange powers to help his friends or hurt his -enemies.</p> - - -<p class="ph3">JAL JONNER</p> - -<p class="ph4">He was either a legend or a lunatic.</p> - - -<p class="ph3">GRANT</p> - -<p class="ph4">His rescue was a miracle—though they called it a myth.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph2">Contents</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents"> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#I">I</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#II">II</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#III">III</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#IV">IV</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#V">V</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#VI">VI</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#VII">VII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#VIII">VIII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#IX">IX</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#X">X</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#XI">XI</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#XII">XII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#XIII">XIII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><a href="#XIV">XIV</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="I" id="I">I</a></h2> - - -<p>The legends clustering around the new people began before the war, -while the man who started the group, old Jal Jonnor, was alive, but -they received their greatest circulation during the conflict.</p> - -<p>If the war is long and the fighting is bitter, with neither side able -to achieve victory or even a substantial advantage, soldiers eventually -begin to tell strange stories of sights seen when death is near, of -miraculous deliveries from destruction, of impossible ships seen -above the Earth, and even of non-human allies fighting on their side. -Psychologists, given to believing only what they can see, feel, hear, -or measure, generally have credited these stories to hallucinations -resulting from long-sustained stress, or, in the case of the non-human -allies, to plain, wishful thinking rising out of a deep feeling of -insecurity. What psychologist was ever willing to believe that an angel -suddenly took over the controls of a falling fighting plane, righting -the ship and bringing it down to Earth in a crash landing that enabled -the wounded pilot to crawl away, then curing the wound the pilot had -sustained?</p> - -<p>Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman swore this happened to him. He had tangled with -an Asian fighter group escorting a hot, high level bomber over the -north pole. This was in the early days of the war when such bombers -still slipped through the defenses occasionally. Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman -had got one of the fighters with a single burst from his guns and -was pushing his jet straight up at the soft belly of the bomber far -overhead when a shell, from an Asian fighter that he had not seen, -knocked off half of his right wing. A fragment of the exploding shell -hit him in the right shoulder, mangling the flesh and the bone.</p> - -<p>Spinning like a leaf being whirled over and over in a hurricane, the -plane started the long plunge downward toward the polar ice cap below. -Jimmie couldn't work the seat ejection mechanism because of his broken -arm.</p> - -<p>Just before the ship crashed, he realized that someone else was in the -cockpit with him, fighting to take over the controls. Since Jimmie was -still in the seat, this was not easy, but somehow the other one had -managed, not only to take over the controls, but had been able to bring -the ship down in a crash landing. The other one pulled Jimmie out of -the burning wreck. Then, discovering Jimmie's broken, mangled shoulder, -"it" had cured it.</p> - -<p>At least this was the story Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman had told after a -helicopter had picked him up and had taken him back to his base. He -was very stubborn about it, defiantly insisting that someone else had -brought the plane down. The only conclusion Jimmie had been able to -reach about the other one in the cockpit with him—he did not know -whether it was male or female—was that it had been one of the new -people.</p> - -<p>When the psychos had asked him how another human being could have -gotten into a falling plane while it was still thousands of feet in the -air, Jimmie had had no answer, except to point out that since the new -people were apparently able to accomplish feats beyond the power of an -ordinary mortal, they were probably not human.</p> - -<p>This comment had marked him as permanently unfit for flight duty. -Jimmie began to grieve his heart out at this, for he had really loved -flying. Then he began to wonder why the new people—presuming they -existed—would save his life at the cost of his sanity. He went over -the hill a year later.</p> - -<p>With Spike Larson it was different. Larson was the commander of an -atomic-powered submarine operating in the Persian Gulf. He was lying -doggo on the bottom waiting for a fat convoy that should be hugging the -shore when three destroyers smelled him out. Larson never knew quite -how they had spotted him, but he was in shallow water and, when the -first depth charges went off, he knew he had to head for the depths.</p> - -<p>With charges on the port side making his plates creak, he headed for -the channel. The scanning beam reported rocks dead ahead. Swiftly -checking his charts, he discovered that no such rocks existed.</p> - -<p>Cursing, Larson flung the charts across the room. Either they were -wrong or the bottom here had shifted. A boom ahead told him it made no -difference. His escape had been cut off by a destroyer in the channel.</p> - -<p>"We'll take her up and fight it out on the surface," he told the -lieutenant with him.</p> - -<p>The officer's face went white at the order. But he was a navy man. -"Aye, sir," he said.</p> - -<p>"I would recommend otherwise, commander," another voice spoke.</p> - -<p>Larson and the lieutenant froze. There was no one else in the control -room. When Larson finally managed to turn his head, he found he was -wrong in his belief that no one else was in the control room.</p> - -<p>Telling the story later, to a naval board of inquiry, he said. -"She was standing right there beside me, all in shining white, the -most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I was too dazed to act, too -bewildered to think. A woman on my ship! And what a woman! While I -stood there like a dummy, she stepped forward to the controls. 'With -your permission, commander, there is a new channel close inshore that -does not show on the charts. The bottom here has shifted quite a lot -since this area was last mapped. The destroyers will not dare follow us -into the new channel, even if they know of its existence, because of -the danger from rocks on one side and from sand banks on the other. If -you will give me permission to con the ship—'"</p> - -<p>"All I could do was nod," Larson reported to the board of inquiry. "As -it turned out, this was the last command I ever gave in all my life. -She turned the nose of the sub seventy degrees, pulled in the scope, -shut off the depth finders and the sonar, and sent us up until we were -almost breaking the surface. While she was doing all this, she also -dodged two depth charges that should have got us. She scraped paint off -our port bow on a set of rocks that should have snatched the guts out -of us; she dodged a sandy bottom on our starboard where we ought to -have hung up like sitting ducks under the guns of the destroyers, but -she took us out of that hole and into deep water. Then she turned the -controls back to Lieutenant Thompson, and said, 'Thank you, commander. -I'm sure you can handle the situation very competently from now on.'"</p> - -<p>The members of the board of inquiry were leaning forward in their -chairs so as not to miss a word of Larson's report. When he had -finished, the senior member, an admiral, asked breathlessly, "And then -what happened to her, commander?"</p> - -<p>"She vanished," Larson said.</p> - -<p>The admiral collapsed like a punctured balloon.</p> - -<p>"Lieutenant Thompson will back up every word I have said," Larson -continued. He shook his head to indicate that he still couldn't -understand it, though he had thought of little else since the day it -had happened.</p> - -<p>"Who do you think she was, commander?" a member of the board asked.</p> - -<p>"I think she was one of the new people," Larson answered. His voice was -firm but he was still shaking his head when he walked out of the room -where the board had met.</p> - -<p>They gave him shore duty. The psychos did all they could for him, but -something seemed to have snapped inside his brain. Eight months later -he deserted.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then there was the story of Colonel Edward Grant, USAF. Grant was the -only man aboard the new Earth satellite station. He was the only man -aboard because at that time no way had been found to build and to -launch a satellite that would carry more than one passenger. In fact, -no way had been found to do more than launch such a station and get it -into its orbit. It could not return because it could not carry enough -fuel for the return journey. A spaceship was being built which would -carry additional fuel and food supplies to it, but this vessel was not -yet completed when the satellite was launched.</p> - -<p>Grant, who had flown everything with wings, volunteered to ride with -the station and put it in its orbit, knowing that when the power was -exhausted he might be marooned in space forever.</p> - -<p>However, neither he nor anyone else had anticipated that he would -be marooned. This eventuality had only occurred when the production -demands of the new war forced a halt on the construction of his rescue -ship.</p> - -<p>Colonel Grant became the loneliest man in the history of Earth. The -stars were his companions. Only the moon kept him company. He would -remain a lonely Flying Dutchman of the sky, until the end of the -war permitted finishing the ship that would bring him relief. Or -forever—whichever came first.</p> - -<p>It was inevitable that the Asians would get the idea that he was spying -on them as he passed in his regular orbit far above their heads. In -reality, this was sheer nonsense; he was much too high to make out any -military details of any importance whatsoever. Also, they were taking -full advantage of his broadcasts of scientific information, which could -be obtained by tuning in to the bands he used.</p> - -<p>In an effort to remove this imagined menace from the sky above them, -the Asians fired a rocket torpedo at his satellite.</p> - -<p>Colonel Grant, reporting later on what had happened, said, "That -torpedo must have been on its way, when the little man appeared on my -satellite. He told me about the rocket that was coming my way. I told -him this was very interesting but that I didn't see what the hell I -could do about it. The station had no power and couldn't be moved. I -didn't even have a chute, and even if I had had one I couldn't have -used it. Anybody who jumped from that height would have frozen to death -long before he reached enough air to sustain life. Describe the little -man for you? Sure, general. He looked like a miniature Moses, white -beard, glittering eyes and everything else. No, general, I never saw -Moses. Clothes? A loin cloth, general. No, sir I am not making light of -the dignity of this court, I am telling in the words at my command what -I saw happen with my own eyes."</p> - -<p>At this point, the colonel's voice became a little stiff. The general -shut up. A man who had done what Grant had done might snap a general's -head off and get away with it.</p> - -<p>"What happened next? The miniature Moses told me he was going to land -the satellite. He said that even if they missed with this torpedo they -would be sure to try again, for no reason except to give the morale of -their own people a big boost."</p> - -<p>"Land the satellite, colonel?" the general asked again. "But as I -understand it, the station was without power!"</p> - -<p>"You understand the situation correctly, general. But that was what he -said and that was what he did. In as neat a landing as I ever saw. And -if you don't believe me, you can go look for yourself."</p> - -<p>The space satellite sitting in the middle of a Kansas wheat field was -evidence that could not be ignored. It was solid, it was metal, it was -real. Colonel Grant might have gone wacky from the stress of remaining -too long in space, but the station, at least, had remained sane. Power -must have been used to move it. But what power?</p> - -<p>Colonel Grant could not answer the question of what happened to the -miniature Moses after the station had been landed. He flung up his -hands. "Moses went the same way he came, without me seeing him."</p> - -<p>On the basis of Grant's report, an investigation was begun. A vast mass -of data was assembled, some of it dating from the time of Jal Jonnor, -but when no practical results were immediately forthcoming, the project -was shelved, at least temporarily. Its manpower was desperately needed -for other purposes. Men fighting for their lives have no time to think -of the future.</p> - -<p>This dusty, forgotten mass of data was exhumed by a tall, lean man -named Kurt Zen, a colonel of intelligence, who had a reputation for -daring even among that elite band of men who daily looked death in the -face.</p> - -<p>Zen was assigned to this investigation, not only because of his -reputation, but because the stories of the new people had increased in -number to the point where they had to be given some credence. Also, -they became more fantastic in content. For instance, a bomber pilot -insisted that a woman had ridden on the wing of his ship all the way to -Asia, dropping from the plane in the highlands of western China. Zen -regarded this story as obvious hallucination. Much of the data about -the new people belonged in this category. He morosely wondered if it -was possible to tell where reality left off and hallucination began. -The colonel soon discovered that his job was not going to be as easy as -he'd hoped.</p> - -<p>Aside from the stories told by the soldiers—and the Asian fighting men -also had their tales to tell—only one thing was certain: if the new -people existed at all, they were very elusive. Only the grave of the -man who had founded the group, old Jal Jonnor, was still to be found in -the high Sierras of California. Zen did not go looking for this grave, -but he saw photographs of it. He also studied the biographies that had -been compiled on this colossal but enigmatical figure. Were the grave -and the thick files the only remaining evidence that at least one -human had dared to dream of a new day? Zen did not think so. Most of -all, he longed to capture one of the new people for questioning.</p> - -<p>Then, in a daring coup that was intended to strike a spearhead at the -heart of America, Cuso, the top Asian fighting leader, and thousands -of tough Asian paratroopers floated down into the mountains between -British Columbia and the United States.</p> - -<p>Cuso and his men, hiding out in the high mountain ranges, resisted all -efforts to dislodge them. They became a festering thorn in the side -of America, a threat that was not quite big enough to take seriously, -or slight enough to overlook. He was hidden so deep in the mountain -caverns that he could not be bombed out and the terrain was so rugged -that his paratroopers could withstand the assault of a full army.</p> - -<p>As his men began making forays into the lower ranges, searching for -food and women, the inhabitants of the area fled in terror.</p> - -<p>This was the situation when Kurt Zen accompanied a body of troops up -the last fairly good trail toward Cuso's hidden lair. Neither the -troops nor Cuso really interested him. What interested him was an army -nurse with the medical detachment. He suspected this nurse was one of -the new people.</p> - -<p>In months of patient, painstaking work, she was the only good lead to -this group that he had uncovered.</p> - -<p>He was going up a steep mountain trail, with troops ahead and behind, -when something that sounded like a wounded lion began to cough in the -sky overhead.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="II" id="II">II</a></h2> - - -<p>Kurt Zen heard the lion cough in the sky overhead. He knew that it -would hit in about four minutes and that it would seem to open a tunnel -upward from hell, that the mountains would shake and tremble, that the -air would vibrate and rattle as if a dozen thunderbolts had exploded -at the same instant, and that a good number of the troops laboriously -circling the incline of the ridge above would die.</p> - -<p>He knew that more of them would die a horrible lingering death as a -result of the radioactivity that would be released by the blast.</p> - -<p>"Pardon me, Nedra," he said to the nurse, who was just ahead of him.</p> - -<p>She had stopped to stare upward.</p> - -<p>"Hit the dirt!" Zen yelled at the troops. A few had already heard -the lion cough in the sky and had begun to take cover, following the -pattern of experienced fighters who never need an order to dive for the -nearest hole. He saw, as he shouted, that the number who had already -begun to hit the dirt was pitifully few and he knew the reason for -this. Most of these men were green conscripts on their first fighting -mission, the results of digging deep into a population that had already -been scoured to the bone for manpower—and for everything else. -Conscripts were likely to stare at the sky and die with their mouths -open.</p> - -<p>"What is it?" the girl asked. "What's wrong?"</p> - -<p>"Don't you hear that blooper in the sky overhead?"</p> - -<p>"No. That is, I heard something make a noise up there. But—" Mixed -emotions moved across her face but fear was not among them. Instead, -she seemed to be curious. "But what is a blooper?"</p> - -<p>From a nurse, or from any living American, such a question was -incredible. Zen stared at her in amazement.</p> - -<p>"Did I say the wrong thing, ask the wrong question?"</p> - -<p>"You sure did," Zen answered. "Come on."</p> - -<p>"But where are we going?"</p> - -<p>"There!" He nodded toward a prospect hole, one of the many that had -been dug in these mountains by miners. As soon as he had heard the -blooper cough its interrupted rocket blast when it changed direction in -the sky, he had instantly looked for a hiding place. This tunnel seemed -to fill the bill.</p> - -<p>"Is something going to happen?" the nurse asked.</p> - -<p>"In less than two minutes you will find out," he answered. His long -legs had already started taking him toward the hole. After hesitating -for an instant, the nurse hastily followed him.</p> - -<p>The prospect hole extended less than ten feet into the side of the -mountain and was not timbered. This was good. It meant no heavy beams -would collapse around their heads when the hills began to shake. A -quick examination revealed that the stone of the roof seemed to be -solid. Zen stopped within three feet of the entrance.</p> - -<p>"Why don't we go farther back?" the nurse asked.</p> - -<p>"We're in far enough for protection from bits of flying metal but not -too far to dig ourselves out if the roof should collapse—I hope," Zen -answered.</p> - -<p>Somewhere outside a man screamed, in terror.</p> - -<p>The thing in the sky coughed again, closer now. -BRRROOOMMM——BrrroooMMM——BrOOOm!</p> - -<p>The blooper struck.</p> - -<p>The sound was that of the simultaneous firing of many cannon. The -walls of the prospect tunnel seemed to twist and wave. Loose stones -dropped from the roof and a fine dust seemed to extrude from the walls. -A boulder half as big as a small house hurtled past the entrance, -snapping pines like matchsticks. A slide of loose rocks followed it. -In the distance another slide could be heard growling back at the sky -as it grew to avalanche proportions.</p> - -<p>The nurse's fingers tightened on Zen's arm, then relaxed. Every nerve -in his body was as taut as a steel wire as he waited for her reaction. -Other than the tightening and relaxing of her fingers, there was none. -Her hands remained on his arm and she remained in the tunnel with him. -To Kurt Zen, this was disappointing.</p> - -<p>"What kind of nerves do you have? Most women would have been in my arms -and would have had their noses buried in my chest."</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry, colonel, if my education in how to be afraid has been -neglected." She coughed at the dust.</p> - -<p>"Aren't you really afraid, Nedra?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then you aren't an ordinary human!" The instant he had blurted out the -words, he was sorry he had spoken. It was possible to give away too -much too soon.</p> - -<p>"Then what am I?" Her voice was calm.</p> - -<p>He dodged her question. "Aren't you even afraid to die?"</p> - -<p>"When so many have died already, why should I hesitate to join them?" -the nurse answered. She released his arm and brushed dust from the -shoulders of her uniform. She glanced up at him and it seemed that some -kind of a radiation flowed from her eyes, a wave of it that sent a -tingle over his entire skin surface. Outside, another smaller boulder -went bouncing past the entrance to the tunnel. Fumbling in his pockets -for cigarettes, Zen found a crumpled package. He offered one to the -nurse but she thanked him and refused it. He did not insist. Cigarettes -were too precious to waste on people who didn't really want them. -Outside, another man began to scream. The nurse moved automatically in -that direction. He caught her arm and held her back.</p> - -<p>"Wait until the rocks stop rolling, Nedra."</p> - -<p>She did not protest. Looking up at him, she said, "You think I'm one of -the new people, don't you?"</p> - -<p>Zen coughed and swore at the cigarette, insisting that the tobacco -was moist. This was a lie and both knew it. But—what to say? Her -question was a complete stunner. "What makes you think that?" he asked, -desperate for words.</p> - -<p>"I just think it. It's true, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>As an intelligence officer, Zen was accustomed to asking the questions, -but this nurse had completely turned the tables on him. He took a deep -drag on the cigarette. "I don't know. Are you?" He made his voice as -casual as was possible.</p> - -<p>Her eyes studied him. The trace of a smile came over her face and -tugged at the comers of her lips. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"</p> - -<p>"Go right ahead." The man had stopped screaming outside but another -boulder was going past. In the distance, the avalanche was trying to -grind to a halt but it sounded as if millions of tons of rock were on -the move to a safer location.</p> - -<p>"Are <i>you</i> one of the new people?" the nurse asked.</p> - -<p>The cough was real this time. Zen could not suppress his surprise. -"What on earth makes you ask a question like that?"</p> - -<p>"I just felt like asking it," the nurse replied. "Am I wrong?"</p> - -<p>"Who are the new people?"</p> - -<p>"Why, everybody has heard of them. They're the new race that is going -to provide the nucleus for new growth after all ordinary men and women -have been destroyed in this war." Surprise showed in her violet eyes. -"Do you mean you have never heard of them?"</p> - -<p>"I've heard the usual rumors that are afloat," Zen said, shrugging. -"But all the stories have impressed me as a pack of lies. Really, I -think the enemy has started most of them, to get us to relax our war -effort."</p> - -<p>"Do you honestly think that?" Her voice had a puzzled note in it. "I -mean, honestly and truly."</p> - -<p>"I think what the evidence tells me to think, nothing less. In this -case, I have seen none of the so-called evidence."</p> - -<p>Shrugging, Zen moved toward the opening of the tunnel, then drew back -as a mass of rock crashed outside. "It's raining boulders out there," -he said. "What do you know about the so-called new people?"</p> - -<p>"Not much," she answered.</p> - -<p>"You're a very lovely liar, but the fact that you are lovely doesn't -make you any less a liar," Zen said. She was very beautiful with her -violet eyes and bronze hair, but an overworked intelligence officer -could not be concerned with these things.</p> - -<p>"Thank you, colonel," she said. "But I do not relish being called a -liar." Her face showed hurt, just the right amount of it, but at the -same time her eyes laughed at him. "However, I guess there is nothing I -can do about it, is there?" Somehow she contrived to look like a small -girl who has been unjustly accused of some deed she has not committed.</p> - -<p>In the distance the avalanche had ground to a halt. Now, no more -boulders were bounding down the hill. A vast, puzzled silence held the -mountains. In that silence, Zen fancied he could hear the thoughts of -the frightened men who had remained alive thus far, and were wondering -how to prolong their precarious existence. They were also wondering if -staying alive was worth the effort involved. Why not give up now and be -done with all tragedy, with all tears, with all trying to find the road -to the future?</p> - -<p>Up the trail a man began to scream.</p> - -<p>Like a homing pigeon that has finally found the right direction, -the nurse moved toward the sound. Zen caught her arm again. Looking -puzzled, she stopped. "Please, colonel. I am needed up there." She -nodded up the slope in the direction of the screaming man.</p> - -<p>"You are probably needed by many others," he commented.</p> - -<p>She did not seem to understand. "But I am a nurse. It is my duty to -help those who are wounded."</p> - -<p>"I know." He was a little startled to find himself in sympathy with -this impulse. "But, not yet."</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Because that slope is still too hot to be safe." He held up his left -wrist. Instead of a watch, he wore a miniature radiation counter there. -The needle was creeping up toward the red line.</p> - -<p>"The radiation count is about forty right here at the mouth of this -prospect hole," he pointed out.</p> - -<p>"That is interesting," the nurse said. The tone of her voice said it -was not important.</p> - -<p>"Halfway up the slope, it will hit a hundred. At the top of the ridge, -where the explosion took place, the count may reach a thousand." In his -opinion, he had said enough.</p> - -<p>In her opinion, he had not said anything at all. "That makes no -difference. Wounded men are up there. I am a nurse. My duty is clear to -me."</p> - -<p>"If you try to help them under these circumstances, you will become a -casualty yourself."</p> - -<p>"But what of the men who need help?"</p> - -<p>"They will simply have to get out of the radiation zone themselves, or -wait until the area is clear and help can reach them."</p> - -<p>"You are heartless!"</p> - -<p>"Not at all," he denied. "If anything could be done to help them I -would be doing it. Don't you understand what has happened? That was an -Asian N bomb that exploded. In an N bomb the immediate effect is minor. -The real purpose of the weapon is to spray the area with high intensity -radiation, to make the ground unfit for living for months. Any living -creature caught within the direct blast of the radiation is doomed, and -neither you, nor I, nor the medics, can do anything to help them—" He -broke off as another man began screaming up the slope.</p> - -<p>The nurse was irresolute. "But that man needs help," she pointed out.</p> - -<p>"Certainly he needs help," Zen agreed.</p> - -<p>"Well—"</p> - -<p>Zen watched her carefully. She seemed to understand his words but -something else pulled at her far more strongly: the screaming of the -injured man. Each time the soldier cried out, she started in his -direction.</p> - -<p>"Well, well, thank you, colonel." Turning, she moved with a sure stride -up the slope.</p> - -<p>Zen swore under his breath and started after her, then caught the -motion as the question rose in him as to why she should throw her -life away. She knew the meaning of radiation in lethal quantities. -Unquestionably, she also knew what would happen to any normal human who -ventured into a hot zone.</p> - -<p>Was she, then, a normal human being? Was he actually witnessing one of -the miracles performed by the new people? If she came off the mountain -slope alive, it would certainly prove something. Zen cursed again. She -was going where he could not safely follow. If she returned unharmed, -he had enough proof to warrant following her to the ends of the earth, -if need be.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="III" id="III">III</a></h2> - - -<p>The radio transmitter inside Zen's pack was small but very powerful. -It did not look like a radio transmitter at all; there was no antenna -and no apparent source of power. Only the tiny earphone and the throat -microphone revealed its true nature.</p> - -<p>He slipped the phone into his ear, fitted the microphone against his -throat, then picked up the piece of plastic tubing that was red on one -end and green on the other. Wires ran from each end of this tube to the -small box that housed the transmitter.</p> - -<p>"Red goes to the right hand," he muttered. "Green to the left. Or is it -the other way around?" Making up his mind that red went to the right, -he closed his fingers around the ends of the plastic tube, then watched -the tiny meter on top of the small box that contained the transmitter.</p> - -<p>The needle moved on the dial.</p> - -<p>"Calling nine dash nine," he spoke. "This is six one calling nine dash -nine." He repeated the call three times, then sat back on his haunches -to await an answer.</p> - -<p>"Come in six one," the earphone said. "What color is red?"</p> - -<p>"It's green this week," Zen answered promptly.</p> - -<p>"What color was it last week?"</p> - -<p>"Last week? Um. Oh, yes. No color."</p> - -<p>"And that means—"</p> - -<p>"White. This is Kurt Zen, colonel, intelligence, reporting. Connect me -immediately with General Stocker."</p> - -<p>Satisfied with the identity of the caller, the operator said, "Just a -minute, colonel, I'll see if the general will talk to you."</p> - -<p>"Tell him it's important," Zen urged.</p> - -<p>"They always say that," the operator sighed. "I'll put you through as -soon as I can."</p> - -<p>"Kurt, boy, where are you?" General Stacker's voice boomed into a -distant microphone. The general's voice always boomed, he was always -hearty, he was always sure that while things might look black right -now, they would work out all right in the end. By the time the booming -voice reached Zen's earphone, it had been transformed into a tinny -squeak. Kurt thought he detected an uneasy note in the squeak and he -wondered if the general had finally glimpsed the end, and was finding -it not quite as he had supposed.</p> - -<p>"In hell, general," Zen answered. He swiftly told where he was and what -had happened. "Cuso's blooper knocked out the last pass by which we can -bring an effective force against him. This whole area is loaded with -radiation."</p> - -<p>"How will we ever root that bastard out of his hole now?"</p> - -<p>"That's for the staff to decide. I have more important news."</p> - -<p>"Yes? Talk, Kurt, and fast. You don't mean that you—"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I mean I think this nurse may be it. I don't know yet." Zen -explained what had happened.</p> - -<p>"Damn it, Kurt, do you mean to tell me that if she comes back alive, -you will know she is immune to the radiation, and hence must be one of -the new people? But if she comes back dead, or so loaded with radiation -that she will die within a few days, then you will know she was just -like all the rest of us?" Even through Zen's earphone, the general's -voice had begun to boom.</p> - -<p>"That's the way I see it," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"But goddammit—Are you hurt, Kurt?" The general's voice was suddenly -solicitous. "Are you all right?"</p> - -<p>"Damn it, I'm in my right mind," Zen answered. "I was in a prospect -hole when the blast went off. Don't you think I've got enough sense -to take cover?" Stocker's suddenly solicitous attitude irritated him. -"Sorry, sir," he apologized an instant later.</p> - -<p>"It's quite all right, boy. I know that nerves get frayed in combat. -But this nurse—"</p> - -<p>"That's the way I see it, sir," Zen said doggedly. "I request -permission to follow her."</p> - -<p>"If she comes back alive, you mean?"</p> - -<p>"I would appreciate it if you would stop reminding me of that -possibility."</p> - -<p>"Oh. So you are emotionally interested in her?"</p> - -<p>"Well, what if I am? She's a nice kid."</p> - -<p>"They all are, boy. They all are—until you get to know them. As to -permission to follow her, you've not only got it, but it's an order. -We've got to find out about these new people. One of them appeared in -President Wilkerson's private office this morning and told him to call -off a planned landing in Asia."</p> - -<p>"Really?" Zen said. "In the President's office!"</p> - -<p>"That's what I said."</p> - -<p>"Did it really happen? I mean, was anyone present?"</p> - -<p>"No one except the President's secretary. She's under heavy sedation -right now, from shock. She thought God Almighty Himself had come -walking in. The old man is not in much better shape." Stocker's voice -showed signs of strain. "I've got my orders from Wilkerson himself and -I'm passing them on to you. <i>Find these new people!</i> Follow that nurse -to hell if you have to."</p> - -<p>"Right, sir."</p> - -<p>"Report to me when you have something to report—that is, something -besides going to bed with her. Off." Zen grimaced as he pulled the tiny -phone out of his ear. He slipped the transmitter back into the pack and -slung it over his shoulder. The radiation count was dropping but it was -still too high for safety. He looked longingly up the trail. Wounded -men were coming down but Nedra was not in sight.</p> - -<p>The wounded men were no longer a fighting unit, but had become -individuals, each one intent only on his own survival. Patriotism had -gone from their minds, they no longer gave a hoot about saving their -country, but were only interested in saving their own lives.</p> - -<p>Far up the trail, Zen could see a tall figure moving upward. The nurse! -He unslung the pair of field glasses from his shoulder. Through the -powerful lenses Nedra's lithe figure was very clear. He saw her move -to the side of the trail and kneel beside a wounded man who lacked -the courage to walk downhill. Somehow she got the man to his feet -and started him along the trail. He stumbled and fell. Again the -nurse knelt beside him but this time she made no attempt to lift him. -Instead, she got to her own feet.</p> - -<p>Zen decided the man had died as he fell.</p> - -<p>She continued on up the slope.</p> - -<p>Down below, motors roared and then came to a halt. Turning, Zen saw -that a first aid station was being set up down there. The medics worked -fast; already they were directing the wounded men to the back end of a -truck, where an examination station had been set up. But, fast as they -worked, they were too late to help the vast majority of the wounded. -The futility of the effort depressed Zen, so he returned his attention -to the nurse.</p> - -<p>She was in the middle of the trail again. The avalanche, directly ahead -of her, had stopped her progress. A man was with her.</p> - -<p>Through the glasses, the man looked as tall and craggy as a mountain -peak. No soldier, he was without helmet or other headgear. His hair, -white as the snow on top of a mountain, was flying in the wind. His -face looked like a statue hewn in granite. Zen guessed that he was a -resident of this region, a mountaineer who had sought safety in these -remote fastnesses, and who had been blasted out of his hiding place by -Cuso's radioactive blooper and was wandering down this trail to die. -The nurse was talking to him.</p> - -<p>Involuntarily, as if they had a will of their own, Zen's legs started -carrying him up the slope. He had taken a dozen steps before he -remembered the counter on his wrist.</p> - -<p>"To hell with the count!" he thought. "I'm going up there and drag her -down here. She's not going to throw her life away while I skulk like -a coward down below. I don't give a damn whether she's one of the new -people or not. She's human!"</p> - -<p>He climbed the slope with giant strides. Then he saw that Nedra was -running toward him and waving him back.</p> - -<p>"Colonel! You can't come up here."</p> - -<p>"I <i>am</i> coming up there!" he shouted in reply.</p> - -<p>"No!"</p> - -<p>When he did not stop, she ran faster toward him. The craggy man kept -pace with her. Reaching Zen, she caught his sleeve, turned him around, -and started him down the slope. "You can't be here." Her voice was -breathless with protest.</p> - -<p>"Are you giving me orders?" Zen growled. Secretly he was pleased -because she was concerned about him.</p> - -<p>"If you will permit me, colonel, I think Nedra's intention is to save -your life," the craggy man spoke. He had a voice like a bell tolling -in the distance, sweet-toned and musical, but with overtones of great -strength.</p> - -<p>"What about <i>her</i> life?" Zen demanded.</p> - -<p>"I'm going down now, colonel," the nurse said hastily. "They've set up -a first aid station. They will need me there."</p> - -<p>"You will need their attention is what you mean," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Colonel, the counter!" she answered.</p> - -<p>The needle was well over the hundred mark and was still rising.</p> - -<p>"Come, colonel." Hooking her arm in his, Nedra began moving down the -rough, boulder-strewn trail. Zen did not move. She tugged harder.</p> - -<p>"Your life is in danger here, sir," the craggy man said, politely.</p> - -<p>"That is of interest to me only," Zen answered. "And what about your -life?"</p> - -<p>"Colonel, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," the nurse said -quickly. "Colonel Zen, Sam West. We'll talk while we walk down to the -first aid station."</p> - -<p>"A pleasure to meet you, sir," West said, extending his hand. His -handclasp was firm but there was a suggestion of additional power in -his fingers.</p> - -<p>"Nice to meet you, Mr. West. Do you live around here?"</p> - -<p>"Over that way," the craggy man said, nodding vaguely over his -shoulder.</p> - -<p>Again the nurse tugged at Zen's arm. He set his feet solidly on the -mountain trail. "We'll talk right here."</p> - -<p>"But you are taking an unfair advantage of Nedra," the craggy man -protested. "This area is heavy with radiation and this is neither the -time nor the place to be swapping horses."</p> - -<p>"Then why are you two here?"</p> - -<p>"I was getting out of the area as fast as I could when I met Nedra," -West said. "I would still be getting out of it, but fast, if you were -not stopping me."</p> - -<p>"I'm not stopping you," Zen said. "There's the trail. Hit it. Nor you -either," he said to Nedra.</p> - -<p>"Don't be silly, Kurt," the nurse said. She was pleading with him now.</p> - -<p>"All right. But on one condition. Why did you come up here in the first -place? You knew the area was hot."</p> - -<p>"I—I lost my head," the nurse said promptly. "My emotions ran away -with me. I'm a nurse and wounded men needed my attention. I went to -them. You will come down the trail with us, won't you?" The violet eyes -begged him to believe in her.</p> - -<p>"What made you lose your head?"</p> - -<p>"Why—shock, I suppose. This is the first time I was bombed. Also, the -screaming of the wounded. Really, sir, I am a nurse." The way she said -the word, being a nurse meant something. The violet eyes had grown -tired of begging and were on the verge of spitting anger at him.</p> - -<p>"I don't believe a damned word you have said," Zen said. "You didn't -lose your head back there in the prospect hole."</p> - -<p>"Please, Kurt." Again she rugged at his arm. "I'll talk to you all you -want down below. But don't try to force me to stay here."</p> - -<p>Reluctantly, Zen yielded to the pressure on his arm. Relief appeared in -the violet eyes and the face of the craggy man showed a sudden release -from some inner strain. Dimly, he thought he had seen that craggy face -somewhere before but the picture that flicked through his mind was -gone before he could fit a time and place tag on it. Going down the -trail, he steered the nurse toward a truck where the medics had set up -equipment to test the amount of exposure to radiation. In doing this, -he discovered that she was steering him in the same direction.</p> - -<p>"I don't need the medics," he protested. "I'm all right. I wasn't -exposed long enough to do any damage."</p> - -<p>"Of course you're all right," she answered. Her tone was similar to -that of an indulgent mother reassuring a hurt child.</p> - -<p>"You're the one who needs help," he said. He was certain she had -remained too long.</p> - -<p>"I'm going to get it if I need it," she said, soothingly.</p> - -<p>Zen could hear the occasional crunch of boots behind them. West was -keeping silent. He did not seem to be in a hurry.</p> - -<p>Zen started to speak to Nedra. The thought of what he wanted to say was -dim in his mind and he could not quite find words for it but he knew -that it had something to do with a wish that the world were different -and that the human race were not trying to destroy itself. Why should -he be wishing this? The reason for his thinking became a little -clearer. He was wishing the world were different so that he might make -love to this nurse under conditions that would permit this love to bear -other fruit than frustration, despair, and death.</p> - -<p>He found himself wishing that a vine-covered cottage existed somewhere, -a place where a man and a woman might live in peace and reasonable -security, raising some kids who could play on a mountain slope that was -not saturated with atomic radiation.</p> - -<p>"Here is the first aid station," the nurse said. "And—"</p> - -<p>"And what?" he asked her when she did not continue.</p> - -<p>She gave his arm a squeeze. "And thank you for the dream," she -whispered.</p> - -<p>As Kurt Zen turned startled eyes toward her, wondering how she had -known what he had been dreaming, her face seemed to dissolve in a gray -mist.</p> - -<p>He plunged, unconscious, to the ground at her feet.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="IV" id="IV">IV</a></h2> - - -<p>The jar of striking the ground seemed to bring the intelligence agent -back to consciousness instantly. As Nedra started to kneel beside him, -he was already getting to his feet. She tried to help him rise. He -shrugged her hand away.</p> - -<p>"What happened?" she asked.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," he said. This didn't seem quite right. "I—I—" He tried to -think what had happened. "I fainted. That's all. I just fainted." To -him, this seemed a reasonable explanation for everything that needed -explaining.</p> - -<p>Nedra seemed to think otherwise. "But men like you don't just faint," -she protested.</p> - -<p>"I did."</p> - -<p>"They don't faint unless something is wrong with them," Nedra -continued. "Are you sure you're not suffering from delayed shock -following the bomb explosion? Or—" Her voice slid away into silence as -if she were afraid to voice the thought that was in her mind. Behind -her, West said nothing.</p> - -<p>"I just did it," Zen said, becoming more indignant. "I fainted. Who -says it can't be done?" Confusion existed somewhere. He was sure it was -the nurse who was confused. He shook his head in an effort to clear up -her difficulty.</p> - -<p>"I saw you do it. All I am trying to say is that perhaps there may be a -reason for it."</p> - -<p>"Nope," Zen said. "I'm not going to the aid station. No reason for it. -I'm all right. It's the world out there that is wrong." This made sense -to him.</p> - -<p>"I know you are all right," Nedra answered. Her face showed strain. -"But it might be a good idea to have the doctors check, just to make -sure."</p> - -<p>Zen, busy shaking his head again, hardly heard her. He had the -impression that her confusion would clear up in a minute. Somehow it -reminded him of the confusion that he had suffered after inhaling a -whiff of nerve gas, once. When had this happened? He was not sure, now. -Perhaps it had taken place in the remote past, perhaps on some other -planet ... he realized his mind was wandering. Again he shook his head.</p> - -<p>"But I really think, colonel—"</p> - -<p>"I wasn't shaking my head at you," Zen corrected.</p> - -<p>"Good. Then we will go see the doctors."</p> - -<p>"I didn't mean that either. I was shaking my head to clear it. There's -a fog in it."</p> - -<p>"A fog in your head?" Unease appeared in her voice.</p> - -<p>"Yes. What's wrong with that? Lots of men have fogs in their heads." To -him, this seemed a reasonable statement. "Lots of men have to go to the -docs every couple of weeks to have the fogs blown out of their heads." -Thinking he had made a joke, he laughed.</p> - -<p>Nedra did not think he had said anything funny. Resolutely, she took -his arm. "Come with me, colonel." As she led him toward the truck which -the medics were using for a first aid station, something happened.</p> - -<p>He saw clearly.</p> - -<p>He saw everything.</p> - -<p>The ability to see came suddenly, out of nowhere. One second it was not -there. Then it was there. It was like seeing with eyes, except it was -better than ocular perception had ever been. With it, he was not only -able to see surfaces, he could also see into the interior of things. -An acute understanding of what he saw went with the perception.</p> - -<p>He saw that the Universe was as tall as a man, and no taller. He saw -that it was as wide as a man, and no wider. He saw that it was as broad -as a man, and no broader.</p> - -<p>He saw the human race in its entirety, one man and all men, all men in -one man. Simultaneously, he saw the whole history of the race, he saw -the long journey it had made from so-called inanimate matter to the -point where it was now a creature that looked outward to the stars. He -saw that the destiny of the race lay in those stars, and in all that -vast expanse of space between them, if it did not destroy itself in -the process of growing to star stature. He saw that the race could do -exactly this, that it could blow itself back to the component atoms -that composed it, in which case the long and toilsome, heart-breaking -struggle upward from the atomic level would have to begin all over -again.</p> - -<p>He also knew what he was doing with this clear seeing.</p> - -<p>He was touching the race mind.</p> - -<p>He was in contact with the race field.</p> - -<p>His consciousness had been lifted to the level of that vast, -all-pervading, but very subtle force field that comprised the race mind.</p> - -<p>The knowledge was sudden agony in him, a pain that was needle sharp in -the region of his heart. The pain was strange because, while he could -feel it and knew it was happening in his body, it had no meaning to -him. He was detached from it, it hurt his body, but it did not hurt or -harm him.</p> - -<p>His body was alarmed by the pain, his breathing quickened, and a faint -trace of sweat appeared on his skin. But he was not alarmed. Even if -his body fell dead, he would not be concerned.</p> - -<p>"What is it, Kurt?" his ears heard Nedra say. She had detected his -heavy breathing and she was alarmed. "Are you about to faint again?"</p> - -<p>"No," his lips answered. His body laughed at the question. He heard the -sound of his laughter as being both his and not his. His body knew it -was not going to faint. His laughter sounded hollow and out of place -but he did not care about that either.</p> - -<p>Ahead, soldiers were lined up at the back end of the truck, waiting -their turn in line.</p> - -<p>"Your rank entitles you to priority," Nedra said hesitantly.</p> - -<p>"In the place where I am now, my rank doesn't exist," he answered. "I -join the end of the line, I take my turn." He was quite stubborn about -this.</p> - -<p>The nurse looked pleased. He wondered if he had said something -important. To him, what he had said seemed obvious. Behind him, West -was a silent shadow wrapped in an enigma. Even with his sudden new -perception, his contact with a higher form of consciousness, he could -not perceive West clearly. Something about the craggy man defied -penetration and analysis.</p> - -<p>The men in the line ahead of him waited for their turn, shuffling -forward each time the medics finished with their examination. There was -no talk in the line. Not a man grumbled, not a man complained. Knowing -men, Zen knew that this was ominous.</p> - -<p>These men had had it. They knew they had had it. In the face of that -knowledge, nothing else mattered. Outwardly, they looked fit. Inwardly, -something had happened to them. It seemed to Zen that he could see -glows coming from their bodies. One was swaying. Zen seemed to glimpse -a blob of light moving suddenly upward from the man. The soldier fell. -He did not move a muscle after he hit.</p> - -<p>Nedra started toward him. Zen shook his head. "No use," he said.</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>Zen pointed skyward. "He went that way."</p> - -<p>Her face whitened as she caught his meaning. "I'll make sure."</p> - -<p>She moved forward and inspected the fallen man, felt for a pulse, and -felt again, then got to her feet. As she returned, her back seemed to -have acquired a new sag.</p> - -<p>An officer shouted from the truck, his voice gravel rough from tension. -In response, a stretcher-bearing detail moved forward. They inspected -the body of the fallen man, then lifted it and tossed it to the side of -the trail. One clipped a dog tag from it, then ran a counter over it. -He grunted to his companion, who tied a red tag on the dead man's wrist.</p> - -<p>"Up that way, boys, you can find some more," Zen called to them, -jerking his thumb up the slope.</p> - -<p>"We're not a burial detail," was the answer.</p> - -<p>The soldiers in the line shuffled forward.</p> - -<p>"Hey! It's gone!" Zen said suddenly.</p> - -<p>"What's gone?"</p> - -<p>"I'm back," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"You never went anywhere," the nurse said.</p> - -<p>"<i>It's gone</i> and <i>I'm back</i> both mean the same thing," he tried to -explain. "The thing that is gone is my contact with the race field. -<i>I'm back</i> means that all of a sudden, I'm normal. I'm back here. -I'm looking out of my eyes. I'm hearing with my ears. I don't know -everything any longer."</p> - -<p>Daze was in him. Worse than the daze was the fact that even the memory -of the experience was receding. Agony came with this recession. It -seemed to him that this experience was the most important thing that -had ever happened to him.</p> - -<p>And it was going away. He watched it slide out of his memory. He felt -like running wildly to try and recapture it. Which way he would run -did not matter, just so he ran until he found it again. He fought the -impulse to run. The experience was not out there; it could not be found -if he searched the whole world for it.</p> - -<p>It was inside him.</p> - -<p>Nedra looked at West and started to speak, but the craggy man motioned -her to silence.</p> - -<p>"Saul on the road to Damascus," Zen muttered. "Something like this -happened to Saul on the road to Damascus."</p> - -<p>"Kurt—" Nedra said. Again the craggy man motioned her to silence. The -fellow, rough mountaineer that he was, seemed to have some perception -of the turmoil inside a fellow human being, and more than that, to have -understanding and sympathy.</p> - -<p>"I contacted the race mind," Zen said. "For a minute, I was in touch -with the field of the race. But it's gone now," he added. Sadness and a -falling voice went with the last words.</p> - -<p>"Step in front of the scope, soldier," a gravel voice growled behind -him. Turning, he saw that he was next in line. The lieutenant in charge -of the first aid station had spoken to him. Seeing the eagle on Zen's -helmet he hastily apologized. "I beg your pardon, sir."</p> - -<p>"It's all right," Zen said. For an instant, as conflicting ideas -competed for expression in him, he wondered who he was and why he was -here. Then he remembered what had happened. Well established reaction -patterns took over and he stepped into position in front of the scope. -Inside the back end of the truck, a transformer hummed. Although -he could not feel it, he knew that a powerful stream of radiation -was passing through his body and that a count was being made of the -radioactivity he had absorbed. The lieutenant studied his meters, then -looked up at Zen.</p> - -<p>"You're all right, sir." He seemed puzzled.</p> - -<p>"Not hot, eh?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir, you're not. Frankly, I don't understand it. Oh, you've got a -little exposure, but nothing serious."</p> - -<p>"I was in one of the old mines when the blast went off," Zen explained.</p> - -<p>"Then that accounts for it. You were lucky as hell, sir. Next."</p> - -<p>Catching Nedra's arm, Zen swung her in front of the scope. The -experience with higher levels of consciousness had been forced out of -his mind, and he was all intelligence officer.</p> - -<p>"But I'm all right! I mean, there's nothing wrong. Are you out of your -mind again?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Zen said. "But I've got the rank to make my decisions stick -whether I'm out of my mind or not. Lieutenant, check this woman. This -is an order!" Zen snapped out the words with all the precision and -authority of a drill-field sergeant training recruits.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir," the startled medical officer said.</p> - -<p>Ignoring Nedra's protests, Zen held her in place while the equipment -was put into operation. Behind them, West watched. The faintest trace -of an approving smile showed on the craggy man's face.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant looked up from his meters. "She's all right too, sir."</p> - -<p>"Sure of that?"</p> - -<p>"Of course I'm sure. This counter doesn't lie!" The medical officer was -indignant.</p> - -<p>So was Nedra. The violet eyes shot sparks of anger at the colonel. Zen -was unimpressed. Deep inside, he was tremendously relieved. She had -come down alive! She was unharmed! This was enough to make him feel -good all over. He also knew what she was. No ordinary mortal could have -remained in the hot zone for the length of time she had been there and -emerged unharmed. He did not mind her anger. Instead he turned to West.</p> - -<p>"You're next!"</p> - -<p>He did not know what response to expect from the craggy man. It might -be anything. To his surprise, West smiled.</p> - -<p>"Glad to, colonel. I was hoping I would get tested, so I would know -where I stood."</p> - -<p>Without hesitation, West stepped in front of the scope. "While I am -certain I did not receive enough exposure to do any damage, still it -is best to follow your example and make certain." The deep voice was -suave, with tiny overtones of amusement in it somewhere.</p> - -<p>Again the lieutenant studied his meters and again he looked up. Real -perplexity was on his face. "Three okays in a row. I didn't have a -single okay up until now." His gaze went up the slope in the direction -where the bomb had exploded.</p> - -<p>"Does that mean I'm all right?" West asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes. Definitely all right," the lieutenant answered. "And I don't -pretend to understand it."</p> - -<p>"I was in a hole, too," West said. He seemed to be amused at some joke -known only to him.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant brightened. "Then I understand it."</p> - -<p>"I wish I did," Zen said, to himself. There was no longer any doubt in -his mind that Nedra was one of the new people. As to West, the man was -an enigma. Not knowing how long West had been exposed to the radiation, -Zen did not know what to make of his freedom from it. But there was -certainly something peculiar about him.</p> - -<p>"Colonel, it was good to meet you." West was coming toward him with -outstretched hand. Zen had the impression that the man's hand could -turn into a veritable bear trap, if West chose. "Perhaps we shall meet -again, sir." The words were a statement, not a question. An enigmatical -smile played over the craggy man's face.</p> - -<p>"Who knows whether we shall meet again?" Zen answered, shrugging. -"Generally, when people say goodbye these days, they mean goodbye -forever."</p> - -<p>"I know." Sadness showed on the craggy, lined face. "It is too bad that -things have to be this way. Well, experience is a difficult school, -but <i>homo sapiens</i> seems incapable of learning in any other."</p> - -<p>"It is war," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"I disagree with you there," West said. "War is only a symptom of the -disease, it is only an expression of humanity. War itself is not at -fault, but man. Nor can man really be regarded as being at fault, since -what he is now going through is only a stage of growth."</p> - -<p>Momentarily the memory of the contact with the race mind flicked -through Zen's consciousness. "I know that," he said. Then he hesitated. -"Or I knew it once."</p> - -<p>"Ah? When?"</p> - -<p>"Up the slope there, I knew it. But I have forgotten now what I knew." -Zen spoke slowly. He was trying hard to remember—or to forget—he -wasn't sure which.</p> - -<p>"Ah?" West repeated. "Goodday, sir. Nedra, I would like to speak with -you for a moment, before I leave. With your permission, of course, -Colonel Zen."</p> - -<p>"Certainly," Zen said. He watched the nurse and the craggy man move up -the trail a few steps. They carried on a conversation in tones too low -for him to overhear, then parted. West went down to the bottom of the -ravine and crossed to the other side of the gulch, where he began to -climb the opposite slope, staying as far away from the radioactive zone -as possible. Nedra returned to Zen beside the truck.</p> - -<p>"Does he live back there?" the intelligence agent asked.</p> - -<p>"I really don't know," the nurse answered. "I think he does, but I'm -not certain."</p> - -<p>"It's rough country to live in."</p> - -<p>"From what I have seen of him, he seems capable of living almost -anywhere."</p> - -<p>"Do you know him well?"</p> - -<p>The violet eyes regarded him thoughtfully. "You are asking a great many -questions, sir."</p> - -<p>"I'm going to ask more."</p> - -<p>"My telephone number, no doubt. I'm sorry, but I don't have a -telephone." The violet eyes grew pensive. "But if I did have a -telephone number, there is no one I would rather give it to than you."</p> - -<p>He felt a warm glow at her words. The dream that he had once shared -with millions of other men, of a wife and kids, came into his mind -again, a yearning that was as old as history. If he had his free -choice, he would go with this dream.</p> - -<p>He knew he did not have a free choice. Indeed, he doubted if he had any -choice at all. Nor had any other man. History had moved past the day -when this dream could be realized. Fate was sweeping it into the dust -heap of good things that were gone forever.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="V" id="V">V</a></h2> - - -<p>"She is immune to radiation!" Zen thought after Nedra had left to -rejoin her unit. This in itself was of sufficient importance to attract -and hold the interest of the top military and scientific minds. Perhaps -soldiers could also be immunized. Perhaps, by some impossible freak -of chance, a way might be found for workers to return to abandoned -factories, to long-closed shops and forges. This might mean a new flow -of goods and materials to troops that were desperately short of them -and to a civilian population that, at a conservative estimate, was more -than half starved.</p> - -<p>A human being who had achieved immunity to radiation was important -enough to command his complete attention. Also, the probability was -very great that she was one of the mysterious new people. Something -else about her interested him even more. He could not put his finger -on this something else but he suspected it had to do with the future, -with another world than the one he knew. Or with another universe. -Again the memory of his contact with the race mind flicked through his -consciousness.</p> - -<p>Now he knew what he was going to do insofar as Nedra was concerned. He -had a hunch what her next move would be. He would wait for her to make -it.</p> - -<p>Finding a carbine was not difficult. On this trail, the weapons were -to be had for picking them up. A dead man's ammunition pouches were -filled with cartridges. He took the pouches. Carrying the carbine, he -slid down the bank toward the mountain stream that talked to itself at -the bottom of the canyon. The water was clear and cool but dead trout -floating in it warned him not to drink.</p> - -<p>Seeking a place from which he could watch the canyon, he moved upward. -A dim trail was visible through the pines here.</p> - -<p>"An old narrow-gauge railroad," he thought. The rails had been removed -long since, the ties had rotted away, and the roadbed itself was hardly -a trail through the growth of trees. He had barely settled himself in a -spot from which to watch the ravine below, than a stone turned on the -old roadbed.</p> - -<p>Nedra was coming along the trail.</p> - -<p>He let her pass without challenge. Sliding out of hiding, he followed -her.</p> - -<p>Twisting and turning, the trail climbed slowly upward. When it reached -the edge of the timber, Zen caught a glimpse of a slide of yellow rock -far ahead, an old mine dump, which told him why the road had been -constructed in the first place. A ghost town was probably ahead.</p> - -<p>He caught a glimpse of Nedra moving steadily ahead along the old road -bed.</p> - -<p>"If she doesn't know exactly where she is going, then I'm missing my -guess," he thought, as he followed her. Elation was rising in him. She -was leading him straight to the hiding place of the new people.</p> - -<p>Here in these mountains a small group could remain in hiding forever. -Food might eventually become a problem, but there was plenty of game in -the ranges: deer, elk, and bear, and some of the high valleys had been -in cultivation before the war. A few hardy pioneers had always managed -to find a living in this wilderness. If they could do it, so could this -new group.</p> - -<p>Of course, they would have to evade Cuso's roving patrols, raiding for -food, supplies and women. But that ought not to be too difficult. The -ghost town was in sight.</p> - -<p>Surrounding an old mine, a crusher, and a concentrator, the ghost town -was also in ruins. Unlike so many small cities, the ruin here had not -come from attack but from nature. The snows of winter had piled their -burden on flimsy roofs, the seepage of spring had rotted the timbers, -with the result that many of the houses had simply collapsed. Weeds -grew in the doorways and scrub cedars had found roots in the streets.</p> - -<p>Nedra was walking down the middle of what had once been the main -street. Her stride was still certain and she seemed to know exactly -where she was going.</p> - -<p>The ragged man appeared in the door of the garage on her left. He spoke -to the nurse, calling to her. She jumped at the sound of the voice, -glanced at the man, then continued walking.</p> - -<p>"Hey, wait a minute, cutie!" the fellow shouted, loud enough for Zen to -hear him. He lunged out of the doorway toward her. She turned to face -him.</p> - -<p>Kurt Zen lifted the carbine, then dropped the muzzle. He not only had -great confidence in Nedra's ability to protect herself, but he wanted -to see what would happen.</p> - -<p>The loop of rope, thrown with all the skill of a cowboy, came from the -opposite side of the street. It settled over her shoulders, pinned her -arms to the side, and was instantly jerked tight. She was pulled to the -ground.</p> - -<p>The man who had lunged out of the doorway of the garage leaped toward -her. Throwing her on her stomach, face down, he jerked both hands -behind her back, then began to search her for a weapon.</p> - -<p>The man who had thrown the rope came out of hiding to help his -companion. He was short, with bow legs.</p> - -<p>Together, they held the nurse down.</p> - -<p>Zen raised the carbine to his shoulders. Although he had not previously -fired this weapon, at this distance he could not miss.</p> - -<p>Her scream came to his ears.</p> - -<p>"Colonel! Watch out!"</p> - -<p>In startled surprise, he slid the carbine from his shoulder. She had -known he was following her and that he was somewhere near! Thoughts -like startled hornets flicked through his consciousness. How had she -known he was following her? Why had she let him do it? More important, -where was she leading him? Most important of all, why was she trying to -save him when her own life was in danger?</p> - -<p>Even if she had known he was following her, obviously she hadn't known -these men were here. She hadn't been coming to meet them. Then what -was her purpose in climbing to this old ghost town which lay just at -timberline on the edge of a mountain wilderness where Cuso was held at -bay?</p> - -<p>The first ruffian was standing erect. Zen brought the sights of the -carbine to bear on the center of his ragged coat.</p> - -<p>"<i>Drop the gun!</i>" a voice said behind him.</p> - -<p>Even more surprising than the command was the fact that he knew the -voice that had spoken. Or he thought he did. He let the carbine slide -from his fingers.</p> - -<p>"Now get 'em up."</p> - -<p>He raised his hands. "Hello, Jake," he called out.</p> - -<p>An exclamation of surprise came from behind him. "How the hell did you -know me?"</p> - -<p>"Recognized your voice," Zen answered. "Can I turn around now?"</p> - -<p>"Sure. Sure. But what the hell are you doing up here?"</p> - -<p>Turning, Zen saw the automatic rifle that covered him. The muzzle was -wavering and the man who held it seemed confused. His face was covered -with a heavy growth of black whiskers and long hair peeped out from -under a battered helmet.</p> - -<p>"Jake, it's really good to see you again." As if such things as -automatic rifles did not exist, Zen advanced with outstretched hand.</p> - -<p>"Kurt Zen! I haven't seen you since—since—"</p> - -<p>"The night that Denver got it," Zen answered. Horror overwhelmed him -as he remembered what had happened to the Mile-High city. A bomb had -struck from the sky that night and parts of Denver had gone much higher -than a mile.</p> - -<p>"Yeah. That's it. Yeah. I thought you had got it that night, Kurt."</p> - -<p>"I thought the same thing about you. What are you doing up here? And -what—what happened to Marcia?"</p> - -<p>The instant Zen asked the question, he wished he had kept still. At the -name something happened in the man's eyes. They began to change, going -from comprehension to blankness, then coming back to understanding, -then losing that and going back to blankness. One instant the eyes -looked at Zen and the man remembered and liked this colonel. The next -instant, neither the eyes nor the mind behind them knew him. Zen was -then an alien, a stranger, to be distrusted and feared and possibly -destroyed. When Zen had known him in Denver, Jake had been a young -airman. He and Marcia had been newly married and very much in love with -each other.</p> - -<p>"She—she—" The voice was choked and tight with pain. "The radiation -got her." For an instant, the memory held true. But there was too much -pain in the memory for this man to face it. The memory went away. Only -the pain remained. "Marcia? Oh, she's fine. The next leave I get, we're -going to have a second honeymoon." A glow appeared in the man's eyes. -"I can see her now, waiting for me. You must go with me, Kurt, and meet -her again, the next leave I get."</p> - -<p>Zen could have slugged him. He could have lifted the rifle out of -Jake's hands without protest. Instead, he did nothing. The man's pain -was much too real to hurt him further.</p> - -<p>"What's going on here?" a rough voice said.</p> - -<p>It was the man in the ragged coat. Nedra and the man who had thrown the -rope had disappeared. There was no indication where they had gone. This -man's beard was thin and ragged. He had teeth like the fangs of a wolf -but the lights in his eyes did not shift. Instead, they remained fixed -in constant hostility and suspicion. He had a sub-machine gun in his -hands. The muzzle covered Zen.</p> - -<p>"Oh, hello, Cal. I—" Jake became confused. "This is an old buddy of -mine. I knew him down below ... I knew him when.... He's all right."</p> - -<p>Cal's eyes said he did not believe a word he had heard. He looked Zen -up and down. The muzzle of the gun did not waver from the intelligence -agent's stomach. "What are you doing up here?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe I got tired of the way things are down there," Zen answered. He -was not lying. He <i>was</i> tired of the way things were going. So were -uncounted millions of others.</p> - -<p>Cal's eyes indicated he did not believe this. Zen could see him turning -over different possibilities in his mind. He was inclined to use the -gun. Dumping another body down the gorge would be an easy solution to -the problem of an intruder. "How are things going down there?" he -asked.</p> - -<p>"Tough," Zen said, with conviction in his voice.</p> - -<p>"What was the big boom over that way this morning?"</p> - -<p>"Cuso letting go with a blooper."</p> - -<p>Interest kindled in Cal's eyes. "What was over there that was worth the -cost of a blooper?"</p> - -<p>"A column of troops heading for Cuso's lair," Zen answered. "He didn't -like it."</p> - -<p>"I guess he wouldn't," Cal said. "You with 'em?"</p> - -<p>"I was."</p> - -<p>"Which way are they going now?"</p> - -<p>"Back down hill to die," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you go with 'em?"</p> - -<p>"I got tired," Zen said. He waved his hands in a gesture which was -intended to explain how a man sometimes got tired and went off to rest -for a while. Cal grunted. This he understood.</p> - -<p>"Are you hot?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Nope. The medics checked me just before I took off."</p> - -<p>"And are there others down there who feel like heading for the hills?"</p> - -<p>"Most of them are too damned near dead to make the effort. Why desert -when you've had it?"</p> - -<p>"The blooper got a lot of 'em, eh?"</p> - -<p>"What the blast didn't get, the radioactivity did."</p> - -<p>"Is the pass too hot for more troops to go through it?"</p> - -<p>"My guess is that way."</p> - -<p>"Your guess? Don't you know?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't go up to see. I'm not that soft in the head."</p> - -<p>"I see your point. Well, things must be really rough if colonels are -deserting. This is interesting." Cal fingered the gun but the muzzle no -longer pointed at Zen's stomach. "What are you looking for up here?"</p> - -<p>"A place to hide out."</p> - -<p>"For how long?"</p> - -<p>"Hell, how long can this go on?" Zen answered. "Even when it's over, I -don't want to go back down there and walk on skulls."</p> - -<p>"Walk on skulls?"</p> - -<p>"That's all that will be left."</p> - -<p>"You think the Asians are gonna win, then?"</p> - -<p>"I got a hunch there will be more skulls than anything else in Asia, -too. No, I don't think they're going to win. I don't think anybody is -going to win this one, except the people who have enough sense to hide."</p> - -<p>Jake came out of his dreaming and put his hand on Cal's shoulder. -"Kurt's all right," he said.</p> - -<p>It was obvious that Cal did not think very highly of this -recommendation.</p> - -<p>"He's my pal," Jake continued. "Let him join us. He'll make a good -hand. Besides, me and him were buddies. And there was a girl—" He -stopped speaking and broke into dark musing as the memory of his wife -came again into his mind.</p> - -<p>"Were you with this woman?" Cal asked.</p> - -<p>"He never was with this woman in his life!" Jake screamed. "She was -mine, I tell you. Mine!"</p> - -<p>"Shut up, crazy head."</p> - -<p>"Tell him, Kurt. Tell him Marcia was mine."</p> - -<p>"Sure, Jake," Zen soothed. "Everybody knew you and Marcia were that -way. Cal and I were talking about another woman."</p> - -<p>"Oh. That's different. But I don't want to hear either of you say that -Marcia didn't belong to me."</p> - -<p>The wolf-faced man looked as if he was about to use his gun on Jake. -"You stinking nut head, you stay out of this!"</p> - -<p>"All I was trying to do was to tell you Kurt was my pal."</p> - -<p>"All right, you've told me. Now shut up." Cal turned to Zen again. -"About this woman, colonel? Were you together?"</p> - -<p>"No," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"But she yelled out to you when me and Ed grabbed her."</p> - -<p>"I heard her."</p> - -<p>"You did?" Cal's finger went around the trigger of the gun.</p> - -<p>"Yeah. I was following her but I didn't know she knew it until she -yelled."</p> - -<p>"Oh." Cal kept his finger on the trigger. "Why were you following her?"</p> - -<p>"Hell, don't be stupid!" Zen exploded. "Why would any man follow a -woman like that?"</p> - -<p>A trace of a grin went across the wolf face at this answer. Cal licked -his lips. This was an answer he understood. "I don't blame you for -that. But why was she coming up here?"</p> - -<p>"That I don't know," Zen said. "I don't think it made much difference -anyhow. As soon as night came—" He squinted at the sun.</p> - -<p>"Do you think she might be a spy for Cuso heading for his camp to -report?"</p> - -<p>Zen felt his lower jaw sag. This was a thought that had not crossed -his mind. He knew only too well that the Asiatic had spies in as many -places as he could get them. Cuso's survival depended in a large degree -on knowing how many troops were moving against him, how they were armed -and over what passes they were coming.</p> - -<p>"I see by your face that you had never thought of that," Cal said. -"Then what is she doing up here?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know. I realized she was ahead of me about a mile back. As to -what she is doing, maybe she got tired of all that down there too, and -decided to come up here and live in the mountains?"</p> - -<p>"A woman in this wilderness?"</p> - -<p>"Some women have delusions that they can return to the primitive and -make a go of it."</p> - -<p>"And maybe she had some other idea," Cal said.</p> - -<p>Zen shrugged.</p> - -<p>"Knowing this may be important to us," Cal said.</p> - -<p>"Then we had better go ask her," Zen said. He was still shocked at the -thought that Nedra might be a spy. Up until now, he had thought he was -shockproof.</p> - -<p>"You want to ask her?" Cal said.</p> - -<p>"Sure."</p> - -<p>"Okay, you do the asking. I'll listen. And don't get any funny ideas." -His finger curled around the trigger of the gun. "Remember, that if a -patrol should come looking for a deserter, they would only be going to -shoot him. I would be doing them a favor if I shot him in advance."</p> - -<p>"I covered my tracks," Zen said. "Nobody will be looking for me."</p> - -<p>"How did you do it?"</p> - -<p>"I traded dog tags with a hunk of meat that had once been a GI. There -wasn't enough left of him to tell for sure what he was. The burial -detail will clip my tags from his body and another colonel will be -listed as killed in action. The GI will be listed as missing."</p> - -<p>"That was smart," Cal said, approvingly. For the first time, Zen -thought he detected a note of admiration in the voice tones of the -ragged man.</p> - -<p>Nedra was leaning against what had once been a work-bench in the -garage. Her helmet was off, her hair was ruffled, and her tunic had -been almost torn from her body. A look of pure gratitude appeared on -her face when Zen stepped through the doorway. A little cry of gladness -on her lips, she started toward him. Her eyes said she had never been -as happy to see anybody in her life as she was to see this tall, lean -colonel.</p> - -<p>With her was the little bow-legged man. He didn't look happy as Zen -entered. "Stand still," he snarled at the girl. "Who the hell are you?"</p> - -<p>At his words, Nedra let her body sag back against the bench.</p> - -<p>"Ed, this is Kurt," Cal said. "He's joining us."</p> - -<p>The look in Ed's eyes was pure venom. "He may join us but he won't last -long. This woman is mine. I saw her first."</p> - -<p>Zen wished fervently that he had the carbine back in his possession. -Some vermin did not deserve to live. But Jake had that weapon. While he -could probably take the carbine away from Jake, the gun in Cal's hands -was very steady.</p> - -<p>"She's not mine, you know," he said to Ed. "So far as I am concerned, -you are welcome to her."</p> - -<p>"Oh, that's different," Ed said, relieved.</p> - -<p>If Zen's words relieved Ed, they had the opposite effect on Nedra. She -opened her mouth to speak to him, then closed it in an apparent effort -to bite off words that no lady should use.</p> - -<p>Cal laughed. "Ed is mighty touchy about his women. But don't let that -stop you. Ask her what she is doing up here?"</p> - -<p>"None of your damned business, either of you," Nedra answered.</p> - -<p>Zen shrugged and spread his hands in a gesture which said that he hoped -Cal would see how it was. Cal nodded. "We'll find out later." His -manner indicated there was no question in his mind that he would find -out what he wanted to know. "Right now it's time for chow. Jake, get on -the job."</p> - -<p>Jake turned and walked across the street to another house. Cal bringing -up the rear, the others followed Jake. Ed took hold of Nedra's arm and -escorted her across the street. Seeing this, Kurt Zen again wished that -he had a gun.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="VI" id="VI">VI</a></h2> - - -<p>The meal was beef stew, which Jake prepared in a big pot on an old -wood-burning range. They all ate around the kitchen table.</p> - -<p>"There are lots of wild cattle up here," Cal explained. "This used to -be good range country, you know. The remnants of the old beef herds are -still in existence, the ones that have learned how to dodge or whip the -lions, that is."</p> - -<p>Zen was busy watching Nedra and Ed. The little bantam was following -every move she made and was keeping as close to her as possible. He -insisted on sitting next to her at the table and he kept trying to -touch her at every opportunity.</p> - -<p>Zen kept silent. Inwardly, he was greatly perturbed. Night was already -throwing shadows over the mountains. What would happen after darkness -fell? Trying to keep such thoughts out of his mind, he found himself -wondering if it would be possible for him to break the bantam's neck -with his bare hands. He decided he could do this, and that he would -like to do it, but that he would also like to stay alive afterward.</p> - -<p>"Girls who go walking in the mountains have to take what happens to -them," he said.</p> - -<p>Nedra ignored him. Ed glowered at him. Cal chuckled but continued -eating without speaking. Jake ate as if he did not know what he was -doing or where he was. Occasionally he looked toward the northwest -and shook his fist in that direction. Zen knew that deep in his sick -mind Jake was dreaming of what he would do to the Asians. Remembering -Marcia, Zen did not blame him.</p> - -<p>Ed tried to urge the nurse toward the dilapidated sofa in the room but -she eluded him and sat on an empty powder can, to the obvious disgust -of the bantam. Two people could not sit on the same powder can. Jake -rattled dishes in the kitchen, and fought imaginary Asians. Cal found -a seat in the corner, a position from which he could watch everyone in -the room. Off in the night an owl hooted.</p> - -<p>Ed jumped at the sound, grabbed Nedra's hand, and tried to drag her -toward a ladder that led to some kind of an attic. Cal rose to his feet -and moved toward the door.</p> - -<p>"Stop it!" Nedra said, to Ed.</p> - -<p>"But, honey, you've got to get out of here," Ed urged. The bantam was -at the edge of panic.</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because that owl hoot was a signal. The guys who are coming will take -you away from me," Ed explained.</p> - -<p>"Fine," Nedra said, her face brightening. "There is justice in the -world after all. The good Lord does look after the poor working girl." -Her voice indicated that she had begun to doubt this.</p> - -<p>"But you don't know who these guys are," Ed protested.</p> - -<p>"I don't care who they are. Satan himself would be welcome to me right -now." The words were addressed to Ed but she was looking at Kurt Zen as -she spoke. Zen did not attempt to answer her implied accusation.</p> - -<p>"Damn it, I ain't going to let them take you away from me!" Ed shouted. -Again he reached for the nurse's hand, to drag her toward the ladder. -She slugged him in the mouth.</p> - -<p>In a fury, his fists clenched, the bantam started toward her. She -dodged behind Zen.</p> - -<p>"Lay off her, Ed," Cal ordered.</p> - -<p>"But she belongs to me!" Ed shouted. "You know I saw her first. You -said so yourself!" The little man was beside himself with frustration -and fury.</p> - -<p>"If the lieutenant decides he wants her, you'll probably be the first -one dead," the ragged man commented. Then he shrugged. "However, it's -your funeral, not mine. Only you probably won't get a funeral."</p> - -<p>Again the owl hoot sounded, just outside the house this time. Cal -opened the door. A lieutenant and four soldiers entered. Zen took one -look at the dirty uniforms and the slant eyes in dirty yellow faces and -knew that these were Cuso's men. Coming into the room, the lieutenant -took command.</p> - -<p>"Who is this?" he demanded, nodding curtly toward Zen. He had not as -yet noticed Nedra, who was still behind Kurt.</p> - -<p>"A colonel who has seen the light of reason and has come over to our -side," the ragged man promptly answered.</p> - -<p>"Good. Cuso will be very glad to talk to him." The grin on the -lieutenant's face left no doubt as to the meaning that lay back of -his words. Cuso's methods of extracting information from any person -careless enough to fall into his hands were well known.</p> - -<p>"It will be a privilege to talk to the great leader of the Asian -forces," Zen said. He felt sweat begin to appear under both arms. As -soon as the lieutenant had appeared, he had known that Cal was a spy -supplying information to Cuso.</p> - -<p>"I'm sure Cuso will find it so," the lieutenant said. The grin vanished -from his face as he caught a glimpse of Nedra behind the colonel. The -rifle in his hands came up. "Who is that?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"A nurse who has also joined us," Cal hastily explained.</p> - -<p>"What's she doing behind him?"</p> - -<p>"Ed was urging her to go upstairs with him and she hid behind this -man," Cal explained. A tic had appeared in the right cheek of the -ragged man.</p> - -<p>"Oh," the lieutenant said. His grin reappeared. "Come out, plizz."</p> - -<p>As Nedra stepped to Zen's side, the lieutenant's grin widened. He -sucked in his breath. "Yess. Oh but yess. Cuso will want to talk to -her. Of that I am very sure."</p> - -<p>Ed, his face as black as tar, started to protest. He took another look -at the rifle in the Asian's hand and quickly changed his mind. The -chattering of his teeth was audible all over the room.</p> - -<p>"Why do you make that noise?" the lieutenant said, looking at him.</p> - -<p>"It—it's cold in here," Ed stuttered.</p> - -<p>As the bantam spoke, Zen noticed that the temperature in the big room -seemed to have dropped far more than seemed reasonable. Even the -opening of the door, and the admission of the cool night air, was not -enough to account for the sudden chill in the room.</p> - -<p>This cold was different from anything Zen had ever experienced before. -It seemed to start at the center of the bones and work its way outward, -reaching the skin surface last of all, where it produced a prickling -sensation.</p> - -<p>"I wish to eat," the lieutenant said.</p> - -<p>"Of course," Cal instantly agreed. "Jake! Food for the gentleman."</p> - -<p>Jake, his eyes murky, was standing in the door leading to the kitchen. -The expression on his face indicated that he was about to launch -himself at the Asians.</p> - -<p>"Get into that kitchen!" Cal shouted.</p> - -<p>"Oh, all right," Jake answered, moving out of sight. The banging of the -pots and pans that followed his departure seemed to have a sullen sound.</p> - -<p>"That one is not right in the head," the Asian officer said.</p> - -<p>"He's just dumb," Cal said, defensively.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant pursed his lips. "I forgot to mention that I left some -of my men outside."</p> - -<p>"Bring them in," Cal said promptly. "They're probably hungry, too. And -cold."</p> - -<p>"I think I shall leave them where they are," the lieutenant said, -decisively. "I left them on guard. They have set up a mounted machine -gun at the edge of the street."</p> - -<p>"I see," Cal said.</p> - -<p>"The gun covers this house," the officer continued.</p> - -<p>"Oh," Cal said. A sudden shiver passed through his body. He knew -perfectly well what the lieutenant had just told him.</p> - -<p>It seemed to Kurt Zen that the temperature of the room had dropped -another ten degrees. He was shivering, too, from the effect of that -strange cold that seemed to start at the marrow of the bones and spread -itself outward.</p> - -<p>Of all those in the room, Nedra was the only one who did not seem to be -suffering from the effect of the chill. Her eyes were bright and her -face had a warm glow. Zen watched her out of the corners of his eyes. -Didn't she know that she had escaped from Ed only to fall into the -tender mercies of Cuso's men?</p> - -<p>"What has happened to you?" he whispered to her.</p> - -<p>Turned toward him, her eyes had a glow that seemed to come from some -light that was suddenly burning inside them. The glow went from purple -to violet, then to ultra-violet. After that, Zen could no longer see -the glow, but he suspected it had gone into higher ranges still. What -was more surprising was the fact that she was no longer frightened. -Confidence had suddenly come to her, seemingly out of nowhere.</p> - -<p>"What do you think has happened to me?" Her voice had changed too. All -tension had gone from it. The ragged edges of conflict had disappeared. -She seemed to be mistress of the situation, and to know it.</p> - -<p>Jake came from the kitchen. "I pick up vibrations," he announced, his -voice shrill.</p> - -<p>"Get into the kitchen," Cal ordered, as the lieutenant raised his gun.</p> - -<p>"But I'm only trying to tell you something."</p> - -<p>"I'm telling you something, get back into that kitchen!" Cal ordered.</p> - -<p>Jake's gaze went murkily around the room but it was obvious that he -was giving more attention to some internal sight or sound than to the -people present.</p> - -<p>"Git," Cal shouted.</p> - -<p>Jake backed from the doorway.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant lowered the muzzle of the gun. He barked an order to the -men with him, who arranged themselves with their backs to the wall. The -officer moved toward the fire, where he settled himself in a chair.</p> - -<p>"You," he said. "Take off my boots!"</p> - -<p>He was speaking to Zen. Kurt measured the distance to the lieutenant's -jaw. Out of the corners of his eyes, he noted the positions of the -Asian soldiers.</p> - -<p>"Odds are too great," he thought. "Stay alive now. Maybe your turn will -come."</p> - -<p>As he started to kneel, he bumped into Nedra, who was already on the -floor unbuckling the officer's boots.</p> - -<p>"If you would rather do it, I would rather have you do it," the -lieutenant said, smirking.</p> - -<p>"It is a privilege, sir," the girl said. She pulled off the heavy boot -and began to peel off the thick sock.</p> - -<p>The probability that she had saved Kurt Zen's life was very great. He -felt a surge of anger at his own helplessness.</p> - -<p>The feeling of cold at the marrow of his bones was appearing again. -It was stronger now. He noticed that Cal's hands were trembling. The -teeth of one of the soldiers standing against the wall were chattering -audibly. A second soldier looked as if he were about to go to sleep.</p> - -<p>Zen discovered as he yawned that he was getting sleepy too. Along -with the cold creeping outward from his bones was a sensation of -mental fogginess that was very close to sleep. The lieutenant, sitting -directly in front of him, was nodding.</p> - -<p>Everybody was getting sleepy! Why? Had some subtle, odorless gas been -introduced into the room? What gas? Who had introduced it?</p> - -<p><i>Crash!</i></p> - -<p>The rifle in the hands of the nodding soldier slid out of his grasp and -struck the floor, exploding as it hit. The slug ripped a hole through -the wall, passing within a foot of the lieutenant's head.</p> - -<p>The Asian officer was instantly on his feet. He spun to face the sound.</p> - -<p>The soldier who had dropped the rifle slid forward on the floor and lay -there, snoring.</p> - -<p>As he saw what had happened, the face of the lieutenant settled into a -grim mask. He pressed the trigger of the automatic weapon he carried. -The gun burped violently. The sleeping soldier jerked as the heavy -slugs crashed into his body. A little trickle of blood ran from his -nose and collected in a small pool on the floor. The man died where he -lay.</p> - -<p>"<i>Yen thotem ke vos!</i>" the lieutenant snarled. Two of the soldiers -left their position against the wall and lifted the body of their dead -comrade. The third remained motionless against the wall while they -carried the dead man out.</p> - -<p>"If you go to sleep on me!" the lieutenant said, to the third soldier. -His meaning was clear. The soldier shook his head. He understood what -his officer meant. Terror was in him. But something else was in him too.</p> - -<p>Zen watched the soldier fight this something else. Slowly, he let the -butt of his rifle slide to the floor. He had enough intelligence and -enough strength left not to drop the weapon. He set it against the -wall. Then he sat down beside it.</p> - -<p>He was making every possible effort to resist sleep, but in spite of -everything he could do, he was losing this fight. Slowly, a fraction -of an inch at a time, his head slid forward. Finally it dropped on his -arms that were folded across his knees. He began snoring.</p> - -<p>The face of the lieutenant was that of a frightened tiger from the -depths of the Assam jungles. The muzzle of the gun swung to cover the -sleeping soldier. A split second passed during which this Asian was on -the verge of joining his ancestors.</p> - -<p>Realizing finally that this man could not be held accountable for his -inability to stay awake, the lieutenant held his fire. He jerked up -his head to stare around the room. His face was that of a tiger who -suspects it has been caught in a trap but is not yet certain of the -nature of the device it has been snared in. His eyes came to focus on -Cal.</p> - -<p>"I—I swear—" The ragged man's voice was a thick mutter that did not -convey much meaning. Cal was sleepy too!</p> - -<p>"What have you done here?"</p> - -<p>"I—nothing. I have done nothing—and I know nothing—I am as surprised -as you."</p> - -<p>"You're a liar!"</p> - -<p>"No. Telling truth—" Cal's head had sagged downward toward his chest -and his voice was getting thicker and more groggy. With an effort of -will, he snapped his head up. "I—don't know. Something.... Yes! Never -heard of anything like it before.... Hell, lieutenant, it's getting me -too!"</p> - -<p>Cal's head sagged forward on his chest. "So sleepy ... so tired ... -gotta take a nap...." His knees sagging, Cal lay down on the floor. He -cuddled his head on one arm.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant spoke, but the grunt that came from his lips was not a -growl. Soon, he, too, was fast asleep.</p> - -<p>Kurt and Nedra were the only two people who were able to remain -awake. The nurse was making desperate efforts to resist this strange -sleepiness. Swaying on her feet, she turned toward Zen. He caught her -in his arms.</p> - -<p>"What's happening?" She sounded like a tired little girl.</p> - -<p>"I don't know," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"Why is everybody going to sleep? Is it bedtime?"</p> - -<p>"It must be."</p> - -<p>"Are you sleepy, too?" Her voice was a tired whisper.</p> - -<p>"I never was so sleepy before in my life," Kurt answered.</p> - -<p>"Then why don't we—just take a little nap?" Nedra murmured. The way -she spoke, this was the most reasonable suggestion that had ever been -offered. Sagging into his arms, she would have fallen if he had not -caught her. Gently, he eased her to the floor. Her chest rose and fell -in a regular rhythm.</p> - -<p>If there was one thing Kurt wanted to do it was to lie down on the -floor and go to sleep, too. Every organ in his body, every cell, every -molecule seemed to cry out that sleep was needed. He felt his knees -begin to sag, his head to droop. It seemed to him that all strength was -going out of his body, that his muscles could no longer hold him erect.</p> - -<p>"Stay awake!" someone snarled at him. He was startled to realize it was -his own voice that had spoken the words. He was even more startled by -the fury in the tones.</p> - -<p>His knees continued to sag. In spite of everything he could do to -prevent it, his body continued on its way to the floor. The muscles in -his long legs seemed to have turned into rubber. He went down to his -knees but caught himself on his hands.</p> - -<p>The impulse to continue the rest of the way to the floor was like a -tidal wave. Every thought in his mind was on the desirability of sleep. -How wonderful it would be to take a nap, to rest, to dream, to wake no -more.</p> - -<p>With a strength that was born of desperation, he fought this impulse. A -battle began inside his body, a conflict that seemed to involve every -brain cell and every nerve ending, and finally every muscle group. Pain -came up as muscle fought muscle, as nerve cell fought nerve cell, as -one part of the brain fought another part. He tried to force his body -to rise to its feet again.</p> - -<p>All he could do was grunt.</p> - -<p>"Stand up!" he snarled at himself.</p> - -<p>His body quivered and twisted but did not move. He repeated the command -to himself. The effect was to increase the conflict. And the pain. -He had never known such agony. It rolled through him like a series of -tidal waves.</p> - -<p><i>Click!</i></p> - -<p>What happened took place so suddenly that it seemed to occur outside of -time.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="VII" id="VII">VII</a></h2> - - -<p>Instantly, as the click sounded, he was outside his body, looking down -at it. The pain was gone. The conflicting muscle pulls were gone. Or he -was no longer aware of them. He understood that the latter was the true -explanation.</p> - -<p>"Stand up," he said, to his body.</p> - -<p>His body obeyed this order. It rose from its hands and knees and stood -upon its feet.</p> - -<p>This fact did not surprise Kurt Zen. He had known it would happen. This -was the way things were. The essence of him, the consciousness that was -above the body, was never surprised.</p> - -<p>"Stop trembling," he said, silently, to his body.</p> - -<p>Instantly the tremors vanished. The body knew its master.</p> - -<p>Kurt Zen also knew that he now had a choice. He could go back into that -body. Or he could go—elsewhere. But he knew where he was needed most.</p> - -<p><i>Click!</i></p> - -<p>The way he went back into his body was like turning a switch. One -instant, he was inside, looking through his eyes, hearing through his -ears.</p> - -<p>He moved quickly, snatching the gun from the lieutenant's grasp. -Another instant and he had the weapons of the soldiers. He flung these -into the corner. Then he grabbed Cal's gun from the floor where the -ragged man had dropped it.</p> - -<p>At this point, he saw that Nedra was sitting up and was watching him. -The expression on her face was that of a sleepy small girl awakening in -the morning. Only this small girl did not quite succeed in looking as -if she had been asleep. Her eyes were too wide open and she looked much -too alert.</p> - -<p>"Hello," Zen said. "So you decided to call off the sham." The thought -popped into his mind and the words out of his mouth before he could -stop them.</p> - -<p>"Did you know?" she gasped.</p> - -<p>"Of course I did," Zen stoutly insisted. "When you went to sleep, I -knew it was a trick designed to lure me by suggestion into the belief -that I was sleepy, too."</p> - -<p>"Then why did you let me do it?"</p> - -<p>"I wanted to see how far you would go," he answered. "Come on. Let's -get out of here."</p> - -<p>"What about them? Are they shamming too?" She pointed to the bodies on -the floor.</p> - -<p>"They're up there, watching," he said, gesturing toward the ceiling. He -laughed.</p> - -<p>Owlishly, she stared at him. "I do believe you are out of your mind, -colonel."</p> - -<p>"It helps," he said. "Come on. Let's make tracks."</p> - -<p>"That's a splendid idea, colonel. Except for one thing."</p> - -<p>"What's that?"</p> - -<p>She pointed to the sleeping lieutenant. "He said he had left some men -with a machine gun."</p> - -<p>"Damn! I had forgotten that. However, that is a problem that can be -solved."</p> - -<p>"How?"</p> - -<p>"This way." He moved to the heavy machine gun mounted at the window so -that its muzzle covered the street. He had his finger on the trigger -and was searching the street when he realized that she was pulling at -his arm and speaking to him. "What?" he said.</p> - -<p>"No," she answered. Her voice was very firm.</p> - -<p>"Are you out of your mind?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"We don't have to shoot them," she replied.</p> - -<p>"Why not?"</p> - -<p>"Because they are already taken care of."</p> - -<p>"Eh? How do you know?"</p> - -<p>"I know."</p> - -<p>"Then you also know how these men here were put to sleep?" His voice -had the sound of steel on stone.</p> - -<p>She faced him without fear. "Yes."</p> - -<p>"You did it?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then who did?"</p> - -<p>"Come and I will show you."</p> - -<p>"Hunh!" Zen grunted. He made up his mind without hesitation. Starting -toward the back door, he discovered that she was going out the front. -"But that door is probably covered," he protested.</p> - -<p>She opened it without answering his protest. Going through it, Zen -thought the night outside was far colder than it had any right to be. -Nedra moved without hesitation. Fifty yards away from the house a -machine gun mounted on a tripod was set up in the street. Two men were -lying on the ground beside it. In the quiet night, Zen could hear them -snoring.</p> - -<p>"All right," he said. "I have to admit you knew what you were talking -about. But if you didn't do this, who did?"</p> - -<p>"Just a minute and you will have an answer to your question," she -replied.</p> - -<p>A block beyond the machine gun, a tall figure lounged in the doorway of -a ruined building.</p> - -<p>"Hi, kids," he said.</p> - -<p>At the first sound of the deep bass voice Zen knew that this was West. -The craggy man nodded to him. West did not seem in the least surprised -to see Zen.</p> - -<p>"What the hell are you doing here?" Zen said.</p> - -<p>"I had business here," West said, in a tone of voice that made Zen feel -like an errant schoolboy being reproved by a kind, but firm, teacher.</p> - -<p>"Did you make those people go to sleep?" Zen continued.</p> - -<p>"Has somebody been sleeping?" West answered. "Hmm."</p> - -<p>"Yes," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Did you run into some difficulty?" West asked Nedra. He ignored Zen.</p> - -<p>"Sort of," the girl answered. "The fact is, I almost got raped. I was -afraid I wasn't going to reach you."</p> - -<p>"I was busy and didn't pick you up at first," the craggy man said. His -voice was a rumble of sound in the darkness. He did not seem surprised -when she mentioned what had almost happened. "The colonel followed you, -eh?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. I told you he would."</p> - -<p>"How did you know I would follow you?" Zen demanded. With the -lieutenant's gun in his hands, he felt very secure.</p> - -<p>"Any woman would know that," Nedra answered. Her laugh tinkled in the -darkness. Finding Zen's arm, she squeezed it. "He is one of the new -people," she said, to West.</p> - -<p>Zen wished he could have sunk into the ground. The craggy man did not -seem surprised. "Hmm," he said again. "That is nice." Reserve seemed to -have appeared in the bass tones.</p> - -<p>"Let's get inside," Nedra suggested. "It's been a hard day and I'm so -tired I feel as if I'm walking on my leg bones instead of my feet."</p> - -<p>"Sorry," West said, without moving.</p> - -<p>"What's wrong?" Nedra asked. Alarm suddenly appeared in her voice. -"Don't you believe he is actually one of us? I told you he was."</p> - -<p>"I did not say I disbelieved you. But what if you are mistaken?"</p> - -<p>"I can't be mistaken. He followed me, didn't he? That proves I'm right."</p> - -<p>"Men have been following women since Bhumi started turning," West -replied. "What if you are wrong?"</p> - -<p>"Oh," the nurse said, a falling inflection in her voice.</p> - -<p>"In that case, who would shoot him?" West continued.</p> - -<p>"Oh," the nurse said. Her voice fell lower still.</p> - -<p>"You know the rules. We cannot have anyone except true mutants."</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"In case someone brings in a person who is not a true mutant, it is the -duty of the person who introduced the interloper to dispose of him."</p> - -<p>"I know," Nedra said.</p> - -<p>"In this case, it would be up to you to shoot the colonel," West -continued. "Could you do it?"</p> - -<p>"Well, I wouldn't want to—" The reluctance in her voice was very -strong. "But I would do it."</p> - -<p>"I hope I don't have to hold you to your promise," West said. "But in -that case, come on, both of you. That is, if the colonel wishes."</p> - -<p>"You can't kid me," Zen said. "Neither of you are capable of shooting -anybody." He spoke fearlessly but he felt a trace of doubt. Not one of -the new people had ever betrayed their group. This indicated something. -"Lead on. I'm following."</p> - -<p>Nedra found Zen's arm.</p> - -<p>"Would you cry, after you had shot me?" Zen asked.</p> - -<p>"Y—yes."</p> - -<p>"But that wouldn't keep you from shooting me?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Well, that would be nice, anyhow, though I do not see what good it -would do me."</p> - -<p>"You sound as if you wouldn't care," the girl said.</p> - -<p>"There are times when I am sure death would be a blessed relief." -Zen meant every word he said. "That life down there," he jerked his -thumb to indicate the lower ranges and the plains so far below, "gets -tiresome. That's an understatement, if I ever made one."</p> - -<p>The nurse was silent. "Yes, I understand," she said at last. "It was -that way with me, once."</p> - -<p>"How much farther before we get to—Hell, where are we going anyhow?" -Zen blurted out.</p> - -<p>"To the center here," Nedra answered.</p> - -<p>"Um," Zen said. He wanted to say something else but he decided he'd -better be careful.</p> - -<p>West led them into an old tunnel which bored straight into the side of -the mountain.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="VIII" id="VIII">VIII</a></h2> - - -<p>"Is the center in here?" Zen asked.</p> - -<p>"Of course," Nedra answered.</p> - -<p>"But why haven't Cal and his buddies found it?"</p> - -<p>"They don't even know we exist," Nedra explained. "And if they did, for -some reason they wouldn't like to come into the tunnels."</p> - -<p>"In effect, the tunnel is wired," West said.</p> - -<p>"Do you mean they would get a jolt of high voltage electricity if they -ventured in here?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing as crude as that," the craggy man replied. "However, at two -places, high frequency generators are built into the walls and hidden -in such a manner that a person entering the tunnel is saturated with -their radiations, which trigger the adrenals in his body. The result of -this is that he suddenly feels very much afraid."</p> - -<p>"Eh?" Zen said, startled. "A fear generator?"</p> - -<p>"In effect, it is that."</p> - -<p>"But that would be a very powerful weapon."</p> - -<p>"Yes, it would," the craggy man said, his voice dry.</p> - -<p>"If you could generate such radiations in sufficient intensity and -cover a large enough area with them, you could panic a division, -perhaps even an army." Excitement was in Zen's voice. He knew that -the scientists were desperately searching for a new weapon that might -possibly end the war. Perhaps here was such a weapon.</p> - -<p>"It might work that way," West admitted.</p> - -<p>"Does the government know about this?"</p> - -<p>"I believe not."</p> - -<p>"Who invented it?"</p> - -<p>"I believe Jal Jonner is generally credited with being the inventor," -West said.</p> - -<p>"Oh," Zen answered, and was silent. Jonner's name had become a legend -of the days when there were giants in the Earth, mighty men whose -thinking had gone beyond the concept of nations to envision one race, -beyond the creeds of churches to see one faith, and beyond the dogma of -economics to state that as long as one hungry man existed on the face -of the earth, no man with a full dinner in front of him was free to eat -his meal in peace and safety. Jonner's thinking had also gone beyond -one planet to see one solar system—and beyond that, one universe.</p> - -<p>"Here is the first generator," West said. He flicked the beam of his -flashlight against the walls. "Of course, there isn't anything to see. -But you may feel something."</p> - -<p>As the intelligence agent moved forward, a sudden surge of fear came -boiling up from his middle. It was a wild emotion and it carried with -it a blasting sense of great peril, of death. Instantly, thoughts -flashed through his mind of the first time he had ever been under shell -fire, the scream of artillery shells, the blasts of the explosions, the -shaking of the earth.</p> - -<p>As the surge of fear shot upward from his middle, he felt his body jerk -and start to tremble. "Run!" a voice screamed inside him. "Get away -from here! Run for your life!"</p> - -<p>He caught the impulse to flee, held it in check. It was like trying to -hold back a tidal wave. "This is an interesting effect," he said. "Does -the generator have the same effect on all people?"</p> - -<p>West grunted and walked ahead without answering the question. Zen -thought the grunt held an approving tone. Nedra squeezed his arm but -said nothing.</p> - -<p>The craggy man did not point out the second generator, but Zen felt -the radiations hit him, stronger than before. He was mentally prepared -this time, but his body wasn't. He felt his muscles tie themselves -into knots. The impulse to run was a screaming ululation of mad wolf -intensity pouring into his consciousness.</p> - -<p>Zen kept on walking. As abruptly as he had entered it, he was out of -the radiation zone. Up ahead of him, West did not grunt or change his -pace. Except for Nedra's fingers digging into his arm, Zen had no -indication that either felt the radiation. What kind of people were -they, to be able to walk through hell and be uninfluenced by it? Zen -wondered as he wiped sweat off his forehead.</p> - -<p>Ahead, West grunted and played his light on the side wall. The craggy -man grunted again. On the right, the side wall began to swing back -as a door opened there. From the tunnel the wall looked like solid -stone, but as the door opened, the back was seen to be made of metal. A -lighted tunnel leading to a large gallery lay beyond.</p> - -<p>"Enter," West said.</p> - -<p>"Who did all of this?" Zen inquired.</p> - -<p>"Jal Jonner took over the title to this old mine. He and his men sealed -off the deeper tunnels, enlarged them, provided an air supply, built -laboratories and living quarters, and made a comfortable hidden world -here."</p> - -<p>Zen felt he should have known better than to ask. According to these -people, Jal Jonner had done everything, except lay the foundations of -the world. "I see," the colonel said. "He did all of this before he -died." None of the reports he had read had mentioned this activity, or -had even hinted at it, but he did not see fit to mention this.</p> - -<p>"No," West denied.</p> - -<p>"But you just said—"</p> - -<p>"He did it after he died," the craggy man explained.</p> - -<p>"Huh?" Zen said. "Pardon me, but I did not seem to hear you clearly. I -thought you said he did this after he died."</p> - -<p>"That's what I said. That's what he did." The craggy man's voice was -calm.</p> - -<p>"I—uh—" Zen hastily changed his mind about the words he was going to -use. Secretly he was wondering if West was hopelessly insane. How could -a dead man build anything? "You understand that I am not too familiar -with what actually happened. Sorry and all that but I simply haven't -had to learn."</p> - -<p>"I understand," West said. "You don't need to apologize. You will learn -here."</p> - -<p>"Good," Zen said. He doubted if he felt better because his explanation -had been accepted. West's last words had an ominous ring to them.</p> - -<p>"Your lack of familiarity with Jonner's history is very obvious," West -continued.</p> - -<p>"But if he was dead—"</p> - -<p>"He didn't die," West patiently explained. "He was buried. A handsome -monument was erected over his grave. But he wasn't in the grave."</p> - -<p>"Son-of-a-gun!" Zen said. "Why all the fol-de-rol?"</p> - -<p>"To deceive curious intelligence agents," West said, with no humor in -his voice.</p> - -<p>Zen ignored the ironic threat. He was inside, this was what mattered. -Also the idea of one of the world's foremost scientists—and Jonner -had been exactly that—hiding himself away here where he could work -undisturbed with others who shared his dream, intrigued him. Or had -that dream been a grim prognostication of the way things were to be on -the surface of the third planet out from the sun? Had the work here -been an effort to escape that future? Was this underground cavern -really a modern Ark, dug into the heart of a mountain so that at least -a few humans might escape the deluge by fire?</p> - -<p>Had a modern Noah appeared and not been recognized?</p> - -<p>The thought shocked Kurt Zen. Somewhere he had read a prediction that -Earth would be destroyed by fire. Here was evidence that possibly at -least one human being had taken that prediction seriously enough to -build a bomb-and-radiation-proof shelter!</p> - -<p>"You seem to be thinking seriously," West observed.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps for the first time in my life, I am doing exactly that. My -brain seems to be trying to spin."</p> - -<p>"Ah? Are you surprised at what you find here?"</p> - -<p>"No. That is, not much. Mostly, I'm pleased."</p> - -<p>"Good." West seemed satisfied. "Here comes John to greet us."</p> - -<p>The craggy man's face lit up as a tall youth emerged from an adjoining -tunnel and came forward to meet them. His greeting to West had respect -in it, he merely glanced at Zen, but it was the nurse who commanded and -held his interest.</p> - -<p>"Nedra! You're back!"</p> - -<p>"Of course I'm back, John." As if this were the most natural thing -to do, Nedra allowed herself to be taken in John's arms. West smiled -benevolently at the two. Zen carefully looked in the other direction.</p> - -<p>"This is Colonel Kurt Zen, John," West said, when the two had finished -kissing.</p> - -<p>The tall youth extended his hand and said he was glad to meet Kurt. His -face was brown, his cheeks were lean and slightly hollow, but his eyes -were clear and his grip was firm without being bone-crushing.</p> - -<p>"I imagine Kurt is rather tired," West said. "If you would find -quarters for him, John—"</p> - -<p>"Glad to do it," the tall youth said. "Come with me, Kurt."</p> - -<p>Zen nodded goodnight to Nedra and to West and followed John away. He -was tired down to the bottom of his thick-soled boots. Fatigue lay in -layers through his muscles and along his nerve trunks. He knew he was -keeping himself from collapsing only by an effort of will.</p> - -<p>"I'll give you my room," John said.</p> - -<p>"I couldn't think of depriving you of your quarters, old fellow," Zen -protested.</p> - -<p>"It's no deprivation. Besides, I'll be with Nedra."</p> - -<p>"Um," Zen said. The jealousy he felt almost made him forget how tired -he was.</p> - -<p>The room was as bare as the cell of a monk. The bed was a double decker -with the top deck covered with books. It was hand-made, of rough pine -posts, and the springs were cords. There was no mattress. And no -pillow. A reading lamp was at the head.</p> - -<p>"Hope you're comfortable here," the tall youth said. "Is there anything -I can get for you?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing. But you might show me the little boy's room."</p> - -<p>"Are you still on that level?" The tall youth seemed genuinely -surprised.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Zen said. Then, as the implications back of the question caught -him, "Aren't you on the same level? I mean, don't you go?"</p> - -<p>"Well, yes," John answered. Embarrassment reddened his face. "But -you're older than I am, and I thought perhaps you—" His voice trailed -off into silence as his embarrassment grew.</p> - -<p>"You thought what?" Zen continued.</p> - -<p>"Well, that—" The youth became flustered, then seemed to become -irritated with himself for being flustered, then for being irritated. -Zen watched the emotional reaction build higher and higher. He could -see no possible importance in the emotional response of the tall kid -except that the kid had intimated that he might be spending the night -with Nedra. Would people who didn't use toilets spend nights together? -If they did, what would they do? Talk about the beauties of flowers and -read poetry to each other? Zen sniffed silently to himself, to show his -contempt for such antics.</p> - -<p>"I'll show you where to go," John said, suddenly.</p> - -<p>Zen followed the tall youth out of the room and into a short tunnel -which led to a large gallery. Here the old-time miners had found a -sizeable body of ore. The gallery had been cleared of refuse and a -number of small rooms had been dug into the walls, the whole place -being illumined by a fluorescent paint that covered the walls. The -color of the light was a misty blue and the whole big gallery seemed -to float in this light, creating an effect that was breath-takingly -beautiful.</p> - -<p>In the first room they passed a naked young woman who was going through -gymnastic exercises in time to slow music. At the sight of her lithe, -brown body bending and swaying in time to slow music, Zen whistled -appreciatively through his teeth. She was almost enough to make him -forget Nedra.</p> - -<p>In another room a fat youth was reading a book. He was lying flat on -the floor. In a third, a skinny young man with skin the color of old -ivory was sitting cross-legged before a shrine. His features were as -immobile as a statue of Buddha. The same faint smile seemed painted on -his face.</p> - -<p>In another room a beautiful young woman was undressing preparatory to -retiring. She hadn't bothered to close the door.</p> - -<p>"What the hell is this, a glorified whorehouse?" Zen blurted out.</p> - -<p>"A <i>whore house</i>? What's that?" John asked.</p> - -<p>His manner made Zen feel like apologizing for having used such words in -his presence. "Never mind. I withdraw the question. Who keeps tab on -where the boys and the girls spend the night?"</p> - -<p>"No one," John answered, astonished. "Is somebody supposed to?" He was -startled at the idea. "Oh, you are concerned about sex. You are also -new here. Sex is no problem here, as you will learn."</p> - -<p>"No problem? Don't you engage in it?"</p> - -<p>"We have other, and more important things, to do," John answered. His -words were lofty but his tone was kind.</p> - -<p>Zen heard the words but he filed mental reservations about accepting -their meaning. Silently he wondered if these kids had all their -marbles. Apparently they had not even learned about the birds and the -bees.</p> - -<p>"Anything else I can tell you?" John asked.</p> - -<p>"You've already told me too much," Zen answered. "I'm afraid to ask you -any more questions."</p> - -<p>The toilet had no flush plumbing. <i>After use, press the button</i>, a sign -above it said. Zen did just that. No sound of running water followed -but the colonel had the dim impression that intensely bright light had -flared for a moment. He did not have the courage to look and see what -had happened.</p> - -<p>In some ways, this toilet which disposed of its contents in a flash of -light was more significant and possibly more productive of concern than -Cuso's blooper or Cuso's lieutenant had been. If the new people found -it convenient to disintegrate their sewage, rather than dispose of it -by the conventional method, what else could they do?</p> - -<p>Zen shook his head to indicate to himself how amazed he was. John -thought he wanted more information and started to ask a question, which -the colonel hastily interrupted. "Don't tell me any more. There are -limits to what my liver and lights will stand."</p> - -<p>"What have your liver and lights to do with this?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing at all. That was only a figure of speech."</p> - -<p>As they returned through the gallery, he saw that the bronze girl was -still going through her rhythmic dance in time to the slow music. The -sight of that perfectly formed nude body slowly swaying in the small -room sent such a surge of excitement through Kurt Zen that he hastily -turned his eyes away. If he was going to live in this place very long, -they would have to make some new rules. How could any human being stay -in bed alone when that beautiful bronze creature was going through her -swaying dance?</p> - -<p>"What is she doing, learning to be a strip-tease dancer?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"Perfect muscular control. This is one of the exercises we all learn," -John answered. "What's a strip-tease dancer?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing you ever heard of," Zen answered. "But while she is developing -her muscular control, what is she doing to the endocrinal system of -every male in the place?"</p> - -<p>"Not a thing," John said, astonished again.</p> - -<p>Zen had grave doubts that the tall youth knew what he was talking about.</p> - -<p>John selected a single book from the top of the double-decker bed, and -anxiously inquired if there was anything more he could do to make the -colonel comfortable for the night. Upon being told there was not, he -departed with the book. Zen thought of the book benignly. If the tall -youth was going to spend the night with Nedra, at least there would be -a book between them.</p> - -<p>He slid off his heavy pack and set the lieutenant's sub-machine gun -where he could reach it readily. His counter told him there was no -radioactivity present.</p> - -<p>Books were in a niche in the stone wall behind the bed. The author of -one caught his eye: Jal Jonner.</p> - -<p>The name was enough to hold his attention. Jonner was known to have -written books, but few had survived. Even the Library of Congress did -not have them, but there was no Library of Congress in any sense of the -word any more. When Washington had left the planet, the Library had -gone with it.</p> - -<p>Glancing at the introduction, Zen forgot all about his fatigue and -where he was. One glance at the words and he knew he was in contact -with the living waters of life itself.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<p class="ph3"><i>INTRODUCTION</i></p> - -<p><i>In the beginning, I am going to make an inaccurate statement. I am -going to say that the reading of this book may open a new life for -you. Now let me explain why this statement is inaccurate.</i></p> - -<p><i>In the first place, it is inaccurate because this is not the start -of your life. That took place millions of years ago—more millions of -years than I care to mention here.</i></p> - -<p><i>So your life did not start with the reading of these words.—Now -as to the use of the word "new." This, also is inaccurate. To you, -the ideas expressed here may seem novel and new. But they are not -new in the sense that they have just been created, or even that I -have created them. They were implicit in the formation of the first -molecule of protoplasm that came into existence on this planet. They -are, therefore, as old as life.</i></p> - -<p><i>The pattern which you may, or may not follow, was laid down in the -first molecule of protoplasm which appeared on this planet, as the Law -of Growth.</i></p> - -<p><i>However, there is no law which requires that one species on this -planet, or even all combined species, the total life spectrum here, -shall survive to grow to full stature. The possibility of growth -is implicit in every form of life; it is latent, and capable of -development, in every species. However, the species that fails to take -advantage of the opportunity thus offered, if it fails to develop its -potential, must inevitably give earth room to the species which is -developing. In their day, the dinosaurs ruled the planet. They had -their chance, but they failed to develop.</i></p> - -<p><i>Where, now, are the dinosaurs?</i></p> - -<p><i>The Law is—Grow or Die. THIS LAW ALSO APPLIES TO MAN.</i></p> - -<p><i>This book may be regarded as a primer, a starting point of your -adventure into the coming development of man. It is the first text -book that you will receive. It is the beginning of the way.</i></p> - -<p><i>How much progress you make upon the way, how well you master the -law of growth, is, in large measure, up to you. You will receive -assistance, sometimes without your knowledge, but it will not be the -kind of assistance that will retard or weaken your development. The -new people will not be helped—too much! Strength is required of them -and strength is only achieved by overcoming obstacles.</i></p> - -<p><i>The next upward step that the race takes—if it survives its own -self-destructive impulses—will be of such a nature as to require the -utmost in strength and courage from those who participate in it.</i></p> - -<p><i>This step, it is fair to state, is in the direction of a higher -development of consciousness.</i></p> - -<p><i>Good luck—and God go with you.</i></p> - - -<p class="ph5"><i>Jal Jonner</i><br /> -<i>The Big Sur</i><br /> -<i>July 1971</i></p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Written in 1971, the book was now 49 years old, Zen decided after a -rapid calculation. The war had started in 2009. The time was now 2020.</p> - -<p>Eagerly, he turned to the first chapter. It seemed to him that his life -was just beginning, that everything that had ever happened to him and -all that he had ever done was in preparation for this moment, when life -would begin.</p> - -<p>After reading two pages, he reached the conclusion that, if this was -a primer, the text that was to follow must be difficult indeed. The -book started with mathematics that was twice as difficult as calculus. -Trying to concentrate, he found the symbols blurring before his eyes. -Then, as fatigue finally overwhelmed him, the whole page blurred and -was gone. He was asleep.</p> - -<p>But he wasn't really asleep. The body slept. But he was not the body. -He was the consciousness that animated the body. This never slept.</p> - -<p>He awakened at the touch of a hand on his shoulder.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="IX" id="IX">IX</a></h2> - - -<p>Coming back to conscious awareness, Kurt Zen simultaneously realized -that something which he had been experiencing, and which had been very -important, faded out of his memory like a gray ghost sliding silently -away into a pearl-colored mist.</p> - -<p>Nedra was shaking him by the shoulder and was smiling down at him. -"Wake up, sleepy head. You've been snoozing for eighteen hours. That -ought to be enough even for a growing boy like you."</p> - -<p>Her face was radiant and alive. She looked as if she had just stepped -out of a cold shower and had rubbed her beautiful body with a rough -towel to bring the blood close to the surface of the skin.</p> - -<p>"You look wonderful," Zen muttered, remembering what John had hinted. -"Did you have a good night's sleep?"</p> - -<p>"A couple of hours."</p> - -<p>"No more than that?"</p> - -<p>"I needed no more."</p> - -<p>"Mm?" Zen said. He started to add another word, "Alone?" but managed -to catch the question before it was out of his mouth. He examined her -thoughtfully. "You look very contented," he said, without adding that -in his experience women who looked so contented had only one reason for -it.</p> - -<p>"Why shouldn't I look contented? After spending so much time in the -wilderness, I'm back on the stairway to heaven."</p> - -<p>"What's the wilderness?"</p> - -<p>"The world down below." She swept her hand in a gesture that included -the unseen ranges and the plains below.</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes," he yawned himself to wakefulness. "I was reading the most -fascinating book before I dropped off to sleep. Here. I'll show you."</p> - -<p>The book was not on his blanket. It was not in the wall niche. Nor was -it behind the bed. "Hey, it's gone," he said. His eyes went around the -room. He discovered other things that were missing. "The lieutenant's -gun! And my pack!"</p> - -<p>"Perhaps you just dreamed you had been reading a book."</p> - -<p>"I didn't dream the gun and the pack. I carried both of them in here."</p> - -<p>"I can explain about them. They were taken."</p> - -<p>"Hunh? Why?"</p> - -<p>"Weapons are not permitted here. Your gun and your pack were both taken -for this reason."</p> - -<p>"Hunh?" A growl came unbidden into his voice. He put these items out -of his mind with the resolve to speak to someone about them at a later -time. Something more important had happened. What was it? A memory of -his dream flicked through his mind but was gone before he could grasp -it. A frown on his face, he said, "I know—" As he tried to speak, what -he had intended to say slid out of his mind.</p> - -<p>"You know what?" Nedra asked.</p> - -<p>"Everything."</p> - -<p>Her face showed surprise. "This is a great deal for one man to know. -Are you sure?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Positive?"</p> - -<p>"Hell, yes!"</p> - -<p>An emotion that was like a curtain opening and closing slipped across -her face. "Well, in that case, tell me things."</p> - -<p>"I would, except I can't remember 'em."</p> - -<p>Doubt came into the violet eyes. "What you need is some breakfast. Your -blood sugar levels are too low. Breakfast will take care of that." Her -voice was firm and sure.</p> - -<p>"That's one thing I need," Zen said, his voice equally firm. "But there -is one thing I don't need—an examination by a head shrinker."</p> - -<p>"A what?"</p> - -<p>"A psycho," he explained. "I call 'em head shrinkers because that -is what they do. Oh, maybe I need such an examination but I have no -intention of submitting to it."</p> - -<p>Breakfast consisted of cornmeal mush, fried to a golden brown, and -served with butter and honey. There was no coffee but he had long since -learned to do without it. He ate ravenously. "I'm hungry right down to -the marrow of my bones," he said. "Where does all this grub come from?"</p> - -<p>"We get it," Nedra answered evasively.</p> - -<p>"What do you do, raid the low country for supplies, like Cuso's men?"</p> - -<p>"No, colonel, hardly that. We are not thieves." Her face showed -displeasure.</p> - -<p>"Well, where do you get it? I don't know how many of you are here, but -if you have as many as a hundred, keeping this place supplied calls for -some doing." He was fishing for information on the number of people -hidden in this old mine.</p> - -<p>"Actually, very little food is needed."</p> - -<p>"How come, don't they eat?"</p> - -<p>"Are you reading my mind?" the girl demanded. "If so, you might as -well learn right now that this is not considered good manners here!" -Momentarily, she was angry. "And besides, if you do it again, I'll -close off my thoughts to you."</p> - -<p>Zen, with a forkful of mush halfway to his mouth, was so surprised that -he tried to speak and to swallow the mush at the same time, with the -result that he choked. The inference back of her words opened up wide -horizons of speculative thought. Was mind reading actually commonplace -here?</p> - -<p>"I'm sorry you choked," Nedra said. She pounded him on the back.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you put me over your shoulder and burp me?" Zen complained. -"Lay off with that pounding."</p> - -<p>"Do you feel you really need burping?"</p> - -<p>"Aw, shut up," Zen answered. If she thought he had read her mind, -did this mean that she was actually capable of reading his thoughts? -Could all of these people read his mind? Had the nude bronze girl -going through the rhythmic exercises known what he was thinking about -her. Zen felt himself coloring. It was one thing to have the normal -libidinous impulses of the male but it was quite another thing to have -every woman know what he was thinking about her.</p> - -<p>"Colonel, I do believe you are blushing," Nedra said, a twinkle in her -eyes.</p> - -<p>"I am not," Zen said. "Actually I was wondering—"</p> - -<p>"Whether or not I could read your mind? I told you it was not good -manners here."</p> - -<p>"Good manners or not, you seemed to know what I was thinking."</p> - -<p>"It isn't necessary to read your mind to know what you are thinking if -a pretty woman is concerned," Nedra said, primly. "Your thoughts are -written on your face."</p> - -<p>"Uh!" For a moment, his confusion grew. Her understanding was much too -acute. Was she playing games, making fun? If so, this was a game that -two could play. "In that case, since you already know about me—how -about it?" he said, looking boldly at her.</p> - -<p>She understood his meaning. For a moment, the violet eyes showed -sadness. They seemed to indicate that she was disappointed in him, that -she had hoped for much better from him. Then a sparkle came into them. -"I told you once before—"</p> - -<p>"Yeah, I know. You are going to wash out my mind with soap. But let's -not do it right now. I'm still hungry."</p> - -<p>"You are one of the most perplexing men I have ever met," Nedra said, -as she rose to fill his plate again. "Also one of the fastest—"</p> - -<p>"I thought we were going to stay away from that subject," he protested.</p> - -<p>"I intended to say fastest on his mental feet," she answered. "And if -you don't stop interrupting me to make a play on words, I'm going to -give you a hit on the head. After that, Sam wants to see you."</p> - -<p>"Sam, huh?" he said, with no real enthusiasm in his voice. Somehow -this morning, he did not relish seeing the craggy man. But there was -the matter of the missing pack and gun to be taken up with someone in -authority. He suspected that West was that person.</p> - -<p>The craggy man was alone in the room to which Nedra took him when he -had finished breakfast. West was standing with his back to them as -they entered, staring out of a picture window that was set flush with -the wall of the building. Turning, he nodded to them, then motioned -to them to come and stand beside him. Kurt Zen looked out on one of -the most breath-takingly beautiful scenes he had ever seen. Directly -below them the cliff dropped away for hundreds of feet, a blank wall -of sheer rock. To the left, climbing up into the sky, was the peak of -the mountain, solid granite. They were just at the edge of timberline -here. Lower, the trees began: spruce, fir, and aspen, marching downward -tier on tier over a series of rolling hills that concealed more than -they revealed. In the distance was the front range, a towering sweep of -mountains that looked small but which Zen knew to be rugged country. He -had climbed them too recently to have any doubts as to how high they -were. And how rugged.</p> - -<p>In the far distance cumulus clouds were visible, thunder-storms beyond -the mountains.</p> - -<p>"<i>Thy purple mountain's majesty above the fruited plain....</i>"</p> - -<p>The words of the song came unbidden into Kurt's mind. Down below him -was—America. Or what was left of it. A pang came up in his throat at -the thought and he felt muscles pull and knot in his stomach. He had -loved this land.</p> - -<p>America had stood for freedom. Her sons had fought for it, on -battlefields in every corner of the earth, from sun-baked equatorial -Africa to the freezing bitter steppes of Central Asia. While her sons -had found graves, fighting for freedom, something had happened to the -freedom for which they fought.</p> - -<p>Nobody knew quite what had happened, but it had gone away. Possibly -it had been lost as emergency followed emergency on the international -scene, possibly it had been strangled in red tape as regulation -followed regulation on the national scene. The time had come in -America, too, as it had come to foreign lands, when all actions that -were not compulsory were forbidden.</p> - -<p>Thus freedom had died.</p> - -<p>"Do you feel as bad as all that, colonel?" West said softly. The man's -face was grave and each ridge on it seemed carved out of another and -harder kind of granite.</p> - -<p>"It seems such a shame," Zen said. "I loved this land. It was my -country. And I don't feel that I have to apologize for a gulp in my -tongue as I talk about it."</p> - -<p>"It is not necessary to apologize for loving one's own land, colonel," -West said, his voice softer still. "You are not alone."</p> - -<p>"Not alone?" Zen said. "From you, this talk sounds strange."</p> - -<p>"We have all loved this land, too, colonel, and the principles for -which it stood. That is why we are here." West's voice became softer -still, but the gravity in his face seemed to increase.</p> - -<p>"That is good talk," Zen said. "However, if I have learned one thing, -it is that talk is cheap. You are outlaws hiding here yet you talk of -loving the land that you have failed to serve." He felt his voice grate -as he spoke.</p> - -<p>"Bravely spoken, colonel," West applauded. A glint that might have -been appreciation and might have been the edge of hidden anger -showed in his eyes. "Particularly so since you are in the power of -these—ah—outlaws."</p> - -<p>"Very brave," Nedra agreed. "And very foolish."</p> - -<p>"You did not bring me here to tell me that I am in your power," Zen -answered. "Nor to comment on my bravery. Nor my foolishness."</p> - -<p>"I think he can read minds," Nedra said.</p> - -<p>"I do not in the least doubt it," West answered. "If he did not possess -this ability, or almost possess it, he would not be here."</p> - -<p>"I, in my turn, think both of you are nuts," Zen answered. "I'm not -putting on a mind-reading act."</p> - -<p>"Not consciously, colonel, of course," West agreed. "You think your -thoughts are your own. Often they are. But there are also times when -they have originated with somebody else. However, before you tell me -that I did not call you up here to discuss your mind-reading ability, -or lack of it, I will show you one reason why I wanted you. Take the -glasses, observe the ridge in the far distance, just under the pines. -Tell me what you see there."</p> - -<p>"Horses," Zen said. "No, mules. With riders. Cuso's men going out on a -raiding party looking for food, ammo, and women, if they can catch 'em."</p> - -<p>"Quite right, colonel. Except that they probably have the additional -duty of inspecting the damage their blooper did when it exploded."</p> - -<p>"I hope they inspect that damage from close range," Zen said fervidly. -"That area is hot. If they will only spend an hour or so—" He broke -off as he remembered that both Nedra and West had spent too much time -in the same hot zone.</p> - -<p>"They will not be that foolish," West said.</p> - -<p>"I know some people who were," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Perhaps the area, at least on the fringes, was not as hot as you had -thought," West suggested.</p> - -<p>"My counter said it was," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"Possibly your counter was in error. Now if you will come into this -room, colonel." West moved through an archway in the stone wall and -into another room, holding the heavy draperies aside so Zen and Nedra -could enter. An opaque screen was set into the wall. Several chairs, -including one large seat with control buttons built into the arms, -were in this room. West closed the curtain over the arch through which -they had entered and motioned Zen to a chair. The craggy man slid into -the chair with the buttons on the arms. Nedra sat beside Zen. Relaxed -and at ease in the chair, she seemed to have forgotten that such -creatures as colonels of intelligence existed. West pushed a button. -Light flicked across the screen, danced an erratic pattern there, and -vanished. An image began to form. Firming, it increased in detail, and -became a city.</p> - -<p>Or what had once been a city.</p> - -<p>The place was blackened now, the buildings lying in ruins. Towers had -toppled, windows had broken, the ravages of fire were visible. Here -and there tall buildings had crumbled into streets that crossed and -criss-crossed each other at crazy angles. The rubble from the broken -buildings still lay where it had fallen.</p> - -<p>"Washington, by thunder!" Zen said. "This was their prime target. We -stopped their bombers cold but they eventually got through with a -guided missile. The city is still hot. You can see it right there on -the screen. Not a sign of life!" He became excited as he re-lived those -first mad moments when the Asian Federation had struck out of nowhere. -In this moment what little freedom that had remained in America had -been given up in the face of the seemingly more important necessity of -remaining alive.</p> - -<p>"Yes," West said. "Now what do you see?"</p> - -<p>The ruined Washington faded from the scene. As it faded, the broken -dome of the capitol building—its top had been blown off in the -blast—was revealed looking like a mysterious crater on the moon open -to the sea of space.</p> - -<p>Another city came on the screen, a mass of broken buildings where two -rivers met.</p> - -<p>"I think that's Pittsburgh," Zen said. "They were eager to hit us -there, to cut down on our industrial production potential. They got -Gary, Indiana, and South Chicago, for the same reason. In spite of -everything we could do to stop it, they eventually got through to our -major production centers. If we hadn't foreseen the possibility of this -happening, and had not spread our industry across the country, breaking -it up into small parts, they would have crippled us so badly before the -war even started that we would not have lasted long. However, even with -our production spread, when they hit the sources of our raw materials, -they hurt us—bad. Our stock piles gave out after a couple of years. -Since then we've been scavenging for metal wherever we can find it."</p> - -<p>"Yes. I know," West said.</p> - -<p>"Of course, while they were hurting us, we weren't exactly helping -them," Zen said. "We had a few guided missiles ready in their launching -racks ourselves. We weren't exactly defenseless." Pride came into his -voice as he spoke.</p> - -<p>"I agree with you there," West said. "Would you like to see some of our -results."</p> - -<p>"Hell, yes," Zen blurted out, surprised. "Our photo ships have never -gotten really good pics. Have to fly too high for that. Oh, we have -turned loose a flood of pics that purported to show how we had bombed -hell out of the enemy, but these were all re-touched, to boost public -morale. But—how does this radar work? Do you mean to tell me you can -actually see what is going on inside the country of the enemy?" Puzzled -wonder crept into his voice. Behind the feeling was a keen interest. If -he could use this radar to see into the country of the enemy, it was a -very important invention, though West did not seem to realize this.</p> - -<p>In war, information was always as important as weapons, and sometimes -more so. Knowledge of the enemy's troop dispositions, of his strength -and his weaknesses, was often more than half the battle.</p> - -<p>West did not answer. Another city swam into position on the screen. Zen -caught a glimpse of a single minaret standing among the bare ruins and -hazarded a guess as to the identity of the city.</p> - -<p>"Moscow?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Good. One of our fast planes sneaked over in full daylight, dumping -his load. When the photo plane passed over hours later, the city was -still burning. We really blasted the hell out of that dump!"</p> - -<p>"You sound pleased, colonel. Do you know how many millions of people -died directly or indirectly in that bomb explosion?"</p> - -<p>"How many millions died in Washington, Pittsburgh, and Chicago?" Zen -flared.</p> - -<p>"Granted," West answered. "But after the first man has been killed, -does it help the situation to kill a second? Or does killing the -second one merely make it more likely that a third one will have to be -destroyed?"</p> - -<p>"What the hell difference does it make? This is war."</p> - -<p>"That is also granted. However, the rules of life do not change because -men declare war."</p> - -<p>"Don't be so damned academic that you forget to be realistic. They were -striking at our heart," Zen said, bitterness deep in his voice. "Look, -we didn't seek this war. We did everything we could to prevent it. We -tried compromise, arbitration, placation, and everything else we could -think of. Nothing worked. They struck in the dark, without warning." As -he spoke, his bitterness turned into deep anger.</p> - -<p>"That is also granted," West said, while the ruined city was displayed -on the screen. "But does it make a great deal of difference?"</p> - -<p>Zen stared at the man, wondering what kind of a human he was. In the -dim room, it was difficult to make out West's features. "It makes all -the difference in the world. We believed in fairness. They ignored it. -We believed in a better world. They would plunge us back into the night -of barbarism. We believed in freedom. They wanted slaves. They set up a -slave state and threw armed slaves against free men. We had no choice -except to fight back."</p> - -<p>"I see nothing to argue in all you have said," West answered. "Nor -is it to my purpose to attempt to justify the actions of the western -democracies. They need no justification. Nor do the actions of the -Asian Federation need justification. In their eyes, they were right." -His voice was a low monotone of sound without the trace of an emotion -in it.</p> - -<p>"Then what is your purpose?" Zen demanded.</p> - -<p>"First, to point out that the human race is one organism. Viewed in -its totality, it is just that, an organism. All the billions of -individuals who compose it are cells in that organism."</p> - -<p>"I am familiar with that theory," Zen answered. "A few crackpots have -always insisted that we are a biological entity. But they have not -succeeded in proving this."</p> - -<p>"Haven't they?" West said. The slightest touch of irony appeared in his -voice.</p> - -<p>"Not so far as I know."</p> - -<p>"Is it possible, colonel, that you do not know everything?" West asked.</p> - -<p>"It is not only possible, it is obvious," Zen answered, unruffled by -the cutting question. "If I knew everything, I wouldn't be sitting here -talking to you. I would be out there winning a war."</p> - -<p>"The point I want to make, colonel, is that the human race is divided -against itself. Historically, this has been going on since remote ages. -War after war after war."</p> - -<p>"I do not see how America is responsible for the errors of history," -Zen said. "We tried to avoid them. God knows we tried." Emphasis crept -into his voice.</p> - -<p>"I did not say these were errors, colonel," West replied. "I merely -said they were history."</p> - -<p>"But what point are you making if not the one that wars are mistakes?" -Zen asked, surprised at the way the other's thinking had gone.</p> - -<p>"I am making the point that war seems to be the way the entity, the -human race as a whole, evolves. The method of evolution revealed by -history is the pitting of one part of the entity against another part, -then letting them fight it out to see which is the more efficient." A -touch of grimness sounded in the voice of the craggy man. In the dimly -lighted room, his face was as bleak—and as lonely—as the granite -outcropping at the top of a mountain.</p> - -<p>"This is a very savage philosophy," Kurt Zen commented.</p> - -<p>"If I may disagree with you again, colonel, I do not think that this -philosophy is necessarily savage. True, a great many men die in -fiendishly ingenious ways. A great many women and children suffer. -True, this system produces hunger in the world, and a fear so deep and -so intense that the heart is hurt even to contemplate it."</p> - -<p>"How can this be anything but savage?" Zen protested. "I don't care -whether our side or the other side is doing it—it's still total -savagery, utter barbarism!"</p> - -<p>"But that is a short-term view and one which does not take into -consideration all the factors in the equation. What is the purpose -back of this savagery, if it is not to force men to learn and to grow? -What if this so-called savagery is also the result of ignorance, of an -entity trying desperately to learn how to solve a problem, but never -quite succeeding?"</p> - -<p>"But surely there must be some way which does not involve so much -suffering," Zen protested. He was growing more and more uncomfortable. -It was his impression that he was shifting sides in the argument -without quite realizing he was doing it. Or perhaps West was the one -who was shifting sides. This side-changing was producing confusion in -his thinking.</p> - -<p>"I have harbored the same hope," West answered. "However, I know of no -way to accomplish this result. In a human being, we have a growing, -evolving organism that is possessed of a keen brain and a vast -curiosity. Such an organism, by its very nature, will have to try every -possible road." West pressed a button.</p> - -<p>Again the screen came to life. Dim and shadowy, human figures began to -move there. Kurt Zen leaned forward to see them more clearly.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="X" id="X">X</a></h2> - - -<p>At first, the figures were indistinct and Zen could not see them -clearly. He mentioned this to West.</p> - -<p>"They will get sharper in a minute," the craggy man answered. His voice -had sunk to a whisper heard from afar. Zen glanced at him to make -certain he was still there. The colonel had the flickering impression -that the chair was vacant but before the impression could firm itself, -West, faster than the eyes could follow, seemed to be back in the -chair. "Note the screen now, Kurt," West said.</p> - -<p>The figures had become clear. It seemed to be a view of some kind of -underground cavern where men were working on an object that looked -like—Zen squinted his eyes, to make certain.</p> - -<p>"A small space ship!" the colonel said. He felt eagerness rise in his -voice. Like so many kids born in the age of science, he had harbored -the dream of the days to come when men would fly beyond the sky, to -storied space islands that lay afar. Science had promised that this -would happen and the fiction writers had embellished this belief with -dream worlds. Somehow, it had never come to pass. One problem after -another had prevented realization of this dream. The war, which should -have accelerated development, had stopped it completely. Neither side -had the materials or the engineers or the skilled technicians to -construct a vessel capable of space flight.</p> - -<p>"No," West said. His voice was toneless and the far-away note was still -strong in it. "Sorry to contradict you, colonel, but that is not a -small space ship, though it is designed to get out of the atmosphere -for a short time. Look again."</p> - -<p>"Hell, it's a super bomb!" Zen gasped, as recognition came to him.</p> - -<p>"Right, colonel!"</p> - -<p>"A bomb big enough to devastate a continent!" Cold currents suddenly -flurried at the base of Zen's spine.</p> - -<p>"Right, colonel." West's voice was as dry as the Nevada wind.</p> - -<p>"I didn't know we had such a bomb under construction," Zen blurted out.</p> - -<p>"We haven't."</p> - -<p>"Then who—where?" The cold currents at the base of Zen's back were -flowing down both legs and up his spine.</p> - -<p>"Look at the men, colonel. Look closely." West's voice was also cold.</p> - -<p>"They're Asiatics!" Shouting the words, Zen was out of his chair. "I -didn't see the yellow faces and the slanted eyes at first. West, that's -a huge guided missile. It's being built to drop out of the sky at -thousands of miles an hour, on us!"</p> - -<p>"Yes," West said. He did not move a muscle in his body. On the other -side of Kurt Zen, Nedra sat equally silent and motionless.</p> - -<p>"I have to get out of here," Zen said. "This information must be -reported to the general staff, at once!" Urgency pounded in the tones -of his voice.</p> - -<p>"The new people do not fight," West said. "I thought you were one of -us."</p> - -<p>"It doesn't matter who I am," Zen said quickly. "The building of this -super bomb must be reported. <i>It must be!</i> Extra warnings must be -issued. We must alert every z-type fighter we possess and have them in -the air constantly, in the hope that we can destroy this bomb before -it lands. We've got to follow the construction hourly, so we will know -when it is ready to be launched. And that means we've got to have -top-flight intelligence men here, to follow the building of that bomb -every inch of the way. Or we've got to take this super-radar of yours -to headquarters and use it there. That's the best solution, if it is -at all practical." Zen was striding back and forth in the darkened -room, planning the steps that had to be taken.</p> - -<p>"West, do you realize this super-radar of yours will win the war!" -Excitement tightened the colonel's voice. "With it, the enemy won't -be able to make a move that we don't know about in advance." His -excitement grew as the vast longing hidden in him for the end of the -war tried to come to the surface.</p> - -<p>"You have tears in your eyes, colonel," West said.</p> - -<p>"You're out of your mind," Zen retorted. But he knew the craggy man was -speaking the truth. He swallowed harder. "We've got the Asians cold. -We'll know every move they make in advance." He exulted as he realized -again how much this meant.</p> - -<p>"I have always known every move they made in advance," West answered.</p> - -<p>"We'll have them on their knees in—huh? What was that you just said? -What was that?" Desperation appeared in the colonel's voice.</p> - -<p>West repeated his words.</p> - -<p>"Then why didn't you warn us?" Zen felt each word sting as it left his -lips. "Why didn't you warn us? Why did you let so many of us die so -unnecessarily?"</p> - -<p>West did not answer.</p> - -<p>The silence in the room grew deeper. Cold had begun to appear in the -air. On the screen, the silent figures continued busily engaged in the -building of their bomb.</p> - -<p>"Don't you realize that your failure to report what you knew is high -treason?" Zen continued.</p> - -<p>The silence grew. West sat as solid and as immobile as a mountain. -Nedra seemed to have shrunk in upon herself still farther. More than -ever she looked like a very small girl who had somehow managed to -intrude into a world of adults and was tremendously confused and hurt -by what was happening here.</p> - -<p>"Don't you hear me?" Zen said.</p> - -<p>"I hear you," West answered. "Your loyalty to your country does you -credit, colonel. It is to be expected from a person in your stage -of development. However, you seem to have forgotten that I am not a -citizen of your country. Or perhaps you did not know this?"</p> - -<p>"Not a citizen?" Zen said. "But this mountain exists in America. -I don't know whether it is actually on Canadian ground or lies in -the United States, but this does not matter. By mutual treaty, the -countries have become one nation. A citizen of one is automatically a -citizen of the other."</p> - -<p>"True, colonel." West did not attempt to explain.</p> - -<p>"Then what country do you claim to belong to?" Zen felt his voice -falter as he tried to grasp what lay back of this very strange man. -"You talk like an American."</p> - -<p>"I was born here."</p> - -<p>"Then you are a citizen."</p> - -<p>"No. I resigned my citizenship. As to my real country, it is a far -land. I am sure you have no knowledge of it. My loyalty, colonel, is -not to any nation on the face of the globe, but is to—growth, to the -new people who will come into existence one day."</p> - -<p>As West spoke, the cold that was freezing Zen's spine suddenly -disappeared and was replaced by a sudden deep warmth. The words seemed -to touch some hidden spring of warmth within him.</p> - -<p>"My loyalty is to the future, to the growing tip of the life force, -to what the human race will become, not to what it is today. Only the -future has meaning, colonel, and to the building of that future I have -dedicated my life."</p> - -<p>In spite of the fact that the words thrilled him, Zen knew he had to -deny them. "This is sophistry," he snapped. "I think any court in the -land would hold it to be evasion of your proper duties. You can't -continue living in a country and enjoying its ble—" Confusion came -into Zen's mind.</p> - -<p>"Were you going to say <i>blessings</i>, colonel?" West said, almost -maliciously.</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"Would you point out these blessings?"</p> - -<p>"We had them once," Zen said. "And we're going to have them again."</p> - -<p>"Are you?" West nodded toward the screen where the far-off enemy -technicians and engineers were busy with their super bomb.</p> - -<p>"Now that we know that it exists, that bomb will never land," Zen said. -"I'll see to that personally."</p> - -<p>"How are you going to discharge this responsibility?" West inquired.</p> - -<p>"I'll find a way," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"I admire your spirit, colonel, though not necessarily your evaluation -of your personal position at this moment. Also, there is one other -thing that I want you to see."</p> - -<p>The screen went blank. Slowly another scene formed on it. Zen, staring, -blurted out words.</p> - -<p>"That's another one. They're making two of those super bombs. I didn't -think they had the materials and the technical know-how to make even -one! This doubles the problem, and more than doubles the urgency. We'll -have to guard the skyways from all directions, including straight up. -Damn it, West!" Zen slapped his fist into his open palm to emphasize -his feeling of urgency.</p> - -<p>"Look again, colonel," the craggy man invited.</p> - -<p>On second look Zen saw something that he had missed before. "Those are -Americans! We're building that bomb!" His words were little gusts of -explosive sound in the quiet room.</p> - -<p>"Right," West said. His voice was very grim.</p> - -<p>"Then it's a race to see which side gets its bomb built first?" Zen -asked. He did not know whether or not he liked what his eyes were -seeing and the interpretation his mind was giving him.</p> - -<p>"I am afraid that is true," West reluctantly agreed. "But doesn't that -change the picture, colonel?"</p> - -<p>"How?" Zen demanded. "We're going to win a war. We've got to win it." -The words were firmly spoken but somewhere a lingering doubt remained -as if some point had not been considered.</p> - -<p>"The other side also thinks it has to win," West pointed out.</p> - -<p>"To hell with what they think. They started it. We didn't. Man, you -don't intend to tell me that you are going to sit right here and watch -two nations frantically try to destroy each other—and maybe the Earth -with them—when you have the means to stop it in your hand?" Horror -exploded in Zen's words.</p> - -<p>"I am going to do just that," West stated. His voice was as firm and as -solid as the granite core of a mountain.</p> - -<p>"But you can't!" Zen expostulated.</p> - -<p>"Why can't I?" West demanded. "I am not a citizen of either country and -I owe nothing to any nation."</p> - -<p>"Even if you are not a citizen of either country, you're still a human -being. You owe loyalty to your own race," Zen said.</p> - -<p>The craggy man showed faint signs of discomfort. But when he spoke, his -voice was still imperturbable. "Granting your statement, what do you -propose I do?"</p> - -<p>"Stop the Asians," Zen answered promptly. "Give us complete information -on the location of their super-bomb. We'll make certain we get ours -finished first and we'll use it to blow their installation out of -existence." At the moment, his plan seemed feasible.</p> - -<p>"That would create the very danger you are trying to avoid, would it -not?" West pointed out. "Both super bombs would explode simultaneously. -Do you think the Earth would remain in its orbit if this happened?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know," Zen answered. "That would be up to the astronomers and -the astronomical physicists to decide. In any case, if the danger is -too great, we'll use ordinary weapons to touch off their super bomb. -Well get the job done before they finish."</p> - -<p>"They are working underground, in a cavern at least three thousand feet -deep," West pointed out. "Do you have a weapon that will penetrate to -this depth?"</p> - -<p>"We'll build one!"</p> - -<p>"You talk very glibly, colonel."</p> - -<p>"Somebody has got to talk!" Zen said fiercely. "Even if they are -building their bomb underground, they must have an exit for it -somewhere. We'll locate their exit and drop an H-bomb on it."</p> - -<p>"And thus destroy their bomb and the best of their scientists and -engineers?"</p> - -<p>"This is war. You can't have sympathy in war."</p> - -<p>"This is my point, colonel," West said patiently. "I have no -sympathy—with either side."</p> - -<p>"Then what do you propose—to sit here and do nothing?"</p> - -<p>"I propose to let each side destroy the other as much as they wish and -can. Then, when they have completely demonstrated the futility of their -efforts, when it is utterly clear to the few who have survived that -warfare is not the way to the future, then the new people will emerge -to show the way to those who have survived." West's voice was calm. He -seemed to be considering a situation often pondered and to be stating a -conclusion firmly and definitely reached.</p> - -<p>"But that involves senseless slaughter," Zen protested. "This was the -reason that lay back of the dropping of the first atom bomb—to stop -senseless slaughter."</p> - -<p>"All slaughter is senseless, colonel, though from the viewpoint of the -individual or nation doing it, slaughter is generally considered to be -right at the time."</p> - -<p>Zen started to comment on what the craggy man had just said, then -changed his mind. Was he dealing with a madman? This seemed possible. -West's words certainly did not fit any pattern that Zen knew. The act -of sitting by and letting two nations commit suicide went beyond the -bounds of rational thinking.</p> - -<p>"I beg you, let me report this to the high command," Zen said, making -one last plea.</p> - -<p>"In reply, I want to ask one question," West answered. "What would -happen to the people here, and to me, if I revealed the existence of -this instrument?"</p> - -<p>"You would be a hero," Zen said promptly, and knew he was lying as he -spoke. "Your people would be protected."</p> - -<p>"I dislike calling you a liar, colonel, but that is exactly what you -are," West answered. "We would all be taken care of, as long as all -of us did exactly what the high command wanted. The instant I tried -to do anything else, my actions would be called treason and I would -be considered a traitor. My equipment would be confiscated, '<i>for the -convenience of the government</i>,' and I would be lucky if I did not face -a firing squad. Tell me honestly, colonel, would not this happen?" For -the first time, West's words had a tinge of anger in them. Or was it -sorrow?</p> - -<p>"Sam—" Nedra said. "Something—" Her voice was a whisper from some -far-off land.</p> - -<p>"What is it, Nedra?" West asked. In an instant, he had forgotten all -about Kurt Zen.</p> - -<p>The nurse sat up straight and stiff. All color fled from her face. -"Something—" Her voice was the faintest whisper of sound in this quiet -room.</p> - -<p>"Nedra, what is it?" West's tones had alarm in them.</p> - -<p>Instead of answering, the nurse slid from her chair to the floor, in a -faint.</p> - -<p>Dim and distant in the silence that followed came a popping sound.</p> - -<p><i>Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—</i></p> - -<p>Zen had heard this death-dealing rattle too often to mistake its -identity.</p> - -<p>"A sub-machine gun!"</p> - -<p>The drapes that covered the archway leading into this hidden room were -shoved aside. A man fell through them. Zen knew at a glance that he -was another of the kids who lived here in this hidden cavern inside a -mountain. Blood was spewing from a hole in his back and he was fighting -desperately for breath.</p> - -<p>"They're—coming with guns!" he gasped.</p> - -<p>West dropped to his knees and took the head of the youth in his lap. -His face was dark as he saw the wound on the back. Cuddling the youth's -head in his lap as one would a frightened child, he asked, "What -happened, Carl?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know. They came out of nowhere. There was no one. Then these -men were here. They came—shooting." Blood came out of his mouth as -he spoke. He tried to cough it away, and failed. His hand went to his -mouth and wiped at the blood, then he lifted his hand to his eyes and -saw what was there.</p> - -<p>"How many are there?" Zen asked.</p> - -<p>Carl's eyes wandered until he found the source of this question. -"Dozens," he said, his voice dull. Blood was draining from his mouth -across West's legs and was forming a pool on the floor.</p> - -<p>Listening, Zen could distinguish three machine guns going now. Men were -yelling. A girl was screaming. At the sounds, the colonel's lips formed -into a line as sharp as the edge of a knife.</p> - -<p>"How did they get past your fear generators?" he said to West.</p> - -<p>"I don't know," the craggy man answered. "Perhaps they found an -unguarded tunnel."</p> - -<p>Zen could not see what difference it made how the intruders had secured -entry. They were here. "Where are your weapons?" he demanded. In his -mind was the thought that the new people would have weapons adequate to -defend their own citadel.</p> - -<p>"Weapons?" West did not seem to understand the term. "We have none."</p> - -<p>"What?" Zen said. Hadn't West understood him. Every farmer, every -rancher, and every householder had his stock of weapons. Almost all -people went armed. "No rifles?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Not even tear gas?"</p> - -<p>"No, colonel."</p> - -<p>"Then how in the hell did you expect to stay alive?" Zen burst out. -"You surely knew they would find you sometime."</p> - -<p>"Staying alive is actually not as important as you think. Yes, son." -West bent again to listen to the youth's words.</p> - -<p>"Good—good—" The whisper was very faint.</p> - -<p>West understood. "Goodbye," he said. "We will meet again. But, goodbye -for now."</p> - -<p>The youth sighed. All pain and all fear went from his face. Peace came -to him.</p> - -<p>But when West rose to his feet, his face was bleak. "He was new here," -he said as if this explained something that he felt needed explaining.</p> - -<p>Somewhere a woman was screaming. West listened to the sound, then -started toward it. Zen caught his arm.</p> - -<p>"The invaders have guns." His tone conveyed the impression that West -was at fault because no weapons existed inside the mine. "Or do you -want to go join him?" He nodded toward the body on the floor. Blood -had stopped spilling from that body now. The essence of life had gone -elsewhere and the tides of life had ceased flowing.</p> - -<p>"Yes," West said bluntly. "I want to go with him." His face had grown -more black. Heat lightning was dancing in his eyes.</p> - -<p>Zen caught the impulse to say that this made two of them who wanted to -join the bronze-skinned youth. He knew how to deal with this reaction.</p> - -<p>"Okay," he said. "Good bye."</p> - -<p>West blinked startled eyes at him.</p> - -<p>"Run along," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Eh?"</p> - -<p>"I'll take over here and fight the battle you are running from," Zen -continued.</p> - -<p>As if he were dispelling a mist from some hidden corner of his mind, -the craggy man shook his head. "Sorry," he apologized. "However, the -call is very strong. Only the sense of a job not yet done has kept me -from going for—a long time." He shook his head again. "No, I shall not -follow him, for another while, though I am positive that he is luckier -than we are."</p> - -<p>"I agree," Zen said.</p> - -<p>Stooping, West picked up Nedra. She lay in his arms like a tired, -sleeping child. Had she followed the youth? Kurt Zen had a moment of -heartbreak as the thought passed through his mind before he saw that -she was still breathing regularly.</p> - -<p>"Follow me," West said.</p> - -<p>The heat lightning still danced in the eyes of the craggy man as he -moved across the room. The solid wall swung aside into another hidden -door. "None of my people know this is here," he explained. "The -combination lock is actuated only by my body."</p> - -<p>As Kurt Zen went through the door he could hear the girl still -screaming somewhere.</p> - -<p>The passage was narrow. To one side, another passage led into a room -where Zen caught a glimpse of some kind of electrical equipment in -operation, the technical guts of the super-radar, he suspected.</p> - -<p>Ahead, West growled, a sound that came from deep in his throat. He had -stopped and was staring down into a hidden opening in the wall. Zen saw -that the opening, through some hidden arrangement of mirrors, revealed -the interior of the big gallery where he had spent the night.</p> - -<p>Hell was loose in there now.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="XI" id="XI">XI</a></h2> - - -<p>Jake, Ed, and Cal were part of that hell. Each carried a smoking weapon -in his hands. A body lay on the floor. Somewhere in one of the small -rooms a woman was screaming. In the middle of the room stood the man -who was obviously in charge of the situation. At the sight of this man, -Kurt Zen felt his breath draw into his body so heavily that it whistled -through his nostrils.</p> - -<p>Cuso's lieutenant!</p> - -<p>The others in the room were the Asians who had been with the lieutenant -the night before.</p> - -<p>"I should have slit their throats while they were asleep and in my -power last night," Zen raged.</p> - -<p>The only sound in the passage was that of West breathing heavily, like -a man who had run a marathon and had lost. No, there were two men! -Additional shock came up in Kurt Zen when he realized he was the second -man. He seized the craggy man by the shoulder.</p> - -<p>"West! They can't have that super radar. If we lose that, we have lost -the war."</p> - -<p>The craggy man did not move.</p> - -<p>Anguish grew in Zen's voice. "If we lose this one, it will be the first -war we have ever lost. And the last one. Nothing will remain to come -after us except death and desolation."</p> - -<p>"I know," West said. "The race soul will have to start over, in the -swamps and on the mud flats, trying to rebuild the race with tools long -since worn out and out of place in time." Again the tones of a bell -were in his voice. But now the bell was tolling the death of a people, -wailing that the glory that once had been was truly gone, wailing that -the brave world that some men had tried to build was going into ashes -and into doom.</p> - -<p>"Do you believe in the race soul too?" West gasped.</p> - -<p>"<i>Belief</i> is too weak a word. I <i>know</i> it exists."</p> - -<p>Nedra sighed in West's arms and opened her eyes. Seeing who was holding -her, she lay back in the arms of the craggy man, more than ever like a -tired child. "What was it?" she whispered. "What's wrong? I—I took a -little nap."</p> - -<p>West set her on her feet and pointed at the opening. She clutched at -the stone wall as she saw what was happening inside.</p> - -<p>Running, the bronze girl who had danced to the slow music the night -before, came fleeing from a room. One of Cuso's soldiers was pursuing -her. She fled like a deer before some great hound that was interested -in pulling her down but she did not flee fast enough. The soldier -caught her and dragged her back into a room.</p> - -<p>"West, how many of these kids did you have here?" Zen asked.</p> - -<p>"About fifty," the craggy man answered. "I don't know how many are -left nor can I guess how many will choose to stay alive if they are -conquered before their training is completed."</p> - -<p>"And no weapons?"</p> - -<p>"None."</p> - -<p>"What about my gun that was taken from me while I slept?"</p> - -<p>"What good would one gun do now?"</p> - -<p>"None, I guess," Zen said, helplessly. "But as they try to run me down, -I'd like to have it in my hands. I'd at least take a few of them with -me before they got me."</p> - -<p>"We will survive," West said, his voice a mumble.</p> - -<p>Zen pointed through the opening to the bodies lying on the floor below -them. "They didn't," he said.</p> - -<p>The craggy man groaned. "If I had time I would try to explain to you -that survival does not lie in the body and can never be achieved there."</p> - -<p>Zen answered, "I have no time for metaphysics. For purposes of defense, -I'm taking command." He felt foolish as he spoke. What resources were -his to command, what troops, what weapons? He knew the answer as the -thought crossed his mind. If he only had the remnants of the broken -column moving down the mountains after its disastrous encounter with -Cuso's blooper. An idea came into his mind. Perhaps he could have these -troops. "Where's my pack?" he demanded. His radio equipment was in that.</p> - -<p>"It went with your gun into the deep hole," West said. "The deep hole -is a fault the old miners uncovered here. It's miles deep." He shook -his head.</p> - -<p>"Damn!" Kurt Zen said. The depression in him was as deep as the fault -in the mountain. "Isn't there any place where we can hide?"</p> - -<p>"Many places," West said. "This whole mountain is a honeycomb of -tunnels and shafts. We have explored fifteen separate levels and there -are others which lie below the present water line." He did not protest -at Zen's statement that the latter was taking command, but seemed -willing to submit to the colonel's authority, and also interested in -seeing how Zen would handle the problem.</p> - -<p>"Then find us a place to hide until we can decide what to do to -eliminate Cuso's men. A hiding hole first, then radio equipment. As -soon as I can gain access to short-wave transmitting equipment, I can -have a regiment of paratroopers on their way here."</p> - -<p>"You sound as if you have authority," Nedra commented.</p> - -<p>"I have."</p> - -<p>"But you gave me the impression you were a deserter."</p> - -<p>"They haven't discovered that yet, at headquarters. So far as they are -concerned, I'm on a secret mission. And I haven't deserted the human -race." Zen put sting into his words. The implication was that two -people present were really deserters.</p> - -<p>"Ah, well, colonel, we shall see about that." West had recovered most -of his aplomb. Again he seemed to be observing from a great distance -the antics of this strange species called human. But his face remained -bleak and his eyes had flickers of lightning in them. He started away -from the opening.</p> - -<p>And stopped as metal clanged ahead of them.</p> - -<p>A door opened there. An Asian soldier with his rifle at the ready came -through. A second one followed the first. The rifles of both covered -West.</p> - -<p>Zen jerked his arms toward the roof. Neither the craggy man nor Nedra -moved a muscle.</p> - -<p>Slowly, West and Nedra raised their hands. At gun point, the two -soldiers herded them toward the main gallery. At the sight of them the -lieutenant hastily called Cal to him.</p> - -<p>"Is this the one?" he demanded, pointing at West.</p> - -<p>"That's him," Cal answered. "He's the leader here. He's the one you -want."</p> - -<p>Elation appeared as a shock-wave on the yellow face of the Asian -lieutenant. Calling two men to him, he had West step aside, treating -the craggy man with respect that bordered on deference but also with -great firmness.</p> - -<p>"You two stand against the wall with the others," he said to Nedra and -Kurt Zen. There was no deference in his voice as he spoke to them. "If -they move, shoot them!" he ordered his men. As Kurt and Nedra obeyed, -the lieutenant drew West to one side and began a conversation with him. -His men were still busy searching the old mine tunnels. Now and then -they brought more captives to the main gallery.</p> - -<p>Cal, Jake, and Ed remained in the center of the big room. Cal was -trying to look important but the expression on his face indicated he -was hiding guilt pangs somewhere inside. As soon as he saw Nedra, Ed's -eyes became fixed on her though he did not look at her face. Jake's -murky eyes were roving the chamber. He did not seem to comprehend what -he was seeing but seemed to be living in some other world that was even -more confusing and more clouded than this one.</p> - -<p>The bronze girl, utterly naked, came limping into the gallery from -one of the small rooms. She had a dazed expression on her face and -she looked around the room as if she could not comprehend what was -happening. At the sight of her, the lieutenant left off talking to West -for a moment, his eyes glowing. But his conversation with West was more -important than his lust. He motioned with his gun for the bronze girl -to take her place against the wall. She stared at him as if she did not -understand him. He waved the gun again.</p> - -<p>Some dull comprehension of his meaning penetrated her mind. She -stumbled to the wall but fell face downward on the stone floor.</p> - -<p>Nedra, with a little cry of pity on her lips, moved quickly to the side -of the bronze girl. Zen started to move, then stopped, but not because -the rifle of one of the guards was swinging up to menace him. Nedra -gave a quick examination of the girl, then got slowly to her feet.</p> - -<p>"Dead?" Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Y-es. But how did you know?"</p> - -<p>"Just a hunch. What caused it, shock?"</p> - -<p>"I imagine so. After she was violated, she wanted to die. So she really -died because she wanted to. I—I—" Tears appeared in Nedra's violet -eyes and ran down her cheeks. But she did not sob, though muscles moved -in her throat.</p> - -<p>West glanced at the bronze girl. He seemed to know, without being told, -what had happened. His face became bleak. The lieutenant regarded the -body of the dead girl with regret. When the soldier who had violated -her came out of the room, the lieutenant ordered him to remove the -body.</p> - -<p>Zen got the impression that the lieutenant, even though he was talking -earnestly with the craggy man, was waiting. Forty of the new people -were herded into the room and forced to stand against the walls. Bronze -striplings, they were. Not a one was out of his twenties and several -were obviously in their teens. Though they were confused, they kept -silent.</p> - -<p>"Is this all?" Zen heard the lieutenant ask West.</p> - -<p>The craggy man must have known at a glance the answer to this question -but he took the time to count every person. "This is all," he said -positively. The lieutenant seemed to believe him but Zen would have -given odds that the man was lying.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant continued to wait.</p> - -<p>A guard, entering hastily, saluted. When Zen saw who was following the -soldier he realized why the lieutenant had been waiting.</p> - -<p>Cuso came into the gallery.</p> - -<p>The Asian leader was a giant almost seven feet tall and big in -proportion. He looked capable of killing a man with his bare hands, and -probably was. Just looking at him, Zen knew why he had been selected to -lead the airborne landing in America. Radiating power and strength, he -was the type for this kind of mission.</p> - -<p>Besides power, he radiated something else. Zen sensed this something -else as a sickening feeling at the pit of his stomach, a tightening of -muscles in the diaphragm.</p> - -<p>When Cuso appeared, the lieutenant stiffened himself to attention -and almost broke his arm saluting. He and Cuso spoke together in a -sing-song dialect that Zen did not pretend to understand. As they -talked, the lieutenant continued to point at West. A grin broke out on -Cuso's face. He beckoned the craggy man to him.</p> - -<p>The craggy man approached, but did not salute. Prisoners were not -permitted to salute. Nor did he get down on his hands and knees, -which was not only permitted but required among the Asians. West stood -arrow-straight.</p> - -<p>In spite of his disagreements with him, Zen felt proud of Sam West -now. Cuso was grinning placatingly but in spite of the grin, West -surely knew that he was looking at death, that the slightest show of -resistance on his part would have only one result, although Cuso might -save him until he had wrung all possible information out of him. Zen -did not in the least doubt that information was what the Asian wanted -first. After that, there was the tradition of torturing helpless -prisoners.</p> - -<p>"I have heard much about you," Cuso said. For an Asian, he spoke fair -English.</p> - -<p>"I am greatly honored," West answered. "However, I am curious as to how -you heard about me."</p> - -<p>A sly grin flitted across the Asian's face. "We 'ave our sources of -information."</p> - -<p>"Spies?" West asked.</p> - -<p>"We 'ave spies, of course, but they could not find out much about you. -There are other ways—how do you say it?"</p> - -<p>"Clairvoyants?" West asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes, that is right." Cuso looked pleased to be given the right word. -He also looked startled because he had been given the right fact. -Zen, listening, was surprised too. He knew that the suggestion to use -clairvoyants to find out what the enemy was doing had often been made. -As an intelligence officer, he had investigated several clairvoyants -who had volunteered for this purpose. He knew that such a project had -been set up but he did not know what the results had been, if any. -However, to learn that the enemy had not only entertained the same -ideas, but had used them with some success, startled him.</p> - -<p>"I suspected clairvoyants," West said.</p> - -<p>"Ah," Cuso said. "Did you also suspect that the only reason this -airborne landing was made on these shores was to capture you?"</p> - -<p>Even West's perfect control of his features could not hide the start of -surprise at these words. "I am not that important," he said.</p> - -<p>Cuso smiled deprecatingly and made a little gesture with his hand which -said that such modesty was becoming in the truly great. Oddly, Zen had -the impression that the Asian leader meant this. "As to that, I have -the great privilege of offering you a commission as a field marshal in -the armies of United Asia." His voice dripped oil and awe, oil because -he was selling, awe because he was truly impressed by the rank of field -marshal. Perhaps as a result of the successful achievement of this -difficult mission, even he might have this rank. Hunger thickened on -Cuso's face as he thought of this.</p> - -<p>West blinked, then smiled back at Cuso. "That is interesting. But what -makes you think I would be interested in such a commission—or in any -commission—in your armies?"</p> - -<p>"For protection, for one reason," Cuso answered promptly. "Our reports -indicate that you are not a citizen of any country. Since this leaves -you with no friends to protect you, this is an undesirable position. On -the other hand, since you belong to no one, every country feels that -you are an enemy. Because of this, your life is constantly in danger. -However, holding our commission, you are automatically a citizen of -United Asia, and thus are under our protection."</p> - -<p>Cuso spoke as if being a citizen of United Asia was important and that -holding a commission in its armies was even more so.</p> - -<p>"Do you think I have no friends?" West asked.</p> - -<p>"Well, you are not a citizen of—"</p> - -<p>"Why do you think I need protection?" West continued.</p> - -<p>The oily smile slid off of the giant Asian's face. For an instant, -the wild beast underneath showed through. "Perhaps you do not need -protection personally. But under the circumstances as I have outlined -them, our mantle would automatically extend to the people working with -you." His eyes went around the room to the youths standing rigidly -against the wall. In this circuit, his gaze flicked contemptuously past -the corpses lying on the floor.</p> - -<p>The face of the craggy man got bleak again. He understood only too well -what lay back of Cuso's words. "I see what you mean. But what do you -wish of me?" His voice carried an intimation of surrender in the face -of odds that he recognized as being hopeless.</p> - -<p>Zen, with his back to the wall, tried to keep from squirming. Emotions -that were causing actual pain were in his body. Why would the race mind -permit such an outrage as this?</p> - -<p>The smile on Cuso's face went from ear to ear. Here was victory, here -was the submission of the enemy. Here was what his leaders wanted. Here -was a marshal's baton for him.</p> - -<p>"Really very little." He drew in his breath with a hiss as he addressed -West, a sign of deferent politeness. "Merely that you show us what -you have here. And, of course, that you should explain it all to our -scientists and engineers, showing them how your equipment operates."</p> - -<p>The room got very quiet after Cuso had finished speaking. West seemed -to muse. "What do you think we have here?" he said.</p> - -<p>"If I knew the answer to that question, I would not be asking such a -stupid thing," Cuso answered.</p> - -<p>"Quite true," West agreed. "I was stupid to even ask such a question."</p> - -<p>"The time is here to end stupidity," Cuso said.</p> - -<p>"Again I agree," the craggy man answered. He shrugged. "Well, when and -where do you want me to start?" The smile on his face was a mixture of -fear and resignation. It indicated that he had given up completely.</p> - -<p>"Now you are talking the kind of words I like to hear," Cuso said -emphatically. "You will start now, and show me, personally, everything -that is of importance in this mountain."</p> - -<p>"Very well. Follow me." West turned and moved toward the opening that -led to the chamber where the super radar was hidden.</p> - -<p>"Wait here," Cuso snapped at his lieutenant. "Shoot any person who -moves."</p> - -<p>"Yes, great one," the lieutenant answered, saluting. This was the kind -of order he loved to obey.</p> - -<p>Cuso and West went out of sight.</p> - -<p>Jake, Cal, and Ed stood in the middle of the room. Ed approached the -lieutenant, nodded toward Nedra, and spoke earnestly to the man. -The lieutenant shook his head vigorously, a gesture which seemed to -indicate that Ed was being very stupid. The bantam grumbled to himself -and moved away. Out of the corners of his eyes he kept watching the -nurse.</p> - -<p>Nedra ignored him. She also ignored Kurt Zen. As silent as so many -statues, the new people stood against the stone walls. They seemed -stunned. The impossible had happened to them and they were having -difficulty in adjusting to it. John was not in the room. Either he had -succeeded in hiding or he had been killed.</p> - -<p>The fat youth was standing directly across the gallery from Zen. -Farther down the wall, clad in pants and a bra, was a shapely blonde. -When he was not watching Nedra, Ed paid attention to her. His actions -seemed to irritate the lieutenant. Lifting his rifle, he fired a single -shot through the head of the bantam.</p> - -<p>Ed collapsed, dead before he hit the floor. Two Asian soldiers carried -the body away.</p> - -<p>"That lieutenant is hell on lovers," Zen whispered.</p> - -<p>Nedra did not answer him. Her face was pale and her breathing was -shallow. A film of sweat glistened on her forehead. Glancing at her, -Zen had the impression that she was listening.</p> - -<p>For what? he wondered. The only thing that was left for any of them -was the sounding of the trump of doom. Zen had no illusions that Cuso -would keep his promises for any longer than was expedient. First, -West and all the others must be pumped dry of information, the whole -interior of the mountain must be thoroughly explored, then—more bodies -for the deep hole.</p> - -<p>Zen had no illusions that either West or the new people would long -survive the information they could be forced to divulge. As to Cuso's -talk of West being given a commission as a marshal of the Asian -Federation, for protection, the colonel knew that Asian field marshals -had been listed among the missing before now. A field marshal who fell -from grace vanished.</p> - -<p>Across the gallery the fat youth also vanished.</p> - -<p>One second he was there, the next second he was—gone!</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="XII" id="XII">XII</a></h2> - - -<p>Neither the lieutenant nor any of the Asians noticed that a man had -vanished. Cal and Jake, with the memory of Ed's death still very fresh -in their minds, were engaged in making themselves inconspicuous. As far -as Zen could tell, none of these clean, tall kids knew anything out of -the ordinary had happened.</p> - -<p>Beside the colonel, Nedra seemed slightly more composed. Her eyes were -blank as if she were not seeing. The thin film of moisture was still -visible on her forehead. Zen started to whisper to her, to ask her if -she had noticed anything different, then changed his mind. There was no -point in taking such a risk at such a time.</p> - -<p>A sound was in the room, a thin, high note that was close to the upper -limits of hearing. It passed beyond the range of hearing, or diminished -in volume, then came again with the frequency of the ears, moving like -a microscopically small but very powerful honey bee. Had the sound been -present all the time? Or had it come into existence just before the fat -youth vanished? Zen did not know about the sound.</p> - -<p>A face appeared in the middle of the room. About ten feet above the -floor, it looked around briefly, then vanished.</p> - -<p>Cal seemed to see it too. A startled expression appeared on the face of -the ragged man. His eyes opened wide. He blinked them hastily when the -face vanished, then looked furtively around the room.</p> - -<p>Jake said, very loudly, to the face, "Hi, bud. Long time no see. Where -you been?"</p> - -<p>"Shut up your crazy head!" Cal snarled at him.</p> - -<p>"But I just saw an old buddy," Jake tried to explain.</p> - -<p>"You saw nothing."</p> - -<p>"What are you two talking about?" the lieutenant demanded.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," Cal answered. He pointed his finger at his forehead and made -circling motions in the air, then nodded toward Jake. "You know he's a -looney, lieutenant."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," the Asian officer said, as if he had just remembered -something. Again he lifted the rifle to his shoulder. Jake fell dead.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant slid another cartridge into his rifle.</p> - -<p>"As long as you needed us—" Cal began.</p> - -<p>"But I no longer need you to help me find the hidden ones," the -lieutenant answered. "That makes things different, doesn't it?"</p> - -<p>"It sure does," Cal agreed. "But why did you shoot him?"</p> - -<p>"I made up my mind months ago to shoot him as soon as I no longer -needed him," the Asian officer answered. "He was too crazy to trust."</p> - -<p>"But he found this place for you and he got you past those hell -generators," Cal said.</p> - -<p>"That is true. But the place is now found and we are past the odd -devices that make weaklings afraid." His tone said that this also made -the situation different and that the ragged man had better understand -this and guide himself accordingly. Cal started to speak, then changed -his mind.</p> - -<p>"What were you two talking about?" the Asian asked.</p> - -<p>"He said he saw a face in the air," the ragged man answered. "I told -him that he was nuts and to shut up."</p> - -<p>"Was there a face?"</p> - -<p>"I didn't see nothing," Cal answered.</p> - -<p>While the two were talking, Zen was watching a youth in a loin cloth -across the room. Standing erect against the wall, looking as if he were -being crucified there, but without making any sound, the youth was -slowly vanishing.</p> - -<p>While the youth was sliding away, the violin note throbbed softly in -the air. As he vanished, it went into silence, ending on a note of -triumph.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant became suspicious. He scanned the people against the -wall.</p> - -<p>"I thought there were more—" he muttered. Slowly he counted them. -"Thirty-eight," he said. As if to engrave the number on his memory, he -repeated it.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously, one of the Asian soldiers spoke to him in a swift flow -of sound.</p> - -<p>Zen could not understand what was being said, but he guessed from the -way the soldier pointed to the spot where the fat youth had stood that -he was reporting what he had seen happen.</p> - -<p>While they were talking the face appeared again in the air high in -the middle of the room. The face was that of a man. He was wearing a -mustache and he looked around the room with alert brown eyes. Nodding -to himself with apparent satisfaction, he vanished.</p> - -<p>Down the wall from Zen, a young woman vanished.</p> - -<p>She went rapidly, in the flicker of an eye.</p> - -<p>A youth standing next in line to her, followed suit.</p> - -<p>Turning, the lieutenant saw that something had happened. Hastily he -counted those standing against the wall.</p> - -<p>"Thirty-six! Who slipped out while my back was turned?"</p> - -<p>As he asked the question, three of the new people vanished behind him. -No one answered him. He turned again, and realized that more blank -places had appeared while he was not looking.</p> - -<p>Again, keeping behind him, another one of the new people vanished.</p> - -<p>Watching, Zen was treated to the spectacle of seeing an Asian officer -grow crazy. While the lieutenant was watching one particular person, -nothing happened to the one under his scrutiny. But directly behind him -a person flicked out of existence.</p> - -<p>For a time, the lieutenant almost had Zen's sympathy. The colonel knew -what would happen to this officer when Cuso returned and found his prey -had been permitted to escape. The Asians were not known for leniency to -their own men who failed an assigned duty.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant knew as well as Zen what would happen to him. But he was -helpless. No matter which way he looked, his back was always turned to -someone. The person he was not watching—vanished.</p> - -<p>Unnoticed by the lieutenant, the face that seemed to be directing the -vanishing operation appeared and disappeared in the center of the room. -It kept directly above the lieutenant's head, moving as he moved, -vanishing as he looked up.</p> - -<p>The note of the violin came into hearing and went out again, repeating -this action time and time again.</p> - -<p>Sweat dripped off Zen's chin and formed a puddle on the floor under -him. He did not know what was happening. Terror that was close to panic -was in him but he did not move a muscle. For all he knew, the face -might look at him and he might be the next one to vanish.</p> - -<p>Where would he find himself if he vanished? <i>Would</i> he find himself -again? Or did these people slide forever into nothingness, into some -dimensional interspace where there was no Earth, no moon, and no stars?</p> - -<p>Only he and Nedra were left along the walls.</p> - -<p>The others had vanished.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant had gone completely crazy. Sputtering a mixture of -Chinese and English, he was jabbing his rifle against Nedra's stomach -and was yelling at her.</p> - -<p>"<i>Tze!</i> Go away. I will kill you if you do. <i>N-oten.</i> Where did they -go? I demand an answer. Speak!"</p> - -<p>"I do not know," the girl answered.</p> - -<p>"Speak! I command it. Cuso will have my throat slit if I let all of you -get away!"</p> - -<p>"I have already—"</p> - -<p>The lieutenant jabbed the muzzle of his rifle against her stomach.</p> - -<p>"If you go away, I will kill you."</p> - -<p>He meant what he said.</p> - -<p>Smiling at him, the girl vanished.</p> - -<p>He pulled the trigger of the weapon. The bullets howled madly through -the gallery. Zen dropped hastily to the floor. Death was too close for -him to be amazed at the sight of an Asian officer shooting at nothing.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant stopped shooting when the magazine was empty. As he -clicked another clip into place, some measure of sanity seemed to -return to him. He did not shoot the colonel.</p> - -<p>Instead Zen found himself being prodded with the muzzle of the still -hot and smoking rifle.</p> - -<p>"If you go away—"</p> - -<p>Zen got to his feet.</p> - -<p>"If I knew how to do it, I'd be gone," he said.</p> - -<p>"Where did they go? How did they do it?" Fine flecks of spittle were -blown from the lieutenant's lips.</p> - -<p>The sound of hot lead was still strong in Zen's ears. At any moment, -the lieutenant might start shooting again, for any reason. Or for no -reason.</p> - -<p>"I don't know," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"But you've got to know. You're one of them."</p> - -<p>"Would I stand around here and let you shoot me if I was one of them?" -Zen answered.</p> - -<p>Some of the logic of the question must have penetrated to the officer's -mad mind. "No. No, you wouldn't. That is, I guess you wouldn't. But you -might be trying to trick me." The thought of being tricked seemed to -bring all his fury to the surface. "You did it once before, you and the -girl."</p> - -<p>"How?" Zen demanded.</p> - -<p>"You put us all to sleep, you and that girl? Don't tell me you didn't. -I was there."</p> - -<p>"I was there but I didn't have a damned thing to do with it. And -neither did the girl."</p> - -<p>"Then who did?"</p> - -<p>"West. He was outside with some kind of a sleep generator that operated -electronically."</p> - -<p>Doubt came over the lieutenant's face. How was he to know if this tall, -thin yankee was telling the truth. In his book, all Americans were -liars. Why trust this one?</p> - -<p>"If you lie to me—"</p> - -<p>"I know. You'll shoot me. And I'll return from the other world and -strangle you some night, while you sleep."</p> - -<p>The shot went home. Like most Asians, this officer was superstitious. -Watching the reaction, Zen wondered if this man would ever again dare -to go to sleep at night. The deadly <i>dugphas</i>, the devil souls of the -departed, might strangle him in a spirit noose the instant he closed -his eyes.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, there was Cuso. The lieutenant <i>knew</i> what the Asian -leader would do to him. Zen could see him making up his mind that -it was better to take a chance on the deadly devils that roam the -darkness than on Cuso. The night devils might miss.</p> - -<p>"You lie!" The lieutenant lifted the rifle.</p> - -<p>At the same instant, Cuso and West entered. The lieutenant lowered the -rifle. Hastily he approached his chief and saluted. Then, taking as few -chances as possible, he prostrated himself on the floor. Reaching for -Cuso's foot, he tried to place it on his neck as a token of submission.</p> - -<p>Cuso kicked him in the face. The Asian leader's eyes ranged the room. -He saw instantly that his prisoners were missing. His eyes turned -green. He kicked the lieutenant in the face again and demanded to know -what had happened.</p> - -<p>The luckless officer broke into a stream of tight, sing-song language. -Now and then he waved his hand as if to say that they had been here but -had gone away. "The <i>dugphas</i> took them," he screamed in English.</p> - -<p>Cuso kicked him in the throat this time. He had no belief in night -devils, he did not think they could spirit live people away, and he was -not afraid of them.</p> - -<p>Another burst of broken, impassioned speech came from the lieutenant's -lips. Listening to the sound, watching the contortions in the officer's -body, Zen thought with some satisfaction that Ed and Jake were being -avenged. Not that they deserved vengeance; they had gotten exactly what -was coming to them.</p> - -<p>West remained aloof. He glanced around the room but no flicker of -surprise showed on his face. Did he know what had happened here? Cuso, -listening to his lieutenant, glanced once at the craggy man, a look -that was pure suspicious hatred. If it had been possible, Cuso would -have had West skinned alive then and there.</p> - -<p>Too much was at stake for that. A flayed man could not reveal his -secrets. He could only die.</p> - -<p>Cuso left off kicking his lieutenant and trying to listen to him at the -same time. He turned to West.</p> - -<p>"It seems that your people have—departed," he said.</p> - -<p>"At least, they do not seem to be here," the craggy man answered. Again -his voice had the deep boom of a bell in it.</p> - -<p>"That is interesting," Cuso said.</p> - -<p>"I find it so," West answered.</p> - -<p>"How was it done?"</p> - -<p>West spread his hands in a gesture that said something, or nothing. -"Perhaps it would be best to ask them."</p> - -<p>"You know." The words were a statement, not a question.</p> - -<p>"It could be," West answered.</p> - -<p>"Then how?" Cuso's words sounded like the snap of a bear trap closing. -"I want to know how it was done. No alibis. No evasions. No excuses. -Just the truth." The tone of his voice carried the threat of violence -with it.</p> - -<p>West smiled. "Have I alibied or evaded? Did you not see everything in -our center here?"</p> - -<p>"I saw many things. That I saw all I do not know."</p> - -<p>"You saw what the colonel here—" the craggy man nodded toward Zen, -"—called my super radar."</p> - -<p>"Did you show him that?" Zen demanded.</p> - -<p>"Of course. I have no secrets from the great Asian. Besides, has he not -promised me a commission as a marshal in the armed forces of his land?"</p> - -<p>The words were easily spoken but Zen knew that West was actually -stalling for time. What was he waiting for? Was it the appearance again -of the face that had looked from the air in the center of the room? -Were the vanished people to reappear, armed with new weapons, and take -the Asians prisoners?</p> - -<p>"To hell with his commission!" Zen shouted. "He'll never make good on -his promise."</p> - -<p>"Shut up, both of you!" Cuso shouted. His voice was a bull bellow of -sound that roared back from the walls of the gallery and was echoed -from the tunnels that led outward. "You are stalling. You are trying to -trick me."</p> - -<p>West was silent.</p> - -<p>"My dog here says the people vanished." Cuso kicked his lieutenant -again to indicate who was meant. "Howl, dog!"</p> - -<p>The lieutenant obeyed. He was in such a state of mind that if Cuso had -told him to die, he would probably have obeyed, as a result of terror -and suggestion.</p> - -<p>"Do you want to howl like a dog too?" Cuso said to West.</p> - -<p>"Really, the possibility does not concern me," the craggy man answered. -"Did you have that in mind for me?" The tone was conversational.</p> - -<p>"West, this is no time to go over," Zen growled.</p> - -<p>"I have no such intention, colonel."</p> - -<p>"You admitted once that what you wanted most to do was to join the -bronze youth. I'm asking you—"</p> - -<p>"<i>Shut up!</i>" Cuso screamed. "The next person to open his mouth without -my permission I will have shot out of hand."</p> - -<p>"Ah," West said.</p> - -<p>The Asian leader started to shout an order at his soldiers to shoot the -craggy man, then changed his mind as he realized that even though he -had the weapons and the men, there was nothing he could gain by killing -the goose that might possibly lay a golden egg. As much as he wanted to -have West killed, for defying him, he knew he would have to save this -pleasure until later.</p> - -<p>Cuso swallowed his anger. Since his rage was so great, he had to -swallow several times before he got it all down, after which he looked -as if he were going to choke on it.</p> - -<p>"Look, let's be reasonable," he urged.</p> - -<p>"I'm willing," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"You're not worth a damn to me!" Cuso shouted.</p> - -<p>"He is worth something to me," West interposed.</p> - -<p>Again the Asian swallowed. If ever he reached the explosion point, his -anger was going to come out as boiling rage. "As I said, let us be -reasonable and talk this over together."</p> - -<p>"Glad to," West agreed. "What is more reasonable than a corpse?"</p> - -<p>The question took Cuso aback. But only for an instant. "Come to think -of it, you're right. Nothing that I have ever seen is more agreeable -than a corpse, to me, that is. Are you still determined to volunteer -for that position, or should I say <i>condition</i>?"</p> - -<p>"Any time," West answered. "As I told Kurt some time ago, I am rather -tired of this plane of existence and I would like to see what it's like -over yonder. Not that I don't already know," he added.</p> - -<p>"You know what it's like beyond death?" Cuso asked, curious in spite of -himself.</p> - -<p>"Certainly," West said, in a sure tone of voice.</p> - -<p>Listening, Zen again had the impression that the craggy man was -stalling for time again. On the other hand, he might be telling the -literal truth, he might know what waited at the end of life. If so—Zen -let this possibility slide hastily out of his mind. He had more to -think about now than he had brain cells to use for the task.</p> - -<p>"Then what is it like?" Cuso asked.</p> - -<p>"You have heard of heaven—"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"That's where I'm going."</p> - -<p>As he spoke, West vanished.</p> - -<p>A stunned silence held the big gallery. Cuso, his mouth hanging open, -stood leaning forward. On the floor, the lieutenant dared to sit up. He -even dared to speak.</p> - -<p>"See! That's the way they went. I couldn't stop 'em."</p> - -<p>Cuso shouted an order at his men.</p> - -<p>Zen found himself tied hand and foot. A raging maniac paced the floor -beside him. Every now and then Cuso kicked him. Screaming at the top of -his voice, the Asian leader invited Zen to vanish too. It did Zen no -good to try to protest that he was not one of the new people and that -he knew nothing of the method they had used in disappearing.</p> - -<p>In Cuso's mind, he was one of them.</p> - -<p>He was to be treated as such.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="XIII" id="XIII">XIII</a></h2> - - -<p>At first, the lighted matches under his toe nails hurt like the very -devil. He had never known such pain. Then he forgot about the matches -under his toe nails. They started lighting them under his fingers.</p> - -<p>"Where did they go?" Cuso screamed. "How did they do it?"</p> - -<p>Zen had long since ceased trying to say that he didn't know. Instead of -speaking, he shook his head. This was all he could do. Cuso interpreted -the head shake as a stubborn refusal to answer. He kicked the colonel -in the face.</p> - -<p>At the kick, the race mind clicked in. This was the effect Zen had—as -if a third person had suddenly come in on a party line. After that, -the pain from the kick did not seem so important. The torture from the -matches under his nails seemed to diminish also.</p> - -<p>Not that the contact with the race mind nullified the pain or made it -any less real. Fire was still fire and torture was still the same. But -neither were very important.</p> - -<p>Other things were.</p> - -<p>Zen tried to concentrate his attention on the other things. The room, -the shouting Cuso, the two Asians who were holding him down while -the third thrust the matches under his nails, the shivering Cal, the -lieutenant who was over-eager to obey his leader's orders, all these -seemed to become misty and vague. These things were real; there was no -question about that. But his mind was contacting another reality which -made these things different. Time began to lose its meaning.</p> - -<p>He wondered if he was fainting. Another question came across his -thoughts, heeled over like a sailing ship moving across the wind. Was -he dying?</p> - -<p>There was no shock with the thought. If that was the way it was, then -he was more than ready.</p> - -<p>"You are not fainting and you are not dying," the race mind whispered -to him. "Come closer to me."</p> - -<p>"How do I come closer to you?"</p> - -<p>"Let go." The voice of the race mind was like a whisper from the other -side of infinity. "Let go and come to me."</p> - -<p>Dimly, he wondered how one let go. The answer came with the question. -The words meant exactly what they said, the meaning was literal—<i>let -go</i>.</p> - -<p>As he performed the action that went with the words, the big gallery, -Cuso, the lieutenant, and the torturers faded away and became a part -of a misty world that seemed to have no real existence. Even the pain -vanished.</p> - -<p>"Come to me," the race mind whispered, again and again, a luring voice -that drew him irresistibly.</p> - -<p>Abruptly, he was back in the gallery. He did not know how long he had -been gone but he realized that some time must have passed, enough to -allow them to set up a portable radio transmitter in the gallery. The -set looked to be very powerful. A yellow-skinned operator was huddling -over the controls.</p> - -<p>"In contact with Asian headquarters," Zen thought. He knew his thinking -was correct.</p> - -<p>Off somewhere in the distance outside the mountain the night shuddered. -He knew the meaning of the sound. A rocket ship was either landing or -blasting off, probably the latter. A long line of burdened Asians was -moving through the gallery.</p> - -<p>At the sight of their loads Zen knew what had gone into the hold of -that ship. The equipment of the hidden center here. He saw parts of the -super radar go past on the backs of sweating Asian soldiers, and he -knew where this was going.</p> - -<p>At this knowledge, anguish came up in him. With West's super radar in -their possession, no American secret was safe from prying Asian eyes, -unless some way could be found to shield the frequencies employed.</p> - -<p>Such shielding might work for laboratories, but there was no way to -shield troop movements and take-offs and landings. These would be as -public as an advertisement.</p> - -<p>His face was wet. He could not understand this until another bucket of -water hit him. An Asian bent over him, saw that his eyes were open, and -grunted with satisfaction. They started again on his fingers.</p> - -<p>The radio operator called to Cuso, giving him a message. Zen could not -understand the language but the Asian leader was both startled and -elated. He shouted at the men carrying loads to work faster.</p> - -<p>"Not much time left. Big bomb coming."</p> - -<p>"What bomb?" Zen thought. With the question came the answer. Warned -by Cuso that their preparations were probably known, the Asians had -decided to launch their super bomb immediately. Turmoil came up inside -Zen at this knowledge.</p> - -<p>Real pain came from his finger tips as the torturers began operations -again.</p> - -<p>"Do you want to die?" the race mind whispered in his thoughts.</p> - -<p>Although he couldn't contact it, the race field could reach him. "You -have suffered all that is required. You have met the law. You may join -me, if you wish."</p> - -<p>"I—" Zen shut off his thinking. This was fantasy, the product of -torture and nearing dissolution. His own imagination was tricking him, -he thought.</p> - -<p>"This is not your imagination," the answer came. "This is what you call -the race mind."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"How do you know? You don't. At this point, you have to accept me on -faith." The thinking flowing smoothly into his mind went into silence, -then came again, stronger than before. "Do you want to die? You have -earned the right."</p> - -<p>"No," Zen answered. He screamed the words again. "No. No!"</p> - -<p>"The path before you will be difficult."</p> - -<p>"I don't care how difficult it is. There's work to be done!" Again he -shouted the words.</p> - -<p>"Very well. It is your choice. You may remain among the living for as -long as your strength may last." The voice whispering in his mind went -into silence.</p> - -<p>Kurt continued screaming. Pain raced through his consciousness again. -As he came awake he realized that he was screaming at the torturer to -stop.</p> - -<p>He also realized that the Asian had stopped. There was a sound in the -gallery. Filling the air, it seemed to emerge from the very walls of -the mountain itself.</p> - -<p>The note of a violin!</p> - -<p>High and sweet and compelling, the sound came from nowhere. Every atom -in the solid stone walls seemed to pick it up and to rebroadcast it. -The molecules of the air seemed to dance in resonance with it.</p> - -<p>Simultaneously, about ten feet above the floor, the face appeared again.</p> - -<p>The lieutenant's rifle blasted at it. He fired shot after shot at point -blank range. Red-hot slugs howled from the walls of the big gallery in -a cacophony of death.</p> - -<p>The face smiled at the lieutenant. The lips moved. "Keep shooting, old -fellow," the lips seemed to say.</p> - -<p>The officer emptied his gun. In a desperate burst of fear, he threw it -at the mocking face.</p> - -<p>The weapon passed through the face without harming it.</p> - -<p>"You fool! That's a projection, not a real person!" Cuso shouted. He -grabbed the officer by the shoulder and spun him backward to the floor. -"Who are you?" he demanded of the face.</p> - -<p>It smiled at him.</p> - -<p>Zen repressed the impulse to shout. He knew what was going to happen -next.</p> - -<p>"I said, <i>Who are you?</i>" Cuso shouted again.</p> - -<p>The crash of something in the gallery jerked his attention away. -Twisting his head around, he saw that one of the soldiers engaged in -carrying the loot of this cavern out to the plane waiting to hurry it -to Asia, had collapsed on the floor.</p> - -<p>Under ordinary circumstances, Cuso would have had the man summarily -executed. But with that face smiling at him out of nothing, these -circumstances were not ordinary.</p> - -<p>Zen, knowing what was going to happen, forgot the pain of his burned -fingers and toes. He could feel it creeping over him in waves. This -time he did not resist it: He let his eyes close.</p> - -<p>When he opened them, the torturer was snoring beside him. Every Asian -in the big gallery was sound asleep.</p> - -<p>People were crowding around him. The new people. In a sweeping glance, -he recognized every person he had met here, except Nedra, and he did -not see her at first because she was busy bandaging his hands. West was -smiling down at him with an expression that was somehow grandfatherly. -But back of West's smile was perturbation.</p> - -<p>Zen started to get to his feet and discovered they had not as yet -removed the ropes from his legs. As one did this, Nedra clucked -reprovingly at him and tried to tell him that he was wounded. He said -this did not matter. Faces were here that he did not recognize. This -did not matter either.</p> - -<p>"You did this?" he said to West.</p> - -<p>"Yes. I designed and built the equipment. Others were operating it in -this instance." West had something else on his mind.</p> - -<p>"Thanks," Zen said. "Why didn't you take me with you when you -went—wherever it was you went?"</p> - -<p>"We couldn't," West answered. "You haven't had the training."</p> - -<p>"Why did you come back?"</p> - -<p>"To rescue you. Kurt—" West had something that he wanted to say.</p> - -<p>"Nedra, will you stop fussing with me? I'm all right."</p> - -<p>"But your poor hands and feet."</p> - -<p>"I don't even feel them. I won't have them to feel at all unless action -is taken. Don't you understand. Somewhere in Asia they're getting ready -to launch a super bomb. Or maybe it's already on its way."</p> - -<p>"I didn't know," the girl said. "The big one?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>A flicker of pain crossed her face and she shook her head. "I always -wondered what it would be like to live on a mud flat. I wonder if we -will be oysters, or eels. Or maybe crabs."</p> - -<p>"What the hell are you talking about?" Zen demanded.</p> - -<p>"After the bomb goes off," the girl said.</p> - -<p>"What then?"</p> - -<p>"The race mind will have to start over again," she explained. Her -manner indicated that she was explaining something that she clearly -understood. She seemed to wonder why he did not understand it. "Maybe -we will be turtles? That will be funny! A turtle that can remember when -it was a man! That's the way it will be. Except—"</p> - -<p>"I know all about that."</p> - -<p>"Except that the turtle won't be able to do anything about its -memories," the girl continued as if she had not heard him. "It will -have flippers and a beak but what it will need will be hands. It won't -have them until it grows them itself. A turtle with the memories that -it was once a man, knowing that if it had hands, it could rebuild human -culture!" A bemused expression appeared on her face. "I wonder how the -race mind will solve that problem." Again she seemed to muse. "It would -be worse to be crabs. Or would it?"</p> - -<p>"Shut up!" Zen snarled. "We're not turtles yet. Or crabs. And we're not -back on the mud flats."</p> - -<p>"But we're on the edge of them," the girl insisted. "One more teeter -and we will go totter."</p> - -<p>Zen turned to West. "What the hell has happened to Nedra?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing," the craggy man answered. "She has some degree of -clairvoyance and it is coming to consciousness. Unfortunately, she has -not yet had time to develop her talents in that direction."</p> - -<p>"Maybe the turtle wouldn't want to rebuild human culture," the girl -interrupted. "Maybe it wouldn't want to go back down that blind alley -again. Perhaps it would decide to go into another channel, to develop -into something totally different. In that case, it might not need -hands."</p> - -<p>Zen deliberately ignored her. He turned to West. "A bomb will be going -off," he said.</p> - -<p>"That is what I've been trying to talk to you about," the craggy man -answered. "This is another reason why we came back for you—so we could -talk to you about that bomb."</p> - -<p>"To me?" Zen said startled.</p> - -<p>"Yes, to you."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Because you are a colonel of intelligence and have experience in such -matters. Also because you are something that none of us are—a fighting -man."</p> - -<p>"I—I don't understand you," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"I can get you there. But once there, my knowledge fails. I, to my -regret, know nothing of fighting." West spread his hands in a helpless -gesture.</p> - -<p>"Get me where?" Zen asked.</p> - -<p>"To Asia. To the underground cavern where they are getting ready to -launch that bomb," West explained. The tone of his voice said this was -easy. The hard part came in knowing what to do, and being able to do -it, after they were there.</p> - -<p>"To Asia?" Zen parroted the words. He had the dazed impression that -this whole scene was unreal, that the snoring Asians on the floor, Cal -huddled by the wall, and the new people crowding into the room, would -shortly all vanish in puffs of green smoke. "How in the hell will you -get us to Asia?"</p> - -<p>"How did we get out of this gallery?" West responded. "How did we -vanish? How did the men in the reports you read get into the planes -that were about to crash? Who landed Colonel Grant's space satellite? -Who steered it? Who provided the power to energize the motion? Who—"</p> - -<p>"Did you know I knew about Grant?"</p> - -<p>"It was obvious that you must know."</p> - -<p>"And you can get me to Asia?"</p> - -<p>"You and as many others as you choose to take with you!"</p> - -<p>Walking over to the sleeping lieutenant, he picked up the man's rifle, -then turned to the group.</p> - -<p>"Who will go with me to Asia?" he asked.</p> - -<p>The group stepped forward as one man.</p> - -<p>A knot formed in Kurt Zen's throat at the sight and he gulped to force -it down. He knew how much this decision meant to them. They had been -trained in the ways of peace, they were searching for the road to the -future. Fighting meant turning backward on the path that led to growth, -it was the last thing they wanted to do. Yet do it they would, if it -was necessary. In an instant they were scrambling for weapons from the -sleeping Asians, then they were trying to salute and tell him their -names and say they would follow him at the same time.</p> - -<p>One man saluted well. "Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman," he said. Pride was in -the man's voice.</p> - -<p>Zen caught the man's arm. "Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman? But I know you."</p> - -<p>"Maybe you do, suh." Thurman spoke with the soft drawl of the old south.</p> - -<p>"One of the new people appeared in your plane and saved your life!" Zen -burst out.</p> - -<p>"Yes, suh. That's right, suh."</p> - -<p>"But you deserted!"</p> - -<p>"Put it another way, suh, let's say I joined the right side."</p> - -<p>"How did you find this place?"</p> - -<p>"I just kept thinking and kept trying. Eventually we found each other. -The psychos tried to make me believe I was nuts. But I knew better. I -knew what had happened. And I knew there had to be a reason for it. I -kept hunting until I found that reason. The big part of the battle, -where I had an advantage over most everybody else, was that I knew from -experience that something was going on. Knowing this much, all I had to -do was keep looking." The man's voice drawled the explanation. His eyes -smiled. "At your service, suh."</p> - -<p>"Do you know that going with me may mean death?"</p> - -<p>"What's death, suh?" Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman grinned. "I died over the -North Pole, suh."</p> - -<p>"Spike Larson," another man said.</p> - -<p>"You were in a sub," Zen challenged. A glow was coming up inside of him -like nothing he had ever experienced before. He was getting fighting -men to stand beside him.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Larson answered. "And I will consider it a privilege to stand -beside you."</p> - -<p>Like soldiers, they passed in review before him, the fat boy, the -tall, lean, brown-skinned youths. Somehow he thought there ought to be -another one. He looked around for him. Grant was talking to West.</p> - -<p>Grant was the man whose face had looked out of thin air in the middle -of the room.</p> - -<p>Seeing that Zen was staring at him, he left off his talk with the -craggy man and came over and saluted.</p> - -<p>"How was it up in that satellite?" Zen asked.</p> - -<p>"Lonely, as hell, colonel," Grant answered.</p> - -<p>"Do you want to go with me to Asia?"</p> - -<p>"There's no place on Earth I'd rather go. And, the way things stand now -I don't have much choice. If they get that bomb into the air—" He left -the sentence unfinished.</p> - -<p>Then Nedra was standing in front of Zen. At the sight of her, it seemed -to him that the world stood still. He shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Why?" she challenged.</p> - -<p>"Because I love you," he answered.</p> - -<p>"Then that is the real reason why you should take me with you," she -answered.</p> - -<p>"I don't follow," he said.</p> - -<p>"If you fail, there will be no tomorrow," she answered. To her, the -statement had no answer. "Besides, I am a nurse," she continued. "If -there are wounded, I can help with them."</p> - -<p>"But—"</p> - -<p>"The fact that you love me does not enter into this situation. It is -a thing apart. It is a very wonderful thing," she added hastily, the -star light shining in her eyes. "And I wish we could bring it to fruit -the ways it used to be. But those days are gone. And I am going to Asia -with you."</p> - -<p>Watching, West smiled. Zen spread his hands in a gesture of defeat. He -turned to the craggy man. "This sleep thing: I don't know how you do -it and don't much care, but you obviously have a portable generator of -some kind that you used to put the lieutenant out in the ghost town."</p> - -<p>"Yes," West agreed.</p> - -<p>"I'd like to borrow the unit," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Gladly, colonel. I wish we had other weapons."</p> - -<p>"We'll make do with what we have," Zen answered.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="XIV" id="XIV">XIV</a></h2> - - -<p>"Zero minus one hour," the loudspeaker droned, in a Chinese dialect.</p> - -<p>In a deep cavern in the hinterlands of Asia, men responded to the -command coming over the speaker system. Already driven to the point of -exhaustion, they were working harder than they had ever worked before. -The moment of victory, for which all true Asians had lived, was near at -hand. The launching of this bomb would make the Asian Union master of -the world. Orders had come through to launch this bomb immediately.</p> - -<p>"Zero minus forty-five minutes," the speaker said. The drone had gone -from the voice of the officer watching the time. A rising excitement -appeared in the tones as if he, too, had caught the scent of fear -rising in the vast underground depot.</p> - -<p>So much was left to be done. The atomic warhead was already in place, -waiting for the day of launching, otherwise the task would have been -impossible. The driving engines were complete, but had to be fueled. -The steering equipment was almost ready, only the installation of the -left gyroscope was necessary. This was at hand waiting to be installed. -Five technicians constantly got in each other's way as they tried to -slip the delicate instrument into place.</p> - -<p>"Zero minus thirty minutes!"</p> - -<p>The gyroscope was eased into place and tested. It was found to be in -perfect working order.</p> - -<p>In the course plotting room, the final calculations were being made. -Wind direction and velocity aloft had been noted across half the -planet. This had some importance on the launching and landing end but -had no significance when the bomb itself was out of the atmosphere.</p> - -<p>The target had been figured and refigured. Actually, the target was -anywhere on the continent of North America. If this bomb struck -anywhere in the Mississippi valley, the whole watershed below the -striking point would be scoured clean of all life. Water carrying -radiation downstream would account for that.</p> - -<p>"Zero minus fifteen minutes!"</p> - -<p>On the outside of the mountain, in a special observatory constructed -for this precise purpose, radar scopes for tracking the rocket were -ready. Instruments in the laboratory there were for the purpose of -changing the course of the super bomb, if it veered too far from its -destination. The technicians there were on their toes. They had no -guards to encourage them but they needed none. They knew what would -happen if this bomb failed to land and the fault was traced to their -door.</p> - -<p>What would happen when the bomb landed?</p> - -<p>Hell would happen!</p> - -<p>Probably the crust of the Earth would open up in a hole miles in depth. -Meteor Crater, in Arizona, would be the work of a child compared to the -result of this explosion. What had happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki -would be nothing in comparison.</p> - -<p>The possibility existed that the molten magma of the core of the planet -would gush forth. No one knew for sure whether or not this would -happen. If it did take place, the result might be the sudden appearance -of a lake of over-flowing lava.</p> - -<p>The shock waves from the bomb would probably be strong enough to pull -down every skyscraper that still remained standing in America.</p> - -<p>The effect on the watershed where the bomb landed would be almost -complete catastrophe. If it struck on any of the rivers or streams -flowing into the Mississippi, the water supply of all cities downstream -to New Orleans would be contaminated.</p> - -<p>Nobody knew what the effect of the fall-out from this bomb would be. -High air currents might carry radioactive particles for thousands of -miles from the explosion point, where they would fall as a gentle but -very deadly rain upon the Earth below.</p> - -<p>"<i>Zero minus ten minutes!</i>"</p> - -<p>The high, thin note of a violin appeared in the vast underground -cavern. Amid the scurrying of feet, the shouts of the foremen bossing -the work gangs, and the occasional cracking of the rifles of the guard, -the sound was unheard by the ears. But deeper centers heard it.</p> - -<p>The first man to go was a fat engineer. Sighing, he stumbled and fell. -When he did not rise a guard approached him. As the guard determined -that the man was snoring, he lifted his rifle.</p> - -<p>The engineer died without awakening.</p> - -<p>Another shot rang out as another man went to sleep, then continued on -to join his fathers.</p> - -<p>The technician busy filling the fuel tanks of the rocket was the third -man to go. He managed to finish closing the filler cap and to lay down -his flexible line before the urge to sleep overcame him.</p> - -<p>By this time the guards knew that something was wrong.</p> - -<p>Silence came over the cavern. In the stillness, the note of the violin -flickering up and down the scale could be heard. Men looked at each -other in growing apprehension. Looking, some of them lay down and went -to sleep.</p> - -<p>"Sleep gas!" an officer bawled. "Shoot all foreigners on sight!"</p> - -<p>The officer suspected that some spy had slipped into the underground -cavern and had released gas there. His command was intended to enable -his men to find and eliminate this alien. As such, from a military -standpoint, it was a good command. It had this deficiency: when his men -did not find any aliens, but their own people continued going to sleep -on them, they began imagining foreigners. The guards began to shoot -their own technicians and engineers.</p> - -<p>As panic swept through the cavern, guards began to shoot other guards. -Soon the people in this huge underground chamber were tearing and -destroying each other. And one other thing: they were also going to -sleep.</p> - -<p>The panic grew to hurricane proportions.</p> - -<p>When Kurt Zen appeared inside the cavern the whole vast place was as -still as a tomb. Smoke from the rifles hung in the air, the cavern -stank of death and fear. But the bomb still rested in its launching -cradle.</p> - -<p>Zen took one long look at that bomb. He felt his sigh of relief clear -down to the ends of his toes. At the sight, the last remnant of pain -vanished from his toes and fingers. Not that the damage done by the -matches did not still exist. It did. But in the surge of elation that -swept through him, he completely forgot the pain.</p> - -<p>"We just got here in time," a man said, appearing beside him. It was -Spike Larson who had spoken. Awe on his face, Larson glanced around the -cavern. "They started killing each other. They must have gone nuts."</p> - -<p>"I don't blame them," Zen said. "I damned near did, on the way here."</p> - -<p>"That trip through nothing is sure a stinker, isn't it," Larson -answered, grinning and shaking his head.</p> - -<p>Zen agreed with him whole-heartedly. After tuning his body to an -instrument in the cavern, hidden so well that Cuso's men had not had -time to find it, West had punched a button. The machine had vanished. -West had vanished. A horrible moment had come when it had seemed that -his feet were standing on nothing more substantial than air. What he -had felt under his feet had, in fact, been far less substantial than -air, which had body. It had been even less solid than space. It had -been <i>nothing</i>.</p> - -<p>Swishing, colonel Grant came into existence on the other side of Zen. -Grant looked fussed, but he gripped the rifle he had taken from one of -Cuso's men with determination.</p> - -<p>"Just between you and me, I'd rather fly a space satellite to Mars any -day in preference to facing this jump."</p> - -<p>"I know what you mean," Zen said.</p> - -<p>As he spoke, another figure came into existence to his left. Nedra! -She came spinning into reality with a smile on her face. Zen wasted a -moment wondering what kind of cast-iron nerves this girl had.</p> - -<p>"It looks as if all we have to do is to tie them up," Spike Larson -said. "This is almost too good to be true."</p> - -<p>"It is too good to be true," Zen said. Turmoil was—somewhere. He did -not know where but it seemed to him that a vast uneasiness had suddenly -come into existence. It had to do, somehow, with the future, with a -something that was about to happen.</p> - -<p>"Halt!" Grant's voice rang out.</p> - -<p>Zen swung his gaze around just in time to see an Asian lift himself to -his feet near a control board that stood beside the rocket.</p> - -<p>"He's walking in his sleep," Larson exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"<i>Zero minus one minute</i>," the loudspeaker announced.</p> - -<p>"Where in the hell is that man on the speaker?" Grant demanded. "The -sleep frequency didn't get to him!"</p> - -<p>"No time to be concerned about him now," Zen said. The turmoil that -existed somewhere had increased in intensity. Somehow it was concerned -with the solitary Asian who was reeling in circles like a drunken man -trying to make up his mind.</p> - -<p>"Shall I shoot him, colonel?" Grant demanded.</p> - -<p>Zen hesitated. He knew that West's deepest wish was to avoid violence -if that was possible.</p> - -<p>The split second's delay was fatal. Grant's shot rang out—much too -late.</p> - -<p>Reeling on his feet, the man reached the control panel, and pulled the -single switch there. A heavy thud came from the rocket as a ram drove -home inside the heavy metal hull.</p> - -<p>"Get back!" Zen screamed.</p> - -<p>He caught Nedra and pulled her backward. Beside him, he knew that Grant -and Larson were also reeling backward. Inside the rocket a steady -rumble of sound was building up. Low in frequency but heavy in volume -it seemed to shake the foundations of the Earth itself. Inside the -vessel heavy heat charges were building up. Smoke and flame spurted -backward as the first warming charge let go.</p> - -<p>For all Zen knew this section was to have been cleared before the -firing of the first rocket. He did not know whether provision had been -made for the elimination of flame and smoke but he knew that heat and -smoke hit him as he pulled Nedra away.</p> - -<p>Then the main charges let go.</p> - -<p>Rising like some devil spurting upward from the depths of hell itself, -the launching cradle carrying the rocket lurched upward. The stone -floor shook underfoot, the mountain shook. Unless this rocket could be -stopped, the whole planet would shake. Earth would twitch her skin like -an elephant stung by a giant wasp.</p> - -<p>With a thundering roar the rocket shook itself loose from its cradle -and hurled into the sky under its own power.</p> - -<p>"West," Zen shouted.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Kurt." The craggy man's reply was as prompt as it would have been -if he had stayed in the same room. Actually he was in the American -center.</p> - -<p>"We've lost," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"I know," West replied. A sadness as deep as the ocean of space was in -his voice.</p> - -<p>"Pull these people back to you."</p> - -<p>"Of course."</p> - -<p>"Me last." The last lingering roars of sound were still pounding down -the bore of the launching cradle.</p> - -<p>"Why do you want to be last?"</p> - -<p>"Duty," Zen said. "Get that miracle device of yours into operation, -pronto."</p> - -<p>"Sure. I'm starting now."</p> - -<p>"Hey, guys, you're going home!" Zen yelled at the people with him.</p> - -<p>"What good is it to go home?" Spike Larson asked.</p> - -<p>"There won't be any home within an hour," Grant added. "Or however long -that rocket will take to land. Why go back to what isn't there?"</p> - -<p>"That's where we will start the task of rebuilding," Zen said.</p> - -<p>"Rebuild what with what?" Larson demanded.</p> - -<p>"There will be something left," Zen said firmly. "You are already -underground. You will stay that way. Keep the good fight going, for -years. Raise some kids to keep it going after you are gone." He felt -very firm and sure about what he was saying.</p> - -<p>"You're full of hot air," Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman said.</p> - -<p>"Besides, you are planning something else," Nedra spoke. "You want to -get rid of us so you can—"</p> - -<p>"West!" Zen shouted.</p> - -<p>"Yes, Kurt."</p> - -<p>"Take 'em away!" Zen yelled. "They're trying to rebel on me. Take Nedra -first before she reads my mind."</p> - -<p>"I'm working as fast as I can," West answered. "This instrument has to -be tuned to the individual body frequency. Ah—"</p> - -<p>"I knew there was something—" Nedra began. And vanished. Zen grinned. -He had the impression that she was calling him names that no lady -should speak as she went away. Time would cure that, if any time was -left. In the chamber an Asian was stirring.</p> - -<p>"Zen, old man, what are you up to?" Grant asked.</p> - -<p>"Take this one next," Kurt ordered. Grant looked reluctant but resigned -as he disappeared.</p> - -<p>Zen was alone in the big chamber. Smoke swirled from the ceiling. One -Asian was already on his feet and a guard was sitting up.</p> - -<p>"I've got them all here," West's voice came across vast distances.</p> - -<p>"Good."</p> - -<p>"Are you ready?"</p> - -<p>"Yeah," Zen answered. "But I'm going that way." He pointed toward the -ceiling.</p> - -<p>"Kurt!" West's voice was sharp with sudden pain as he caught the -colonel's meaning.</p> - -<p>"That way or no way," Zen answered.</p> - -<p>"But that's not a passenger rocket."</p> - -<p>"The hull will hold enough air to keep me alive for as long as I need -to be there."</p> - -<p>"But the rocket is in constantly accelerating flight. It's a moving -target."</p> - -<p>"Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman's plane was falling and Colonel Grant's -satellite was moving and Spike Larson's sub was on the bottom of the -Indian Ocean. Don't give me any back talk, Sam. Somebody got into -that plane and that satellite and that submarine. I can get into that -rocket. You're the man who can put me there."</p> - -<p>"But I'm not on that target!" West's voice had a wail in it.</p> - -<p>"Then get on it!" Kurt Zen sounded like an exceedingly gruff drill -sergeant addressing a new recruit, or like a colonel who had his mind -made up.</p> - -<p>"All right. I'll do my best. But something will remain here, Kurt, even -after the explosion. We'll be safe, in a way, here."</p> - -<p>"That argument has already been used, by me, to get the others back to -you. You and I know, Sam, that hell won't hold a hat to the American -continent if that whizzer hits."</p> - -<p>"All right," West repeated. "Ah! I'm on the rocket as a target."</p> - -<p>"Good!" Zen repressed every muscular tremor everywhere in his body.</p> - -<p>Somewhere there was jubilation, a sensed but not tangible vibration -that he could not locate. He concentrated on the jubilation.</p> - -<p>A layer of smoke floated down from the ceiling like a descending -death-pall. The guard had gotten to his feet. He had picked up his -rifle and was staring around the room seeking either an explanation for -what had happened, or a target. To him, which he got didn't matter. His -eyes came to focus on the lean colonel with the bandaged fingers. That -uniform did not belong here.</p> - -<p>The guard raised his rifle.</p> - -<p>"Good luck, Kurt," West's voice whispered across the space between two -continents.</p> - -<p>As the gun exploded in his face, Kurt Zen felt his body vibrate into -what seemed to be nothing. Again the terror wrenched at his soul. Again -he experienced the mind-compelling agony of this incredible type of -space flight.</p> - -<p>This time he did not mind these terrors. Somewhere in his mind was -jubilation. Wondering if it was the forerunner of death, he continued -to concentrate on that.</p> - -<p>Dimly, as if from some other space, or some other time, he was aware of -a roar. The rocket swam into existence ten feet away from him. He was -outside it, in airless space.</p> - -<p>West had made a miscalculation.</p> - -<p>Agony seared every cell in his body. Pain clamped at his throat like -hands trying to choke him to death.</p> - -<p>"Oops! I made a mistake," he heard West gasp.</p> - -<p>He was moving with the rocket, on a parallel course. West had matched -course and velocity but he had not achieved his exact aiming point. -Error in the instrument? Human mistake? Who knew?</p> - -<p>Who cared?</p> - -<p><i>Click!</i></p> - -<p>Like a vast ocean of warm, pulsing, sure power, the race mind came into -Kurt Zen. It existed here in space, too! He had never thought of that. -In what little thinking he had had time to do, he had considered it as -a super special sort of field which possessed intelligence but which -was limited to the surface of the planet.</p> - -<p>Here in space, it sustained life in him.</p> - -<p>He did not know how this was done, this was one of the mysteries which -must be left to the future to solve—if there was a future other than -the mud flats. It felt to him as if a vast tidal current was flowing -into his body.</p> - -<p><i>Click!</i></p> - -<p>He was in the rocket!</p> - -<p>The smell of overheated oil fouled his nose. As he tried to move, he -bumped his head. He was in a narrow passage. Ahead was a control panel -with automatic devices. He began to crawl in that direction.</p> - -<p>Noise was a thundering roar in his ears. His whole body felt as if it -was about to shake to pieces. The passage was narrow. It had never been -intended for humans. Moving upward, Zen found it was too narrow. He got -stuck.</p> - -<p>No matter how hard he tried he could not move an inch forward. The -control panel was so close he could spit on it but it could not have -been farther out of his reach if it had been on the other side of the -Moon.</p> - -<p>Air was getting short. He twisted and squirmed, fighting like the -devil, but his body was wedged into the narrow passage in such a way -that he could not move.</p> - -<p>Something pulled at his arms. Nedra was directly ahead of him. She was -trying to pull him forward along the passage.</p> - -<p>"You?" he whispered.</p> - -<p>"Who has a better right than I?" she answered. Sweat grimed her face. -Her hair was awry. Fiercely she pulled at him.</p> - -<p>The rocket yawed, beginning its turn in space. He forced himself -forward. And came free.</p> - -<p>Somehow he found the strength to pull himself up in front of the -control panel. He was running on nervous energy now and he knew it. No -strength was left in his body beyond what he was forcing into it.</p> - -<p>"Send it out to space!" he muttered. "Send it out there!" He tried to -wave his arm in an outward gesture and bumped his hand on the steel -hull.</p> - -<p>Light came through a circular port. He had a glimpse of the Earth down -below. The planet was very far away. Blue seas and green land, the -planet was also very beautiful.</p> - -<p>He fumbled his way over the controls, trying to understand them. -Somewhere stabilizing gyroscopes were running smoothly. He could hear -them. The controls were simple. He decided which way was up, and jammed -home the controls.</p> - -<p>Nothing happened.</p> - -<p>In the confined quarters his laughter had madness in it.</p> - -<p>Nedra stared at him.</p> - -<p>"What happened?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing. Nothing happened. They're locked in place."</p> - -<p>His eyes grew very wide.</p> - -<p>"These controls are only for establishing the flight course. Once that -is established and the rocket launched, they automatically lock in -place."</p> - -<p>"Then we can't change the course?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>Her face puckered and she looked like a small girl about to cry.</p> - -<p>Another panel to the left caught his attention. It had a red button on -it. He studied the wiring on it.</p> - -<p>"By thunder!" the words burst involuntarily from his lips.</p> - -<p>"What is it, Kurt?"</p> - -<p>"They put a manual control on the warhead. It's got to be that. It -can't be anything else." He pointed to the red button. "Why do you -suppose they did that?"</p> - -<p>"Test purposes, probably, to check the firing mechanism before the -warhead was installed. What difference does it make?" Nedra's voice was -listless.</p> - -<p>"Maybe we can go to heaven."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean?"</p> - -<p>He explained very carefully what he meant.</p> - -<p>"Explode the rocket here in space?"</p> - -<p>"Sure," he said. His tone of voice said this was nothing, that anybody -could do it. West's voice clamored in his mind again. He ignored it. -His hand moved toward the red button.</p> - -<p>"There's one thing I want you to know," he said, pausing.</p> - -<p>"What is that?"</p> - -<p>"I love you," he said.</p> - -<p>She came into his arms like a tired, frightened child. "I knew that -the minute I saw you," she said. He held her close to him and she lay -there, seemingly very content. "All right," she said. "I'm ready." Her -lips sought his.</p> - -<p>Kissing her, he reached behind her back and punched the red button.</p> - -<p>A relay thudded.</p> - -<p>Darkness closed in.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Kurt Zen came out of that darkness to find himself staring upward into -the face of Sam West. There was something about that face that was -familiar, something that he should have guessed long before. He tried -to think what it was.</p> - -<p>"How'd you get to heaven?" he said.</p> - -<p>"The warhead had a delay relay on it," West explained. "It was about -thirty seconds, as near as I can figure it. Anyhow it gave us just -enough time to snatch both of you out of that rocket before she blew."</p> - -<p>What he said sounded very important. Under other circumstances, Zen -knew he would have considered it important. But other things seemed -more significant now. "Did she blow?" he asked.</p> - -<p>"All of ten minutes ago," West said exultantly. "Do you know what this -means, Kurt? Do you know what it means?"</p> - -<p>"Yeah," Zen answered. "I won't have to be an eel." There was still this -other thing that was important. "Say—"</p> - -<p>"An eel?" For an instant the craggy man was puzzled. Then he grasped -the meaning. "You're right, Kurt. No eels—for any of us."</p> - -<p>"That's good," Zen said. "Nedra—"</p> - -<p>"She's right here beside you, still out from exhaustion. But she will -be all right."</p> - -<p>"Good," Zen said again. This other fact was still in his mind. As he -tried to think what it was, the answer came to him. He looked up at the -craggy man. "You're not Sam West," he said.</p> - -<p>"No?" the craggy man said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Then who -am I?"</p> - -<p>"You're Jal Jonner. Nobody but Jal Jonner could have done all the -things you have done."</p> - -<p>"You're right, Kurt. I'm Jal Jonner. And you're Kurt Zen. And this is -Nedra—" Zen saw the smile on the face of the craggy man. It was a very -good smile, the best he had ever seen. Then it faded away as he sank -into the deep slumber of exhaustion. He did not even feel Jonner place -Nedra's hand in his as he went to sleep.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Doomsday Eve, by Robert Moore Williams - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOOMSDAY EVE *** - -***** This file should be named 50138-h.htm or 50138-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/3/50138/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Doomsday Eve - -Author: Robert Moore Williams - -Release Date: October 5, 2015 [EBook #50138] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOOMSDAY EVE *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - - Doomsday Eve - - by ROBERT MOORE WILLIAMS - - - ACE BOOKS - A Division of A. A. Wyn, Inc. - 23 West 47th Street, New York 36, N. Y. - - DOOMSDAY EVE - - Copyright 1957, by A. A. Wyn, Inc. - - All Rights Reserved - - Printed in U. S. A. - -[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence -that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - * * * * * - - SPLIT-SECOND RACE WITH WORLD'S END! - -In the midst of the war--that terrible conflict that threatened -humanity's total destruction--the "new people" suddenly appeared. -Quietly performing incredible deeds, vanishing at will, they were an -enigma to both sides. Kurt Zen was an American intelligence officer -among the many sent to root them out. - -He found them. Taken captive in their hidden lair, he waited as the -enemy prepared to launch the super missile, the bomb to end all -bombs--and all life. - -If only he could find the source of the new people's power, Kurt alone -might be able to prevent obliteration of the Earth.... - - * * * * * - - CAST OF CHARACTERS - - -KURT ZEN - -His loyalty was greater than his love. - - -NEDRA - -She might be a "new" person--but she had old emotions. - - -CUSO - -He pitted Oriental cunning against Western ingenuity. - - -SAM WEST - -He wouldn't use his strange powers to help his friends or hurt his -enemies. - - -JAL JONNER - -He was either a legend or a lunatic. - - -GRANT - -His rescue was a miracle--though they called it a myth. - - - - -I - - -The legends clustering around the new people began before the war, -while the man who started the group, old Jal Jonnor, was alive, but -they received their greatest circulation during the conflict. - -If the war is long and the fighting is bitter, with neither side able -to achieve victory or even a substantial advantage, soldiers eventually -begin to tell strange stories of sights seen when death is near, of -miraculous deliveries from destruction, of impossible ships seen -above the Earth, and even of non-human allies fighting on their side. -Psychologists, given to believing only what they can see, feel, hear, -or measure, generally have credited these stories to hallucinations -resulting from long-sustained stress, or, in the case of the non-human -allies, to plain, wishful thinking rising out of a deep feeling of -insecurity. What psychologist was ever willing to believe that an angel -suddenly took over the controls of a falling fighting plane, righting -the ship and bringing it down to Earth in a crash landing that enabled -the wounded pilot to crawl away, then curing the wound the pilot had -sustained? - -Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman swore this happened to him. He had tangled with -an Asian fighter group escorting a hot, high level bomber over the -north pole. This was in the early days of the war when such bombers -still slipped through the defenses occasionally. Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman -had got one of the fighters with a single burst from his guns and -was pushing his jet straight up at the soft belly of the bomber far -overhead when a shell, from an Asian fighter that he had not seen, -knocked off half of his right wing. A fragment of the exploding shell -hit him in the right shoulder, mangling the flesh and the bone. - -Spinning like a leaf being whirled over and over in a hurricane, the -plane started the long plunge downward toward the polar ice cap below. -Jimmie couldn't work the seat ejection mechanism because of his broken -arm. - -Just before the ship crashed, he realized that someone else was in the -cockpit with him, fighting to take over the controls. Since Jimmie was -still in the seat, this was not easy, but somehow the other one had -managed, not only to take over the controls, but had been able to bring -the ship down in a crash landing. The other one pulled Jimmie out of -the burning wreck. Then, discovering Jimmie's broken, mangled shoulder, -"it" had cured it. - -At least this was the story Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman had told after a -helicopter had picked him up and had taken him back to his base. He -was very stubborn about it, defiantly insisting that someone else had -brought the plane down. The only conclusion Jimmie had been able to -reach about the other one in the cockpit with him--he did not know -whether it was male or female--was that it had been one of the new -people. - -When the psychos had asked him how another human being could have -gotten into a falling plane while it was still thousands of feet in the -air, Jimmie had had no answer, except to point out that since the new -people were apparently able to accomplish feats beyond the power of an -ordinary mortal, they were probably not human. - -This comment had marked him as permanently unfit for flight duty. -Jimmie began to grieve his heart out at this, for he had really loved -flying. Then he began to wonder why the new people--presuming they -existed--would save his life at the cost of his sanity. He went over -the hill a year later. - -With Spike Larson it was different. Larson was the commander of an -atomic-powered submarine operating in the Persian Gulf. He was lying -doggo on the bottom waiting for a fat convoy that should be hugging the -shore when three destroyers smelled him out. Larson never knew quite -how they had spotted him, but he was in shallow water and, when the -first depth charges went off, he knew he had to head for the depths. - -With charges on the port side making his plates creak, he headed for -the channel. The scanning beam reported rocks dead ahead. Swiftly -checking his charts, he discovered that no such rocks existed. - -Cursing, Larson flung the charts across the room. Either they were -wrong or the bottom here had shifted. A boom ahead told him it made no -difference. His escape had been cut off by a destroyer in the channel. - -"We'll take her up and fight it out on the surface," he told the -lieutenant with him. - -The officer's face went white at the order. But he was a navy man. -"Aye, sir," he said. - -"I would recommend otherwise, commander," another voice spoke. - -Larson and the lieutenant froze. There was no one else in the control -room. When Larson finally managed to turn his head, he found he was -wrong in his belief that no one else was in the control room. - -Telling the story later, to a naval board of inquiry, he said. -"She was standing right there beside me, all in shining white, the -most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I was too dazed to act, too -bewildered to think. A woman on my ship! And what a woman! While I -stood there like a dummy, she stepped forward to the controls. 'With -your permission, commander, there is a new channel close inshore that -does not show on the charts. The bottom here has shifted quite a lot -since this area was last mapped. The destroyers will not dare follow us -into the new channel, even if they know of its existence, because of -the danger from rocks on one side and from sand banks on the other. If -you will give me permission to con the ship--'" - -"All I could do was nod," Larson reported to the board of inquiry. "As -it turned out, this was the last command I ever gave in all my life. -She turned the nose of the sub seventy degrees, pulled in the scope, -shut off the depth finders and the sonar, and sent us up until we were -almost breaking the surface. While she was doing all this, she also -dodged two depth charges that should have got us. She scraped paint off -our port bow on a set of rocks that should have snatched the guts out -of us; she dodged a sandy bottom on our starboard where we ought to -have hung up like sitting ducks under the guns of the destroyers, but -she took us out of that hole and into deep water. Then she turned the -controls back to Lieutenant Thompson, and said, 'Thank you, commander. -I'm sure you can handle the situation very competently from now on.'" - -The members of the board of inquiry were leaning forward in their -chairs so as not to miss a word of Larson's report. When he had -finished, the senior member, an admiral, asked breathlessly, "And then -what happened to her, commander?" - -"She vanished," Larson said. - -The admiral collapsed like a punctured balloon. - -"Lieutenant Thompson will back up every word I have said," Larson -continued. He shook his head to indicate that he still couldn't -understand it, though he had thought of little else since the day it -had happened. - -"Who do you think she was, commander?" a member of the board asked. - -"I think she was one of the new people," Larson answered. His voice was -firm but he was still shaking his head when he walked out of the room -where the board had met. - -They gave him shore duty. The psychos did all they could for him, but -something seemed to have snapped inside his brain. Eight months later -he deserted. - - * * * * * - -Then there was the story of Colonel Edward Grant, USAF. Grant was the -only man aboard the new Earth satellite station. He was the only man -aboard because at that time no way had been found to build and to -launch a satellite that would carry more than one passenger. In fact, -no way had been found to do more than launch such a station and get it -into its orbit. It could not return because it could not carry enough -fuel for the return journey. A spaceship was being built which would -carry additional fuel and food supplies to it, but this vessel was not -yet completed when the satellite was launched. - -Grant, who had flown everything with wings, volunteered to ride with -the station and put it in its orbit, knowing that when the power was -exhausted he might be marooned in space forever. - -However, neither he nor anyone else had anticipated that he would -be marooned. This eventuality had only occurred when the production -demands of the new war forced a halt on the construction of his rescue -ship. - -Colonel Grant became the loneliest man in the history of Earth. The -stars were his companions. Only the moon kept him company. He would -remain a lonely Flying Dutchman of the sky, until the end of the -war permitted finishing the ship that would bring him relief. Or -forever--whichever came first. - -It was inevitable that the Asians would get the idea that he was spying -on them as he passed in his regular orbit far above their heads. In -reality, this was sheer nonsense; he was much too high to make out any -military details of any importance whatsoever. Also, they were taking -full advantage of his broadcasts of scientific information, which could -be obtained by tuning in to the bands he used. - -In an effort to remove this imagined menace from the sky above them, -the Asians fired a rocket torpedo at his satellite. - -Colonel Grant, reporting later on what had happened, said, "That -torpedo must have been on its way, when the little man appeared on my -satellite. He told me about the rocket that was coming my way. I told -him this was very interesting but that I didn't see what the hell I -could do about it. The station had no power and couldn't be moved. I -didn't even have a chute, and even if I had had one I couldn't have -used it. Anybody who jumped from that height would have frozen to death -long before he reached enough air to sustain life. Describe the little -man for you? Sure, general. He looked like a miniature Moses, white -beard, glittering eyes and everything else. No, general, I never saw -Moses. Clothes? A loin cloth, general. No, sir I am not making light of -the dignity of this court, I am telling in the words at my command what -I saw happen with my own eyes." - -At this point, the colonel's voice became a little stiff. The general -shut up. A man who had done what Grant had done might snap a general's -head off and get away with it. - -"What happened next? The miniature Moses told me he was going to land -the satellite. He said that even if they missed with this torpedo they -would be sure to try again, for no reason except to give the morale of -their own people a big boost." - -"Land the satellite, colonel?" the general asked again. "But as I -understand it, the station was without power!" - -"You understand the situation correctly, general. But that was what he -said and that was what he did. In as neat a landing as I ever saw. And -if you don't believe me, you can go look for yourself." - -The space satellite sitting in the middle of a Kansas wheat field was -evidence that could not be ignored. It was solid, it was metal, it was -real. Colonel Grant might have gone wacky from the stress of remaining -too long in space, but the station, at least, had remained sane. Power -must have been used to move it. But what power? - -Colonel Grant could not answer the question of what happened to the -miniature Moses after the station had been landed. He flung up his -hands. "Moses went the same way he came, without me seeing him." - -On the basis of Grant's report, an investigation was begun. A vast mass -of data was assembled, some of it dating from the time of Jal Jonnor, -but when no practical results were immediately forthcoming, the project -was shelved, at least temporarily. Its manpower was desperately needed -for other purposes. Men fighting for their lives have no time to think -of the future. - -This dusty, forgotten mass of data was exhumed by a tall, lean man -named Kurt Zen, a colonel of intelligence, who had a reputation for -daring even among that elite band of men who daily looked death in the -face. - -Zen was assigned to this investigation, not only because of his -reputation, but because the stories of the new people had increased in -number to the point where they had to be given some credence. Also, -they became more fantastic in content. For instance, a bomber pilot -insisted that a woman had ridden on the wing of his ship all the way to -Asia, dropping from the plane in the highlands of western China. Zen -regarded this story as obvious hallucination. Much of the data about -the new people belonged in this category. He morosely wondered if it -was possible to tell where reality left off and hallucination began. -The colonel soon discovered that his job was not going to be as easy as -he'd hoped. - -Aside from the stories told by the soldiers--and the Asian fighting men -also had their tales to tell--only one thing was certain: if the new -people existed at all, they were very elusive. Only the grave of the -man who had founded the group, old Jal Jonnor, was still to be found in -the high Sierras of California. Zen did not go looking for this grave, -but he saw photographs of it. He also studied the biographies that had -been compiled on this colossal but enigmatical figure. Were the grave -and the thick files the only remaining evidence that at least one -human had dared to dream of a new day? Zen did not think so. Most of -all, he longed to capture one of the new people for questioning. - -Then, in a daring coup that was intended to strike a spearhead at the -heart of America, Cuso, the top Asian fighting leader, and thousands -of tough Asian paratroopers floated down into the mountains between -British Columbia and the United States. - -Cuso and his men, hiding out in the high mountain ranges, resisted all -efforts to dislodge them. They became a festering thorn in the side -of America, a threat that was not quite big enough to take seriously, -or slight enough to overlook. He was hidden so deep in the mountain -caverns that he could not be bombed out and the terrain was so rugged -that his paratroopers could withstand the assault of a full army. - -As his men began making forays into the lower ranges, searching for -food and women, the inhabitants of the area fled in terror. - -This was the situation when Kurt Zen accompanied a body of troops up -the last fairly good trail toward Cuso's hidden lair. Neither the -troops nor Cuso really interested him. What interested him was an army -nurse with the medical detachment. He suspected this nurse was one of -the new people. - -In months of patient, painstaking work, she was the only good lead to -this group that he had uncovered. - -He was going up a steep mountain trail, with troops ahead and behind, -when something that sounded like a wounded lion began to cough in the -sky overhead. - - - - -II - - -Kurt Zen heard the lion cough in the sky overhead. He knew that it -would hit in about four minutes and that it would seem to open a tunnel -upward from hell, that the mountains would shake and tremble, that the -air would vibrate and rattle as if a dozen thunderbolts had exploded -at the same instant, and that a good number of the troops laboriously -circling the incline of the ridge above would die. - -He knew that more of them would die a horrible lingering death as a -result of the radioactivity that would be released by the blast. - -"Pardon me, Nedra," he said to the nurse, who was just ahead of him. - -She had stopped to stare upward. - -"Hit the dirt!" Zen yelled at the troops. A few had already heard -the lion cough in the sky and had begun to take cover, following the -pattern of experienced fighters who never need an order to dive for the -nearest hole. He saw, as he shouted, that the number who had already -begun to hit the dirt was pitifully few and he knew the reason for -this. Most of these men were green conscripts on their first fighting -mission, the results of digging deep into a population that had already -been scoured to the bone for manpower--and for everything else. -Conscripts were likely to stare at the sky and die with their mouths -open. - -"What is it?" the girl asked. "What's wrong?" - -"Don't you hear that blooper in the sky overhead?" - -"No. That is, I heard something make a noise up there. But--" Mixed -emotions moved across her face but fear was not among them. Instead, -she seemed to be curious. "But what is a blooper?" - -From a nurse, or from any living American, such a question was -incredible. Zen stared at her in amazement. - -"Did I say the wrong thing, ask the wrong question?" - -"You sure did," Zen answered. "Come on." - -"But where are we going?" - -"There!" He nodded toward a prospect hole, one of the many that had -been dug in these mountains by miners. As soon as he had heard the -blooper cough its interrupted rocket blast when it changed direction in -the sky, he had instantly looked for a hiding place. This tunnel seemed -to fill the bill. - -"Is something going to happen?" the nurse asked. - -"In less than two minutes you will find out," he answered. His long -legs had already started taking him toward the hole. After hesitating -for an instant, the nurse hastily followed him. - -The prospect hole extended less than ten feet into the side of the -mountain and was not timbered. This was good. It meant no heavy beams -would collapse around their heads when the hills began to shake. A -quick examination revealed that the stone of the roof seemed to be -solid. Zen stopped within three feet of the entrance. - -"Why don't we go farther back?" the nurse asked. - -"We're in far enough for protection from bits of flying metal but not -too far to dig ourselves out if the roof should collapse--I hope," Zen -answered. - -Somewhere outside a man screamed, in terror. - -The thing in the sky coughed again, closer now. -BRRROOOMMM----BrrroooMMM----BrOOOm! - -The blooper struck. - -The sound was that of the simultaneous firing of many cannon. The -walls of the prospect tunnel seemed to twist and wave. Loose stones -dropped from the roof and a fine dust seemed to extrude from the walls. -A boulder half as big as a small house hurtled past the entrance, -snapping pines like matchsticks. A slide of loose rocks followed it. -In the distance another slide could be heard growling back at the sky -as it grew to avalanche proportions. - -The nurse's fingers tightened on Zen's arm, then relaxed. Every nerve -in his body was as taut as a steel wire as he waited for her reaction. -Other than the tightening and relaxing of her fingers, there was none. -Her hands remained on his arm and she remained in the tunnel with him. -To Kurt Zen, this was disappointing. - -"What kind of nerves do you have? Most women would have been in my arms -and would have had their noses buried in my chest." - -"I'm sorry, colonel, if my education in how to be afraid has been -neglected." She coughed at the dust. - -"Aren't you really afraid, Nedra?" he asked. - -"No." - -"Then you aren't an ordinary human!" The instant he had blurted out the -words, he was sorry he had spoken. It was possible to give away too -much too soon. - -"Then what am I?" Her voice was calm. - -He dodged her question. "Aren't you even afraid to die?" - -"When so many have died already, why should I hesitate to join them?" -the nurse answered. She released his arm and brushed dust from the -shoulders of her uniform. She glanced up at him and it seemed that some -kind of a radiation flowed from her eyes, a wave of it that sent a -tingle over his entire skin surface. Outside, another smaller boulder -went bouncing past the entrance to the tunnel. Fumbling in his pockets -for cigarettes, Zen found a crumpled package. He offered one to the -nurse but she thanked him and refused it. He did not insist. Cigarettes -were too precious to waste on people who didn't really want them. -Outside, another man began to scream. The nurse moved automatically in -that direction. He caught her arm and held her back. - -"Wait until the rocks stop rolling, Nedra." - -She did not protest. Looking up at him, she said, "You think I'm one of -the new people, don't you?" - -Zen coughed and swore at the cigarette, insisting that the tobacco -was moist. This was a lie and both knew it. But--what to say? Her -question was a complete stunner. "What makes you think that?" he asked, -desperate for words. - -"I just think it. It's true, isn't it?" - -As an intelligence officer, Zen was accustomed to asking the questions, -but this nurse had completely turned the tables on him. He took a deep -drag on the cigarette. "I don't know. Are you?" He made his voice as -casual as was possible. - -Her eyes studied him. The trace of a smile came over her face and -tugged at the comers of her lips. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" - -"Go right ahead." The man had stopped screaming outside but another -boulder was going past. In the distance, the avalanche was trying to -grind to a halt but it sounded as if millions of tons of rock were on -the move to a safer location. - -"Are _you_ one of the new people?" the nurse asked. - -The cough was real this time. Zen could not suppress his surprise. -"What on earth makes you ask a question like that?" - -"I just felt like asking it," the nurse replied. "Am I wrong?" - -"Who are the new people?" - -"Why, everybody has heard of them. They're the new race that is going -to provide the nucleus for new growth after all ordinary men and women -have been destroyed in this war." Surprise showed in her violet eyes. -"Do you mean you have never heard of them?" - -"I've heard the usual rumors that are afloat," Zen said, shrugging. -"But all the stories have impressed me as a pack of lies. Really, I -think the enemy has started most of them, to get us to relax our war -effort." - -"Do you honestly think that?" Her voice had a puzzled note in it. "I -mean, honestly and truly." - -"I think what the evidence tells me to think, nothing less. In this -case, I have seen none of the so-called evidence." - -Shrugging, Zen moved toward the opening of the tunnel, then drew back -as a mass of rock crashed outside. "It's raining boulders out there," -he said. "What do you know about the so-called new people?" - -"Not much," she answered. - -"You're a very lovely liar, but the fact that you are lovely doesn't -make you any less a liar," Zen said. She was very beautiful with her -violet eyes and bronze hair, but an overworked intelligence officer -could not be concerned with these things. - -"Thank you, colonel," she said. "But I do not relish being called a -liar." Her face showed hurt, just the right amount of it, but at the -same time her eyes laughed at him. "However, I guess there is nothing I -can do about it, is there?" Somehow she contrived to look like a small -girl who has been unjustly accused of some deed she has not committed. - -In the distance the avalanche had ground to a halt. Now, no more -boulders were bounding down the hill. A vast, puzzled silence held the -mountains. In that silence, Zen fancied he could hear the thoughts of -the frightened men who had remained alive thus far, and were wondering -how to prolong their precarious existence. They were also wondering if -staying alive was worth the effort involved. Why not give up now and be -done with all tragedy, with all tears, with all trying to find the road -to the future? - -Up the trail a man began to scream. - -Like a homing pigeon that has finally found the right direction, -the nurse moved toward the sound. Zen caught her arm again. Looking -puzzled, she stopped. "Please, colonel. I am needed up there." She -nodded up the slope in the direction of the screaming man. - -"You are probably needed by many others," he commented. - -She did not seem to understand. "But I am a nurse. It is my duty to -help those who are wounded." - -"I know." He was a little startled to find himself in sympathy with -this impulse. "But, not yet." - -"Why not?" - -"Because that slope is still too hot to be safe." He held up his left -wrist. Instead of a watch, he wore a miniature radiation counter there. -The needle was creeping up toward the red line. - -"The radiation count is about forty right here at the mouth of this -prospect hole," he pointed out. - -"That is interesting," the nurse said. The tone of her voice said it -was not important. - -"Halfway up the slope, it will hit a hundred. At the top of the ridge, -where the explosion took place, the count may reach a thousand." In his -opinion, he had said enough. - -In her opinion, he had not said anything at all. "That makes no -difference. Wounded men are up there. I am a nurse. My duty is clear to -me." - -"If you try to help them under these circumstances, you will become a -casualty yourself." - -"But what of the men who need help?" - -"They will simply have to get out of the radiation zone themselves, or -wait until the area is clear and help can reach them." - -"You are heartless!" - -"Not at all," he denied. "If anything could be done to help them I -would be doing it. Don't you understand what has happened? That was an -Asian N bomb that exploded. In an N bomb the immediate effect is minor. -The real purpose of the weapon is to spray the area with high intensity -radiation, to make the ground unfit for living for months. Any living -creature caught within the direct blast of the radiation is doomed, and -neither you, nor I, nor the medics, can do anything to help them--" He -broke off as another man began screaming up the slope. - -The nurse was irresolute. "But that man needs help," she pointed out. - -"Certainly he needs help," Zen agreed. - -"Well--" - -Zen watched her carefully. She seemed to understand his words but -something else pulled at her far more strongly: the screaming of the -injured man. Each time the soldier cried out, she started in his -direction. - -"Well, well, thank you, colonel." Turning, she moved with a sure stride -up the slope. - -Zen swore under his breath and started after her, then caught the -motion as the question rose in him as to why she should throw her -life away. She knew the meaning of radiation in lethal quantities. -Unquestionably, she also knew what would happen to any normal human who -ventured into a hot zone. - -Was she, then, a normal human being? Was he actually witnessing one of -the miracles performed by the new people? If she came off the mountain -slope alive, it would certainly prove something. Zen cursed again. She -was going where he could not safely follow. If she returned unharmed, -he had enough proof to warrant following her to the ends of the earth, -if need be. - - - - -III - - -The radio transmitter inside Zen's pack was small but very powerful. -It did not look like a radio transmitter at all; there was no antenna -and no apparent source of power. Only the tiny earphone and the throat -microphone revealed its true nature. - -He slipped the phone into his ear, fitted the microphone against his -throat, then picked up the piece of plastic tubing that was red on one -end and green on the other. Wires ran from each end of this tube to the -small box that housed the transmitter. - -"Red goes to the right hand," he muttered. "Green to the left. Or is it -the other way around?" Making up his mind that red went to the right, -he closed his fingers around the ends of the plastic tube, then watched -the tiny meter on top of the small box that contained the transmitter. - -The needle moved on the dial. - -"Calling nine dash nine," he spoke. "This is six one calling nine dash -nine." He repeated the call three times, then sat back on his haunches -to await an answer. - -"Come in six one," the earphone said. "What color is red?" - -"It's green this week," Zen answered promptly. - -"What color was it last week?" - -"Last week? Um. Oh, yes. No color." - -"And that means--" - -"White. This is Kurt Zen, colonel, intelligence, reporting. Connect me -immediately with General Stocker." - -Satisfied with the identity of the caller, the operator said, "Just a -minute, colonel, I'll see if the general will talk to you." - -"Tell him it's important," Zen urged. - -"They always say that," the operator sighed. "I'll put you through as -soon as I can." - -"Kurt, boy, where are you?" General Stacker's voice boomed into a -distant microphone. The general's voice always boomed, he was always -hearty, he was always sure that while things might look black right -now, they would work out all right in the end. By the time the booming -voice reached Zen's earphone, it had been transformed into a tinny -squeak. Kurt thought he detected an uneasy note in the squeak and he -wondered if the general had finally glimpsed the end, and was finding -it not quite as he had supposed. - -"In hell, general," Zen answered. He swiftly told where he was and what -had happened. "Cuso's blooper knocked out the last pass by which we can -bring an effective force against him. This whole area is loaded with -radiation." - -"How will we ever root that bastard out of his hole now?" - -"That's for the staff to decide. I have more important news." - -"Yes? Talk, Kurt, and fast. You don't mean that you--" - -"Yes. I mean I think this nurse may be it. I don't know yet." Zen -explained what had happened. - -"Damn it, Kurt, do you mean to tell me that if she comes back alive, -you will know she is immune to the radiation, and hence must be one of -the new people? But if she comes back dead, or so loaded with radiation -that she will die within a few days, then you will know she was just -like all the rest of us?" Even through Zen's earphone, the general's -voice had begun to boom. - -"That's the way I see it," Zen answered. - -"But goddammit--Are you hurt, Kurt?" The general's voice was suddenly -solicitous. "Are you all right?" - -"Damn it, I'm in my right mind," Zen answered. "I was in a prospect -hole when the blast went off. Don't you think I've got enough sense -to take cover?" Stocker's suddenly solicitous attitude irritated him. -"Sorry, sir," he apologized an instant later. - -"It's quite all right, boy. I know that nerves get frayed in combat. -But this nurse--" - -"That's the way I see it, sir," Zen said doggedly. "I request -permission to follow her." - -"If she comes back alive, you mean?" - -"I would appreciate it if you would stop reminding me of that -possibility." - -"Oh. So you are emotionally interested in her?" - -"Well, what if I am? She's a nice kid." - -"They all are, boy. They all are--until you get to know them. As to -permission to follow her, you've not only got it, but it's an order. -We've got to find out about these new people. One of them appeared in -President Wilkerson's private office this morning and told him to call -off a planned landing in Asia." - -"Really?" Zen said. "In the President's office!" - -"That's what I said." - -"Did it really happen? I mean, was anyone present?" - -"No one except the President's secretary. She's under heavy sedation -right now, from shock. She thought God Almighty Himself had come -walking in. The old man is not in much better shape." Stocker's voice -showed signs of strain. "I've got my orders from Wilkerson himself and -I'm passing them on to you. _Find these new people!_ Follow that nurse -to hell if you have to." - -"Right, sir." - -"Report to me when you have something to report--that is, something -besides going to bed with her. Off." Zen grimaced as he pulled the tiny -phone out of his ear. He slipped the transmitter back into the pack and -slung it over his shoulder. The radiation count was dropping but it was -still too high for safety. He looked longingly up the trail. Wounded -men were coming down but Nedra was not in sight. - -The wounded men were no longer a fighting unit, but had become -individuals, each one intent only on his own survival. Patriotism had -gone from their minds, they no longer gave a hoot about saving their -country, but were only interested in saving their own lives. - -Far up the trail, Zen could see a tall figure moving upward. The nurse! -He unslung the pair of field glasses from his shoulder. Through the -powerful lenses Nedra's lithe figure was very clear. He saw her move -to the side of the trail and kneel beside a wounded man who lacked -the courage to walk downhill. Somehow she got the man to his feet -and started him along the trail. He stumbled and fell. Again the -nurse knelt beside him but this time she made no attempt to lift him. -Instead, she got to her own feet. - -Zen decided the man had died as he fell. - -She continued on up the slope. - -Down below, motors roared and then came to a halt. Turning, Zen saw -that a first aid station was being set up down there. The medics worked -fast; already they were directing the wounded men to the back end of a -truck, where an examination station had been set up. But, fast as they -worked, they were too late to help the vast majority of the wounded. -The futility of the effort depressed Zen, so he returned his attention -to the nurse. - -She was in the middle of the trail again. The avalanche, directly ahead -of her, had stopped her progress. A man was with her. - -Through the glasses, the man looked as tall and craggy as a mountain -peak. No soldier, he was without helmet or other headgear. His hair, -white as the snow on top of a mountain, was flying in the wind. His -face looked like a statue hewn in granite. Zen guessed that he was a -resident of this region, a mountaineer who had sought safety in these -remote fastnesses, and who had been blasted out of his hiding place by -Cuso's radioactive blooper and was wandering down this trail to die. -The nurse was talking to him. - -Involuntarily, as if they had a will of their own, Zen's legs started -carrying him up the slope. He had taken a dozen steps before he -remembered the counter on his wrist. - -"To hell with the count!" he thought. "I'm going up there and drag her -down here. She's not going to throw her life away while I skulk like -a coward down below. I don't give a damn whether she's one of the new -people or not. She's human!" - -He climbed the slope with giant strides. Then he saw that Nedra was -running toward him and waving him back. - -"Colonel! You can't come up here." - -"I _am_ coming up there!" he shouted in reply. - -"No!" - -When he did not stop, she ran faster toward him. The craggy man kept -pace with her. Reaching Zen, she caught his sleeve, turned him around, -and started him down the slope. "You can't be here." Her voice was -breathless with protest. - -"Are you giving me orders?" Zen growled. Secretly he was pleased -because she was concerned about him. - -"If you will permit me, colonel, I think Nedra's intention is to save -your life," the craggy man spoke. He had a voice like a bell tolling -in the distance, sweet-toned and musical, but with overtones of great -strength. - -"What about _her_ life?" Zen demanded. - -"I'm going down now, colonel," the nurse said hastily. "They've set up -a first aid station. They will need me there." - -"You will need their attention is what you mean," Zen said. - -"Colonel, the counter!" she answered. - -The needle was well over the hundred mark and was still rising. - -"Come, colonel." Hooking her arm in his, Nedra began moving down the -rough, boulder-strewn trail. Zen did not move. She tugged harder. - -"Your life is in danger here, sir," the craggy man said, politely. - -"That is of interest to me only," Zen answered. "And what about your -life?" - -"Colonel, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," the nurse said -quickly. "Colonel Zen, Sam West. We'll talk while we walk down to the -first aid station." - -"A pleasure to meet you, sir," West said, extending his hand. His -handclasp was firm but there was a suggestion of additional power in -his fingers. - -"Nice to meet you, Mr. West. Do you live around here?" - -"Over that way," the craggy man said, nodding vaguely over his -shoulder. - -Again the nurse tugged at Zen's arm. He set his feet solidly on the -mountain trail. "We'll talk right here." - -"But you are taking an unfair advantage of Nedra," the craggy man -protested. "This area is heavy with radiation and this is neither the -time nor the place to be swapping horses." - -"Then why are you two here?" - -"I was getting out of the area as fast as I could when I met Nedra," -West said. "I would still be getting out of it, but fast, if you were -not stopping me." - -"I'm not stopping you," Zen said. "There's the trail. Hit it. Nor you -either," he said to Nedra. - -"Don't be silly, Kurt," the nurse said. She was pleading with him now. - -"All right. But on one condition. Why did you come up here in the first -place? You knew the area was hot." - -"I--I lost my head," the nurse said promptly. "My emotions ran away -with me. I'm a nurse and wounded men needed my attention. I went to -them. You will come down the trail with us, won't you?" The violet eyes -begged him to believe in her. - -"What made you lose your head?" - -"Why--shock, I suppose. This is the first time I was bombed. Also, the -screaming of the wounded. Really, sir, I am a nurse." The way she said -the word, being a nurse meant something. The violet eyes had grown -tired of begging and were on the verge of spitting anger at him. - -"I don't believe a damned word you have said," Zen said. "You didn't -lose your head back there in the prospect hole." - -"Please, Kurt." Again she rugged at his arm. "I'll talk to you all you -want down below. But don't try to force me to stay here." - -Reluctantly, Zen yielded to the pressure on his arm. Relief appeared in -the violet eyes and the face of the craggy man showed a sudden release -from some inner strain. Dimly, he thought he had seen that craggy face -somewhere before but the picture that flicked through his mind was -gone before he could fit a time and place tag on it. Going down the -trail, he steered the nurse toward a truck where the medics had set up -equipment to test the amount of exposure to radiation. In doing this, -he discovered that she was steering him in the same direction. - -"I don't need the medics," he protested. "I'm all right. I wasn't -exposed long enough to do any damage." - -"Of course you're all right," she answered. Her tone was similar to -that of an indulgent mother reassuring a hurt child. - -"You're the one who needs help," he said. He was certain she had -remained too long. - -"I'm going to get it if I need it," she said, soothingly. - -Zen could hear the occasional crunch of boots behind them. West was -keeping silent. He did not seem to be in a hurry. - -Zen started to speak to Nedra. The thought of what he wanted to say was -dim in his mind and he could not quite find words for it but he knew -that it had something to do with a wish that the world were different -and that the human race were not trying to destroy itself. Why should -he be wishing this? The reason for his thinking became a little -clearer. He was wishing the world were different so that he might make -love to this nurse under conditions that would permit this love to bear -other fruit than frustration, despair, and death. - -He found himself wishing that a vine-covered cottage existed somewhere, -a place where a man and a woman might live in peace and reasonable -security, raising some kids who could play on a mountain slope that was -not saturated with atomic radiation. - -"Here is the first aid station," the nurse said. "And--" - -"And what?" he asked her when she did not continue. - -She gave his arm a squeeze. "And thank you for the dream," she -whispered. - -As Kurt Zen turned startled eyes toward her, wondering how she had -known what he had been dreaming, her face seemed to dissolve in a gray -mist. - -He plunged, unconscious, to the ground at her feet. - - - - -IV - - -The jar of striking the ground seemed to bring the intelligence agent -back to consciousness instantly. As Nedra started to kneel beside him, -he was already getting to his feet. She tried to help him rise. He -shrugged her hand away. - -"What happened?" she asked. - -"Nothing," he said. This didn't seem quite right. "I--I--" He tried to -think what had happened. "I fainted. That's all. I just fainted." To -him, this seemed a reasonable explanation for everything that needed -explaining. - -Nedra seemed to think otherwise. "But men like you don't just faint," -she protested. - -"I did." - -"They don't faint unless something is wrong with them," Nedra -continued. "Are you sure you're not suffering from delayed shock -following the bomb explosion? Or--" Her voice slid away into silence as -if she were afraid to voice the thought that was in her mind. Behind -her, West said nothing. - -"I just did it," Zen said, becoming more indignant. "I fainted. Who -says it can't be done?" Confusion existed somewhere. He was sure it was -the nurse who was confused. He shook his head in an effort to clear up -her difficulty. - -"I saw you do it. All I am trying to say is that perhaps there may be a -reason for it." - -"Nope," Zen said. "I'm not going to the aid station. No reason for it. -I'm all right. It's the world out there that is wrong." This made sense -to him. - -"I know you are all right," Nedra answered. Her face showed strain. -"But it might be a good idea to have the doctors check, just to make -sure." - -Zen, busy shaking his head again, hardly heard her. He had the -impression that her confusion would clear up in a minute. Somehow it -reminded him of the confusion that he had suffered after inhaling a -whiff of nerve gas, once. When had this happened? He was not sure, now. -Perhaps it had taken place in the remote past, perhaps on some other -planet ... he realized his mind was wandering. Again he shook his head. - -"But I really think, colonel--" - -"I wasn't shaking my head at you," Zen corrected. - -"Good. Then we will go see the doctors." - -"I didn't mean that either. I was shaking my head to clear it. There's -a fog in it." - -"A fog in your head?" Unease appeared in her voice. - -"Yes. What's wrong with that? Lots of men have fogs in their heads." To -him, this seemed a reasonable statement. "Lots of men have to go to the -docs every couple of weeks to have the fogs blown out of their heads." -Thinking he had made a joke, he laughed. - -Nedra did not think he had said anything funny. Resolutely, she took -his arm. "Come with me, colonel." As she led him toward the truck which -the medics were using for a first aid station, something happened. - -He saw clearly. - -He saw everything. - -The ability to see came suddenly, out of nowhere. One second it was not -there. Then it was there. It was like seeing with eyes, except it was -better than ocular perception had ever been. With it, he was not only -able to see surfaces, he could also see into the interior of things. -An acute understanding of what he saw went with the perception. - -He saw that the Universe was as tall as a man, and no taller. He saw -that it was as wide as a man, and no wider. He saw that it was as broad -as a man, and no broader. - -He saw the human race in its entirety, one man and all men, all men in -one man. Simultaneously, he saw the whole history of the race, he saw -the long journey it had made from so-called inanimate matter to the -point where it was now a creature that looked outward to the stars. He -saw that the destiny of the race lay in those stars, and in all that -vast expanse of space between them, if it did not destroy itself in -the process of growing to star stature. He saw that the race could do -exactly this, that it could blow itself back to the component atoms -that composed it, in which case the long and toilsome, heart-breaking -struggle upward from the atomic level would have to begin all over -again. - -He also knew what he was doing with this clear seeing. - -He was touching the race mind. - -He was in contact with the race field. - -His consciousness had been lifted to the level of that vast, -all-pervading, but very subtle force field that comprised the race mind. - -The knowledge was sudden agony in him, a pain that was needle sharp in -the region of his heart. The pain was strange because, while he could -feel it and knew it was happening in his body, it had no meaning to -him. He was detached from it, it hurt his body, but it did not hurt or -harm him. - -His body was alarmed by the pain, his breathing quickened, and a faint -trace of sweat appeared on his skin. But he was not alarmed. Even if -his body fell dead, he would not be concerned. - -"What is it, Kurt?" his ears heard Nedra say. She had detected his -heavy breathing and she was alarmed. "Are you about to faint again?" - -"No," his lips answered. His body laughed at the question. He heard the -sound of his laughter as being both his and not his. His body knew it -was not going to faint. His laughter sounded hollow and out of place -but he did not care about that either. - -Ahead, soldiers were lined up at the back end of the truck, waiting -their turn in line. - -"Your rank entitles you to priority," Nedra said hesitantly. - -"In the place where I am now, my rank doesn't exist," he answered. "I -join the end of the line, I take my turn." He was quite stubborn about -this. - -The nurse looked pleased. He wondered if he had said something -important. To him, what he had said seemed obvious. Behind him, West -was a silent shadow wrapped in an enigma. Even with his sudden new -perception, his contact with a higher form of consciousness, he could -not perceive West clearly. Something about the craggy man defied -penetration and analysis. - -The men in the line ahead of him waited for their turn, shuffling -forward each time the medics finished with their examination. There was -no talk in the line. Not a man grumbled, not a man complained. Knowing -men, Zen knew that this was ominous. - -These men had had it. They knew they had had it. In the face of that -knowledge, nothing else mattered. Outwardly, they looked fit. Inwardly, -something had happened to them. It seemed to Zen that he could see -glows coming from their bodies. One was swaying. Zen seemed to glimpse -a blob of light moving suddenly upward from the man. The soldier fell. -He did not move a muscle after he hit. - -Nedra started toward him. Zen shook his head. "No use," he said. - -"Why not?" - -Zen pointed skyward. "He went that way." - -Her face whitened as she caught his meaning. "I'll make sure." - -She moved forward and inspected the fallen man, felt for a pulse, and -felt again, then got to her feet. As she returned, her back seemed to -have acquired a new sag. - -An officer shouted from the truck, his voice gravel rough from tension. -In response, a stretcher-bearing detail moved forward. They inspected -the body of the fallen man, then lifted it and tossed it to the side of -the trail. One clipped a dog tag from it, then ran a counter over it. -He grunted to his companion, who tied a red tag on the dead man's wrist. - -"Up that way, boys, you can find some more," Zen called to them, -jerking his thumb up the slope. - -"We're not a burial detail," was the answer. - -The soldiers in the line shuffled forward. - -"Hey! It's gone!" Zen said suddenly. - -"What's gone?" - -"I'm back," Zen said. - -"You never went anywhere," the nurse said. - -"_It's gone_ and _I'm back_ both mean the same thing," he tried to -explain. "The thing that is gone is my contact with the race field. -_I'm back_ means that all of a sudden, I'm normal. I'm back here. -I'm looking out of my eyes. I'm hearing with my ears. I don't know -everything any longer." - -Daze was in him. Worse than the daze was the fact that even the memory -of the experience was receding. Agony came with this recession. It -seemed to him that this experience was the most important thing that -had ever happened to him. - -And it was going away. He watched it slide out of his memory. He felt -like running wildly to try and recapture it. Which way he would run -did not matter, just so he ran until he found it again. He fought the -impulse to run. The experience was not out there; it could not be found -if he searched the whole world for it. - -It was inside him. - -Nedra looked at West and started to speak, but the craggy man motioned -her to silence. - -"Saul on the road to Damascus," Zen muttered. "Something like this -happened to Saul on the road to Damascus." - -"Kurt--" Nedra said. Again the craggy man motioned her to silence. The -fellow, rough mountaineer that he was, seemed to have some perception -of the turmoil inside a fellow human being, and more than that, to have -understanding and sympathy. - -"I contacted the race mind," Zen said. "For a minute, I was in touch -with the field of the race. But it's gone now," he added. Sadness and a -falling voice went with the last words. - -"Step in front of the scope, soldier," a gravel voice growled behind -him. Turning, he saw that he was next in line. The lieutenant in charge -of the first aid station had spoken to him. Seeing the eagle on Zen's -helmet he hastily apologized. "I beg your pardon, sir." - -"It's all right," Zen said. For an instant, as conflicting ideas -competed for expression in him, he wondered who he was and why he was -here. Then he remembered what had happened. Well established reaction -patterns took over and he stepped into position in front of the scope. -Inside the back end of the truck, a transformer hummed. Although -he could not feel it, he knew that a powerful stream of radiation -was passing through his body and that a count was being made of the -radioactivity he had absorbed. The lieutenant studied his meters, then -looked up at Zen. - -"You're all right, sir." He seemed puzzled. - -"Not hot, eh?" - -"No, sir, you're not. Frankly, I don't understand it. Oh, you've got a -little exposure, but nothing serious." - -"I was in one of the old mines when the blast went off," Zen explained. - -"Then that accounts for it. You were lucky as hell, sir. Next." - -Catching Nedra's arm, Zen swung her in front of the scope. The -experience with higher levels of consciousness had been forced out of -his mind, and he was all intelligence officer. - -"But I'm all right! I mean, there's nothing wrong. Are you out of your -mind again?" - -"Yes," Zen said. "But I've got the rank to make my decisions stick -whether I'm out of my mind or not. Lieutenant, check this woman. This -is an order!" Zen snapped out the words with all the precision and -authority of a drill-field sergeant training recruits. - -"Yes, sir," the startled medical officer said. - -Ignoring Nedra's protests, Zen held her in place while the equipment -was put into operation. Behind them, West watched. The faintest trace -of an approving smile showed on the craggy man's face. - -The lieutenant looked up from his meters. "She's all right too, sir." - -"Sure of that?" - -"Of course I'm sure. This counter doesn't lie!" The medical officer was -indignant. - -So was Nedra. The violet eyes shot sparks of anger at the colonel. Zen -was unimpressed. Deep inside, he was tremendously relieved. She had -come down alive! She was unharmed! This was enough to make him feel -good all over. He also knew what she was. No ordinary mortal could have -remained in the hot zone for the length of time she had been there and -emerged unharmed. He did not mind her anger. Instead he turned to West. - -"You're next!" - -He did not know what response to expect from the craggy man. It might -be anything. To his surprise, West smiled. - -"Glad to, colonel. I was hoping I would get tested, so I would know -where I stood." - -Without hesitation, West stepped in front of the scope. "While I am -certain I did not receive enough exposure to do any damage, still it -is best to follow your example and make certain." The deep voice was -suave, with tiny overtones of amusement in it somewhere. - -Again the lieutenant studied his meters and again he looked up. Real -perplexity was on his face. "Three okays in a row. I didn't have a -single okay up until now." His gaze went up the slope in the direction -where the bomb had exploded. - -"Does that mean I'm all right?" West asked. - -"Yes. Definitely all right," the lieutenant answered. "And I don't -pretend to understand it." - -"I was in a hole, too," West said. He seemed to be amused at some joke -known only to him. - -The lieutenant brightened. "Then I understand it." - -"I wish I did," Zen said, to himself. There was no longer any doubt in -his mind that Nedra was one of the new people. As to West, the man was -an enigma. Not knowing how long West had been exposed to the radiation, -Zen did not know what to make of his freedom from it. But there was -certainly something peculiar about him. - -"Colonel, it was good to meet you." West was coming toward him with -outstretched hand. Zen had the impression that the man's hand could -turn into a veritable bear trap, if West chose. "Perhaps we shall meet -again, sir." The words were a statement, not a question. An enigmatical -smile played over the craggy man's face. - -"Who knows whether we shall meet again?" Zen answered, shrugging. -"Generally, when people say goodbye these days, they mean goodbye -forever." - -"I know." Sadness showed on the craggy, lined face. "It is too bad that -things have to be this way. Well, experience is a difficult school, -but _homo sapiens_ seems incapable of learning in any other." - -"It is war," Zen said. - -"I disagree with you there," West said. "War is only a symptom of the -disease, it is only an expression of humanity. War itself is not at -fault, but man. Nor can man really be regarded as being at fault, since -what he is now going through is only a stage of growth." - -Momentarily the memory of the contact with the race mind flicked -through Zen's consciousness. "I know that," he said. Then he hesitated. -"Or I knew it once." - -"Ah? When?" - -"Up the slope there, I knew it. But I have forgotten now what I knew." -Zen spoke slowly. He was trying hard to remember--or to forget--he -wasn't sure which. - -"Ah?" West repeated. "Goodday, sir. Nedra, I would like to speak with -you for a moment, before I leave. With your permission, of course, -Colonel Zen." - -"Certainly," Zen said. He watched the nurse and the craggy man move up -the trail a few steps. They carried on a conversation in tones too low -for him to overhear, then parted. West went down to the bottom of the -ravine and crossed to the other side of the gulch, where he began to -climb the opposite slope, staying as far away from the radioactive zone -as possible. Nedra returned to Zen beside the truck. - -"Does he live back there?" the intelligence agent asked. - -"I really don't know," the nurse answered. "I think he does, but I'm -not certain." - -"It's rough country to live in." - -"From what I have seen of him, he seems capable of living almost -anywhere." - -"Do you know him well?" - -The violet eyes regarded him thoughtfully. "You are asking a great many -questions, sir." - -"I'm going to ask more." - -"My telephone number, no doubt. I'm sorry, but I don't have a -telephone." The violet eyes grew pensive. "But if I did have a -telephone number, there is no one I would rather give it to than you." - -He felt a warm glow at her words. The dream that he had once shared -with millions of other men, of a wife and kids, came into his mind -again, a yearning that was as old as history. If he had his free -choice, he would go with this dream. - -He knew he did not have a free choice. Indeed, he doubted if he had any -choice at all. Nor had any other man. History had moved past the day -when this dream could be realized. Fate was sweeping it into the dust -heap of good things that were gone forever. - - - - -V - - -"She is immune to radiation!" Zen thought after Nedra had left to -rejoin her unit. This in itself was of sufficient importance to attract -and hold the interest of the top military and scientific minds. Perhaps -soldiers could also be immunized. Perhaps, by some impossible freak -of chance, a way might be found for workers to return to abandoned -factories, to long-closed shops and forges. This might mean a new flow -of goods and materials to troops that were desperately short of them -and to a civilian population that, at a conservative estimate, was more -than half starved. - -A human being who had achieved immunity to radiation was important -enough to command his complete attention. Also, the probability was -very great that she was one of the mysterious new people. Something -else about her interested him even more. He could not put his finger -on this something else but he suspected it had to do with the future, -with another world than the one he knew. Or with another universe. -Again the memory of his contact with the race mind flicked through his -consciousness. - -Now he knew what he was going to do insofar as Nedra was concerned. He -had a hunch what her next move would be. He would wait for her to make -it. - -Finding a carbine was not difficult. On this trail, the weapons were -to be had for picking them up. A dead man's ammunition pouches were -filled with cartridges. He took the pouches. Carrying the carbine, he -slid down the bank toward the mountain stream that talked to itself at -the bottom of the canyon. The water was clear and cool but dead trout -floating in it warned him not to drink. - -Seeking a place from which he could watch the canyon, he moved upward. -A dim trail was visible through the pines here. - -"An old narrow-gauge railroad," he thought. The rails had been removed -long since, the ties had rotted away, and the roadbed itself was hardly -a trail through the growth of trees. He had barely settled himself in a -spot from which to watch the ravine below, than a stone turned on the -old roadbed. - -Nedra was coming along the trail. - -He let her pass without challenge. Sliding out of hiding, he followed -her. - -Twisting and turning, the trail climbed slowly upward. When it reached -the edge of the timber, Zen caught a glimpse of a slide of yellow rock -far ahead, an old mine dump, which told him why the road had been -constructed in the first place. A ghost town was probably ahead. - -He caught a glimpse of Nedra moving steadily ahead along the old road -bed. - -"If she doesn't know exactly where she is going, then I'm missing my -guess," he thought, as he followed her. Elation was rising in him. She -was leading him straight to the hiding place of the new people. - -Here in these mountains a small group could remain in hiding forever. -Food might eventually become a problem, but there was plenty of game in -the ranges: deer, elk, and bear, and some of the high valleys had been -in cultivation before the war. A few hardy pioneers had always managed -to find a living in this wilderness. If they could do it, so could this -new group. - -Of course, they would have to evade Cuso's roving patrols, raiding for -food, supplies and women. But that ought not to be too difficult. The -ghost town was in sight. - -Surrounding an old mine, a crusher, and a concentrator, the ghost town -was also in ruins. Unlike so many small cities, the ruin here had not -come from attack but from nature. The snows of winter had piled their -burden on flimsy roofs, the seepage of spring had rotted the timbers, -with the result that many of the houses had simply collapsed. Weeds -grew in the doorways and scrub cedars had found roots in the streets. - -Nedra was walking down the middle of what had once been the main -street. Her stride was still certain and she seemed to know exactly -where she was going. - -The ragged man appeared in the door of the garage on her left. He spoke -to the nurse, calling to her. She jumped at the sound of the voice, -glanced at the man, then continued walking. - -"Hey, wait a minute, cutie!" the fellow shouted, loud enough for Zen to -hear him. He lunged out of the doorway toward her. She turned to face -him. - -Kurt Zen lifted the carbine, then dropped the muzzle. He not only had -great confidence in Nedra's ability to protect herself, but he wanted -to see what would happen. - -The loop of rope, thrown with all the skill of a cowboy, came from the -opposite side of the street. It settled over her shoulders, pinned her -arms to the side, and was instantly jerked tight. She was pulled to the -ground. - -The man who had lunged out of the doorway of the garage leaped toward -her. Throwing her on her stomach, face down, he jerked both hands -behind her back, then began to search her for a weapon. - -The man who had thrown the rope came out of hiding to help his -companion. He was short, with bow legs. - -Together, they held the nurse down. - -Zen raised the carbine to his shoulders. Although he had not previously -fired this weapon, at this distance he could not miss. - -Her scream came to his ears. - -"Colonel! Watch out!" - -In startled surprise, he slid the carbine from his shoulder. She had -known he was following her and that he was somewhere near! Thoughts -like startled hornets flicked through his consciousness. How had she -known he was following her? Why had she let him do it? More important, -where was she leading him? Most important of all, why was she trying to -save him when her own life was in danger? - -Even if she had known he was following her, obviously she hadn't known -these men were here. She hadn't been coming to meet them. Then what -was her purpose in climbing to this old ghost town which lay just at -timberline on the edge of a mountain wilderness where Cuso was held at -bay? - -The first ruffian was standing erect. Zen brought the sights of the -carbine to bear on the center of his ragged coat. - -"_Drop the gun!_" a voice said behind him. - -Even more surprising than the command was the fact that he knew the -voice that had spoken. Or he thought he did. He let the carbine slide -from his fingers. - -"Now get 'em up." - -He raised his hands. "Hello, Jake," he called out. - -An exclamation of surprise came from behind him. "How the hell did you -know me?" - -"Recognized your voice," Zen answered. "Can I turn around now?" - -"Sure. Sure. But what the hell are you doing up here?" - -Turning, Zen saw the automatic rifle that covered him. The muzzle was -wavering and the man who held it seemed confused. His face was covered -with a heavy growth of black whiskers and long hair peeped out from -under a battered helmet. - -"Jake, it's really good to see you again." As if such things as -automatic rifles did not exist, Zen advanced with outstretched hand. - -"Kurt Zen! I haven't seen you since--since--" - -"The night that Denver got it," Zen answered. Horror overwhelmed him -as he remembered what had happened to the Mile-High city. A bomb had -struck from the sky that night and parts of Denver had gone much higher -than a mile. - -"Yeah. That's it. Yeah. I thought you had got it that night, Kurt." - -"I thought the same thing about you. What are you doing up here? And -what--what happened to Marcia?" - -The instant Zen asked the question, he wished he had kept still. At the -name something happened in the man's eyes. They began to change, going -from comprehension to blankness, then coming back to understanding, -then losing that and going back to blankness. One instant the eyes -looked at Zen and the man remembered and liked this colonel. The next -instant, neither the eyes nor the mind behind them knew him. Zen was -then an alien, a stranger, to be distrusted and feared and possibly -destroyed. When Zen had known him in Denver, Jake had been a young -airman. He and Marcia had been newly married and very much in love with -each other. - -"She--she--" The voice was choked and tight with pain. "The radiation -got her." For an instant, the memory held true. But there was too much -pain in the memory for this man to face it. The memory went away. Only -the pain remained. "Marcia? Oh, she's fine. The next leave I get, we're -going to have a second honeymoon." A glow appeared in the man's eyes. -"I can see her now, waiting for me. You must go with me, Kurt, and meet -her again, the next leave I get." - -Zen could have slugged him. He could have lifted the rifle out of -Jake's hands without protest. Instead, he did nothing. The man's pain -was much too real to hurt him further. - -"What's going on here?" a rough voice said. - -It was the man in the ragged coat. Nedra and the man who had thrown the -rope had disappeared. There was no indication where they had gone. This -man's beard was thin and ragged. He had teeth like the fangs of a wolf -but the lights in his eyes did not shift. Instead, they remained fixed -in constant hostility and suspicion. He had a sub-machine gun in his -hands. The muzzle covered Zen. - -"Oh, hello, Cal. I--" Jake became confused. "This is an old buddy of -mine. I knew him down below ... I knew him when.... He's all right." - -Cal's eyes said he did not believe a word he had heard. He looked Zen -up and down. The muzzle of the gun did not waver from the intelligence -agent's stomach. "What are you doing up here?" - -"Maybe I got tired of the way things are down there," Zen answered. He -was not lying. He _was_ tired of the way things were going. So were -uncounted millions of others. - -Cal's eyes indicated he did not believe this. Zen could see him turning -over different possibilities in his mind. He was inclined to use the -gun. Dumping another body down the gorge would be an easy solution to -the problem of an intruder. "How are things going down there?" he -asked. - -"Tough," Zen said, with conviction in his voice. - -"What was the big boom over that way this morning?" - -"Cuso letting go with a blooper." - -Interest kindled in Cal's eyes. "What was over there that was worth the -cost of a blooper?" - -"A column of troops heading for Cuso's lair," Zen answered. "He didn't -like it." - -"I guess he wouldn't," Cal said. "You with 'em?" - -"I was." - -"Which way are they going now?" - -"Back down hill to die," Zen answered. - -"Why didn't you go with 'em?" - -"I got tired," Zen said. He waved his hands in a gesture which was -intended to explain how a man sometimes got tired and went off to rest -for a while. Cal grunted. This he understood. - -"Are you hot?" he asked. - -"Nope. The medics checked me just before I took off." - -"And are there others down there who feel like heading for the hills?" - -"Most of them are too damned near dead to make the effort. Why desert -when you've had it?" - -"The blooper got a lot of 'em, eh?" - -"What the blast didn't get, the radioactivity did." - -"Is the pass too hot for more troops to go through it?" - -"My guess is that way." - -"Your guess? Don't you know?" - -"I didn't go up to see. I'm not that soft in the head." - -"I see your point. Well, things must be really rough if colonels are -deserting. This is interesting." Cal fingered the gun but the muzzle no -longer pointed at Zen's stomach. "What are you looking for up here?" - -"A place to hide out." - -"For how long?" - -"Hell, how long can this go on?" Zen answered. "Even when it's over, I -don't want to go back down there and walk on skulls." - -"Walk on skulls?" - -"That's all that will be left." - -"You think the Asians are gonna win, then?" - -"I got a hunch there will be more skulls than anything else in Asia, -too. No, I don't think they're going to win. I don't think anybody is -going to win this one, except the people who have enough sense to hide." - -Jake came out of his dreaming and put his hand on Cal's shoulder. -"Kurt's all right," he said. - -It was obvious that Cal did not think very highly of this -recommendation. - -"He's my pal," Jake continued. "Let him join us. He'll make a good -hand. Besides, me and him were buddies. And there was a girl--" He -stopped speaking and broke into dark musing as the memory of his wife -came again into his mind. - -"Were you with this woman?" Cal asked. - -"He never was with this woman in his life!" Jake screamed. "She was -mine, I tell you. Mine!" - -"Shut up, crazy head." - -"Tell him, Kurt. Tell him Marcia was mine." - -"Sure, Jake," Zen soothed. "Everybody knew you and Marcia were that -way. Cal and I were talking about another woman." - -"Oh. That's different. But I don't want to hear either of you say that -Marcia didn't belong to me." - -The wolf-faced man looked as if he was about to use his gun on Jake. -"You stinking nut head, you stay out of this!" - -"All I was trying to do was to tell you Kurt was my pal." - -"All right, you've told me. Now shut up." Cal turned to Zen again. -"About this woman, colonel? Were you together?" - -"No," Zen said. - -"But she yelled out to you when me and Ed grabbed her." - -"I heard her." - -"You did?" Cal's finger went around the trigger of the gun. - -"Yeah. I was following her but I didn't know she knew it until she -yelled." - -"Oh." Cal kept his finger on the trigger. "Why were you following her?" - -"Hell, don't be stupid!" Zen exploded. "Why would any man follow a -woman like that?" - -A trace of a grin went across the wolf face at this answer. Cal licked -his lips. This was an answer he understood. "I don't blame you for -that. But why was she coming up here?" - -"That I don't know," Zen said. "I don't think it made much difference -anyhow. As soon as night came--" He squinted at the sun. - -"Do you think she might be a spy for Cuso heading for his camp to -report?" - -Zen felt his lower jaw sag. This was a thought that had not crossed -his mind. He knew only too well that the Asiatic had spies in as many -places as he could get them. Cuso's survival depended in a large degree -on knowing how many troops were moving against him, how they were armed -and over what passes they were coming. - -"I see by your face that you had never thought of that," Cal said. -"Then what is she doing up here?" - -"I don't know. I realized she was ahead of me about a mile back. As to -what she is doing, maybe she got tired of all that down there too, and -decided to come up here and live in the mountains?" - -"A woman in this wilderness?" - -"Some women have delusions that they can return to the primitive and -make a go of it." - -"And maybe she had some other idea," Cal said. - -Zen shrugged. - -"Knowing this may be important to us," Cal said. - -"Then we had better go ask her," Zen said. He was still shocked at the -thought that Nedra might be a spy. Up until now, he had thought he was -shockproof. - -"You want to ask her?" Cal said. - -"Sure." - -"Okay, you do the asking. I'll listen. And don't get any funny ideas." -His finger curled around the trigger of the gun. "Remember, that if a -patrol should come looking for a deserter, they would only be going to -shoot him. I would be doing them a favor if I shot him in advance." - -"I covered my tracks," Zen said. "Nobody will be looking for me." - -"How did you do it?" - -"I traded dog tags with a hunk of meat that had once been a GI. There -wasn't enough left of him to tell for sure what he was. The burial -detail will clip my tags from his body and another colonel will be -listed as killed in action. The GI will be listed as missing." - -"That was smart," Cal said, approvingly. For the first time, Zen -thought he detected a note of admiration in the voice tones of the -ragged man. - -Nedra was leaning against what had once been a work-bench in the -garage. Her helmet was off, her hair was ruffled, and her tunic had -been almost torn from her body. A look of pure gratitude appeared on -her face when Zen stepped through the doorway. A little cry of gladness -on her lips, she started toward him. Her eyes said she had never been -as happy to see anybody in her life as she was to see this tall, lean -colonel. - -With her was the little bow-legged man. He didn't look happy as Zen -entered. "Stand still," he snarled at the girl. "Who the hell are you?" - -At his words, Nedra let her body sag back against the bench. - -"Ed, this is Kurt," Cal said. "He's joining us." - -The look in Ed's eyes was pure venom. "He may join us but he won't last -long. This woman is mine. I saw her first." - -Zen wished fervently that he had the carbine back in his possession. -Some vermin did not deserve to live. But Jake had that weapon. While he -could probably take the carbine away from Jake, the gun in Cal's hands -was very steady. - -"She's not mine, you know," he said to Ed. "So far as I am concerned, -you are welcome to her." - -"Oh, that's different," Ed said, relieved. - -If Zen's words relieved Ed, they had the opposite effect on Nedra. She -opened her mouth to speak to him, then closed it in an apparent effort -to bite off words that no lady should use. - -Cal laughed. "Ed is mighty touchy about his women. But don't let that -stop you. Ask her what she is doing up here?" - -"None of your damned business, either of you," Nedra answered. - -Zen shrugged and spread his hands in a gesture which said that he hoped -Cal would see how it was. Cal nodded. "We'll find out later." His -manner indicated there was no question in his mind that he would find -out what he wanted to know. "Right now it's time for chow. Jake, get on -the job." - -Jake turned and walked across the street to another house. Cal bringing -up the rear, the others followed Jake. Ed took hold of Nedra's arm and -escorted her across the street. Seeing this, Kurt Zen again wished that -he had a gun. - - - - -VI - - -The meal was beef stew, which Jake prepared in a big pot on an old -wood-burning range. They all ate around the kitchen table. - -"There are lots of wild cattle up here," Cal explained. "This used to -be good range country, you know. The remnants of the old beef herds are -still in existence, the ones that have learned how to dodge or whip the -lions, that is." - -Zen was busy watching Nedra and Ed. The little bantam was following -every move she made and was keeping as close to her as possible. He -insisted on sitting next to her at the table and he kept trying to -touch her at every opportunity. - -Zen kept silent. Inwardly, he was greatly perturbed. Night was already -throwing shadows over the mountains. What would happen after darkness -fell? Trying to keep such thoughts out of his mind, he found himself -wondering if it would be possible for him to break the bantam's neck -with his bare hands. He decided he could do this, and that he would -like to do it, but that he would also like to stay alive afterward. - -"Girls who go walking in the mountains have to take what happens to -them," he said. - -Nedra ignored him. Ed glowered at him. Cal chuckled but continued -eating without speaking. Jake ate as if he did not know what he was -doing or where he was. Occasionally he looked toward the northwest -and shook his fist in that direction. Zen knew that deep in his sick -mind Jake was dreaming of what he would do to the Asians. Remembering -Marcia, Zen did not blame him. - -Ed tried to urge the nurse toward the dilapidated sofa in the room but -she eluded him and sat on an empty powder can, to the obvious disgust -of the bantam. Two people could not sit on the same powder can. Jake -rattled dishes in the kitchen, and fought imaginary Asians. Cal found -a seat in the corner, a position from which he could watch everyone in -the room. Off in the night an owl hooted. - -Ed jumped at the sound, grabbed Nedra's hand, and tried to drag her -toward a ladder that led to some kind of an attic. Cal rose to his feet -and moved toward the door. - -"Stop it!" Nedra said, to Ed. - -"But, honey, you've got to get out of here," Ed urged. The bantam was -at the edge of panic. - -"Why?" - -"Because that owl hoot was a signal. The guys who are coming will take -you away from me," Ed explained. - -"Fine," Nedra said, her face brightening. "There is justice in the -world after all. The good Lord does look after the poor working girl." -Her voice indicated that she had begun to doubt this. - -"But you don't know who these guys are," Ed protested. - -"I don't care who they are. Satan himself would be welcome to me right -now." The words were addressed to Ed but she was looking at Kurt Zen as -she spoke. Zen did not attempt to answer her implied accusation. - -"Damn it, I ain't going to let them take you away from me!" Ed shouted. -Again he reached for the nurse's hand, to drag her toward the ladder. -She slugged him in the mouth. - -In a fury, his fists clenched, the bantam started toward her. She -dodged behind Zen. - -"Lay off her, Ed," Cal ordered. - -"But she belongs to me!" Ed shouted. "You know I saw her first. You -said so yourself!" The little man was beside himself with frustration -and fury. - -"If the lieutenant decides he wants her, you'll probably be the first -one dead," the ragged man commented. Then he shrugged. "However, it's -your funeral, not mine. Only you probably won't get a funeral." - -Again the owl hoot sounded, just outside the house this time. Cal -opened the door. A lieutenant and four soldiers entered. Zen took one -look at the dirty uniforms and the slant eyes in dirty yellow faces and -knew that these were Cuso's men. Coming into the room, the lieutenant -took command. - -"Who is this?" he demanded, nodding curtly toward Zen. He had not as -yet noticed Nedra, who was still behind Kurt. - -"A colonel who has seen the light of reason and has come over to our -side," the ragged man promptly answered. - -"Good. Cuso will be very glad to talk to him." The grin on the -lieutenant's face left no doubt as to the meaning that lay back of -his words. Cuso's methods of extracting information from any person -careless enough to fall into his hands were well known. - -"It will be a privilege to talk to the great leader of the Asian -forces," Zen said. He felt sweat begin to appear under both arms. As -soon as the lieutenant had appeared, he had known that Cal was a spy -supplying information to Cuso. - -"I'm sure Cuso will find it so," the lieutenant said. The grin vanished -from his face as he caught a glimpse of Nedra behind the colonel. The -rifle in his hands came up. "Who is that?" he demanded. - -"A nurse who has also joined us," Cal hastily explained. - -"What's she doing behind him?" - -"Ed was urging her to go upstairs with him and she hid behind this -man," Cal explained. A tic had appeared in the right cheek of the -ragged man. - -"Oh," the lieutenant said. His grin reappeared. "Come out, plizz." - -As Nedra stepped to Zen's side, the lieutenant's grin widened. He -sucked in his breath. "Yess. Oh but yess. Cuso will want to talk to -her. Of that I am very sure." - -Ed, his face as black as tar, started to protest. He took another look -at the rifle in the Asian's hand and quickly changed his mind. The -chattering of his teeth was audible all over the room. - -"Why do you make that noise?" the lieutenant said, looking at him. - -"It--it's cold in here," Ed stuttered. - -As the bantam spoke, Zen noticed that the temperature in the big room -seemed to have dropped far more than seemed reasonable. Even the -opening of the door, and the admission of the cool night air, was not -enough to account for the sudden chill in the room. - -This cold was different from anything Zen had ever experienced before. -It seemed to start at the center of the bones and work its way outward, -reaching the skin surface last of all, where it produced a prickling -sensation. - -"I wish to eat," the lieutenant said. - -"Of course," Cal instantly agreed. "Jake! Food for the gentleman." - -Jake, his eyes murky, was standing in the door leading to the kitchen. -The expression on his face indicated that he was about to launch -himself at the Asians. - -"Get into that kitchen!" Cal shouted. - -"Oh, all right," Jake answered, moving out of sight. The banging of the -pots and pans that followed his departure seemed to have a sullen sound. - -"That one is not right in the head," the Asian officer said. - -"He's just dumb," Cal said, defensively. - -The lieutenant pursed his lips. "I forgot to mention that I left some -of my men outside." - -"Bring them in," Cal said promptly. "They're probably hungry, too. And -cold." - -"I think I shall leave them where they are," the lieutenant said, -decisively. "I left them on guard. They have set up a mounted machine -gun at the edge of the street." - -"I see," Cal said. - -"The gun covers this house," the officer continued. - -"Oh," Cal said. A sudden shiver passed through his body. He knew -perfectly well what the lieutenant had just told him. - -It seemed to Kurt Zen that the temperature of the room had dropped -another ten degrees. He was shivering, too, from the effect of that -strange cold that seemed to start at the marrow of the bones and spread -itself outward. - -Of all those in the room, Nedra was the only one who did not seem to be -suffering from the effect of the chill. Her eyes were bright and her -face had a warm glow. Zen watched her out of the corners of his eyes. -Didn't she know that she had escaped from Ed only to fall into the -tender mercies of Cuso's men? - -"What has happened to you?" he whispered to her. - -Turned toward him, her eyes had a glow that seemed to come from some -light that was suddenly burning inside them. The glow went from purple -to violet, then to ultra-violet. After that, Zen could no longer see -the glow, but he suspected it had gone into higher ranges still. What -was more surprising was the fact that she was no longer frightened. -Confidence had suddenly come to her, seemingly out of nowhere. - -"What do you think has happened to me?" Her voice had changed too. All -tension had gone from it. The ragged edges of conflict had disappeared. -She seemed to be mistress of the situation, and to know it. - -Jake came from the kitchen. "I pick up vibrations," he announced, his -voice shrill. - -"Get into the kitchen," Cal ordered, as the lieutenant raised his gun. - -"But I'm only trying to tell you something." - -"I'm telling you something, get back into that kitchen!" Cal ordered. - -Jake's gaze went murkily around the room but it was obvious that he -was giving more attention to some internal sight or sound than to the -people present. - -"Git," Cal shouted. - -Jake backed from the doorway. - -The lieutenant lowered the muzzle of the gun. He barked an order to the -men with him, who arranged themselves with their backs to the wall. The -officer moved toward the fire, where he settled himself in a chair. - -"You," he said. "Take off my boots!" - -He was speaking to Zen. Kurt measured the distance to the lieutenant's -jaw. Out of the corners of his eyes, he noted the positions of the -Asian soldiers. - -"Odds are too great," he thought. "Stay alive now. Maybe your turn will -come." - -As he started to kneel, he bumped into Nedra, who was already on the -floor unbuckling the officer's boots. - -"If you would rather do it, I would rather have you do it," the -lieutenant said, smirking. - -"It is a privilege, sir," the girl said. She pulled off the heavy boot -and began to peel off the thick sock. - -The probability that she had saved Kurt Zen's life was very great. He -felt a surge of anger at his own helplessness. - -The feeling of cold at the marrow of his bones was appearing again. -It was stronger now. He noticed that Cal's hands were trembling. The -teeth of one of the soldiers standing against the wall were chattering -audibly. A second soldier looked as if he were about to go to sleep. - -Zen discovered as he yawned that he was getting sleepy too. Along -with the cold creeping outward from his bones was a sensation of -mental fogginess that was very close to sleep. The lieutenant, sitting -directly in front of him, was nodding. - -Everybody was getting sleepy! Why? Had some subtle, odorless gas been -introduced into the room? What gas? Who had introduced it? - -_Crash!_ - -The rifle in the hands of the nodding soldier slid out of his grasp and -struck the floor, exploding as it hit. The slug ripped a hole through -the wall, passing within a foot of the lieutenant's head. - -The Asian officer was instantly on his feet. He spun to face the sound. - -The soldier who had dropped the rifle slid forward on the floor and lay -there, snoring. - -As he saw what had happened, the face of the lieutenant settled into a -grim mask. He pressed the trigger of the automatic weapon he carried. -The gun burped violently. The sleeping soldier jerked as the heavy -slugs crashed into his body. A little trickle of blood ran from his -nose and collected in a small pool on the floor. The man died where he -lay. - -"_Yen thotem ke vos!_" the lieutenant snarled. Two of the soldiers -left their position against the wall and lifted the body of their dead -comrade. The third remained motionless against the wall while they -carried the dead man out. - -"If you go to sleep on me!" the lieutenant said, to the third soldier. -His meaning was clear. The soldier shook his head. He understood what -his officer meant. Terror was in him. But something else was in him too. - -Zen watched the soldier fight this something else. Slowly, he let the -butt of his rifle slide to the floor. He had enough intelligence and -enough strength left not to drop the weapon. He set it against the -wall. Then he sat down beside it. - -He was making every possible effort to resist sleep, but in spite of -everything he could do, he was losing this fight. Slowly, a fraction -of an inch at a time, his head slid forward. Finally it dropped on his -arms that were folded across his knees. He began snoring. - -The face of the lieutenant was that of a frightened tiger from the -depths of the Assam jungles. The muzzle of the gun swung to cover the -sleeping soldier. A split second passed during which this Asian was on -the verge of joining his ancestors. - -Realizing finally that this man could not be held accountable for his -inability to stay awake, the lieutenant held his fire. He jerked up -his head to stare around the room. His face was that of a tiger who -suspects it has been caught in a trap but is not yet certain of the -nature of the device it has been snared in. His eyes came to focus on -Cal. - -"I--I swear--" The ragged man's voice was a thick mutter that did not -convey much meaning. Cal was sleepy too! - -"What have you done here?" - -"I--nothing. I have done nothing--and I know nothing--I am as surprised -as you." - -"You're a liar!" - -"No. Telling truth--" Cal's head had sagged downward toward his chest -and his voice was getting thicker and more groggy. With an effort of -will, he snapped his head up. "I--don't know. Something.... Yes! Never -heard of anything like it before.... Hell, lieutenant, it's getting me -too!" - -Cal's head sagged forward on his chest. "So sleepy ... so tired ... -gotta take a nap...." His knees sagging, Cal lay down on the floor. He -cuddled his head on one arm. - -The lieutenant spoke, but the grunt that came from his lips was not a -growl. Soon, he, too, was fast asleep. - -Kurt and Nedra were the only two people who were able to remain -awake. The nurse was making desperate efforts to resist this strange -sleepiness. Swaying on her feet, she turned toward Zen. He caught her -in his arms. - -"What's happening?" She sounded like a tired little girl. - -"I don't know," Zen answered. - -"Why is everybody going to sleep? Is it bedtime?" - -"It must be." - -"Are you sleepy, too?" Her voice was a tired whisper. - -"I never was so sleepy before in my life," Kurt answered. - -"Then why don't we--just take a little nap?" Nedra murmured. The way -she spoke, this was the most reasonable suggestion that had ever been -offered. Sagging into his arms, she would have fallen if he had not -caught her. Gently, he eased her to the floor. Her chest rose and fell -in a regular rhythm. - -If there was one thing Kurt wanted to do it was to lie down on the -floor and go to sleep, too. Every organ in his body, every cell, every -molecule seemed to cry out that sleep was needed. He felt his knees -begin to sag, his head to droop. It seemed to him that all strength was -going out of his body, that his muscles could no longer hold him erect. - -"Stay awake!" someone snarled at him. He was startled to realize it was -his own voice that had spoken the words. He was even more startled by -the fury in the tones. - -His knees continued to sag. In spite of everything he could do to -prevent it, his body continued on its way to the floor. The muscles in -his long legs seemed to have turned into rubber. He went down to his -knees but caught himself on his hands. - -The impulse to continue the rest of the way to the floor was like a -tidal wave. Every thought in his mind was on the desirability of sleep. -How wonderful it would be to take a nap, to rest, to dream, to wake no -more. - -With a strength that was born of desperation, he fought this impulse. A -battle began inside his body, a conflict that seemed to involve every -brain cell and every nerve ending, and finally every muscle group. Pain -came up as muscle fought muscle, as nerve cell fought nerve cell, as -one part of the brain fought another part. He tried to force his body -to rise to its feet again. - -All he could do was grunt. - -"Stand up!" he snarled at himself. - -His body quivered and twisted but did not move. He repeated the command -to himself. The effect was to increase the conflict. And the pain. -He had never known such agony. It rolled through him like a series of -tidal waves. - -_Click!_ - -What happened took place so suddenly that it seemed to occur outside of -time. - - - - -VII - - -Instantly, as the click sounded, he was outside his body, looking down -at it. The pain was gone. The conflicting muscle pulls were gone. Or he -was no longer aware of them. He understood that the latter was the true -explanation. - -"Stand up," he said, to his body. - -His body obeyed this order. It rose from its hands and knees and stood -upon its feet. - -This fact did not surprise Kurt Zen. He had known it would happen. This -was the way things were. The essence of him, the consciousness that was -above the body, was never surprised. - -"Stop trembling," he said, silently, to his body. - -Instantly the tremors vanished. The body knew its master. - -Kurt Zen also knew that he now had a choice. He could go back into that -body. Or he could go--elsewhere. But he knew where he was needed most. - -_Click!_ - -The way he went back into his body was like turning a switch. One -instant, he was inside, looking through his eyes, hearing through his -ears. - -He moved quickly, snatching the gun from the lieutenant's grasp. -Another instant and he had the weapons of the soldiers. He flung these -into the corner. Then he grabbed Cal's gun from the floor where the -ragged man had dropped it. - -At this point, he saw that Nedra was sitting up and was watching him. -The expression on her face was that of a sleepy small girl awakening in -the morning. Only this small girl did not quite succeed in looking as -if she had been asleep. Her eyes were too wide open and she looked much -too alert. - -"Hello," Zen said. "So you decided to call off the sham." The thought -popped into his mind and the words out of his mouth before he could -stop them. - -"Did you know?" she gasped. - -"Of course I did," Zen stoutly insisted. "When you went to sleep, I -knew it was a trick designed to lure me by suggestion into the belief -that I was sleepy, too." - -"Then why did you let me do it?" - -"I wanted to see how far you would go," he answered. "Come on. Let's -get out of here." - -"What about them? Are they shamming too?" She pointed to the bodies on -the floor. - -"They're up there, watching," he said, gesturing toward the ceiling. He -laughed. - -Owlishly, she stared at him. "I do believe you are out of your mind, -colonel." - -"It helps," he said. "Come on. Let's make tracks." - -"That's a splendid idea, colonel. Except for one thing." - -"What's that?" - -She pointed to the sleeping lieutenant. "He said he had left some men -with a machine gun." - -"Damn! I had forgotten that. However, that is a problem that can be -solved." - -"How?" - -"This way." He moved to the heavy machine gun mounted at the window so -that its muzzle covered the street. He had his finger on the trigger -and was searching the street when he realized that she was pulling at -his arm and speaking to him. "What?" he said. - -"No," she answered. Her voice was very firm. - -"Are you out of your mind?" he demanded. - -"We don't have to shoot them," she replied. - -"Why not?" - -"Because they are already taken care of." - -"Eh? How do you know?" - -"I know." - -"Then you also know how these men here were put to sleep?" His voice -had the sound of steel on stone. - -She faced him without fear. "Yes." - -"You did it?" - -"No." - -"Then who did?" - -"Come and I will show you." - -"Hunh!" Zen grunted. He made up his mind without hesitation. Starting -toward the back door, he discovered that she was going out the front. -"But that door is probably covered," he protested. - -She opened it without answering his protest. Going through it, Zen -thought the night outside was far colder than it had any right to be. -Nedra moved without hesitation. Fifty yards away from the house a -machine gun mounted on a tripod was set up in the street. Two men were -lying on the ground beside it. In the quiet night, Zen could hear them -snoring. - -"All right," he said. "I have to admit you knew what you were talking -about. But if you didn't do this, who did?" - -"Just a minute and you will have an answer to your question," she -replied. - -A block beyond the machine gun, a tall figure lounged in the doorway of -a ruined building. - -"Hi, kids," he said. - -At the first sound of the deep bass voice Zen knew that this was West. -The craggy man nodded to him. West did not seem in the least surprised -to see Zen. - -"What the hell are you doing here?" Zen said. - -"I had business here," West said, in a tone of voice that made Zen feel -like an errant schoolboy being reproved by a kind, but firm, teacher. - -"Did you make those people go to sleep?" Zen continued. - -"Has somebody been sleeping?" West answered. "Hmm." - -"Yes," Zen said. - -"Did you run into some difficulty?" West asked Nedra. He ignored Zen. - -"Sort of," the girl answered. "The fact is, I almost got raped. I was -afraid I wasn't going to reach you." - -"I was busy and didn't pick you up at first," the craggy man said. His -voice was a rumble of sound in the darkness. He did not seem surprised -when she mentioned what had almost happened. "The colonel followed you, -eh?" - -"Yes. I told you he would." - -"How did you know I would follow you?" Zen demanded. With the -lieutenant's gun in his hands, he felt very secure. - -"Any woman would know that," Nedra answered. Her laugh tinkled in the -darkness. Finding Zen's arm, she squeezed it. "He is one of the new -people," she said, to West. - -Zen wished he could have sunk into the ground. The craggy man did not -seem surprised. "Hmm," he said again. "That is nice." Reserve seemed to -have appeared in the bass tones. - -"Let's get inside," Nedra suggested. "It's been a hard day and I'm so -tired I feel as if I'm walking on my leg bones instead of my feet." - -"Sorry," West said, without moving. - -"What's wrong?" Nedra asked. Alarm suddenly appeared in her voice. -"Don't you believe he is actually one of us? I told you he was." - -"I did not say I disbelieved you. But what if you are mistaken?" - -"I can't be mistaken. He followed me, didn't he? That proves I'm right." - -"Men have been following women since Bhumi started turning," West -replied. "What if you are wrong?" - -"Oh," the nurse said, a falling inflection in her voice. - -"In that case, who would shoot him?" West continued. - -"Oh," the nurse said. Her voice fell lower still. - -"You know the rules. We cannot have anyone except true mutants." - -"Yes." - -"In case someone brings in a person who is not a true mutant, it is the -duty of the person who introduced the interloper to dispose of him." - -"I know," Nedra said. - -"In this case, it would be up to you to shoot the colonel," West -continued. "Could you do it?" - -"Well, I wouldn't want to--" The reluctance in her voice was very -strong. "But I would do it." - -"I hope I don't have to hold you to your promise," West said. "But in -that case, come on, both of you. That is, if the colonel wishes." - -"You can't kid me," Zen said. "Neither of you are capable of shooting -anybody." He spoke fearlessly but he felt a trace of doubt. Not one of -the new people had ever betrayed their group. This indicated something. -"Lead on. I'm following." - -Nedra found Zen's arm. - -"Would you cry, after you had shot me?" Zen asked. - -"Y--yes." - -"But that wouldn't keep you from shooting me?" - -"No." - -"Well, that would be nice, anyhow, though I do not see what good it -would do me." - -"You sound as if you wouldn't care," the girl said. - -"There are times when I am sure death would be a blessed relief." -Zen meant every word he said. "That life down there," he jerked his -thumb to indicate the lower ranges and the plains so far below, "gets -tiresome. That's an understatement, if I ever made one." - -The nurse was silent. "Yes, I understand," she said at last. "It was -that way with me, once." - -"How much farther before we get to--Hell, where are we going anyhow?" -Zen blurted out. - -"To the center here," Nedra answered. - -"Um," Zen said. He wanted to say something else but he decided he'd -better be careful. - -West led them into an old tunnel which bored straight into the side of -the mountain. - - - - -VIII - - -"Is the center in here?" Zen asked. - -"Of course," Nedra answered. - -"But why haven't Cal and his buddies found it?" - -"They don't even know we exist," Nedra explained. "And if they did, for -some reason they wouldn't like to come into the tunnels." - -"In effect, the tunnel is wired," West said. - -"Do you mean they would get a jolt of high voltage electricity if they -ventured in here?" - -"Nothing as crude as that," the craggy man replied. "However, at two -places, high frequency generators are built into the walls and hidden -in such a manner that a person entering the tunnel is saturated with -their radiations, which trigger the adrenals in his body. The result of -this is that he suddenly feels very much afraid." - -"Eh?" Zen said, startled. "A fear generator?" - -"In effect, it is that." - -"But that would be a very powerful weapon." - -"Yes, it would," the craggy man said, his voice dry. - -"If you could generate such radiations in sufficient intensity and -cover a large enough area with them, you could panic a division, -perhaps even an army." Excitement was in Zen's voice. He knew that -the scientists were desperately searching for a new weapon that might -possibly end the war. Perhaps here was such a weapon. - -"It might work that way," West admitted. - -"Does the government know about this?" - -"I believe not." - -"Who invented it?" - -"I believe Jal Jonner is generally credited with being the inventor," -West said. - -"Oh," Zen answered, and was silent. Jonner's name had become a legend -of the days when there were giants in the Earth, mighty men whose -thinking had gone beyond the concept of nations to envision one race, -beyond the creeds of churches to see one faith, and beyond the dogma of -economics to state that as long as one hungry man existed on the face -of the earth, no man with a full dinner in front of him was free to eat -his meal in peace and safety. Jonner's thinking had also gone beyond -one planet to see one solar system--and beyond that, one universe. - -"Here is the first generator," West said. He flicked the beam of his -flashlight against the walls. "Of course, there isn't anything to see. -But you may feel something." - -As the intelligence agent moved forward, a sudden surge of fear came -boiling up from his middle. It was a wild emotion and it carried with -it a blasting sense of great peril, of death. Instantly, thoughts -flashed through his mind of the first time he had ever been under shell -fire, the scream of artillery shells, the blasts of the explosions, the -shaking of the earth. - -As the surge of fear shot upward from his middle, he felt his body jerk -and start to tremble. "Run!" a voice screamed inside him. "Get away -from here! Run for your life!" - -He caught the impulse to flee, held it in check. It was like trying to -hold back a tidal wave. "This is an interesting effect," he said. "Does -the generator have the same effect on all people?" - -West grunted and walked ahead without answering the question. Zen -thought the grunt held an approving tone. Nedra squeezed his arm but -said nothing. - -The craggy man did not point out the second generator, but Zen felt -the radiations hit him, stronger than before. He was mentally prepared -this time, but his body wasn't. He felt his muscles tie themselves -into knots. The impulse to run was a screaming ululation of mad wolf -intensity pouring into his consciousness. - -Zen kept on walking. As abruptly as he had entered it, he was out of -the radiation zone. Up ahead of him, West did not grunt or change his -pace. Except for Nedra's fingers digging into his arm, Zen had no -indication that either felt the radiation. What kind of people were -they, to be able to walk through hell and be uninfluenced by it? Zen -wondered as he wiped sweat off his forehead. - -Ahead, West grunted and played his light on the side wall. The craggy -man grunted again. On the right, the side wall began to swing back -as a door opened there. From the tunnel the wall looked like solid -stone, but as the door opened, the back was seen to be made of metal. A -lighted tunnel leading to a large gallery lay beyond. - -"Enter," West said. - -"Who did all of this?" Zen inquired. - -"Jal Jonner took over the title to this old mine. He and his men sealed -off the deeper tunnels, enlarged them, provided an air supply, built -laboratories and living quarters, and made a comfortable hidden world -here." - -Zen felt he should have known better than to ask. According to these -people, Jal Jonner had done everything, except lay the foundations of -the world. "I see," the colonel said. "He did all of this before he -died." None of the reports he had read had mentioned this activity, or -had even hinted at it, but he did not see fit to mention this. - -"No," West denied. - -"But you just said--" - -"He did it after he died," the craggy man explained. - -"Huh?" Zen said. "Pardon me, but I did not seem to hear you clearly. I -thought you said he did this after he died." - -"That's what I said. That's what he did." The craggy man's voice was -calm. - -"I--uh--" Zen hastily changed his mind about the words he was going to -use. Secretly he was wondering if West was hopelessly insane. How could -a dead man build anything? "You understand that I am not too familiar -with what actually happened. Sorry and all that but I simply haven't -had to learn." - -"I understand," West said. "You don't need to apologize. You will learn -here." - -"Good," Zen said. He doubted if he felt better because his explanation -had been accepted. West's last words had an ominous ring to them. - -"Your lack of familiarity with Jonner's history is very obvious," West -continued. - -"But if he was dead--" - -"He didn't die," West patiently explained. "He was buried. A handsome -monument was erected over his grave. But he wasn't in the grave." - -"Son-of-a-gun!" Zen said. "Why all the fol-de-rol?" - -"To deceive curious intelligence agents," West said, with no humor in -his voice. - -Zen ignored the ironic threat. He was inside, this was what mattered. -Also the idea of one of the world's foremost scientists--and Jonner -had been exactly that--hiding himself away here where he could work -undisturbed with others who shared his dream, intrigued him. Or had -that dream been a grim prognostication of the way things were to be on -the surface of the third planet out from the sun? Had the work here -been an effort to escape that future? Was this underground cavern -really a modern Ark, dug into the heart of a mountain so that at least -a few humans might escape the deluge by fire? - -Had a modern Noah appeared and not been recognized? - -The thought shocked Kurt Zen. Somewhere he had read a prediction that -Earth would be destroyed by fire. Here was evidence that possibly at -least one human being had taken that prediction seriously enough to -build a bomb-and-radiation-proof shelter! - -"You seem to be thinking seriously," West observed. - -"Perhaps for the first time in my life, I am doing exactly that. My -brain seems to be trying to spin." - -"Ah? Are you surprised at what you find here?" - -"No. That is, not much. Mostly, I'm pleased." - -"Good." West seemed satisfied. "Here comes John to greet us." - -The craggy man's face lit up as a tall youth emerged from an adjoining -tunnel and came forward to meet them. His greeting to West had respect -in it, he merely glanced at Zen, but it was the nurse who commanded and -held his interest. - -"Nedra! You're back!" - -"Of course I'm back, John." As if this were the most natural thing -to do, Nedra allowed herself to be taken in John's arms. West smiled -benevolently at the two. Zen carefully looked in the other direction. - -"This is Colonel Kurt Zen, John," West said, when the two had finished -kissing. - -The tall youth extended his hand and said he was glad to meet Kurt. His -face was brown, his cheeks were lean and slightly hollow, but his eyes -were clear and his grip was firm without being bone-crushing. - -"I imagine Kurt is rather tired," West said. "If you would find -quarters for him, John--" - -"Glad to do it," the tall youth said. "Come with me, Kurt." - -Zen nodded goodnight to Nedra and to West and followed John away. He -was tired down to the bottom of his thick-soled boots. Fatigue lay in -layers through his muscles and along his nerve trunks. He knew he was -keeping himself from collapsing only by an effort of will. - -"I'll give you my room," John said. - -"I couldn't think of depriving you of your quarters, old fellow," Zen -protested. - -"It's no deprivation. Besides, I'll be with Nedra." - -"Um," Zen said. The jealousy he felt almost made him forget how tired -he was. - -The room was as bare as the cell of a monk. The bed was a double decker -with the top deck covered with books. It was hand-made, of rough pine -posts, and the springs were cords. There was no mattress. And no -pillow. A reading lamp was at the head. - -"Hope you're comfortable here," the tall youth said. "Is there anything -I can get for you?" - -"Nothing. But you might show me the little boy's room." - -"Are you still on that level?" The tall youth seemed genuinely -surprised. - -"Yes," Zen said. Then, as the implications back of the question caught -him, "Aren't you on the same level? I mean, don't you go?" - -"Well, yes," John answered. Embarrassment reddened his face. "But -you're older than I am, and I thought perhaps you--" His voice trailed -off into silence as his embarrassment grew. - -"You thought what?" Zen continued. - -"Well, that--" The youth became flustered, then seemed to become -irritated with himself for being flustered, then for being irritated. -Zen watched the emotional reaction build higher and higher. He could -see no possible importance in the emotional response of the tall kid -except that the kid had intimated that he might be spending the night -with Nedra. Would people who didn't use toilets spend nights together? -If they did, what would they do? Talk about the beauties of flowers and -read poetry to each other? Zen sniffed silently to himself, to show his -contempt for such antics. - -"I'll show you where to go," John said, suddenly. - -Zen followed the tall youth out of the room and into a short tunnel -which led to a large gallery. Here the old-time miners had found a -sizeable body of ore. The gallery had been cleared of refuse and a -number of small rooms had been dug into the walls, the whole place -being illumined by a fluorescent paint that covered the walls. The -color of the light was a misty blue and the whole big gallery seemed -to float in this light, creating an effect that was breath-takingly -beautiful. - -In the first room they passed a naked young woman who was going through -gymnastic exercises in time to slow music. At the sight of her lithe, -brown body bending and swaying in time to slow music, Zen whistled -appreciatively through his teeth. She was almost enough to make him -forget Nedra. - -In another room a fat youth was reading a book. He was lying flat on -the floor. In a third, a skinny young man with skin the color of old -ivory was sitting cross-legged before a shrine. His features were as -immobile as a statue of Buddha. The same faint smile seemed painted on -his face. - -In another room a beautiful young woman was undressing preparatory to -retiring. She hadn't bothered to close the door. - -"What the hell is this, a glorified whorehouse?" Zen blurted out. - -"A _whore house_? What's that?" John asked. - -His manner made Zen feel like apologizing for having used such words in -his presence. "Never mind. I withdraw the question. Who keeps tab on -where the boys and the girls spend the night?" - -"No one," John answered, astonished. "Is somebody supposed to?" He was -startled at the idea. "Oh, you are concerned about sex. You are also -new here. Sex is no problem here, as you will learn." - -"No problem? Don't you engage in it?" - -"We have other, and more important things, to do," John answered. His -words were lofty but his tone was kind. - -Zen heard the words but he filed mental reservations about accepting -their meaning. Silently he wondered if these kids had all their -marbles. Apparently they had not even learned about the birds and the -bees. - -"Anything else I can tell you?" John asked. - -"You've already told me too much," Zen answered. "I'm afraid to ask you -any more questions." - -The toilet had no flush plumbing. _After use, press the button_, a sign -above it said. Zen did just that. No sound of running water followed -but the colonel had the dim impression that intensely bright light had -flared for a moment. He did not have the courage to look and see what -had happened. - -In some ways, this toilet which disposed of its contents in a flash of -light was more significant and possibly more productive of concern than -Cuso's blooper or Cuso's lieutenant had been. If the new people found -it convenient to disintegrate their sewage, rather than dispose of it -by the conventional method, what else could they do? - -Zen shook his head to indicate to himself how amazed he was. John -thought he wanted more information and started to ask a question, which -the colonel hastily interrupted. "Don't tell me any more. There are -limits to what my liver and lights will stand." - -"What have your liver and lights to do with this?" - -"Nothing at all. That was only a figure of speech." - -As they returned through the gallery, he saw that the bronze girl was -still going through her rhythmic dance in time to the slow music. The -sight of that perfectly formed nude body slowly swaying in the small -room sent such a surge of excitement through Kurt Zen that he hastily -turned his eyes away. If he was going to live in this place very long, -they would have to make some new rules. How could any human being stay -in bed alone when that beautiful bronze creature was going through her -swaying dance? - -"What is she doing, learning to be a strip-tease dancer?" he asked. - -"Perfect muscular control. This is one of the exercises we all learn," -John answered. "What's a strip-tease dancer?" - -"Nothing you ever heard of," Zen answered. "But while she is developing -her muscular control, what is she doing to the endocrinal system of -every male in the place?" - -"Not a thing," John said, astonished again. - -Zen had grave doubts that the tall youth knew what he was talking about. - -John selected a single book from the top of the double-decker bed, and -anxiously inquired if there was anything more he could do to make the -colonel comfortable for the night. Upon being told there was not, he -departed with the book. Zen thought of the book benignly. If the tall -youth was going to spend the night with Nedra, at least there would be -a book between them. - -He slid off his heavy pack and set the lieutenant's sub-machine gun -where he could reach it readily. His counter told him there was no -radioactivity present. - -Books were in a niche in the stone wall behind the bed. The author of -one caught his eye: Jal Jonner. - -The name was enough to hold his attention. Jonner was known to have -written books, but few had survived. Even the Library of Congress did -not have them, but there was no Library of Congress in any sense of the -word any more. When Washington had left the planet, the Library had -gone with it. - -Glancing at the introduction, Zen forgot all about his fatigue and -where he was. One glance at the words and he knew he was in contact -with the living waters of life itself. - - - _INTRODUCTION_ - - _In the beginning, I am going to make an inaccurate statement. I - am going to say that the reading of this book may open a new life - for you. Now let me explain why this statement is inaccurate._ - - _In the first place, it is inaccurate because this is not the - start of your life. That took place millions of years ago--more - millions of years than I care to mention here._ - - _So your life did not start with the reading of these words.--Now - as to the use of the word "new." This, also is inaccurate. To you, - the ideas expressed here may seem novel and new. But they are not - new in the sense that they have just been created, or even that I - have created them. They were implicit in the formation of the - first molecule of protoplasm that came into existence on this - planet. They are, therefore, as old as life._ - - _The pattern which you may, or may not follow, was laid down in - the first molecule of protoplasm which appeared on this planet, - as the Law of Growth._ - - _However, there is no law which requires that one species on this - planet, or even all combined species, the total life spectrum - here, shall survive to grow to full stature. The possibility of - growth is implicit in every form of life; it is latent, and - capable of development, in every species. However, the species - that fails to take advantage of the opportunity thus offered, if - it fails to develop its potential, must inevitably give earth room - to the species which is developing. In their day, the dinosaurs - ruled the planet. They had their chance, but they failed to - develop._ - - _Where, now, are the dinosaurs?_ - - _The Law is--Grow or Die. THIS LAW ALSO APPLIES TO MAN._ - - _This book may be regarded as a primer, a starting point of your - adventure into the coming development of man. It is the first text - book that you will receive. It is the beginning of the way._ - - _How much progress you make upon the way, how well you master the - law of growth, is, in large measure, up to you. You will receive - assistance, sometimes without your knowledge, but it will not be - the kind of assistance that will retard or weaken your - development. The new people will not be helped--too much! Strength - is required of them and strength is only achieved by overcoming - obstacles._ - - _The next upward step that the race takes--if it survives its own - self-destructive impulses--will be of such a nature as to require - the utmost in strength and courage from those who participate in - it._ - - _This step, it is fair to state, is in the direction of a higher - development of consciousness._ - - _Good luck--and God go with you._ - - _Jal Jonner_ - _The Big Sur_ - _July 1971_ - -Written in 1971, the book was now 49 years old, Zen decided after a -rapid calculation. The war had started in 2009. The time was now 2020. - -Eagerly, he turned to the first chapter. It seemed to him that his life -was just beginning, that everything that had ever happened to him and -all that he had ever done was in preparation for this moment, when life -would begin. - -After reading two pages, he reached the conclusion that, if this was -a primer, the text that was to follow must be difficult indeed. The -book started with mathematics that was twice as difficult as calculus. -Trying to concentrate, he found the symbols blurring before his eyes. -Then, as fatigue finally overwhelmed him, the whole page blurred and -was gone. He was asleep. - -But he wasn't really asleep. The body slept. But he was not the body. -He was the consciousness that animated the body. This never slept. - -He awakened at the touch of a hand on his shoulder. - - - - -IX - - -Coming back to conscious awareness, Kurt Zen simultaneously realized -that something which he had been experiencing, and which had been very -important, faded out of his memory like a gray ghost sliding silently -away into a pearl-colored mist. - -Nedra was shaking him by the shoulder and was smiling down at him. -"Wake up, sleepy head. You've been snoozing for eighteen hours. That -ought to be enough even for a growing boy like you." - -Her face was radiant and alive. She looked as if she had just stepped -out of a cold shower and had rubbed her beautiful body with a rough -towel to bring the blood close to the surface of the skin. - -"You look wonderful," Zen muttered, remembering what John had hinted. -"Did you have a good night's sleep?" - -"A couple of hours." - -"No more than that?" - -"I needed no more." - -"Mm?" Zen said. He started to add another word, "Alone?" but managed -to catch the question before it was out of his mouth. He examined her -thoughtfully. "You look very contented," he said, without adding that -in his experience women who looked so contented had only one reason for -it. - -"Why shouldn't I look contented? After spending so much time in the -wilderness, I'm back on the stairway to heaven." - -"What's the wilderness?" - -"The world down below." She swept her hand in a gesture that included -the unseen ranges and the plains below. - -"Ah, yes," he yawned himself to wakefulness. "I was reading the most -fascinating book before I dropped off to sleep. Here. I'll show you." - -The book was not on his blanket. It was not in the wall niche. Nor was -it behind the bed. "Hey, it's gone," he said. His eyes went around the -room. He discovered other things that were missing. "The lieutenant's -gun! And my pack!" - -"Perhaps you just dreamed you had been reading a book." - -"I didn't dream the gun and the pack. I carried both of them in here." - -"I can explain about them. They were taken." - -"Hunh? Why?" - -"Weapons are not permitted here. Your gun and your pack were both taken -for this reason." - -"Hunh?" A growl came unbidden into his voice. He put these items out -of his mind with the resolve to speak to someone about them at a later -time. Something more important had happened. What was it? A memory of -his dream flicked through his mind but was gone before he could grasp -it. A frown on his face, he said, "I know--" As he tried to speak, what -he had intended to say slid out of his mind. - -"You know what?" Nedra asked. - -"Everything." - -Her face showed surprise. "This is a great deal for one man to know. -Are you sure?" - -"Yes." - -"Positive?" - -"Hell, yes!" - -An emotion that was like a curtain opening and closing slipped across -her face. "Well, in that case, tell me things." - -"I would, except I can't remember 'em." - -Doubt came into the violet eyes. "What you need is some breakfast. Your -blood sugar levels are too low. Breakfast will take care of that." Her -voice was firm and sure. - -"That's one thing I need," Zen said, his voice equally firm. "But there -is one thing I don't need--an examination by a head shrinker." - -"A what?" - -"A psycho," he explained. "I call 'em head shrinkers because that -is what they do. Oh, maybe I need such an examination but I have no -intention of submitting to it." - -Breakfast consisted of cornmeal mush, fried to a golden brown, and -served with butter and honey. There was no coffee but he had long since -learned to do without it. He ate ravenously. "I'm hungry right down to -the marrow of my bones," he said. "Where does all this grub come from?" - -"We get it," Nedra answered evasively. - -"What do you do, raid the low country for supplies, like Cuso's men?" - -"No, colonel, hardly that. We are not thieves." Her face showed -displeasure. - -"Well, where do you get it? I don't know how many of you are here, but -if you have as many as a hundred, keeping this place supplied calls for -some doing." He was fishing for information on the number of people -hidden in this old mine. - -"Actually, very little food is needed." - -"How come, don't they eat?" - -"Are you reading my mind?" the girl demanded. "If so, you might as -well learn right now that this is not considered good manners here!" -Momentarily, she was angry. "And besides, if you do it again, I'll -close off my thoughts to you." - -Zen, with a forkful of mush halfway to his mouth, was so surprised that -he tried to speak and to swallow the mush at the same time, with the -result that he choked. The inference back of her words opened up wide -horizons of speculative thought. Was mind reading actually commonplace -here? - -"I'm sorry you choked," Nedra said. She pounded him on the back. - -"Why don't you put me over your shoulder and burp me?" Zen complained. -"Lay off with that pounding." - -"Do you feel you really need burping?" - -"Aw, shut up," Zen answered. If she thought he had read her mind, -did this mean that she was actually capable of reading his thoughts? -Could all of these people read his mind? Had the nude bronze girl -going through the rhythmic exercises known what he was thinking about -her. Zen felt himself coloring. It was one thing to have the normal -libidinous impulses of the male but it was quite another thing to have -every woman know what he was thinking about her. - -"Colonel, I do believe you are blushing," Nedra said, a twinkle in her -eyes. - -"I am not," Zen said. "Actually I was wondering--" - -"Whether or not I could read your mind? I told you it was not good -manners here." - -"Good manners or not, you seemed to know what I was thinking." - -"It isn't necessary to read your mind to know what you are thinking if -a pretty woman is concerned," Nedra said, primly. "Your thoughts are -written on your face." - -"Uh!" For a moment, his confusion grew. Her understanding was much too -acute. Was she playing games, making fun? If so, this was a game that -two could play. "In that case, since you already know about me--how -about it?" he said, looking boldly at her. - -She understood his meaning. For a moment, the violet eyes showed -sadness. They seemed to indicate that she was disappointed in him, that -she had hoped for much better from him. Then a sparkle came into them. -"I told you once before--" - -"Yeah, I know. You are going to wash out my mind with soap. But let's -not do it right now. I'm still hungry." - -"You are one of the most perplexing men I have ever met," Nedra said, -as she rose to fill his plate again. "Also one of the fastest--" - -"I thought we were going to stay away from that subject," he protested. - -"I intended to say fastest on his mental feet," she answered. "And if -you don't stop interrupting me to make a play on words, I'm going to -give you a hit on the head. After that, Sam wants to see you." - -"Sam, huh?" he said, with no real enthusiasm in his voice. Somehow -this morning, he did not relish seeing the craggy man. But there was -the matter of the missing pack and gun to be taken up with someone in -authority. He suspected that West was that person. - -The craggy man was alone in the room to which Nedra took him when he -had finished breakfast. West was standing with his back to them as -they entered, staring out of a picture window that was set flush with -the wall of the building. Turning, he nodded to them, then motioned -to them to come and stand beside him. Kurt Zen looked out on one of -the most breath-takingly beautiful scenes he had ever seen. Directly -below them the cliff dropped away for hundreds of feet, a blank wall -of sheer rock. To the left, climbing up into the sky, was the peak of -the mountain, solid granite. They were just at the edge of timberline -here. Lower, the trees began: spruce, fir, and aspen, marching downward -tier on tier over a series of rolling hills that concealed more than -they revealed. In the distance was the front range, a towering sweep of -mountains that looked small but which Zen knew to be rugged country. He -had climbed them too recently to have any doubts as to how high they -were. And how rugged. - -In the far distance cumulus clouds were visible, thunder-storms beyond -the mountains. - -"_Thy purple mountain's majesty above the fruited plain...._" - -The words of the song came unbidden into Kurt's mind. Down below him -was--America. Or what was left of it. A pang came up in his throat at -the thought and he felt muscles pull and knot in his stomach. He had -loved this land. - -America had stood for freedom. Her sons had fought for it, on -battlefields in every corner of the earth, from sun-baked equatorial -Africa to the freezing bitter steppes of Central Asia. While her sons -had found graves, fighting for freedom, something had happened to the -freedom for which they fought. - -Nobody knew quite what had happened, but it had gone away. Possibly -it had been lost as emergency followed emergency on the international -scene, possibly it had been strangled in red tape as regulation -followed regulation on the national scene. The time had come in -America, too, as it had come to foreign lands, when all actions that -were not compulsory were forbidden. - -Thus freedom had died. - -"Do you feel as bad as all that, colonel?" West said softly. The man's -face was grave and each ridge on it seemed carved out of another and -harder kind of granite. - -"It seems such a shame," Zen said. "I loved this land. It was my -country. And I don't feel that I have to apologize for a gulp in my -tongue as I talk about it." - -"It is not necessary to apologize for loving one's own land, colonel," -West said, his voice softer still. "You are not alone." - -"Not alone?" Zen said. "From you, this talk sounds strange." - -"We have all loved this land, too, colonel, and the principles for -which it stood. That is why we are here." West's voice became softer -still, but the gravity in his face seemed to increase. - -"That is good talk," Zen said. "However, if I have learned one thing, -it is that talk is cheap. You are outlaws hiding here yet you talk of -loving the land that you have failed to serve." He felt his voice grate -as he spoke. - -"Bravely spoken, colonel," West applauded. A glint that might have -been appreciation and might have been the edge of hidden anger -showed in his eyes. "Particularly so since you are in the power of -these--ah--outlaws." - -"Very brave," Nedra agreed. "And very foolish." - -"You did not bring me here to tell me that I am in your power," Zen -answered. "Nor to comment on my bravery. Nor my foolishness." - -"I think he can read minds," Nedra said. - -"I do not in the least doubt it," West answered. "If he did not possess -this ability, or almost possess it, he would not be here." - -"I, in my turn, think both of you are nuts," Zen answered. "I'm not -putting on a mind-reading act." - -"Not consciously, colonel, of course," West agreed. "You think your -thoughts are your own. Often they are. But there are also times when -they have originated with somebody else. However, before you tell me -that I did not call you up here to discuss your mind-reading ability, -or lack of it, I will show you one reason why I wanted you. Take the -glasses, observe the ridge in the far distance, just under the pines. -Tell me what you see there." - -"Horses," Zen said. "No, mules. With riders. Cuso's men going out on a -raiding party looking for food, ammo, and women, if they can catch 'em." - -"Quite right, colonel. Except that they probably have the additional -duty of inspecting the damage their blooper did when it exploded." - -"I hope they inspect that damage from close range," Zen said fervidly. -"That area is hot. If they will only spend an hour or so--" He broke -off as he remembered that both Nedra and West had spent too much time -in the same hot zone. - -"They will not be that foolish," West said. - -"I know some people who were," Zen said. - -"Perhaps the area, at least on the fringes, was not as hot as you had -thought," West suggested. - -"My counter said it was," Zen answered. - -"Possibly your counter was in error. Now if you will come into this -room, colonel." West moved through an archway in the stone wall and -into another room, holding the heavy draperies aside so Zen and Nedra -could enter. An opaque screen was set into the wall. Several chairs, -including one large seat with control buttons built into the arms, -were in this room. West closed the curtain over the arch through which -they had entered and motioned Zen to a chair. The craggy man slid into -the chair with the buttons on the arms. Nedra sat beside Zen. Relaxed -and at ease in the chair, she seemed to have forgotten that such -creatures as colonels of intelligence existed. West pushed a button. -Light flicked across the screen, danced an erratic pattern there, and -vanished. An image began to form. Firming, it increased in detail, and -became a city. - -Or what had once been a city. - -The place was blackened now, the buildings lying in ruins. Towers had -toppled, windows had broken, the ravages of fire were visible. Here -and there tall buildings had crumbled into streets that crossed and -criss-crossed each other at crazy angles. The rubble from the broken -buildings still lay where it had fallen. - -"Washington, by thunder!" Zen said. "This was their prime target. We -stopped their bombers cold but they eventually got through with a -guided missile. The city is still hot. You can see it right there on -the screen. Not a sign of life!" He became excited as he re-lived those -first mad moments when the Asian Federation had struck out of nowhere. -In this moment what little freedom that had remained in America had -been given up in the face of the seemingly more important necessity of -remaining alive. - -"Yes," West said. "Now what do you see?" - -The ruined Washington faded from the scene. As it faded, the broken -dome of the capitol building--its top had been blown off in the -blast--was revealed looking like a mysterious crater on the moon open -to the sea of space. - -Another city came on the screen, a mass of broken buildings where two -rivers met. - -"I think that's Pittsburgh," Zen said. "They were eager to hit us -there, to cut down on our industrial production potential. They got -Gary, Indiana, and South Chicago, for the same reason. In spite of -everything we could do to stop it, they eventually got through to our -major production centers. If we hadn't foreseen the possibility of this -happening, and had not spread our industry across the country, breaking -it up into small parts, they would have crippled us so badly before the -war even started that we would not have lasted long. However, even with -our production spread, when they hit the sources of our raw materials, -they hurt us--bad. Our stock piles gave out after a couple of years. -Since then we've been scavenging for metal wherever we can find it." - -"Yes. I know," West said. - -"Of course, while they were hurting us, we weren't exactly helping -them," Zen said. "We had a few guided missiles ready in their launching -racks ourselves. We weren't exactly defenseless." Pride came into his -voice as he spoke. - -"I agree with you there," West said. "Would you like to see some of our -results." - -"Hell, yes," Zen blurted out, surprised. "Our photo ships have never -gotten really good pics. Have to fly too high for that. Oh, we have -turned loose a flood of pics that purported to show how we had bombed -hell out of the enemy, but these were all re-touched, to boost public -morale. But--how does this radar work? Do you mean to tell me you can -actually see what is going on inside the country of the enemy?" Puzzled -wonder crept into his voice. Behind the feeling was a keen interest. If -he could use this radar to see into the country of the enemy, it was a -very important invention, though West did not seem to realize this. - -In war, information was always as important as weapons, and sometimes -more so. Knowledge of the enemy's troop dispositions, of his strength -and his weaknesses, was often more than half the battle. - -West did not answer. Another city swam into position on the screen. Zen -caught a glimpse of a single minaret standing among the bare ruins and -hazarded a guess as to the identity of the city. - -"Moscow?" - -"Yes." - -"Good. One of our fast planes sneaked over in full daylight, dumping -his load. When the photo plane passed over hours later, the city was -still burning. We really blasted the hell out of that dump!" - -"You sound pleased, colonel. Do you know how many millions of people -died directly or indirectly in that bomb explosion?" - -"How many millions died in Washington, Pittsburgh, and Chicago?" Zen -flared. - -"Granted," West answered. "But after the first man has been killed, -does it help the situation to kill a second? Or does killing the -second one merely make it more likely that a third one will have to be -destroyed?" - -"What the hell difference does it make? This is war." - -"That is also granted. However, the rules of life do not change because -men declare war." - -"Don't be so damned academic that you forget to be realistic. They were -striking at our heart," Zen said, bitterness deep in his voice. "Look, -we didn't seek this war. We did everything we could to prevent it. We -tried compromise, arbitration, placation, and everything else we could -think of. Nothing worked. They struck in the dark, without warning." As -he spoke, his bitterness turned into deep anger. - -"That is also granted," West said, while the ruined city was displayed -on the screen. "But does it make a great deal of difference?" - -Zen stared at the man, wondering what kind of a human he was. In the -dim room, it was difficult to make out West's features. "It makes all -the difference in the world. We believed in fairness. They ignored it. -We believed in a better world. They would plunge us back into the night -of barbarism. We believed in freedom. They wanted slaves. They set up a -slave state and threw armed slaves against free men. We had no choice -except to fight back." - -"I see nothing to argue in all you have said," West answered. "Nor -is it to my purpose to attempt to justify the actions of the western -democracies. They need no justification. Nor do the actions of the -Asian Federation need justification. In their eyes, they were right." -His voice was a low monotone of sound without the trace of an emotion -in it. - -"Then what is your purpose?" Zen demanded. - -"First, to point out that the human race is one organism. Viewed in -its totality, it is just that, an organism. All the billions of -individuals who compose it are cells in that organism." - -"I am familiar with that theory," Zen answered. "A few crackpots have -always insisted that we are a biological entity. But they have not -succeeded in proving this." - -"Haven't they?" West said. The slightest touch of irony appeared in his -voice. - -"Not so far as I know." - -"Is it possible, colonel, that you do not know everything?" West asked. - -"It is not only possible, it is obvious," Zen answered, unruffled by -the cutting question. "If I knew everything, I wouldn't be sitting here -talking to you. I would be out there winning a war." - -"The point I want to make, colonel, is that the human race is divided -against itself. Historically, this has been going on since remote ages. -War after war after war." - -"I do not see how America is responsible for the errors of history," -Zen said. "We tried to avoid them. God knows we tried." Emphasis crept -into his voice. - -"I did not say these were errors, colonel," West replied. "I merely -said they were history." - -"But what point are you making if not the one that wars are mistakes?" -Zen asked, surprised at the way the other's thinking had gone. - -"I am making the point that war seems to be the way the entity, the -human race as a whole, evolves. The method of evolution revealed by -history is the pitting of one part of the entity against another part, -then letting them fight it out to see which is the more efficient." A -touch of grimness sounded in the voice of the craggy man. In the dimly -lighted room, his face was as bleak--and as lonely--as the granite -outcropping at the top of a mountain. - -"This is a very savage philosophy," Kurt Zen commented. - -"If I may disagree with you again, colonel, I do not think that this -philosophy is necessarily savage. True, a great many men die in -fiendishly ingenious ways. A great many women and children suffer. -True, this system produces hunger in the world, and a fear so deep and -so intense that the heart is hurt even to contemplate it." - -"How can this be anything but savage?" Zen protested. "I don't care -whether our side or the other side is doing it--it's still total -savagery, utter barbarism!" - -"But that is a short-term view and one which does not take into -consideration all the factors in the equation. What is the purpose -back of this savagery, if it is not to force men to learn and to grow? -What if this so-called savagery is also the result of ignorance, of an -entity trying desperately to learn how to solve a problem, but never -quite succeeding?" - -"But surely there must be some way which does not involve so much -suffering," Zen protested. He was growing more and more uncomfortable. -It was his impression that he was shifting sides in the argument -without quite realizing he was doing it. Or perhaps West was the one -who was shifting sides. This side-changing was producing confusion in -his thinking. - -"I have harbored the same hope," West answered. "However, I know of no -way to accomplish this result. In a human being, we have a growing, -evolving organism that is possessed of a keen brain and a vast -curiosity. Such an organism, by its very nature, will have to try every -possible road." West pressed a button. - -Again the screen came to life. Dim and shadowy, human figures began to -move there. Kurt Zen leaned forward to see them more clearly. - - - - -X - - -At first, the figures were indistinct and Zen could not see them -clearly. He mentioned this to West. - -"They will get sharper in a minute," the craggy man answered. His voice -had sunk to a whisper heard from afar. Zen glanced at him to make -certain he was still there. The colonel had the flickering impression -that the chair was vacant but before the impression could firm itself, -West, faster than the eyes could follow, seemed to be back in the -chair. "Note the screen now, Kurt," West said. - -The figures had become clear. It seemed to be a view of some kind of -underground cavern where men were working on an object that looked -like--Zen squinted his eyes, to make certain. - -"A small space ship!" the colonel said. He felt eagerness rise in his -voice. Like so many kids born in the age of science, he had harbored -the dream of the days to come when men would fly beyond the sky, to -storied space islands that lay afar. Science had promised that this -would happen and the fiction writers had embellished this belief with -dream worlds. Somehow, it had never come to pass. One problem after -another had prevented realization of this dream. The war, which should -have accelerated development, had stopped it completely. Neither side -had the materials or the engineers or the skilled technicians to -construct a vessel capable of space flight. - -"No," West said. His voice was toneless and the far-away note was still -strong in it. "Sorry to contradict you, colonel, but that is not a -small space ship, though it is designed to get out of the atmosphere -for a short time. Look again." - -"Hell, it's a super bomb!" Zen gasped, as recognition came to him. - -"Right, colonel!" - -"A bomb big enough to devastate a continent!" Cold currents suddenly -flurried at the base of Zen's spine. - -"Right, colonel." West's voice was as dry as the Nevada wind. - -"I didn't know we had such a bomb under construction," Zen blurted out. - -"We haven't." - -"Then who--where?" The cold currents at the base of Zen's back were -flowing down both legs and up his spine. - -"Look at the men, colonel. Look closely." West's voice was also cold. - -"They're Asiatics!" Shouting the words, Zen was out of his chair. "I -didn't see the yellow faces and the slanted eyes at first. West, that's -a huge guided missile. It's being built to drop out of the sky at -thousands of miles an hour, on us!" - -"Yes," West said. He did not move a muscle in his body. On the other -side of Kurt Zen, Nedra sat equally silent and motionless. - -"I have to get out of here," Zen said. "This information must be -reported to the general staff, at once!" Urgency pounded in the tones -of his voice. - -"The new people do not fight," West said. "I thought you were one of -us." - -"It doesn't matter who I am," Zen said quickly. "The building of this -super bomb must be reported. _It must be!_ Extra warnings must be -issued. We must alert every z-type fighter we possess and have them in -the air constantly, in the hope that we can destroy this bomb before -it lands. We've got to follow the construction hourly, so we will know -when it is ready to be launched. And that means we've got to have -top-flight intelligence men here, to follow the building of that bomb -every inch of the way. Or we've got to take this super-radar of yours -to headquarters and use it there. That's the best solution, if it is -at all practical." Zen was striding back and forth in the darkened -room, planning the steps that had to be taken. - -"West, do you realize this super-radar of yours will win the war!" -Excitement tightened the colonel's voice. "With it, the enemy won't -be able to make a move that we don't know about in advance." His -excitement grew as the vast longing hidden in him for the end of the -war tried to come to the surface. - -"You have tears in your eyes, colonel," West said. - -"You're out of your mind," Zen retorted. But he knew the craggy man was -speaking the truth. He swallowed harder. "We've got the Asians cold. -We'll know every move they make in advance." He exulted as he realized -again how much this meant. - -"I have always known every move they made in advance," West answered. - -"We'll have them on their knees in--huh? What was that you just said? -What was that?" Desperation appeared in the colonel's voice. - -West repeated his words. - -"Then why didn't you warn us?" Zen felt each word sting as it left his -lips. "Why didn't you warn us? Why did you let so many of us die so -unnecessarily?" - -West did not answer. - -The silence in the room grew deeper. Cold had begun to appear in the -air. On the screen, the silent figures continued busily engaged in the -building of their bomb. - -"Don't you realize that your failure to report what you knew is high -treason?" Zen continued. - -The silence grew. West sat as solid and as immobile as a mountain. -Nedra seemed to have shrunk in upon herself still farther. More than -ever she looked like a very small girl who had somehow managed to -intrude into a world of adults and was tremendously confused and hurt -by what was happening here. - -"Don't you hear me?" Zen said. - -"I hear you," West answered. "Your loyalty to your country does you -credit, colonel. It is to be expected from a person in your stage -of development. However, you seem to have forgotten that I am not a -citizen of your country. Or perhaps you did not know this?" - -"Not a citizen?" Zen said. "But this mountain exists in America. -I don't know whether it is actually on Canadian ground or lies in -the United States, but this does not matter. By mutual treaty, the -countries have become one nation. A citizen of one is automatically a -citizen of the other." - -"True, colonel." West did not attempt to explain. - -"Then what country do you claim to belong to?" Zen felt his voice -falter as he tried to grasp what lay back of this very strange man. -"You talk like an American." - -"I was born here." - -"Then you are a citizen." - -"No. I resigned my citizenship. As to my real country, it is a far -land. I am sure you have no knowledge of it. My loyalty, colonel, is -not to any nation on the face of the globe, but is to--growth, to the -new people who will come into existence one day." - -As West spoke, the cold that was freezing Zen's spine suddenly -disappeared and was replaced by a sudden deep warmth. The words seemed -to touch some hidden spring of warmth within him. - -"My loyalty is to the future, to the growing tip of the life force, -to what the human race will become, not to what it is today. Only the -future has meaning, colonel, and to the building of that future I have -dedicated my life." - -In spite of the fact that the words thrilled him, Zen knew he had to -deny them. "This is sophistry," he snapped. "I think any court in the -land would hold it to be evasion of your proper duties. You can't -continue living in a country and enjoying its ble--" Confusion came -into Zen's mind. - -"Were you going to say _blessings_, colonel?" West said, almost -maliciously. - -"Yes." - -"Would you point out these blessings?" - -"We had them once," Zen said. "And we're going to have them again." - -"Are you?" West nodded toward the screen where the far-off enemy -technicians and engineers were busy with their super bomb. - -"Now that we know that it exists, that bomb will never land," Zen said. -"I'll see to that personally." - -"How are you going to discharge this responsibility?" West inquired. - -"I'll find a way," Zen answered. - -"I admire your spirit, colonel, though not necessarily your evaluation -of your personal position at this moment. Also, there is one other -thing that I want you to see." - -The screen went blank. Slowly another scene formed on it. Zen, staring, -blurted out words. - -"That's another one. They're making two of those super bombs. I didn't -think they had the materials and the technical know-how to make even -one! This doubles the problem, and more than doubles the urgency. We'll -have to guard the skyways from all directions, including straight up. -Damn it, West!" Zen slapped his fist into his open palm to emphasize -his feeling of urgency. - -"Look again, colonel," the craggy man invited. - -On second look Zen saw something that he had missed before. "Those are -Americans! We're building that bomb!" His words were little gusts of -explosive sound in the quiet room. - -"Right," West said. His voice was very grim. - -"Then it's a race to see which side gets its bomb built first?" Zen -asked. He did not know whether or not he liked what his eyes were -seeing and the interpretation his mind was giving him. - -"I am afraid that is true," West reluctantly agreed. "But doesn't that -change the picture, colonel?" - -"How?" Zen demanded. "We're going to win a war. We've got to win it." -The words were firmly spoken but somewhere a lingering doubt remained -as if some point had not been considered. - -"The other side also thinks it has to win," West pointed out. - -"To hell with what they think. They started it. We didn't. Man, you -don't intend to tell me that you are going to sit right here and watch -two nations frantically try to destroy each other--and maybe the Earth -with them--when you have the means to stop it in your hand?" Horror -exploded in Zen's words. - -"I am going to do just that," West stated. His voice was as firm and as -solid as the granite core of a mountain. - -"But you can't!" Zen expostulated. - -"Why can't I?" West demanded. "I am not a citizen of either country and -I owe nothing to any nation." - -"Even if you are not a citizen of either country, you're still a human -being. You owe loyalty to your own race," Zen said. - -The craggy man showed faint signs of discomfort. But when he spoke, his -voice was still imperturbable. "Granting your statement, what do you -propose I do?" - -"Stop the Asians," Zen answered promptly. "Give us complete information -on the location of their super-bomb. We'll make certain we get ours -finished first and we'll use it to blow their installation out of -existence." At the moment, his plan seemed feasible. - -"That would create the very danger you are trying to avoid, would it -not?" West pointed out. "Both super bombs would explode simultaneously. -Do you think the Earth would remain in its orbit if this happened?" - -"I don't know," Zen answered. "That would be up to the astronomers and -the astronomical physicists to decide. In any case, if the danger is -too great, we'll use ordinary weapons to touch off their super bomb. -Well get the job done before they finish." - -"They are working underground, in a cavern at least three thousand feet -deep," West pointed out. "Do you have a weapon that will penetrate to -this depth?" - -"We'll build one!" - -"You talk very glibly, colonel." - -"Somebody has got to talk!" Zen said fiercely. "Even if they are -building their bomb underground, they must have an exit for it -somewhere. We'll locate their exit and drop an H-bomb on it." - -"And thus destroy their bomb and the best of their scientists and -engineers?" - -"This is war. You can't have sympathy in war." - -"This is my point, colonel," West said patiently. "I have no -sympathy--with either side." - -"Then what do you propose--to sit here and do nothing?" - -"I propose to let each side destroy the other as much as they wish and -can. Then, when they have completely demonstrated the futility of their -efforts, when it is utterly clear to the few who have survived that -warfare is not the way to the future, then the new people will emerge -to show the way to those who have survived." West's voice was calm. He -seemed to be considering a situation often pondered and to be stating a -conclusion firmly and definitely reached. - -"But that involves senseless slaughter," Zen protested. "This was the -reason that lay back of the dropping of the first atom bomb--to stop -senseless slaughter." - -"All slaughter is senseless, colonel, though from the viewpoint of the -individual or nation doing it, slaughter is generally considered to be -right at the time." - -Zen started to comment on what the craggy man had just said, then -changed his mind. Was he dealing with a madman? This seemed possible. -West's words certainly did not fit any pattern that Zen knew. The act -of sitting by and letting two nations commit suicide went beyond the -bounds of rational thinking. - -"I beg you, let me report this to the high command," Zen said, making -one last plea. - -"In reply, I want to ask one question," West answered. "What would -happen to the people here, and to me, if I revealed the existence of -this instrument?" - -"You would be a hero," Zen said promptly, and knew he was lying as he -spoke. "Your people would be protected." - -"I dislike calling you a liar, colonel, but that is exactly what you -are," West answered. "We would all be taken care of, as long as all -of us did exactly what the high command wanted. The instant I tried -to do anything else, my actions would be called treason and I would -be considered a traitor. My equipment would be confiscated, '_for the -convenience of the government_,' and I would be lucky if I did not face -a firing squad. Tell me honestly, colonel, would not this happen?" For -the first time, West's words had a tinge of anger in them. Or was it -sorrow? - -"Sam--" Nedra said. "Something--" Her voice was a whisper from some -far-off land. - -"What is it, Nedra?" West asked. In an instant, he had forgotten all -about Kurt Zen. - -The nurse sat up straight and stiff. All color fled from her face. -"Something--" Her voice was the faintest whisper of sound in this quiet -room. - -"Nedra, what is it?" West's tones had alarm in them. - -Instead of answering, the nurse slid from her chair to the floor, in a -faint. - -Dim and distant in the silence that followed came a popping sound. - -_Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat--_ - -Zen had heard this death-dealing rattle too often to mistake its -identity. - -"A sub-machine gun!" - -The drapes that covered the archway leading into this hidden room were -shoved aside. A man fell through them. Zen knew at a glance that he -was another of the kids who lived here in this hidden cavern inside a -mountain. Blood was spewing from a hole in his back and he was fighting -desperately for breath. - -"They're--coming with guns!" he gasped. - -West dropped to his knees and took the head of the youth in his lap. -His face was dark as he saw the wound on the back. Cuddling the youth's -head in his lap as one would a frightened child, he asked, "What -happened, Carl?" - -"I don't know. They came out of nowhere. There was no one. Then these -men were here. They came--shooting." Blood came out of his mouth as -he spoke. He tried to cough it away, and failed. His hand went to his -mouth and wiped at the blood, then he lifted his hand to his eyes and -saw what was there. - -"How many are there?" Zen asked. - -Carl's eyes wandered until he found the source of this question. -"Dozens," he said, his voice dull. Blood was draining from his mouth -across West's legs and was forming a pool on the floor. - -Listening, Zen could distinguish three machine guns going now. Men were -yelling. A girl was screaming. At the sounds, the colonel's lips formed -into a line as sharp as the edge of a knife. - -"How did they get past your fear generators?" he said to West. - -"I don't know," the craggy man answered. "Perhaps they found an -unguarded tunnel." - -Zen could not see what difference it made how the intruders had secured -entry. They were here. "Where are your weapons?" he demanded. In his -mind was the thought that the new people would have weapons adequate to -defend their own citadel. - -"Weapons?" West did not seem to understand the term. "We have none." - -"What?" Zen said. Hadn't West understood him. Every farmer, every -rancher, and every householder had his stock of weapons. Almost all -people went armed. "No rifles?" - -"No." - -"Not even tear gas?" - -"No, colonel." - -"Then how in the hell did you expect to stay alive?" Zen burst out. -"You surely knew they would find you sometime." - -"Staying alive is actually not as important as you think. Yes, son." -West bent again to listen to the youth's words. - -"Good--good--" The whisper was very faint. - -West understood. "Goodbye," he said. "We will meet again. But, goodbye -for now." - -The youth sighed. All pain and all fear went from his face. Peace came -to him. - -But when West rose to his feet, his face was bleak. "He was new here," -he said as if this explained something that he felt needed explaining. - -Somewhere a woman was screaming. West listened to the sound, then -started toward it. Zen caught his arm. - -"The invaders have guns." His tone conveyed the impression that West -was at fault because no weapons existed inside the mine. "Or do you -want to go join him?" He nodded toward the body on the floor. Blood -had stopped spilling from that body now. The essence of life had gone -elsewhere and the tides of life had ceased flowing. - -"Yes," West said bluntly. "I want to go with him." His face had grown -more black. Heat lightning was dancing in his eyes. - -Zen caught the impulse to say that this made two of them who wanted to -join the bronze-skinned youth. He knew how to deal with this reaction. - -"Okay," he said. "Good bye." - -West blinked startled eyes at him. - -"Run along," Zen said. - -"Eh?" - -"I'll take over here and fight the battle you are running from," Zen -continued. - -As if he were dispelling a mist from some hidden corner of his mind, -the craggy man shook his head. "Sorry," he apologized. "However, the -call is very strong. Only the sense of a job not yet done has kept me -from going for--a long time." He shook his head again. "No, I shall not -follow him, for another while, though I am positive that he is luckier -than we are." - -"I agree," Zen said. - -Stooping, West picked up Nedra. She lay in his arms like a tired, -sleeping child. Had she followed the youth? Kurt Zen had a moment of -heartbreak as the thought passed through his mind before he saw that -she was still breathing regularly. - -"Follow me," West said. - -The heat lightning still danced in the eyes of the craggy man as he -moved across the room. The solid wall swung aside into another hidden -door. "None of my people know this is here," he explained. "The -combination lock is actuated only by my body." - -As Kurt Zen went through the door he could hear the girl still -screaming somewhere. - -The passage was narrow. To one side, another passage led into a room -where Zen caught a glimpse of some kind of electrical equipment in -operation, the technical guts of the super-radar, he suspected. - -Ahead, West growled, a sound that came from deep in his throat. He had -stopped and was staring down into a hidden opening in the wall. Zen saw -that the opening, through some hidden arrangement of mirrors, revealed -the interior of the big gallery where he had spent the night. - -Hell was loose in there now. - - - - -XI - - -Jake, Ed, and Cal were part of that hell. Each carried a smoking weapon -in his hands. A body lay on the floor. Somewhere in one of the small -rooms a woman was screaming. In the middle of the room stood the man -who was obviously in charge of the situation. At the sight of this man, -Kurt Zen felt his breath draw into his body so heavily that it whistled -through his nostrils. - -Cuso's lieutenant! - -The others in the room were the Asians who had been with the lieutenant -the night before. - -"I should have slit their throats while they were asleep and in my -power last night," Zen raged. - -The only sound in the passage was that of West breathing heavily, like -a man who had run a marathon and had lost. No, there were two men! -Additional shock came up in Kurt Zen when he realized he was the second -man. He seized the craggy man by the shoulder. - -"West! They can't have that super radar. If we lose that, we have lost -the war." - -The craggy man did not move. - -Anguish grew in Zen's voice. "If we lose this one, it will be the first -war we have ever lost. And the last one. Nothing will remain to come -after us except death and desolation." - -"I know," West said. "The race soul will have to start over, in the -swamps and on the mud flats, trying to rebuild the race with tools long -since worn out and out of place in time." Again the tones of a bell -were in his voice. But now the bell was tolling the death of a people, -wailing that the glory that once had been was truly gone, wailing that -the brave world that some men had tried to build was going into ashes -and into doom. - -"Do you believe in the race soul too?" West gasped. - -"_Belief_ is too weak a word. I _know_ it exists." - -Nedra sighed in West's arms and opened her eyes. Seeing who was holding -her, she lay back in the arms of the craggy man, more than ever like a -tired child. "What was it?" she whispered. "What's wrong? I--I took a -little nap." - -West set her on her feet and pointed at the opening. She clutched at -the stone wall as she saw what was happening inside. - -Running, the bronze girl who had danced to the slow music the night -before, came fleeing from a room. One of Cuso's soldiers was pursuing -her. She fled like a deer before some great hound that was interested -in pulling her down but she did not flee fast enough. The soldier -caught her and dragged her back into a room. - -"West, how many of these kids did you have here?" Zen asked. - -"About fifty," the craggy man answered. "I don't know how many are -left nor can I guess how many will choose to stay alive if they are -conquered before their training is completed." - -"And no weapons?" - -"None." - -"What about my gun that was taken from me while I slept?" - -"What good would one gun do now?" - -"None, I guess," Zen said, helplessly. "But as they try to run me down, -I'd like to have it in my hands. I'd at least take a few of them with -me before they got me." - -"We will survive," West said, his voice a mumble. - -Zen pointed through the opening to the bodies lying on the floor below -them. "They didn't," he said. - -The craggy man groaned. "If I had time I would try to explain to you -that survival does not lie in the body and can never be achieved there." - -Zen answered, "I have no time for metaphysics. For purposes of defense, -I'm taking command." He felt foolish as he spoke. What resources were -his to command, what troops, what weapons? He knew the answer as the -thought crossed his mind. If he only had the remnants of the broken -column moving down the mountains after its disastrous encounter with -Cuso's blooper. An idea came into his mind. Perhaps he could have these -troops. "Where's my pack?" he demanded. His radio equipment was in that. - -"It went with your gun into the deep hole," West said. "The deep hole -is a fault the old miners uncovered here. It's miles deep." He shook -his head. - -"Damn!" Kurt Zen said. The depression in him was as deep as the fault -in the mountain. "Isn't there any place where we can hide?" - -"Many places," West said. "This whole mountain is a honeycomb of -tunnels and shafts. We have explored fifteen separate levels and there -are others which lie below the present water line." He did not protest -at Zen's statement that the latter was taking command, but seemed -willing to submit to the colonel's authority, and also interested in -seeing how Zen would handle the problem. - -"Then find us a place to hide until we can decide what to do to -eliminate Cuso's men. A hiding hole first, then radio equipment. As -soon as I can gain access to short-wave transmitting equipment, I can -have a regiment of paratroopers on their way here." - -"You sound as if you have authority," Nedra commented. - -"I have." - -"But you gave me the impression you were a deserter." - -"They haven't discovered that yet, at headquarters. So far as they are -concerned, I'm on a secret mission. And I haven't deserted the human -race." Zen put sting into his words. The implication was that two -people present were really deserters. - -"Ah, well, colonel, we shall see about that." West had recovered most -of his aplomb. Again he seemed to be observing from a great distance -the antics of this strange species called human. But his face remained -bleak and his eyes had flickers of lightning in them. He started away -from the opening. - -And stopped as metal clanged ahead of them. - -A door opened there. An Asian soldier with his rifle at the ready came -through. A second one followed the first. The rifles of both covered -West. - -Zen jerked his arms toward the roof. Neither the craggy man nor Nedra -moved a muscle. - -Slowly, West and Nedra raised their hands. At gun point, the two -soldiers herded them toward the main gallery. At the sight of them the -lieutenant hastily called Cal to him. - -"Is this the one?" he demanded, pointing at West. - -"That's him," Cal answered. "He's the leader here. He's the one you -want." - -Elation appeared as a shock-wave on the yellow face of the Asian -lieutenant. Calling two men to him, he had West step aside, treating -the craggy man with respect that bordered on deference but also with -great firmness. - -"You two stand against the wall with the others," he said to Nedra and -Kurt Zen. There was no deference in his voice as he spoke to them. "If -they move, shoot them!" he ordered his men. As Kurt and Nedra obeyed, -the lieutenant drew West to one side and began a conversation with him. -His men were still busy searching the old mine tunnels. Now and then -they brought more captives to the main gallery. - -Cal, Jake, and Ed remained in the center of the big room. Cal was -trying to look important but the expression on his face indicated he -was hiding guilt pangs somewhere inside. As soon as he saw Nedra, Ed's -eyes became fixed on her though he did not look at her face. Jake's -murky eyes were roving the chamber. He did not seem to comprehend what -he was seeing but seemed to be living in some other world that was even -more confusing and more clouded than this one. - -The bronze girl, utterly naked, came limping into the gallery from -one of the small rooms. She had a dazed expression on her face and -she looked around the room as if she could not comprehend what was -happening. At the sight of her, the lieutenant left off talking to West -for a moment, his eyes glowing. But his conversation with West was more -important than his lust. He motioned with his gun for the bronze girl -to take her place against the wall. She stared at him as if she did not -understand him. He waved the gun again. - -Some dull comprehension of his meaning penetrated her mind. She -stumbled to the wall but fell face downward on the stone floor. - -Nedra, with a little cry of pity on her lips, moved quickly to the side -of the bronze girl. Zen started to move, then stopped, but not because -the rifle of one of the guards was swinging up to menace him. Nedra -gave a quick examination of the girl, then got slowly to her feet. - -"Dead?" Zen said. - -"Y-es. But how did you know?" - -"Just a hunch. What caused it, shock?" - -"I imagine so. After she was violated, she wanted to die. So she really -died because she wanted to. I--I--" Tears appeared in Nedra's violet -eyes and ran down her cheeks. But she did not sob, though muscles moved -in her throat. - -West glanced at the bronze girl. He seemed to know, without being told, -what had happened. His face became bleak. The lieutenant regarded the -body of the dead girl with regret. When the soldier who had violated -her came out of the room, the lieutenant ordered him to remove the -body. - -Zen got the impression that the lieutenant, even though he was talking -earnestly with the craggy man, was waiting. Forty of the new people -were herded into the room and forced to stand against the walls. Bronze -striplings, they were. Not a one was out of his twenties and several -were obviously in their teens. Though they were confused, they kept -silent. - -"Is this all?" Zen heard the lieutenant ask West. - -The craggy man must have known at a glance the answer to this question -but he took the time to count every person. "This is all," he said -positively. The lieutenant seemed to believe him but Zen would have -given odds that the man was lying. - -The lieutenant continued to wait. - -A guard, entering hastily, saluted. When Zen saw who was following the -soldier he realized why the lieutenant had been waiting. - -Cuso came into the gallery. - -The Asian leader was a giant almost seven feet tall and big in -proportion. He looked capable of killing a man with his bare hands, and -probably was. Just looking at him, Zen knew why he had been selected to -lead the airborne landing in America. Radiating power and strength, he -was the type for this kind of mission. - -Besides power, he radiated something else. Zen sensed this something -else as a sickening feeling at the pit of his stomach, a tightening of -muscles in the diaphragm. - -When Cuso appeared, the lieutenant stiffened himself to attention -and almost broke his arm saluting. He and Cuso spoke together in a -sing-song dialect that Zen did not pretend to understand. As they -talked, the lieutenant continued to point at West. A grin broke out on -Cuso's face. He beckoned the craggy man to him. - -The craggy man approached, but did not salute. Prisoners were not -permitted to salute. Nor did he get down on his hands and knees, -which was not only permitted but required among the Asians. West stood -arrow-straight. - -In spite of his disagreements with him, Zen felt proud of Sam West -now. Cuso was grinning placatingly but in spite of the grin, West -surely knew that he was looking at death, that the slightest show of -resistance on his part would have only one result, although Cuso might -save him until he had wrung all possible information out of him. Zen -did not in the least doubt that information was what the Asian wanted -first. After that, there was the tradition of torturing helpless -prisoners. - -"I have heard much about you," Cuso said. For an Asian, he spoke fair -English. - -"I am greatly honored," West answered. "However, I am curious as to how -you heard about me." - -A sly grin flitted across the Asian's face. "We 'ave our sources of -information." - -"Spies?" West asked. - -"We 'ave spies, of course, but they could not find out much about you. -There are other ways--how do you say it?" - -"Clairvoyants?" West asked. - -"Yes, that is right." Cuso looked pleased to be given the right word. -He also looked startled because he had been given the right fact. -Zen, listening, was surprised too. He knew that the suggestion to use -clairvoyants to find out what the enemy was doing had often been made. -As an intelligence officer, he had investigated several clairvoyants -who had volunteered for this purpose. He knew that such a project had -been set up but he did not know what the results had been, if any. -However, to learn that the enemy had not only entertained the same -ideas, but had used them with some success, startled him. - -"I suspected clairvoyants," West said. - -"Ah," Cuso said. "Did you also suspect that the only reason this -airborne landing was made on these shores was to capture you?" - -Even West's perfect control of his features could not hide the start of -surprise at these words. "I am not that important," he said. - -Cuso smiled deprecatingly and made a little gesture with his hand which -said that such modesty was becoming in the truly great. Oddly, Zen had -the impression that the Asian leader meant this. "As to that, I have -the great privilege of offering you a commission as a field marshal in -the armies of United Asia." His voice dripped oil and awe, oil because -he was selling, awe because he was truly impressed by the rank of field -marshal. Perhaps as a result of the successful achievement of this -difficult mission, even he might have this rank. Hunger thickened on -Cuso's face as he thought of this. - -West blinked, then smiled back at Cuso. "That is interesting. But what -makes you think I would be interested in such a commission--or in any -commission--in your armies?" - -"For protection, for one reason," Cuso answered promptly. "Our reports -indicate that you are not a citizen of any country. Since this leaves -you with no friends to protect you, this is an undesirable position. On -the other hand, since you belong to no one, every country feels that -you are an enemy. Because of this, your life is constantly in danger. -However, holding our commission, you are automatically a citizen of -United Asia, and thus are under our protection." - -Cuso spoke as if being a citizen of United Asia was important and that -holding a commission in its armies was even more so. - -"Do you think I have no friends?" West asked. - -"Well, you are not a citizen of--" - -"Why do you think I need protection?" West continued. - -The oily smile slid off of the giant Asian's face. For an instant, -the wild beast underneath showed through. "Perhaps you do not need -protection personally. But under the circumstances as I have outlined -them, our mantle would automatically extend to the people working with -you." His eyes went around the room to the youths standing rigidly -against the wall. In this circuit, his gaze flicked contemptuously past -the corpses lying on the floor. - -The face of the craggy man got bleak again. He understood only too well -what lay back of Cuso's words. "I see what you mean. But what do you -wish of me?" His voice carried an intimation of surrender in the face -of odds that he recognized as being hopeless. - -Zen, with his back to the wall, tried to keep from squirming. Emotions -that were causing actual pain were in his body. Why would the race mind -permit such an outrage as this? - -The smile on Cuso's face went from ear to ear. Here was victory, here -was the submission of the enemy. Here was what his leaders wanted. Here -was a marshal's baton for him. - -"Really very little." He drew in his breath with a hiss as he addressed -West, a sign of deferent politeness. "Merely that you show us what -you have here. And, of course, that you should explain it all to our -scientists and engineers, showing them how your equipment operates." - -The room got very quiet after Cuso had finished speaking. West seemed -to muse. "What do you think we have here?" he said. - -"If I knew the answer to that question, I would not be asking such a -stupid thing," Cuso answered. - -"Quite true," West agreed. "I was stupid to even ask such a question." - -"The time is here to end stupidity," Cuso said. - -"Again I agree," the craggy man answered. He shrugged. "Well, when and -where do you want me to start?" The smile on his face was a mixture of -fear and resignation. It indicated that he had given up completely. - -"Now you are talking the kind of words I like to hear," Cuso said -emphatically. "You will start now, and show me, personally, everything -that is of importance in this mountain." - -"Very well. Follow me." West turned and moved toward the opening that -led to the chamber where the super radar was hidden. - -"Wait here," Cuso snapped at his lieutenant. "Shoot any person who -moves." - -"Yes, great one," the lieutenant answered, saluting. This was the kind -of order he loved to obey. - -Cuso and West went out of sight. - -Jake, Cal, and Ed stood in the middle of the room. Ed approached the -lieutenant, nodded toward Nedra, and spoke earnestly to the man. -The lieutenant shook his head vigorously, a gesture which seemed to -indicate that Ed was being very stupid. The bantam grumbled to himself -and moved away. Out of the corners of his eyes he kept watching the -nurse. - -Nedra ignored him. She also ignored Kurt Zen. As silent as so many -statues, the new people stood against the stone walls. They seemed -stunned. The impossible had happened to them and they were having -difficulty in adjusting to it. John was not in the room. Either he had -succeeded in hiding or he had been killed. - -The fat youth was standing directly across the gallery from Zen. -Farther down the wall, clad in pants and a bra, was a shapely blonde. -When he was not watching Nedra, Ed paid attention to her. His actions -seemed to irritate the lieutenant. Lifting his rifle, he fired a single -shot through the head of the bantam. - -Ed collapsed, dead before he hit the floor. Two Asian soldiers carried -the body away. - -"That lieutenant is hell on lovers," Zen whispered. - -Nedra did not answer him. Her face was pale and her breathing was -shallow. A film of sweat glistened on her forehead. Glancing at her, -Zen had the impression that she was listening. - -For what? he wondered. The only thing that was left for any of them -was the sounding of the trump of doom. Zen had no illusions that Cuso -would keep his promises for any longer than was expedient. First, -West and all the others must be pumped dry of information, the whole -interior of the mountain must be thoroughly explored, then--more bodies -for the deep hole. - -Zen had no illusions that either West or the new people would long -survive the information they could be forced to divulge. As to Cuso's -talk of West being given a commission as a marshal of the Asian -Federation, for protection, the colonel knew that Asian field marshals -had been listed among the missing before now. A field marshal who fell -from grace vanished. - -Across the gallery the fat youth also vanished. - -One second he was there, the next second he was--gone! - - - - -XII - - -Neither the lieutenant nor any of the Asians noticed that a man had -vanished. Cal and Jake, with the memory of Ed's death still very fresh -in their minds, were engaged in making themselves inconspicuous. As far -as Zen could tell, none of these clean, tall kids knew anything out of -the ordinary had happened. - -Beside the colonel, Nedra seemed slightly more composed. Her eyes were -blank as if she were not seeing. The thin film of moisture was still -visible on her forehead. Zen started to whisper to her, to ask her if -she had noticed anything different, then changed his mind. There was no -point in taking such a risk at such a time. - -A sound was in the room, a thin, high note that was close to the upper -limits of hearing. It passed beyond the range of hearing, or diminished -in volume, then came again with the frequency of the ears, moving like -a microscopically small but very powerful honey bee. Had the sound been -present all the time? Or had it come into existence just before the fat -youth vanished? Zen did not know about the sound. - -A face appeared in the middle of the room. About ten feet above the -floor, it looked around briefly, then vanished. - -Cal seemed to see it too. A startled expression appeared on the face of -the ragged man. His eyes opened wide. He blinked them hastily when the -face vanished, then looked furtively around the room. - -Jake said, very loudly, to the face, "Hi, bud. Long time no see. Where -you been?" - -"Shut up your crazy head!" Cal snarled at him. - -"But I just saw an old buddy," Jake tried to explain. - -"You saw nothing." - -"What are you two talking about?" the lieutenant demanded. - -"Nothing," Cal answered. He pointed his finger at his forehead and made -circling motions in the air, then nodded toward Jake. "You know he's a -looney, lieutenant." - -"Oh, yes," the Asian officer said, as if he had just remembered -something. Again he lifted the rifle to his shoulder. Jake fell dead. - -The lieutenant slid another cartridge into his rifle. - -"As long as you needed us--" Cal began. - -"But I no longer need you to help me find the hidden ones," the -lieutenant answered. "That makes things different, doesn't it?" - -"It sure does," Cal agreed. "But why did you shoot him?" - -"I made up my mind months ago to shoot him as soon as I no longer -needed him," the Asian officer answered. "He was too crazy to trust." - -"But he found this place for you and he got you past those hell -generators," Cal said. - -"That is true. But the place is now found and we are past the odd -devices that make weaklings afraid." His tone said that this also made -the situation different and that the ragged man had better understand -this and guide himself accordingly. Cal started to speak, then changed -his mind. - -"What were you two talking about?" the Asian asked. - -"He said he saw a face in the air," the ragged man answered. "I told -him that he was nuts and to shut up." - -"Was there a face?" - -"I didn't see nothing," Cal answered. - -While the two were talking, Zen was watching a youth in a loin cloth -across the room. Standing erect against the wall, looking as if he were -being crucified there, but without making any sound, the youth was -slowly vanishing. - -While the youth was sliding away, the violin note throbbed softly in -the air. As he vanished, it went into silence, ending on a note of -triumph. - -The lieutenant became suspicious. He scanned the people against the -wall. - -"I thought there were more--" he muttered. Slowly he counted them. -"Thirty-eight," he said. As if to engrave the number on his memory, he -repeated it. - -Simultaneously, one of the Asian soldiers spoke to him in a swift flow -of sound. - -Zen could not understand what was being said, but he guessed from the -way the soldier pointed to the spot where the fat youth had stood that -he was reporting what he had seen happen. - -While they were talking the face appeared again in the air high in -the middle of the room. The face was that of a man. He was wearing a -mustache and he looked around the room with alert brown eyes. Nodding -to himself with apparent satisfaction, he vanished. - -Down the wall from Zen, a young woman vanished. - -She went rapidly, in the flicker of an eye. - -A youth standing next in line to her, followed suit. - -Turning, the lieutenant saw that something had happened. Hastily he -counted those standing against the wall. - -"Thirty-six! Who slipped out while my back was turned?" - -As he asked the question, three of the new people vanished behind him. -No one answered him. He turned again, and realized that more blank -places had appeared while he was not looking. - -Again, keeping behind him, another one of the new people vanished. - -Watching, Zen was treated to the spectacle of seeing an Asian officer -grow crazy. While the lieutenant was watching one particular person, -nothing happened to the one under his scrutiny. But directly behind him -a person flicked out of existence. - -For a time, the lieutenant almost had Zen's sympathy. The colonel knew -what would happen to this officer when Cuso returned and found his prey -had been permitted to escape. The Asians were not known for leniency to -their own men who failed an assigned duty. - -The lieutenant knew as well as Zen what would happen to him. But he was -helpless. No matter which way he looked, his back was always turned to -someone. The person he was not watching--vanished. - -Unnoticed by the lieutenant, the face that seemed to be directing the -vanishing operation appeared and disappeared in the center of the room. -It kept directly above the lieutenant's head, moving as he moved, -vanishing as he looked up. - -The note of the violin came into hearing and went out again, repeating -this action time and time again. - -Sweat dripped off Zen's chin and formed a puddle on the floor under -him. He did not know what was happening. Terror that was close to panic -was in him but he did not move a muscle. For all he knew, the face -might look at him and he might be the next one to vanish. - -Where would he find himself if he vanished? _Would_ he find himself -again? Or did these people slide forever into nothingness, into some -dimensional interspace where there was no Earth, no moon, and no stars? - -Only he and Nedra were left along the walls. - -The others had vanished. - -The lieutenant had gone completely crazy. Sputtering a mixture of -Chinese and English, he was jabbing his rifle against Nedra's stomach -and was yelling at her. - -"_Tze!_ Go away. I will kill you if you do. _N-oten._ Where did they -go? I demand an answer. Speak!" - -"I do not know," the girl answered. - -"Speak! I command it. Cuso will have my throat slit if I let all of you -get away!" - -"I have already--" - -The lieutenant jabbed the muzzle of his rifle against her stomach. - -"If you go away, I will kill you." - -He meant what he said. - -Smiling at him, the girl vanished. - -He pulled the trigger of the weapon. The bullets howled madly through -the gallery. Zen dropped hastily to the floor. Death was too close for -him to be amazed at the sight of an Asian officer shooting at nothing. - -The lieutenant stopped shooting when the magazine was empty. As he -clicked another clip into place, some measure of sanity seemed to -return to him. He did not shoot the colonel. - -Instead Zen found himself being prodded with the muzzle of the still -hot and smoking rifle. - -"If you go away--" - -Zen got to his feet. - -"If I knew how to do it, I'd be gone," he said. - -"Where did they go? How did they do it?" Fine flecks of spittle were -blown from the lieutenant's lips. - -The sound of hot lead was still strong in Zen's ears. At any moment, -the lieutenant might start shooting again, for any reason. Or for no -reason. - -"I don't know," Zen said. - -"But you've got to know. You're one of them." - -"Would I stand around here and let you shoot me if I was one of them?" -Zen answered. - -Some of the logic of the question must have penetrated to the officer's -mad mind. "No. No, you wouldn't. That is, I guess you wouldn't. But you -might be trying to trick me." The thought of being tricked seemed to -bring all his fury to the surface. "You did it once before, you and the -girl." - -"How?" Zen demanded. - -"You put us all to sleep, you and that girl? Don't tell me you didn't. -I was there." - -"I was there but I didn't have a damned thing to do with it. And -neither did the girl." - -"Then who did?" - -"West. He was outside with some kind of a sleep generator that operated -electronically." - -Doubt came over the lieutenant's face. How was he to know if this tall, -thin yankee was telling the truth. In his book, all Americans were -liars. Why trust this one? - -"If you lie to me--" - -"I know. You'll shoot me. And I'll return from the other world and -strangle you some night, while you sleep." - -The shot went home. Like most Asians, this officer was superstitious. -Watching the reaction, Zen wondered if this man would ever again dare -to go to sleep at night. The deadly _dugphas_, the devil souls of the -departed, might strangle him in a spirit noose the instant he closed -his eyes. - -On the other hand, there was Cuso. The lieutenant _knew_ what the Asian -leader would do to him. Zen could see him making up his mind that -it was better to take a chance on the deadly devils that roam the -darkness than on Cuso. The night devils might miss. - -"You lie!" The lieutenant lifted the rifle. - -At the same instant, Cuso and West entered. The lieutenant lowered the -rifle. Hastily he approached his chief and saluted. Then, taking as few -chances as possible, he prostrated himself on the floor. Reaching for -Cuso's foot, he tried to place it on his neck as a token of submission. - -Cuso kicked him in the face. The Asian leader's eyes ranged the room. -He saw instantly that his prisoners were missing. His eyes turned -green. He kicked the lieutenant in the face again and demanded to know -what had happened. - -The luckless officer broke into a stream of tight, sing-song language. -Now and then he waved his hand as if to say that they had been here but -had gone away. "The _dugphas_ took them," he screamed in English. - -Cuso kicked him in the throat this time. He had no belief in night -devils, he did not think they could spirit live people away, and he was -not afraid of them. - -Another burst of broken, impassioned speech came from the lieutenant's -lips. Listening to the sound, watching the contortions in the officer's -body, Zen thought with some satisfaction that Ed and Jake were being -avenged. Not that they deserved vengeance; they had gotten exactly what -was coming to them. - -West remained aloof. He glanced around the room but no flicker of -surprise showed on his face. Did he know what had happened here? Cuso, -listening to his lieutenant, glanced once at the craggy man, a look -that was pure suspicious hatred. If it had been possible, Cuso would -have had West skinned alive then and there. - -Too much was at stake for that. A flayed man could not reveal his -secrets. He could only die. - -Cuso left off kicking his lieutenant and trying to listen to him at the -same time. He turned to West. - -"It seems that your people have--departed," he said. - -"At least, they do not seem to be here," the craggy man answered. Again -his voice had the deep boom of a bell in it. - -"That is interesting," Cuso said. - -"I find it so," West answered. - -"How was it done?" - -West spread his hands in a gesture that said something, or nothing. -"Perhaps it would be best to ask them." - -"You know." The words were a statement, not a question. - -"It could be," West answered. - -"Then how?" Cuso's words sounded like the snap of a bear trap closing. -"I want to know how it was done. No alibis. No evasions. No excuses. -Just the truth." The tone of his voice carried the threat of violence -with it. - -West smiled. "Have I alibied or evaded? Did you not see everything in -our center here?" - -"I saw many things. That I saw all I do not know." - -"You saw what the colonel here--" the craggy man nodded toward Zen, -"--called my super radar." - -"Did you show him that?" Zen demanded. - -"Of course. I have no secrets from the great Asian. Besides, has he not -promised me a commission as a marshal in the armed forces of his land?" - -The words were easily spoken but Zen knew that West was actually -stalling for time. What was he waiting for? Was it the appearance again -of the face that had looked from the air in the center of the room? -Were the vanished people to reappear, armed with new weapons, and take -the Asians prisoners? - -"To hell with his commission!" Zen shouted. "He'll never make good on -his promise." - -"Shut up, both of you!" Cuso shouted. His voice was a bull bellow of -sound that roared back from the walls of the gallery and was echoed -from the tunnels that led outward. "You are stalling. You are trying to -trick me." - -West was silent. - -"My dog here says the people vanished." Cuso kicked his lieutenant -again to indicate who was meant. "Howl, dog!" - -The lieutenant obeyed. He was in such a state of mind that if Cuso had -told him to die, he would probably have obeyed, as a result of terror -and suggestion. - -"Do you want to howl like a dog too?" Cuso said to West. - -"Really, the possibility does not concern me," the craggy man answered. -"Did you have that in mind for me?" The tone was conversational. - -"West, this is no time to go over," Zen growled. - -"I have no such intention, colonel." - -"You admitted once that what you wanted most to do was to join the -bronze youth. I'm asking you--" - -"_Shut up!_" Cuso screamed. "The next person to open his mouth without -my permission I will have shot out of hand." - -"Ah," West said. - -The Asian leader started to shout an order at his soldiers to shoot the -craggy man, then changed his mind as he realized that even though he -had the weapons and the men, there was nothing he could gain by killing -the goose that might possibly lay a golden egg. As much as he wanted to -have West killed, for defying him, he knew he would have to save this -pleasure until later. - -Cuso swallowed his anger. Since his rage was so great, he had to -swallow several times before he got it all down, after which he looked -as if he were going to choke on it. - -"Look, let's be reasonable," he urged. - -"I'm willing," Zen said. - -"You're not worth a damn to me!" Cuso shouted. - -"He is worth something to me," West interposed. - -Again the Asian swallowed. If ever he reached the explosion point, his -anger was going to come out as boiling rage. "As I said, let us be -reasonable and talk this over together." - -"Glad to," West agreed. "What is more reasonable than a corpse?" - -The question took Cuso aback. But only for an instant. "Come to think -of it, you're right. Nothing that I have ever seen is more agreeable -than a corpse, to me, that is. Are you still determined to volunteer -for that position, or should I say _condition_?" - -"Any time," West answered. "As I told Kurt some time ago, I am rather -tired of this plane of existence and I would like to see what it's like -over yonder. Not that I don't already know," he added. - -"You know what it's like beyond death?" Cuso asked, curious in spite of -himself. - -"Certainly," West said, in a sure tone of voice. - -Listening, Zen again had the impression that the craggy man was -stalling for time again. On the other hand, he might be telling the -literal truth, he might know what waited at the end of life. If so--Zen -let this possibility slide hastily out of his mind. He had more to -think about now than he had brain cells to use for the task. - -"Then what is it like?" Cuso asked. - -"You have heard of heaven--" - -"Yes." - -"That's where I'm going." - -As he spoke, West vanished. - -A stunned silence held the big gallery. Cuso, his mouth hanging open, -stood leaning forward. On the floor, the lieutenant dared to sit up. He -even dared to speak. - -"See! That's the way they went. I couldn't stop 'em." - -Cuso shouted an order at his men. - -Zen found himself tied hand and foot. A raging maniac paced the floor -beside him. Every now and then Cuso kicked him. Screaming at the top of -his voice, the Asian leader invited Zen to vanish too. It did Zen no -good to try to protest that he was not one of the new people and that -he knew nothing of the method they had used in disappearing. - -In Cuso's mind, he was one of them. - -He was to be treated as such. - - - - -XIII - - -At first, the lighted matches under his toe nails hurt like the very -devil. He had never known such pain. Then he forgot about the matches -under his toe nails. They started lighting them under his fingers. - -"Where did they go?" Cuso screamed. "How did they do it?" - -Zen had long since ceased trying to say that he didn't know. Instead of -speaking, he shook his head. This was all he could do. Cuso interpreted -the head shake as a stubborn refusal to answer. He kicked the colonel -in the face. - -At the kick, the race mind clicked in. This was the effect Zen had--as -if a third person had suddenly come in on a party line. After that, -the pain from the kick did not seem so important. The torture from the -matches under his nails seemed to diminish also. - -Not that the contact with the race mind nullified the pain or made it -any less real. Fire was still fire and torture was still the same. But -neither were very important. - -Other things were. - -Zen tried to concentrate his attention on the other things. The room, -the shouting Cuso, the two Asians who were holding him down while -the third thrust the matches under his nails, the shivering Cal, the -lieutenant who was over-eager to obey his leader's orders, all these -seemed to become misty and vague. These things were real; there was no -question about that. But his mind was contacting another reality which -made these things different. Time began to lose its meaning. - -He wondered if he was fainting. Another question came across his -thoughts, heeled over like a sailing ship moving across the wind. Was -he dying? - -There was no shock with the thought. If that was the way it was, then -he was more than ready. - -"You are not fainting and you are not dying," the race mind whispered -to him. "Come closer to me." - -"How do I come closer to you?" - -"Let go." The voice of the race mind was like a whisper from the other -side of infinity. "Let go and come to me." - -Dimly, he wondered how one let go. The answer came with the question. -The words meant exactly what they said, the meaning was literal--_let -go_. - -As he performed the action that went with the words, the big gallery, -Cuso, the lieutenant, and the torturers faded away and became a part -of a misty world that seemed to have no real existence. Even the pain -vanished. - -"Come to me," the race mind whispered, again and again, a luring voice -that drew him irresistibly. - -Abruptly, he was back in the gallery. He did not know how long he had -been gone but he realized that some time must have passed, enough to -allow them to set up a portable radio transmitter in the gallery. The -set looked to be very powerful. A yellow-skinned operator was huddling -over the controls. - -"In contact with Asian headquarters," Zen thought. He knew his thinking -was correct. - -Off somewhere in the distance outside the mountain the night shuddered. -He knew the meaning of the sound. A rocket ship was either landing or -blasting off, probably the latter. A long line of burdened Asians was -moving through the gallery. - -At the sight of their loads Zen knew what had gone into the hold of -that ship. The equipment of the hidden center here. He saw parts of the -super radar go past on the backs of sweating Asian soldiers, and he -knew where this was going. - -At this knowledge, anguish came up in him. With West's super radar in -their possession, no American secret was safe from prying Asian eyes, -unless some way could be found to shield the frequencies employed. - -Such shielding might work for laboratories, but there was no way to -shield troop movements and take-offs and landings. These would be as -public as an advertisement. - -His face was wet. He could not understand this until another bucket of -water hit him. An Asian bent over him, saw that his eyes were open, and -grunted with satisfaction. They started again on his fingers. - -The radio operator called to Cuso, giving him a message. Zen could not -understand the language but the Asian leader was both startled and -elated. He shouted at the men carrying loads to work faster. - -"Not much time left. Big bomb coming." - -"What bomb?" Zen thought. With the question came the answer. Warned -by Cuso that their preparations were probably known, the Asians had -decided to launch their super bomb immediately. Turmoil came up inside -Zen at this knowledge. - -Real pain came from his finger tips as the torturers began operations -again. - -"Do you want to die?" the race mind whispered in his thoughts. - -Although he couldn't contact it, the race field could reach him. "You -have suffered all that is required. You have met the law. You may join -me, if you wish." - -"I--" Zen shut off his thinking. This was fantasy, the product of -torture and nearing dissolution. His own imagination was tricking him, -he thought. - -"This is not your imagination," the answer came. "This is what you call -the race mind." - -"But--" - -"How do you know? You don't. At this point, you have to accept me on -faith." The thinking flowing smoothly into his mind went into silence, -then came again, stronger than before. "Do you want to die? You have -earned the right." - -"No," Zen answered. He screamed the words again. "No. No!" - -"The path before you will be difficult." - -"I don't care how difficult it is. There's work to be done!" Again he -shouted the words. - -"Very well. It is your choice. You may remain among the living for as -long as your strength may last." The voice whispering in his mind went -into silence. - -Kurt continued screaming. Pain raced through his consciousness again. -As he came awake he realized that he was screaming at the torturer to -stop. - -He also realized that the Asian had stopped. There was a sound in the -gallery. Filling the air, it seemed to emerge from the very walls of -the mountain itself. - -The note of a violin! - -High and sweet and compelling, the sound came from nowhere. Every atom -in the solid stone walls seemed to pick it up and to rebroadcast it. -The molecules of the air seemed to dance in resonance with it. - -Simultaneously, about ten feet above the floor, the face appeared again. - -The lieutenant's rifle blasted at it. He fired shot after shot at point -blank range. Red-hot slugs howled from the walls of the big gallery in -a cacophony of death. - -The face smiled at the lieutenant. The lips moved. "Keep shooting, old -fellow," the lips seemed to say. - -The officer emptied his gun. In a desperate burst of fear, he threw it -at the mocking face. - -The weapon passed through the face without harming it. - -"You fool! That's a projection, not a real person!" Cuso shouted. He -grabbed the officer by the shoulder and spun him backward to the floor. -"Who are you?" he demanded of the face. - -It smiled at him. - -Zen repressed the impulse to shout. He knew what was going to happen -next. - -"I said, _Who are you?_" Cuso shouted again. - -The crash of something in the gallery jerked his attention away. -Twisting his head around, he saw that one of the soldiers engaged in -carrying the loot of this cavern out to the plane waiting to hurry it -to Asia, had collapsed on the floor. - -Under ordinary circumstances, Cuso would have had the man summarily -executed. But with that face smiling at him out of nothing, these -circumstances were not ordinary. - -Zen, knowing what was going to happen, forgot the pain of his burned -fingers and toes. He could feel it creeping over him in waves. This -time he did not resist it: He let his eyes close. - -When he opened them, the torturer was snoring beside him. Every Asian -in the big gallery was sound asleep. - -People were crowding around him. The new people. In a sweeping glance, -he recognized every person he had met here, except Nedra, and he did -not see her at first because she was busy bandaging his hands. West was -smiling down at him with an expression that was somehow grandfatherly. -But back of West's smile was perturbation. - -Zen started to get to his feet and discovered they had not as yet -removed the ropes from his legs. As one did this, Nedra clucked -reprovingly at him and tried to tell him that he was wounded. He said -this did not matter. Faces were here that he did not recognize. This -did not matter either. - -"You did this?" he said to West. - -"Yes. I designed and built the equipment. Others were operating it in -this instance." West had something else on his mind. - -"Thanks," Zen said. "Why didn't you take me with you when you -went--wherever it was you went?" - -"We couldn't," West answered. "You haven't had the training." - -"Why did you come back?" - -"To rescue you. Kurt--" West had something that he wanted to say. - -"Nedra, will you stop fussing with me? I'm all right." - -"But your poor hands and feet." - -"I don't even feel them. I won't have them to feel at all unless action -is taken. Don't you understand. Somewhere in Asia they're getting ready -to launch a super bomb. Or maybe it's already on its way." - -"I didn't know," the girl said. "The big one?" - -"Yes." - -A flicker of pain crossed her face and she shook her head. "I always -wondered what it would be like to live on a mud flat. I wonder if we -will be oysters, or eels. Or maybe crabs." - -"What the hell are you talking about?" Zen demanded. - -"After the bomb goes off," the girl said. - -"What then?" - -"The race mind will have to start over again," she explained. Her -manner indicated that she was explaining something that she clearly -understood. She seemed to wonder why he did not understand it. "Maybe -we will be turtles? That will be funny! A turtle that can remember when -it was a man! That's the way it will be. Except--" - -"I know all about that." - -"Except that the turtle won't be able to do anything about its -memories," the girl continued as if she had not heard him. "It will -have flippers and a beak but what it will need will be hands. It won't -have them until it grows them itself. A turtle with the memories that -it was once a man, knowing that if it had hands, it could rebuild human -culture!" A bemused expression appeared on her face. "I wonder how the -race mind will solve that problem." Again she seemed to muse. "It would -be worse to be crabs. Or would it?" - -"Shut up!" Zen snarled. "We're not turtles yet. Or crabs. And we're not -back on the mud flats." - -"But we're on the edge of them," the girl insisted. "One more teeter -and we will go totter." - -Zen turned to West. "What the hell has happened to Nedra?" - -"Nothing," the craggy man answered. "She has some degree of -clairvoyance and it is coming to consciousness. Unfortunately, she has -not yet had time to develop her talents in that direction." - -"Maybe the turtle wouldn't want to rebuild human culture," the girl -interrupted. "Maybe it wouldn't want to go back down that blind alley -again. Perhaps it would decide to go into another channel, to develop -into something totally different. In that case, it might not need -hands." - -Zen deliberately ignored her. He turned to West. "A bomb will be going -off," he said. - -"That is what I've been trying to talk to you about," the craggy man -answered. "This is another reason why we came back for you--so we could -talk to you about that bomb." - -"To me?" Zen said startled. - -"Yes, to you." - -"Why?" - -"Because you are a colonel of intelligence and have experience in such -matters. Also because you are something that none of us are--a fighting -man." - -"I--I don't understand you," Zen answered. - -"I can get you there. But once there, my knowledge fails. I, to my -regret, know nothing of fighting." West spread his hands in a helpless -gesture. - -"Get me where?" Zen asked. - -"To Asia. To the underground cavern where they are getting ready to -launch that bomb," West explained. The tone of his voice said this was -easy. The hard part came in knowing what to do, and being able to do -it, after they were there. - -"To Asia?" Zen parroted the words. He had the dazed impression that -this whole scene was unreal, that the snoring Asians on the floor, Cal -huddled by the wall, and the new people crowding into the room, would -shortly all vanish in puffs of green smoke. "How in the hell will you -get us to Asia?" - -"How did we get out of this gallery?" West responded. "How did we -vanish? How did the men in the reports you read get into the planes -that were about to crash? Who landed Colonel Grant's space satellite? -Who steered it? Who provided the power to energize the motion? Who--" - -"Did you know I knew about Grant?" - -"It was obvious that you must know." - -"And you can get me to Asia?" - -"You and as many others as you choose to take with you!" - -Walking over to the sleeping lieutenant, he picked up the man's rifle, -then turned to the group. - -"Who will go with me to Asia?" he asked. - -The group stepped forward as one man. - -A knot formed in Kurt Zen's throat at the sight and he gulped to force -it down. He knew how much this decision meant to them. They had been -trained in the ways of peace, they were searching for the road to the -future. Fighting meant turning backward on the path that led to growth, -it was the last thing they wanted to do. Yet do it they would, if it -was necessary. In an instant they were scrambling for weapons from the -sleeping Asians, then they were trying to salute and tell him their -names and say they would follow him at the same time. - -One man saluted well. "Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman," he said. Pride was in -the man's voice. - -Zen caught the man's arm. "Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman? But I know you." - -"Maybe you do, suh." Thurman spoke with the soft drawl of the old south. - -"One of the new people appeared in your plane and saved your life!" Zen -burst out. - -"Yes, suh. That's right, suh." - -"But you deserted!" - -"Put it another way, suh, let's say I joined the right side." - -"How did you find this place?" - -"I just kept thinking and kept trying. Eventually we found each other. -The psychos tried to make me believe I was nuts. But I knew better. I -knew what had happened. And I knew there had to be a reason for it. I -kept hunting until I found that reason. The big part of the battle, -where I had an advantage over most everybody else, was that I knew from -experience that something was going on. Knowing this much, all I had to -do was keep looking." The man's voice drawled the explanation. His eyes -smiled. "At your service, suh." - -"Do you know that going with me may mean death?" - -"What's death, suh?" Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman grinned. "I died over the -North Pole, suh." - -"Spike Larson," another man said. - -"You were in a sub," Zen challenged. A glow was coming up inside of him -like nothing he had ever experienced before. He was getting fighting -men to stand beside him. - -"Yes," Larson answered. "And I will consider it a privilege to stand -beside you." - -Like soldiers, they passed in review before him, the fat boy, the -tall, lean, brown-skinned youths. Somehow he thought there ought to be -another one. He looked around for him. Grant was talking to West. - -Grant was the man whose face had looked out of thin air in the middle -of the room. - -Seeing that Zen was staring at him, he left off his talk with the -craggy man and came over and saluted. - -"How was it up in that satellite?" Zen asked. - -"Lonely, as hell, colonel," Grant answered. - -"Do you want to go with me to Asia?" - -"There's no place on Earth I'd rather go. And, the way things stand now -I don't have much choice. If they get that bomb into the air--" He left -the sentence unfinished. - -Then Nedra was standing in front of Zen. At the sight of her, it seemed -to him that the world stood still. He shook his head. - -"Why?" she challenged. - -"Because I love you," he answered. - -"Then that is the real reason why you should take me with you," she -answered. - -"I don't follow," he said. - -"If you fail, there will be no tomorrow," she answered. To her, the -statement had no answer. "Besides, I am a nurse," she continued. "If -there are wounded, I can help with them." - -"But--" - -"The fact that you love me does not enter into this situation. It is -a thing apart. It is a very wonderful thing," she added hastily, the -star light shining in her eyes. "And I wish we could bring it to fruit -the ways it used to be. But those days are gone. And I am going to Asia -with you." - -Watching, West smiled. Zen spread his hands in a gesture of defeat. He -turned to the craggy man. "This sleep thing: I don't know how you do -it and don't much care, but you obviously have a portable generator of -some kind that you used to put the lieutenant out in the ghost town." - -"Yes," West agreed. - -"I'd like to borrow the unit," Zen said. - -"Gladly, colonel. I wish we had other weapons." - -"We'll make do with what we have," Zen answered. - - - - -XIV - - -"Zero minus one hour," the loudspeaker droned, in a Chinese dialect. - -In a deep cavern in the hinterlands of Asia, men responded to the -command coming over the speaker system. Already driven to the point of -exhaustion, they were working harder than they had ever worked before. -The moment of victory, for which all true Asians had lived, was near at -hand. The launching of this bomb would make the Asian Union master of -the world. Orders had come through to launch this bomb immediately. - -"Zero minus forty-five minutes," the speaker said. The drone had gone -from the voice of the officer watching the time. A rising excitement -appeared in the tones as if he, too, had caught the scent of fear -rising in the vast underground depot. - -So much was left to be done. The atomic warhead was already in place, -waiting for the day of launching, otherwise the task would have been -impossible. The driving engines were complete, but had to be fueled. -The steering equipment was almost ready, only the installation of the -left gyroscope was necessary. This was at hand waiting to be installed. -Five technicians constantly got in each other's way as they tried to -slip the delicate instrument into place. - -"Zero minus thirty minutes!" - -The gyroscope was eased into place and tested. It was found to be in -perfect working order. - -In the course plotting room, the final calculations were being made. -Wind direction and velocity aloft had been noted across half the -planet. This had some importance on the launching and landing end but -had no significance when the bomb itself was out of the atmosphere. - -The target had been figured and refigured. Actually, the target was -anywhere on the continent of North America. If this bomb struck -anywhere in the Mississippi valley, the whole watershed below the -striking point would be scoured clean of all life. Water carrying -radiation downstream would account for that. - -"Zero minus fifteen minutes!" - -On the outside of the mountain, in a special observatory constructed -for this precise purpose, radar scopes for tracking the rocket were -ready. Instruments in the laboratory there were for the purpose of -changing the course of the super bomb, if it veered too far from its -destination. The technicians there were on their toes. They had no -guards to encourage them but they needed none. They knew what would -happen if this bomb failed to land and the fault was traced to their -door. - -What would happen when the bomb landed? - -Hell would happen! - -Probably the crust of the Earth would open up in a hole miles in depth. -Meteor Crater, in Arizona, would be the work of a child compared to the -result of this explosion. What had happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki -would be nothing in comparison. - -The possibility existed that the molten magma of the core of the planet -would gush forth. No one knew for sure whether or not this would -happen. If it did take place, the result might be the sudden appearance -of a lake of over-flowing lava. - -The shock waves from the bomb would probably be strong enough to pull -down every skyscraper that still remained standing in America. - -The effect on the watershed where the bomb landed would be almost -complete catastrophe. If it struck on any of the rivers or streams -flowing into the Mississippi, the water supply of all cities downstream -to New Orleans would be contaminated. - -Nobody knew what the effect of the fall-out from this bomb would be. -High air currents might carry radioactive particles for thousands of -miles from the explosion point, where they would fall as a gentle but -very deadly rain upon the Earth below. - -"_Zero minus ten minutes!_" - -The high, thin note of a violin appeared in the vast underground -cavern. Amid the scurrying of feet, the shouts of the foremen bossing -the work gangs, and the occasional cracking of the rifles of the guard, -the sound was unheard by the ears. But deeper centers heard it. - -The first man to go was a fat engineer. Sighing, he stumbled and fell. -When he did not rise a guard approached him. As the guard determined -that the man was snoring, he lifted his rifle. - -The engineer died without awakening. - -Another shot rang out as another man went to sleep, then continued on -to join his fathers. - -The technician busy filling the fuel tanks of the rocket was the third -man to go. He managed to finish closing the filler cap and to lay down -his flexible line before the urge to sleep overcame him. - -By this time the guards knew that something was wrong. - -Silence came over the cavern. In the stillness, the note of the violin -flickering up and down the scale could be heard. Men looked at each -other in growing apprehension. Looking, some of them lay down and went -to sleep. - -"Sleep gas!" an officer bawled. "Shoot all foreigners on sight!" - -The officer suspected that some spy had slipped into the underground -cavern and had released gas there. His command was intended to enable -his men to find and eliminate this alien. As such, from a military -standpoint, it was a good command. It had this deficiency: when his men -did not find any aliens, but their own people continued going to sleep -on them, they began imagining foreigners. The guards began to shoot -their own technicians and engineers. - -As panic swept through the cavern, guards began to shoot other guards. -Soon the people in this huge underground chamber were tearing and -destroying each other. And one other thing: they were also going to -sleep. - -The panic grew to hurricane proportions. - -When Kurt Zen appeared inside the cavern the whole vast place was as -still as a tomb. Smoke from the rifles hung in the air, the cavern -stank of death and fear. But the bomb still rested in its launching -cradle. - -Zen took one long look at that bomb. He felt his sigh of relief clear -down to the ends of his toes. At the sight, the last remnant of pain -vanished from his toes and fingers. Not that the damage done by the -matches did not still exist. It did. But in the surge of elation that -swept through him, he completely forgot the pain. - -"We just got here in time," a man said, appearing beside him. It was -Spike Larson who had spoken. Awe on his face, Larson glanced around the -cavern. "They started killing each other. They must have gone nuts." - -"I don't blame them," Zen said. "I damned near did, on the way here." - -"That trip through nothing is sure a stinker, isn't it," Larson -answered, grinning and shaking his head. - -Zen agreed with him whole-heartedly. After tuning his body to an -instrument in the cavern, hidden so well that Cuso's men had not had -time to find it, West had punched a button. The machine had vanished. -West had vanished. A horrible moment had come when it had seemed that -his feet were standing on nothing more substantial than air. What he -had felt under his feet had, in fact, been far less substantial than -air, which had body. It had been even less solid than space. It had -been _nothing_. - -Swishing, colonel Grant came into existence on the other side of Zen. -Grant looked fussed, but he gripped the rifle he had taken from one of -Cuso's men with determination. - -"Just between you and me, I'd rather fly a space satellite to Mars any -day in preference to facing this jump." - -"I know what you mean," Zen said. - -As he spoke, another figure came into existence to his left. Nedra! -She came spinning into reality with a smile on her face. Zen wasted a -moment wondering what kind of cast-iron nerves this girl had. - -"It looks as if all we have to do is to tie them up," Spike Larson -said. "This is almost too good to be true." - -"It is too good to be true," Zen said. Turmoil was--somewhere. He did -not know where but it seemed to him that a vast uneasiness had suddenly -come into existence. It had to do, somehow, with the future, with a -something that was about to happen. - -"Halt!" Grant's voice rang out. - -Zen swung his gaze around just in time to see an Asian lift himself to -his feet near a control board that stood beside the rocket. - -"He's walking in his sleep," Larson exclaimed. - -"_Zero minus one minute_," the loudspeaker announced. - -"Where in the hell is that man on the speaker?" Grant demanded. "The -sleep frequency didn't get to him!" - -"No time to be concerned about him now," Zen said. The turmoil that -existed somewhere had increased in intensity. Somehow it was concerned -with the solitary Asian who was reeling in circles like a drunken man -trying to make up his mind. - -"Shall I shoot him, colonel?" Grant demanded. - -Zen hesitated. He knew that West's deepest wish was to avoid violence -if that was possible. - -The split second's delay was fatal. Grant's shot rang out--much too -late. - -Reeling on his feet, the man reached the control panel, and pulled the -single switch there. A heavy thud came from the rocket as a ram drove -home inside the heavy metal hull. - -"Get back!" Zen screamed. - -He caught Nedra and pulled her backward. Beside him, he knew that Grant -and Larson were also reeling backward. Inside the rocket a steady -rumble of sound was building up. Low in frequency but heavy in volume -it seemed to shake the foundations of the Earth itself. Inside the -vessel heavy heat charges were building up. Smoke and flame spurted -backward as the first warming charge let go. - -For all Zen knew this section was to have been cleared before the -firing of the first rocket. He did not know whether provision had been -made for the elimination of flame and smoke but he knew that heat and -smoke hit him as he pulled Nedra away. - -Then the main charges let go. - -Rising like some devil spurting upward from the depths of hell itself, -the launching cradle carrying the rocket lurched upward. The stone -floor shook underfoot, the mountain shook. Unless this rocket could be -stopped, the whole planet would shake. Earth would twitch her skin like -an elephant stung by a giant wasp. - -With a thundering roar the rocket shook itself loose from its cradle -and hurled into the sky under its own power. - -"West," Zen shouted. - -"Yes, Kurt." The craggy man's reply was as prompt as it would have been -if he had stayed in the same room. Actually he was in the American -center. - -"We've lost," Zen said. - -"I know," West replied. A sadness as deep as the ocean of space was in -his voice. - -"Pull these people back to you." - -"Of course." - -"Me last." The last lingering roars of sound were still pounding down -the bore of the launching cradle. - -"Why do you want to be last?" - -"Duty," Zen said. "Get that miracle device of yours into operation, -pronto." - -"Sure. I'm starting now." - -"Hey, guys, you're going home!" Zen yelled at the people with him. - -"What good is it to go home?" Spike Larson asked. - -"There won't be any home within an hour," Grant added. "Or however long -that rocket will take to land. Why go back to what isn't there?" - -"That's where we will start the task of rebuilding," Zen said. - -"Rebuild what with what?" Larson demanded. - -"There will be something left," Zen said firmly. "You are already -underground. You will stay that way. Keep the good fight going, for -years. Raise some kids to keep it going after you are gone." He felt -very firm and sure about what he was saying. - -"You're full of hot air," Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman said. - -"Besides, you are planning something else," Nedra spoke. "You want to -get rid of us so you can--" - -"West!" Zen shouted. - -"Yes, Kurt." - -"Take 'em away!" Zen yelled. "They're trying to rebel on me. Take Nedra -first before she reads my mind." - -"I'm working as fast as I can," West answered. "This instrument has to -be tuned to the individual body frequency. Ah--" - -"I knew there was something--" Nedra began. And vanished. Zen grinned. -He had the impression that she was calling him names that no lady -should speak as she went away. Time would cure that, if any time was -left. In the chamber an Asian was stirring. - -"Zen, old man, what are you up to?" Grant asked. - -"Take this one next," Kurt ordered. Grant looked reluctant but resigned -as he disappeared. - -Zen was alone in the big chamber. Smoke swirled from the ceiling. One -Asian was already on his feet and a guard was sitting up. - -"I've got them all here," West's voice came across vast distances. - -"Good." - -"Are you ready?" - -"Yeah," Zen answered. "But I'm going that way." He pointed toward the -ceiling. - -"Kurt!" West's voice was sharp with sudden pain as he caught the -colonel's meaning. - -"That way or no way," Zen answered. - -"But that's not a passenger rocket." - -"The hull will hold enough air to keep me alive for as long as I need -to be there." - -"But the rocket is in constantly accelerating flight. It's a moving -target." - -"Red-Dog Jimmie Thurman's plane was falling and Colonel Grant's -satellite was moving and Spike Larson's sub was on the bottom of the -Indian Ocean. Don't give me any back talk, Sam. Somebody got into -that plane and that satellite and that submarine. I can get into that -rocket. You're the man who can put me there." - -"But I'm not on that target!" West's voice had a wail in it. - -"Then get on it!" Kurt Zen sounded like an exceedingly gruff drill -sergeant addressing a new recruit, or like a colonel who had his mind -made up. - -"All right. I'll do my best. But something will remain here, Kurt, even -after the explosion. We'll be safe, in a way, here." - -"That argument has already been used, by me, to get the others back to -you. You and I know, Sam, that hell won't hold a hat to the American -continent if that whizzer hits." - -"All right," West repeated. "Ah! I'm on the rocket as a target." - -"Good!" Zen repressed every muscular tremor everywhere in his body. - -Somewhere there was jubilation, a sensed but not tangible vibration -that he could not locate. He concentrated on the jubilation. - -A layer of smoke floated down from the ceiling like a descending -death-pall. The guard had gotten to his feet. He had picked up his -rifle and was staring around the room seeking either an explanation for -what had happened, or a target. To him, which he got didn't matter. His -eyes came to focus on the lean colonel with the bandaged fingers. That -uniform did not belong here. - -The guard raised his rifle. - -"Good luck, Kurt," West's voice whispered across the space between two -continents. - -As the gun exploded in his face, Kurt Zen felt his body vibrate into -what seemed to be nothing. Again the terror wrenched at his soul. Again -he experienced the mind-compelling agony of this incredible type of -space flight. - -This time he did not mind these terrors. Somewhere in his mind was -jubilation. Wondering if it was the forerunner of death, he continued -to concentrate on that. - -Dimly, as if from some other space, or some other time, he was aware of -a roar. The rocket swam into existence ten feet away from him. He was -outside it, in airless space. - -West had made a miscalculation. - -Agony seared every cell in his body. Pain clamped at his throat like -hands trying to choke him to death. - -"Oops! I made a mistake," he heard West gasp. - -He was moving with the rocket, on a parallel course. West had matched -course and velocity but he had not achieved his exact aiming point. -Error in the instrument? Human mistake? Who knew? - -Who cared? - -_Click!_ - -Like a vast ocean of warm, pulsing, sure power, the race mind came into -Kurt Zen. It existed here in space, too! He had never thought of that. -In what little thinking he had had time to do, he had considered it as -a super special sort of field which possessed intelligence but which -was limited to the surface of the planet. - -Here in space, it sustained life in him. - -He did not know how this was done, this was one of the mysteries which -must be left to the future to solve--if there was a future other than -the mud flats. It felt to him as if a vast tidal current was flowing -into his body. - -_Click!_ - -He was in the rocket! - -The smell of overheated oil fouled his nose. As he tried to move, he -bumped his head. He was in a narrow passage. Ahead was a control panel -with automatic devices. He began to crawl in that direction. - -Noise was a thundering roar in his ears. His whole body felt as if it -was about to shake to pieces. The passage was narrow. It had never been -intended for humans. Moving upward, Zen found it was too narrow. He got -stuck. - -No matter how hard he tried he could not move an inch forward. The -control panel was so close he could spit on it but it could not have -been farther out of his reach if it had been on the other side of the -Moon. - -Air was getting short. He twisted and squirmed, fighting like the -devil, but his body was wedged into the narrow passage in such a way -that he could not move. - -Something pulled at his arms. Nedra was directly ahead of him. She was -trying to pull him forward along the passage. - -"You?" he whispered. - -"Who has a better right than I?" she answered. Sweat grimed her face. -Her hair was awry. Fiercely she pulled at him. - -The rocket yawed, beginning its turn in space. He forced himself -forward. And came free. - -Somehow he found the strength to pull himself up in front of the -control panel. He was running on nervous energy now and he knew it. No -strength was left in his body beyond what he was forcing into it. - -"Send it out to space!" he muttered. "Send it out there!" He tried to -wave his arm in an outward gesture and bumped his hand on the steel -hull. - -Light came through a circular port. He had a glimpse of the Earth down -below. The planet was very far away. Blue seas and green land, the -planet was also very beautiful. - -He fumbled his way over the controls, trying to understand them. -Somewhere stabilizing gyroscopes were running smoothly. He could hear -them. The controls were simple. He decided which way was up, and jammed -home the controls. - -Nothing happened. - -In the confined quarters his laughter had madness in it. - -Nedra stared at him. - -"What happened?" - -"Nothing. Nothing happened. They're locked in place." - -His eyes grew very wide. - -"These controls are only for establishing the flight course. Once that -is established and the rocket launched, they automatically lock in -place." - -"Then we can't change the course?" - -"No." - -Her face puckered and she looked like a small girl about to cry. - -Another panel to the left caught his attention. It had a red button on -it. He studied the wiring on it. - -"By thunder!" the words burst involuntarily from his lips. - -"What is it, Kurt?" - -"They put a manual control on the warhead. It's got to be that. It -can't be anything else." He pointed to the red button. "Why do you -suppose they did that?" - -"Test purposes, probably, to check the firing mechanism before the -warhead was installed. What difference does it make?" Nedra's voice was -listless. - -"Maybe we can go to heaven." - -"What do you mean?" - -He explained very carefully what he meant. - -"Explode the rocket here in space?" - -"Sure," he said. His tone of voice said this was nothing, that anybody -could do it. West's voice clamored in his mind again. He ignored it. -His hand moved toward the red button. - -"There's one thing I want you to know," he said, pausing. - -"What is that?" - -"I love you," he said. - -She came into his arms like a tired, frightened child. "I knew that -the minute I saw you," she said. He held her close to him and she lay -there, seemingly very content. "All right," she said. "I'm ready." Her -lips sought his. - -Kissing her, he reached behind her back and punched the red button. - -A relay thudded. - -Darkness closed in. - - * * * * * - -Kurt Zen came out of that darkness to find himself staring upward into -the face of Sam West. There was something about that face that was -familiar, something that he should have guessed long before. He tried -to think what it was. - -"How'd you get to heaven?" he said. - -"The warhead had a delay relay on it," West explained. "It was about -thirty seconds, as near as I can figure it. Anyhow it gave us just -enough time to snatch both of you out of that rocket before she blew." - -What he said sounded very important. Under other circumstances, Zen -knew he would have considered it important. But other things seemed -more significant now. "Did she blow?" he asked. - -"All of ten minutes ago," West said exultantly. "Do you know what this -means, Kurt? Do you know what it means?" - -"Yeah," Zen answered. "I won't have to be an eel." There was still this -other thing that was important. "Say--" - -"An eel?" For an instant the craggy man was puzzled. Then he grasped -the meaning. "You're right, Kurt. No eels--for any of us." - -"That's good," Zen said. "Nedra--" - -"She's right here beside you, still out from exhaustion. But she will -be all right." - -"Good," Zen said again. This other fact was still in his mind. As he -tried to think what it was, the answer came to him. He looked up at the -craggy man. "You're not Sam West," he said. - -"No?" the craggy man said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Then who -am I?" - -"You're Jal Jonner. Nobody but Jal Jonner could have done all the -things you have done." - -"You're right, Kurt. I'm Jal Jonner. And you're Kurt Zen. And this is -Nedra--" Zen saw the smile on the face of the craggy man. It was a very -good smile, the best he had ever seen. Then it faded away as he sank -into the deep slumber of exhaustion. He did not even feel Jonner place -Nedra's hand in his as he went to sleep. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Doomsday Eve, by Robert Moore Williams - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOOMSDAY EVE *** - -***** This file should be named 50138.txt or 50138.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/1/3/50138/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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