Footfall

by Larry Niven

  , Jenny thought. And it’s needed, a formality to remind us that what we’re doing is important, that this is the real thing. President Coffey took his place at the table. He noticed the flags and acknowledged Jenny with a nod. Then he nodded to the Chief of Staff. "Jim—"

  "Yes, sir." Frantz indicated the Xeroxed agenda sheets. "As you can see, we have a lot to cover.

  "Item One. Appointments. The President has appointed Admiral Thorwald Carrell as Secretary of Defense. Mr. Griffin, who formerly held that post, will become Under Secretary, and remain with the Vice President. Admiral Carrell will also retain the post of National Security Advisor. Lieutenant General Harvey Toland is promoted to General of the Army, and has been designated Commanding General of the United States Aimed Forces.

  "The Vice President, the rest of the Cabinet, and a number of congressional leaders will remain in the alternate command post," Frantz continued. "For the moment, the Congress is represented by the Speaker and the President Pro Tern of the Senate. Mr. Speaker."

  Joe Dayton stood. "Mr. President, this is Mrs. Carlotta Dawson. Being that Congressman Dawson is missing, we’ve asked Mrs. Dawson to take his place. Sort of represent him. It’s not strictly constitutional, but nothing’s very normal just now."

  The President nodded wearily. "Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mrs. Dawson, welcome aboard. We all pray for your husband’s safe return."

  "Thank you, Mr. President."

  "There’s another reason for Mrs. Dawson to be here," Speaker Dayton said. "She’s brought in our first by God captive Invader!"

  And that got a reaction!

  Jenny almost laughed, but she managed to control her face. What if I’d brought Harry Redd to this Cabinet meeting! "Thank you, Mr. Speaker," Jim Frantz said. "To return to the agenda. Our first item of business. The Secretary of Defense."

  Admiral Carrell didn’t stand. "There’s little to say. Early this morning we launched a non-nuclear attack employing three Regular Army armored divisions, supported by a number of National Guard units and all the military aircraft we could muster. As you all know, they were utterly defeated."

  There were murmurs, but no one said anything.

  "The enemy used a variety of advanced weapons," Carrell continued. "The most important were lasers, ground-based and orbital, and space-based kinetic energy weapons. Flying spears, if you prefer to think of them that way. They seek out and destroy armored vehicles.

  "The lasers intercept our missiles. They also backtrack and home in on missile launch sites and artillery. The ground-based laser weapons are radar directed and sufficiently powerful to punch their way through cloud cover. The result was not merely the defeat of our forces but their near annihilation. Major Crichton has recently visited the headquarters of Third Army. Major, how would you describe what you saw?"

  "Sir, it was a disaster area," Jenny said. "1 found only one General officer. The rest were killed or missing. The MASH was overfilled, and the only vehicles were commandeered civilian machines, or the very few that hadn’t been committed to the attack."

  "Thank you," Carrell said evenly. "Was it your opinion that the attacking forces gave it their best?"

  "God, yes, Admiral. We could give out a hundred posthumous Silver Stars without even trying."

  "You agree, General Toland?" Carrell asked.

  "Yes, sir. We took our best shot."

  "That concludes my report, Mr. President."

  There was stunned silence.

  "Jesus," the Speaker said. "Admiral, General Toland, what did we do to the enemy?"

  "Mr. Speaker, I don’t know," Admiral Carrell said. "To the best of my knowledge, very little."

  "They whupped us," Dayton said in his careful drawl.

  "Yes, sir. They whupped us."

  "So what do we do now?" the Speaker demanded.

  "Use nukes," General Toland said.

  "That’s what we’re here to decide," the President said.

  "You can’t mike Kansas!" Senator Can was adamant. "No way!"

  "We don’t have any choice," General Toland said.

  "Choice be damned!" Can shouted.

  "Gentlemen," Jim Frantz said.

  "Senator, I agree it’s an extreme measure," the President said. "But what else can we do? The aliens must be driven off this planet!"

  "At the expense of my people—"

  "Senator, we aren’t saving the people of Kansas by doing nothing. The invaders are slaughtering them. Major Crichton, you were there. Describe what you saw."

  "Yes, sir. Sergeant—"

  Sergeant Malley turned on the slide projector. Photographs of a pile of bodies, at least fifty, covered one wall of the room. There were gasps.

  "We took these pictures in Lauren, Kansas. Much of the slaughter was witnessed by Mr. Nat Reynolds, a member of our special advisory staff. Mr. Reynolds will answer questions later.

  "Mr. President, our attacking forces found a number of such scenes during the brief period of their advance. Refugees report that wholesale slaughter of hostages is their general response to any act of resistance. Next slide, Sergeant."

  She showed another dozen pictures before mercifully turning the lights back on. Senator Carr looks sick. Well he might. I don’t feel very good myself.

  "Mr. Reynolds," the Speaker said. "You saw this happen?"

  Nat Reynolds stood. "Yes, sir. More or less—"

  "Why did they do that?" the President demanded.

  Reynolds explained the attack.

  "As soon as the one tank was destroyed, the other started shooting, and they called in the lasers. After they’d shot up enough buildings, they went hunting individual people, and when they found anyone, they killed him and added him to the pile."

  "Jesus." Senator Can crossed himself.

  "They thought they were killing traitors," Reynolds said.

  "What does that mean?" the President asked.

  "They’re herd beasts. I doubt they do very much on their own initiative. As far as they were concerned, the whole town had surrendered, and when they were attacked, the whole town was in rebellion. It’s the way their minds work."

  "Major Crichton," the President said. "You’ve been interrogating the captured alien?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Do you agree with their assessment?"

  "We haven’t learned much from the prisoner except his name, sir."

  "Name, rank, and serial number, eh?"

  "No, sir. He seems totally cooperative. It’s just that he’s confused."

  "He’s insane," Curtis muttered. "Or certainly will be."

  "Why do you say that, Dr. Curtis?" Admiral Carrell asked.

  "Herd beast," Curtis said. "What Nat said—they don’t do things on their own initiative. Like elephants. Like zebras. Isolate one of them, and what happens?" He shrugged. "So we’re trying to bring this one into our herd. It might work, too."

  President Coffey looked interested. "How do you do that?"

  "Never leave him alone," Curtis said.

  "Talk to him," Reynolds said. "Surround him with people—"

  "Until he believes he’s human," Curtis finished.

  "Have you learned anything useful?" the President demanded.

  "No, sir," Jenny said.

  "We know they took prisoners from Kosmograd," Carlotta Dawson said.

  "Ah. That’s good news," President Coffey said. Then he frowned. "I suppose it’s good news. At all events, we must decide what to do now."

  * * *

  During the fifty years since its first construction, the underground complex east of Moscow had been decorated, air conditioned, carpeted, and enlarged. There were swimming pools, barbershops, and fine restaurants; the reinforced concrete walls were covered by tapestries and paintings; and everything had been done to disguise the fact that it was, at bottom, a bomb shelter.

  Party First Secretary Narovchatov strode on parquet wooden floors to the Chairman’s office, and remembered another time long ago, when Stalin had reviewed a Guards division
during the Great Patriotic War against Hitler. The Germans were so close that the Guards had marched across Red Square and walked directly to the front to take part in an attack.

  From review to engagement with the enemy

  , he thought. That will not happen now. The enemy is not so close, but there are enough enemies. Tartars, Hungarians, Poles, Latvians, Czechs, were in open revolt, and many others, even the Ukrainians, were restless. Narovchatov strode past the Chairman’s secretary.

  "Halt, Comrade Narovchatov."

  Narovchatov looked up in surprise. A Guards Division colonel stood with three armed soldiers.

  "I regret, Comrade Narovchatov, that we must search you—"

  There was a roar of laughter from inside the office. Chairman Petrovskiy appeared in the doorway. He chuckled again. "It is well that you are alert, Comrade Colonel." Petrovskiy said. "But I think you need not be so diligent with the First Secretary, who is, after all, my oldest friend. Come in, Nikolai Nikolayevich. My thanks. Comrade Colonel. Return to your duties."

  Nikolai Nbrovchatov closed the massive door behind him and stood against it. He had not had time to react. Now he thought of the situation outside and frowned.

  "Da," Chairman Petrovskiy said. "It can be that serious. Come and sit, I have much to tell you. Will you have vodka? Or whiskey?"

  "I will join you in a cognac." Narovchatov took the drink and sat in front of the massive desk.

  "To humanity," Petrovskiy said. "No idle toast." They drank. "Not an idle toast at all," the Chairman said. "I had a call today. From the American President.’

  "Ah."

  "A very strange call," Petrovskiy continued. "The Americans want our help."

  "As we need theirs," Narovchatov said.

  "Exactly."

  "Did you tell them this?"

  "In part. I told them that unless they undertook to restrain the Germans, we would not be interested in talking with them." Petrovskiy paused dramatically. "They agreed instantly. I heard the President give the orders."

  "But—"

  "Of course I could not be certain," Petrovskiy continued. "But I believe they were sincere. Nikolai Nikolayevich, they are truly desperate. The alien invasion is succeeding."

  Narovchatov shook his head in disbelief, as he had when he first heard that an alien army—of small elephants!—had landed in the American heartland.

  "Succeeding?"

  "Da. The enemy holds their breadbasket, the source of their grain—and the Americans have been unable to dislodge them. They have lost some of their best military units."

  For a moment Narovchatov felt triumph. Then his grin faded. "But Anatoliy Vladimirovich, if they cannot drive the aliens from the planet—"

  "If they cannot, we certainly could not," the Chairman said grimly. "Nikolai Nikolayevich, no matter who wins, we have lost. It will be many years before we regain our strength. Do you agree?"

  "Da, Anatoliy Vladimirovich. Even if there were no military difficulties, even if we regained control of the provinces and the Warsaw nations without further difficulty, it will take years merely to replace the dams and bridges."

  "I believe we must help the Americans," Petrovskiy said slowly.

  "How?"

  "In every way we can. They have a plan. A coordinated attack, on the enemy ships in space and on the alien forces in Kansas. We will both use our remaining strategic rockets."

  "We have few enough left," Narovchatov said.

  "I know." The Chairman paused. "The Americans also want us to use submarine forces."

  "For what?"

  "Some to fire at enemy ships in space, some to fire at Kansas."

  "At Kansas!"

  "They also wish us to fire long-range strategic rockets at Kansas."

  "To bomb Kansas," Narovchatov said wonderingly. "Anatoliy—Comrade Chairman, this is madness!"

  "Da. The KGB believes that too."

  "They know of this?"

  Petrovskiy nodded. "My call was recorded. I had not known that Trusov could do that—but within minutes after the President called, he was here."

  "He admitted listening! To you!"

  "Da. He professed loyalty, but regarded conversations with the Americans as a matter of state security."

  Narovchatov thought furiously. "Thus the colonel and his guards outside your office?"

  "And elsewhere. I have sent them to your quarters. And to protect your daughter and grandchildren."

  "Are things that serious, then?’

  Petrovskiy shrugged. "Chairman Trusov was nearly hysterical.

  He could not believe that I might seriously consider this proposition. ‘Let the aliens destroy the United States,’ he said. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the Americans are the enemies of communism everywhere. The aliens are herd beasts, they will respect communism. That is why they have invaded the United States. The Americans have lost only one state. They have fifty. Let the aliens weaken them more.’ That is what he said."

  "Could he be right?"

  "Do you believe so?"

  Narovchatov shook his head slowly. "No. These aliens, these—elephants!—are the real enemy. They will enslave us all

  The Chairman’s face clouded. "And that we will not permit," he said. His frown deepened, and he pounded his fist against the desk. "No one shall rule us! Russia shall always remain independent. The worst of the Czars knew that much Russia shall obey orders from no outsider! We must not allow that."

  Narovchatov sighed. "You are correct, as always, Anatoliy Vladimirovich. But I am afraid. The KGB is everywhere, and if they resist— What shall we do?"

  "We will call your son-in-law, and order him to work with Marshal Shavyrin. Together they will develop a plan."

  Narovchatov nodded agreement. "Pavel Aleksandrovich will be loyal," he said.

  "1 have known Shavyrin almost as long as I have known you," Petrovskiy said. "I can trust him. Within hours he can be with Bondarev at Baikonur. But he must be warned. When he joins Bondarev, he must take with him his loyal troops, his headquarters guards and his personal staff."

  It has come to this.

  "Da." Narovchatov stood. "I will see to it." He moved to the door, then turned. "When, Anatoliy? Will Russia ever have a government without fear?" He did not wait for an answer.

  * * *

  An octuple of warriors came for them.

  Gravity was next to nothing. The humans moved in a chaotic cloud, bounding from the corridor walls, Nikolai as agile as the rest. Warriors moved four ahead and four aft, keeping orderly pace, using slippers with surfaces like Velcro that interacted with the damp rugs.

  Takpusseh and Tashayamp waited where a section of rugcovered wall had been pulled up, leaving a black hole.

  "Greeting," Takpusseh said cheerfully. "We must find a task for you until Number Six digit ship arrives. You will clean the air circulation system. Climbing is one thing you may do better than fithp. You will find it easy now that Thuktun Flishithy-chaytrif."

  What? Wes remembered that chaytrif meant foot. Now that the mother ship is mated to a foot?

  Never mind. Tashayamp was distributing equipment. To each human was given a sponge, a bag like a plastic garbage bag, a smaller bag filled with soapy water, and a flashlight. All had handles, big metal loops suitable for a fi’s digits. They were strung on a loop of cord.

  "The outer ducts need you most," Takpusseh said. "Empty the collectors into the bag. Wipe the sides. For this day’s mission, circle this way, spinward." His trunk described a clockwise arc. "Go as far as you can, prove your endurance, then come out at any grill. Summon the first warrior you see. Any warrior will escort you to your cells."

  Would the fithp really allow prisoners to explore their air duct system? Arvid and Dmitri seemed as bemused as Wes, but they were obeying, looping the line loosely around themselves.

  Best to assume that he’d be watched. Even so, Wes would enjoy the chance to spy a little. Certainly the Soviets would . . . Nikolai was being urged into the hole. Arvid
and Dmitri followed.

  They’ll assume that we’ll want to stay together, but I don think we’ll have to.

  Wes moved toward the opening. A branch of living hose looped around his ankle. "Pause a moment," Takpusseh said. "Dawson, you are to be separated from the others. From this moment Raztupisp-minz is your teacher. When you see a warrior, tell him, ‘Raztupisp-minz.’"

  Wes shrugged. The Soviets hadn’t been good company lately. "The cause, I attack you?’

  "The cause, we decide this. Go."

  He moved through the air duets, cleaning as he went. The work was not difficult. Do what they want for now. Dmitri wants us docile. He may be right, for now.

  He worked until he was too tired to go on: five or six hours, he thought.

  There were wing nuts on the outsides of the grills. Fingers had to reach through the grills to turn them. That was easy enough: the wings were five inches across, suited to fi’ digits. Wes was talking to himself before he realized that the screws turned the wrong way. Takpusseh must have wondered if the humans would be reduced to screaming for help through the grills.

  He called to two passing warriors. "Take me to Raztupisp-minz."

  One stopped. "Wes-Dawson? You are to go to a restraint room." Wes paused to refasten the grill, then moved away between the warriors.

  * * *

  Lorena brought the teapot. "More tea. Comrade Marshal?" she asked.

  "Thank you, no," Marshal Shavyrin said. He glanced at the clock on the wall, then at Lorena.

  Pavel Bondarev saw, and made a tiny gesture of dismissal. Lorena left the room. Bondarev thought she closed the door heavily, but if so, Marshal Shavyrin did not notice it.

  "It is fantastic," Shavyrin said. A hastily assembled report with bright red coven lay on Bondarev’s desk next to Bondarev’s ancient brass telescope. Shavyrin lifted the report and idly thumbed through the pages. "Fantastic," he repeated.

  "I agree," Bondarev said. "Yet we must believe—"

  The telephone chirped. Bondarev touched a button to put the telephone on amplifier. "Bondarev."

  "Petrovskiy."

  "Da, Comrade Chairman!" Bondarev said. "We have prepared the report you ordered. Marshal Shavyrin is here.