A Simple Truth (27 page)

"DANGER, LEAVE THE TRANSPORT TUBE AT ONCE."

It was issued with such commanding force that neither even thought of disobeying it.  As soon as their feet touched ground they launched themselves at the approaching opening and when near enough hurled themselves through, Sharma first and Knight right behind him.  They sat on the outside of the tunnel wall panting and perspiring, their exertion momentarily preventing speech.

They had not fully recovered when a draught from the tunnel entrance signalled the arrival of a vehicle.  A red alien appeared with a large yellow disc behind his head.

"Follow me
,"
ordered the alien, swinging himself back into the tunnel.  Sharma and Knight looked at each other in amazement.  The creature had spoken.  Neither moved so he appeared once more and repeated the instruction.  Knight suspected that the disc was connected with the ability to speak.  Perhaps the sound came from the disc
itself;
certainly the creature gave no indication of having produced the sound.  After all, he had no mouth to speak with.  This time they complied with the request.

"Where are you taking us
?"
asked Knight, shouting to overcome the absor
bing
effect of his helmet.  "For examination
,"
replied the alien.  "Why?"  No reply.  Knight decided that he did not like this development at all. 

"What if we don't want to come
?"
he demanded.  "You are required for examination
,"
repeated the creature stubbornly.  Sharma put a restraining hand on his younger companion's arm.  "Let's just wait and see
,"
he advised.

A cylinder had appeared in front of them so they stepped inside.  The tunnel walls blurred for a few minutes and then became still again.

"Follow me
,"
said Red in his flat monotone.  It was impossible to judge whether he was angry or indifferent, friendly or hostile.  The words alone conveyed very little.

Knight found the situation thoroughly disconcerting but Sharma seemed to take it all quite calmly.  Perhaps he was just better at concealing his feelings.

"We wish to leave your ship now
,"
said Sharma in a matter of fact tone of voice.  Knight looked back, surprised at his sudden defiance.  Sharma was not following the alien but standing his ground inside the cylinder.

"We have to contact our people on earth
,"
he continued, "would you take us out please?"

Well this was a change, thought Knight.  He stepped back into the cylinder and
a
waited developments.  Presently their guide returned.  "Follow me
,"
he repeated and turned once more.

"Will you show us out
?"
persisted Sharma.

The creature stopped and turned again.  He seemed
confused;
perhaps such an event was outside his experience.  He appeared to be quite unable to cope.  As they watched his gaze drifted away and his eyes became vacant.  He rocked slightly and Knight wondered if he was about to pass out.  The creature did not fall but his head rolled weakly to one side and then his whole body froze, as if in a state of catalepsy.

Knight looked enquiringly at Sharma, who returned his look but said nothing.  Slowly the alien's head began to stir, the power of movement ebbed back into his stiffened body and gradually he resumed his former state.

"Will you show us out
?"
said Sharma again as though nothing had happened.

"If you wish then certainly
,"
replied their guide, re-entering the cylinder.  Knight gasped, the response was surprising in itself but what was more surprising was the animation that now filled the alien's voice.

"Really
,"
asked Knight, unable to conceal his astonishment.  "Of course, we have no wish to detain you against your wishes
,"
he answered.

This was much better.  Red had become almost human.  Suddenly things seemed a lot less sinister.  It was as though the creature had formerly been in a trance, from which he had now recovered.

"Why have you come to earth
?"
asked Sharma.

"To pursue our work
,"
responded Red, "although you are not quite what we had expected to find." 

"What did you expect
?"
continued Sharma. 

"That
will take some time to explain;
perhaps you will return soon so that we may answer your questions and discuss our work."

It seemed that they were about to leave just as things were getting interesting.  Sharma must have read Knight's mind for before
Knight
could suggest delaying their departure he quickly spoke up for them both.

"We shall request permission to return when we have discussed the position with our colleagues.  We would welcome the opportunity for further talks but must return to our own vessel first.  How can we contact you if we are allowed to return?"

'
Allowed to return
,
' thought Knight,
'
when earth hears of this development we'll be ordered to return.
'

"We shall know when you do and will meet you.  This way please."

They had arrived.  They followed the alien out to find themselves on the outermost level, the silver skin overhead.  It was impossible to know for sure whether this was the sphere through which they had entered, though it looked the same.  Another Red was waiting for them at the tunnel exit.  This one was fitted with what Knight recognised as one of the peculiar collars that could control the local gravitational field.

"I shall look forward to your return
,"
said their gui
de genially.  There was no last-
minute attempt to change their minds and no excuse for delay.  They really were to be released after all.  The alien with the collar lifted them effortlessly up to and through the silver skin while his speaking companion watched from below.

Outside the ferry floated just as they had left it.  The alien still held them
firmly;
he had no visible protection from the vacuum but seemed quite unconcerned about it.  Sharma noticed that their own ferry's safety cable was still extended but that it entered the sphere at some considerable distance from them.  He considered trying to manoeuvre round to it but decided that a straight approach to the ferry would be simpler and probably safer.  Their strong companion waited until they were clear of the sphere's gravitational field and their orientation stable before completely releasing them.  He watched their return like an anxious mother hen, and only when they were safely inside the ferry did he disappear back into the sphere.

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

When Knight had been abducted not only was transmission
from him
to the WSA lost but also of course to the outside world.  And the outside world was worried.  All the known facts had been explained together with details of the plan of action as soon as it had been decided upon, but people were suspicious.  They accused the WSA of hiding something and demanded to know what.  All felt unsure and who could blame them?  There was an alien craft in orbit with an unknown purpose, and now a human being had been taken prisoner.  More recently and to the shame of Naganda and Lincoln the accusations had become true.  It had been decided that the disappearance of Sharma would be conce
aled; people were jumpy enough, t
here was no point in risking a panic.  Lincoln was very glad of Naganda's presence, he was blunt enough and thick-skinned enough to rebuff the complaints and information demands from what seemed to be the massed might of all the world's governments and influential bodies.

After the computer's surprising report it had soon been established that the safety cable had indeed been unclipped, and prompt action was taken.  Naganda declared that the aliens' action was to be treated as 'Provocative', in that two people had been taken against their will.  There had been no objections to this, but Lincoln had strong misgivings about Naganda's decision to send up the armed boarding party he had kept in readiness for just such an emergency.  He particularly objected to their being armed, but Naganda had pointed out that they were his best people, all highly trained and disciplined,
and
they would not use their weapons
except on his direct order
.  Contact and communication was to be their first priority.  His mind was made up and argument was fruitless.  The launch had been made, the party were in orbit, and expected to rendezvous with the vessel in fifteen minutes.

Over an hour had passed since Sharma's unscheduled departure and hopes were running thin of resumed contact.  Lincoln was in constant touch with the boarding party, trying to instil into their hard military leader the first principles of xenothology, hoping to persuade him not to interpret any alien action by human standards.  He felt that he was being listened to very politely but largely ignored. 
Major
Bhatia was used to giving and taking orders but not to being instructed in matters of strategy by a civilian.  Lincoln felt that here was a potential disaster in the making.  Something had to be done, he conceded that, someone had to find out what was happening, but doing it this way needed only a slight misunderstanding, an element of misjudgement or confusion, to trigger a holocaust.  He was very conscious that humanity had already been responsible for grievous damage to the aliens'
vessel;
one more mistake might be our last.

Naganda was less interested in the boarding party than in framing a suitable bulletin for general release.  He had the ability to delegate responsibility and he knew his people.  He was confident that they understood the situation and his
orders
, and thereafter was content to leave things in their hands.

The ferry had been left as it was, and the safety cable was still inside the sphere, held steady by the artificial gravity, just in case Sharma or Knight or both somehow managed to return to it.

"Communication from Sharma
,"
signalled the ferry's computer unexpectedly over the radio.  The flat unemotional tone made the report sound routine, but it might have been a clap of thunder for the reaction that followed.  For a second no-one spoke or moved.  Then everyone spoke at once.  Naganda's chief engineer was the first to respond sensibly, and she simply requested further information.

"Radio communication received from Sharma
,"
responded the computer.  "He and Knight are returning to the ferry using their personal jets." 

"Shall I request a relay so we can talk to them
?"
she asked Naganda.

"No
,"
he snapped, "let them get back to the ferry first.  Have the computer advise us as soon as they're safely inside."

The next few minutes crawled by interminably.  Lincoln could see in his mind's eye the tiny image of Sharma and Knight inching their way precariously from the enormous sphere to the tiny ferry.  Were they both well?  Would they make it?  He waited, tense, heart pounding, hardly daring to breathe, until that wonderful, unbelievable message leapt like
a
deliverance
across the vacuum of
space.  "Entry routine complete;
Sharma and Knight on board."

All t
he ground staff were overcome with joy.  It required easily five minutes of repeated 'are you sure you're both all right?' sort of questions before everyone settled down enough to hear a detailed account of what had happened.  Naganda asked if there had been any hostility or any reason to fear the aliens' motives in being here.  Sharma explained that there was plenty of confusion to be ironed out but no, there had been no hostility. 

"Very well then
,"
he said, turning to the
communication
officer.  "Resume broadcasting after the usual ten minute
'
s delay, the fuss will soon die down once they hear Sharma and Knight's voices again.  And tell the boarding party to resume standby status." 

The two heroes recounted their adventures, Knight first, then Sharma, and then both filling in the details of their reunion and subsequent events.  Everyone listened intently, as did the rest of the world ten minutes later.  Occasionally someone broke in with a question until Lincoln suggested that questions be noted and saved until later.  He felt it better to hear the story uninterrupted before any discussion began.

After the story the questions began.  Lincoln stood up and waved his arms for silence and order.  He asked if there was any need for haste in returning to the alien ship.  They had made no promises as to time explained Knight, but curiosity demanded an early return.

"Then I suggest a considerable break
,"
he proposed.  "You have both been under intense stress and need a rest to calm down, and perhaps a few hours sleep."