The heat of the retreating heat-devils, Taylor concluded, had not been so intense.

  Close to what had been a doorway of the largest building Manzoni halted and looked at a small patch of heavy-looking ash.

  “The law-man,” he said with a sigh.

  Taylor said angrily, “The waste of it! How could he have been expected to influence a mindless thing?”

  “He could not,” Manzoni said. “But first it had to be established that the things were mindless.”

  “As mindless as flames,” said Taylor. “You know that now, at least.”

  “Yes; we shall have to think of other methods.”

  10

  Taylor sat with Nesina in the comfortable but characterless apartment that was her home.

  “Do your parents dislike my coming here,?” he asked.

  “No. What makes you ask that?”

  “I never see them now. I thought that perhaps they stayed away deliberately when they knew I should be here.”

  “You should riot imagine such things,” she told him reproachfully. “They are no longer in Una. They have been sent to work at a farm settlement.”

  “A long way from here?”

  “Yes, it is nearer to the cold side. Lately many of the non-essential workers have been sent away from Una to such settlements.”

  “I see,” said Taylor. “In other words, they’re being moved out of any danger that may threaten you from the hot side.”

  “That is not the reason that is given.”

  “No, but it is understood.”

  “You may draw your conclusions. Taylor,” she added quickly, “why was it you asked about my parents? Was it because you wanted to know whether we should be disturbed?”

  “No. I really thought they might wish me not to come here. You see, I know of your laws, and it might be said of you that you were associating with a man outside your group. If it were known -“

  “It is true,” she broke in, “that we - that I might be reported. But just now the chance is not so great. We may not be noticed; or, if we are noticed, the matter may be overlooked. People are thinking of other things.”

  “Of fearful things,” he suggested.

  “You have noticed the change?”

  “One would have to be very stupid not to.”

  She nodded as though he had confirmed her in a judgment that pleased her.

  “Yes,” she said, “you have a good brain. You are studious. Your group could be the complementary one of - well, of someone like me.”

  “But I have no group. We don’t believe in your mating system.”

  “It would depend on your blood,” she went on, as though she had not heard his interruption.

  “Nobody can guess what that may be until it is tested. But if you applied for classification, it is possible -“

  “Nesina,” he said swiftly, “I am surprised at you.”

  “Why? What have I done?”

  “You’ve been telling people some story to try and explain me away.”

  “You are very quick. Well, perhaps it is so. But why are you surprised?”

  “It is so unlike you. I thought deception was against your principles.”

  She sighed. “This is a very small deception.”

  “And that’s a very womanly excuse.”

  “But I am a woman. You know that.”

  It was his turn to sigh. “You are a human unit, graded, classified, grouped, and of high intelligence. But are you really a woman?”

  “I have invented this story for your sake,” she said. “Why not? You like to come here, don’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “And since I am sure that I have full control, and there is no danger of atavistic attraction, there is no reason why you should not come.”

  “You dear idiot!” Taylor said.

  ” What did you say?”

  “You should test your control.”

  She looked at him suspiciously. “There is no need to do that.”

  “You are confident?”

  “Completely.”

  “Then you should not fear a test.”

  “I do not fear.”

  “Then -“

  He held her and kissed her. And, whether or not she had feared the test, she was not reluctant when she was in his arms. She was not reluctant at all - for a time. And then she was dismayed and angry.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Why must this happen?”

  “Atavism,” he said solemnly. “I think it’s wonderful.”

  “You must not say that.”

  “But I do. And I believe that you think it’s rather wonderful too.”

  “Pleasant, perhaps. Not - I don’t know…. Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “I’m smiling. You aren’t used to smiles.”

  “No.” But her own lips twitched reluctantly.

  “You beautiful statue!” he said. “Don’t you know what’s happening to you? You’re coming to life.”

  “What shall I do?” she asked in bewilderment.

  “This.”

  “You like that?” she said when he had kissed her.

  “Yes, Nesina. But better than your kisses, your smile, just now. And better than all, I’d love your laughter.”

  “But I do not laugh.” She spoke as though he had accused her of a vice.

  “No, but you have laughter in you. Some day I shall hear it.”

  “I would not mind,” she said slowly, “if it were only you. But suppose others heard -“

  She stood up abruptly.

  “I must go,” she said.

  “Go where?”

  “To my work. And I need to think - away from you.”

  Repose, he thought, when she had gone. Repose. But how can I repose?

  He stayed there in the apartment, writing up notes on his visit to the burnt-out station.

  “All the tracks I saw,” he wrote, “kept to level ground. When there was a rise in the ground the tracks went round it; they did not move over it. This, if confirmed by other observations, suggests -“

  The door opened and Nesina came in hurriedly.

  “You’re back early,” he said.

  “I came to tell you - it is only a rumour, Taylor - but you ought to know. Another -“

  “Another oxygen plant attacked?”

  “Yes, that is what is being said. It is not announced officially yet.”

  “I don’t expect it ever will be,” he said. “Your people are hushing up the bad news now, aren’t they?”

  “But this is not confirmed yet, so far as I know.”

  “Even when it is… But we won’t waste tiine arguing about that, Nesina. I’m going to see Manzoni. He should know the truth.”

  “He is very highly placed,” she said doubtfully. “And he will he too busy, perhaps, to -“

  “He’s more approachable than the rest of your chiefs.”

  “At least do not tell him you heard this from me. In my position I ought not to repeat such rumours.”

  “Oh, Nesina! As though I would do anything that might get you into trouble! Don’t worry.

  Now I must go.”

  At the central Government office the minor officials were distracted and innattentive. Taylor walked unchallenged and unannounced into Manzoni’s room.

  “So you have heard the rumour? Yes, it is true,” Manzoni admitted. His round, kindly face was creased with perplexity. “Station Fifteen is destroyed. It is more distant than the other two.”

  “And the station staff?” asked Taylor.

  “Most of them escaped. They were prepared.”

  “That’s better news.”

  “Yes, but things are not so good. I think you should know this, Taylor. There may be trouble. Our people are getting restive.”

  “I had noticed that, but thank you for telling me.”

  “The President said you were to be told all that might affect you on the reservation. Your people, it seems, are not so liable to - to -“

  “Panic,” Taylor suggested.

  Manzoni shook his head at the word.

  “At least you have means of controlling your people if they should get out of order,” said Taylor. “You can use your law-men.”

  “We hoped so,” Manzoni replied unhappily. “But now - the law-men have less authority.

  They have lost confidence in themelves.”

  “That must be because of their failure against salamanders and heat-devils. If you don’t mind my saying so, Manzoni they should never have been used in that way.”

  “You don’t understand.” Manzoni spoke more vigorously. “They had to be used so. It is our faith. The possibility had to be tested.”

  Taylor shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “For a highly intelligent community your innocence is fantastic.”

  “It is strange to hear such criticism from you,” said Manzoni. “There may be some justification for what you say. You bring a fresh mind to our problems. But you don’t know all the facts. How can you? You are not one of us.”

  Taylor was beginning to like Manzoni. But here, he thought, was Manzoni adopting the usual air of superiority which the men from the reservation found so insufferable.

  “You think us primitive,” he retorted hotly. “But I am not so primitive that I can endure wastefulness of human life. Now that, if you like, is a strange criticism, coming from me to you.”

  Another voice spoke harshly.

  “What do those few lives matter when so many thousands - all our people - are in peril?”

  The speaker was Sanger. He had come in unnoticed by the two other men. There was no sign of fear in him, but he was angry and fanatically earnest.

  “I have told Leblanc,” he said, “that there is only one thing for us to do. We must leave Bel -

  get off the planet.”

  “But why?” Manzoni demanded. “And how?”

  “Because if we do not we shall be destroyed. We must retreat, abandon our settlements -

  buy time to build spaceships, and go - all of us.”

  A secretary came in.

  “The President wishes to see you,” he told Sanger and Manzoni.

  Taylor was left alone, but not for long. The secretary returned and summoned him also to the President’s office.

  Leblanc was showing papers to the two officials. He looked worn and worried.

  “I was about to send for you,” he said to Taylor, “when I heard you were here. Go now to Lyon. Tell him what you have heard and seen. Don’t minimise the gravity of events. And then ask him from me to come here at once. You understand?”

  “Yes, Mr. President. If speed is essential I could send a message by radio.”

  “Others might learn of it. No, go yourself. I will let you have a ‘plane.”

  So Taylor left Una with his heavy tidings and Leblanc’s message. For himself there was a gleam of brightness in the memory of Nesina’s dawning smile, so reluctant and unpractised.

  But that would be of no interest or comfort to Lyon.

  11

  Lyon was conferring with Harper when Taylor made his report on the state of affairs in Una and delivered Leblanc’s message.

  “Again?” asked Lyon. “What does Leblanc want this time?”

  “He didn’t say, sir.”

  “I hope it’s worth the journey.”

  Taylor thought he detected in his leader a natural curiosity, in spite of his sceptical tone.

  Lyon was rapidly giving instructions to Harper.

  “Kraft’s better now. You can make more use of him. But leave Loddon to himself as much as you can. I think he may produce something good. Taylor, I’m taking with me again. I hear he has some nice contacts in Una.”

  The look that he gave Taylor made the young man wonder whether Lyon had heard anything concerning Nesina.

  “You can play at being my aide or staff officer,” Lyon went on. “And, as we fly back to the town, you can go over all you said just now. I want all the detail you can give me, and I’m especially interested in the notes you made about the tracks of the heat-devils.”

  The ‘plane that had brought Taylor was waiting, and they were soon on their way.

  Throughout the flight Lyon questioned Taylor closely on what he had seen at the burnt-out oxygen plant.

  When they arrived at the Government building in Una there was no conference in progress.

  Leblanc received Lyon at once, while Taylor waited in an ante-room.

  Lyon came out from the President’s office looking more satisfied.

  “I’m to have the run of the place,” he told Taylor. “This time there are to be no secrets as far as I’m concerned. I’m to have access to all sorts of experts, and they’re to tell me all I want to know. Later there’s to be a big meeting.”

  “Shall I come with you, sir?”

  “Not during the preliminaries. I asked Leblanc, but he says they’re relaxing their security rules only for me personally. But I shall want you for the big show.”

  “Is that another of their conferences, sir?”

  “Leblanc called it a meeting. I’m not sure what he meant by that. Personally, Taylor, I’m not in favour if the way they try to salve all their troubles by conferences. It’s time they did something, instead of just talking about what they may or may not do. They need unity now, and leadership. Leblanc understands that.”

  “Has anything happened since I left?”

  “There’ve been no more distasters, but there’s panic just under the surface here, and it wouldn’t take much to start it. Anything might do it - the oxygen, for instance.”

  “But the oxygen supply’s keeping up, sir.”

  “I know. But to maintain the level the staffs of the remaining stations will have to increase their output. That wouldn’t be easy under any circumstances; and now all the men are looking over their shoulders most of the time. If the level did drop again, and breathing got difficult, on top of everything else, I wouldn’t be in Leblanc’s place for a good deal.”

  “You said that before, sir,” Taylor pointed out.

  “So I did; and it’s truer than ever now. Some of his senior officials are catching the infection

  - starting to panic.”

  “They should be the last of all to do that, sir; because they’re among the very few who know all that’s happening.”

  “It doesn’t seem to reassure them,” Lyon said grimly. “Taylor, from what you’ve seen, which of the lot do you think could be relied on if things got really bad?”

  “I’d say that Manzoni’s sound, sir. And he seems to have a glimmering of humour - I mean our sort of humour. One can imagine him laughing.”

  Lyon said impatiently, “Laughing? What has laughter to do with it? I don’t know what you’re getting at, young man. In any case, these people never laugh. I believe they think it’s indecent.”

  Taylor stood in some awe of his formidable chief, and he took a deep breath before he answered. But he spoke firmly.

  “I hope, sir, you don’t think I’m being fanciful, but I see laughter as a weapon in this war.”

  Lyon’s impatience vanished as he thought this over.

  “It’s good for morale, of course,” he said at length. “But I should have said that applied only to a race to whom humour comes naturally. It’s been bred out of these people.”

  “I don’t think so, sir. I believe it’s still there.”

  “If so,” said Lyon drily, “it’s very deep down and well covered up. Still, it’s worth thinking about. But I can’t believe that a crank like Sanger has a gramme of humour in his whole make-up. That man’s a menace. Another menace, a collective one, is the state of mind of the mass of people here in Una and out at the oxygen plants and farming settlements. They seem to be living in an atmosphere of illicit rumours and fear.”

  “If only they could be given a lead and taught to laugh at their fears -” Taylor began.

  Lyon shook his head doubtfully.

  “You can study that possibilty,” he said, “while I start my round of visits.”

  Taylor’s first step after he had left Lyon was to seek out Nesina. He thought that she turned to him with relief, as though she relied on him to exercise her fears. But she was so weary and anxious that he could do but little to comfort her.

  “No,” she said sadly. “I wish you could comfort me, but things are too bad.”

  “Not so bad that there is no hope.”

  “Indeed they are. There are things I dare not tell you; but you may learn later. Then you will know.”

  There were to be no kisses during this meeting, he saw; and her grave, lovely face was far, indeed from smiling.

  “Rest for a moment,” he said, and he drew her gently to him till her head rested on his shoulder. She yielded with a tired sigh, and they sat thus for a long time in silence. He willed her to regain her courage, with some success, apparently. For when she spoke at last she seemed steady and composed.

  “I will try not to be foolish again,” she said. “Thank you for helping me.”

  He asked doubtfully, feeling that virtue had gone out of him, ” Have I helped you?”

  “Yes,” Nesina said. “You have always an effect on me. Sometimes it is good. Sometimes I do not understand it, and I think perhaps it is bad; but I do not know. This time I am sure it was good.”

  “Then I am glad,” he told her.

  And they separated, she to the office out at the airport, he to meet Lyon at the Government building. Lyon and he were conducted to the conference room where they had sat before.

  There was nobody else there yet, but they were told that Leblanc and others would soon join them.

  Lyon for a while sat silent, lost in thought; he was arranging his ideas and preparing for what was to come. When this process was ended he turned to Taylor.

  “How did your investigation go?” he asked.

  “It wasn’t encouraging,” Taylor confessed. He was thinking of Nesina, and for the moment laughter seemed unattainable.

  “My investigations - if you can call them that -” said Lyon, “were fairly successful. I spent a good deal of time with their head topographer. Yes,” he went on, noting Taylor’s look of surprise, “I’ve been studying their best maps. Ah, here’s Leblanc.”

  The President was followed by Sanger and Manzoni. When all were seated at the table, he welcomed Lyon and Taylor.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17