The Book of John Brunner by John Brunner

Author:John Brunner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: E-Reads
Published: 1976-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

MINUS ONE AND COUNTING

Point Benefit Missile Station

Now the tension was so terrific, it was as though one of those ancient siege-engines—a ballista, would it be?—had been wound up to the point where its bunched ropes threatened to snap. The image came readily to mind. They had baptized the payload of the giant rocket that stood on its launchpad three miles from here, “The Dead Horse,” after the kind of impromptu missile such siege-engines had sometimes been called on to deliver. Barney couldn’t help shuddering when he imagined a half-rotted horse’s corpse splashing after being thrown over a castle wall.

Some very, very high-speed alterations had had to be carried out on that rocket. It had never been intended for such a precise—surgically precise—operation. But the job had been accomplished, and its countdown was proceeding smoothly, and an hour and a half still remained before the midnight expiry of the seven-day ultimatum.

For good and logical reasons maximum publicity had been given to every stage of the preparations. Tonight, as though this were nothing more than a grandiose firework show, people were milling around in hordes, chatting, sometimes uttering loud laughter that betrayed a hint of nervousness … and small wonder. Air Force and Army personnel, of course, were everywhere; additionally, though, there were scores of civilians, wearing thick coats and hats with fur-lined earflaps, hands plunged deep in their pockets for protection against the sub-zero wind.

Around and among them Barney led his camera team, Ginger looking more despondent by the minute—as though only tonight had he realized that this scheme he regarded as crazy would actually be carried through—and Lucy looking by contrast more and more cheerful. Barney himself was poised on a knife-edge between the two moods. While he still supported the idea, now that its execution was upon them he found doubt preying on his mind. Suppose there were an unforeseen snag? Suppose the response were not as had been calculated? After all, nothing like this had been attempted ever before. Nothing quite like this, anyhow.

Someone walking past was carrying a transistor radio. The instantly-recognizable voice of the President’s defeated rival issued from it, hammering away at his constant theme.

“—apart from the patent idiocy of the idea, what about the cost? It’s frightening to see money thrown away like this! You might as well take a pile of bills up the Empire State Building and consign them to the mercy of the wind!”

Ginger gave a vigorous nod of agreement, but at the same moment Barney caught sight of one of the people he had been hunting for among the crowd and rushed toward him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.