Season of Passage, The (33 page)

look at what was at stake - the lives of five bil ion people. Every precaution had to be taken that we didn't return to Earth with an infection. In the

Soviet Union they fol owed similar reasoning. The Russian ships were equipped with devices that could completely destroy any infection.'

'What devices?' Lauren asked.

'The Karamazov, the orbiting Gorbachev, and the lander we have been unable to locate, al carry or carried thermonuclear war heads.'

'Jesus!' Gary exclaimed. 'That's what made this hole. Wait a second. How do you know that the Russian ships have bombs aboard?'

'I assume that they do,' Jim said. 'I'm certain I'm right. It explains this hole. And, you see, we have a similar warhead aboard the Hawk.'

'What?' Gary cried.

'Tel me you're kidding,' Lauren said.

'We have a warhead,' Jim said. 'Bil and I have known about it since before we left. If at any time we feel we have caught an unusual infection, we

are to contact Houston. They wil study the disease, as we wil study it here. But even if our symptoms disappear, we are never to return home. We

could be carriers. The danger would be too great.'

'We're just supposed to blow ourselves up?' Lauren asked.

'Yes,' Jim said.

'Why wouldn't they just let us die here?' Lauren asked. 'Why the bomb?'

'The bomb is there in the event that some of us want to return and some don't,' Jim said.

'Where is it?' Gary asked.

'In the basement - in the garage. It's wel shielded. I don't know exactly how powerful it is.'

'Are you saying the Russians used their bomb,' Lauren asked 'and kil ed themselves intentional y?'

'Yes,' Jim said. 'More specifical y, I think Commander Dmitri Maximov detonated it. Only the top two ranks of our crew knew about the Hawk's

bomb. I imagine the Russians would have fol owed a similar procedure. Ivan was second in command. We know he didn't trigger it.'

'Why didn't NASA tel me?' Lauren asked. 'I'm the doctor.'

'You're also the youngest,' Jim said. 'It's very difficult to push a button that you know wil kil you.'

'I see,' Lauren said. 'So you feel Dmitri was convinced his crew was contaminated, and that he tried to stop the infection before it could spread to

Earth?'

'Yes,' Jim said.

Gary sighed. He said it for al of them. 'That means we probably have the same disease. And that we can never go home.' There was a silence. The

sun had set. Their own personal night was about to begin, Jim thought. It would be long. He spoke gently. 'Not necessarily. Perhaps this infection is

localized, and spreads only through a specific mechanism.'

'There is something wrong with this whole theory,' Lauren said. 'How could Carl have caught the disease?'

'Yeah,' Gary said. 'And if Ivan was infected with this disease, and didn't give a damn about the Earth, why didn't he try to return in the KaramazovT

'I wil answer your question first, Gary,' Jim said. 'I think Dmitri sabotaged the Karamazov. That way he could lure al his crew to the other lander and

blow them up. But Ivan must have been wary, and not fal en for the trap. That is my belief.'

'But what about Carl?' Lauren insisted. 'He never came down here. He couldn't have caught anything.'

'Are you sure?' Jim asked softly. The time had come to spil his heart.

'There is no germ that can cross two hundred miles of empty space,' Lauren said.

Jim sighed. He knew it would al sound so crazy. He had to ask himself if he hadn't already caught something. 'The disease that infects this planet

isn't physical,' he said.

'Huh?'Gary said.

'What do you mean?' Lauren asked anxiously.

'Hear me patiently, and with an open mind. Tourists in Western Europe often comment on the difference in the air when they cross from one country

to the next, even just at the border. You walk a few feet, and even if your eyes are closed, you stil know you're in a different country. People who

travel report this al the time. But why? Is the reason psychological? That's a catch-al phrase that says nothing. I believe it's a perception of non-

physical influences. These influences must exist. We don't have to - we shouldn't -delve into psychic phenomena to find them. They represent the

most intimate aspects of our lives. We have hopes and dreams and thoughts. None of these could be located or explained by a physicist. There is

an entire universe of forces we cannot perceive with our senses, or with any instrument man can build. Nevertheless, these forces exist, along with

their effects. I have spent decades prowling through old ruins, and digging up the past. Often, sitting alone in those places late at night, I came to

know the

people who once lived there; what they were like, whether they were a proud people, a happy people, or a miserable and vicious people. Life is a

mysterious thing. It has a quality that doesn't necessarily die when a people dies. Two miles beneath the Himalayas, I felt life. I felt goodness. Here

there is another kind of power, a power that goes on and on, that never stops.'

'What the fuck are you talking about?' Lauren asked.

'A power,' Jim repeated, mostly to himself. 'Death. This planet is dead. But it does not rest easily. It is envious of us. It's trying to infect us.' He

stopped himself. He hadn't meant to get so esoteric.

'Are you talking about Ivan?' Gary asked, confused.

Jim shook his head. 'I doubt if he can be put back together. But he could never have lived here for two years. We al know that. Why don't we face

it?'

'Face what?' Lauren asked, sounding annoyed.

'Oh shit,' Gary said, burying his face in his hands. 'My nightmares are bad enough as they are.'

Jim nodded. 'We've al been having nightmares. We don't talk about them, though, and they never real y scare us, not enough to drive us away.

Quite the opposite. They add to the fascination of this planet. Many things do. Impressions in the sand that begin to look like footprints -if you look

long enough. Canals that flow only underground, but canals that can stil be seen from mil ions of miles away in a telescope if you look long enough.

A cosmonaut who closes every window in his ship and then gouges out his eyes so that he won't have to look at Mars, so he won't have to see what

Mars is doing to him. And what was Mars doing to him? It must have been something incredible, because when this same cosmonaut cut his throat,

his blood didn't freeze, not even after floating around in a gigantic icebox for two years. Then there is the

other cosmonaut who lives quite comfortably in an icebox for two years. But none of this makes you run away. You want to stay and investigate the

mysteries. You're curious, of course, and you're also afraid if you don't figure things out, then the danger wil remain, and wait for another day,

another time.'

'Why don't we get out of here, Jim?' Gary asked suddenly, scared.

'None of this makes any sense,' Lauren protested. 'You can't get infected by something that doesn't physical y exist. How could you?'

'I don't know,' Jim said. 'Yet.'

'I'm not curious,' Gary said. 'Let someone else find out what's happening. Let's just get the fuck out of here.'

'We can't,' Jim said.

'Why not?' Gary demanded. 'I can have us ready to blast off in half an hour.'

Jim took a breath. 'Because of Bil .'

'Talk to him,' Gary said. 'Tel him we're in danger of catching whatever the hel you're talking about. He respects you. He'l listen.'

'No,' Lauren said softly, deadly. 'That's not what you meant, is it, Jim? You're saying Bil 's like Ivan.'

'No,' Jim said quickly.

'Yes, you are!' Lauren snapped. 'You've just been leading up to the fact that you think he has to be kil ed. Wel , it's al bul shit. If anyone's been

infected, it's you.'

'Lauren,' Jim said softly, 'he was down there too long. His air should have run out. At best, I was hoping to find his body.'

'You're not sure!' Lauren cried. 'He could have had extra tanks.'

Gary shook his head at the ground. 'Oh, shit. Oh, shit.'

'I checked his supplies before he left,' Jim said. 'I know

exactly how much air he brought with him. It was a lot, but not enough to be down there as long as he was.'

'I don't believe you!' Lauren yel ed.

"Then why are you so upset?' Jim asked.

Lauren was on the verge of tears. 'Because I love you, Jim. I trust you. I don't want you saying things.' She bowed her head and clenched her gloved

hands. 'I can't rest here. When I sleep, I feel like I can't breathe, like I'm smothering. I have these nightmares of something horrible climbing on top of

me.' She coughed. 'He was trying to drag me into that water. He was so strong. No one that skinny could be so strong. And he just came out of the

water. He was waiting in the water.' She closed her eyes and her cheek twitched. 'I keep asking myself how he could have been in that water. His

suit wouldn't have worked. It's impossible. You know, I didn't want to cut him in half, but he wouldn't let go of me. Then, when I shot him, he was stil

grinning at me. He was dead and he was stil grinning at me.'

Gary put his arm around Lauren. 'No one's going to get you again like that, Doc,' he said. He looked at Jim. 'You real y think Bil 's like Ivan? If he is,

he's dead, and I'm sorry. We're not taking any fucking zombie back home with us.'

'No,' Jim said. 'Lauren's right. We're not sure about anything. My whole theory could be insane. How do I know I'm not sick? I'm sure Bil thinks he's

perfectly wel . And he's different from Ivan. I asked him about Jessie, and by the way he responded I could tel he stil loves her. I doubt if the Ivan we

met loved anybody.' Jim stood and looked in the direction of Olympus Mons. 'We need more facts. Tomorrow Bil wants to show me the big secret

under the ground. I'l go with him. But I think I'l insist that Jessie come along. There could be safety in her company. As a further safeguard, we'l say

the laser we brought with us

accidental y fel into the canyon and was lost. We'l hide it near the Karamazov in case either of you need it. I'm also going to give you both the code

to the warhead. It can be triggered through Friend. But I believe Bil has manipulated the computer's programs. I think that's why our

communications are out. I fear they're gone for good. But the bomb can be detonated manual y. I'l explain the details on the way back. I pray it

doesn't come to that. But you know one thing above al else: Earth must be protected.'

They walked back to Hummingbird in silence. But climbing into the hovercraft, Lauren spoke up. 'Your cavern in India reminds me of the one Bil 's

found.'

'They are much alike,' Jim agreed.

She suddenly gripped his arm. 'I know why you told us that story,' she said. 'You think there's a reason why you discovered that ring.'

Jim smiled. 'Your sister always reminded me of Cinderel a. Maybe the yogi wanted Jenny to final y receive her glass slipper.'

Lauren was not smiling. 'Say it to me straight. What do you think's going on here?'

Jim thought for a moment. 'I said this infection is alien, but it reminds me of legends on Earth, of ghost stories.' He paused. 'I think this planet's

haunted.'

TWENTY-THREE

The press room was crowded. Along with twenty other reporters, Terry Hayes waited for Dean Ramsey to make a statement on the fate of Project

Nova. The public had heard nothing from Mars for two days, not since Colonel Wil iam Brent, Professor James Ranoth, and Dr Lauren Wagner had

gone to inspect the Karamazov.

'Here comes the asshole now,' Tom Brenner, Terry's partner, said in his ear. Flanked by two Air Force officers, Ramsey emerged from a pair of

swinging doors at the side of the stage. Everybody stood. They were tense; the whole country was nervous. The word on the streets said that Mars

had Martians after al , and that they weren't friendly. Terry wasn't sleeping wel . Ramsey didn't look as if he was, either.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' Ramsey began gravely. 'I'm sorry to keep you waiting. My statement is brief. We are no longer in contact with the Hawk.'

There was a hush. 'We do not know yet the reason for the break in communications. We suspect a power loss due to a malfunction in their

generators. It was such that caused the initial break. Questions?'

Al the reporters spoke at once, except Terry. His partner had the loudest voice. 'When did this difficulty start?' Tom Brenner asked.

'Mark Kawati - on board the Nova - was unsuccessful in raising them six hours ago,' Ramsey said.

'But we've had no direct report from the Hawk in two days,' The Associated Press said.

'The blanket of silence has been for reasons of national security,' Ramsey said. 'I cannot elaborate at this time.'

'Did they inspect the Karamazov before the break?' the Associated Press asked.

'Yes,' Ramsey said. 'They found nothing. The ship was intact but empty.'

'No bodies?' CBS asked.

'The Karamazov was empty,' Ramsey said.

'Why the blanket of silence?' several people asked again.

'For reasons of national security,' Ramsey said. 'I'm afraid I can't be specific at this time.'

'Is it true that the president is flying into Houston at this time?' Tom Brenner asked.

'No,' Ramsey said.

'There have been rumors that there was actual y a survivor aboard the Karamazov,' Tom Brenner said.

'Those rumors are absolutely false,' Ramsey said.

'How can you be sure the generators are responsible for the communication failure?' the New York Times asked.

'We suspect their generators,' Ramsey said. 'We're not sure.'

'Is the crew in any danger?' the Associated Press asked.