A Simple Truth (13 page)

"I don't think it can last much longer
,"
Lincoln tried to sound reassuring.

"I'm getting too old and tired for this sort of thing Arthur.  You're doing a fine job but I fear I'm not giving you the support you need."

"Nonsense," replied Lincoln a little too quickly, "it is I who should give more support to you."  He was aware that the response was unconvincing.

Dent looked at Lincoln and gave him a tire
d and fatherly smile.  "Come on;
let's get the rest of it over with."

Things eased off a bit after the break.  All were slowing down and the assembly seemed more willing to think better of the uninvited visitors.  Immediate physical retaliation was ruled out.  Instead a message would be transmitted to the approaching craft explaining humanity's fears and asking for a full explanation of their intentions.  It was agreed that the full story would be given, honestly and simply, including the effect of the music and of the fear and suspicion that was aroused.

At the same time preparations would be made for extensive civil defence measures including rapid evacuation of populated areas, stockpiling of food and other essentials, and establishment of multiple communications systems between governments and military bases, in case the worst came to pass.

The anxious reporters were then called in to have explained the full story and the proposed measures.

Dent and Lincoln were well satisfied with the outcome.

"Well done Arthur
,"
said Dent with feeling, "your arguments might well have saved the human race."

Lincoln wondered if he was completely serious, but his face testified to his sincerity.

"You too George
,"
he countered.

"Oh no;
t
his was your day Arthur, you were the man they listened to."

Lincoln felt a glow of pride that Dent should thi
nk of him that
way.  He couldn't help reflecting on how things had turned out.  Only just over four weeks ago he had felt as nervous as a schoolboy at the thought of seeing George Dent
again
face to face.  Now he had been arguing fiercely against the most powerful people in the world, and not feeling self
-
conscious about it
at
all.  He realised that if a person was desperate enough he or she could do anything.

At the hotel Lincoln lay on his bed intending to relax briefly then take a shower and change clothes.  Afterwards he would rejoin Dent for a hearty meal, but instead he fell into a deep and much needed sleep.

***************

Lincoln
vaulted over a half-
demolished wall and into the road.  Buildings were ablaze all around, everywhere there were people screaming.  Although it was
only
mid
-
afternoon the sky was dark
, obscured by thick black smoke,
acrid
,
choking
,
suffocating.

He ran wildly, he must get away, must head for open country.  If only he knew in which direction to run.  Overhead
was the vast alien ship
, immune to attack, terrifying in its single
-
minded desire for total destruction.  It had been only three days since the first of the ships reached earth, but now they were everywhere, bent on the complete annihilation of every living thing on the planet.  Another burst of energy and more buildings erupted into flame.

Lincoln didn't stop to look round, he had seen it before.  He ran until his legs felt as though they were on fire but he knew there could be no rest until he was well away from the city.  Miraculously he had escaped injury.  All around people lay, most dead, some half alive, limbs missing, clothes in rags, heads and bodies burned and bloody.  The sky seemed clearer now, and crumbling buildings gave way to open stretches of ground.  Perhaps he would escape this time.  He grasped the slender hope like a drowning man grasps a straw, reassuring himself, telling himself that he was almost safe, just a few more steps to safety.

Suddenly he became aware that he was running in an oval of light that moved forward as he did.  He looked round.  An enormous searchlight from the alien vessel had picked him out and was following his movements.

He stopped, racked with pain and unable to
breathe
fast enough to satisfy his desperate need for air.  There could be no chance of escape now.  Fear and despair filled his mind.  He waited for the inevitable, but strangely it did not come.  Instead he heard a voice.

"Do not be afraid
,
Arthur Lincoln."

He looked around but saw no-one.  Then something told him that the voice came from the ship.

"You alone will be saved.  You alone of all the living things on earth will not die.  We owe you that Arthur Lincoln.  We owe you that."

The voice was mocking, scornful, and for a moment he stood, wondering.  And then the fear that he had known earlier was replaced by a much more terrible emotion.  He alone had convinced the world leaders not to retaliate.  But for him humanity would have had a chance.  But for him there might indeed have been time to avert the end of the world.

He wept.  He fell to his knees and cried out in anguish.  He cried out in vain, there was no-one to hear him.  He had acted in the best interests o
f humanity or so he had thought;
how could he have known that this would happen.  He rocked back and forth on his knees, pitying himself, hating himself.  He tore at his clothes, his hair, his flesh.  The knowledge of his treachery burned into his mind like a branding iron, and in to
rment he wailed like a mortally
wounded animal.

Gradually he became aware of a hand on his shoulder shaking him.  And as this awareness increased the scene of horror before him began to dissolve.

"Sir, sir," the owner of the hand repeated urgently, over and over.  Lincoln awoke, bathed in sweat, still fully clothed and with a pair of anxious eyes looking down at him.  "Thank God you're awake at last
,"
said a kindly voice, "that was quite a nightmare."

"I'll be all right now
,"
Lincoln answered, "thank you for waking me."  He rose and went over to the bathroom to cool his burning face.  The porter and Lincoln's anxious neighbour who had raised the alarm left quietly.  Lincoln undressed and showered, then dressed in some casual clothes and went down for a drink.  The dream had severely shaken him.  He had to think things out.  The full impact of the responsibility that he had taken was only now dawning on him.  Until now his only fear had been of failing to convince the world to take no hostile action.  Now it seemed that his subconscious was showing him the other side of the coin.

He sat for a while in the night bar and ma
de small-
talk with the bartender.  The normality and sheer dullness of the situation was reassuring.  This small bar was only used at
night;
it nestled in a corner of the hotel lounge, an oasis of light amidst the surrounding darkness.  Lincoln stared into his whisky.  Alcohol did not usually hold much appeal, but tonight a stiff Scotch was entirely appropriate.

Half an hour later he was feeling more himself again.  The dream had made him stop and think but it was no more than that, just a dream.  His resolution was unchanged.

He never discussed the dream with anyone.  But he would long recall the vivid emotions, and the ultimate horror of having influenced the world's reaction at
the most critical moment of
its
history.

And of having been wrong.

9
   
S
uccess
and
F
ailure

Lincoln awoke at seven hundred to the gentle music of the bedside speaker.  He felt on top of the world.  From his window he had a fine view of the Indian Ocean, sparkling and glistening in the morning sunlight.  Outside the air was perfectly clear and still.

He opened the window and breathed deeply,
filling his lungs with the sea-
scented freshness of the early morning ai
r.  Sixty-
four storeys below people were beginning their daily routines.  Traffic passed with barely a sound and men and women moved about like busy little ants, immersed in their own preoccupations and oblivious to all else.  The sun was bathed in a hazy yellow light and surrounded by a beautiful clear blue sky, uninterrupted anywhere by clouds.  The dream was a faraway murmur now, and Lincoln turned his back on it.

At breakfast a messenger brought over a sealed note and handed it to Dent.  He opened it, read the contents and smiled.  Without a word he handed the note to Lincoln.  It was confirmation that the proposed message to the aliens had been transmitted at two thirty from the New South Wales Observatory and was being repeated hourly.  The message was exactly that which had been agreed, and was transmitted on a wideband carrier to maximise the likelihood of reception.

Lincoln made some quick calculations.  "The round trip should take under three hours, so we should receive their reply anytime."

"Allow a bit of thinking time
,"
suggested Dent.

"Well, say sometime later this morning or early afternoon."  The two men were well pleased.

"I have complete faith in our alien friends
,"
Dent added confidently, "when they understand the suspicion we feel they will set the record straight."

Lincoln felt infinitely better on the return flight than he had on the outward journey.  Then he had been continually rehearsing his arguments, his stomach was compressed like a tight knot
,
and he had been
full of tension and anxiety
.  Now he relaxed in a glow of satisfaction.  The world was a rosy place again.  A special outward flight had been arranged but there was no need for haste on their return so they had waited for a general service flight.  Lincoln enjoyed an excellent lunch and looked forward to being with his family again.

A little old lady sat across from Dent.  She was patently nervous and kept seeking reassurance from the flight attendant.  Dent took over the job of jollying her along and very soon she was chatting away merrily about the family she was about to rejoin after twenty years, all cares forgotten.

Lincoln reflected on the warmth of his friend and colleague.  He could sway governments with his persuasive arguments and confident air, and could easily assuage the fears of an old lady making her very first flight.  It was greatly to his credit that he was prepared to exercise his talents for just such a purpose, and Lincoln felt proud to know and be associated with such a man.

***************

Jean Forsyth enjoyed a sense of vindication.  Her diligence in tracking the source had been of vital importance.  But for her the approaching craft would not have been discovered.  Now an anxious world watched and waited for each successive measurement.  The ship or whatever it was came inexorably closer with each passing hour.  At first she had been surprised by the pacifist reaction.  She had assumed hostile intent and expected some form of defensive reaction.  She realised her foolishness now and grew less fearful after hearing the reports in which her old boss had played so decisive a role.  As he had pointed out, if they intended to attack why transmit anything at all?  They could monitor all communications and probably reach a high earth orbit before detection.  Retaliation, whether immediately successful or not, would almost certainly mean war with a power of unknown strength but of vastly superior technological status.  The criterion adopted was to wait until actual and deliberate harm was suffered before striking.  That way all else would have to fail before force was resorted to.  Defensive measures were being prepared of course but would not be used until it was certain that casualties were inevitable.

The numbers two and three instruments were in full time use in monitoring the source and by now over twenty
-
four hours had passed since the message had first been transmitted.  Unfortunately no sign of having received it had yet been given.

Geoff North came up behind Jean.  "Any change
?"
he asked, hoping like everyone else for a response to the message.

"No, just this
infuriating
music
,"
exclaimed Jean.

"Don't
criticise
the music
," advised Geoff,
"
w
ithout it we wouldn't know where they are!"

"I know, but what's the matter with them?  Do you think maybe they aren't monitoring what we transmit?"

"It has been suggested
,"
said Geoff, "but I don't agree.  If they speak our language and are sending us signals then surely they must be listening to our reactions."

"It's creepy
though;
they speak our language but choose to send only music.  I don't understand what their motives are."  Jean shivered involuntarily.