Chapter XI
THE SKY'S THE LIMIT
All that day, the three rocket ships sat out on the field. Nobody wentup to them, and nobody came from them; surprisingly, Wayne had found thecourage to ignore them. But rumors were circulating wildly. Bruce Gordonfelt his nerves creeping out of his skin and beginning to stand on endto test each breeze for danger.
With the credit they'd accumulated in the fund, nearly all theircollection was theirs. Gordon went out to do some shopping. He stoppedwhen his money was down to a hundred credits, hardly realizing what hewas doing. When he went out, the street was going crazy.
Izzy had been waiting, and filled him in. At exactly sundown, the rocketships had thrown down ramps, and a stream of jeeps had ridden down themand toward the south entrance to the dome. They had presented some sortof paper and forced the guard to let them through. There were about twohundred men, some of them armed. They had driven straight to the huge,barnlike Employment Bureau, had chased out the few people remainingthere, and had simply taken over. Now there was a sign in front whichsimply said MARSPORT LEGAL POLICE FORCE HEADQUARTERS. Then thejeeps had driven back to the rockets, gone on board, and the ships hadtaken off.
Gordon glanced at his watch, finding it hard to believe it could havebeen done so quickly. But it was two hours after sundown.
Now a car with a loudspeaker on top rolled into view--a completelyarmored car. It stopped, and the speaker began operating.
"Citizens of Marsport! In order to protect your interests from theproven rapacity of the administration here, Earth has revoked theindependent charter of Marsport. The past elections are hereby declarednull and void. Your home world has appointed Marcus Gannett as mayor,with Philip Crane as chief of police. Other members of the council willbe by appointment until legal elections can be held safely. TheMunicipal Police Force is disbanded, and the Legal Police Force is nowbeing organized.
"All police and officers who remain loyal to the legal government willbe accepted at their present grade or higher. To those who now leave theillegal Municipal Force and accept their duty with the Legal Force,there will be no question of past conduct. Nor will they sufferfinancially from the change!
"Banks will be reopened as rapidly as the Legal Government can extendits control, and all deposits previously made will be honored in full."
That brought a cheer from the crowd, as the sound truck moved on. Gordonsaw two of the police officers nearby fingering their badgesthoughtfully.
Then another truck rolled into view, and the Mayor's canned voice cameover it, panting as if he'd had to rush to make the recording. He begandirectly:
"Martians! Earth has declared war on us. She has denied us our right torule ourselves--a right guaranteed in our charter. We admit there havebeen abuses; all young civilizations make mistakes. But we've developedand grown.
"This is an old pattern, fellow Martians! England tried it on hercolonies three hundred years ago. And the people rose up and demandedtheir right to rule themselves. They had troubles with theirgovernments, too--and they had panics. But they won their freedom, andit made them great--so great that now that _one_ nation--not all Earth,but that single nation!--is trying to do to us what she wouldn't permitto herself.
"Well, we don't have an army. But neither do they. They know the peopleof this world wouldn't stand for the landing of foreign--that's right,_foreign_--troops. So they're trying to steal our police force from usand use it for their war.
"Fellow Martians, they aren't going to bribe us into that! Mars has hadenough. I declare us to be in a state of revolution. And since they havechosen the weapons, I declare our loyal and functioning Municipal PoliceForce to be _our_ army. Any man who deserts will be considered atraitor. But any man who sticks will be rewarded more than he everexpected. We're going to protect our freedom.
"Let them open their banks--our banks--again. And when they haveestablished your accounts, go in and collect the money! If they give itto you, Mars is that much richer. If they don't, you'll know they'relying.
"Let them bribe us if they like. We're going to win this war."
Gordon felt the crowd's reaction twist again, and he had to admit thatWayne had played his cards well.
But it didn't make the question of where he belonged, or what he shoulddo, any easier. He waited until the crowd had thinned out a little andbegan heading toward Corey's, with Izzy moving along silently besidehim, carrying half the packages.
He remembered the promise of forgiveness for all sins on joining the newLegal Force; but he'd read enough history to know that it was fine--aslong as the struggle continued. Afterwards, promises grew dim....
He had no use for the present administration, but Earth had no right totake over without a formal investigation, and a chance for the people tostate their choice.
Then he grimaced at himself. He was in no position to move according toright and wrong. The only question that counted was how he had the bestchance to ride out the storm, and to get back to Earth and a normallife.
He was still in a brown study as he took the bundles from Izzy anddropped them on his bed. Izzy went out, and Gordon stood staring at thewall. Trench? Or the new Commissioner Crane? If Earth should win--andthey had most of the power, after all--and Bruce Gordon had foughtagainst Security, the mines of Mercury were waiting.
He picked up the stuff from his bed and started to sweep it aside beforehe lay down. Then he remembered at last; he knocked on the panel, untilit finally opened a crack.
"Here," he told her. "Food, and some other stuff. There are some refusebags, too. Yell when you want them removed."
She took the bundles woodenly until she came to a plastic can. Then shegasped. "Water! Two gallons!"
"There are heat tablets, and a skin tub." The salesgirl had explainedhow one gallon was enough in the plastic bag that served as a tub; hehad his doubts. "Detergent. The whole works."
She hauled the stuff in and started to close the panel. Then shehesitated. "I suppose I should thank you, but I don't like to be told Istink so much you can't stand me in the next room!"
"Hell, I've gotten so I can stand your grandfather," he answered. "Itwasn't that." The panel slammed shut.
* * * * *
He still hadn't solved his problem in the morning; out of habit, he puton his uniform and went across to Izzy's room. But Izzy was alreadygone.
Gordon fished into the pocket of his uniform for paper and a pencil toleave a note in case Izzy came back. His fingers found the half notebookcover instead. He drew it out, scowling at it, and started to crumpleit. Then he stopped, staring at the piece of imitation leather and paperthat wouldn't bend.
His fingers were still stiff as he began tearing off the thin coveringwith his knife; the paper backing peeled away easily.
Under it lay a thin metal plate that glowed faintly even in the dimlight of Izzy's room! Gordon nearly dropped it. He'd seen such anidentification plate once before.
The printing on it leaped at him: "This will identify the bearer, BRUCEIRVING GORDON, as a PRIME agent of the Office of Solar Security,empowered to make and execute any and all directives under the powers ofthis office." The printing in capitals was obviously done by hand, butwith the same catalytic "ink" as the rest of the badge. Murdoch musthave prepared it, hidden it in the notebook, then died before the secretcould be revealed.
A knock sounded from across the hall. Gordon thrust the damning badge asdeep into his pouch as he could cram it and looked out. It was MotherCorey.
"You've got a visitor--outside," he announced. "Trench. And I don't likethe stench of that kind of cop in my place. Get him away, cobber, gethim away!"
Gordon found Trench pacing up and down in front of the house, scowlingup at it. But the ex-Marine smiled as he saw Bruce Gordon in uniform."Good. At least some men are loyal. Had breakfast, Gordon?"
Gordon shook his head, and realized suddenly that the decision seemed tohave been taken out of his hands. They crossed the street and went
downhalf a block. "All right," he said, when the coffee began waking him."What's the angle?"
Trench dropped the eyes that had been boring into him. "I'll have totrust you, Gordon. I've never been sure. But either you're loyal now orI can't depend on anyone being loyal."
During the night, it seemed, the Legal Force had been recruiting. Wayne,Arliss, and the rest of the administration had counted on self-interestholding most of the cops loyal to them. They'd been wrong. Legal forcesalready controlled about half the city.
"So?" Gordon asked. He could have told Trench that the fund wasgood-enough reason for most police deserting.
Trench put his coffee down and yelled for more. It was obvious he'dspent the night without sleep. "So we're going to need men with guts.Gordon, you had training under Murdoch--who knew his business. And youaren't a coward, as most of these fat fools are. I've got a proposition,straight from Wayne."
"I'm listening."
"Here." Trench threw across a platinum badge. "Take that--captain atlarge--and conscript any of the Municipal Force you want, up to ahundred. Pick out any place you want, train them to handle those damnedLegals the way Murdoch handled the Stonewall boys. In return, the sky'sthe limit. Name your own salary, once you've done the job. And nokickbacks, either!"
Gordon picked up the badge slowly and buckled it on, while a grim,satisfied smile spread over Trench's features. The problem seemed tohave been solved. Gordon should have been satisfied, but he felt likeJudas picking up the thirty pieces of silver. He tried to swallow themwith the dregs of his coffee, and they stuck in his throat.
Comes the revolution and we'll all eat strawberries and scream!
A hubbub sounded outside, and Trench grimaced as a police whistlesounded, and a Municipal cop ran by. "We're in enemy territory," hesaid. "The Legals got this precinct last night. Captain Hendrix and someof his men wanted to come back with full battle equipment and chase themout. I had a hell of a time getting them to take it easy. I suppose thatwas some damned fool who tried to go back to his beat."
"Then you'd better look again," Gordon told him. He'd gone to the doorand was peering out. Up the narrow little street was rolling a group ofabout seventy Municipal police and half a dozen small trucks. The menwere wearing guns. And up the street a man in bright green uniform waspounding his fist up and down in emphasis as he called in over theprecinct box.
"The idiot!" Trench grabbed Gordon and spun out, running toward theadvancing men. "We've got to stop this. Get my car--up the street--callArliss on the phone--under the dash. Or Wayne. I'll bring Hendrix."
Trench's system made some sense, and this business of marching as to warmade none at all. Gordon grabbed the phone from under the dash. A sleepyvoice answered to say that Commissioner Arliss and Mayor Wayne weresleeping. They'd had a hard night, and...
"Damn it, there's a rebellion going on!" Gordon told the man. Rebellion,rebellion! He'd meant to say revolution, but...
Trench was arguing frantically with the pompous figure of CaptainHendrix. From the other end of the street, a group of small carsappeared; and men began piling out, all in shiny green.
"Who's this?" the phone asked. When Gordon identified himself, there wasa snort of disgust. "Yes, yes, congratulations. Trench was quite right;you're fully authorized. Did you call me out of bed just to check onthat, young man?"
"No, I--" Then he hung up. Hendrix had dropped to his knees and firedbefore Trench could knock the gun from his hands.
There was no answering fire. The Legals simply came boiling down thestreet, equipped with long pikes with lead-weighted ends. And Hendrixcame charging up, his men straggling behind him. Gordon was squarely inthe middle. He considered staying in Trench's car and letting it rollpast him. But he'd taken the damned badge.
"Hell," he said in disgust. He climbed out, just as the two groups met.It all had a curious feeling of unreality.
Then a man jumped for him, swinging a pike, and the feeling was suddenlygone. His hand snapped down sharply for a rock on the street. The pikewhistled over his head, barely missing, and he was up, squashing the bigstone into the face of the other. He jerked the pike away, kicked theman in the neck as he fell, and unsheathed his knife with the otherhand.
Trench was a few feet away. The man might be a louse, but he was also afighting machine of first order, still. He'd already captured one of thepikes. Now he grinned tightly at Gordon and began moving toward him.Gordon nodded--in a brawl such as this, two working together had adistinct advantage.
Then a yell sounded as more Legals poured down the street. One of themwas obviously Izzy, wearing the same green as the others!
Gordon felt something hit his back, and instinctively fell, soaking upthe blow. He managed to bend his neck and roll, coming to his feet. Hisknife slashed upwards, and the Legal fell--almost on top of the Securitybadge that had dropped from Gordon's pouch.
He jerked himself down and scooped it up, his eyes darting for Trench.He stuffed it back, ducking a blow. Then his glance fell on the entranceto Mother Corey's house--with Sheila Corey coming out of the seal!
Gordon threw himself back; he had to get to her.
He hadn't been watching as closely as he should. He saw the pike comingdown and tried to duck...
He was vaguely conscious later of looking up, to see Sheila dragging himinto some entrance, while Trench ran toward them. Sheila and Trenchtogether--and the Security badge was still in his pouch!
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