Children of Tomorrow (16 page)

As he stared at the scene, he nodded thoughtfully. Apparently satisfied, he walked around his desk to the chair, and sat down. With pursed lips, he looked down at the sheet of paper - presumably the memorandum about Len Jaeger - that lay there directly in front of him. Abruptly, he picked it up, and started to read it.

He was still reading a moment later when a voice spoke from the screen behind him: “We reached our patrol area near the orbit of Uranus at 0323 hours, and are cruising in a widening spiral in the hope, as instructed, of intercepting a communication beam pointing at earth. As of 0911 hours, no contact, and no indications.’

Lane didn’t seem to hear. He finished reading the paper, and his eyes were slightly widened, and on his face there was a definite sardonic pleasure. He had obviously been reading something that was most interesting to him.

Briskly, he clicked on the intercom. Briskly, he said, ‘Air Scott.
⁴
‘
Yes, sir,’ came the voice.

‘
1 understand from your memorandum that Mr Jaeger during
a
short period of consciousness accused the Red Cat outfit of attacking and injuring him last night.
’
'

There was a pause at the other end. ‘As you probably know, Commander, the outfits have their version of such incidents available from Outfit CentraL'

The strong, determined face of the man in the big room twisted into a rejecting smile. He was visibly not interested in any of that, thank you - his expression stated. Aloud, he said, 'What could they possibly say on their own behalf, since the man
is
seriously injured?’

‘I don’t know, sir,’ Scott’s voice replied. ‘I merely checked on Mr Jaeger himself - which is what you asked for. If you also wish me to inquire from Outfit Central - ’

“No, no - ’ Impatiently. Pause, then: ‘If Mr Jaeger comes to any time during the day, let me know. It is my present intention to go over to the hospital and interrogate him personally.’

'Very well, Commander.’

Both men disconnected. Lane picked up the memorandum and read it again. The twisted smile on his face transformed into a harder, sterner look. He nodded half to himself, as if a decision were forming in his mind.

Before school began that morning, Mike Sutter conferred in his determined way with Johnny Sammo, leader of the Blue Badgers, and Tom Clanton of the
Yellow Deer outfit. The subject: Susan Lane.

The two older toys were doubtful to begin with, but Susan’s previous ‘offense of the same type’ - as Johnny Sammo put it - justified second-step action. And so the decision was made that Susan would be faced again by Marianne. After the other two boys had gone on to their classes, Marianne gazed uneasily at the boy whose moocher she was. ‘I didn’t know that was what you were going to talk about to Tom and Johnny. Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I didn’t have time,’ said Mike. He was gazing off down the street, and so he spoke casually, as if her question was a minor one. ‘I hope Susan hurries up. This before-school stuff is hard on the nerves. We don’t want to miss our classes.’

Fluttery fingers touched his arm. He glanced around in surprise, and down into a disturbed egg-shaped face. ‘Why not wait, Mike, and talk to the others?’ said the black-haired girl.

‘Uhn-uhn. Susan confessed to me, herself. As second to Lee in such matters, I consulted with two other outfit leaders. That’s the rule.’

‘I know, but - ’ She was tugging at him now, because he had started to turn away. She continued in a slightly pleading tone, ‘B-but you’ve got to show your feelings for your friends, Mike.’ Mike seemed not to hear, perhaps because several groups of teenagers charged noisily past them and through the gate at diat moment. He continued to gaze along the street, presumably searching for Susan’s face among those of the swarming young people. Beside him, Marianne said, ‘Mike, you’ve got to listen to me. Lee and Susan are our best pals.’

That caught him. He turned with a frown of amazement, and said to the girl, “What are you talking about? I’m doing this
for
them - not against them.’'

‘She confessed, didn’t she?’ Marianne persisted, ‘She called you up, herself. That’s being a jabber.’-

‘Wel-l-ll.’ It was Mike’s doubt showing at last. ‘That’s sack. All right, let’s wait until after school.’ He turned to Bud Jaeger, who had been standing silently by as befitted a new member, Mike said, ‘Bud, what do you think of this?
’

TJh,’ said Bud, ‘I’ll go along.’ He stood there for a moment, an oddly ugly teenager, but kind of earnest in his manner. ‘What’s all this about?’ he said. The thought had apparently never crossed his mind before. He finished: These outfits, I mean.’

Mike was smilingly shaking his bead, ‘You’ve got the book, haven’t you?’

‘
Yes, but -
‘

‘
But what? Read it, that’s what.
’

^But,’ protested Bud, ‘I never heard of anything like this before. Where I come from, a kid sort of goes along with his father, and - ’ He stopped.

Mike was matter-of-fact now. ‘Outsiders don’t have the same problems we have in a base like this. That’s what the rules say. But when I see a booter like your old man. I’m betting they need the outfits as much outside as in,’ he said.

Marianne was tugging at Mike’s arm. ‘We’d better hit it into school.’

‘
Oh - oh, sack,’ The boy glanced casually back at Bud Jaeger, 'Chatter with you later,’ he said. ‘Sack?

Cap it,’ said Bud.

From time to time during the morning, Estelle glanced into her daughter’s room. Each time, Susan was lying with her eyes closed. And so the mother tiptoed away, each time, as softly as she had come. However, about noon she was relieved to hear noises from the bedroom. The toilet, adjoining, flushed. The faucets in Susan’s bathroom made their water rustling sound. Shortly thereafter, Susan, wearing a robe over her pajamas, came through the kitchen doorway and settled into a chair at the breakfast table.

The older woman had anticipated some such eventuality. In moments, now, she produced a glass of orange juice, a cup of hot tea, hot toast, butter and marmalade - “Unless you want something else, dear.’

The girl spoke for the first time. Her voice was subdued. ‘No, mother, this is fine,’ she said.

The blonde woman started to get herself a cup and saucer. Abruptly, there was a look on her face of awareness of what she was doing. Firmly, she put the dishes back into the cupboard. Then, she walked to the table, and sank into a chair opposite her
daughter. She had evidently decided what she would say, for she launched in promptly, “Your father was greatly concerned about your illness, and wanted to call a doctor. But I thought I’d better talk to you first.’

‘Thanks, mother,’ said Susan, in the same low voice. She sat for a long moment, and then she sighed. ‘Things just got too complicated, mother. I haven’t told you, but I’ve been on probation with the outfit ever since I went out that first night with Captain Sennes.’

It was unexpected news. That there would be a problem in that area was completely startling. Estelle echoed ‘With the
outfit!
’
She sagged a little. Then she murmured, ‘Probation!’ and wiggled her fingers, and twisted her face as if she would somehow thrust the word away from her. Finally, her spirit came back, and she protested,
‘
But you’ve always been such a good little jabber!’ With an effort, she caught herself, and finished in a sharp tone,
‘Whatever for?

Susan made a body gesture of her own. There was impatience in it, and frustration, and also a kind of despair. When she finally spoke, it was with a sigh that she said, “When Peter brought me home that first night, we stood for a moment at the door, talking, and then ... well, he surprised me by lip-kissing
me...
and who but Lee and Mike should be passing and see it.’

‘Oh!’ Estelle sat with a faraway expression in her eyes, considering the confession and its implications. Her face presently showed relief, but she seemed to need some reassurance, for she said, ‘
That’s
what put you on probation?’

Susan nodded as grimly as a sixteen-year-old could. ‘Lee wasn’t going to do anything,’ she said, ‘But Mike - ’

The relief in Estelle had grown to the extent that she said, now, gently, ‘Mike was right, wasn’t he?’

‘But Peter surprised me,’ Susan protested. T read him the rules right after that, but - ’ She shrugged hopelessly.

The woman was nodding, as if she could visualise the scene. She said, ‘Lee and Mike evidently didn’t see or hear that part,
¹
’ She gave her daughter a quick, questioning look.
‘
You’re sure it was just probation?’

‘Yes,’ said Susan, with another sigh.

‘I hate to say it, dear,’ her mother said in a frank tone, “but that seems like an awfully small thing to get sick over after all this time.’ When there was no reply, the blonde woman studied the troubled girl, and then asked, ‘And that’s over in a couple of days? - the probation I mean.’

‘I suppose so.’ Susan’s voice was reluctant and unhappy. Abruptly, she clenched her hands, and burst out, ‘Oh, mother,

the whole thing is so
unfair
.
’

Estelle was puzzled now. ‘It willj won’t it? - be over in a couple of days? The probation?’- Tes, but - ’

‘
But what? Darling,’ the woman shook her head in a concerned way, ‘I can’t help you if you don’t push everything out,’ Susan sighed. ‘There’s nothing.’

Are you holding something back?"

’No, no.’ Impatiently. ‘Nothing like that. Nothing else has
actually
happened. I’ve just had the feeling grow on me that it’s all too much.’

It was the woman’s turn to sigh. “Well, I guess I know that feeling.’ She finished reassuringly, ‘When you go off probation, that should fade, don’t you think so?’

Susan shrugged. ‘It all seems such a waste of time. Suddenly, I wish I were through school, and grown up, and off somewhere where things are less difficult.’- The girl’s head was bent, and she was gazing down. And so her mother gave her several quick, anxious glances. There was puzzlement in the woman’s eyes, and the uncertainty of someone who feels that the whole story has not been told, but also feels that getting that story is not going to be easy. And yet, she had to have it. ‘Listen, darling,’ Estelle said, with that sudden awareness, ‘tonight, when your father comes home, I’m going to have to tell him how you are, and why didn’t I call a doctor if it’s serious. So, if I’m going to have to cover up for you, I want to be sure what it is I’m covering. Now, listen, you haven’t been having an affair with Captain Sennes, have you?’

Nothing like that - ’ Susan began, indifferently. She stopped. The momentousness of the question brought her head up, and knit her brow. Following hard on that was embarrassment.
‘
What a thing to say, mother!’

The woman’s face and manner continued to show awareness that she
would
have to answer questions that night. And not just ordinary questions, but the determined, probing questions of a husband and father who had his own, intense reasons for being critical of his daughter, and of his wife’s relation to the daughter. ‘Sack,’ said Estelle bravely. ‘And now, one more question: have you ever had sex with any person of the opposite sex - like Lee, for example?’

‘Oh, mother, for heaven’s sake - no!’ Susan’s face was suddenly scarlet. ‘That’s absolutely ridiculous. You know what the rules are. No sex until nineteen, and then I’d have to be married. Of course, I do masturbate a little bit, but that’s permitted by the rules, and besides you and I discussed that when my period
began. And you told me I could, and I should. And 1 did.’

It was visibly the complete confession. And the woman was contrite, ‘I’m sorry, dear,’ she said. ‘I just had a sudden feeling of alarm. You were being .. . you
are
being mysterious.’

The rich color had faded from Susan’s face. She was gloomy now. ‘It all seems so confusing,’ she said, vaguely.

The blonde woman bit her lip. The conversation was over, because she really had no additional questions. She felt dissatisfied, as if somehow she had missed a key point. Yet there was also relief, because she believed her daughter. And so the main point was settled in her mind. Nonetheless, she sighed, and said, ‘Why don’t you go back to bed, then? Will you be going back to school tomorrow?’

‘I suppose so,’ said Susan, unhappily.

‘If anyone calls today - like Lee, or Marianne, or the outfit in any way - ’ asked Estelle, ‘do you want to talk to them?’

The girl shook her head miserably. ‘Just tell them I’ll see them all tomorrow,’ she replied. And then she added, ‘.. . I guess.’

All in all, it was a disturbing conversation for Estelle. But she recognised that what there was of it, she had now had . .. such as it was.

During the rest of the girl’s breakfast - which was not long - there was silence between mother and daughter. In a minute Susan, after eating one of the two slices of toast, got up wordlessly and went out into the hallway and presumably off to her bedroom. Only after she had gone did Estelle suddenly seem to remember something. She got up and walked to the door, called out to the distances of the house, ‘Did you phone anyone in your outfit that you weren’t coming in today?’