HERE ARE CHARTS, Splendid wrote. THEY WILL HELP YOU. CAN YOU CARRY THEM? COPYING WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME.
“Can you fold them tight and put them in a small packet? I could carry that wrapped in a balloon.”
“So you did use a balloon,” Melanie said accusingly.
“N-not the way you th-think!”
“N-no?” she mimicked. “Just how do you think I think? And you were being so upset about my being on the pill!”
Splendid, meanwhile, went to one of the mermen to explain, using sign language Don could not follow. The man’s face was expressive. First he nodded agreeably. Then his brow furrowed. Then he looked angry.
“Uh-oh,” Don murmured to Melanie. “I think that triton she’s talking to is her mate, and now he has a notion about the balloon too.”
“Serves you right,” Melanie said gleefully. “Hey, merman! Let me tell you about—”
Don hastily snapped off the radio. As if he didn’t have problems enough! Melanie might be teasing him, since Splendid had already explained things, but such words could be dangerous.
Soon the job was done, despite the glower of the muscular triton. Don was glad to see the sub lift, so that he could tie on firmly to the rail at its base.
Splendid waved good-bye, one breast heaving in unison with her arm, as sub, bike, and man rose into the sea. Don didn’t wave back, as he had to hang on and the triton still looked extremely ugly.
The journey itself was almost disappointing. The submarine lifted high, so that the opacity of sea water closed in and fogged out sight of land. Don soon lost his bearings, and had to depend on the changing coordinates on his meter. His head brushed the bottom of the sub, and passed through it, reminding him distressingly how slight his support was. If even one balloon gave way—but of course it wouldn’t.
He looked ahead, but there was only the great light spearing out, now and then impaling stray fish. That made Don wonder where Glowcloud was. He missed the giant mollusk.
He had underestimated the capacity of the sub. It plowed through the water at phenomenal velocity, though with almost no sound. It felt like fifty miles an hour, but was probably closer to twenty five. The Chinese had to know more about the construction of such machines than the other nations suspected. He was glad that he saw no evidence of missile or torpedo ports. He wanted to believe this was a peaceful project.
In just two hours they glided to land in the shallows just north of Jamaica. They had agreed to stand by for two days in case he needed more help. A slate was provided for messages. It turned out that the sub had not been able to tune in on the phase radio; their communications had been private all along. But it could pick up the sounds of their travel, so had known their whereabouts. It was amazing the cooperation Splendid had been able to arrange. “An apple a day keeps the depth bombs away,” Don muttered a bit cynically.
He disengaged, took down his balloons, used them to tie the charts low on the bike frame, and pedaled through the base of the sub. His fully-phased upper section encountered only trace resistance, and the balloons and charts were now below the sub, experiencing only the drag of the water. He was curious about something. Yes! Regular human beings were manning the sub, not tritons. Their faces turned to him in amazement as he waved and coasted out the far side.
Now, abruptly, he was nervous. What had happened to Eleph? What were Gaspar and/or Pacifa up to?
He stopped after a couple of miles, waiting silently to see whether the sub was trailing him. Meanwhile he used the balloon-gloves to fumble open the package of charts. It made an uncomfortable resistance as he rode, because the charts were of the same phase as the water. But they were remarkably detailed, much better than the maps they had been using. The colony must have supervised a really thorough survey.
Two routes were marked through the complex trench terrain, calculated to avoid cliffs of more than six foot elevation. Either would have cut many hours off his journey.
As it was, he would arrive less than four hours after Eleph’s terse call, instead of fifty. That was very good.
The sub did not seem to be following. Reassured, Don resumed his ride, centering on the depot coordinates. He slowed again when within a mile. Eleph must have had good reason for advising caution, before that abrupt cutoff. Yet Gaspar and Pacifa were nice people, under their sometimes crusty exteriors. Why should either make trouble?
But when he moved quietly to the depot, there was only one figure there. “Melanie!”
“Don! How—?”
“The mer-folk gave me a lift, so I’m back much sooner.”
She waited for him to draw close, then stepped into his embrace. “I’m sorry I was so bitchy,” she said. “This business—”
“That mermaid—there really wasn’t—”
“I know. I was so lonely for you, and then when I had you on the radio, all I did was quarrel with you. I’ve never been in—I mean, I don’t know how to handle emotion like—”
“I have a notion,” he said. He hugged her tight.
Then they kissed. Maybe it was the excitement of his fast, unusual trip back, or maybe the heightened emotions of their argument, or maybe just her. It was like the discovery of the Minoan Manuscript.
But there was pressing business. “What’s been happening? Where are the others?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think Gaspar and Eleph ever came back here, and Pacifa must have gone to join them. She told me to wait here while she checked around, and then she was gone. I’ve been going crazy, worrying.”
“Do you think their radio silence means anything?”
“It must. But what?”
“I don’t think it has anything much to do with the mer-colony,” he said. “They seem innocent.”
“How would you know?” she asked sharply.
He spread his hands. “I guess I don’t.”
“Well, I believe it. They helped you return here in record time, and that’s a monstrous relief to me. And your splendid fishwife—with nerve like hers, why should she bother lying to an innocent like you?”
“But if it’s something else—some other crisis—why the radio silence? I mean, if someone got hurt, they’d call for help.”
“I don’t know,” Melanie said, frustrated. “But there certainly is something, and it has to involve Pacifa, because she deliberately stranded you there at the ship, she thought. Maybe Gaspar is in on it too. So Eleph tried to warn us.”
“But Pacifa is a good person! She wouldn’t—”
She laughed somewhat bitterly. “Men of any age aren’t very smart about women of any age. Women aren’t dumb about women. Though how I managed to fall for that business about taking up the ropes—”
“But if all of you were planning to come back, then the ropes would have been placed again.”
“Only that evidently wasn’t the plan. I’d have had to do it alone, and I’m not competent. I was isolated too, except for the radio, and I didn’t dare blab my suspicions there.”
“So what do you think—?”
“I think Pacifa had a mission from the start, and separating us had something to do with it, and now she’s completing it—and we’d better find out what it is and stop her, before—”
He nodded. “All we can do is look for them—carefully.”
She looked at his bicycle. “What is that?”
“Oh, the mer-folk gave me some charts of the area, so I can find my way around. They were going to show me the best routes, but then they gave me the lift on their sub, but I took the charts anyway, because they know something’s wrong and want to help. They said I would need them. I—I made a deal. They’re just testing how adaption works under pressure, so they can adapt people for colonizing Jupiter. Now that their presence here is known, they want America to know that’s all there is to it. I promised to do my best to—”
“Yes, of course. Let’s take a look.”
He used the balloon-gloves and opened the charts again. They were indeed detailed; they were conto
ur maps with special sites marked, such as the mer-colony, the Minoan ship, and the extent of the freshwater region. Also the supply depot.
“They didn’t need to follow us,” Melanie said. “They knew where we were going, all the time.”
“And they didn’t interfere,” Melanie said. “Unless that other depot—?”
“We didn’t see any evidence that anything had ever been there,” he reminded her. “I think that was our own foulup—I mean, whoever set up this mission.”
“Yes. We still don’t know who hired us, or for what.” She peered more closely. “What’s that?” She poked her finger through the chart without touching it.
He looked. “Two dots. Not far from here, by bike. Another supply depot?”
“That’s not the depot symbol.”
Now he saw something else. “Look—there’s one dot at the ship. And one here. Where we have been.”
“Those dots are people! One for you. One for me. And two others.”
“Where’s the fifth?” he asked.
They looked, but could not find a fifth dot. “They marked every member of our party by location, and kept it right up to date,” she said. “But one of us is missing.”
“Eleph?”
“He couldn’t have been alone, because he didn’t have a good radio. And someone cut him off. So he must be one of the two.”
“Then that’s where I have to go. Since I’m two days faster than anyone expects, my arrival may be a surprise. Maybe I can learn from him just what’s going on.”
“I’m coming too!” she said.
“But there may be danger.”
“What safety is there in being alone? I’ve had more than enough of it, these past two days.”
“Glad to have you with me,” he agreed.
They set off for the two dots, radios remaining off. Don wasn’t sure whether to be glad for the murky water; it prevented him from seeing far ahead, but also shielded him from the view of others. He took care to make no noise as they approached the place marked, and hooded his light. But he had to have some light to see, as the site was low enough to be dark.
He gestured to Melanie to stay back. Then he moved directly to the dots.
A tent was there, pitched onto a slope as if to allow for drainage. Don felt about himself—then realized with a shock that he was actually searching for some kind of weapon! What would he do with a weapon? If he had a gun, he wouldn’t know at whom to point it, and wouldn’t have the nerve to shoot it. He was just here to find out what was going on.
Still, if Gaspar were in on it—the man was powerful and stubborn, and experienced under the water. Don was very poorly equipped to tangle—
This was ridiculous! Don nerved himself and hailed the tent. “Hello!”
There was no response. But he saw the wheel of a bicycle. Eleph’s, by the look of it.
“Eleph!” he cried, going in.
Eleph was there—but he was unconscious. Don tried to shake the man awake, but had no success. Apparently he had been drugged.
There was no sign of the other person. Who had done this? Had Eleph been left here to die? No, the tent had been carefully pitched, open on both ends to channel the gentle current through, providing oxygen. Food packages and water were in easy reach. When Eleph woke, he would have no trouble getting along. He had merely been put out of the way for a few hours. Just as Pacifa had tried to isolate Don and Melanie.
Don cast about for an antidote, but realized that without specific knowledge of the drug used, it would be dangerous for him to tamper. Pacifa had had something that lasted for about four hours; she had used it to put Eleph out, so that they could set his arm. This was probably the same. The man seemed to be resting comfortably.
Don went out and signaled Melanie in. He explained the situation. “One of them must have drugged him, after he called me. That was about five hours ago, so the drug should be wearing off soon.”
“They never expected you back this fast,” she said. “Or that you’d have a chart that gave you this location. So he must have been drugged to prevent him from taking off while the other person went on some errand. This is our chance to do something.”
“Yes, but do what? By the time he wakes, the other will be back.”
“Unless we wake him sooner.” She knelt by Eleph and patted his face.
“That won’t work. I shook him, and—”
“He’s coming to!” she exclaimed. “Come on, get him up on his feet. Time is critical.”
Don obeyed. He hauled on Eleph, forgetting about the man’s arm, while Melanie helped from the other side. They got him into a sitting position. Eleph groaned and opened his eyes.
Slowly he recognized Don. He smiled. “Get me to my feet,” he said with difficulty. “That will make it wear off more rapidly. My head is spinning—-it seems like only hours since I called you.”
“It was,” Melanie said. “What happened, Eleph?”
But the man was holding his breath to keep from crying out with pain as they struggled to get him up. It was complicated because of the confined space and the three bikes and the man’s injury. But soon they were tramping back and forth between parked bicycles.
“Who drugged you?” Don asked.
“Gaspar. But do not blame him. He was trying to give Pacifa time.”
“What did I tell you!” Melanie exclaimed. “What’s she up to? Is it the mer-colony?”
“He doesn’t know about that yet,” Don reminded her.
Eleph winced, but not from physical pain. “I am sorry, Don. I do know. I have not been candid with you.”
“That is the understatement of the mission,” Gaspar said behind them.
Don whirled around, inadvertently yanking Eleph. If he had had any notion of catching anyone unawares, the initiative had now been reversed. Gaspar was unencumbered, while Don and Melanie had to support Eleph. Not that either would have been any match for the man, physically, under any circumstances.
“What are you talking about?” Melanie demanded.
“Why did you drug this man?” Don asked almost at the same time. “Why have you been keeping radio silence, when the sub couldn’t intercept it?”
“We had reason,” Gaspar said, maintaining a distance of about six feet. “Pacifa and I knew something was up. Both of you were straight, obviously. But we suspected that Eleph wasn’t what he seemed. So we arranged to isolate him.”
“So Pacifa is in on it,” Melanie said. “And she’s fooled Gaspar.”
“Why did Pacifa remove my return ropes?” Don demanded. “The two of you have been acting a lot more suspiciously than Eleph ever did!”
“She had to be sure you stayed put, until we had a chance to work this thing out,” Gaspar said evenly. “We would have preferred to have Melanie stay with you at the ship, but the mermaid complicated that, so Pacifa brought her back.”
“Work what thing out?” Don was getting angry now.
“The fact that Eleph represents a foreign universe.”
“What?” Don and Melanie said together. Don wasn’t sure which of them was more vehement.
“Not exactly foreign,” Eleph said. “And not inimical.”
“Will you tell the truth now?” Gaspar asked him.
“I must have appropriate clearance. Give me my communicator.”
Gaspar shook his head. “And let you call in an alien strike? No way.”
Don could hardly believe this. Eleph was some kind of agent?
“Where’s Pacifa?” Melanie inquired urgently.
Don realized that this was relevant. Pacifa had every reason to be here, and her absence was as ominous as Eleph’s admission.
“I know,” Eleph said, looking at his watch. “She departed twelve hours ago for your home base on land. We have to stop her!”
“You can’t stop her,” Gaspar said. “You could never keep up with her, let alone make up that hundred mile head start. None of us could.”
Don thought of the waiting Chinese submarine. H
e could catch her—if he had to. But he was hardly going to advertise that to Gaspar now! “Why is she doing that?”
“Because someone has to notify our government that our world is being infiltrated by alien agents.”
Don would have laughed had he not been so concerned. “You sound the way I thought Eleph did, once! And Pacifa was the one always talking about Cuba. But now you’re both accusing Eleph! What evidence do you have—for anything?”
“This,” Gaspar said. He brought out a small object. “Do you recognize it?”
“A locket,” Melanie said. “Eleph’s; he wears it on a chain around his neck.”
“But it’s phased,” Gaspar finished. “Otherwise I could hardly handle it like this, could I! He has had it all along.”
“A phased locket,” Melanie said. “Of course it is; it went through the tunnel with him. What’s wrong with that?”
“Watch.” Gaspar touched a finger to the little locket, and it sprang open. “Merely a ruse, you see. A tiny transceiver, not the kind we carry. Do you know what it is tuned to?”
No one answered. Gaspar turned it on.
“No, I’m afraid that won’t work,” a woman’s voice was saying faintly. “They have electronic guards. If I try to phase through, the alarm will sound.”
“But there is a world at stake!” a gruff man’s voice responded. “You have to get through!”
“There are a million worlds at stake,” she retorted. “Do you mean to risk them all for the sake of this one?”
There was a pause. “Sorry, I’m overtired. Near the end of my shift, and we lost three more during it. Very well, you’re on the spot. Better your way. Off.”
There was another pause. Then: “Proxy 5-12-5-16-12: Attention.”
“Acknowledging.”
“Status?”
“Extreme doubt. They have sought to imprison me.”
“But your mission was going well!”
“This was illusory. I now realize that they were playing me along, hoping to capture my technology. They refuse to heed my message.”
“Then we must terminate your mission.”
“I’m afraid this is the case. I regret my failure.”
“Stand by for recovery.”
There was another pause. Then another call for a proxy, by a different number.
Mer-Cycle Page 26
