The Darkest of Nights (British Library Science Fiction Classics Book 6) by Maine Charles Eric

Author:Maine, Charles Eric
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2019-02-14T00:00:00+00:00

A consignment of arms, comprising automatic weapons, rifles with telescopic sights, ammunition, tear gas bombs and plastic hand grenades, arrived one night at the deep shelter in Zone M45. Pauline was awakened around three a.m. by sounds of movement along the corridor and staccato voices issuing instructions. Momentarily alarmed, and then curious, she got out of bed, slipped on a dressing gown and went to investigate.

Staff troops were carrying wooden crates stamped with the letters W.D. and a broad-arrow to a small storeroom adjoining the clinic. Captain Villier appeared, looking pale and fatigued, his brown hair awry and his moustache drooping in dejection.

“I’m sorry if my men disturbed you, Dr. Brant,” he said. “We were rather caught out by the War Office.”

“What’s happening?” she enquired.

“We’re setting up an armoury. Apparently there’s some danger of attack, and we’ve been authorised to use any measure to defend the centre.”

“Attack?” she queried. “You mean—by strikers?”

“Strikers and others. The Liverpool contingent is headed by a man called Riley who’s had I.R.A. experience of sabotage and guerilla tactics.”

“But what do they hope to gain by it?”

“Food, for one thing. They know the underground shelters have food stocks to last for several months, and there really is a serious shortage of food on the surface. Apart from that they’ve developed a political hatred for what they call ‘the privileged fascists’—that is, the people in the shelters. So we’ve been supplied with arms and ammunition, just in case of trouble.”

She eyed him thoughtfully, pulling the cord of her dressing gown tighter. “I’ve heard of some attacks on shelters, but they were more in the nature of mob violence, with no particular leadership.”

“Well, the leadership seems to be emerging and the violence is being systematised. They’ve acquired weapons and they’re ruthless enough to be dangerous.”

More soldiers passed by, carrying wooden boxes of hand grenades. “I can’t see how rioting is going to help the fight against the virus,” she said.

“It isn’t. The movement is evolving into an uprising against the Government—against authority in general. There’s a feeling that the Government has acted in an unfair and arbitrary way.”

“I suppose that’s true, up to a point.”

“Let’s face it, Pauline, there was no other possible course of action. The irony is that the so-called revolutionaries themselves would have done exactly the same if they’d been in power. Every government, whatever its colour or creed, has the duty to safeguard its assets in terms of scientific, administrative and executive personnel. They’re doing it all over the world.”

“They didn’t do it in Japan,” she said, “at least, not while I was there.”

“They were probably taken by surprise at first. I’d be prepared to bet that within a few weeks of the start of the epidemic several hundred deep shelters had been built on a crash priority basis for the Japanese top brass.”

She sighed. “Could be, I suppose. The trouble is we don’t really know what’s going on overseas at all.”

“The Foreign Office knows, and occasionally there are leaks. Most countries in Europe are already in a state of virtual civil war.

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