The Year of the Quiet Sun

by Wilson Tucker

  At length: “What happened up there, Brian?”

  He blinked at the use of his given name. It was the first time she had used it.

  “Many, many things — I think we covered it all in our reports.”

  Again: “What happened up there, Brian?”

  He shook his head. “Seabrooke will have to be satisfied with the reports.”

  “This is not Mr. Seabrooke’s matter.”

  Warily: “I don’t know what else I can tell you.”

  “Something happened up there. I am aware of a departure from the norm that prevailed before the trials, and I think you are too. Something has created a disparity, a subtle disharmony which is rather difficult to define.”

  “The Chicago wall, I suppose. And the JCS revolt.”

  “They were shocks to us all, but what else?”

  Chaney gestured, searching for an escape route. “I found the barracks closed, locked. I think the Major and myself have left the station.”

  “But not Commander Saltus.”

  “He may be gone — I don’t know.”

  “You don’t seem very sure of that.”

  “I’m not sure of anything. We were forbidden to open doors, look at people, ask questions. I didn’t open doors. I know only that our barracks have been closed — and I don’t think Seabrooke let us move in with him.”

  “What would you have done if it was permissible to open doors?”

  Chaney grinned. “I’d go looking for you.”

  “You believe I was on the station?”

  “Certainly! You wrote notes to each of us — you left final instructions for us in the room downstairs. I knew your handwriting.”

  Hesitation. “Did you find similar evidence of anyone else being on station?”

  Carefully: “No. Your note was the only scrap.”

  “Why has the Commander’s attitude changed?”

  Chaney stared at her, almost trapped. “Has it?”

  “I think you are aware of the difference.”

  “Maybe. Everybody looks at me in a new light. I’m feeling paranoiac these days.”

  “Why has your attitude changed?”

  “Oh? Mine too?”

  “You are fencing with me, Brian.”

  “I’ve told you everything I can tell you, Katrina.”

  Her laced fingers moved restlessly on the tabletop. “I sense certain mental reservations.”

  “Sharp girl.”

  “Was there some — some personal tragedy up there? Involving any one of you?”

  Promptly: “No.” He smiled at the woman across the table to rob his next words of any sting. “And, Katrina — if you are wise, if you are very wise, you won’t ask any more questions. I hold certain mental reservations; I will evade certain questions. Why not stop now?”

  She looked at him, frustrated and baffled.

  He said: “When this survey is completed I want to leave. I’ll do whatever is necessary to complete the work when we return from the probe, but then I’m finished. I’d like to go back to Indic, if that’s possible; I’d like to work on the new paradox study, if that’s permissible, but I don’t want to stay here. I’m finished here, Katrina.”

  Quickly: “Is it because of something you found up there? Has something turned you away, Brian?”

  “Ah — No more questions.”

  “But you leave me so unsatisfied!”

  Chaney stood up and fitted the empty chair to the table. “Every thing comes to every man, if he but has the years. That sounds like Talleyrand, but I’m not sure. You have the years, Katrina. Live through just two more of them and you’ll know the answers to all your questions. I wish you luck, and I’ll think of you often in the tank — if they’ll let me back in.”

  A moment of silence, and then: “Please don’t forget your doctor’s appointment, Mr. Chaney.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Ask the others to be here at ten o’clock in the morning for a final briefing. We must evaluate these reports. The probe is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.”

  “Are you coming downstairs to see us off?”

  “No, sir. I will wait for you here.”

  Major William Theodore Moresby

  4 July 1999

  Dumah, beware!

  Someone is crying out to me from Seir,

  Watchman, how much of the night is gone?

  Watchman, how much of the night is gone?

  The watchman said:

  Morning comes, and night again too.

  If you would know more

  Come back, come back, and ask anew.

  —The First Book of Isaiah

  TWELVE

  Moresby was methodical.

  The red light blinked out. He reached up to unlock the hatch and throw it open. The green light went dark. Moresby grasped the two handrails and pulled himself to a sitting position, with his head and shoulders protruding through the hatchway. He was alone in the lighted room, as he expected to be. The air was cool and smelled of ozone. Moresby struggled out of the hatch and climbed over the side; the step stool was missing as he slid down the hull to the floor. He reached up to slam shut the hatch, then quickly turned to the locker for his clothing. Two other suits belonging to Saltus and Chaney also hung there in paper sheaths waiting to be claimed. He noted the locker had collected a fine coat of dust. When he was fully dressed, he smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in the Air Force dress uniform he had elected to wear.

  Moresby checked his watch: 10:05. He sought out the electric calendar and clock on the wall to verify the date and time: 4 July 99. The clock read 4:10, off six hours from his launching time. Temperature was an even 70 degrees.

  Moresby decided the clock was in error; he would rely on his watch. His last act before leaving the room was to direct a smart salute toward the twin lenses of the monitoring cameras. He thought that would be appreciated by those on the other side of the wall.

  Moresby strode down the corridor in eerie silence to the shelter; fine dust on the floor was kicked up by his feet. The shelter door was pushed open and the overhead lights went on in automatic response. He stared around, inspecting everything. There was no ready evidence that anyone had used the shelter in recent years; the stores were as neatly stacked as he had found them during his last inspection. Moresby lit a gasoline lantern to check its efficiency after so long a time; he watched its steady flame with satisfaction and then put it out. The supplies were dependable, after all. As an afterthought, he broke open a container of water to sample the quality: it tasted rather flat, insipid. But that was to be expected if the water had not been replaced this year. He considered that something of an oversight.

  Three yellow cartons rested on the work bench — cartons which had not been there before.

  He opened the first box and found a bullet-proof vest made from some unfamiliar nylon weave. The presence of the vests on the bench was significant. He slipped out of his military jacket only long enough to don the vest and then turned to work.

  Moresby chose a tape recorder, inserted a cartridge, tested the machine, and crisply recorded those observations made thus far: the step stool was — missing, the basement had collected dust, the water had not been refreshed, the clock-time of his arrival was off six hours and five minutes. He did not offer personal opinions on any observation. The recorder was put aside on the bench. His next act was to select a radio, connect the leads of the exterior antenna to the terminal screws on the chassis, and plug it into a wall socket. The tape recorder was moved to within easy listening distance and turned on. Moresby snapped on the radio and tuned in a military channel.

  Voice: ”… moving around the northwest corner in a southerly direction — moving toward you. Estimated strength, twelve to fifteen men. Watch them, Corporal, they’re packing mortars. Over.” The sound of gunfire was loud behind the voice.

  Voice: “Roger. We’ve got a hole in the fence at the northwest — some bastard tried to put a truck through. It’s still burning,
maybe that’ll stop them. Over.”

  Voice: “You must hold them, Corporal. I can’t send you any men — we have a double red here. Out.”

  The channel fell silent, closing off the firefight.

  Moresby was not given to panic or reckless haste. Feeling little surprise, he began methodically to equip himself for the target. An Army-issue automatic, together with its belt and extra ammunition, was strapped around his waist; he selected a rapid-fire rifle after examining its make and balance, then emptied several boxes of cartridges in his jacket pockets. All insignia marking him an officer were removed from his uniform, but there was little he could do now about the uniform itself.

  The stores offered him no battle helmets or liners. Moresby slung a canteen of the insipid water over his shoulder and a pack of rations across his back. He decided against the tape recorder because of its extra bulk, but reached for the radio as he studied a map of Illinois. A sudden hunch told him the skirmish would be somewhere near Chicago; the Air Force had long been worried about the defense of that city because it was the hub of railroad and highway traffic — and there was the always-threatening problem of foreign shipping traversing the Great Lakes to tie up at Chicago ports. Surveillance of that shipping had always been inadequate.

  He was reaching out to disconnect the antenna when the channel came alive.

  Voice: “Eagle One! The bandits have hit us — hit us at the northwest corner. I count twelve of them, spread out over the slope below the fence. They’ve got two — damn it! — two mortars and they’re lobbing them in. Over.” The harsh, half-shrieking voice was punctuated by the dull thump of mortar fire.

  Voice: “Have they penetrated the fence? Over.”

  Voice: “Negative — negative. That burning truck is holding them. I think they’ll try some other way — blow a hole in the fence if they can. Over.”

  Voice: “Hold them, Corporal. They are a diversion; we have the main attack here. Out.”

  Voice: “Damn it, Lieutenant—” Silence.

  Moresby reached again for the leads to sever the radio from the topside antenna, but was stopped by an idea. He switched to an alternate military channel, one of six on the instrument, and punched the send button.

  “Moresby, Air Force Intelligence, calling Chicago or the Chicago area. Come in, Chicago.”

  The channel remained silent. He repeated himself, waited impatiently for the sweep hand of his watch to make a full circle, and then made a third attempt. There was no response. Another military channel was selected.

  “Moresby, Air Force Intelligence, calling Chicago or the Chicago area. Come in please.”

  The radio crackled with static or small arms fire. A weak voice, dimmed by distance or a faulty power supply: “Nash here. Nash here, west of Chicago. Use caution. Come in, Moresby. Over.”

  He stepped up the gain. “Major William Moresby, Air Force Intelligence on special duty. I am trying to reach Joliet or Chicago. Please advise the situation. Over.”

  Voice: “Sergeant Nash, sir, Fifth Army, HQ Company. Chicago negative, repeat negative. Avoid, avoid. You can’t get in there, sir — the lake is hot. Over.”

  Moresby was startled. “Hot? Please advise. Over.”

  Voice: “Give me your serial number, sir.”

  Moresby rattled it off, and repeated his question.

  Voice: “Yes, sir. The ramjets called in a Harry on the city. We’re pretty certain they called it in, but the damned thing fell short and dropped into the lake off Glencoe. You can’t go in anywhere there, sir. The city has been fired, and that lake water sprayed everything for miles up and down the shoreline. It’s hot, sir. We’re picking up civilian casualties coming out, but there isn’t much we can do for them. Over.”

  Moresby: “Did you get your troops out? Over.”

  Voice: “Yes, sir. The troops have pulled back and established a new perimeter. I can’t say where. Over.”

  A wash of static rattled the small speaker.

  Moresby wished desperately for fuller information, but he knew better than to reveal his ignorance by asking direct questions. The request for his serial number had warned him the distant voice was suspicious, and had he stumbled over the number contact would have been lost. It suggested these radio channels were open to the enemy.

  Moresby: “Are you certain those devils called in the Harry? Over.”

  Voice: “Yes, sir, reasonably certain. Border Patrol uncovered a relay station in Nuevo Leon, west of Laredo. They think they’ve found another one in Baja California, a big station capable of putting a signal overseas. Navy pinned down a launching complex at Tienpei. Over.”

  Moresby, fuming: “Damn them! We can expect more of the same if Navy doesn’t take it out quickly. Do you know the situation at Joliet? Over.”

  Voice: “Negative, sir. We’ve had no recent reports from the south. What is your location? Be careful in your answer, sir. Over.”

  Moresby took the warning. “Approximately eight miles out of Joliet. I am well protected at the moment. I’ve heard mortar fire but haven’t been able to locate it. I think I will try for the city, Sergeant. Over.”

  Voice: “Sir, we’ve taken a fix on you and believe we know your location. You are very well protected there. You have a strong signal. Over.”

  Moresby: “I have electricity here but I will be on battery when I leave cover. Over.”

  Voice: “Right, sir. If Joliet is closed to you, the O.D. suggests that you circle around to the northwest and come in here. Fifth Army HQ has been re-established west of the Naval Training Station, but you’ll pass through our lines long before that point. Look for the sentries. Use care, sir. Be alert for ramjets between your position and ours. They are heavily armed. Over.”

  Moresby: “Thank you, Sergeant. I’ll go for the target of opportunity. Over and out.”

  Moresby snapped off the radio and disconnected the leads. That done, he turned off the tape recorder and left it on the bench for his return.

  He studied the map once again, tracing the two roads which led to the highway and the alternate highway into Joliet. The enemy would be well aware of those roads, as well as the railroad, and if their action reached this far south they would have patrols out. It wouldn’t be safe to use an automobile; large moving targets invited trouble.

  A last searching examination of the room gave him no other article he thought he would need. Moresby took a long drink of water from the stores and quit the shelter. The corridor was dusty and silent, yet bright under lights and the monitoring cameras. He eyed the closed doors along the passageway, wondering who was behind them — watching. Obeying orders, he didn’t so much as touch a knob to learn if they were locked. The corridor ended and a flight of stairs led upward to the operations exit. The painted sign prohibiting the carrying of arms beyond the door had been defaced: a large slash of black paint was smeared from the first sentence to the last, half obliterating the words and voiding the warning. He would have ignored it in any event

  Moresby again noted the time on his watch and fitted the keys into first one lock and then the other. A bell rang below him as he pushed out into the open air.

  The northeast horizon was bright with the approaching dawn. It was ten minutes before five in the morning. The parking lot was empty.

  He knew he had made a mistake.

  The first and second sounds he heard were the booming thump of the mortar to the northwest, and a staccato tattoo of small arms fire near at hand — near the eastern gate. Moresby slammed shut the door behind him, made sure it had locked itself, and fell to the ground all in one blurring motion. The nearness of the battle was a shock. He pushed the rifle out in front of his face and crawled toward the corner of the building, searching for any moving object.

  He saw no moving thing in the space between the lab building and the nearest structure across the way. Firing was louder as he reached the corner and rounded it.

  A strong wind drove over the roof of the laboratory, blowing debris along the company st
reet and bowing the tops of the trees planted along the thoroughfare. The wind seemed to be coming from everywhere, from every direction, moaning with a mounting intensity as it raced toward the northeast. Moresby stared that way with growing wonder and knew he’d made another mistake in guessing the coming dawn. That was not the sun. The red-orange brightness beyond the horizon was fire and the raging wind told him Chicago was being caught up in an enormous firestorm. When it grew worse, when steel melted and glass liquefied, a man would be unable to stand upright against the great inward rush of the feeding winds.

  Moresby searched the street a second time, searched the parking lot, then jumped suddenly to his feet and ran across the street to the safety of the nearest building. No shot followed him. He hugged the foundation wall, turned briefly to scan his back trail, and darted around a corner. Shrubbery offered a partial concealment. When he stopped to catch his breath and reconnoiter the open yard ahead, he discovered he had lost the military radio.

  The continued booming of the mortars worried him.

  It was easy to guess the Corporal’s guard holding the northwest corner was outnumbered, and probably pinned down. The first voice on the radio said he had a hell of a fight on his hands — “double red” was new terminology but quickly recognizable — down there near the gate or along the eastern perimeter, and men could not be spared for the defense of the northwestern corner. A wrong decision. Moresby thought that officer guilty of a serious error in judgment. He could hear light rifle fire at the gate — punctuated at intervals by a shotgun, suggesting civilians were involved in the skirmish — but those mortars were pounding the far corner of the station and they made a deadly difference.

  Moresby left the concealing shrubbery on the run. There had been no other activity about the laboratory, no betraying movement of invader or defender.

  He moved north and west, taking advantage of whatever cover offered itself, but occasionally sprinting along the open street to gain time — always watchfully alert for any other moving man. Moresby was painfully aware of the gap in intelligence: he didn’t know the identity of the bandits, the ramjets, didn’t know friend from foe save for the uniform he might be wearing. He knew better than to trust a man without uniform inside the fence: shotguns were civilian weapons. He supposed this damned thing was some civil uprising.