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into the turn of the century, if that present demand is intensified."
Chaney said: "I'm on their side; I enjoy privacy."
The woman continued. "And of course, we don't know what status your instruments may have at
that future date, we don't know if cameras and recorders will be permissible in public, nor can we guess
at the efficiency of the police. You may be handicapped." She glanced at Saltus. "The Commander will
teach you to work surreptitiously."
Saltus: "I will?"
"Yes, sir. You must devise a technique for completing that part of the assignment without
discovery. The cameras are very small, but you must find a way to conceal them and still operate them
properly."
"Katrina, do you really think it'll be illegal to take a picture of a pretty girl on a street corner?"
"We do not know the future, Commander; the survey will inform us what is and is not legal. But
whatever the technique, you must photograph a number of objects and persons for a period of time
without others being aware of what you are doing."
"For how long a period of time?"
"For as long as possible; for as long as you are in the field and your supply of film lasts, The
emphasis is on depth, Commander. A survey in depth, to determine the accuracy of the Indic
projections. Ideally, you would be in the field several days and expose every roll of film and every reel of
tape you are carrying; you would record every object of major interest you might see, and as many lesser
objects as time allowed. You would penetrate the field safely, accomplish all objectives, and withdraw
without haste at a time of your choosing." A shadow of a smile. "But more realistically, the ideal is seldom
attained. Therefore you will go in, record all you are able, and retreat when it becomes necessary. We
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will hope for the maximum and have to be content with the minimum."
Chaney turned in the chair. "You make this sound like a dangerous thing."
"It could be dangerous, Mr. Chaney. What you will be doing has never before been done. We can
offer you no firm guidelines for procedure, field technique, or your own safety. We will equip you as best
we can, brief you to the fullest extent of our present knowledge, and send you in on your own."
"We're to report _everything_ we find up there?"
"Yes, sir."
"I only hope Seabrooke has anticipated public reaction. He's headed for a rift within the lute."
"Sir?"
"I suspect he's headed for trouble. A large part of the public will raise unholy hell when they find
out about the TDV--when they find out what lies twenty years ahead of them. There's - something in that
Indic report to scare everybody."
Kathryn van Hise shook her head. "The public will not be informed, Mr. Chaney. This project and
our future programs are and will remain secret; the tapes and films will be restricted and the missions will
not be publicized. Please remember that all of you have security clearances and are under oath and
penalty. Keep silent. President Meeks has ruled that knowledge of this operation is not in the public
interest."
Chaney said: "Secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster."
Saltus opened his mouth to laugh when the engineers pushed their rig into a vacuum. The lights
dimmed.
The massive rubber band snapped painfully against their eardrums; or it may have been a mallet,
or a hammer, driven under cruel pressure into a block of compressed air. The thing made a noise of
impact, then sighed as if it rebounded in slow motion through thick liquid. The sound hurt. Three faces
turned together to watch the clock.
Chaney contented himself with watching their faces rather than the clock. He guessed another
monkey was riding the vehicle into somewhere, somewhen. Perhaps the animal bore a label: _Restricted_
and was under orders not to talk. The President had ruled his trip was not in the public interest.
FOUR
Brian Chaney awoke with the guilty feeling that he was tardy again. The Major would never
forgive him.
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He sat on the side of the bed and listened carefully for tell-tale sounds within the building, but none
were audible. The station seemed unusually quiet. His room was a small one, a single unit sparsely
furnished, in a double row of identical rooms fitted into a former army barracks. The partitions were thin
and appeared to have been cheaply and hastily erected; the ceiling was less than three feet above his
head--and he was a tall man. Larger common rooms at either end of the only corridor contained the
showers and toilets, The place bore an unmistakable military stamp, as though troops had moved out the
day before he moved in.
Perhaps they had done just that; perhaps troops were now riding those armored trains serving
Chicago and Saint Louis. Without armored siding, a passenger train seldom could traverse Chicago's
south side without every window in every car being broken by stones or gunfire.
Chaney opened his door and peered into the corridor. It was empty, but recognizable sounds from
the two rooms opposite his brought a measure of relief. In one of the rooms someone was opening and
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