Free The Battle for Terra Two by Stephen Ames Berry Page B

day, General."
    Wyvern's glare followed him to the elevator.

6
    To date, the invasion and occupation of Japan has cost America almost three million lives. The war with the Axis and then with the Soviet Union, another two million. The wealth of centuries, the lives of two generations squandered, all because Prometheus' s gift went to the Old World instead of to the New.
    —Harrison, ibid., pp. 143-4
     
    The Lords came to Fort Todd by chopper, wounded filling three of the machines.
    "That'll have to be it for evacuees," said John as the last of the wounded were carried to the Viper's dispensary.
    "I got people there!" Bull stabbed a thick finger at the mainland.
    "We need what fuel is left for a mission, Captain," said John.
    Bull glanced around. Except for Heather, they were alone, huddled between the choppers. "Ten Tango?" he challenged.
    "Bravo Romeo."
    "Your show, old man." Gone was the ghetto patois, replaced by the clipped accent of an English public school.
    "Good God!" said Heather. "The city's going up in flames, thousands are dying, and you two play spy.
    "Who the hell are you?" she demanded.
    "This is Captain Geoffrey Malusi, Southern African Peoples Liberation Army," said John. "Captain Malusi, Dr. Heather MacKenzie, University of California at Berkeley."
    "Delighted, Dr. MacKenzie."
    She ignored the big outstretched hand. "Level," she snapped at John. "The whole truth now. Or I take the Vipers and our choppers and do what I can for the refugees.''
    John looked at the burning sky before answering. "Did Ian tell you about the Committee?"
    She shook her head.
    "They're the people your brother, Malusi and I work for, through the Outfit. Very senior government officials who don't like what's happened to America. It's the Committee who got Harwood to organize the gangers, using officers like Ian. Malusi's here as . . ."
    "As a statement of American race relations," said the African. "Your country has no black officers. So the Committee turned to us for help."
    "In exchange for what?"
    "In exchange for help, or at least neutrality, in our war against the Boers and their German allies."
    She shook her head, not satisfied. "Why Maximus? The whole story."
    "Shortly after Maximus started up, the Committee, its principal members anyway, began noticing certain . . . anomalies. Odd things not at first associated with Maximus. Key officials who'd visited the site invariably brought back glowing reports of insubstantial progress. These formerly vigorous, aggressive men became strangely complacent, going thrugh the motions of work. This malaise ..."
    A series of shock waves boomed over the island. From the mainland, a pillar of black smoke billowed out over the water. The fire had reached Logan Airport's fuel tanks.
    "This malaise," he continued, "seems confined to the second-secretary rank—the people who allegedly make government work. Our foreign strategy became more irrational and the economy grew worse, if that's conceivable.
    "The Committee became worried—hell!—the Committee got scared. Half of them are second-secretary level. They needed Maximus destroyed, without risk to them. I'd been out of it for a while, living in Canada, teaching, writing. Harwood leaned on me and here I am. Malusi and Ian were already in place, part of the Committee's long-term commitment."
    And all true, thought John, with a few last-minute improvisations—like a new John Harrison. He was acquiring a grudging respect for Guan-Sharick's ability.
    "Why didn't they just send in agents?" asked Heather.
    "Agents were sent in. They never reported back. And we couldn't just bomb the place—not on suspicion alone. It is an American installation."
    "So you explain this away as a ganger raid," said Heather. "But why did you have to break into the UC data base if the information's all in Frederick?"
    "It isn't," said John. "Strangely, all references to Maximus were lost last month in an electrical fire. That was when the decision was made to act.