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'It was taller than a man by half,' Vierho muttered. 'Jefe ... those stories
about the Serra dos Paresis ... '
'I heard the crowd talking about Monte Ochoa and the waterfront, something
about an orphanage,' Martinho said. 'What was that?'
'Rhin has gone to investigate,' Chen-Lhu said. 'There are some disturbing
reports. I'm having the crowds cleared out of the Plaza. People are being
ordered to disperse and go to their homes.'
'What are the disturbing reports?'
'That there has been some sort of tragedy at the waterfront and again at the
Monte
Ochoa Convent and orphanage.'
'What sort of tragedy?'
'That is what Rhin's investigating.'
'You saw that out there on the lawn,' Martinho said. 'Now will you believe
what we've been reporting to you these many months?'
'I saw an acid-shooting automaton and a man in the costume of a stag beetle,'
Chen-Lhu said. 'I'm curious to know if you were party to this deception.'
Vierho cursed under his breath.
Martinho took a moment to put down his sudden anger, said only, 'It didn't
look to me like a man in costume.' He shook his head. This was no time to let
emotion cloud reason.
Insects could not possibly grow that large. The forces of gravity ...
Again, he shook his head.
Then what was it?
'We should at least get samples of the acid off the lawn there,' Martinho
said. 'And that hole will have to be investigated.'
'I've sent for our Security Section,' Chen-Lhu said. He turned away, thinking
of how he would have to compose the reports on this - the one for his
superiors in the I.E.O. and the special report for his own government.
'Did you see how it appeared to dissolve downward into the hole when I hit it
with the spray?' Martinho asked. 'That poison can be painful, Travis. A man
would've screamed.'
'A man in protective clothing,' Chen-Lhu, speaking without turning. But he
began to wonder about Martinho. The man seemed genuinely puzzled. No matter.
This whole incident was going to be useful. Chen-Lhu saw that now.
'But it came back out of the hole,' Vierho said. 'You saw that. It came back.'
An abrupt growling sound came from the people being pushed out of the Plaza.
It passed through them like a wind - voice to voice to voice.
Martinho turned, studied them. 'Vierho,' he said.
'Jefe?'
'Get blast-pellet carbines from the truck.'
'At once, Jefe.'
Vierho trotted across the lawn toward the truck which stood now in an open
area with only a scattering of bandeirantes around it. Martinho recognised
some of the men - those of
Alvarez seemed most numerous, but there were bandeirantes also of the
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Hermosillo and
Junitza.
'What do you want with blast-pellet weapons?' Chen-Lhu asked.
'I am going to look in that hole.'
'My Security men will be here soon. We'll wait for them.'
'I am going now.'
'Martinho, I'm telling you that ... '
'You are not the government of Brazil, Doctor. I am licensed by my government
for a specific task. I am pledged to carry out that task wherever ... '
'Martinho, if you destroy evidence of ... '
'You were not out here facing those things, Doctor.
You were safe back there at the
Plaza's edge while I was earning the right to look in that hole.'
Chen-Lhu's face grew rigid with anger, but he held himself silent until he
knew he could control his voice, then said, 'In that case, I will go with you
now.'
'As you wish.'
Martinho turned away, stared across the Plaza to where the carbines were being
handed out of the rear of his truck. Vierho collected them, headed back across
the lawn. A tall, bald-
headed Negro with right arm in a sling fell into step beside Vierho. The Negro
wore a uniform of plain bandeirante white with the golden spray emblem of a
band leader at his left shoulder. His craggy, Moorish features were drawn into
a scowl of pain. 'There's Alvarez,'
Chen-Lhu said. 'I see him.'
Chen-Lhu faced Martinho, assumed a rueful smile to match his tone. 'Johnny -
let us not fight. You know why the I.E.O. assigned me to Brazil.'
'I know. China's already completed the realignment of its insects. You're a
big success.'
'We've nothing but the mutated bees now, Johnny - not a single creature to
spread disease or eat food intended for humans.'
'I know, Travis. And you're here to make our job easier.'
Chen-Lhu frowned at the tone of patient disbelief in Martinho's voice. He
said, 'Exactly.'
'Then why won't you let our observers or those from the U.N. go in and see for
themselves, Doctor?'
'Johnny! You certainly must know how long my country suffered under the white
imperialists. Some of our people believe the danger's still there. They see
spies everywhere.'
'But you're more a man of the world, more understanding, eh, Travis?'
'Of course! My great grandmother was English, one of the
Travis-Huntingtons. We have a tradition of broader understanding in my
family.'
'It's a wonder your country trusts you,' Martinho said. 'You're part white
imperialist.' He turned to greet Alvarez as the Negro stopped in front of
them. 'Hi, Benito. Sorry about your arm.'
'Hullo, Johnny.' Alvarez's voice was deep and rumbling. 'God protected me. I
will recover.'
He glanced down at the carbines in Vierho's hands, returned his attention to
Martinho. 'I
heard the Padre here asking for blast-pellets. You could only want them for
one reason.'
'I have to look in that hole, Benito.'
Alvarez turned, gave a stiff little bow to Chen-Lhu. 'And you have no
objections, Doctor?'
'I've objections, but no authority,' Chen-Lhu said. 'Is the arm severely
injured? I will have my own physicians see to it.'
'The arm will recover,' Alvarez mumbled.
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'He really wants to know if it was actually injured,' Martinho said. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]