Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea Part 6

Sightseeing, however, was far from the minds of the small detachment which left the Seaview Seaview and hurried to the waiting a.s.sembly. Admiral Nelson's hooded eyes seemed reserved for some inner reading, probably the speech he was about to make. B.J. Crawford, resplendent in the trappings of his rank, was as craggy and unperturbed as ever. Commander Emery, like some goodnatured s.h.a.ggy animal, c.o.c.ked an observant eye on the world as if to say that even at the best of times it was interesting: now it was downright fascinating. Cathy Connors, trim and starched, bodyguarded the Admiral's slim dispatch case. Finally, Congressman Parker alternately studied Admiral Nelson and his own immaculate fingernails, and otherwise, like the Admiral, silently consulted something within himself. and hurried to the waiting a.s.sembly. Admiral Nelson's hooded eyes seemed reserved for some inner reading, probably the speech he was about to make. B.J. Crawford, resplendent in the trappings of his rank, was as craggy and unperturbed as ever. Commander Emery, like some goodnatured s.h.a.ggy animal, c.o.c.ked an observant eye on the world as if to say that even at the best of times it was interesting: now it was downright fascinating. Cathy Connors, trim and starched, bodyguarded the Admiral's slim dispatch case. Finally, Congressman Parker alternately studied Admiral Nelson and his own immaculate fingernails, and otherwise, like the Admiral, silently consulted something within himself.

They entered the General a.s.sembly building.

Aboard the Seaview Seaview, Dr. Hiller, dressed now in a svelte grey suit and in it looking like quite a different person from the slacks-and-shirt clad girl who had so familiarly covered the ship, sat transcribing her notes. At the end of the desk in the doctor's ante-room stood her three small expensive pieces of luggage; she even wore a hat. Captain Lee Crane, pa.s.sing outside and glancing in, stopped, amused at himself, grinned, and stepped inside.

"You know I actually thought we had a stranger aboard for a second. I'm not kidding. I glanced in at you and said to myself, 'Now, who's that?' "

"Clothes," said Dr. Hiller sagely, "make the stranger." She laughed. "Away down under all this, I'm still Sue Hiller."

"We'll miss you," said Crane warmly. "I hope you've found the visit worth your while."

She tapped the open recorder-tape case beside her. "I've used all but two reels," she said by way of answering.

"Find out anything?"

"In my business you don't really find out anything until you gather all your data, cook it, strain it, and let it settle. I'll tell you this, though. You have a good and loyal crew here. And they can take things in stride. I don't know that I've ever seen a comparable group."

"I like 'em. Well..." the Captain added, "I should, I suppose; I picked 'em. Some of those boys saw action with me, some were recommended by friends of mine. I have 'em wet behind the ears, like young Jimmy Smith, right out of school, and old sh.e.l.lbacks like Gleason. I have a no-brain genius in Cookie, who thinks with his hands and his nostrils, and an all-brain specimen like Emery.... A good bunch."

"It would take something pretty special," she agreed, "to cause any kind of trouble with them."

He nodded. "More bad breaks than ought to happen, plus a specialist in mutiny." He noticed her eyes straying to the TV repeater in the wall behind him and turned to face it. She touched a k.n.o.b and let the sound come up.

The screen showed what the old-timers recalled as the "dust bowl"-rows of cindered corn, a foot high where it should be five, and fine dust blowing endlessly, drifting like snow. Cars crept along with their lights on at high noon, highway drift fences were erected to keep the roads clear. The camera elevated to show the sun as a blurred disc, and then swung over to show the fireband, obscured by the pall of dust, and somehow all the more terrible for it. "Like the dustbowl of the 'thirties," said the voice behind the screen, "-times ten. That's what one old-timer called it. This fiery sky is threatening to strike a mortal blow at the heart of the midwest farm belt. In Italy-"

The screen cut to a scene of the immense square fronting St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, one solid ma.s.s of screaming, gesticulating people-a million and a half, there must have been.

"In Italy, all roads leading to Rome and the Vatican have been jammed for two days. From all over Europe the faithful have been streaming toward St. Peter's to pray for deliverance from the catastrophe which has struck the earth. And here-"

The picture revealed a picture of the earth, from outer s.p.a.ce, with the dreaded girdle of fire encircling it- "-here is the last picture we were able to get from our television satellite camera. No words of mine could add to what you see here."

The picture held and held, and held. The Captain and the psychiatrist were captured by it like birds faced by the traditional snake. Then at last the frightful scene faded and was replaced by the face of a young man, hollow-eyed, his lips occasionally twitching as he spoke. Yet his voice was admirably steady and controlled.

"This program originates at the United Nations, New York, and is emanated continuously for the orientation of newcomers to the Scientific Conference. Broadcasting was discontinued the day before yesterday, as interference from the firebelt-and, as the scientists have informed us, from the breakdown of much of the sheltering effect of the higher atmospheric layers and the resulting intensity of solar radiations in the radio bands-makes impossible to receive wireless signals. Those of you who are at distant locations will have noticed increasing interference even on these wire transmissions. Underground and submarine cables are as yet unaffected.

"Of the many effects of this emergency, this breakdown of communications is possibly the most distressing. We can a.s.sume of course that other groups all over the country and all over the world are working feverishly to find answers, but it is now a.s.sumed that even if some other conference should come up with an answer, it would remain unknown until news of it came in from someone who had personally brought the news. Therefore the highest hopes are that the Conference here will produce a solution. The arrival a few minutes ago of Admiral Harriman Nelson may provide a turning point. We shall of course bring you the proceedings at the a.s.sembly Building when he begins to speak. In the mean time, we shall show more film of the catastrophe. In India-"

Susan Hiller cut the sound. "I thought for a moment some of that was direct. I hadn't realized things were so bad."

"We haven't been able to get through for days, even by tightbeam," said Crane gravely. "Oh my G.o.d... how can there be a country without communications? Banking-railroads-"

"No schools, no... oh, there'll be food riots..."

"And even if an answer is found-how will anyone know?"

They looked at each other, appalled. Presently Crane shook himself and said grimly, "If only the Admiral's right."

"About what?"

Crane glanced at the TV screen and then back at the psychiatrist. "Theoretically I'm not supposed to say anything about this yet, but you'll hear it in a moment anyway. Admiral Nelson has a plan to disperse the outer Van Allen belt and release the polarized particles which make a great big lens out of it. If he's right-and if he's successful-the news will get around all right. The firebelt will simply collapse- foosh! foosh! -it just won't be there any more. I don't think you could get the news around any quicker than that." -it just won't be there any more. I don't think you could get the news around any quicker than that."

"You don't know that he's right."

"I'm not Harriman Nelson," said the Captain. "One thing I do know: he says he's right. And that's quite enough for me."

"I like your att.i.tude, Captain. All the loyalty in the world, and all the respect for truth in the world, and I'm in no doubt as to which way you'd jump if you had to choose between them."

"Nelson and the truth are old friends and close companions. They roomed together in kindergarten," smiled the Captain. "It's a choice I won't have to make. But-why do you say I'd choose the truth-if that's what you said?"

"It's what I implied," smiled Dr. Hiller, "and only because you said ' If only If only the Admiral's right.' the Admiral's right.'

Your fiancee feels the same way, but without the if."

"Oh, here's Nelson's speech," said the Captain. The doctor quickly turned up the gain. Crane said, "If you'll excuse me, Doctor, I'll go forward now. I want to see to it that the crew hear this. Then we'll have a lot of sorting out to do. Some of the boys have to have furloughs-most want 'em. And there's your man Alvarez to make arrangements for."

"My man Alvarez?"

"What's wrong with that joker is strictly in your department. No man in his right mind lies flat on his... bunk... letting things happen to him and saying it's the will of G.o.d."

"He might disagree with you, Captain."

"He's hardly an expert."

"He's an expert on what Alvarez believes in."

"I haven't time to argue the point with you, Doctor. All I know for sure is that he gives me the creeps and I'm glad he's going over the wall. Here's the Admiral."

Nelson's great stone face appeared on the screen, quietly waiting for a storm of applause to die down. The Captain waved cheerfully and went forward.

In the wardroom most of the enlisted men were sprawled around and over the tables watching the .ABBYY.com large screen there. Crane wagged a negative finger at young Smith as the kid saw him and was about to call for attention, and pa.s.sed quietly behind the listening sailors to the forward corridor. Nelson's voice was on the intercom as well as the TV sound systems, and echoed about him, sometimes near, sometimes distant as he walked, but always there, everywhere. His voice describing his project filled his submarine from frame to paint-job... and so, thought the Captain, it should be.

In the observation chamber in the nose the officers were watching the big screen.

"Chip," said the Captain quietly.

The Executive Officer detached himself from the group around and over the tables watching the large screen there. "You don't have to hear it all over again."

"What's up?"

"It's hard to say, Chip. The Admiral's done a couple of little things I can't quite figure, but I do know he's a man who doesn't do things, even little ones, without a reason."

"Like what?"

"Like replacing stores almost before we looped a line on a bollard, and then claiming the stores had priority on the hatchway and n.o.body could go ash.o.r.e until he got back. I know he wants to head for the Pacific fast, but you'd think he was getting ready to scald out of here like panic."

"Yeah, and the sh.o.r.e leaves. The boys don't like that- holding up everything, including so much as a phone call, until he gets back. Berkowitz is half out of his head, wanting to get through to his wife."

Crane shrugged. "When we find out why, it'll make more sense."

"I guess so. Meanwhile, the sh.o.r.e party's got their shoes shined and their pay in their pocket.

That deadhead Alvarez is as ready as he can get, and Dr. Hiller's all packed and purty."

"I saw her," nodded Crane. "We'll miss her around here, especially you."

"Boy, that's one professional who can shrink my head all the way down to the tonsil level."

"You got a head start," said Crane. "Try to keep your hands off her tail feathers when she goes up the conning ladder."

"Ah shucks, Cap'n, is that an order? I've been planning that ever since I saw her. Not even a little down?"

"It wouldn't pay you, Chip. You'd never get to make the first installment." Over the Exec's painful groan, Crane said, "Will Senor Alvarez be good enough to climb out, or will you have to rig a sling?"

"He'll walk. He's not agin us, Lee. He just don't give a d.a.m.n. Stand him up and give him a push, and he'll walk. Only you have to steer him. Talk to him, he'll listen. Ask him, he'll answer. It's just that by himself he won't walk or talk or even eat. According to him, since G.o.d showed His hand up there, n.o.body has to do anything any more. Everything's already done. Like badly. Mene mene tekel Mene mene tekel upharsin upharsin, like it says in the Good Book: we've been weighed in the balance and found wanting."

"Yeah, that was written in letters of fire too, as I recall. Jesus: if mankind had always figured like that it wouldn't have got so far as to crawl out of the drink and breathe air. The h.e.l.l with him."

"The h.e.l.l, he says, with us all, and here we go."

"You seem to've spent a lot of time listening to him."

Chip Morton shrugged. "Man's got to do something with these long winter evenings when the boss says you can't collect tail feathers."

"Oh well," said the Captain, giving back the shrug and a grin to go with it, "I guess he can get you into less trouble than the good doctor would."

"Now that," said Morton, "is for d.a.m.n sure.... hey: what's happening?"

It was happening on television: Admiral Nelson, having reached the point in his speech in which he announced his intention to go to the Marianas, leaving immediately. Off camera came loud shouts of " No! No! No! No! " "

The camera remained fixed on Nelson's surprised face and there must have been some frantic work in the TV booth while they got another camera trained in the unexpected direction. Then the scene cut to a long shot of the a.s.sembly chamber, and a burly figure in black plowing down the center aisle, trailing a number of gentlemen enthusiastically echoing the burly one's big negative bellow.

"That seems to be," said the announcer off camera, "yes, it is, Dr. Emilio Zucco. You will recall, if you have been following these sessions, that Dr. Zucco heads a body of opinion, an overwhelming body, I may add, which holds that the dynamics of the firebelt are such that it is self-canceling. It would seem that Admiral Nelson's proposal to seed the Van Allen field with charged carbon particles is directly opposed to Dr. Zucco's theory." The announcer's voice issued a polite chuckle. "Dr. Zucco is-ah-not usually opposed."

The a.s.sembly president was whanging away with his gavel; cries of "Quiet" and "Order" were themselves enough to make his cries for quiet and order inaudible. The camera returned to Admiral Nelson, who filled his lungs and shouted in what was called, by his crew, the Old Old Man's "hurricane" voice, "Mr. President! Let Dr. Zucco speak! I have no objections!"

The president rose and spread out his arms, pounded twice, spread his arms again. The chamber rumbled to something like quiet.

"Admiral Nelson yields to Dr. Zucco," called the President.

"For a question," amended the Admiral.

Zucco came snorting and steaming up to the rostrum. He was a black-browed, black-haired man, with burning, deep-set eyes and, under a nose as straight and sharp as an axe-blade, a wide, lipless mouth so cast that it showed a row of straight, white, strong lower teeth and the uppers not at all. His voice was as heavy and, in its way, as black as his hair and his suit. He spoke with the suggestion of an Austrian accent, or the lack or accent: the too-perfect sound of the acquired tongue and a brain behind it which did all things perfectly.

"Go right ahead," invited the Admiral, and one could see the wind leave the scientist's sails. The momentum of some as yet unexplained fury had carried him up here, and it took a moment for him to readjust to something like politeness.

"Well," he said at length. He looked the Admiral up and down and said it again. Then he turned to the a.s.sembly and spoke.

"Mr. President. Members of this distinguished gathering. Admiral Nelson: You will forgive any words I choose, knowing that they are not directed at you personally, but at the pre... pos pos-terous suggestion you have just made. Is it possible, Admiral, is it possible, Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, is it remotely possible that I, Emilio Zucco, might have overlooked the possibility the Admiral suggests? It is not possible! I too have studied the Van Allen belt and its const.i.tution; I agree perfectly, as you all know, with the Admiral's conclusions as to what this firebelt is and how it began.

I too made the hypotheses made by the admiral about seeding and collapsing the belt. And I have given these considerations the treatment they deserve: I have lined my waste-basket with them."

He paused dramatically and shot a glance of fire at the Admiral, who smiled pleasantly and c.o.c.ked his big head to one side.

"If," continued Dr. Zucco, "there was any merit in such a ludicrous procedure, who here would dare suggest that it would have been discarded? Further: if the Admiral's preoccupation with military toys and games had led him to such an experiment, and if it were only useless, and if, oh especially this: if it pleased him, for he is a worthy gentleman deserving of some pleasures, if it pleased him to take his large shining submarine into the far Pacific in this rendezvous with his nonsensical theory, in order to delight himself with his expensive pyrotechnical displays, I would be all for it. It is a basic premise, gentlemen, of human freedom that the pursuit of happiness is a desideratum, and all of us, even our admirals, should be permitted, even encouraged, to take what pleasure we may find, wherever and however it may be found -providing only that no one else is hurt by it. [Laughter, moderate.] This premise of ethical behavior was clearly enunciated by one of your American savants, I believe it was Mr. Will Rogers, who said, 'Your freedom to swing your fists ends where my nose begins.' [Laughter, immoderate.] In short, gentlemen, I should encourage the Admiral in the pursuit of his spectacular hobbies, for to know of the happiness of so worthy a man would give me warm feelings: I should encourage him even knowing that what he is doing is useless. I should favor it if it were useless and also harmful to him, if it made him happy and hurt no one else. But I will not countenance anything he does, or anyone else does for pleasure, if it endangers anyone else: and gentlemen-if this be-ribboned example of every small boy's notion of a national hero is permitted to indulge this... this whim... whim... he will he will kill us all! kill us all! " "

The shift from light-hearted invective to the final, dreadful charge, was as deft and dramatic as anything ever seen on the stage. There was an instant of frightened silence, while the impact of the scientist's words reverberated through the audience like a bell tone. Then when Admiral Nelson stepped forward, a low, hushed rumble wafted over the chamber, originating in hatred and far back in the animal part of men's throats. It was a thing which could not have happened in normal times, but which had to happen to men in danger who until now had been given no specific enemy to hate. Pent fear turns readily to anger.

Nelson waited patiently for silence, and a moment longer for full attention. He then spoke in a voice which, for its quietness, was even more shocking than Zucco's terrifying shout. He wore the slight, casual smile which men under him had for years known meant important trouble; it was a smile which preceded the keelhauling of some poor unfortunate who had been, not careless, not even disobedient, but willfully antagonistic to Nelson when Nelson knew he was right.

"A personal attack," he began quietly, "is a wonderful relief to the feelings and a great amus.e.m.e.nt to the bystander. However, whether it is of any real use in a matter of truth is another question. It is, of course, a weapon of wide use and great antiquity, and has been used against monogamy, the law of gravity, evolution and the sphericity of the earth. Gradually through the years, a percentage of the population has come to realize that to discredit the proponent or a truth may hurt the man, may even destroy him; yet it has no effect whatever on the truth.

"Now, gentlemen, I have no wish at this time to return disfavor with disfavor. My regard for Dr.

Zucco and his past achievements remains high, in harmony with what I have just said: no amount of bad manners on my part could change the worth of the things he has done. In that light, I should like to continue this discussion and discover what is it about my hypothesis which Dr. Zucco considers mistaken, where the mistake, if any, lies, and what he considers the result might be."

The Admiral's quiet, almost gentle tone, his unshaken dignity, and the inescapable fact that everything he said about the worth of Zucco's past performances could be applied to his, did not escape his listeners. Back on the submarine Dr. Hiller nodded her head in recognition of the feat: one up for the Admiral while in the observation nose, Chip Morton frowned. "Seems to me the Old Old Man stepped back a pace."

"You always do," said the Captain, "before you uncork a roundhouse."

Dr. Zucco looked the Admiral up and down in that scathing, scanning way he had, and then took the rostrum. "To a man of the Admiral's many accomplishments," he hissed, "the error should be obvious." The reaction of the audience, a murmur, a half-heard boo, the shuffling of feet, apparently told him that he had gone far enough with his sarcasm. In suddenly matter-of-fact language, he said, "My closest calculations inform me that on the 29th of August, when the ambient temperature reaches one hundred sixty seven degrees Fahrenheit, the firebelt will have exhausted its available oxygen and will collapse of its own accord."

"And mine," said the Admiral quietly, "inform me that on the 30th, at about 10:37 A.M.

Greenwich time, there will occur an irreversible reaction which will cause the firebelt to widen and englobe the earth."

"My figures," said Dr. Zucco with steely patience, "indicate no such thing. By that time the emergency will be over."

"My figures," said the admiral, "after original computation by myself, Admiral Crawford, and Commander Emery, were checked by the master computer at the U.S. Naval Observatory."

"My figures," said Dr. Zucco icily, "were computed by myself, and checked by myself, in order to eliminate errors introduced by-what is your saying?-too many cooks in the broth."

"Dr. Zucco," said the Admiral, after a long slow breath drawn, apparently, to refill his patience tanks, "this-ah, discussion of ours then resolves itself to a matter of checking figures. This will, I think, be a lengthy process, and would be in any circ.u.mstances; with communications in their present state, I think it fair to a.s.sume that by the time the argument was settled, it would no longer matter to anyone."

"At last," said Dr. Zucco, "we agree on a point."

"Therefore," said Nelson, "I shall simply announce my intention to leave immediately for the South Pacific. If you are right, I shall have had my trip for nothing. If on the other hand I am right-and I am, you know," he interjected, suddenly smiling so engagingly that the smile was repeated all over the hall-"I shall be in a position to do something about it."

The answering of that sudden smile seemed to fuse something in Dr. Zucco, and the fuse was fast and very short; he exploded: "Mr. President! Delegates! In the name of science, in the name of humanity and its eternal war against bungling and ignorance; this man must be prevented from doing any such dangerous thing!"

His voice then dropped to a hoa.r.s.e whisper; he had apparently learned from the Admiral, in the last few minutes, the little-known fact that a quiet voice in a noisy room is more commanding than a noisy voice in a quiet one. "Do not be led astray by his a.s.sertions. What he says about communications, and the length of time necessary to check the figures, is true, and I am convinced he brought it up at all only in his way, shrewd as a rodent, in order to ram his mad plan down your throats." He let his voice come up, and bugled out, smiting his chest. "But I, I, Emilio Zucco, am here to tell you that he is wrong, and I will tell you what will happen if this evil and foolhardy plan is followed. The cloud of charged particles which he proposes to scatter in the outer Van Allen belt will have the reverse effect to that which he predicts. Rather than dissipating the field, it will momentarily intensify it. The lens effect will increase, and for a time-two, perhaps three hours-the concentration of energy from the sun will increase many-fold. The increased heat will bring hot atmosphere up into the burning zone at an accelerated rate, the firebelt will indeed widen and englobe the earth-prevented at the last possible instant from doing what I predict it shall do-collapse of its own accord. This is madness-criminal, irresponsible madness, and you must under no circ.u.mstances permit it." He was panting now. He paused for breath and then shouted, "If this argument has reduced itself to a staking of my reputation against this, then so be it. Let me hear your voices: if you agree with me, call my name!"

Zucco! roared the a.s.sembly. ZUCCO! After which was a scattered chattering of Nelson... roared the a.s.sembly. ZUCCO! After which was a scattered chattering of Nelson...

Nelson... The scientist had indeed bound them in his spell.

The a.s.sembly President committed the precedent-shattering act of leaping up, standing on his table. He waved both hands and shouted against the roar of comment and argument that swelled up, and at last succeeded in being heard. As he spoke, the audience gradually quieted to hear him.

"I will have order in the chamber or I shall indefinitely adjourn this meeting, and I need not remind you that adjournment at this moment may be a vital matter, affecting the lives of us all. Order!