[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
earnestly. "They don't dare frame you on some made-up charge and haul you into
court because that would be too obvious. They're not up to killing you or
attacking you openly yet, anyway because that'd be very bad for their
reputations, not only worldwide here but off-world as well. Also, and more
important, it could dam-age the CEOs' strong commercial connections with the
other Younger Worlds. In special, this world's necessary
relations as a part of the Newton-Cassida-New Earth tech-production channel.
You know that they just signed us in a worldwide production contract with
those two planets?"
"Yes, I heard of it," said Bleys.
"They treat us all like serfs or slaves!" Manders' dark face was suddenly
dangerous.
"That's right," said Bill Delancy. He took out a small tube and inhaled from
it into each of his somewhat hairy nostrils, alternately. "And also, neither
the Guild nor the CEO wants to look to Newton and Cassida as if they don't
have their working people under tight control."
"A cold?" Bleys asked him sympathetically.
Bill Delancy shook his head and put the tube away hast-ily.
"A sort of arthritis," he said. "The tube's something new out of Cassida from
a medical research group my out-fit makes equipment parts for. The nose is
just a quick way of getting the medication into me several times a day."
His voice became a little wistful. "I understand that," he said, "on Old
Earth, for years now, they've had a way of permanently taking care of any of
the autoimmune dis-eases."
"We aren't really here to talk about that, are we?" Zara said. "I agree with
what Anjo says. The Great Teacher and his people can stay here and be taken
care of for some time. But I still think we ought to start moving them out as
fast as we can, little by little trickle them out two or three at a time in
private cars from the loading dock."
"I agree," Bleys said thoughtfully. "As Bill Delancy just said, we seem to be
like an explosive material or per-haps, more aptly, like the trigger to some
already-primed explosive. The deeper you hide us, the better. I seem to have
happened along at a critical time on this world of yours."
He smiled at the visitors, for Toni had frowned at his last words; and Henry's
face was suddenly stern.
"Yes," Bleys went on musingly, "but I've always been deeply interested in New
Earth. Perhaps I could have come at a better time."
His voice had ended on a humorous note, but he glanced for a second at Toni
and Henry with no particular expression. Toni erased her frown. But Henry,
stubbornly, did not change expression.
Page 63
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Would you lead us, Great Teacher?" said Delancy. "If it came to an actual
revolution?"
"No," Bleys said, firmly. "I've said it many times, and I apparently have to
keep on saying it. I'm a philosopher, not a revolutionary. But occasionally,
it seems, the philos-opher has to ran and hide like a revolutionary. And where
do revolutionaries traditionally hide when those in power start hunting for
them?"
He looked around at their faces. But when none of them spoke immediately, he
answered his own question.
"Why, in the mountains, of course," he said. "This world doesn't lack mountain
ranges, and among them there ought to be places where we can hide, even from
searching atmosphere craft, while staying all together which is important."
Anjo gave a small sigh. "Great Teacher, that's where I wanted to take you all.
You read minds."
"No," said Bleys, a little sadly. "I just use logic. But we should leave as
soon as we can. Tonight, if possible."
CHAPTER 12
It was past midnight before Anjo could make the neces-sary arrangements. They
went in small parties down through the now-quiet, white-walled service-ways
and kitchen of the hotel and out onto the loading dock. Here they were taken,
several at a time, into a variety of differ-ent vehicles.
Bleys felt an inner excitement. The same sort of strangely disturbing
excitement that had sent him out on the side of the Others' building back on
Association, the night following Henry's unexpected appearance to offer what
help he could. But, he told himself now, it was not the same.
He had expected Anjo's appearance or at least the appearance of someone like
Anjo representing the unnamed third element in New Earth society that was at
odds with the CEOs and the Guild, as those two were at odds with each other.
Anjo had not been the surprise even the shock that Henry had been, appearing
so unex-pectedly and so fortunately.
All that the present moment had in common with the way things had been then
was this excitement that verged on uneasiness as if with the inarguable good
fortune of what had happened there was mixed in a potential danger of some
kind. Clearly, there had turned out to be no such danger with Henry; but, as
Bleys had decided there, too much luck, too suddenly, always tended to make
most people uneasy. There was probably no reason for uneasi-ness. Still, in
this case, he would probably do well to stay alert with Anjo.
But, certainly to begin with, there seemed little reason for him to be
concerned. Their escape from the city began, at least, by being almost
humdrum more dull, ordinary and uncomfortable than anything else. Bleys pushed
the excitement and the uneasiness from him.
Bleys, Toni, Dahno and Henry went first in the relative luxury of a delivery
van unfortunately merely wheeled, as most of the other nondescript vehicles
also were but the windowless interior of which had been furnished with
carpeting, a couple of sofas and two oversized, cushioned armchairs, all
non-float furniture, for Bleys and Dahno. The Soldiers went by fours and fives
into the vehicles that followed them.
It was morning before they reached and stopped briefly for breakfast at a
small town named Guernica, hardly more than a wide spot in the road. It
consisted of three houses with unpainted, weathered, shake-shingles covering
sides and roof of their gaunt two stories; two squatty stores and a
restaurant-bar, facing the houses across a short stretch of the road.
"Don't let the looks of this bother you," Anjo said, as they stepped out of
the van on travel-cramped legs. "You'll be staying with people farther out in
the country."
They ate breakfast in the restaurant-bar, with more tired-ness than appetite,
and went on.
The upland that now surrounded them was of the alti-plano desert variety, with
hard, reddish earth and little vegetation. It was attractive in a stern, hard,
almost for-bidding, way. A land of truth, Bleys found himself think-
Page 64
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
ing but could not remember where he had read or heard the phrase, or why it
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]