Гарри Гаррисон - The Jupiter Plague

“I’ll say it so you won’t have to, Cleaver. We’ll have to break into that rocket by force — in spite of the guards.”

When he finally answered, the general’s voice was flat and empty of emotion.

“That’s treason you’re talking about, boy — do you know that? And I’m a serving officer in the Army in a time of international peril. If I did what you’re suggesting I could be shot.”

“If you don’t do it, people are going to keep right on dying by the thousands then by the tens of thousands — because I can guarantee that we’re no closer now to finding a cure for Rand’s disease than we were the day it started. I took the same oath of allegiance that you did, Cleaver, and I’d break it in an instant if I felt that the people on the top had made a wrong decision over a danger as big as this one. And they have made a wrong decision…”

“I know they have — but it’s asking too much, Sam! I agree the ship should be entered, but I can’t bring myself to do it this way, not with the slight evidence, guesses and hunches that we have—”

A light knocking on the door interrupted him and he threw it open angrily. “What the devil do you want?” he asked Lieutenant Haber, who was uncomfortably standing there.

“I’m sorry, sir, I’ve been turning away all the calls and people who wanted to see you but — there is a call on the hot line, I didn’t feel qualified to take it.”

General Burke hesitated for a single instant. “That’s fine, Haber. Put it through to me here.”

He relocked the door then seated himself behind the large desk where there sat three phones, one of them a brilliant red.

“Top secret direct line,” he said, picking up the hand set. “Keep out of range of the pickup.”

It was a brief conversation, almost a monologue because Burke said little more than yes and no, then hung up. He seemed to have aged a bit and he rested his hands on the desk top as though he were tired.

“It’s happened,” he finally said. “More cases of the plague, people dropping on the streets. Your labs at Bellevue have confirmed the change.”

“You mean that…”

“Yes. People can catch it now from one another, it doesn’t need the dogs and birds any more. I can see them at the Emergency Council as soon as they hear about this, reaching for their bombs. Just as sure as eggs is eggs they are going to wipe out this plague spot and the few odd million people that happen to be in it at the time, which will probably include you and me.”

He stood and tightened his belt.

“We’re going to crack that rocket ship ‘Pericles’ open, boy. That’s the only hope we have in hell.”

General Burke checked the points off on his fingers as he made them.

“First,” he said, pushing up his thumb, “we need a military operation, which I trust you will allow me to organize. A small, light force will be the best, I’ll lead it myself…”

“You shouldn’t get personally involved in this,” Sam said.

“Horse apples! I’m responsible for this show and I’ll be just as guilty giving the orders from the front line as I will be from the rear. Plus the fact that I’m getting too desk bound and I’m hard pressed these days to find any reasons at all to get into the shield. So that’s set. Second, we need a medical man along since it’s medical intelligence that we’re after, which will be you. Thirdly, there must be someone who knows something about spaceships, the ‘Pericles’ in particular, who can get us into it and show us around, and there is a natural choice for that job.”

“Stanley Yasumura?”

“Correct. He flew in from California as soon as the ”Pericles’ landed and has been bugging everyone since then — myself included — to be allowed to enter the ship. He was one of the principal designers of the ‘Pericles’ and seems to feel personally responsible for what has happened. I think he’ll come with us, but I’ll talk to him first and sound him out before I give him any details.“

“You can’t use the phone, you’ll be overheard, cut off.”

“We in the military are not without resources, boy. I’ll send Haber up to Yasumura’s hotel with a command transceiver, one of the new ones fitted with a scrambler and wavelength wobbler, they can’t be jammed or eavesdropped. I can handle this part of the operation — will you need any medical kit?”

“No, nothing that I can think of.”

“Good. Then your assignment now is to get some sleep so you’ll be ready for tonight.”

“We can’t wait until then!” As he spoke Sam saw Nita’s face clearly, sick, silent, unmoving. In the rush of events he had pushed the memory away: it returned with doubled impact now. She was dying minute by minute and there was no time to waste.

“We have to wait, Sam, because, aside from the fact that you look like you’ve been on a ten-day drunk and have given up sleeping as a bad habit, what we have to do can only be done after dark. We can’t just walk up to the spacer and climb in.

It’s surrounded by city police who have orders to shoot anyone crossing the wire. Then there is the covering plate and the air lock to go through — and how much chance do you think we would have in daylight? Plus the fact that it will take awhile to set this operation up. So here’s what you do; go into the next room where I have a cot that I use when the work keeps me here. Just take a rest; don’t sleep if you don’t want to, and you will be able to hear everything that goes on in here. You’re going to be no good to us if you’re pooped even before the operation begins.“

Sam could find no holes in the arguments and the sight of the cot reminded him just how tired he was.

“I’ll lie down,” he said, “rest a bit. But I don’t want to sleep.”

Someone had put a blanket over him and through the closed door to the adjoining office came a mumble of voices. Sam jerked awake, sitting up: the room was almost dark and the sky outside the rain-streaked window was murky and gray. He hadn’t wanted to sleep but was glad now that he had — it was going to be a long night. When he opened the door the officers around the desk looked up; General Burke put down a blueprint and turned around in his chair.

“You’re just in time, Sam, I was going to wake you. We’re in the final stages now and it will be dark enough to leave in about an hour. Have you met Dr. Yasumura?”

The circle of soldiers opened up and the small, globular form of the Nisei engineer bounced out, dressed in oversized Army fatigues.

“Hi, Sam, I heard a lot about you.” He- took Sam’s hand and pumped it enthusiastically. “I’ve been trying to see you ever since I got into town, but you were never available.”

“None of the calls reached me, Doctor Yas—”

“Stanley, the name’s Stanley, you’re the doctor around here, Sam. The general has been telling me about the plot to keep us all apart. He sent an armed guard and a fancy radio to my hotel, then got on it and explained what has been happening— I signed on for the duration. His boys had this uniform for me — wrong size naturally — and even an ID card, so I had no trouble getting here. Now you have to tell me, when you were in the air lock did you—”

“Hold it a moment, Yasumura,” General Burke broke in. “Let’s take the whole operation in sequence, it wouldn’t hurt any of us to run through it once more and we want to brief Sam. Then he can give you the technical advice at the end.”

“I just wanted to know—”

“It’ll keep. Sit down, Sam, have a drink and look at this map. See where we are now on Governors Island, right in the top of the Upper Bay? From here we have to cross all of the end of Long Island filled with citizens and cops to reach Kennedy Airport, right?” Sam nodded. “Well, there is an easier and a lot less public way to get there — by water.” He traced the route with his finger.