wt.theyearofthequietsun-第2部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


was　signed；　and　it　bore　the　great　seal　of　the　Indiana　Corporation。　It　transferred　the　balance　of　term　of　employment　of　Brian　Chaney　from　the　private　corporation　to　the　public　agency；　then　generously　arranged　to　share　with　him　on　an　equal　basis　the　financial　consideration　paid　for　the　transfer。　It　wished　him　well。　It　politely　mentioned　his　book。　It　was　very　final。
　　The　waiting　woman　did　not　understand　the　single　Aramaic　word　hurled　down　the　Florida　beach。
　　The　waves　were　crashing　around　his　knees；　spraying　his　chest　and　face。　Brian　Chaney　turned　in　the　surf　and　looked　back　at　the　woman　standing　on　the　beach。
　　He　said：　〃There　are　only　two　buses　a　day。　You'll　miss　the　last　one　if　you　don't　hurry。〃
　　〃I　have　not　pleted　my　instructions；　Mr。　Chaney。〃
　　〃I'd　be　pleased　to　give　you　certain　instructions。〃
　　Kathryn　van　Hise　stood　her　ground　without　answer。　The　gulls　came　swooping　back；　only　to　take　flight　again。
　　Chaney　shouted　his　frustration。　〃Why？〃
　　〃The　special　project　needs　your　special　skills。〃
　　〃Why？〃
　　〃To　survey　and　map　the　future；　you　are　a　futurist。〃
　　〃I'm　not　a　surveyor…I'm　not　a　cartographer。〃
　　〃Those　were　figures　of　speech；　sir。〃
　　〃I　don't　have　to　honor　that　contract。　I　can　break　it；　I　can　turn　black…leg　and　go　to　work　for　the　Chinese。　What　will　the　Pentagon　do　then；　Miss　van　Hise？〃
　　〃Your　puter　profile　indicated　that　you　would　honor　it；　sir。　It　also　indicated　your　present　annoyance。　The　Pentagon　knows　nothing　of　this　project。〃
　　〃Annoyance！　I　can　also　give　that　puter　explicit　instructions；　but　they　would　be　as　hard　to　obey　as　yours。　Why　don't　you　go　home？　Tell　them　I　refused。　Rebelled。〃
　　〃When　I　have　finished；　sir。〃
　　〃Then　finish　up；　damn　it；　and　get　along！〃
　　〃Yes；　sir。〃　She　moved　closer　to　him　to　avoid　raising　her　voice　and　permitting　the　gulls　to　overhear　top　secret　information。　〃The　first　phase　of　the　operation　began　shortly　after　Indic　submitted　its　report　three　years　ago；　and　continued　all　the　while　you　were　studying　in　Israel。　As　the　author　of　that　report；　you　were　considered　one　of　the　most　likely　persons　to　participate　in　the　next　phase；　the　field　implementations。　Expertise。　The　Bureau　is　now　ready　to　move　into　the　field；　and　has　recruited　a　select　team　to　conduct　field　operations。　You　will　be　a　member　of　that　team；　and　then　participate　in　the　final　report。　Mr。　Seabrooke　expects　to　submit　it　to　the　White　House；　he　is　counting　on　your　enthusiastic　support。〃
　　〃Bully　for　Seabrooke；　he　shanghais　me　and　then　expects　my　enthusiastic　support。　What　implementations？〃
　　〃A　survey　of　the　future。〃
　　〃We've　already　done　that。　Read　the　Indic　report。〃
　　〃A　physical　survey　of　the　future。〃
　　Brian　Chaney　looked　at　her　for　a　long　moment　with　unconcealed　amusement　and　then　turned　back　to　the　sea。　A　red　and　white　sail　was　beating　across　the　Culf　in　the　middle　distance　and　the　tacking　fascinated　him。
　　He　said：　〃I　suppose　some　nutty　genius　somewhere　has　really　invented　a　tachyon　generator；　eh？　A　generator　and　deflector　and　optical　train　that　works？　The　genius　can　peer　through　a　little　telescope　and　observe　the　future？〃
　　The　woman　spoke　quietly。　〃The　engineers　at　Westinghouse　have　built　a　TDV；　sir。　It　is　undergoing　tests　at　the　present　time。〃
　　〃Never　heard　of　it。〃　Chaney　shaded　his　eyes　against　the　sun　the　better　to　watch　the　bright　sail。　〃V　is　for　vehicle；　I　suppose？　Well…that's　better　than　a　little　telescope。　What　is　the　TD？〃
　　〃Time　Displacement。　An　engineering　term。〃　There　was　a　peculiar　note　of　satisfaction　in　her　voice。
　　Brian　Chaney　dropped　his　hand　and　turned　all　the　way　around　in　the　water　to　stare　down　at　the　woman。　He　felt　as　if　he'd　been　hit。
　　〃Time　Displacement　Vehicle？〃
　　〃Yes；　sir。〃　The　satisfaction　became　triumph。
　　〃It　can't　work！〃
　　〃The　vehicle　is　in　test　operation。〃
　　〃I　don't；　believe　it。〃
　　〃You　may　see　it　for　yourself；　sir。〃
　　〃It's　there？　It's　sitting　there　in　your　lab？〃
　　〃Yes；　sir。〃
　　〃Operating？〃
　　〃Yes；　sir。〃
　　〃I'll　be　damned。　What　are　you　going　to　do　with　it？〃
　　〃Implement　our　new　program；　Mr。　Chaney。　The　Indic　report　has　bee　an　integral　part　of　the　program　in　that　it　offered　several　hard　guidelines　for　a　survey　of　the　future。　We　are　now　ready　to　initiate　the　second　phase；　the　field　explorations。　Do　you　see　the　possibilities；　sir？〃
　　〃You're　going　to　get　in　that　thing；　that　vehicle；　and　go　somewhere？　Go　into　the　future？〃
　　〃No；　sir。　You　are；　the　team　will。〃
　　Chaney　was　shocked。　〃Don't　be　an　idiot！　The　team　can　do　what　they　damned　please；　but　I'm　not　going　anywhere。　I　didn't　volunteer　for　your　program；　I　wasn't　a　willing　candidate；　I　oppose　peonage　on　humanitarian　grounds。〃
　　He　quit　the　surf　and　stalked　back　to　the　beach　chair；　not　caring　if　the　woman　followed　him。　Gulls　shrieked　their　annoyance　at　his　passage。　Chaney　dropped　into　the　chair　with　another　muttered　imprecation　of　stiffnecked　bureaucrats；　a　scurrilous　declaration　couched　in　Hebraic　terms　the　woman　wouldn't　understand。　It　mented　on　her　employer's　relations　with　jackasses　and　Philistines。
　　TDV。　A　furious　stimulant　to　the　imagination。
　　The　gulls；　the　tide；　the　salt　spray；　the　descending　sun　were　all　ignored　while　his　racing　imagination　toyed　with　the　information　she　had　given　him。　He　saw　the　possibilities…some　of　them…and　began　to　appreciate　the　interest　his　Indic　report　had　aroused　in　those　people　possessing　the　vehicle。　A　man　could　peer　forward…　no；　leap　forward　into　the　future　and　check　out　his　theories；　his　projections　of　events　to　e。　A　man　could　see　for　himself　the　validity　of　a　forewarning；　the　eventual　result　of　a　prefiguration；　the　final　course　of　a　trend。　Would　sixteen…year…olds　marry　and　vote？　Would　city　and　county　governments　be　abolished；　relinquishing　authority　to　local　state　districts？　Would　the　Eastern　seaboard　plex　break　down　and　fail　to　support　life？
　　TDV。　A　vehicle　to　determine　answers。
　　Chaney　said　aloud：　〃I'm　not　interested。　Find　another　demographer；　Miss　van　Hise。　I　object　to　being　ambushed　and　sold　across　the　river。〃
　　A　man　could　inspect…personally　inspect…the　Great　Lakes　to　determine　if　they　had　been　saved　or　if　the　Lake　Reconstruction　program　had　e　too　late。　A　man　could　study　the　census　figures　for　a　hundred　years　to　e　and　then　pare　them　to　the　present　tables　and　projections　to　find　the　honesty　of　those　projections。　A　man　could　discover　if　the　recently　inaugurated　trialmarriage　program　was　a　success　or　failure…and　learn　first…hand　what　effect　it　was　having　on　the　birth　rate；　if　any。　It　would　be　good　to　know　the　validity　of　earlier　predictions　concerning　the　population　shifts　and　the　expected　concentration　of　human　mass　along　the　central　waterways。　A　man　could…
　　Chaney　said　aloud：　〃Give　the　team　my　regards；　Miss　van　Hise。　And　tell　them　to　watch　out　for　traffic　cops。　I'll　read　about　their　adventures　in　the　newspapers。〃
　　Kathryn　van　Hise　had　left　him。
　　He　saw　her　tracks　in　the　sand；　glanced　up　and　saw　her　putting　on　the　shoes　near　the　weedy　border　of　the　beach。　The　delta　pants　stretched　with　her　as　she　bent　over。　The　mail　Jeep　was　again　visible　in　the　distance；　now　ing　toward　him　and　servicing　the　boxes　on　the　other　side　of　the　beach　road。　The　interview　had　been　pleted　in　less　than　an　hour。
　　Chaney　felt　the　weight　of　the　book　in　his　lap。　He　hadn't　been　aware　of　the　woman　placing　it　there。
　　The　legend　on　the　red　dustjacket　was　as　familiar　as　the　back　of　his　hand。　From　the　Qumran　Caves：　Past；　Present；　and　Future。　The　line　of　type　next　below　omitted　the　word　by　and　read　only：　Dr。　Brian　Chaney。　The　bright　jacket　was　an　abomination　created　by　the　sales　department　over　the　inert　body　of　a　conservative　editor；　it　was　designed　to　appeal　to　the　lunatic　fringe。　He　detested　it。　Despite　his　careful　explanations；　despite　his　scholarly　translation　of　a　suspect　scroll；　the　book　had　stirred　up　twice　the　storm　he'd　expected　and　aroused　the　ire　of　righteous　citizens　everywhere。　String　up　the　blasphemer！
　　A　small　card　protruded　from　the　middle　pages。
　　Chaney　opened　the　volume　with　curiosity　and　found　a　calling　card　with　her　name　imprinted　on　one　side；　and　the　address　of　a　government　laboratory　in　Illinois　written　on　the　other。　He　supposed　that　the　ten　fifty…dollar　bills　tucked　between　the　pages　represented　travel　money。　Or　a　shameless　bribe　added　to　the　blouse；　the　pants；　and　the　perfume　worn　on　her　breast。
　　〃I'm　not　going！〃　he　shouted　after　the　woman。　〃The　puter　lied…I'm　a　charlatan。　The　Bureau　can　go　play　with　its　weights！〃
　　She　didn't　turn　around；　didn't　look　back。
　　〃That　woman　is　too　damned　sure　of　herself。〃
　　
　　Elwood　National　Research　Station
　　Joliet；　Illinois
　　12　June　1978
　　
　　
　　A　hair　perhaps　divides　the　false　and　true；
　　Yes；　and　a　single　Alif　were　the　clue
　　could　you　but　find　it）　to　the　treasure…house；
　　And　peradventure　to　the　Master　too。
　　　　…　Omar　Khayyam
　　
　　TWO
　　
　　Two　steps　ahead；　the　military　policeman　who　had　escorted　him　from　the　front　gate　opened　a　door　and　said：　〃This　is　your　briefing　room；　sir。〃
　　Brian　Chaney　thanked　him　and　went　through　the　door。
　　He　found　the　young　woman　critically　eyeing　him；　assessing　him；　expecting　him。　Two　men　in　the　room　were　playing　cards。　An　oversized　steel　table…the　standard　government　issue…was　positioned　in　the　center　of　the　room　under　bright　lights。　Three　bulky　brown　envelopes　were　stacked　on　the　table　near　the　woman；　while　the　men　and　their　time…killing　game　occupied　the　far　end　of　it。　Kathryn　van　Hise　had　been　watching　the　door　as　it　opened；　anticipating　him；　but　only　now　did　the　players　glance　up　from　their　game　to　look　at　the　newer。
　　He　nodded　to　the　men　and　said：　〃My　name　is　Chaney。　I've　been…〃
　　The　hurtful　sound　stopped　him；　cut　off　his　words。
　　The　sound　was　something　like　a　massive　rubber　band　snapped　against　his　eardrums；　something　like　a　hammer　or　a　mallet　smashing　into　a　block　of　pressed　air。　It　made　a　noise　of　impact；　followed　by　a　reluctant　sigh　as　if　the　hammer　was　rebounding　in　slow　motion　through　an　oily　fluid。　The　sound　hurt。　The　lights　dimmed。
　　The　three　people　in　the　briefing　room　were　staring　at　something　behind　him；　above　him。
　　Chaney　spun　around　but　found　nothing　more　than　a　wall　clock　above　the　door。