Part 27 (2/2)
”May I ask a question first?” Ray began. They neither refused nor agreed. ”Someone or something entered our net and turned off the alarms we have on our weather forecasting system. Did any of you have anything to do with that?”
”You're the one who b.u.t.ts into our systems,” Vicky spat.
”I'm aware of the ill feelings that has caused. I wondered if any of you had sponsored a t.i.t-for-tat comeback.” No one responded. ”Then I'll a.s.sume the intervention came from another source,” he sighed. ”That may make matters worse.”
”Your super-computer boogeyman got you.” Vicky cackled, causing Ray to wonder why he'd included her in the call. Then again, he couldn't let a million Richlandites drown to spite Vicky.
”When we reactivated our weather alarms, we found four hurricanes lined up, pointed straight at us.” Ray put the satellite picture on their displays.
”That's impossible,” Ms. San Paulo insisted. ”The season hasn't started.”
”The weather has been very strange this summer,” Chu pointed out, though from the looks on the other faces on Ray's screen, the other two were not listening.
”Based on our a.s.sessments of core samples taken here, it appears this type of weather has. .h.i.t South Continent five times in the past. Storm surges flattened everything far inland.” Ray replaced the first picture with the map of human occupation on South Continent; half was covered with brown.
”It can't go that far inland,” San Paulo sniffed. ”The barrier islands don't even let the worst waves into our harbor.”
”Those are level five hurricanes, four in a row. The first one will flatten your islands. By the third, open ocean waves will be smas.h.i.+ng into Refuge. By the fourth, they'll be was.h.i.+ng Richland out to sea,” Ray said with deadly calm.
”That could not happen,” Vicky insisted. ”Impossible,” San Paulo snapped. ”Oh, Lord,” Chu Lyn breathed. ”We have to get people moving inland immediately.”
”That would be my suggestion,” Ray answered Chu.
”That will panic everyone,” San Paulo charged.
”It will if Chu starts moving her people and you don't. Let this information come as a rumor, and people will run wild.”
”We don't have to act right away,” San Paulo insisted. ”If the first storm is as bad as you say, we could start moving people inland then.”
”Over storm-ravaged and flooded roads,” Ray countered. ”It's only going to get worse.”
”I will announce this within the hour,” Chu said with the finality of death. ”What you others do is your decision.”
”We'll all have to start moving,” Vicky growled, ”and this man will have won over us again.”
”What are you going to do?” Chu asked Ray.
”I'm organizing people out here to provide food and shelter. And since this seems to be coining from the super computer I think lives in your planet, I'll be seeing what I can do to stop it.”
”I wish you luck,” Chu said as they all rang off.
”Well, that was no worse than I expected,” Ray grumbled as he looked up from the screen.
Mary was at his office door. ”Harry called. He's on his way back, but Dumont and Jeff pa.s.sed up the ride. Du says if you're putting everything you've got here, they better find the vanis.h.i.+ng box, 'cause sure as h.e.l.l, with both Refuge and Richland gone, the only target left is us.”
”That would solve my problem,” Ray sighed. He pushed back from his desk, put his feet up, and relaxed into his chair. ”Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. I've got to talk to my favorite computer and see just how much we can help each other.”
Mary closed the door; Ray concentrated. Nothing happened. After ten minutes he moved from his office to his quarters, laid out full on his bed...and went to sleep despite his worries.
Mary woke him three hours later. ”Why'd you let me sleep?” Ray grumbled groggily, ”We've got things to do.”
”And they're being done, sir,” she answered way too cheerfully. ”We're doing quite well without you.”
”Just who's in charge here?” Ray growled, rubbing sleep from his eyes and trying not to smile.
”Me.” Mary grinned unrepentantly.
”You don't have to be so obvious.” Out the window, the gray day was just starting to fade. Near the base perimeter, people were digging. ”You got started fast.”
”I'll show you after chow.”
At supper, portions were smaller. No one went hungry, but the farmer who'd been fattening pigs on the base's slop had better think of slaughtering his newly expected wealth. Talk around the dining hall was subdued. ”Word already out?”
Mary shrugged. ”Leaked a little. No worse than your average volcano. We'll need to address it up front.”
”Time for a walk around.”
”Looks that way, sir.” Mary had a mule waiting.
”I can walk,” Ray snapped, feeling rather good on his feet.
”The entire base perimeter is a bit more exercise than I care to take,” Mary answered, slipping into the driver's seat.
Ray settled down beside her. ”How are people taking this?”
”Most are still in shock. n.o.body really wants to believe everything they've worked for and built is about to be washed out to sea. Any chance we can stop that?”
”Don't know. The computer ain't talking to me.”
The base perimeter came in view. Up to now it had been marked by little more than a rough path for the perimeter patrol. Now surveyor's sticks marched in both directions, forming three long rows. Villagers cut the sod, rolled it, and put it aside, then torn to with shovels and picks, digging a trench and piling the dirt on the inside edge. People waved when they saw Ray, shouting ”Thanks for the job” and ”Glad to have a place to stay.” Ray waved back, then signaled Mary to halt. The little priest was out with his paris.h.i.+oners, wielding a shovel.
”Father Joseph, isn't this a little out of your line?”
”Since when can't a man put his back into a job?” the priest answered, but used the pause to wipe sweat from his brow.
”Does everyone understand what we want?”
Mary scowled; the priest smiled. ”Dig a ditch ten feet wide, six feet deep, and a wall about the same size beside it. You're expecting a lot of rain, aren't you?”
”What have you heard?”
”Forty days and forty nights, or something like it.”
”May not be off by much,” Mary quipped.
”We're saving the sod. When you have your wall built, we'll roll it back down along it. That ought to keep the rain off the wall, but the ditch is going to be a muddy mess.”
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