The Valley

by Richard Stockham

bright as though the sun wereshining in them; saw a flush in her cheeks, as though she had beenrunning. And suddenly his throat was full.

  "No," he said thickly. "I can't believe it."

  "It's true."

  He held her for a long time, then he turned his eyes aside.

  "Yes, I can see it is."

  "I--I can't put into words why I let it happen, Michael."

  He shook his head. "I don't know--what to--to say. It's soincredible."

  "Maybe--I got so--tired--just seeing the two of us over and over againand the culturing of the scar tissue, for twenty centuries. Maybe thatwas it. It was just--something I felt I _had_ to do. Some--_real_ lifeagain. Something new. I felt a need to produce something out ofmyself. It all started way out in space, while we were getting closeto the solar system. I began to wonder if we'd ever get out of theship alive or if we'd ever see a sunset again or a dawn or the nightor morning like we'd seen on Earth--so--so long ago. And then I _had_to let it happen. It was a vague and strange thing. There wassomething forcing me. But at the same time I wanted it, too. I seemedto be willing it, seemed to be feeling it was a necessary thing." Shepaused, frowning. "I didn't stop to think--it would be like this."

  "Such a thing," he said, smiling grimly, "hasn't happened on Earth forthree thousand years. I can remember in school, reading in the historybooks, how the whole Earth was overcrowded and how the food and waterhad to be rationed and then how the laws were passed forbidding birthand after that how the people died and there weren't any more babiesborn, until at last there was plenty of what the Earth had to give,for everyone. And then the news was broken to everyone about theculturing of the scar tissue, and there were a few dissenters but theywere soon conditioned out of their dissension and the population wasstabilized." He paused. "After all this past history, I don't thinkthe council could endure what you've done."

  "No," she said quietly. "I don't think they could."

  "And so this will be just for _us_." He took her in his arms. "If Iremember rightly, this is a traditional action." A pause. "Now I'll gowith you out onto the Earth--if we can swing it. When we get outsidethe city, or if we do--Well, we'll see."

  They were very still together and then he turned and stood by thewindow and looked down upon the city and she came and stood besidehim.

  * * * * *

  They both saw it at the same time. And they watched, without speaking,both knowing what was in the other's mind and heart. They watched thegiant four dimensional screens all through the city. A green, lushplanet showed bright and clear on them and there were ships standingamong the trees and men walking through the grass, that moved gentlylike the swells on a calm ocean, while into their minds came thethoughts projected from the screen:

  "This will be your new home. It was found and then lost. But anotherexpedition will be sent out to find it again. Be of good hope.Everything will be all right."

  Michael turned from the window. "So there's our evidence. Two thousandyears. All the others killed getting it. And with a simple twist, itbecomes a lie."

  Mary sat down and buried her face in her hands.

  "What a terrible failure there's been here," said Michael. "Theneglect and destruction of a whole planet. It's like a family lettingtheir home decay all around them, and living in smaller and smallerrooms of it, until at last the rooms are all gone, and since theycan't find another home, they all die in the ruins of the last room."

  "I can't face dying," Mary said quietly, "squeezed in with all thesepeople, in this tomb they've made around the seas. I want to have theopen sky and the quiet away from those awful pounding pumps when Idie. I want the spread of the Earth all around and the clean air. Iwant to be a real part of the Earth again."

  Michael barely nodded in agreement. He was standing very still now.

  And then there was the sound of the door opening.

  They both rose, like mourners at a funeral, and went into the councilchambers.

  * * * * *

  Again they sat in the thick chairs before the wall of desks with thefaces of the council looking across it like defenders.

  The pumps were beating, beating all through the room and the quiet.

  The President was standing. He faced Michael and Mary, and seemed toset himself as though to deliver a blow, or to receive one.

  "Michael and Mary," he said, his voice struggling against a tightness,"we've considered a long time concerning what is to be done with youand the report you brought back to us from the galaxy." He tookanother swallow of water. "To protect the sanity of the people, we'vechanged your report. We've also decided that the people must beprotected from the possibility of your spreading the truth, as you didat the landing field. So, for the good of the people, you'll beisolated. All comforts will be given you. After all, in a sense, you_are_ heroes and martyrs. Your scar tissue will be cultured as it hasbeen in the past, and you will stay in solitary confinement until thetime when, perhaps, we can migrate to another planet. We feel thathope must not be destroyed. And so another expedition is being sentout. It may be that, in time, on another planet, you'll be able totake your place in our society."

  He paused. "Is there anything you wish to say?"

  "Yes, there is."

  "Proceed."

  Michael stared straight at the President. After a long moment, heraised his hand to the tiny locket at his throat.

  "Perhaps you remember," he said, "the lockets given to every member ofthe expedition the night before we left. I still have mine." He raisedit. "So does my wife. They were designed to kill the wearer instantlyand painlessly if he were ever faced with pain or a terror he couldn'tendure."

  The President was standing again. A stir ran along the barricade ofdesks.

  "We can't endure the city," went on Michael, "or its life and the waysof the people." He glanced along the line of staring faces.

  "If what I think you're about to say is true," said the President in ashaking voice, "it would have been better if you'd never been born."

  "Let's face facts, Mr. President. We were _born_ and haven'tdied--yet." A pause. "And we can kill ourselves right here before youreyes. It'd be painless to us. We'd be unconscious. But there would behorrible convulsions and grimaces. Our bodies would be twisted andtorn. They'd thresh about. The deaths you saw in the picture happeneda long time ago, in outer space. You all went into hysterics at thesight of them. Our deaths now would be close and terrible to see."

  The President staggered as though about to faint. There was a stirringand muttering and a jumping up along the desks. Voices cried out, inanger and fear. Arms waved and fists pounded. Hands clasped andunclasped and clawed at collars, and there was a pell mell rushingaround the President. They yelled at each other and clasped each otherby the shoulders, turned away and back again, and then suddenly becamevery still.

  Now they began to step down from the raised line of desks, thePresident leading them, and came close to the man and woman, gatheringaround them in a wide half circle.

  Michael and Mary were holding the lockets close to their throats. Thehalf circle of people, with the President at its center was movingcloser and closer. They were sweaty faces and red ones and dry whiteones and hands were raised to seize them.

  Michael put his arm around Mary's waist. He felt the trembling in herbody and the waiting for death.

  "Stop!" he said quietly.

  They halted, in slight confusion, barely drawing back.

  "If you want to see us die--just come a step closer.... And rememberwhat'll happen to you."

  The faces began turning to each other and there was an undertone ofmuttering and whispering. "A ghastly thing.... Instant.... Nothing todo.... Space's broken their minds.... They'll do it.... Eyes'remad.... What can we do?... What?..." The sweaty faces, the cold whiteones, the flushed hot ones: all began to turn to the President, whowas staring at the two before him like a man watching himself die in amirror.

  "I command you," he sudd
enly said, in a choked voice, "to--to give methose--lockets! It's your--duty!"

  "We've only one duty, Mr. President," said Michael sharply. "Toourselves."

  "You're sick. Give yourselves over to us. We'll help you."

  "We've made our choice. We want an answer. Quickly! Now!"

  The President's body sagged. "What--what is it you want?"

  Michael threw the words. "To go beyond the force fields of the city.To go far out onto the Earth and live as long as we can, and then todie a natural