Transport 3_The Zone

by Phillip P. Peterson

  “OK.” Bill nodded. “I’ll go myself and take Stephen with me. And then?”

  “After we’ve spoken tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the transporter with Chris and try to talk to the general again. I’ll offer him our support, although I don’t think he’ll take us up on it. But maybe we’ll get something out of him.” Russell paused. “And to be on the safe side, it would be good to get the remaining weapons from the depot.”

  Sammy grinned. “We did that already.”

  “Oh! When?”

  “While you were on Venus,” Bill said. “Nobody knew how the situation would end and whether the general would keep his promise. We didn’t want to be at the mercy of another dictator like Palmer.”

  “Excellent,” Russell said. “Where did you hide the weapons?”

  “Under some of the huts,” Sammy replied. “We dug holes and hid the entrances. Unless they come looking with metal detectors, nobody will find them. And if it comes to a conflict, we can dig them out in a matter of minutes. And we took other precautions, too.”

  “Tell me.”

  “We developed a kind of alarm system. For the mobilization of individual squads and the general mobilization of all colonists. In a worst-case scenario, we can have forty men and women armed within minutes.”

  Russell nodded. “Good to know. Who organized it?”

  “I did,” Sammy said, with unmistakable pride in his voice.

  Russell nodded again. In the past, Sammy had proven himself to be a good organizer. And it was no secret that he would be standing for administrator of the colony at the next election. Russell toyed with the idea of urging Marlene to give up her position and to appoint Sammy provisional head of the colony until then. But first they had to solve the problem with Morrow and the death zone.

  They talked until long after sundown. When William Lennox left to take up his guard post at the transporter, the group gradually dispersed and Russell went back to Ellen. He had a vague feeling the next day would involve some serious decision-making. He wanted to be rested and lay straight down on his bed, which he hadn’t enjoyed for what seemed like ages, and immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 29

  “Wake up!”

  Russell slowly roused from a deep sleep and thought he was back on Venus until Ellen’s face swam into view. Her voice sounded urgent. Russell was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to turn around and fall back to sleep. It must still be very early in the morning, because a hazy light was creeping through the fur hangings at the window.

  “What is it?” he mumbled.

  “Bill Lennox and Sammy are waiting in the parlor. They want to talk to you. They both look worried.”

  “The kids?”

  “Greg’s still asleep. Jim and Grace didn’t sleep at home.”

  Russell nodded and pushed the blanket aside. “I’m be there in a minute. Any chance you could make me a cup of tea?”

  He would have done anything at that moment for a hot cup of coffee! But there wasn’t any on New California. And the dishwater he had drunk every morning on Venus couldn’t really be described as coffee either. Russell went to the basin and splashed some water on his face before stepping into the parlor. A kettle of hot water was simmering on the stove. Russell joined Sammy and Bill at the table.

  “Morning. What’ve you found out?”

  “There’s a lot of activity at the transporter. They’ve fenced off the whole area around it with barbed wire, and posted guards.” Bill gesticulated wildly. “They connected searchlights to a generator and are flooding the whole area with light. We had difficulty finding a spot where we could watch everything without being seen. They carried heavy equipment, computer consoles, and other stuff into a big tent in front of the transporter, and then they laid cables between the tent and the outer wall of the transporter.”

  Russell nodded. It made sense. Most likely, Morrow had set up a replacement for the control room. But why? Why couldn’t they carry out their plan from Venus? What was so dangerous?

  “They worked the whole night. Technicians and scientists in white coats were running back and forth between the transporter and the tents. What do you think’s going on?”

  “I have no idea,” Russell admitted reluctantly. “But whatever they’re planning, it seems to be major. Have we got anyone else keeping an eye?”

  “Yes, I told Stephen Grass and Max Lindwall to hold the fort. They’ll let us know immediately if there’s any movement.”

  “Do we have any jeeps here?” Russell asked.

  Sammy nodded. “While you were on Venus we were able to fix two of ’em. It wasn’t easy without Albert.”

  “What do we do now?”

  Russell picked up his cup and took a small sip of the tea to check it wasn’t too hot. Then he drank it in big gulps. The herbs were indigenous to New California and gave the water the taste of tea, but unfortunately without the caffeine.

  “We carry on as planned. As soon as it’s really light, I’ll drive with Chris on an official visit and talk to General Morrow.”

  “OK.” Sammy hesitated. “Do you have any idea what the general might be planning? I’m starting to worry.”

  Russell shook his head. “We know the general is planning some kind of attack on the aliens. But I have no idea what kind of mission it will be.”

  But I do know that I’m scared shitless!

  “We want to talk to Morrow!” Russell said, trying to sound as firm as he could.

  The soldier on the other side of the fence stared at him darkly. “Get outta here!” he said after a few seconds.

  Chris was standing next to Russell. They had set off from Eridu half an hour earlier, but had left the vehicle parked a few hundred feet away from the fence. They didn’t want to run the risk of having it confiscated by Morrow. Stephen and Max were hiding somewhere nearby. Russell was doubtful whether eighteen-year-old Max was a good choice for a mission like this. He thought the doctor’s headstrong son was too much of a hothead, but Sammy thought highly of him. Russell had no idea where they’d set up their lookout, but it must be in the vicinity.

  “Go to Morrow and tell him we won’t leave until we’ve spoken to him.”

  There was a glint in the eyes of the brawny soldier, as if he were considering gunning them down. But eventually he turned around and walked toward one of the big tents.

  While they were waiting, Russell tried to figure out what was going on around the transporter. The fenced-off area was about the size of a soccer field. The men had chopped down some of the giant redwoods to create enough space. The black sphere sat in the middle of the huts, which had been built several weeks ago, and the tents, which had been hurriedly erected the day before. An opening appeared in the outer wall of the transporter and two technicians marched quickly to one of the nearest tents. That must be the improvised control room; there were cables running between it and the transporter, much the same as on Venus.

  Ten——no twelve——soldiers carrying automatic rifles were positioned at various points around the compound. Some of them looked in Russell’s direction. Mitchell came hurrying out of one of the other tents carrying a yellow plastic crate.

  “Mitchell!” Russell called. Mitchell stopped in his tracks and looked over to the fence.

  “Come over here. Talk to us!”

  The engineer glanced around uneasily. He put the box on the ground and walked over to them slowly.

  “Mr. Mitchell!” General Morrow came out of the control tent, flanked by the soldiers from a moment ago. “Don’t go to the fence! Continue with your work!” His voice was stern. Mitchell gave a brief nod, picked up his box, and walked off in the direction of the transporter, while the general came marching over to Russell.

  “General Morrow! Russell called before he had even reached them. “We demand an explanation!”

  Morrow only spoke when he was within a few feet of Russell. “I already told you everything you need to know. I have no further information for you,
” Morrow spoke softly.

  “For God’s sake, General. We risked our lives and lost four men. The threat of the death zone affects us as much as it does you. I’ve come to offer you the support of our entire colony. Why can’t we work together on this mission?”

  The general smiled. Russell could see immediately that it was a forced smile. “I am simply following orders. Our planned mission is based on new information about the transporter that has been classified as secret by my superiors. I must insist that you keep away from our base until we have completed our mission.”

  “When?” Chris asked. “When are you planning to carry out the mission? Have you been able to find out any more about the aliens?”

  Morrow shook his head. “I have nothing more to tell you.”

  “New California only has three days left, General!” Russell persisted.

  “I am aware of that. We will eliminate the danger in time. Please go now and let us get on with our work.” Morrow turned on his heel.

  “Wait! One more question.”

  The general stopped but didn’t even make the effort to turn around.

  Russell’s mind was racing. How could he stall him?

  “Does your mission pose some kind of threat to New California? Please, General, tell us the truth. You owe us that!”

  Morrow didn’t answer for several seconds. But finally he turned around and looked him in the eyes. “New California is not in any danger.”

  Russell scrutinized the general’s face, but couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth or not.

  “Now go!” Morrow said in a soft voice. “I will let you know as soon as our mission is complete. Then we can discuss the future together.”

  The fact that the general mentioned a time after the threat reassured Russell a little, but he still had an uneasy feeling.

  Morrow had already walked off, leaving behind only the soldier with the fierce expression. Russell grabbed Chris by the arm and pulled him away from the fence. Together they walked back to the jeep.

  “Well, that was pretty pointless,” Chris murmured.

  “Yeah, I’d hoped they’d at least let us into the compound to talk to Morrow. That would have given us a chance to look around the base.” Russell had to admit he wasn’t the best diplomat. Marlene would have been able to get more out of Morrow. At least the old Marlene would have.

  “Nothing new to report,” Sammy said.

  “Nothing?” Russell couldn’t hide his frustration. The day had dragged on as if stretched by a rubber band. In an hour’s time, night would fall on Eridu. Stephen and Max had returned just a minute earlier, and given their report to Sammy.

  “Nothing. The technicians and scientists have been working hard all day. Morrow was running around and yelling orders at everyone. He seems to be under real time pressure. There are guards posted at intervals along the fence, but they don’t leave the compound.”

  Russell sighed. What could he do? He would have loved to speak to Marlene, but she hadn’t left her hut since returning to New California.

  “We have to do something,” Chris urged. “We can’t just act like passive onlookers while Morrow endangers our home with his mission. I just don’t believe his plan is risk-free.

  Russell threw up his arms in despair. “I don’t trust him either, but what can we do? Attack the base? There are too many of them for us to take on. And what if Morrow isn’t lying? Then we’re also putting our future at risk.”

  “If only we had more information!” Sammy said.

  “But we don’t,” replied Russell. “And if we attack, we risk everything we have.”

  “If we don’t do anything we also run that risk,” Chris said drily.

  “We have to make a decision,” Sammy said. “And I think we should surround the base, fire warning shots from a distance, and force the general to share his plans with us. We might not be able to overpower them, but we could at least put them under pressure.”

  Sammy was right——although Russell didn’t much like the sound of the plan. But maybe they could get the general to tell them the truth.

  Russell looked out of the window. The sun was setting behind the mountains. “It’s getting dark, there’s nothing more we can do today. Let’s meet up again tomorrow morning and we’ll make a decision.”

  In the meantime, maybe one of us will come up with a better idea!

  Chapter 30

  Russell woke with a start and sat up in bed. What was that?

  He turned around and saw his wife asleep beside him. There was another pounding at the door. Ellen opened her eyes.

  “Russell! Russell!” He recognized Sammy’s clear voice immediately.

  He threw the blanket aside and swung himself out of bed.

  “What’s going on?” Ellen asked in a sleepy voice.

  “No idea!” But it must be important. Russell wanted to run to the front door, but had to support himself against the wall as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

  “Russell! Quickly!” Sammy was shouting now.

  Groaning, Russell made his way to the door, switched on the light, slid the bolt and opened the door. Sammy was wide-eyed and breathing heavily.

  Russell’s draw dropped when he saw who was standing beside him. “Dr. Payne!”

  “Russell, it’s urgent!” Sammy was gasping for air.

  Russell ushered the unexpected visitors inside and pulled some chairs up to the table.

  “I got away,” the doctor said. “I don’t agree with Morrow’s plans and I’ve come to warn you.”

  Dr. Payne was wearing a pair of pale-brown pants and a white, short-sleeved shirt. Russell saw a patch of dry blood on her lower arm.

  “You’re hurt!”

  The doctor brushed his concern aside. “I bumped into a tree in the dark and fell down. It’s nothing serious.”

  “Robert found her when she left the base. He followed her and brought her to me. It’s really bad!”

  Russell looked over at Ellen, who was standing in the door to the bedroom, unmoving, then he turned back to Dr. Payne. “OK. Talk!”

  “Morrow is planning a mission against the aliens who are responsible for the death zone.”

  Russell nodded. “We know that. But the general didn’t want to tell us anymore about his plans.”

  “Only a few of us know. In fact, the only reason I know is because I listened in on a conversation between him and John Mitchell.”

  “What? What’s he planning?”

  “He’s forced Mitchell to manipulate the transporter on New California. I didn’t understand everything, but they want to use it as a weapon against the aliens. Tonight.” She leaned forward and Russell was shocked to see the panic in her eyes. “New California will be destroyed. They want to sacrifice your world to defeat the aliens.”

  Jesus Christ!

  Russell was speechless. This surpassed his worst fears by far. He had suspected Morrow might be taking a calculated risk with his mission, but if what the doctor was saying were true....

  “Hold on, I don’t understand ...” he stammered. “Use the transporter as a weapon? How?”

  Payne shook her head. “I don’t know. I think they found out something about the transporter after you were removed from the project. Mitchell has been working on it the whole time these last few days. I wanted to talk to him, because he doesn’t agree with Morrow’s plans either, but the general has isolated him and is forcing him to continue with his work. If I understood him and Morrow correctly, the preparations are now complete.”

  “And he wants to carry out the attack tonight?”

  The doctor nodded.

  “When exactly?”

  “I don’t know. It could be any moment now.”

  Behind them, Ellen began to cry. “The children! The children!”

  Russell went over to her and took her in his arms. “We won’t let it happen!” He turned to Sammy. “You’ve been raving about your alarm system. Now I hope it works. I want eight armed colonists at the workshop
as soon as possible. And bring me a weapon and a pistol, too!”

  “Only eight?” Sammy asked.

  “We can’t fit more than eight in the two jeeps they left us. And now get a move on, damn it!”

  Sammy jumped up and disappeared through the door. Russell ran into the bedroom and quickly pulled on his clothes.

  “Tell me you can stop them!” Ellen whispered. She was white as a sheet.

  “I don’t know if we stand much of a chance!” There was no point in lying. He didn’t even know how much time they had left, and Morrow had too many soldiers.

  Russell left Ellen standing in the bedroom and returned to the living room. As he buttoned up his shirt he turned to Dr. Payne. “If we survive this, we will be forever in your debt.”

  The doctor pulled a face. “Just build me a hut like this one.”

  “You’ll get the nicest one of all!” Russell hurried to the door. He was pulling on his boots when Ellen threw her arms around him.

  “I don’t have any time. I need to get Marlene.”

  “Do you think she’ll go with you?”

  “I don’t know, but we need her. We need her now more than ever. If we want a chance of ambushing Morrow and his soldiers, then she’s the only one who can lead this mission.”

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Pray!” Russell said, and smiled weakly. He gave her a quick kiss and left the house. He knew it might be the last time he ever saw her, but there was no time for sentimentality now.

  Russell ran through Eridu, past the mess building and a group of huts, and reached Marlene’s hut after a few seconds. He banged on the door with his fist and shouted her name until she finally opened the door and scowled at him. She smelled of whiskey. She must have had another bottle hidden somewhere. Her hair hung in greasy strands down to her shoulders.

  “What do you want?”

  Russell took a deep breath. “We need you! Morrow is planning to use our transporter as a weapon against TZ-1 and to sacrifice New California. It could happen at any moment, and we have to stop him. I have eight men——”