第3节

unfinished lighthouse perched on a rock being eaten away by the

surrounding sea of red grass. The upper floor, where Deke Haywood sat

and to which Colonel Anderssen now directed her steps, was known as the

Tactical Command Centre. Like all external structures, the tower had

ten-foot-thick walls lined with lead. There were no windows. External

surveillance was via remote-controlled tv cameras and there were also a

number of periscopic sights that could be uncovered in the event of a

power-failure; an event regarded as both unlikely and unthinkable but

against which elaborate precautions had been taken.

Below ground-level, where the soil and bdrock afforded an extra layer

of protection against the lethal radiation that still lingered in the

air, the main walls were only half as thick and the lead lining always

in short supply - was dispensed with. Here, arranged on five floors,

were the living quarters, mess halls, powerhouse, air filtration and

ventilation plant, and all the other service and engineering facilities

necessary to sustain life inside the way-station and to permit its

progressive expansion.

As in all way-stations, and other parts of the Federation, the overall

level of technology was curiously uneven. The electronic equipment was

highly sophisticated, in marked contrast to the accommodation and the

life-style which was spartan and heavily work-oriented.

The image it conjured up was that of a group of male and female Green

Berets equipped with late-20th-century weapons and communications

equipment transported back in time to occupy a pre-Civil War army fort

on the Mexican frontier. With one important difference: the sour belly

pork and black-eyed beans had been replaced by processed soya-based

ration packs.

The door of the small tower lift slid open. Colonel Marie Anderssen

stepped out followed by a junior aide and three VidComm Techs. Deke

Haywood leaned on the table to help pull himself out of his chair and

made a visible effort to take the curve out of his spine.

Anderssen acknowledged the gesture with a nod and stepped up onto her

high chair. Glen Wyler, Deke's relief, and the other four Trackers who

crewed the Tactical Command Centre came pounding up the stairway in

their rubber-soled boots, threw their colonel a hurried salute and took

their places.

Anderssen laid her yellow long-peaked cap aside, ran both hands through

her short, greying, wavy hair and studied the picture Deke had put up

on her VDU. The unidentified craft was still heading directly for the

watch-tower. 'Is this it?"

'Yes, sir,' replied Deke. 'Picked him up three miles out. He's been

heading straight for us losing altitude steadily ever since."

Anderssen turned to the junior aide. 'Who's duty officer today

Harmer?"

'Yessir!" snapped the aide. A real eager-beaver.

Anderssen turned back to Deke. 'Post-alert reaction?"

Deke told her about the two squads that Harmer and the guard commander,

Line-Sergeant Jake Nolan, were taking overground.

'You're voiced through on Channel Five."

One of the VidComm Techs now handling the North Side cameras spoke

up.

'Harmer just went up the ramp."

Deke put a lateral composite on Anderssen's secondary screen showing

both squads fanning out around the north and south flanks of the

bunker, fingers on the triggers of their three-barrelled air rifles.

Anderssen put on her light-weight headset and moved the slim mike arm

into line with her mouth. 'Blue One, this is Sunray. What is your

PTR? Over."

PTR was verbal shorthand for Planned Tactical Response - Grand

Centralese for what veteran Trail-Blazers in the shambolic heat of

battle usually referred to as 'Plan X'.

Harmer's voice came back over the speakers. 'I've got the perimeter

guns tracking him. Both squads have him in their sights. If he so

much as sneezes, he's gonna ' 'Hey, Matt! Ease it down a little,' said

Anderssen amiably. 'We may have to ship this one to Grand Central for

interrogation."

'That's what I figured, sir. I managed to rustle up four sky-hooks.

If he comes in low enough we're going to try and snag the wings as he

goes past. But it could be tricky.