by Ian Miller
She gritted her teeth, and was about to start walking, when she realized there was perhaps even more at stake. She had to walk across that street, but it was equally important that she did it in style. If only she could stop shaking! She looked up at the buildings around her, and took deep breaths. She looked down, nodded, then looked at her men. She rearranged their defensive positions, then picked up her folder, and walked with what she hoped had the appearance of nonchalance towards the Munro building.
"Lady! You're trespassing!" The call came just as she was approaching the doorway.
"This is a public place," Elizabeth retorted with amusement, as she turned to meet the young lawyer who was approaching from her left, then she added, "and I'm the Commissioner for Justice, so don't try to pull any stupid legal tricks on me."
"This is an historic site," the lawyer went on, "and in terms of the Historic Places Acts as passed by the second Federation Council, only official Historic Places Inspectors may carry arms here. Also, only official Historic Places Inspectors may override an Historic Places Injunction Against Entry. I have here one such Injunction, duly signed by the most senior Judge in New York. You are not an authorized Historic Places Inspector, so I demand you leave immediately. You will notice that this order empowers the residents to use whatever force they deem necessary to remove such a trespasser. I must warn you that such force will be used, if necessary, and it will be deemed necessary if you do not immediately withdraw in compliance with this order."
"Very impressive," Elizabeth smiled. "Tell me, can you read?"
"Of course I can read," the young lawyer snarled derisively.
"Then read this," Elizabeth said harshly, thrusting a piece of paper into the lawyer's hand. "It's an order invalidating any of that judge's injunctions, and in particular this one, on the grounds that the judge has been arrested for corruption, in particular regarding the signing of this injunction, and the receiving of bribes thereafter. So here, take your injunction!" she said, thrusting the paper back at the lawyer. "If you're wondering what to do with it," she added, amused at the lawyer's obvious discomfort, "use it to wipe your arse! That's about all it's good for!"
She turned her back on the lawyer and strode purposefully through the door. Once inside, she was quite surprised at the general air of decay. The once proud foyer now looked more like a junkyard; there were piles of twisted metal on each side, the lining was peeling from the walls and ceilings to show the rusty girders, cracked concrete, exposed service ducting, and the multi-ended tangle of wiring. The only light was natural light, and it was not abundant.
"Don't be childish!" she called out loudly. There was no response.
"I know you're there!" she called again. Silence.
She took a flashlight from her bag, and directed the beam around the room. Nobody could be seen, but then there was so much rubbish to hide behind there could be several people there. Then, in the corner of her beam, she detected a surveillance camera. She appeared not to notice it, but walked in the general direction of it, apparently looking elsewhere.
"It would be very stupid of you to ambush me!" she called out again. "If you lived long enough, Munro'd kill you, if he had time!"
No response. Suddenly, she was galvanized into action. In one grand sweep, she leapt forward, picked up a length of pipe, and swung it directly into the lens.
"If that disconnects you with upstairs," she said smoothly, "you'd better show yourself. Because you see, I can see this pipe in the wall that looks rather corroded, but it's got condensation on it. You know what that means? It means it's full of cold water. If I break that pipe, cold water will flow down the ducting, and I'd wager a small bet into your electricity generators. That'd make Harvey miss his dinner, and that'd make him mean. Real mean. If you don't say something in the next ten seconds, the pipe's gone."
"Hold it!"
"That's better." She turned to see a shortish balding man appear from behind a pile of wall lining.
"Can you think of one good reason why I shouldn't just blow you away?"
"Yes," Elizabeth said calmly.
"This'll be good," came the mirthless reply.
"Not for you it won't," Elizabeth said harshly. "If I don't emerge from this building in the next ten minutes, a vessel will appear above this block of buildings and hit it with such a flux of neutrons that all life forms will be extinguished. And I mean all! Every last roach! Every last bacterium! You'd better ask Harvey for instructions, because I'm as sure as hell he won't be pleased with you if you get this wrong! Not that whether he's pleased or not'll make that much difference."
Elizabeth was amused to see the man disappear. There was a lengthy pause, then the man reappeared. "What do you want?" he asked.
"That's better," Elizabeth nodded. "I have here a warrant for the arrest of Harvey Munro, for the crime of treason. I now call upon you to produce the said Harvey Munro."
"He isn't here!"
"Don't give me that crap!" Elizabeth said derisively. "You just talked to him."
"Yes, he did," came a voice over a speaker. "You're not really going to serve that warrant, are you?"
"That's my intention!"
"Can we deal? What do you want?"
"As a matter of fact, I intend to be President," Elizabeth remarked, "and not as a puppet. So I intend to arrest you, try you publicly, then torment you. I now hereby order you to surrender yourself immediately."
"You're not serious."
"Oh yes I am! You don't think I'd risk my life from your trigger happy goons coming here for fun do you?"
"Then I suggest you turn around and get the hell out of here while you still can."
"You refuse to surrender?"
"Not only that, but you won't come and get me. Because if you even try, I'll know that threat of yours was a load of shit, and I'll gun you down like a mad dog."
"You're right," Elizabeth muttered, as she turned away, "I'm vengeful, but I'm no martyr. But don't get too confident, Harvey, because I'll be back. We're going to take you, Harvey, so don't disappoint us all and commit suicide now, will you?"
* * *
"You seem surprisingly pleased with yourself," Reiner noted curiously, when Elizabeth finished her account. "I don't think you've got very far."
"A tickler on the left flank," Elizabeth smiled, "to start things up."
"As a matter of interest," Reiner probed, "why don't you just sterilized the area? Why go through all these risks?"
"Because this isn't about getting rid of Munro," Elizabeth smiled harshly. "It's about getting rid of the GenCorp system. There'll always be another Munro, and a pile of ash proves nothing. I want the bastard on trial."
"You've changed?" A cold tenseness had crept into Reiner's voice.
"I'm changing," Elizabeth corrected, "Let's say I've seen the odd flash of light."
"And what's this flash?"
"I used to think there were a lot of things that were wrong," Elizabeth said pensively, "but I thought the system was basically all right; it was just that there were a number of people in it who weren't. Also, while I knew in principle things could be improved, that could always be put off. In some ways the concept of Balance was a great excuse not to do anything, because you could always claim you had to avoid disturbing it."
"And now?"
"I think it's the system that corrupts the people. In a small way, it corrupted me."
"You? Really!"
"I never took bribes, if that's what you're thinking," she replied harshly.
"And you didn't embark on any minor bout of extortion, of course," came the sarcastic response that was said with a challenging grin.
"Max, we each have our skeletons. I haven't touched the money."
"You would have had to do something with it sooner or later," Max pointed out, "but don't worry. I understand."
"Do you really?" she challenged.
"I think so," Reiner said in a cold flat tone, "Your corruption was to take part in the privileges of office, bu
t you've had a bout of reforming zeal, and –"
"Not quite correct," Elizabeth said flatly. "The first part's could be valid, but that's not what I mean. I assure you, there's no stroke of puritanism suddenly emerging, and I'm neither justifying nor regretting the past."
"Well, I'm sure pleased about that."
"The problem is this economic serfdom has to cease," she said, ignoring his sarcasm. "In essence, the barons have got too powerful. Sloth and debt may have replaced ignorance and poverty, but the result for most of the people is the same. I have to clean this up."
"To get rid of the system?"
"That's going to go anyway," Elizabeth shrugged. "Go outside sometime, and you'll see the system's breaking under the strain. Kotchetkova's done a surprisingly good job. Defence's a hotbed of anti-corporatism, the independent's are finally winning through, a huge number of corporates are really upset, and South America's the straw that breaks the camel's back. GenCorp is going to be totally discredited –"
"Perhaps," Reiner mused, "but I wouldn't guarantee it."
"There's not a soul on Earth who'll hear how Munro sold them all out and forgive him."
"If they hear about it," Reiner shrugged. "A good propaganda exercise on Munro's part could solve all his problems."
"He's not going to have the chance," Elizabeth smiled.
"If you can stop him."
"So you think I won't win?"
"I didn't say that," Reiner shrugged. "It's achievable, but it's still hardly a foregone conclusion. But I think you're right. There's a vacuum out there, and there's some very strong forces wondering what to do with themselves. It's all a matter of where they line up."
"Which is the nub of my problem," Elizabeth said softly. "I started this with one objective, and that was to make sure that Roman didn't set himself up as some sort of Emperor, an all-powerful –"
"Are you sure?" Reiner asked softly.
"Am I sure of what?" she replied. "You don't think I really wanted to have some sort of Imperial master who –"
"Are you sure there was only one objective? Such a truly noble objective at that?" he challenged.
"OK," she nodded. A slightly wryful smile crossed her face as she added, "You see through me! It's true that power has a certain attractiveness, but even more than that, another powerful person dedicated to putting me on the dust-heap is anything but attractive. Particularly, of course, when there are alleged skeletons."
"So you had two objectives. What's changed?"
"I had a long talk with the Roman, and I'm reasonably convinced that he does not want to take power, and in addition, Kotchetkova's dead," Elizabeth started.
"Which solves objective one," Reiner smiled, "which means, since you're still going, that objective two now –"
"It means nothing of the sort," Elizabeth interrupted forcefully. "Next in line is Streckov –"
"Who wouldn't last ten minutes out of Harvey's pocket," Reiner smiled.
"And he wouldn't last five minutes in it after his usefulness was complete," Elizabeth pointed out. "Harvey would chew him up and wouldn't have to worry too much about spitting out spine."
"Which is why you're set on taking out Harvey," Reiner nodded, "but then Streckov could be more of a problem."
"You're getting to where I got," Elizabeth nodded slowly. "We can take out people, but it doesn't make a lot of difference. Yes, it's true I find the trappings of power alluring, but I still think the ordinary person deserves a better break than they're likely to get with some of the options."
"So you're going to do what?" Reiner asked, this time a little more tensely.
"I want to be in a position to control what emerges from this," Elizabeth said simply. "Yes, there's some self-interest, but I also want to be sure that the ordinary person doesn't get trampled over while the powerful fight for the crumbs."
"That's very noble, but why're you telling me this?" Reiner asked curiously. "I'm part of the system too."
"So you can come with me if you want to," Elizabeth said earnestly. "Think about it. You have some of the same problems. You don't want hordes of new officials tearing your past to pieces do you? Make the move now, and you can lead the way into the new order, and protect your own interests at the same time."
"And if I don't?"
"You'll go down. Oh sure, you can fight it, but it won't make any difference. The question is not whether there will be change, but rather to what, and who, if anyone, will control it," Elizabeth said emphatically, almost as if she were trying more to convince herself. "If you like, it's time to do my job, and at least prevent total anarchy over the next few weeks. But even more importantly, something that's fair to everybody has to replace it. I'm convinced the danger of a military dictatorship has passed, but there's a number of possibilities that aren't much better."
"And what'll replace the corporations?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth replied, "but I'm totally convinced that the present structure is unsustainable. Perhaps a coordinated collection of minicorporations."
"What do you mean by that?" Reiner asked curiously.
"Instead of MinCorp controlled from New York, say, try every mine separate, sharing in the returns and obligations."
"That's more or less what happens now," Reiner pointed out, "except that decisions are made in New York. But if you don't have a central decision-making organization, how do you coordinate? How do you stop competitive extraction, and the problems of uncontrolled depletion, pollution, and so on?"
"You have to have central decision-makers," Elizabeth agreed, "but maybe without operational control. All of which is why I want you to help me."
"What exactly do you want?" Reiner asked.
"If we are going to alter, reform, or whatever, the corporations, your input could be critical for a successful outcome, because you alone really appreciate the operational aspects of any proposal. Your input could make all the difference between successful outcomes both for the federation and for the workers, and a total chaotic botch-up. Please, help me Max."
"Fortunately for you, I don't have much choice," Reiner said. "Munro has become an even greater problem for me than for you."
"Don't sound so enthusiastic. Even if you don't like me, still being one of the most important men on Earth can't be all that bad. I'm not that hard to work with, and you never know, maybe you might even get to find me attractive."
"That wouldn't be too difficult."
"You mean that?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then make love to me."
"Here? Now?"
"Here and now," Elizabeth said. "The door locks and the carpet's soft!"
"You really are a strange woman," Reiner remarked, as he began stripping off his clothes.
Chapter 18
While Manhattan was considered a ghost city by day, it was at night that it's truly deathly aspect was seen. On all sides great black hulks were silhouetted against the dull orange haze of the city. Still and quiet, even the ghosts of yesteryear failed to make themselves heard above the wind through Broadway. The city that once never slept now could not wake. Row after row of black hulks stood silently, occasionally groaning as the metal gave when yet another corrosion spot became critical, deserted but for the two-legged rats that infested their lower holes. A tribute to whatever it was this city once stood for. Yes! If pressed, many New Yorkers could answer that question. New York once stood for business. Pre-Corporate business. Free enterprise! And that was the tribute, for that was as dead as the desert of Manhattan.
Yet even in the harshest deserts, there are visible signs of life, and, with patient searching, more life. The Munro building was one such sign, for sprinkled liberally across its front face were pimples of light; clear signs of activity deeper within. Immediately opposite the Munro building was the tallest building in the immediate vicinity. On the flat roof of this building was another pimple of light. It was a small fire in a steel basin, and over the fire a can of water was boiling. Three men were gathered ar
ound, warming their hands, while four others were staring down at the street below, peering into the gloom with infrared vision enhancers. An eighth man was adjusting a control on one of the two laser cannons.
"See anything out there?" one of them called.
"Nah! Dead as a graveyard," came the reply from the edge of the building overlooking the street.
"Keep your eyes peeled!" the man making the coffee warned. "The boss's sure something's going to happen tonight!"
"He's just scared shitless!" came the caustic reply. "He's finished!"
"Yell that out too loud and you'll be finished!"
"He's right, though," one of the others around the fire muttered, so quietly the words would not carry beyond the fire. "We're going to defend this pile of junk against the entire Defence forces? Be your age. They'll just level the place with one space vehicle!"
"The boss's sure they won't. The objective isn't to kill the boss. It's to humiliate the bosses. They want to bring the bosses to justice, whatever that means, and we can defend against that."
"Not forever we can't."
"We don't have to. Just one attack. Resist one attack, and we're out."
"One attack? Then why not just leave now?"
"Propaganda! The battle we're fighting isn't for this building or that building. Anyone who see's a building as an objective is a blockhead! We're fighting for the hearts of the man in the street, because ultimately, that's where the power comes from. There's going to be a fight tonight all right, but it's not who wins that counts. It's how it's won."
"You think so?"
"It's what Miss Jennifer told us commanders at that meeting this afternoon," the man said, with a touch of pride that he had been invited. "I'll tell you what. It wouldn't surprise me if Harvey gets thrown to the wolves."
"You think Jennifer's planning to replace Harvey?" came the surprised gasp.
"That's obvious," came the snorted reply. "Look, nobody in the know's fighting for Harvey. What we're fighting for is to rescue GenCorp from the mess that shit-head's landed us in."