美铁之战系列 第二卷 第一家族 第5部分

AnderssenpressedtheCardEjectbutton,causingtheSTcodetovanish

fromthescreen.SheputherIDbackintoitsprotectivewalletand

slidtheboxhoodbackintothecasing.Ithadbeenaclosecall.

Fortunately,goodoldDekehadspottedthatLevelNineentrybeforeshe

hadgoneanyfurther.An'RX'ratingmeantthatnoadministrative

actionaffectingthesubjectwastobeinitiatedwithoutreferenceto

theWhiteHouseatHouston/GC.

TheFirstFamilyhadplansforStevenRooseveltBrickman.

CHAPTERTWO

COLUMBUShadbeenprogrammedtoalerttheWhiteHousetoanyenquiry

relatingtopersonnelrecordscarryingan'RX'tag.Asitsentthe

datadownthelinetoPueblo,itsimultaneouslyreportedthefactto

CentralRecordsControl-aunitunderthedirectsupervisionof

membersoftheFirstFamilyoccupyingtwentyfloors,eachthesizeofa

footballpitch,containinglineafterlineoftvscreensandkeyboards

thatweremannedroundtheclock.NotificationoftheTriple-R-a

RestrictedRecordRequest-wasflashedonthescreenofanoperatorin

thesectiondealingexclusivelywiththeSelectiveTreatmentList.

TheWhiteHousewasquicktoconfirmitscontinuinginterestin8902

Brickman,S.R.TheTransmissionofhisvoice-printdatawasfollowedby

a'YourEyesOnly'videogramtoColonelAnderssen.Brickmanwasnot,

repeatnot,tobeinterrogated.Noonefromhishomebasewastobe

allowednearhimortolearnofhispresence.Apartfromthebriefest

ordersorinstructions,nooneelsewastoconversewithhim.Once

positivelyidentified,hewastobeexaminedbytheway-stationdoctor

whowastoreportonhisgeneralstateofhealth.

Hewasthentobeheldincommunicadountilarrangementscouldbemade

forhistransfer.Untilthattimehewastobetreatedasasuspected

code-breakerwithtwoexceptions:hewasnottobe'boxed',andhewas

nottobe'physicallyadmonished'.Touseapre-Holocaustterm,

Brickmanwasclearlyahotpotatoavegetablethatnooneinthe

Federationhadtastedfornighonathousandyears.

Anderssenwasnot,bynature,nervousbutsheknewshewouldnotrest

easyuntilBrickmanwasoffherhands.Shehadbeenrighttodismiss

HarmerandNolanatthefirstmentionofimprisonmentbytheMutes.If

thenewsgotout,itcouldhaveanadverseeffectonthemoraleof

combatunits.Itwas,shesupposed,onlynaturalthatGrandCentral

wouldwanttoanalysealltheimplicationsfirst,but-goddammit-she

wasafront-lineway-stationcommander!Surelysheshouldbeallowed

toknowwhatwasgoingonoutthere?

Anderssenpacedaroundherprivatequarterstryingtocontrolher

frustration.NowonderthatmotherHarmerhadslammedthedoor.She

knewhowhefelt.Sheturnedandslammedbothfistsdownhardonthe

longtableatwhichsheoccasionallydinedwithherfellowofficers.

Ithelpedrestoreameasureofoutwardcalm.

Allingoodtime,shetoldherself.GrandCentralwouldassessthe

factsthenFINTEL-FieldIntelligencewouldcirculateareporttoall

interestedparties.ThefactthatBrickmanclaimedtohavebeenheld

prisonerfornearlyfivemonthsbeforeescapingwasnotgoingtochange

anything.Ithadn'tstoppedbandsofMutesattackingwork-parties

aroundPuebloduringthesummer.Anditwouldn'tstopTrackerskilling

Mutes.

Brickman'sachievementinbuildinganaircraftfromcannibalisedparts

wasremarkablebutif,asMarieAnderssensurmised,hehadputit

togetherunderthenosesofhiscaptors,itmeantthatthePlainfolk

Muteswereevendumberthantheirsouthernbrothers,thescattered

remnantsofwhichhadbeenroundedupandherdedintowork-camps;the

penultimatephaseofthepacificationprogrammefortheoverground:the

ultimatephase-annihilation-wouldcomewhentherewasnomoreMute

poisonintheair.

AnderssenknewthewordsoftheFourthInspirationaloffbyheart.It

wasavideosheoftendrewcomfortfrominmomentsofdoubt;those

momentsinthetwilightgloom,aloneinherbunk,whenshebeganto

wonder,toask.sheshookthememoryfromhermind,turnedtowards

thebigpictureofthePresident-Generalthathungonthewallbeyond

thefarendofthetableandlethismessageechothroughhermind.

Yes!Thatdaywouldcome!Whentheway-stationbunkerswouldempty

andeveryoneintheFederationwouldemergefromtheirbaseswithinthe

earth-shieldtorepossesstheirbirthright:theblue-skyworldthe

Muteshadstolenfromthem.

ThatwasthepromisemadebytheFirstFamily,foundersoftheAmtrak

Federation,andgenerationaftergenerationofTrackershadlaboured

andsweatedunceasinglytohelpmakeitcometrue;hadwillinglylaid

downtheirlivesonovergroundoperations.Theireffortshadnotbeen

wasted.Thedreamwhichinspiredthosewhohadgonebeforewasalmost

withingrasp.Thechildrenofthechildrenborntotheguard-mothers

ofAnderssen'sgenerationwouldliveundertheopenskies;wouldsee

sunrise,moondark;wouldfeeltherainontheirfaces-notjustseeit

splashagainsttheirvisorsorhearitdrumontheirhelmets;would

cleansetheoverground;wouldwipeeverylastMuteoffthefaceofthe

earthandbuildtheNewAmerica.

Itwasmorethanadream.Itcouldhappen.Butnotuntilthemassof

Trackerswhoresidedintheearth-shieldwereabletoovercometheir

dreadofthevastopenspaces.Nottoworry.TheFirstFamilywere

workingonthat.TheAmtrakFederationhadcomealongwaysinceits

foundingfather,GeorgeWashingtonJeffersonthe1st,hadgatheredthe

faithfulFourHundredaroundhimandnursedthemthroughtheLongNight

-thetraumaticaftermathoftheHolocaust.

Inthebeginning,theFederationhadconsistedofnothingmorethana

fewscatteredholesinthegroundonthesouthernedgeofthenation

stateonceknownastheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thatcountryhad

beenburnedtotheground,sackedandravagedbyanunstoppablehorde

ofMutes-deformed,half-idiotmutantswhoinanorgyofdestruction

hadunleashedapoisonouscloudofradiation,whichhadkilledmillions

ofGoodOleBoys-theaffectionatenicknamefortheTrackers'

ancestors-andforcedthehandfulofsurvivorstotakerefugewithin

theearth-shield.

Therecoveryhadbegundeepintheearthundertheshatteredcityof

Houston,inanundergroundbasebuilttohouseandpowerCOLUMBUS.

RenamedGrandCentralbyGeorgeWashingtonJeffersonthe1st,thefirst

President-General,itbecamethepermanenthomeoftheFirstFamily.

Althoughnoneofthepre-Holocauststatesnowexistedaslegal,social

oreconomicentities,theirhistoricboundariesandnameshadbeen

retained.

Texas,thefocalpointoftheFederation,becameknownastheInner

State.Astimepassedtheundergroundempirehadexpanded,

establishingbasesunderOklahoma,Arkansas,NewMexico,Louisiana,

Mississippi,andArizona.ThesewerecalledtheOuterStates.

KansasandColorado,thelatestadditions,hadbeendesignatedNew

Territories;in2886and2954,theyearAnderssenhadbeenborn.New

Territorywasanobliquewayofsayingthatthestatewasnotyetunder

Federationcontrol.Therewasasmall,growingTrackerbaseinthe

earth-shieldunderWichita,Kansas,thatwouldeventuallyhouseafull

division;inColorado,therewasonlytheway-stationatPueblomanned

byAnderssen'spioneerbattalion.TheFederationmighthavelaidclaim

tothewholeofColoradobut,forallpracticalpurposes,Pueblo

situatedinthesouthernquarterofthestatemarkedthefrontier;the

northernlimitoftheFederation'sovergroundfief.Beyondthatlay

enemyterritory.Mutecountryor,astheythemselveslikedtoregard

it,theLandofthePlainfolk.

Thetroublewas,theMutesdidn'trecognisefrontiers.

Foraracethatwassupposedtobesub-human,theywerebothcunning

andtenacious.Theyhadthisunshakeableideathattheoverground

belongedtothem.

Andsotheykeptcomingbackandgettingthemselveskilled.Anderssen

assumeditmustbebecauseofthebrain-damagethathadbeenpassed

downfromtheirancestors.Toodumbtolearn.Butnotdumbenough,

reflectedAnderssen.Theirinabilitytorememberwasoneofalong

listofMutefailingsthathadbeenhammeredintohersinceJunior

Leadersschoolbutthebastardsstillknewtheirwayaround.Groupsof

lumpheadswouldinfiltratetheso-called'pacifiedareas'oftheOuter

Statesandmakesneakattacksonovergroundwork-parties,supplytrains

andguardpostsinthemillsandprocessplants.Thenetworkof

way-stations,setupatstrategicpointswassupposedtohaltthese

incursions.

OverthecenturiessincetheHolocaust,Muteshadshownthemselvesto

betotallyimmunetotheradiationthatblanketedtheoverground;in

fact,theyseemedtothriveonitdespitethemountingyearly

body-countsfiledbyTrail-Blazerexpeditions.Muteslived,on

average,twiceaslongasTrackersandweresaidtooutnumberthemby

overfiftytoone.Atthelastcensus,in2985,theTrackerpopulation

wasjustunder450,000whichmeantthat,ifFINTELhadgottenitsfacts

rightforonce,therewereovertwenty-twomillionMutesspreadover

thelandscape!

Privately,Anderssenfoundithardtobelieve.Shewasnotinsensible

tocertainattractiveaspectsoftheovergroundbut,ingeneral,itwas

avast,forbiddingplace.Shehadbeenoutthere,manytimesovera

periodofyears,andhadneverseenmorethanfiveorsixhundredMutes

atonetime.Someoneonherstaffhadfoundagoodnameforit.The

BigOpen.Theplacewasempty!Thathadbeen,andstillwas,her

overridingimpression.Asilentland,wheredangerlurked,readyto

traptheunwary;asleepingland,waitingpatientlyoverthecenturies

forthereturnofitsrightfulowners.Ifthereweretwenty-two

millionMutesoutthereyouwouldn'tbeabletowalktenyardswithout

trippingoveroneofthem.

Anderssen'sdoubtwasnotsharedbyGrandCentral.

Facedwithsuchalarmingestimatesofthesizeoftheopposition,it

wasnotsurprisingthatthetopprioritytaskoftheFederation's

overgroundforceswastobringthetotalMutepopulationundercontrol

bycontinuingtheprogrammeofpacificationthathadbeenlaunchedsoon

aftertheBreak-Outin2465.Pioneersfromway-stationslikePueblo

andTrail-Blazersfromtherovingwagon-trains-liketheoneBrickman

hadservedon-playedtheir'partbyconductingwhat,inGrand

Centralese,werecalled'fire-sweeps';scorched-earthoperationsin

whicheverypossibleresourcethatmightprovideMutesWithfoodand

shelterwasmethodicallydestroyedandeveryanimalwithinrangeofthe

patrol'sgunswaskilled.

Mutes,themselves,wereatthetopofthetargetlist.

Wheneverthetacticalconditionspermitted,theyoungmalesandfemales

wereroundeduptoreplenishthelabourforceintheoverground

work-camps;therest,theoldandtheveryyoung,wereliquidated.

Itwasagrisly,messybusinessinwhichAnderssenherselfhad

participatedwhileworkingherwayupthroughtheranks.Butithadto

bedone.Everyoneknewthat.Thatwaswhattheyhadbeenraisedto

do.IntheFederationyouobeyedorders.Youdidn'taskwhy.

AnderssenwasatypicalproductoftheFederation.Shewasagood

soldier;atoughcommander.Butsometimessheaskedherselfquestions

forwhichtherewerenoeasyanswers.Questionsshehadtried

repeatedlytodismissbutwhichkeptreturningtoniggleawayather

irmaresolution.

Occasionally,thepressureswouldpileupandbecometoohardto

handle.Forthoseparticularlydifficultmoments,wheneventhe

honeyedvoiceofthePGintoningtheFourthInspirationalwasnot

enoughtotaketheheatoff,Anderssenhadherownprivateescape

hatch.TapedtothebackofthebigportraitofGeorgeWashington

Jeffersonthe31stwasapreciouscacheofrainbowgrasstakenfroma

cee-beewhohadgonetothewallforbeingdumbenoughtobecaught

tryingtosmuggleitintotheway-stationfromawagon-trainmaking