by L. E. Howel
Birch grimaced as the truck plunged into another massive pothole that lifted him more than a foot above his seat and left him grabbing wildly to save himself the indignity of falling to the floor. It was a rough patch of road and as they lurched from hole to hole he was irritated to see the unaltered, calm expressions on the faces of his fellow passengers. They didn't seem to care. Lauren had that same even look she always wore, and the three soldiers who shared the compartment were all staring out of the window, as though this was part of the blandest of routines. A fine set they'd make, Birch thought to himself; maybe I should make them into a set of bookends or something.
Sighing he turned to watch the countryside rolling slowly past his window. He guessed there must have been at least another three hours of daylight left and that meant another three hours of this type of travel. Birch rubbed his face in his hands; this inactivity was going to kill him. Lifting his head his eyes caught Lauren looking at him; she smiled and turned again to her own window. Birch followed her gaze. Outside, the green of the vegetation was still as fresh and surprising as ever, but its beauty, he knew, only masked the danger.
The truck came to a sudden stop a moment later and Birch moved to the front to see what was happening. Finally something was happening. The driver growled and ordered him back to his seat, but Birch could see through the windshield that Konik and Edwards had gotten out and were talking with some of the soldiers from the lead truck. They were staring intently down at the road in front of their vehicle. Commander Konik stooped to look more closely before casting anxious glances in all directions. Edwards and another soldier both had binoculars out and were scanning the horizon in all directions. All of them were deep in discussion.
Birch moved to the door at the back of the truck, but one of the soldiers rose quickly from his seat and blocked his way. "You can't leave without permission," the soldier droned dutifully, but Birch had already pushed past the man's outstretched arm, turned the handle, and jumped through the open door before he could react. The guard grabbed at his shirt, but Birch was too quick and was already striding toward Konik and Edwards.
Konik frowned as Birch approached, but before the angry Major could reach them the guard from the truck had caught him again and was grabbing at his arm. Birch pushed back against his attacker, and in the struggle they both fell to the ground. Konik watched with distaste as the two men struggled and rolled in the dirt. He signaled for the soldier to release Birch and to return to the truck. Konik's frown deepened as Birch advanced again toward them.
"What is it with you, Konik?" Birch snapped as he reached the men. "We haven't had a second of freedom since we've been here and now you won’t even let us out of the truck without permission. Are we travelling as your President's guests or prisoners?"
Konik smiled humorlessly, "You're not our prisoners," he replied, "it's all for your protection. Would you let a two year old child walk the city streets alone? Of course not! You protect the innocent and the foolish. We’re doing the same for. You're not used to life in our world and you don't know the dangers that exist here. There are a lot of things you don't understand and we can't have you getting yourselves killed through ignorance. Let me demonstrate." He pointed to the spot in front of the lead truck that they had been examining a moment before. "What do you see here Major?"
Birch looked closely, but could see nothing but an unremarkable looking section of the dirt and rock trail that could only loosely be described as a road. He shrugged.
"You see, Major," Konik continued, "while you see nothing here, we see death and destruction." He bent down at the spot and gently scooped away some of the dirt, revealing a small wire just below the surface. "Death, Major Birch," Konik added dramatically, "that is what you would face in this world without our help, and it is all those precautions that you seem to hate so much that are keeping you alive."
"So you've got landmines, or something like them," Birch replied sourly. “I've dealt with things like that before. Why don't you just let us help? You yourself said that we were still on the active service list; it’s time you started treating us like it rather than just as cargo. We want to know the truth. If we’re your prisoners then just lock us up and stop pretending, but if we really are your fellow soldiers then treat us like it and give us something to do.”
Birch had had enough and decided to play a risky game with Konik. So far they hadn't been told much about anything in this world, so he was going to poke at the stiff Commander a bit and see how he reacted. Maybe he would let something slip. Maybe things would change. Birch was perfectly aware that the result could be bad, like goading an attack dog. He saw that tendency in Konik and knew that both he and his crew could find their position significantly worse if he played this badly. They were, after all, totally under Konik's guidance here, and Birch keenly felt their vulnerability. Even so, Birch instinctively believed that they were not in any real danger from Konik and his men, at least for now. At the moment it seemed that they were a valued commodity, and so long as that lasted he would be able to keep the pressure on Konik and see if they could find the truth behind all of this. It might even be true that Konik was being honest, that they really were just trying to protect them, but Birch wasn’t ready to accept that. He trusted no one.
It seemed as though Birch's plan might already be working. Konik's face registered surprise and disgust before quickly turning red. A vein on his temple stood out noticeably and his jaw clenched tightly as he seemed to struggle with his rage. He looked ready to lash out at Birch when Special Operative Edwards' calm voice quietly interrupted.
"I think the Major has a point," Edwards' tone was soft and cool, in stark contrast to the hard expression of both Birch and Konik. At these words Konik’s head snapped back and he turned and glared at his own man. Edwards seemed to falter for a moment under the wilting frown of his commander. "What I mean is," Edwards’ voice wavered slightly but he stood firm, "I mean that we should tell them more. How can we expect them to trust us if we don't trust them? Put yourself in their position, would you trust us after we left you in the dark about everything?"
"You know our orders," Konik replied in a hard unyielding voice. "You’ve been out of the service for a while but even you must know that ‘no’ means no, especially when authorized by the President himself. You'd do well to keep that in mind, Operative Edwards. These are matters of global security."
"I'm not talking about matters of global security Commander, and you know it," Edwards' voice was gaining strength. "All I'm talking about is letting these people know about the world they now live in. It’s a matter of their own personal security."
"He's right!" Birch interrupted angrily. "It's about time you told us something. I'm not some puppet to be dangled on a string for whatever you've got in mind. You've got to tell us what's going on."
"Will you shut up, Birch!" Edwards' words erupted like bursting, hot lava and stunned Birch into silence. "This isn't your decision, Major and you have no say here."
Edwards turned his attention again to Konik. "It’s my professional opinion that it’s important for us to tell these people about certain changes in life since their time on Earth. We're taking them out here into the wilderness and, as you say, they have no idea about the dangers that face them here. How can you expect them to survive without any knowledge of what they face? Just looking at this mine here, this close to the base, that must tell you that they’re active and bold right now. This isn't going to be easy and we'll need every member of the team to get us through this."
Konik nodded thoughtfully, his face had cooled, but his jaw was still clenched, and his features had the look of flint. "Maybe you have a point Edwards," he snapped, "but let me remind you that security is a primary concern here and there is a procedure for you to bring up such points. There is a time and a place for these things," he looked pointedly at Birch and then back at Edwards. "This is not it! The mere fact that you are a member of the Durus Authority and that you are the Special Operativ
e on this mission does not give you some special immunity. Let me spell it out to you early on; if I think you're not working with the team then I can make your life very unpleasant, both now and when we get back. I rank you Edwards and I can pull a lot of strings in Washington, don't you forget that! You DA men seem to think a lot of yourselves, but out here in the wilds it's all up to the regular military, we're the ones who do it out here every day."
Birch watched to see Edwards’ reaction. He had already learned more in the last five minutes than he had in the whole time since their return to earth. To his surprise Edwards seemed unfazed by his commander’s words. In fact there seemed to be something in them which strengthened him. He visibly straightened as he calmly looked Konik in the eye.
"You're right about us DA men," Edwards replied in an icy voice. A wicked smile played across his face. "We do think a lot of ourselves. We have good reason to. You might be the military commander on this mission, Konik, but in matters relating to the mission I hold superiority, this is one of those times. I will say it again more clearly so that you can understand. It is my conclusion that the mission will be served best if the Major, and his crew, are made more aware of their situation, so long as it doesn't cut across areas of global security. There is no need for discussion, I am the ranking officer on this issue and if you disagree then I suggest that you take it up with the DA when we arrive in Washington."
Konik's face paled for a moment, then blushed an even deeper crimson than before. Edwards had pushed the Commander much further than Birch had thought wise, and he watched now for the result. Konik didn't explode, as Birch had expected, but instead he glared powerlessly at the Special Operative for a moment with violent eyes, his great hands clasping and unclasping at air.
"Great," Konik's voice was stiff with rage, "but your little seminar on the state of the world will have to wait, unless you plan to camp on this bomb to do it. I personally don't want to stick around to thank the people that left this little gift, so let's move it. Get back in your truck, Birch, it's time to go." He stormed away into his own vehicle and Edwards followed after him. Birch guessed that Special Operative Edwards had made a new enemy that day.
FOURTEEN
Streams of golden light flowed from the setting sun. Birch covered his eyes to take in his surroundings. To the west the delicate ribbons of cloud had changed to a fiery red and he remembered the old saying about a red sky at night bringing delight. That was supposed to promise a good day to follow, weather-wise anyway. He wasn’t sure he could count on that, but this moment was worth it without any guarantees for the future.
Despite the beauty something troubled him. He couldn't explain it, but at that moment he felt an uneasiness that had nothing to do with all the uncertainties they faced. Somehow looking at that sky, the same sky he had remembered, he felt a continuity stretching out from his own time to this. Perhaps, after all, some things would never change and could never be escaped, no matter how long you ran.
It had been over two hours since they had stopped to examine the booby-trapped road and the sunlight was quickly turning to gloom. The line of trucks cast long shadows as they moved slowly off the dirt trail. They pulled into a circular formation and rattled to a halt. The hiss of brakes was quickly followed by the sound of doors banging open and hurried footsteps. The soldiers in Birch's own truck had already leapt out and were busily removing equipment from the roof. All of this was done in perfect silence, as though all their training had made communication unnecessary. It was obviously a routine and they performed it expertly.
As Birch and Lauren clambered out the back of the truck their silent work continued. It seemed as though they were erecting some sort of equipment all around the little circle of vehicles. Birch reasoned that it must have been some type of protection device or monitoring equipment. The question still remained unanswered though, protection from what? Whatever it was it clearly had the power to motivate these men to action, for they were working at a manic pace thrusting what looked like small sticks into the ground at short intervals in a ring around the trucks. Others were working on the weapons or taking more equipment out of the back of the vehicles. Even Konik and Edwards had joined in the work. Birch and the others could only watch awkwardly, unsure of what they should do.
"I don't like this," DeSante muttered. "What do you think they're trying to keep out with all that stuff?"
Birch shrugged, "I don't know, but I’d like to find out. Maybe they're trying to keep us in, or something out, either way I don't think we'll be told anything about it unless they think it's really necessary. My guess though is that there's some-thing out there that these men and their President can't quite control. I don't know why, but I have the feeling we're being marched right through the lion's den here; you only have to look at these soldiers to see it." He gestured toward the men who were still frantically working on the perimeter. "This is the first time I've seen any of the guards here register any emotion, and it looks a lot like fear to me. I think we'd better watch out for ourselves here. We are in danger.”
Karla shuddered visibly at his words.
Jane shook her head, “You can’t be sure of that,” her voice was smooth and piercing, like sharpened steel. “We can only go on what we’ve seen, and right now that isn’t much. This may just be a routine procedure.”
“No,” Birch replied evenly, trying to control his rising temper, “we haven’t seen everything, but we’ve seen enough. Look at those men. That’s not efficiency driving them. It’s fear. This is a bad place, and if you’d open your eyes and shut your mouth maybe you could see it too.”
“Great, Major,” Jane snorted scornfully back at him. Her voice sounded as shrill as a scream and Birch wished like anything he could stop it. "You’ve got your theories. Well, we’ve all had to listen to your ideas. You want to hear mine?” Birch wanted to say no, but before the word could reach his lips she continued.
“I don’t think this has anything to do with them or what they’re doing. It has everything to do with you.” Jane’s eyes flashed as she warmed to her subject. “You’re afraid to lose the only thing that means anything to you, the command you worked so hard to get. That’s what this is all about. Now that we’re back you know the only way you can keep any sense of authority is to keep us dependant on you, so you try and scare us. You try and tell us that these guys don’t know what they are doing, and that we still really need you. Well, we don’t!”
"Just shut up, Jane,” Birch snapped “you have no idea what this is about.”
"I know more than you’d like me to," she retorted. "You're always trying to scare everyone with some wild idea, it was that way on the mission and it’s the same here! You just want control, you got it then and you want to keep it now! Well, I’m not playing along with your little scare game any more. You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
"That's the whole point!" Birch spoke the words through clenched teeth. His eyes burned into Jane's skin. She had been chomping at the chance to defy his authority and it seemed she had found it. She had jumped the reservation and it was his job to bring her back. "None of us know what we’re talking about,” he thundered. “We don't know the facts and I’m not willing to wait around until we’re spoon-fed them before we start thinking about our future!" Birch moved closer to Jane and thrust his index finger inches away from her nose. "You better start thinking about your own future, Jane," he hissed. "I’m still commanding this mission and if you don’t remember that I’ll break you, whatever it takes."
Birch spat the words into Jane's face, but rather than cowing her, she seemed to gather strength from them. Her stormy features cleared and she smiled defiantly back at him.
"You're nothing, Major Birch,” her voice was cool and crisp. “You never have been anything. Since you took Colonel Ratliff's place I've known it and you've known it. You don't deserve to command anything, and now you don't. You see, you don’t rank me, Major, and there is no mission now, we’re back, so you have no au
thority to order me to do anything. NASA doesn't even exist anymore, so you may as well forget any idea you have of ever telling me what to do again."
Birch stood silent for a moment, anger raged within him and he began clenching and unclenching his fists instinctively. "Jane, if you talk to me like that again…" he began.
"What? Why don't you show us all what you can do," Jane taunted. "Why don't you just show us all what a great commanding officer you are by proving your strength? That's how it went on the mission. You were the strongest then, but that’s not going to work now. It’s your answer to everything isn't it, brute force, not brainpower. You blunder from one problem to another, muscling your way through and learning nothing. Go on then, hit me! You’ve wanted to do it for a long time. Do it, and prove that you're better than me while everyone's watching."
In fact they were. The soldiers had finished their work on the perimeter and had gathered nearby to watch. Jane, only inches away from Birch, was mockingly gesturing for him to hit her. Birch's arms were rigid at his side and his fists were so tightly clenched that the knuckles had turned white. He turned away from her.
"If you’re no longer a part of NASA then I accept that, Jane. I’ll leave you under the protection of this government. You are no longer a concern of mine. As for the rest of you,” he turned to look at the remainder of his crew, “this mission isn’t over until we report to the president and find out what’s really going on. Then we can break up this happy little band. Until then our mission is not over.”