Children of Tomorrow (29 page)

"We didn’t do it. Bud. Is there some way we can talk to your father?’

‘I’ll ask him.
^,

‘Is he close by?
^!

“He’s outside - well, a projection of him is/

“Like the one that was here in Spaceport?’

’Yes’

He wants to talk to you, my father.

I told you not to give him any information. What kind of disobedience is this?

Mike says it's up to us jabbers to bring peace. The grown-ups can’t do it, he says.

I have just received instructions. Drop the second capsule,

B-but that'll kill Susan, too.

My son, do as your father commands you!

But I can’t do that to a member of my outfit. I can’t .
There was a long pause, then:
I won’t!

The father’s grim thought came:
What does Commander Lane want, you disobedient child?

I-I'll ask him.

A few minutes after eight o’clock, Spaceport time, the president announced to the world what had happened. The Chief Executive finished his account with
the dramatic statement that ‘at this very moment, Senior Fleet Commander John Lane and Chairman Desmond Reid of the Space Committee are on their way to the command ship of the alien fleet to present a complete refutation of the accusation that earth was responsible for bombs being dropped without warning on their home planet.’

It was a bold speculation on the part of the government leader. His words implied that the aliens were actually intending to negotiate, though it was obvious to expert observers that nothing had really happened that could logically have caused them to reverse their earlier negation of all communication with the human race. It was even possible - hinted the doubters - that Lane and Reid were already dead.

All that anyone knew was, the aliens agreed to allow Reid and Lane to board
Omnivulture 2681-E.
And they permitted Captain Sennes and Susan to return to earth on the space-lift that had delivered the two men. Sennes requested permission to be the
Omnivulture
pilot - but was turned down, on the grounds that he might still be under some kind of enemy control.

With that, the two men disappeared into silence.

The two great fleets stood by - while earth was, presumably, being tried.

At 7.30 the following morning, Susan phoned Lee. 1 won’t be at school today,’ she told him in a subdued voice, Tjut I suppose I’m going to be dashed. So why not let’s do that tonight?’

When Lee reported this to Mike, that individual said, ‘Well, she’s got a lot of chattering to do.’

The blond boy was silent. They were standing at the school gate, and he stared thoughtfully into the distance. He said finally,
‘
Under the circumstances - of Susan being willing - I see no reason for dashing her.’

The dark-haired youth gave him a startled look. Then: ‘Lee,’ he said, ‘I don’t think you should be the leader of the Red Cats any more.’

Lee was calm. ‘We’ll settle all that tonight. I’ve been thinking along the same lines.’

‘And for that remark,’ said Mike,
‘
1 think you ought to be dashed, too.’

‘I can see you’re still my old pal,’ said the older boy. But he was smiling, cheerful, not offended.

The lean boy was not to be stopped. He flashed, ‘You’ve shown a weakness with girls. So you’ve damaged first Dolores and now Susan.’

The smile faded from Lee’s face. ‘Let’s set me up to be dashed tonight - sack? We
will
settle Red Cat affairs... tonight. Dolores, Susan, me - you! Sack?’ He spoke tautly.

There was a pause. ‘Sack,’ said Mike at last. But, as Lee turned and walked rapidly into the school grounds, the younger boy’s face showed disturbance.

That night. . .

The sign above the door, into which dozens of jabbers streamed, said simply, OUTFIT CENTRAL.

Inside . . .

As the policeman, Henry, and his cover wagon associate of the previous morning, emerged from an inner room, they stopped short. Henry said, ‘Hey! there must be a dozen outfits here tonight. Wonder what’s going.’

“Let’s take a look,’ replied his companion pragmatically.

The two men walked to an open door further along the hallway. It was into it that the young people were disappearing. As the policeman ga
2
ed in, it was immediately obvious that it was a big meeting. Henry addressed Marianne, who was standing at the door. “What’s going on?’ he asked.

‘They’re going to dash, well, several kids,’ said Marianne, reluctantly, ‘including Lee.’

“Lee David?’ said the second constable, surprised.

Henry shook that shaggy-haired head of his. “Lee! These jabbers don’t play any favorites, do they?’

With that, the two men turned, and walked away - just as Marianne hurried forward to intercept Susan, who was somewhat hesitantly coming along at that moment.

‘You can’t go in, Susan. You’re next - after Lee.'

The blonde girl’s pretty face acquired a shocked e
xpression
. ‘Lee
!
’ she echoed, and her voice sounded outraged. Abruptly she was angry. ‘Why that’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m going in there, Don’t try to stop me!’

With that, she brushed past the smaller girl, who made vague protesting noises, and then shrugged and followed Susan into the big room. They entered, as Mike was stating the accusation: “His moocher had cheated on him,’ said the Conscience of the Red Cat outfit, ‘and he’s pretending it hasn’t happened. It’s the same complete failure to handle a girl in a responsible way as when he dealt with Dolores a few months ago,’

The dark-haired Dolores made a face, as her name was mentioned in that derogatory tone. She was standing close to Captain Peter Sennes, but she did not glance at him to see his reaction.

The senior outfit leader present was a slim, straight boy of eighteen and a half, with fine, sandy hair, who stood with his head held back in a proud fashion. He said in an adjudicating tone, ‘Of the other outfit leaders present, Tom Clanton and Johnny Sammo are the most familiar with this situation. I defer to Tom.’

Tom came forward. ‘Lee,’ he said, ‘what’s your answer to Mike?’

Lee was calm. ‘It says in the rules that some kids, boys as well as girls, commit suicide when they’re criticised. Something to do with their parents treating them like kings and queens when they were kids, die book speculates. Well, I’ve got to admit it never happened in my outfit until Dolores did it. What confused me was, I had misunderstood the idea. I thought they meant that kids who were innocent and falsely criticised, were the ones who committed suicide. It didn’t occur to me that someone who was as guilty as Dolores would pretend that she was the injured
party, and commit suicide - which I confess she has done - just as if she were innocent. So I was wrong, but I was wrong through ignorance. Does that take care of that?’ He glanced questioningly around at the faces of the other outfit leaders,

‘Keep pushing,’ said Tom Clanton.

‘About Susan,’ said Lee. ‘In my judgement, she was innocent that first time. Mike had her faced because he’s a little unstable where girls are concerned - there’s a hot-headedness about him that isn’t wrong because he’s a friend of the rules - but he’s like the inquisition judges of the Middle Ages. He carries a good thought to its extreme conclusion, and suddenly it’s not good any more. So let me just put it in one sentence’ - he clenched his fists and spoke the words through tight-clamped teeth - ‘when a girl like Susan runs off to marry a sailor, the outfit has got to go back to the beginning and start over again. When Susan gets here, I want - ’

He stopped. He had been turning, looking at various boys and girls in the room - and he came to Susan. Lee gulped, and said, TJh!’

The blonde girl walked out into the open space, and, turning, said in a trembling voice, ‘You leave Lee alone. I’m the one that deserves to be dashed.’

Lee recovered at that point, said hastily, ‘Susan, be quiet. It’s all right.’

Susan refused to be quiet. Listen, jabbers,’ she said, I’ve been a slab. Not a real bad one, because I came to in time. But for a week I’ve been bulging because a space sailor was rushing me.’ Lee said in a despairing voice, ‘Susan, shut up.’

Mike had come up beside the blond youth. Now, he touched Lee’s arm. ‘Let her chatter.’

Having said those reassuring words, he walked out into the open part of the floor, over to Susan, ‘Jabbers,’ he said, and he placed liis fingers lightly on the girl’s wrist, ‘I confess I feel now that Susan should not have been faced that first time. What’s more, I believe she’s been giving out with genuine jabber talk. All I want to know’ - he turned to her - ‘when did you snap out?’ ‘When I was having breakfast with him,’ said Susan. ‘There he sat double-talking to me, and I suddenly saw him for what he was - just another old man, really.’

Sennes winced, then closed his eyes, and then suppressed a smile.
‘

Mike continued, “Why did you go on the trip after that?’ Susan was surprised,
‘
You don’t think I was going to miss a fabulous trip like that . . . Jabbers,’ she said earnestly to everybody in general, ‘you don’t know what you’ve been missing.’

The lean boy waited until she had finished, and then said, ‘The trip may be all that great, but I think this particular sailor was jabber hunting and ought to be made an example of.’

Dolores, who was standing beside Sennes now, very close, did a twisting thing with her body.
‘You
would,’ she said.

Sennes spoke up in his calm voice, with that note of infinite courage in it. ‘Am I on trial here?’ he asked.

Dolores gave him a startled glance, and then she looked around the room, wide-eyed. ‘Is jabber hunting illegal?’ she asked. ‘I thought in such situations only the jabbers were guil - ’ She stopped. And stood there, and her eyes showed that her thoughts were turning inward.

Lee now walked forward to the open floor. He paused in front of Dolores. ‘Are you prepared to join an outfit?’

Dolores seemed not to hear.

Susan moved over and stood beside Lee. ‘C’mon, Dolores,’ she urged, ‘please confess. You don’t want to go to camp.’

The dark-haired girl did her sudden recovery. She turned with a faint, cynical smile, and looked up at Sennes, who returned her look with a shocked unhappiness. ‘Maybe I should get married
!
' said Dolores.

‘You’re too young to marry,’ said the flight officer hastily.

‘But I
know
so much,’ said Dolores in her most caressing voice, ‘and I’ll be eighteen next week.’

Mike came forward. ‘What’s going on here?’ he asked suspiciously.

What was going on was blackmail by a girl who had suddenly realised that the man in the case was as much under threat as she
was.

Dolores continued in a silken tone, ‘I think I’d make a good wife for a space sailor. And if he doesn’t come back from a hike. I’m just the girl who can get herself another husband.’

The roomful of young people was silent. They were all looking at an equally silent Captain Sennes - who had a faraway look in his eyes.

‘Captain,’ Dolores went on, ‘do you think I’d be able to help a sailor by being married to him?’

The man came back from his distant mental world. He seemed resigned. ‘Yes,’ he said slowly, ‘I think you would.’

The girl was triumphant. She turned to the Red Cat leader. ‘Listen, Lee ... I’d like for one week to find myself a husband. I’m one of those bridges , . . under which too much water has flowed. I don’t think I belong in an outfit.’

The blond boy was thoughtful, ‘After listening to what you’ve just said, I don’t think you belong in an outfit either.’ He turned

to Scones. ‘If no one objects, you may go now. I think your case will be settled within a week.’ He glanced at Dolores. ‘Sack?’ ‘Sack/ said that delighted creature.

She thereupon tucked her fingers posssessively in Sennes’s arm, and walked to the door with him, and out. No one objected, Marianne had slipped over beside Mike. “What was all that?
¹
she whispered. ‘I’m lost.
⁸

The boy answered in a tone of mild sarcasm^ 'You have just witnessed a fox outfoxed/

The little egg face was lost in thought for a space of seconds. Then, her face brightened. ‘I have an idea/ she said, ‘that whoever marries Dolores will get what he deserves.’

The voice of Tom Clanton sounded above all other sounds.
^!
Jabbers/ he said in a clear, loud tone, ‘as I see it, the problem of the Red Cats has been totally resolved, Lee remains as leader. Susan is reinstated, having confessed like a good little jabber.’ He looked around. ‘Sack?’

There was a chorus of sacks.

‘
Anybody no-sack?’ asked Tom. Nobody spoke. ‘Special Meeting ended/ said the boy.

Lee said to Susan. ‘Everything is straightened out but you and me.’ He paused, because there was a look in her eyes. He grabbed her hand. ‘C’mon/ he said.