Part 36 (1/2)
The doc went from kid to kid, attaching leads to monitor their heart, brain, and anything else he thought important. Jerry would pull any kid out of the circle around the rock if he thought the child was in danger. Jerry finished with David and came over to Ray, more monitors in hand.
”You're not pulling me off that rock. I come off when I'm done.”
”I know. I know. Still, I want to monitor what's going on. Compare you and the kids. Okay?” Over the past year, Ray had been in servitude to the docs too many times to refuse one of their orders now. Besides, it took up time, time he could only spend waiting. The next move was up to the President.
Mary was back to prowling the wall. First she went halfway down the east wall, then back. Then halfway down the north wall, then back. The people were out there, milling around like cattle. Was it her imagination that there was something different in their tone tonight?
The padre joined her. Somehow he made it less a prowl and more like a quiet stroll. Then the little priest seemed to give everything the quiet, eternal permanence of his G.o.d. Mary found herself slowing, calming. ”Many people listen when you told them the weather had changed?”
”Most hadn't believed five hurricanes were headed here. They're panicked over the crop failure.”
”Think you can get a crop in now?”
The priest shook his head slowly. ”Maybe some. Maybe enough if we all pull together, tighten our belts like we did in the landers' time. Our people are like that.”
Mary saw the rest of it hanging unsaid. ”But folks aren't acting like that right now. Not with the computer driving them half mad to start with.”
”I'm afraid so.”
Mary watched the crowd. Here and there, people moved quickly from person to person, saying something, moving on. ”Something may be starting here in a little while. Best you leave it to us with war-blackened souls,” she said. ”You'll be needed with the families. They're going to be terrified.”
The priest nodded agreement but didn't turn to go. ”G.o.d bless you, woman.”
”And you too, Father,” Mary answered, feeling an unfamiliar warmth at the words.
The padre raised his right hand, and his voice: ”And by the grace of G.o.d, I absolve you all from all of your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” As he made the sign of the cross, others on the wall did likewise.
Mary, who never claimed any faith, found herself following in the motions around her. The priest smiled as he finished. ”I will see you in the morning.” To Mary's raised eyebrow of doubt he added, ”Here or in G.o.d's heaven. It matters not which.”
Down the wall the sign flowed, as word pa.s.sed that the little priest had given them his G.o.d's absolution. Mary turned back to the crowd, wondering what it all meant.
SEVENTEEN.
AN HOUR LATER, it started. ”I got rock throwers on my front,” a marine on the north wall reported.
”Keep your people steady,” Mary answered. ”Rocks are no problem with their s.h.i.+elds up.”
”It's a lot of rocks.”
”Keep your cool, Private,” Mary said, checked the location of the transmission, and began a carefully paced march toward it.
Yep, rocks were flying heavy at the north wall. A guard stooped to pick one up, hurl it back. Mary paused beside her. ”Don't do it,” she said softly. ”Leaves you open to a hit in the back, and it's only one more rock they can toss at us.” The guard nodded, chagrined at the correction, and went back to standing her place, s.h.i.+eld up, moving to deflect incoming rocks.
Mary found her private. ”You're right, ma'am. They're just rocks. We can handle them.”
”You bet you can,” Mary agreed.
”I've got a guard down! I've got a guard down!”
Mary checked her display. This from the east wall. Someone wanted her to get her exercise. ”A rock get through?”
”No, Captain. Looks like an air rifle shot her right in the head. The helmet didn't stop it. I think she's dead, ma'am.”
”Have her mates carry her to the clinic, p.r.o.nto.”
”We don't have a stretcher.”
”Use the d.a.m.n s.h.i.+eld,” Mary snapped. Hack had survived three months defending the crater rim. A few months of peace and he couldn't have forgotten. Slipping down the wall and across the open s.p.a.ce, Mary headed for where the guardswoman had been shot. ”Dumont, I got a sniper out there.”
”So we heard. Tor, that's your quarter. Lock and load.”
Mary reached where the downed woman lay. Her marine leader cradled her head in his arms, weeping. Maybe this wasn't your usual casualty. ”She's dead, ma'am. She's dead.”
Mary'd seen enough death; she didn't need a doc for this one. Mary stooped to close the woman's eyes below a gaping hole in her forehead. ”Yes, Hack, she's dead. And you've got a wall to take care of.”
Slowly the marine let the woman down into the puddled gravel walk atop the wall. He reached for his rifle; Mary saw it coming. One hand went for the arming bolt, the other flipped off the safety. In a moment he'd be up and spraying.
Mary stepped in front of him. ”Marine,” she snapped.
”They killed her.” The rifle started coming up.
Mary stayed in front of it. ”Marine.”
”They killed her.” The operating end of an M-6 was pointed right at Mary's chest armor.
”They didn't do anything, a sniper did. I've got Du on him. Du will get him. You got a platoon to run, marine, run it.”
The marine blinked. Seemed to see her for the first time. ”Yes, ma'am,” he snapped in automatic response to her order.
”Safety that rifle, mister.”
He stared down at it, seemed to just notice the state of his weapon. Gulped. ”Yes, ma'am.” He safetied it and gently released the arming bolt.
Mary turned to the guards around her. ”Everyone, s.h.i.+eld up. Don't just stand there, keep moving. Don't be a sitting target.”
They obeyed. Mary leaned forward on the wooden timbers of the wall. ”Okay, you b.l.o.o.d.y son of a b.i.t.c.h,” she whispered, ”try my armor with your pip-squeak airgun. Just try for me and Du will have your guts for a victory pennant.” No shot came.
”Du, you see anything?”
”Sorry, Mary, nothing. Lot of people out in front of you. No gun visible, but h.e.l.l, I could hide one of the Colonel's twenty-centimeter artillery pieces out there.”
”Keep looking. They got a very lovely girl. Heck's girlfriend, I think.”
”Oh, s.h.i.+t.”
So they'd probed her and tried her and gotten away with one kill on her. They'd be back. The night was young.