美铁之战系列 第五卷 DeathBringer 第5部分

SteveandRozBrickman,MrSnow'sprotegee,Clearwater,wasnowinthe

handsoftheFederation.Well,almost.Tobemoreprecise,shewasin

theintensivecarewardofthemobilefieldhospitalhitchedtotheRed

Riverwagon-trainnowheadingsouthoutofNebraska.

Clearwater,onpastform,wasratedaspotentiallyevenmoredangerous

thanMrSnow,butaftersufferingmassivewoundingfollowedbymajor

surgeryshewasnowundercontinuoussedationand,intheshortterm,

wasnotjudgedtobeathreatwhileintransitaboardRedRiverorto

theFederationwheretheresearchstaffoftheLifeInstitutewere

eagerlyawaitingherarrival.

ThatleftMrSnow,summonerandwordsmithoftheClanm'call,andhis

otheryoungpupil,CadillacDeville,apprenticewordsmithandseer.

Theircapture(atplanninglevelitwascalled'theirremovalfromthe

equation')wastobethefinalphaseinOPERATIONSQUARE-DANCE,

mastermindedbyCommander-GeneralBenKarlstrom.

Karlstrom,acloserelativeofthePresident-General,wasthe

OperationalDirectorofAMEXICO,thecovertoperationsunitformedto

carryoutassignmentsinitiateddirectlyfromtheOvalOfficecurrently

occupiedbyGeorgeWashingtonJeffersonthe31st.

Inlate19thcenturyterms,AMEXICOcombinedthefunctionsofthe

AmericanCIA,theGestapoofGermany'sThirdReichandtheBritish

SAS.

Intelligence-gathering,statesecurity,commando-styleforaysand

'judicialterminations'inparallelto,butwithouttheknowledgeof,

therecognizedmilitarypoliceandarmyintelligenceunits.Itsagents

-knownasmexicans-operatedwithinthesubterraneannation-state

ruledbytheFirstFamilyandtheblue-skyworldabove,andits

existencewasthebest-keptsecretintheFederation.

TheninemembersoftheSupremeCouncilwereofficiallyawareofthe

generalnatureoftheorganizationbuttheydidnotknowthemanpower

itemployed,theresourcesitcouldcalluponorthescopeofits

activities.

OnlyJeffersonthe31standKarlstromknewthefullscore.Others

couldonlyspeculate.AMEXICOwasthePresident-General'sprivatearmy

andtheimpenetrablecloakofsecrecywasessentialbecauseitwas

sometimescalledupontoeliminatepotentiallytroublesomemembersof

theFirstFamily.

Tosomereaders,itmayseemstrangethatdisaffectionofanysort

couldexistinanenclosedtotalitarianstateinwhicheveryaspectof

theenvironmentanditssoldier-citizen'sliveswascontrolledwith

militaryprecisionandcomputerizedefficiencyfromDayOne.Butsuch

wasthecase.Anyreaderwithdirectexperienceofthearmedforcesor

theelectronicsindustrywillknowthat'militaryprecision'and

'computerizedefficiency'aremythicalstateswhichbearlittle

relationtowhateithersystemisabletodeliver.

Allmonolithicpowerstructuresstaffedbyhumanbeingsareboundtobe

lessthanperfect-especiallyonereliantonadvancedtechnology-and

theFederationwasnoexception.Ninehundredyearsofrelentless

regimentationhadfailedtoproduceaFirstFamilyversionof'Soviet

Man'.Peopleateverylevelofthecommandstructurestillscrewedup

andsystemscrashedwithunfailingregularity.Dependingonyour

attitudetowardswhattheFirstFamilywastryingtoachievethiswas

eitheramatterofgraveconcernorgroundsforcelebration.Proofof

theindestructibilityofthehumanspirit;arayofhopeforthefuture

ofmankind.

ThefoundingFather,GeorgeWashingtonJeffersonthe1st,hadknown

thisbasictruthwhenhelaidthefoundationsonwhichhisvisionof

thefuturewastobebuilt.'Onlypeoplefail,notthesystem',was

oneofhistwoDelphicutterancesemblazonedoneveryavailable

wallspacethroughouttheFederationandechoeddailyontheninepublic

videochannels.Aphraseofcunningsimplicitywhichhadhelpedto

preservethestatusquobydeflectingtheblameforanyshortcomingsin

thesystembackontotheindividualwhoraisedhisvoiceinprotest

againstthemeasurestakeninitsname.

Topreventtheseisolatedcranksspreadingtheirdisaffectionlikea

virusthroughthebodypoliticoverwhichtheypresided,theFirst

Familyhadinstalledanumberoffail-safesystems.Bythespringof

2991,theseincludedanacousticsurveillancesystemcode-namedHYDRA

underwhichtheirentireundergroundempirehadbeenwiredfor

sound.

Anylocation,atanylevel,couldbemonitoredbykeyingits

coordinatesintoacommandconsole.Itwaspossibleforhuman

operatorstolistenintoconversationsbutthesheerlogisticsmade

thatimpractical.MostoftheeavesdroppingwascontrolledbyCOLUMBUS

usingagivenhit-listofsuspectsandhourlyrandomsamplingsknownas

'soundsweeps'.Ordinaryconversationsweremonitoredbutnot

recorded:itwasonlywhenaspeakerusedawordorphraselistedina

'subversivevocabulary'thatthereelsstartedturning.Thetaped

conversationswerethensubjectedtocomputeranalysis,classifiedinto

variouscategoriesaccordingtothenatureofthecconversationand

gradedintermsof'arrestability'.

Itwasonlywhenthissiftingprocesshadbeencompleted,thatthe

dailyresidueofhardcases-knownastheactionlist-wasdisplayed

onthescreensoftheoperativesatHYDRACentral.

Butthesystem,anditshandlers,missedthebigone.

DespiteHYDRAandthenation-widenetworkofundercoveragentsthe

Familywerecaughttotallyoff-guardbytheproteststrikemountedby

thecrewsoftheFederation'swagon-trains.Organizedandledbytheir

executiveofficersithadnoneofthecharacteristicsofapopular

uprisingledbydissidents,butitwas,nevertheless,arebellion;the

firstseriouschallengetotheauthorityandwisdomoftheFirstFamily

foroversixhundredyears.

Theprotest,whichwasconfinedtoTrail-Blazersonactivedutyaboard

thetrains,wasdisciplinedandunpublicisedandthedivisions's

so-calledgrievanceswereconveyedtoCINC-TRAINinacodedmessage

signedbytwentywagon-mastersandtheirexecutiveofficersoutofthe

Federation'sfleetoftwenty-one.OnlythenameofRedRiverAmtrak's

flagship-wasmissingfromtheroll.

Theprotestershadtwodemands.First,officialrecognitionofthe

existenceofMutemagic.If,forreasonsofstate,thiscouldnotbe

madepublicthenitwastobeadmittedinsecretsessiontothe

wagon-trainfraternitybyrepresentativesoftheFirstFamily.Second,

thedisciplinarychargesbroughtagainstCommanderBillHartmannand

theexecutiveofficersofTheLady-whichhadarisenfromtheir

inabilitytocombatthepowerofaPlainfolksummoner-weretobe

dropped.Allcrewmembersweretobefullyexoneratedandreturnedto

activedutyintheirpreviouspostswithoutlossofseniorityto

privileges.

Therewasno'orelse'butwith95%ofitswagon-trainforceranged

solidlybehindtheprotest,theWhiteHousedecidedtorollwiththe

punch.Inahurriedly-preparedvideocastbeamedexclusivelytothe

wagon-trains,Jeffersonthe31stagreedtotherebel'srequestswithin

forty-eighthoursoftheirreceipt.

Itwasanunprecedentedconcession;thefirsttimeanorganizedprotest

hadnotbeenbrutallycrushed,butitwasalsoavictoryforboth

sides.TheFirstFamilyhadbeenwrestlingwiththeproblemofMute

magicforthelasttwohundredandfiftyyears.

Thedecisiontodenyitsexistencehadbeentakenbyalong-deadand

buriedSupremeCouncil.Atthetime,ithadnotbeenaproblem.It

wastheSouthernMuteswhohadthenbeentheenemy.Therumoured

existenceofsummonershadbeenreportedbyFINTEL,butonthefew

occasionswheretheirpresencehadbeensuspected,theirintercession

hadfailedtohalttheadvanceoftheFederation.

TheFamilyhadthereforeconcludedthattheallegedpowerofthese

individualsdidnot'poseaseriousthreattofutureoperations.The

dangercamefromuncontrolledrumoursandwildspeculationaboutMute

magicwithintheirownranks.Butinsteadofendingallill-informed

discussionofthesubject,theimpositionofsanctionshadmerely

drivenitunderground.

WiththemovenorthintoPlainfolkterritorythenatureoftheconflict

hadchanged.Thedaysofeasyvictorieswereoverandtheearlier

blanketdenialofMutemagichadleftthepresentleadersoftheFirst

Familyonthehook.Thiswasachancetoslideoffitandscoreafew

Browniepointsintheprocess.

GiventhelatestsituationreportsfromWyomingandNebraska,thecall

forthereinstatementofCommanderHartmannandhiscrewcouldnothave

comeatamoreopportunemoment.Concedingtotherebel'sdemands

providedtheFirstFamilywithanopportunitytobringitssecret

OPERATIONSQUARE-DANCEtosuccessfulconclusion.

Thatfactwouldonlybecomeapparentwithhindsight,butitdidnot

meanthatallwouldbeforgivenandforgotten.Hartmannandhis

executiveshadbeenthecatalystwhichcausedasimmeringdiscontentto

crystallizeintoopenrebellion.Theprotestmighthavebeen

restrained,short-livedandtotallyjustified,butitwasadirect

challengetotheFirstFamily'sinalienablerighttorulefromthetop

down.

Whatmadeitworsewasthefactthattherebellionhadbeen

well-organizedandhadnotbeenforeseen.Suchappallinglaxityonthe

partofsecurityservicescouldnotgounpunished.Soonerorlater

everyoneconcernedwouldbedealtwith.Noonegotthebetterofthe

FirstFamilyandlivedtotellthetale.Andamongthefirsttolearn

thatharshlessonwouldbethecrewofTheLadyfromLouisiana.

CHAPTERTWO

CommanderJamesFargo,thewagon-masterofRedRiver,hadseenplenty

ofMutesatclose-quartersduringhistimeontheovergroundbutthey

hadallbeendead,dying,orframedinhisgunsights.KillingMutes

waswhathehadbeentrainedtodo.Hehadneveronceimaginedthata

daywouldcomewhenhewasrequiredtoplayhosttotwolive

lump-heads.Buttheywerehere.

CossetedaboardRedRiver.

Itwasastrangefeeling.Asfarasheknew,thiswasthefirsttime

Muteshadeversulliedtheinteriorofawagontrainwiththeir

poisonouspresence,anditwasadubioushonourhewouldhavepreferred

todowithout.

Butorderswereorders.Evenso,hefeltheshouldhavebeentaken

intotheconfidenceofhisotherguests,aseven-mantask-forcefrom

theWhiteHousecompletewiththeirownsecurelinesof

communications.

FromthemomentthetwoMuteshadcomeaboard,itwascleartheywere

nottruelumpheadsand-tojudgefromtheflurryofcodedsignals

flowingbetweenthetaskforceandGrandCentral-mightbesomething

elseentirely.

Asthetop-ratedwagon-trainintheFederation,RedRiverhad,formany

years,beeninvolvedinthedeliveryandcollectionofanumberof

individualswhosereasonforbeingontheovergroundhadneverbeen

fullyexplainedbutwhowereclearlyengagedinsomeformofcovert

activity.Sincethesoldier-citizensoftheFederationweremembersof

onevastarmywhosechainofcommandledbacktotheWhiteHouse,these

individualshadtobeworkingfortheFirstFamilybut,todate,noone

hadeverdiscoveredthenameortheprecisefunctionoftheunitthey

belongedto.

Fargoknewitwasunwisetoenquirefurther.Noone

reachedthetopspotontheFederation'spremierwagon-trainwithout

learningthatataveryearlyage.Asanexemplaryproductofthe

system,Fargobelievedthatifamanwasn'tpartytosecretinformation

thenhehadnobusinesspryingintoit.TheFirstFamilytoldyou

everythingyouneededtoknowwhenitwastimeforyoutoknowit.

ThisunquestioningattitudedidnotmeanthatthecommanderofRed

Riverwasacolourless,mindlessautomaton.Initiativeand

intelligencewerepartofthejobprofile.Fargo'sunswerving

allegiancetotheFederationwascomparabletoReinhardHeydrich's

totalcommitmenttothegenocidalpoliciesofHitler'sThirdReich.

Andlikethelatter,hehadadistinctivepersonalityandamindofhis