Through their hands, Harvey signaled, 'Boumour and Igan, I read them now. They're new Cyborgs. Probably just a first linkage -with implanted computers. They're just learning the price, shedding their normal human emotional reactions, learning to counterfeit emotion.' She absorbed this seeing them through Harvey's deduction. He often read people better than she did. She re-read what she had seen of the two surgeons.
'Do you read it?' he signaled.
'You're right. Yes.'
'It means a total break with Central. They can never go back:
'That explains Seatac,' she signaled. She began to tremble.
'And we can't trust them.' Harvey said. He pressed her close, soothing her.
The van labored up through the foothills skirting open meadows, following ancient tracks, an occasional stream-bed. Shortly before dawn, it swerved left down a firebreak and into a stand of pines and cedars, squeezed its way through a narrow lane there with its blowers kicking up a heavy cloud of forest duff behind. Glisson pulled to a stop behind an old building, moss on its sides, small curtained windows. Pseudo-ducks with a weed patina and grass-grown signs that they hadn't been animated in years, made a short file near the building - pale moon-figures in the light of a single bulb high up under the building's eaves.
Turbines whined to silence. They could hear then the hum of machinery and looking toward the sound saw the dull silver outlines of a ventilator tower among the trees.
A door at the corner of the building opened. A heavy-headed man with a big jaw, stoop- shouldered, emerged blowing his nose in a red handkerchief. He looked old, his face a mask of subservience.
Glisson said, 'It's the sign. All is safe here... for the moment.' He slipped out, approached the old man, coughed.
'A lot of sickness around these days,' the old man said. His voice was as ancient as his face, wheezing, slurring the consonants.
'You're not the only one with troubles,' Glisson said.
The old man straightened, shed the stooped look and subservient manner. 'S'pose you're wanting a hidey hole,' he said. 'Don't know if it's safe here. Don't even know if I oughta hide you.'
'I will give the orders here,' Glisson said. 'You will obey.'
The old man studied Glisson a moment, then a look of anger washed over his face. 'You damn' Cyborgs!' he said.
'Hold your tongue,' Glisson said, his voice flat. 'We need food, a safe place to spend the day. I shall require your help in hiding this van. You must know the surrounding terrain. And you will arrange other transportation for us.'
'Best cut it up and bury it,' the old man said, his voice surly. 'Been a hornet's nest stirred up. Guess you know that.'
'We know,' Glisson said. He turned, beckoned to the van. 'Come along. Bring Svengaard.'
Presently, the others joined him. Boumour and Igan supported Svengaard between them. The bindings on Svengaard's feet had been released, but he appeared barely able to stand. Lizbeth walked with the bent-over care that said she wasn't sure her incision had healed despite the enzymic speed-up medication.
'We will lodge here during daylight,' Glisson said. 'This man will direct you to quarters.'
'What word from Seatac?' Igan asked.
Glisson looked at the old man, said, 'Answer.'
The oldster shrugged. 'Courier through here couple of hours ago. Said no survivors.'
'Any report on a Dr Potter?' Svengaard croaked. Glisson whirled, stared at Svengaard. 'Dunno,' the old man said. 'What route he take?' Igan cleared his throat, glanced at Glisson, then at the old man. 'Potter? I believe he was in the group coming out by the power tubes.' The old man flicked a glance at the ventilator tower growing more distinct among the trees by the second as daylight crept across the mountains. 'Nobody come through the tubes,' he said. 'They shut off the ventilators and flooded the tubes with that gas first thing.' He looked at Igan. 'Ventilators been going again for about three hours.'
Glisson studied Svengaard, asked. 'Why are you interested in
Potter?'
Svengaard remained silent.
'Answer me!' Glisson ordered.
Svengaard tried to swallow. His throat ached. He felt driven into a comer. Glisson's words enraged him. Without warning, Svengaard lurched forward dragging Igan and Boumour, lashed out at Glisson, with a foot.
The Cyborg dodged with a blurring movement, caught the foot, jerked Svengaard from the two surgeons, whirled, swung Svengaard wide and released him. Svengaard landed on his back, skidded across the ground, stopped. Before he could move, Glisson was standing over him. Svengaard lay there sobbing.
'Why are you interested in Potter?' Glisson demanded. 'Go away, go away, go away!' Svengaard sobbed. Glisson straightened, looked around at Igan and Boumour.
'You understand this?' Igan shrugged. 'It's emotion.'
'Perhaps a shock reaction,' Boumour said.
Through their hands, Harvey signaled Lizbeth, 'He's been in shock, but this means he's coming out of it. These are medical people! Can't they read anything?'
'Glisson reads it.' she answered. 'He was testing them.' Glisson turned around, looked squarely at Harvey. The bold understanding in the Cyborg's eyes shot a pang of fear through Harvey.
'Careful,' Lizbeth signaled. 'He's suspicious of us.'
'Take Svengaard inside,' Glisson said.
Svengaard looked up at their driver. Glisson, the Durants called him. But the old man from the building had labeled Glisson a Cyborg. Was it possible? Were the halfmen being revived to challenge the Optimen once more? Was that the reason for Seatac's death?
Boumour and Igan lifted him, checked the fetters on his hands. 'Let's have no more foolishness,' Boumour said.
Are they like Glisson? Svengaard asked himself. Are they, too, part man, part machine? And what about the Durants?
Svengaard could feel the tear dampness in his eyes. Hysteria, he thought. Coming out of shock. He began to wonder at himself then with an odd feeling of guilt. Why does Potter's death strike me more deeply than the death of an entire Megalopolis, the extinction of my wife and friends? What did Potter symbolize to me?
Boumour and Igan half carried, half walked him into the building, down a narrow hall and into a poorly lighted, gloomy big room with a ceiling that went up to bare beams two stories above. They dropped him onto a dusty couch - bare plastic and hydraulic contour-shapers that adjusted reluctantly. The light came from two glowglobes high up under the beams. It exposed oddments of furniture scattered around the room and mounds of strange shapes covered by slick, glistening fabric. A table to his left, he realized, was made of planks. Wood! A contour cot lay beyond it, and an ancient roll-top desk with a missing drawer, and mismatched chairs. A stained, soot-blackened fireplace, with an iron crane reaching across its mouth like a gibbet, occupied half the wall across from him. The entire room smelled of dampness and rot. The floor creaked as people moved. Wood flooring!
Svengaard looked up at tiny windows admitting a sparse gray daylight that grew brighter by the second. Even at its brightest he knew it wouldn't dispel the gloom of this place. Here was sadness that made him think of people without number - dead, forgotten. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
What's wrong with me? he wondered. There came a sound from the yard of the van's turbines being ignited. He heard it lift, leave... fade away. Harvey and Lizbeth entered the room.
Lizbeth looked at Svengaard, then at Boumour and Igan who had taken up vigil on the cot. With her crouched, protective walk, she crossed to Svengaard, touched his shoulder. She saw his tears, evidence of humanity, and she wished then that he were her doctor. Perhaps there was a way. She decided to ask Harvey.
'Please trust us,' she said, 'We won't harm you. They are the ones who killed your wife and friends, not us.'
Svengaard pulled away.
How dare she have pity on me? he thought. But she had reached some chord in him. He could feel himself shattering.
Oppressive silence settled over the room.
Harvey came up, guided his wife to a chair at the table.
'It's wood,' she said, touching the surface, wonder in her voice. Then, 'Harvey, I'm very hungry.'
They'll bring food as soon as they've disposed of the van,' he said.
She clutched his hand and Svengaard watched, fascinated by the nervous movement of her fingers.
Glisson and the old man returned presently, slamming the door behind them. The building creaked with their movement.
'We'll have a forest patrol vehicle for the next stage,' Glisson said. 'Much safer. There's a thing you all should know now.' The Cyborg moved a cold, weighted stare from face to face. 'There was a marker on top of the van's load section which we abandoned last night.'
'Marker?' Lizbeth said.
'A device for tracing us, following us,' Glisson said.
'Ohhh!' Lizbeth put a hand over her mouth.
'I do not know how closely they were following,' Glisson said. 'I was altered for this task and certain of my devices were left behind. They may know where we are right now.'
Harvey shook his head. 'But why... ?'
'Why haven't they moved against us?' Glisson asked. 'It's obvious. They hope we'll lead them to the vitals of our organization.' Something like rage came into the Cyborg's features. 'It may be we can surprise them.' Sixteen
IN the Survey Room, the great globe's instrumental inner walls lay relatively quiescent. Calapine and Schruille of the Tuyere occupied the triple thrones. The dais turned slowly, allowing them to scan the entire surface. Kaleidoscopic colors from the instruments played a somnolent visible melody across Cala-pine's features - a wash of greens, reds, purples.
She felt tired with a definite emotion of self-pity. There was something wrong with the enzymic analyzers. She felt sure of it, wondering if the Underground had somehow compromised the function of the pharmacy computers.
Sehruille was no help. He'd laughed at the suggestion.
Allgood's features appeared on a cell screen before Calapine. She stopped the turning dais as he bowed, said, 'I call to report, Calapine.' She noted the dark circles under his eyes, the drugged awareness in the way he held his head stiffly erect.
'You have found them?' Calapine asked.
They're somewhere in the wilderness area, Calapine,' All-good said. They have to be in there.'
'Have to be!' she sneered. 'You're a foolish optimist, Max.'
'We know some of the hiding places they could've chosen, Calapine.'
'For every one you know, they've nine you don't know,' she said.
'I have the entire area ringed, Calapine. We're moving in slowly, cheeking everywhere as we go. They're there and we'll find them.'
'He babbles,' she said, glancing at Schruille.
Schruille returned a mirthless smile, looked at Allgood through the prismatic reflector. 'Max, you have found the source of the substitute embryo?'
'Not yet, Schruille.'
He stared up at them, his face betraying his obvious confusion at the militancy and violence of his Optimen.
'Do you seek in Seatac?' Calapine demanded.
Allgood wet his lips with his tongue.
'Out with it!' she snapped. Ahhh, the fear in his eyes.
'We're searching there, Calapine, but the-'
'You think we were too precipitate?' she asked.
He shook his head.
'You're acting strangely,' Schruille said. 'Are you afraid of us?'
He hesitated, then, 'Yes, Schruille.'
'Yes, Schruille!' Calapine mimicked.
Allgood looked at her, the fear in his eyes tempered by anger. 'I'm taking every action I know, Calapine.'
She marked a sudden precision in his manner behind the anger. Her eyes went wide with wonder. Was it possible? She looked at Schruille, wondering if he had seen it.
'Max, why did you call us?' Schruille asked.
'I... to report, Schruille.'
'You've reported nothing.'
Hesitantly, Calapine brought up her instruments for a special probe of Allgood, stared at the result. Horror mingled with rage in her. Cyborg! They had defiled Max! Her Max!
There's only need for you to obey us,' Schruille said.
Allgood nodded, remained silent.
'You!' Calapine hissed. She leaned toward the screen. 'You dared! Why? Why, Max?'
Schruille said, 'What... ?'
But in the shocked instant of her questions, Allgood had seen that he was discovered. He knew it was his end. could see it in her eyes. 'I saw... I found the doppelgangers,' he stammered.
An angry twist of her hand rolled one of the rings on her throne arm. Sonies sent a shock wave chattering across Allgood, blurred his image. His lips moved soundlessly, eyes staring. He collapsed.
'Why did you do that?' Schruille asked.
'He was Cyborg I' she grated, and pointed to the evidence of the instruments.
'Max? Our Max?' He looked at the instruments, nodded.
'My Max,' she said.
'But he worshipped you, loved you.'
'He does nothing now,' she whispered. She blanked the screen, continued to stare at it. Already, the incident was receding from her mind.
'Do you enjoy direct action?' Schruille asked.