Part 8 (1/2)

Morgan cleared his tired throat and hoped each answer would be the last required.

'Not command exactly. Just give the occasional nudge. It's no more than Bernard Vonnegut's cloud-seeding experiments back in the 40s. right? Just a h.e.l.l of a lot more precise and effective. We're talking about the potential to end drought in the Third World, all of that. You're not about to tell me that's immoral, are you?'

The Doc looked surprised. Oh. I'm not debating the morality. I'm talking about the danger - to everyone and everything on this planet.' Morgan glanced at Derm to see what he was making of this melodrama. But the Doc hadn't done with his lecture: 'Even based on what you're choosing to tell me. this Operation Afterburn of yours amounts to a great deal more than firing silver iodide into the sky. You're talking about herding clouds around like sheep and I can a.s.sure you. Captain, the weather is a very ornery beast indeed.'

'Listen, Doc,' Morgan levelled with as much patience as he could muster, 'we appreciate the environmental concern, but the boys down at Fort Meade must have thought this through before they handed it down to us.' He settled back and let the vibrations of the Snowcat's engine pummel him a while. He tried to think of it as a rough kind of ma.s.sage after a morning jog. They gave us Kristal. and I'm telling you I've seen her work miracles with that Stormcore: she taps into the Earth's biorhythms, whatever she does, and she never has to do another raindance.'

The disapproval was evident in Derm's impa.s.sive silence.

Grill Flame was old news - and the aims of the project, if not the true results, were public knowledge. Even the limited stuff he had let slip about Afterburn could have Morgan court-martialled and watching his back for NSA hitmen for the rest of a short life. But he tried to view each serving of information as an investment in the Doc's eventual productivity.

'That's all very well and good, Captain, but the gentlemen at Fort Meade appear to have overlooked one vital consideration.' Captain Shaw glanced out the window opposite, hoping to recognise some landmark that would tell him they were nearing journey's end. There was zip. The Doctor held his audience captive and he knew it: 'Whatever miracles your scout is capable of performing with the Stormcore, didn't it ever occur to you there might be someone out there who could play much more impressively?'

Humanity had few examples on offer that hadn't, at one time or another, pa.s.sed through Melvin Village, or even stayed a week or two. And they all wandered into the store.

As much to suck in the old-world atmosphere as to buy anything. And Hal Byers was happy to have them browse and walk out with only a memory in their pocket, if that was all they wanted. Normally they'd pick up something, and stop for a few words besides. For Hal, that was the best part of the trade. The store was the focal point of the village for visitors and townsfolk alike; with the church a close second.

Makenzie had talked to him before about a CCTV system.

Like h.e.l.l, he'd said every time. The mirrors were adequate for a store this size and a camera spying down from every corner wasn't part of the charm folks came looking for.

Of course, there was that biker who'd tried stuffing his jacket with a couple of six-packs, while he'd sent his girl over to keep Hal busy. Makenzie had seen that as meaning something, like, what'd I tell you. what'd I tell you. Hal saw it as just another anecdote for the bar of a Sat.u.r.day night. The way that girl had draped her chest further and further over the counter, giving out her best small talk. And Hal smiling and saying uh-huh a lot, while he looked over her head and watched the idiot biker fumble the cans. Hal saw it as just another anecdote for the bar of a Sat.u.r.day night. The way that girl had draped her chest further and further over the counter, giving out her best small talk. And Hal smiling and saying uh-huh a lot, while he looked over her head and watched the idiot biker fumble the cans.

Before he sent the pair packing he'd told the girl she was pretty, but maybe she should hit on guys more her age.

Makenzie, Hal figured, was Just sore for having missed out on an arrest.

A sc.r.a.pe of boot on the boards made Hal look up from his magazine.

Since this one customer came in, begging for the phone, he'd been doing lots of nothing as an alternative to watching the guy like a hawk. Hal preferred to give folks the benefit of the doubt, but this particular guy looked so wired. And his breath smelled like Sat.u.r.day night. Day like today, anyone might take a swig to warm up their insides, but Jesus.

The mirror opposite showed an empty aisle. His customer had found the blind spot.

By accident? Hal didn't think so.

Hal shook his head. Another sorry son-of-a-b.i.t.c.h, probably thought because everyone in a small town moved slow they thought slow. Hal didn't feel like being so lenient with this one.

He went back to leafing through the magazine, thinking about his poor boat locked in ice down at the marina. d.a.m.n, but he should have seen that freeze coming. She was going to need plenty of TLC before he could take her out again come spring.

Hal caught the movement as a shadow crossing his page.

He sighed and flipped the magazine closed. His customer had just rounded the end of the back aisle. Moving slow, because that's what we do here, because that's what we do here, he wandered to the end of his counter and stepped out as though to hold the door open. he wandered to the end of his counter and stepped out as though to hold the door open.

The man stopped and his eyes twitched.

Hal wanted to laugh. The guy's suit had inherited some bulk all the time he'd been browsing. Amateur didn't even cover It. But this one wasn't some kid like that biker. h.e.l.l yeah, he'd give Makenzie a call on this one.

'You mind showing me what you got there, sir?'

The guy was twitching under the skin now. His only exit was through Hal and Hal was closed for business. 'I got all day,' he added helpfully. 'How about you?'

'I haven't got anything,' the man objected, like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar. Southern boy too, which figured. 'What? I didn't want anything okay? I didn't see anything I liked in your dead-end store. What, is that a crime in this hole?'

Hal was done with the nice face. 'Shoplifting's a crime anywhere, far as I know. Open your coat and turn out your pockets, sir. I like to think I give service with a smile here, but trust me, I can get real ugly real fast'

'You're making a big mistake.' Real anger was creeping in now. Hal liked him even less.

'Show me what you took and then I'm calling a cop. We have one here, you know. Happens to be a buddy of mine.'

'I don't care about your G.o.dd.a.m.n buddy, jacka.s.s! Now get the h.e.l.l out of my way!'

Hal blinked. Trouble with anger, it was contagious. 'Hey, you're not bullying little kids in the schoolyard now. You're caught for real and it's time to pay. It's time for regrets not excuses, friend. What, you think we're really that stupid, to be taken by the likes of you?'

Hal barked out a laugh and grabbed the guy's arm.

Suddenly the man yanked away and screamed in Hal's face. There were goods falling to the floor, toys and such, and it would have been comic if he hadn't pulled a gun from somewhere in there. A compact little automatic, looked like a .38.

'This is what's real!' the guy blew up. 'And yeah, I think you're really that stupid!'

Hal said nothing. He guessed he ought to raise his hands.

Makenzie gave up trying to raise the dead. He'd been getting undiluted silence on the phone, static on the radio. No chance of backup any time soon. Plenty of the townsfolk would willingly muster for search parties, but in these conditions he'd only risk losing more people. He'd exhausted all of his options and himself in the process.

Then he'd taken a moment to ring Martha and he was getting the dial tone on the other end, but she wasn't home.

Something more to fret about. The worst part though, the office was unbearably empty with no Laurie.

Makenzie was waking up to just how alone he was here.

The edge of the world had come to the outskirts of Melvin Village and everyone was walking or driving right off it. h.e.l.l, he might even join them. No, no good to anyone, thinking like that. He tried ma.s.saging some life into his eyes, hoped it might find a way through to the rest of him.

So where was he? Stuck.

No chance of a solo tour around the cult place. Oh yeah, he'd thought about it plenty, but he knew it was plain stupid - especially a.s.suming they were involved. All he was left with was looking after the folks still here. If he ever found Laurie, he'd have to explain the delay to her then. He'd be happy to see her hate him for it.

Just as long as he saw her.

Standing, he thought he might swing over to Hal's, let him know some of what was going on. He didn't want to tell him about Laurie just yet.

'Mak! Hey, Mak! Get yourself out here!'

That was Phil Downey calling at him through the door. The old boy was padded out with coats and sweaters, but they all looked like they'd been thrown on.

'What is it, Phil? You should be home by the fire.'

'Army's here, Mak. They just rolled up. Take a look.'