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diff --git a/old/66155-0.txt b/old/66155-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 42ceed8..0000000 --- a/old/66155-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1589 +0,0 @@ -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 66155 *** - - Could mankind hope to survive a galactic - war that left boys aged cripples in a few short - years? Who would replace them when there were-- - - NO SONS LEFT TO DIE! - - By Hal Annas - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy - September 1953 - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Susan Wildress knew that what she was about to do might mean death. - -She stopped eating and stared at the ration of ground cedar bark, -rabbit, and a hydroponic which tasted like eggplant. She pushed back -her plate and glanced around at the tense girl faces in the huge dining -hall. She lifted a small strong hand and ran it inside her sweater. She -brought out a locket, snapped it open. - -The flesh grew tight around her dark brown eyes and in her olive -cheeks. The memory was still as clear as the day it happened. Three -years. She was just fourteen, sitting in the groundcar and watching the -preparations which were always dramatic. - -Darth Brady had lied about his age. He was supposed to be nineteen but -was just past seventeen. She had known and so had everyone else, but -the Centers needed boys, needed them desperately. - -She remembered how her face got wet as she watched him go out to the -ship. He looked very tall and broad and strong, a man. His jaw was -firm and his features grim. He looked toward her but didn't wave, for, -since she could first remember, there had been a stringent rule against -making close ties with boys at the Centers. - -Replacing the locket, she rose and walked casually to the exit. She -glanced right and left, hurried to the entrance to the factory, reached -down her time card and punched in. Then she hurried back across the -space to the dining hall, around behind it and on out to the rows of -cedar trees. - -The penalty, she knew, might be endless restriction, even death, but -she didn't hesitate. With trees concealing her movements, she hurried -along to the dormitory groundcar ramps. She went more cautiously now. - -A moment later she heard masculine voices and a shiver ran down her -spine. It was not the voices themselves, but the words they used. -_Zeehites._ She had heard the term many times, never without a shudder. -Men could be put to death for discussing the Zeehites around women or -children. - -Moving quickly, she slipped between two cars, slid into the control -seat of one. With infinite care she backed it out, rolled it as quietly -as possible a hundred yards before setting in motion the vanes that -would lift it. She brought it down again in a clearing in the wood at -the edge of the heat-blackened plain. - -For a time she remained undecided. A score of ships were out on the -plain. She had seen from the air scores of others on other plains. -Nowhere had she seen one bristling with full armament and scars of -battle to indicate it to be the _Ida Bella_, _Nucleus_, _Trilogy_ or -_Firelance_. - - * * * * * - -She thought of binding her dark wavy hair tight against her head. The -thought, she knew, was idle. Nowhere on the planet could she pass as a -man, dressed as she was in denims and sweater. Young men wore purple -uniforms; those in logistics wore brown. - -Dismissing caution, she walked rapidly toward the buildings of the -Center. And now she became very careful of her thoughts. She knew that -youths developed remarkably at the Centers. They had to if they were -to survive out among the stars in that long chain of ships stretched -across the course of the Zeehites. The boys were said to be telepathic. -She didn't know for sure. She knew only that girls had to be careful -of their thoughts around boys. - -Pausing between two buildings, she glanced apprehensively at the open -compound. Nothing stirred there but she had the eerie feeling that eyes -were on her. It was too late to turn back. She started across to the -main building. - -Young men in purple uniforms materialized from every direction. They -neither laughed nor talked; moved with hardly a sound. They completely -surrounded her, pressed close. They were tall and broad and she could -not see beyond them. - -Susan trembled. She started to run, to break out of the circle, but -powerful and yet gentle hands restrained her. - -"It's a girl from the factory," one said. "Make it casual. Don't crowd. -We'll have to get her out of here." - -A brief order was snapped. The men moved as one. At the center of the -group she was carried along. She knew when they entered a building, but -uttered no sound. The men fell back. She waited, trembling. - -"Girl," said one, "do you know you could be put to death for coming -here?" - -Susan stopped trembling, held herself rigid. Long ago she had learned -not to cry. There was no excuse for breaking a rule. Her mother had -once told her that things had not always been this way; that if -everyone worked hard enough things would soon be again as they were in -that bright and free past. To break a single rule was to commit a crime -against everyone on the planet and delay that bright future. She waited. - -"You're working dayshift in the factory?" - -She nodded. - -"How many hours??" - -"Twelve." - -"If you want to make a complaint you have to take it to the Council." - -A man who looked older than the others advanced. On his shoulder was -the emblem of the crossed pens, indicating he was an instructor. He -glared around at the others. "You know better," he said, "than to sneak -a girl in here." - -Somebody chuckled. "She was on the compound. Did you want her to be -discovered and maybe get permanent restriction? We'll get her out safe -somehow." - -The instructor turned back to Susan. "You'll have to keep mum at the -factory," he warned. "A single word and you'll have the Council on our -necks." - -"But I have to find someone," she said. "From _Firelance_." - -"Oh!" Glum looks spread. - -"His name is Darth Brady," she went on quickly. "He trained here. He -went out three years ago." - -"Darth Brady!" somebody said. "That gibbering cripple--" - -"Quiet!" ordered the instructor. "The next man that mentions a -forbidden subject will go before the Council." He turned back to Susan. -"We must get you back to your place." - -"But I have to find Darth Brady." - -The men turned away, shook their heads. Susan felt a cold numbness -growing in her body and limbs. - -"You, Carson," the instructor ordered, "get passes for yourself, -Merritt and Saxon. I'll issue the order via wrist communicator. Get two -groundcars. Wait in them outside the compound. You others form a ring -about this girl. What's your name, girl?" - -"Susan Wildress. My identification number is on the back of my sweater." - -"I'm Alfred Wilson. The boys will walk out to the groundcars. You walk -in the midst of them and try to look like a boy. Get in the first car -and stay out of sight." - - * * * * * - -On the way Sue had an opportunity to study the boys. Most of them were -younger than her seventeen years. For their age they were unusually -tall and broad. Few were under six feet. Their purple uniforms were -emblazoned with a single splash of white in the center of the back, in -the shape of a burning sun. - -She slid into the car, remained quiet. Alfred Wilson got in beside her. -A moment later the car rose gently, accompanied by another off to port. - -Sue pointed to the wood and explained that her car was there. Wilson -spoke into his communicator and the other car descended in that -direction. - -"They'll return it to the dormitory," he said. "My job is to get you -back without creating an emergency." - -"Why are you doing it?" Sue asked. "Why don't you turn me over to the -Council?" - -Wilson set the robot controls and turned to face her. "Nobody wants to -punish you girls," he said softly. "Members of the Council least of -all. But they have to maintain discipline. It's the only way we can get -the big job done." - -She understood. She had heard it all a thousand times before. No one's -feelings, nothing, neither life nor death, must be allowed to halt or -hinder the big job, the job that was to bring that bright future. - -"Can you tell me anything about Darth Brady?" she said. - -"I can tell you only that he wears two ribbons and three stars." - -"Two ribbons?" Sue gasped. "Is he dead?" - -"No." Wilson's voice was deep, controlled with effort. "No. Darth Brady -isn't dead. But, Sue, you must not think about him. You know the rules." - -The tight knot in Sue's breast worked up into her throat. She blinked -rapidly and squeezed the flesh around her eyes to keep the moisture -back. "I know the rules," she said. - -Wilson tuned the communicator to the factory. "Tube department -foreman," he said, but didn't cut in the viewplate. "Al Wilson, from -the Center," he went on. "Sure, Mom, I'm fine. I've borrowed one of -your girls. Don't let it get talked about. Will have her back soon." - -"Your mother?" Sue asked. - -"Yep! A fine girl. She works fifteen hours a day and still finds time -to keep records for the Council." - -"I thought Mrs. Wilson's boy had gone out. When I was eleven I heard -her say he'd already entered the Center. That's six years ago." - -Wilson's features clouded. "They won't let me go. Made me an -instructor. If the chain breaks--But that isn't a subject to discuss -with a girl. Look below. That lake! Know what made it?" - -"A strike. My mother said it came before I was born. She said we'd been -lucky; that the planet has been struck thousands of times; that the -moon and Mars have taken an awful beating." - -"We set up decoys," Wilson explained. "They draw the strikes when a -break-through comes. But sometimes a factory gets knocked out." - -"I know." Sue nodded. "We know what to do. We've drilled over and over. -And most of the factory is under ground." - -"Part of it, the brick part, was once a school. I went to school there -eight terms before I entered the Center." - -"And I went three terms. That's when they converted it and we had to -study in the dorm. Kids study in the nurseries now." - -"How long have you been working in the factory?" - -"Since I was nine. Only had to work four hours a day then. Now children -begin work at eight." - -"How many hours does your mother work?" - -"Fifteen." - -"And when you're eighteen years old you'll go on a fifteen-hour shift?" - -"Of course. But I'll have three days vacation when I get married." - -"Did you know the Center is taking boys thirteen now and next year will -begin calling them at the age of twelve?" - -"All the girls know about it. The boys are glad to get out of the -factories. They talk about nothing else. And they say the age to go out -is going to be lowered to eighteen and maybe seventeen." - -"Yes. We're learning better and faster ways to make men out of kids. -And the numbers in the crews are being cut down. The ships are better. -One man now can perform all the operations three did a few years ago." - -"The training? Is it very hard?" - -"No. It's just necessary. We know we have to learn and develop in order -to survive. It's just like growing up." - - * * * * * - -Sue hesitated. "Is it true--" She paused again, cheeks coloring. "It is -true that you can read a girl's thoughts?" - -Wilson grinned. "Don't worry about it. Those things have been -exaggerated. We get flashes under certain conditions. If your emotions -were in perfect accord with your thoughts, as ours are supposed to be, -we'd know what you're thinking. It's our one superiority over the--" -He halted, clamped his lips tight. Sue knew he had been about to say, -"Zeehites." - -"We don't really read your thoughts," he went on. "If it was necessary, -and we concentrated very hard, we probably could do it." - -"Try just once to get the picture I've got in my mind." - -"That's easy, but you shouldn't have thoughts like that." - -She blushed crimson. Now she was positive. She had held an image in -mind of his features, and he had known, known especially that her -thoughts were of him. Confusion and discomfort settled over her. She -tried to get her mind on work, but the thought wouldn't come. Darth -Brady's image, as in the locket, appeared before her. And she was -certain that that, too, was known to Wilson. She was hardly aware of -what he said from then until the car landed. - -Other girls watched her enviously, and yet with trepidation, as -she returned to her machine. At every pause in the work they asked -questions. "How did you get out?" "Where did you go?" "Will you have to -appear before the Council?" - -She hated to be cattish, but she couldn't confide in them. She invented -a story which was reluctantly accepted. She said she had suddenly -become ill and gone to the dorm. - -The day wore on. After supper she visited her mother in the older -women's dorm. She didn't stay long because Mrs. Wilson studied her with -too much interest. - -But she had asked, "What do two ribbons and three stars mean," and her -mother had replied, "The first ribbon is for courage and conduct beyond -the call of duty. The second is generally a posthumous award. If the -wearer is alive, it means he has done something wonderful indeed. The -stars, of course, denote the number of years he has spent in the void." - -"Any word from Dad?" - -"No. Communication channels are overloaded. He wouldn't ask for a -priority unless it was an emergency. I think he's setting up a plant -near those new mines on the Gold Coast. Then he'll have to go to Mars. -They're crying for logistic experts. I'm hoping he can spend a few -hours with us, though." - -"How about uncle Bob and uncle George?" - -"Sue, I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. George has been moved out of -the Fourth Sector. You know what that means? His ship will be in the -midst of the fighting. And Bob's ship hasn't been reported in months. -They were operating in Sector One. It's out near the rim of the galaxy, -but has been drawn back billions of miles in months. The losses in the -withdrawal were terrible. All I can learn is that the full extent of -the losses won't be known for weeks." - -"Why do our ships keep on pulling back? We always lose so heavily at -those times. Cousin Breckenridge gone; Cousin Allison came back a -wrecked old man at the age of twenty; dozens of boys I used to know, -broken or dead. And now uncle Bob." - -"Hush, Sue. The final word hasn't come yet." - -"But it will. And then it will be uncle George. And the Supreme Council -keeps calling for more ships, better armament, and, above all, more -men. Did you know they're lowering the age at the Center?" - -"Those things are necessary, Sue. They mean survival. We're not -supposed to talk about them. And we're supposed to go to bed earlier -because food rations are to be cut again and we must conserve our -strength." - - * * * * * - -Returning to her section of the dorm, she passed a knot of girls -whispering in the corridor. She caught the words "_Ida Bella_" and -"_Trilogy_." Then "_Old men. They look ninety and most are crippled. -And not a one is over twenty-two._" - -Hurrying, to keep pace with her heart, she went on to her room. As she -slipped out of sweater, denims and briefs, she thought, "Darth Brady -was on _Firelance_. Maybe! Maybe--" She knew she was not supposed to -hope, neither despair. Nothing that happened must halt or hinder. - -The stars beyond the window were bright and close. She thought she -could see the rings of blue with white dots in their centers which were -said to be visible through a powerful telescope when the fighting was -intense. - -Next day she applied for an issue of clothes. The elderly woman smiled -and shook her head. "You're very pretty. You wouldn't be beautiful but -you'd certainly be lovely and feminine in a dress. Wish I could issue -you an outfit." - -"But I haven't drawn any clothes in over eight months," Sue said. "We -used to get clothes four times a year, then twice. Now--" - -"It can't be helped," the woman explained. "They've cut production to -put more labor and machinery in the heavy industries. Even the boys at -the Centers aren't getting as many uniforms as they were. And they'll -get fewer next year." - -"Oh!" - -"If your denims and sweaters have been damaged--" - -"No. I've three of each. They are just worn." - -"Then you'll have to make out. The less we have here the more the men -can have when they go out. You understand?" - - * * * * * - -Sunday she took advantage of the shorter working-day to go with -her mother to the vale between the cultivated rows of cedar and the -woodland. She had come here at every opportunity since she could -remember. It was here she had been taught that there was something -beyond the transient physical life. - -Today they walked on through the wood to a point where they could see -the lake which had been made by the strike so many years ago. It was -more than five miles across and was said to be half a mile deep. - -Coming back, they saw a number of uniformed men in the vale. They were -gray and wrinkled and some were crippled. She felt her mother's fingers -close tight on her arm, but curiosity wouldn't allow her to stop. - -She stared. He was stooped, his face a mass of wrinkles, his hair -snow-white. And he was gibbering. He seemed to recognize no one. - -She was suddenly seized with a tremor. A wild raging impulse surged -through her. Blindly and without thought, she ran, heedless of bushes, -briars and stones. She didn't stop until she reached the dormitory. She -fell face down on her bed and dug her nails into her cheeks and into -the flesh about her eyes to make it contract. - -Darth Brady was just past twenty, she knew.... - -Night brought a full silvery moon. She could see it from the window -as it came above the wood, bright and giving no hint of the ships and -activity on its scorched airless surface. Sleep was out of the question. - -Slipping into her clothes and with shoes in hand, she swung across the -windowsill and lowered herself to the ground. Like a wraith she moved -among the cedars and on across the vale and into the wood. - -The sound of the machinery in the factory behind her faded. The night -was quiet but lustrous with tinted moonlight. It seemed that peace had -come, that nowhere in the universe could there be strife. But as she -looked at the stars and imagined the rings of blue and white dots, she -knew. - -Beyond the wood the water in the lake was amber in color, and as she -approached, it flashed an image of the heavens and took on a darker -hue, almost blood red. - -She stood on an outcropping and listened to the sounds of crickets and -frogs and thought she heard long sighs like breathing. She thought she -saw something white flash on the surface, then dismissed it, tilted her -head back and breathed deep of the clean night air. - -It seemed that she was alone on a tiny planet which brushed against a -bejeweled velvet curtain. She indulged the dream, and when reality -began to force itself upon her again she quickly slipped out of her -clothes and judged the distance to the water below. - -For a moment she stood there, arms raised, body poised, the moon -painting her figure a rose pink. Then she dived. - -The water was warm, caressing. She came up, tossed her head back to get -the shoulder-length dark hair out of her eyes. And then she was certain -she heard an exclamation. - - * * * * * - -Panic ran through her as it had earlier in the vale. She twisted and -turned to look in every direction. Then a head bobbed up in front of -her. - -"A beautiful dive," he said. It was Al Wilson. "I was about to warn you -and then I couldn't bear to spoil it." - -She was treading water, confused, not knowing what to do. - -"Do you come here often?" he asked. - -"No. But you knew I would come soon. I was thinking about it when we -flew over, and you knew." - -"Is it so bad?" - -"No. But having you read my thoughts--" She turned swiftly and swam -hard and strong. The panic was in her again. She felt that he was -looking right inside her, noting the quickening of her heart that he -himself brought. - -It was impossible to escape. Like all men trained at the Center, he was -superbly muscled and seemed tireless. With ease he kept pace with her, -ignored her confusion, talked on. - -In desperation she clung to a rough stone protruding from the bank, -started to climb out, dropped back into the water and fought to hold -back the tears. - -He said, "There's an easier place to climb a few yards ahead. I'll go -back the way I came and meet you up on the bank." - -Relief came as she watched him swim away, watched the long muscles -ripple on his back and shoulders. But it did not last. In feverish -hurry she climbed out and twisted and squirmed to get into her clothes. -She had hardly got the sweater over her head and her hair brushed back -when he appeared. - -"Those clothes don't do you justice," he said. - -Confusion came again. - -"But the time will soon come," he added, "when our girls can have all -the fine things written about in the old books." - -"How can you say that," she asked, "when every report brings news -of another withdrawal, another terrible defeat? We've lost so many -stations among the stars, there can hardly be any left." - -He looked down at the weed-grown earth, and she instantly became -contrite. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know I'm never supposed to lose -hope." - -He studied her eyes until she looked away. His hands found her -shoulders. "Sue, there are forces at work about which you've never even -dreamed. We need time. We need more manpower. We have to go on working. -The only thing that can defeat us ultimately is here on this planet. It -is our morale. As long as it is high we'll keep on sending ships out. -The moment it breaks we are lost." - -Sue had noticed the tension and constraint in his voice that she had -come to associate with the talking of men among themselves when they -thought no woman or child was within hearing. - -Always they stopped talking when a girl approached, and put on a -cheerful front. She wondered if they knew of some dark terror yet to -be faced, so horrible that it couldn't be confided to their women and -children. Would a knowledge of that dreadful thing, she asked herself, -break the morale on the home planet? - -Wilson had changed the subject. He told her about the fine things -he had read in books and heard from older men of that past before -the beginning of the struggle. It reminded her of the fairy tales -she had read as a child. It seemed impossible that a girl could have -fine clothes and a house and a husband and children all her own. She -couldn't grasp it. She felt that she wouldn't know how to live if there -weren't rules to go by. She remembered vaguely when she was very small, -that her mother prepared meals in a big white kitchen, but there was -little reality in the memory. - -He accompanied her back to the dorm and on the way talked of things -that stirred forlorn unrest in her body. It was a sense of tingling, -suppressed under memory of Darth Brady. - -Lifting her to the windowsill, he pressed his lips against her ear and -whispered, "I've made another request of the Council to send me out." -His arms held her tight enough to stop her trembling. Then he released -her and was gone. - - * * * * * - -Food became scarcer as summer became fall and fall became winter. -Monkey meat was served twice a week. Hydroponics were the main diet and -the bulk had to be made up of edible leaves and woodfibre. - -First news of the big break-through came on Christmas Eve. The bulletin -was not supposed to go up until all in the factory had had an hour -to sing carols or do whatever they wished. But somebody made a -mistake. Under the wreaths of holly on the bulletin board it told in -a few words how Sector One had been breached. It told of withdrawals, -reorganization and shortening of defenses. - -On Christmas Day the story was worse. It was not definite as bulletins -usually were, but it gave the information that Sector Two was crumbling. - -Two days after Christmas she overheard men talking at the groundcar -ramps. Their voices were tense, restrained. They said that the links -of the chains were snapping and that a strike was sure to come. They -talked hopefully of new weapons, better ships that would swing the -balance of power in favor of Earthmen. - -Sue had heard talk of new weapons and ships many times before. They -always seemed to be in the future. She slipped away from the ramps and -volunteered an extra hour's work in the factory. - -Next day there was a general increase in hours. Girls under eighteen -went on a fourteen-hour shift. Eighteen to thirty-five, they worked -sixteen hours. Under the age of fourteen, none was allowed to work more -than ten hours, but girls and boys of eight and nine could volunteer to -work seven hours. Their shifts called for six. - -The age for admittance at the Centers was lowered to ten. The age to go -out was seventeen, but, as the new classes came along, would be lowered -to sixteen and fifteen. - -The strike came on New Year's Eve. There was ample warning. Word -reached Earth before daylight that a major break-through had occurred. -The Fourth Sector couldn't halt it, but forces were being drawn back -from Three and Two to close the break. - -The news was tempered with assurances issued on a global scale by the -Supreme Council. It said that their labors and sacrifices had not been -in vain; that thousands upon thousands of Earth warships still stood -between the planet and the onrushing enemy. It said that the stations -on Mars and the Moons of Jupiter were still intact, as well as on -Earth's Moon, and that hundreds of man-made stations were beyond the -orbit of Saturn. - -The day was one of feverish excitement and at every opportunity fearful -eyes turned toward the blue and seemingly placid heavens. - -Calculations of when the first blow would come were checked and -rechecked. It was expected soon after evening twilight. - -News of expressions of confidence among the Upper Councils of the -peoples of the planet were bulletined to still unrest. The Orientals -could put aloft better than ten thousand ships in the last hours. The -Europeans could do about the same. The Africans had a new ship not -intended for service until further tests had been made, but which would -be used to meet the emergency. North and South America had more ships -than crews, and Arabian boys were being sent to man them. - -Sue couldn't understand how her mother could take the news so calmly. - -"I've lived through strikes before," she explained. "Besides, your -father always comes home to make sure I'm all right afterwards." - - * * * * * - -As the sun went down and the first twilight appeared, streamers of -fire became visible in the sky above. They crossed and re-crossed, -endlessly, numbering tens of thousands, and resembled falling meteors. - -"I've never seen so many at one time," Sue's mother said. - -"What are they?" Sue asked. - -"Our ships, of course. From every part of the globe. They'll circle the -planet constantly. They are the final inner ring. Under them is nothing -but the ground defenses." - -"Are there more ships farther out?" - -"Certainly. Those up there are comparable to the Fourth Sector on a -cosmograph. Sectors Three, Two and One will extend out beyond Pluto's -orbit. They are probably fighting now. Listen! There's the warning. We -must go to the shafts." - -At that moment Alfred Wilson appeared. She understood that he had come -to say goodby to his mother. He came straight toward her, and then Sue -realized she was alone. Her mother, with an understanding smile, was -already on the way to the shaft. - -Sue thought that he had never looked so tall, so strong, so confident. -She was certain he had his orders to go out. - -He stood before her. His jaw was set, his expression grim. Then his -lips parted and he spoke very softly: - -"Don't take any worries with you down in the ground," he said. "We'll -never let them get a foothold on Earth." He paused. "Sue, don't think -about me, don't think about love, don't think about anything--but just -one kiss." - -She clung to him, giving of her lips, of every thought, of every -heartbeat. It seemed to her that it was the least she could do. In -another hour he would be out there between her and the Zeehites. - -The second warning sounded. She ignored it, still willing to give, to -sacrifice herself if necessary, but he unclasped her hands and brought -her arms from about him. - -He looked once more into her eyes and then hurried toward the -groundcar, walking very straight. He didn't look back and at last she -turned and ran to the shaft. - - * * * * * - -The trip down required nearly ten minutes. The deceleration began long -before the car stopped. She knew that her mother, and other older -women, wouldn't be sent down this far, but that children would go much -farther. - -She hoped she would be put off at a level where there was machinery, -where she could work, where there would be something to do to keep her -mind off the coming terror. - -As she came out of the car in a huge padded vault she was given a -container of liquid and told to drink it quickly. Somebody whispered -that it was to make them immune to what would otherwise be unbearable -pain. - -A speaker amplified a voice from the surface. "Girls above the hundred -and fiftieth level should lie down or sit down," the voice said. "At -lower levels it is safe to stand or walk about as you choose. Those on -the upper levels will please get into their shock suits. And please be -calm. We'll keep you informed of events as long as possible. - -"The Supreme Council has authorized me to say this: that the strike -is going to be unimaginably heavy, but never has Earth been better -prepared to withstand one. Each of you has given of your labors to make -this preparation. You are each one a part of our combined effort at -this crucial moment. Take heart. Remain calm." - -Broken sobs came from behind her. Sue turned and saw that they were -coming from a girl who couldn't possibly be more than fifteen and -didn't belong on this level. An older girl led her away. - -Sue thought of Darth Brady, but his image wouldn't stay in her mind. -The blue eyes and blond hair of Alfred Wilson were there before -her. She imagined him manning a ray-weapon in a ship above Earth's -atmosphere. And then memory of the returned men of _Ida Bella_, -_Nucleus_, _Trilogy_ and _Firelance_ sent a tremoring wave of nausea -through her. - -The speaker blared, "You have a few minutes. Choose your places and lie -down or sit down. Remain calm." - -A girl nearby muttered. "How do they know for certain? They figured -early today exactly when the strike would come. And yet our ships were -out there to stop it. How did they know our ships wouldn't stop it?" - -A calmer voice said, "Maybe our ships purposely let them through. It -may be part of one vast operation. I've heard older people say that -something like it happened years ago. They let a whole fleet through -and then trapped it between Sectors Three and Two. It was Earth's first -big victory." - -"But this time they've broken through Sector Four. They can't reach -Earth until they're past Sector Four." - -"It may be part of an even bigger operation." - -"But why let them strike Earth? Don't they care about us?" - -"Oh, hush! I have two brothers out there. I'd hate for them to learn -girls didn't have confidence in them." - -"Attention!" the speaker called. "In forty-five seconds the ground -defense will be zeroed in. Please do not get panicky when the earth -begins to shake. Lie down or sit down and draw your knees up against -your chest. There may be pressure waves. Use your ear-protectors and -keep your mouths open. Remain calm." - -Silence settled, to be broken by deep breathing, then Sue heard the -restrained voices: "God, grant that we shall continue to possess life." - -The earth shuddered first one way and then the other. It rocked back -and forth; it rose and fell. - -Sue felt the blood hammering through her temples. The muscles in her -body strained to hold her knees against her chest. She heard screaming, -knew that some of it was coming from her own lungs. - -The earth rocked. - -Sue felt that she could not possibly endure it longer. She was flung -this way and that, bounced as a rubber ball. It went on and on. The -girls about her seemed dazed, stricken. - -The speaker ordered, "Prepare for pressure within ten seconds." - -The earth rocked and then came a jolt that made all the preceding seem -as nothing. It came again and again. And then the pressure. - -She couldn't breathe. She knew this couldn't go on. It was more than -a mortal could endure. Vaguely she wondered how anyone on the surface -could possibly be alive. It was unimaginably horrible down here; it -could be nothing less than an inferno of death above. - -Merciful darkness came down. - - * * * * * - -The sheets on the bed were white and crisp and cool. Several moments -passed before she understood. She had never been here before. Through -the huge windows came bright sunlight. Far out beyond, the ground was -covered with snow. - -Sue sat up abruptly. A nurse came, lifted back the sheet, checked the -identification number tattooed on her hip. "Susan Wildress? Factory -Eight Hundred Ninety-six?" - -Sue nodded. "My mother?" - -"Just a moment." The nurse went away and came back with a memorandum. -"Betty Wildress is listed as age thirty-six. That would put her on the -eightieth level. None survived above the hundred and seventeenth." - -Sue buried her face in the pillow. She had held back the tears so long -that now they would not come. She thought of her father and turned -again to the nurse. - -"Craig Wildress?" the nurse said. "Logistics? Just a moment." She -checked through records. "He was here two days ago, stayed by your -side. He received a high priority message, had to leave. He left word -for you that he would be on Mars for some time." - -"Alfred Wilson?" - -"Your betrothed or kin?" - -Sue shook her head. "An instructor at the Center. He went out the night -of the strike." - -"There are many Centers. Many went out that night and not so many came -back. You will have to inquire of the Council." - -"This place? Where am I?" - -"Recovery Fourteen Hundred One." - -"Is it near--?" - -"Site of Factory Eight Ninety-six? Yes. About a hundred and twenty -miles east. You must rest now. Girls from devastated areas are to go to -factories in the East. You must regain your strength quickly." - -From the local Council she learned only that the full extent of the -losses would not be known for weeks. Fighting had been intense between -Earth and the orbit of Mars and there was still some confusion. It -appeared that Mars, the Moons of Jupiter and the stations beyond -Saturn's orbit had suffered heavily. The brunt of the strike, she was -told, had been absorbed inside the orbit of Mars, and Earth and its -satellite escaped what might have been fatal blows. - -That was as much as the Council could tell her. No one should expect -them, they explained, not without sympathy, to halt assessments and try -to learn what had happened to one man in a cosmic operation. - -They denied her permission to return to the site of former Factory -Eight Ninety-six. They pointed out that such excursions were -morale-shattering and that she was needed immediately in the East. -Production had to be increased in preparation for further strikes. - -They did permit her to view the site on a screen. And then she was -sorry. Where the factory, the dormitory, the cedars, the vale, the wood -had been was now a crater twice as large as the lake. - -As she studied the scene, an uncontrollable surging rose in her breast. -At last tears came. She hardly remembered going out to the atmosphere -craft that was to take her to the eastern factory. - -The craft was jampacked with girls and older women. Their talk was -puzzling. - -"Do they lose their spirit out in the void?" - -"Maybe it's that stuff shot into them at the Centers." - -"But that stuff makes them stronger. Besides, it isn't their strength. -Maybe it's us. Maybe we have some hidden psychological reason not to -bring more children into existence." - -"When I was growing up," said an older woman, "boys and girls were -expected to fall in love. Now they discourage it. You can't expect the -laws of nature--" - -"But that," another pointed out, "is to prevent heartbreak. When a girl -is madly in love and the boy goes out and doesn't come back or comes -back gray and wrinkled and broken--" - -"It isn't our problem," somebody said peevishly. - -"If bearing children isn't our problem, whose is it?" - -"I meant fertility." - -Sue hoped that it was just girl talk, and tried to dismiss it, but -half-formed thoughts stirred restlessly and plucked at the strings of -some dormant longing inherent in her sex. With the others she wondered. - -The new factory differed from the old, and it was several days before -she became adept at operating the improved machines. The Center was -closer and work was going on to merge the two dining halls. - -Word spread that romance might no longer be discouraged. This made her -wonder more. - - * * * * * - -On the first day of spring a thin blonde girl at the next machine -fell unconscious. As Sue rushed to help her, she saw the two ribbons -clutched in the thin hand. A chunky brunette whispered, "Her husband's -posthumous award. She got them last night, probably didn't sleep." - -Work on the dining halls was finally finished. When young men milled -into the vast room the girls were silent and shy. The boys likewise. It -was the first time many of them had ever eaten in the presence of the -other sex. - -The shyness wore off and they mingled. It was then that Sue learned -that men were fed differently. They got more meat and heaping portions -of vegetables. She no longer wondered why they grew so big and strong. - -The men stared at what the girls were eating and seemed to lose their -appetites. Finally one offered to share with a girl and then others, -all over the room. For the first time Sue tasted beef. - -Then a rule was posted that food was not to be shared. The men ignored -it, but the girls, fearing both for themselves and the men, stopped -sharing. - -Word spread that the men had complained to the Council and that -something was to be done. Days went by and the men grew irritable. One -day the men, looking grim and determined, got their plates and each sat -at a table with a girl. When the meal was over they marched out, and -not a man had touched his food. - -The instructors at the Center declared an emergency, issued orders -superseding the local Council that the same food was to be given both -workers and trainees. They justified it on the grounds that it was to -sustain morale. - -Men were allowed in the dorm two hours a day. Sue took the opportunity -to ask one how ships were able to traverse vast distances in comparably -brief time. His explanation was incomprehensible. Finally he paused, -studied her wondering features. - -"Oh, I see!" he said. "You girls don't take much math. Think of it -this way. Time is a concept of motion in relation to motion. Picture a -motionless planet in a void. There is no motion on the planet or off -it. Without motion, plus a concept, there can be no time. Now give the -planet motion. Nothing else but the planet is moving in that void. -There is nothing to which it is relative. So it can move billions of -miles in time zero. Am I making it clear?" - -She nodded. She hadn't begun to grasp it, but knew that she would in -time. - -"So actually we effect a displacement," he went on. "It is something -like moving into another dimension, but it isn't precisely that. In -reality it is a different kind of motion from motion as we know it -ordinarily. But here comes the dorm mother to send us back to the -Center. Tell you more next time." - - * * * * * - -She tried time and again to get news of Alfred Wilson, but didn't know -what ship he was on and couldn't learn even what Sector he might be in. - -All of the sectors now were between Earth and the nearest stars and -news of the fighting came more often. There was talk that Sector -Four might pull back within the Solar System, and its vast chain of -defenses, and thus release thousands of ships to build Sector One back -up to strength. - -News from her father came indirectly. A Tibetan sent word from halfway -around the planet that he had worked with her father on Mars and -promised to bring a message to her. He was in good health and thought -of her daily. He was leaving for the vicinity of Jupiter and from there -would go to the stations beyond Saturn. He hoped to see her before -winter and bade her be of good spirit and firm faith that the big job -would soon be done. - -Early in June one of the girls on the overlapping shift told her that a -man in uniform had asked for her. She couldn't imagine who it might be, -for the men she knew at the Center were aware of her hours and would -look for her in the dining hall. - -Crossing the distance to the hall, she studied the tall man in the worn -uniform who stood near the entrance. The hair at his temples was gray -and he wore a single ribbon tied at his throat. As she drew near, she -saw the light of long and terrible experience in his eyes. - -For a moment she could hardly stand. Black spots came before her eyes -and the world seemed to spin beneath her. Then she knew she was rushing -to him. - -A minute passed before he spoke. "I've had a devil of a time finding -you. Searched half the continent." - -"Al," she breathed and couldn't say any more. - -Lunch was forgotten. She wouldn't have returned to work if he had not -insisted. - -That evening he ate with her in the dining hall and afterwards led -her out to a groundcar. In the car they rose above the factory and up -through a snowbank cloud. When they broke clear and could see Luna at -thirty degrees in the southeast and Venus sparkling like a jewel in the -west, he set the robot controls to hold the car motionless. - -After a long moment of gazing at her he said. "I thought of you a lot -up there." He pointed toward Saturn. "Long hours of waiting for orders -to move to counter some other move. The realization of the vastness, -the inconceivable immensity, of space, and how tiny and feeble man is. -It made me wonder why the breath of life had been breathed into my -body, and I thought of you, and I think it made me understand that our -Creator intends for life to go on and upward, and because of that He -endowed us with love." - -She moved closer to him, but he remained silent so long that she felt -a need to bridge across. She said, "Tell me about the night of the -strike." - -Lines of pain came into his features. "Don't ask me about that, Sue. -So many of the boys I had trained died that night." - -"Oh!" - -There was a longer silence. At last his arm came about her. Moments -passed and then she understood that no bridge would ever be needed. -Words were no longer necessary. She no longer tried to guard her own -thoughts. - -And when he asked the question it brought no new excitement. She had -known that he would ask it, and gave the answer with her lips against -his. - -"And the date?" he said. - -She counted on her fingers. "My birthday comes on the fifteenth. I'll -be eighteen. Is it too long? Girls eighteen get special training to -prepare them for marriage." - -"I can't imagine what sort of training," he said. "Besides, I don't -think you need it. Nobody taught you to kiss like that. I've a hunch -you have some special aptitude for being a wife. But if your heart is -set on waiting--" - -"It won't be long. Let's set the date for the twenty-fifth of June." - -"It's pretty long for an old spaceman, but maybe I can hold out if I -can see you often enough." - -"Every evening--" - -Sue hardly slept that night. At first she planned not to mention it, -but the excitement of keeping it to herself was too much. She told her -roommate. - -"You shouldn't have made him wait," said the girl. "Haven't you heard?" - -"Heard what?" - -"That Sector Four is moving back into the Solar System with -headquarters on Earth. That means a lot of ship movements here. He -might be called back to his any moment." - -"And I didn't even ask him the name of his ship!" - - * * * * * - -It was well into the morning when sleep came and then she awoke long -before daylight. She studied the bulletin board early and was among -the first in the dining hall. She asked a man from the Center what the -movement of Sector Four meant. - -"It's like this," he said. "All sectors move in perfect coordination. -Four is the Supreme Command and Strategy Sector. Planning is done there -and the Supreme Council on Earth is kept informed. If they pull back to -Earth they can use the ships kept in reserve to protect this planet and -release many of the Fourth Sector ships to replace losses in Sectors -Three, Two and One. And it is a wise move. Fighting has been extensive -of late and more strength is needed far out." - -"Does it mean that men on leave may be called back suddenly?" - -"Never can tell. Men on leave are always subject to immediate recall." - -It seemed that the morning would never pass. At lunchtime she ran out -of the factory, looked everywhere, waited at the entrance to the dining -hall. At last she went in and ate. - -The afternoon dragged. She hardly dared hope when she came out. Then -she saw him. - -He hadn't priority for a car tonight, and as they sat in a corner of -the lounge of the dorm she tried to think of some way to tell him. For -a time she hoped that he would bring up the subject, but he didn't, and -at last she made up her mind. - -Then he said, "Sue, you've forgotten so soon that your husband-to-be -has a special faculty. You were in so much confusion I couldn't make -out what it was at first. But now it's fairly clear. We'll make it -tomorrow or next day or any day you wish." - -Her cheeks stung so that she was afraid to look up. Finally she said, -"Monday. That's three days from now. And Sunday is a short working day. -It will give me time to adjust my thoughts to the idea of being your -wife." - -"Sure. And I understand they give you three days for a honeymoon." - -She nodded. "I've been wondering what it will be like to be free for -three days." - -Sunday came. They spent the meditation hours together. The news on the -bulletin board was ignored. - -In the evening he seemed preoccupied. "They have begun calling men -back," he explained. Then: "But don't think for a moment that I'll let -them call me before we're married. Still, I wish I hadn't studied up so -on the new weapons. They're putting the new ships in service, and--But -I'm not supposed to talk about it." - -Early Monday morning she drew her wedding issue of clothes: tan linen -blouse and slacks; nylox underthings and pajamas; woven sandals and -nylox anklets. - -As she dallied under the shower she felt guilty, for production had to -go on, and every moment she lost had to be made up somewhere. - -He came for her at mid-morning and they went before the Council and -said their vows. Afterwards they flew above plains and ruins until they -reached a city that had not been wholly destroyed. She waited while he -filed their identification with the Council and the command post, and -then went with him to a huge building which seemed almost devoid of -life. - -Their suite was luxurious beyond her imagining, and it increased the -sense of guilt and unrest in her being. During the next day and part -of the third, as they wandered through galleries and planetariums and -stellar-domes, she thought often of the girls at the machines in the -factories. - -His orders came in the afternoon. She returned to the factory alone. - -If such were possible, she worked harder now. Her birthday had come and -gone and she was on a sixteen-hour shift. She didn't mind because she -wanted the men to have everything they needed to win and hasten the day -when the big job would be done. - -Food rations became less each day. At first there was grumbling among -the trainees, but it died out in the knowledge that sacrifices were -necessary and that boys and girls were sharing alike. - -The uniforms of the trainees began to look worn. The men no longer -seemed quite as big and handsome and vital as they once had. - -And then the orders came for clinical tests. The Supreme Council sought -an answer to why children were not being born. - - * * * * * - -Through June she had hoped, and again in July, but in August she was -convinced that she wasn't going to become a mother. And when the -request came for volunteers to work eighteen and twenty hours, she -took twenty. There were times when she couldn't sleep and wanted to be -doing something. This feverishness was shared by others. They seemed -almost hysterically eager to produce more, to provide everything the -men needed. - -The man who registered the volunteers was grim and his eyes were -blood-rimmed. As she came out she heard him mutter to another, "There's -a breaking point somewhere. We're driving them far beyond their -strength." - -The other came back, "It's that or death--maybe both." - -She got her test in September. It said simply that she was fertile. - -Christmas came again, but this time there was no free hour to sing -carols. It was like any other day, and the meditation hours on Sunday -were discontinued. - -A series of strikes came in quick succession, but the protection was -better and there was insulation against the pressure. She spent long -hours with others huddled in padded dungeons a mile below the surface. -She got so she could sleep through the strikes when they were not too -close to the factory. - -Alfred came back in February. He looked much older, but his hair was -not totally gray and his features were not wrinkled. He arranged for -special accommodations, and late that night when he took off his -clothes she saw the scars. It was the first time she had cried since -her mother's death. - -He chucked her under the chin and said, "This is nothing. You should've -seen me before the surgeons got through." - -The Council and the Center clashed over the rule that girls should not -be permitted to work more than sixteen hours when their husbands were -on leave. The Center won, claiming it was a morale factor, and she went -back to a sixteen-hour shift. - -The age to go out was lowered to fourteen and a half and it was -announced that the next class would be thirteen and a half. Boys now -were going out with half the training earlier ones had had. - -When it was announced that production was catching up and that girls -might be permitted to volunteer for training she mentioned it to -Alfred. And that was the first time she ever saw his features show fear. - -"No, Sue," he said. "Don't even think of it. You can't conceive of what -it is." - -In irritation she demanded, "Tell me about the Zeehites." - -He looked startled. "You mustn't think about them. That's why we are -fighting, so our women won't ever have to see one." - -"But I have to know." - -He understood her thoughts, as he had in the past, and finally said, -"I shan't describe them because there is nothing on Earth to compare -them with, and a picture of one would give you nightmares. They have -remarkable minds but no emotions. They can concentrate on a single -objective and persevere toward it with unbelievable endurance. They are -almost incapable of suffering pain and as a result are cruel beyond -imagining. They hardly know fear and are terrible fighters. Because -they lack a faculty for caution we can trick them, and often we pick up -their thoughts and know their plans in advance. Those are the things -that have enabled us to survive, for they seem to number as the stars." - -"Where did they come from?" - -"Andromeda, originally. We know that they spread through the Milky -Way millions of years ago. They wiped out life in their paths and -colonized. There is evidence to indicate they struck the Solar System -at that time. There are things to show they denuded Mars and attenuated -its atmosphere. Earth may not have been sufficiently developed then to -interest them. We don't know. We know that when Earth began colonizing -the planets of other suns in our own galaxy the Andromedians didn't -take much notice at first. But as our strength grew they decided -we were a threat. More than a quarter of a century ago they struck -suddenly and wiped out hundreds of colonies. - -"We were weak at first and our expeditionary forces were annihilated. -But we were fast building strength and when they turned toward the -Solar System we met them well out. They had not expected so much -strength and were turned back. - -"Then the race began to build up, and the struggle has been going -on since. The tide has turned first one way and then the other, but -the populace of Earth has slaved and starved itself to produce ships -and man them, and to make better weapons, and the time is drawing -near--Sue, I'm not supposed to talk to you like this." - -"But, Al, I've heard all those things before: that all we need is just -more time, more work and sacrifices." - -"Sue, there are forces at work--" - -"I know. You've told me that, too, that there are forces at work I -don't know about." - -The lines of pain showed in his features. Suddenly she realized she was -on the verge of tears. She put her arms around him and murmured, "Al, -I'll never say anything like that again. I promise." - -"No, Sue, don't promise that. Just promise you'll never volunteer to go -out, and try not to think of the Zeehites." - -"I promise." - -When his orders came and she moved back to the dormitory and went back -to the twenty-hour shift, she cried again. It was the third time since -the big strike and she began to wonder if she was weaker than others. - - * * * * * - -The Fourth Sector established headquarters on Earth and by the middle -of April she began to see more men, black, red, yellow, white. All -spoke the same language, but their dialects and intonations varied -extensively. - -She learned to distinguish the guttural of the Teutons, the clipped -speech of the Norsemen, the rolling, laughing talk of the Eskimos, the -singsong of the Chinese, the jerky tongued-tied speech of the Japanese, -the soft tones of the Latins, the softer still of the Africans, all in -some way differing from the even, forthright but restrained, speech of -the North Americans. - -She was particularly fascinated by the Indians. Many were taller and -broader than the Americans and were said to be good spacemen and -courageous fighters. - -They were free to go anywhere when on leave, and nearly a hundred -were assigned to the factory-Center dining hall. They were friendly, -didn't mind the crowding, and told strange stories of their homelands. -Sometimes they spoke of space battles, but generally were as reticent -on this subject as the Americans. - -As time went on Sue lost weight. The curves of her willowy figure -became less noticeable, and toward June she became more introspective. -One day she came out of a reverie to realize she had been staring at -a boy across the table. He was small, dark and had noticeably bright -brown eyes. His lower features, his slender neck, his undeveloped arms -and shoulders told her that he couldn't possibly be over fourteen. - -This was not what held her attention. She was staring at the two -ribbons tied at his throat and the two stars on the breast of his -uniform. As she studied his eyes again she was suddenly shocked into -the realization that, however many years he had lived, he was a man -full grown, aged by experience out in the void. What his eyes had seen -had burned into his soul. - -She was ashamed of her own weakness, and determined henceforth to keep -her hands from trembling, to remain more alert and to make her machine -produce more. - -Soon after she went back to work a man came and handed her two ribbons. -She stared unbelievingly, murmured, "Al," and then it seemed that the -floor came up to meet her. - -She awoke in her own bed in the dormitory and remained there. The dorm -mother came to talk, told her she must rest for another day. - -"Al," she breathed, dry-eyed and feverishly. "Al." - -The woman explained that the ribbons were not for Al, but for her -father who had died somewhere out near Pluto. - -She rolled over on her face, but couldn't cry. There were no tears left -in her. - -A doctor came and gave her an injection and the following day she went -back to work. - -She got word indirectly that Al was back. A girl told her that she had -heard it from one of the boys from the Center. "They carried him out of -the ship," she said. - -Sue refused to believe it. She set her jaw firmly and determined to -wait. Late in the afternoon a man with a groundcar came and told her -she was wanted at Recovery Seven Oh Six. - -She still couldn't believe it, but went with him calmly. - -They told her at Recovery that Al would someday walk again and that -they would give him a new left arm, if not of flesh, then mechanical. -His lungs had been crushed by pressure, but such was the fire of life -in him that he would live and maybe fight again. - - * * * * * - -She went forty-eight hours without sleep in order to be with him all of -the time she wasn't working. On the third day his lone good arm came -round her and drew her down on the bed, and she slept on his shoulder. - -From time to time she overheard nurses and doctors talking. The talk -was usually about a subject that would always stir a woman. - -"If no babies are born," one said, "for fifty years--" - -"That's the length of time it's calculated to work," a doctor -explained. "It's devilship. We've prepared surprises for them, but -they've given us the worst. It doesn't kill the sperm, it paralyzes -it or puts it in a sort of suspended state. Think of it! A boy two -years old now will be infertile until he's about fifty-two. Then, if -he's healthy, the sperm will revive. Our studies indicate he will be -perfectly able to become a father. But by that time hardly a woman on -Earth will be able to produce the ovum. Some rare cases, but mankind -will vanish anyway." - -"The women are fertile now?" - -"Yes. And will be until they reach the menopause. But all of them will -have passed it before men become fertile again." - -"Isn't there some way to delay the menopause?" - -"Everything will be tried, of course. But the cellular breakdown -and many other factors have to be taken into account. It's well-nigh -hopeless. But somebody might eventually hit on something to revive the -sperm earlier, though it's likely the Zeehites made certain it can't be -done." - -Sue asked the doctor if Alfred was suffering. He shook his head. "No -pain whatever. We've taken care of that. And he'll soon be up. Has a -fierce determination to live, and, looking at you, I understand why." - -She asked other questions. His replies were abrupt and reflected his -exhaustion and preoccupation with matters of broader import. - -Commuting between the factory and Recovery was time-consuming and -tiring and she was forbidden to visit Al more than once a week. She -told him about it. Strangely, he made no protest, begged her to get -every moment of rest she could. - -She asked for audience with the Council. Days passed and no word came. -She tried again, and when they received her she understood the delay. -They were hardly able to keep themselves awake. - -"Babies," one mumbled. "Everybody has some answer to the problem. -Worthless. But say what you have to say and if it has any merit we'll -pass it to the Upper Council." - -"I don't have the answer to babies," she said, "but I think I -understand why people die." - -They showed interest. - -"They get tired," she said. "That's all. They just get tired. That's -what breaks down the cells and makes them die." - -They looked at one another, back at her. "We know all of you girls are -exhausted. It can't be helped. We have to work on. We need time. Just a -little while longer." - -She tried again, explaining over and over, trying to make them -understand why people die, and why they might remain young longer if -things were different. They shook their heads. Finally she flared, -"Send it on to the Upper Council as I've explained it." - -That brought an inkling of a smile. "That's the spirit," they agreed. -"We can never lose while we have that spirit." - -They agreed to send her idea, however worthless, up the line. - - * * * * * - -Early in the fall Alfred was up and able to come to the factory dining -hall. He hadn't got his new arm yet, but his leg worked fine and he -seemed to have no trouble at all with his breathing. His hair was iron -gray, but he was still handsome, his features unwrinkled. He wore two -ribbons, was shown deference by high ranking officers, and at times -went away on mysterious errands. - -Three men came while he was away and handed her a paper. It read -merely: "Presence required at Nether Polaris." - -She asked questions, but the men shook their heads, seemed impatient, -urged her to hurry. - -She went with them in a groundcar to a blackened plain. Memories rushed -back and brought terror, but they paid no attention, led her to an -atmosphere craft. They flew high above the clouds for hours, and when -they came down and broke into the clear she could see nothing but -endless reaches of gleaming white. The positions of the stars told her -she was somewhere near the North Pole. - -The craft landed near a dome which gleamed like the remainder of the -expanse. They bundled her in thick heavy furs, hurried her across the -snow to the dome, then removed the wraps. - -It was like summer inside the dome, and she went with the men to a -shaft and got into a car which carried them miles down through the -frozen ocean and into the earth. When the car stopped and they came out -she held her breath. The place looked like a beautiful painting of a -sparkling city that had never known war. - -The final surprise sent tremors through her. They told her she was -going before the Supreme Council. - -In a large plastic hall she stood before the twelve and an array of -advisers. Not a one looked more than forty, but the hair of most was -white and in their eyes was that look that told her they had been out -in the void. - -"Wilson Wildress Rover Alfred?" a man inquired. - -Sue admitted that was her name. - -"An idea you have suggested may be of great value. We have brought you -here to discuss it further." - -She was dumbfounded. - -"It seems that you may have found an answer to cellular breakdown which -brings on age. Will you give us your impression of why men die?" - -She groped for words. "They just grow tired," she said. "I asked the -doctor at Recovery why men die. He said that medical science had not -found the answer. He said that the body was able to reproduce every -cell of itself and did that many times during one lifetime. But -eventually men grow tired and die." - -"And what was it that you concluded made them tired?" - -"Gravity," Sue said simply. "That constant pull we fight against. It--" - -"Wait!" - -There were hurried movements. A comfortable couch was pushed forward. - -"Will you please relax, Mrs. Wilson? We have your complete record. We -know exactly how you've worked." - -Sue shook her head. "I'll still be tired, no matter how much I relax. -Gravity still goes on, pulling us down. One day I'll die, not because -I'm old, but because I'm tired." - -"One of you gentlemen please place another pillow behind her," said a -Councilman. "Now, Mrs. Wilson, we are going to place this matter in the -hands of our scientists. We want you to remain here." - -"But I have to go back. I'm needed in the factory." - -"They'll make out, Mrs. Wilson." - -"But I know those machines, just as our men know their ships. I can -make them produce. I'm valuable in the factory." - -"You are indeed, but we have another task for you." - -"But Alfred? He'll--" - -"Your husband is waiting for you in a ship which is almost ready to go -out." - -"Out? But Alfred? He mustn't ever fight again. You can't make him do -that. Send me instead. I promised him, but--send me in his place." - -"We are sending you both, Mrs. Wilson. And I think it is proper to -assure you that the tide has turned." - -"Oh!" - -"Just a little more time. Just a little more work." - -"Oh!" - -"For nearly two years the balance of strength has been swinging in -our favor. We have purposely let ships through in the later years, -but those that got inside the orbit of Uranus never got out again. -The attrition has at last given us overwhelming strength, for we have -produced." - -The man paused. Sue sat numb. - -Another spoke: "We have been building up a Fifth Sector, part of it on -Earth and part near Polaris. It has been the best kept secret of the -age. But the Earthside part of it has been in action. It can no longer -remain a secret. We are going to strike. We are going to lure the enemy -in close and then envelope him. It will be much like the big strike -which occurred nearly two years ago. But this time we will crush him. -We have finally produced the new weapons." - -"Oh!" - -"And now, if you are ready, the men will take you to the ship." - - * * * * * - -Sue moved in a daze. Somewhere up the shaft toward the surface they -changed to a car that ran horizontally on a rail. They came out, miles -away, in a huge dome in the center of which was a converted warship. - -In the ship she found Albert. He had his new arm and held her close for -a long moment. - -"I know the machines in the factories," she said. "I've lived with them -most of my life, but I won't know how to operate the weapons. You'll -have to show me." - -"Huh?" - -"You'll have to show me how to fight, Al. I've thought about it, but I -just can't understand it." - -"Fight? Sue, the fighting is almost over. I couldn't tell you. It's -been a secret. The last battle is in the making now. You can't even -dream of the forces we've assembled. They can jolt planets out of their -orbits, burst suns. This is the beginning of the future I've wanted to -tell you about." - -"I'll do my best, Al. I'll try--" - -"Sue, look at me. You're not going to fight. Neither am I. This ship is -going into an orbit about the planet." - -"The lower ring, the last one before the ground defenses?" - -"No, Sue. Open your mind just a moment and let me see inside you." - -"Hold me." - -Finally he understood and explained: "This ship is to go into an orbit -to nullify gravity. Science doesn't have to depend on trial and error. -They can calculate a thing mathematically and predict the results. They -worked out your idea that gravity is what breaks down the cells. The -answer is that the body will not age so long as it replaces its cells -and gets rid of its old ones. To free the body of gravity will slow -down the cellular breakdown. In ten years you won't age as much as you -would in one in a field of gravity. Is it clear?" - -"Will that postpone the change of life?" - -"Medical science is certain that it will. It devolves upon aging." - -"Does that mean that I'll--" - -"It does, Sue. It means that about fifty years from now when the sperm -revives in men, you women will have children again." - -"But Al, we'll be--" - -"No, Sue. We'll feel and look about as we ordinarily would in our -twenties. And thousands, millions of ships, will soon be released to be -converted. A whole populace will live in ships--at least until children -begin being born." - -"Will we--" - -"Yes, Sue. We'll have a few ounces of weight in the orbit. Our cells -will more than replace themselves. We'll adjust to it, carry along -hydroponic plants and everything we need. We'll be strong and vigorous, -with nothing much to do but study, work out new things in the arts and -sciences, and--" - -"And what, Al?" - -"Make love." - -"Oh!" she said. "Deep inside me I've always believed in that bright -future. I was trying to remember that each tomorrow would bring it -closer." - -"The big job is almost done, Sue. Let's keep on remembering tomorrow." - -"Hold me close, Al." - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 66155 *** |