Part 4 (1/2)
”Frankly, we don't understand why you consider this matter important,”
Harper said uneasily.
Reinhart shot him a cold glance. ”I'll be the judge of what's important. Are you the one who gave the order to bring the bubble back manually?”
”Fredman gave the actual order. In line with your directive to have all facilities ready for--”
Reinhart headed toward the entrance of the research building. ”Where is Fredman?”
”Inside.”
”I want to see him. Let's go.”
Fredman met them inside. He greeted Reinhart calmly, showing no emotion. ”Sorry to cause you trouble, Commissioner. We were trying to get the station in order for the war. We wanted the bubble back as quickly as possible.” He eyed Reinhart curiously. ”No doubt the man and his cart will soon be picked up by your police.”
”I want to know everything that happened, in exact detail.”
Fredman s.h.i.+fted uncomfortably. ”There's not much to tell. I gave the order to have the automatic setting canceled and the bubble brought back manually. At the moment the signal reached it, the bubble was pa.s.sing through the spring of 1913. As it broke loose, it tore off a piece of ground on which this person and his cart were located. The person naturally was brought up to the present, inside the bubble.”
”Didn't any of your instruments tell you the bubble was loaded?”
”We were too excited to take any readings. Half an hour after the manual control was thrown, the bubble materialized in the observation room. It was de-energized before anyone noticed what was inside. We tried to stop him but he drove the cart out into the hall, bowling us out of the way. The horses were in a panic.”
”What kind of cart was it?”
”There was some kind of sign on it. Painted in black letters on both sides. No one saw what it was.”
”Go ahead. What happened then?”
”Somebody fired a Slem-ray after him, but it missed. The horses carried him out of the building and onto the grounds. By the time we reached the exit the cart was half way to the park.”
Reinhart reflected. ”If he's still in the park we should have him shortly. But we must be careful.” He was already starting back toward his s.h.i.+p, leaving Fredman behind. Harper fell in beside him.
Reinhart halted by his s.h.i.+p. He beckoned some Government guards over.
”Put the executive staff of this department under arrest. I'll have them tried on a treason count, later on.” He smiled ironically as Harper's face blanched sickly pale. ”There's a war going on. You'll be lucky if you get off alive.”
Reinhart entered his s.h.i.+p and left the surface, rising rapidly into the sky. A second s.h.i.+p followed after him, a military escort. Reinhart flew high above the sea of gray slag, the unrecovered waste area. He pa.s.sed over a sudden square of green set in the ocean of gray.
Reinhart gazed back at it until it was gone.
Central Park. He could see police s.h.i.+ps racing through the sky, s.h.i.+ps and transports loaded with troops, heading toward the square of green.
On the ground some heavy guns and surface cars rumbled along, lines of black approaching the park from all sides.
They would have the man soon. But meanwhile, the SRB machines were blank. And on the SRB machines' readings the whole war depended.
About noon the cart reached the edge of the park. Cole rested for a moment, allowing the horses time to crop at the thick gra.s.s. The silent expanse of slag amazed him. What had happened? Nothing stirred.
No buildings, no sign of life. Gra.s.s and weeds poked up occasionally through it, breaking the flat surface here and there, but even so, the sight gave him an uneasy chill.
Cole drove the cart slowly out onto the slag, studying the sky above him. There was nothing to hide him, now that he was out of the park.
The slag was bare and uniform, like the ocean. If he were spotted--
A horde of tiny black dots raced across the sky, coming rapidly closer. Presently they veered to the right and disappeared. More planes, wingless metal planes. He watched them go, driving slowly on.