Quiet Invasion (46 page)

Images stared at each other while their physical bodies shifted in offices continents apart.
And here we sit with these illusions, waiting to pass judgment on each other. Stop it, Su. You’re being ridiculous.

Helen’s image spread its hands. “I was directed by the C.A.C. to cooperate fully with their team in all matters pertaining to the Discovery. Communicating with the People to determine if they built the Discovery and for what purpose it was built, seemed pertinent to the Discovery.”

Silence, except for a few coughs and the rustling of fabric and screen rolls. Su suppressed a smile. They’d scored a touch with that one, but it was a long way from a telling blow.

“Forgive my ignorance, Dr. Failia,” Jasmine Latimer glanced at her colleagues and the Secretaries, as if seeking permission to speak. “But how is an optical specialist helping to communicate with the aliens?”

Helen cocked her head, looking intelligently interested, an expression Su had seen her use at a hundred cocktail parties.

The question reached Helen, and her answer returned. “We have so far been unable to establish whether the People can hear on frequencies we use or whether they hear at all. They do, however, have eyes that are similar in construction to human eyes. Because of this, Dr. Hatch speculated that we might be able to communicate visually.”

“So,” said Jasmine. “Dr. Hatch is teaching them English?”

Helen held her interested pose. The question went out, the answer came back. “We’ve had to teach them very little.”

The words were out of Helen’s mouth before Su could do anything. They had already been spoken six minutes ago. There was no way to censor them or talk over them. They were spoken.

“We are perfecting the communication hardware,” Helen’s image went on. “Dr. Hatch is working on a holography display that will give us both mobility and a full range of communications options.”

Su did not crumple in her chair, but she wanted to.
Too late, too late.

“Just a moment, please, Dr. Failia,” Secretary Kent interrupted by raising her hand slightly. “Would you please elaborate on that earlier point. You had to teach them very little? About what? About English?”

Helen kept her expression admirably placid. Su felt certain that she spent the whole long time delay inwardly kicking herself.

“The People seem to have a facility with language,” said Helen. “They are picking up English rapidly.”

“Dr. Failia,” said Secretary Haight sternly. “How long do the aliens say they’ve been on Venus?”

For the first time, worry lines creased Helen’s forehead. “They haven’t said.”

“Have you asked?” Secretary Haight reached for one of the rolls on his desk and opened it. “Wait.” He held up a hand, but his attention stayed focused on the roll. “Let me change that question. How long have you been aware of their existence?”

“For ten days,” said Helen. Her voice was still calm, but Su could hear the strain creeping in around the edges. “As soon as we learned they were there, I contacted Ms. Yan and asked her to arrange this session.”

“I wonder.” Secretary Kent laid her hands, one on top of the other, on her desk.

“About what, Secretary Kent?” asked Su.

Secretary Kent blinked her huge blue eyes. “Your people were so resistant to having a team of U.N. observers come to Venera Base. It was almost as if you were afraid the team would see something you did not want them to see.”

At last, Su saw a chance to step in. “The only reason Venera Base did not want the U.N. team on Venus was that they were concerned about possible interference with an ongoing scientific investigation of the first importance. The team members were unknown quantities and the Venerans had no say in their selection.”
Well, little say,
Su added silently. Now was not the time to bring up Helen’s lobbying efforts or Su’s own covert maneuvers.

“And yet,” said Secretary Sun, “there are these reports that the Discovery was in fact fraudulent.” He gestured to the rolls on his desk.

Helen hesitated, visibly gathering her inner resources. Su answered for her again.
Save your voice, get your bearings, Helen.
“The investigation of the Discovery is ongoing.”

“And I understand from this report that the Venerans are making use of the laser that is part of the Discovery in order to communicate with the aliens?” Secretary Sun sounded overly innocent, as if there was nothing behind his question but honest curiosity.

All at once, Su saw where the questioning was going. For the first time in her whole political career, her mouth went completely dry. She felt the eyes of her colleagues on her, Edmund Waicek’s most of all.
I missed it. I had all the facts in front of me, and I completely missed this interpretation. Oh, Mother Creation…

“It is part of the holography system, yes,” came Helen’s answer. She hadn’t seen it yet. Or maybe she had. These words were six minutes old. Maybe it had dawned on her by now.

“Convenient that it was in working order, isn’t it?” said Secretary Kent. “And just what you needed?”

Cut it off, Su.
Su leaned forward. “Secretary, fellow committee members, we are all aware that when a complex occurrence is scrutinized, the separate events rarely add up directly. Loose facts can be stuffed into any number of boxes.”
Heaven knows I’ve done it often enough, and there’s enough going on here that you could find an interpretation to fit every need.
“What is before us now, and what must remain before us, is that for the first time, we are speaking to another intelligent species. We must send a diplomatic team to properly welcome them and begin formal contact.”

“A diplomatic team will most certainly be sent,” said Secretary Haight. He sounded far too righteous for Su’s liking. “But there are one or two other background matters that need to be cleared up first. The first is this photograph we were sent.”

Photograph?
The photo appeared on Su’s desk screen. A copy sped toward Venus. Su, suddenly afraid, looked down at the black-and-white satellite shot that caught the alien’s portal.

Su’s heart thudded once, hard.
Where did they get that from? They shouldn’t have that.
The room was tense, silent. Su realized they were waiting for Helen to receive the image. Su looked to the holotank and saw the representation of her old friend trapped inside, almost as if it were Helen herself who sat in that clear cage. The image looked down, and focused, understood what was before it, and Su saw no possibility of explanation appear on Helen’s tight, distraught face.

“According to the satellite record,” said Secretary Haight, “this picture was taken over a year ago. That’s well before the original Discovery was announced and certainly well before you saw fit to report to us that you had met aliens in your personal backyard.”

They had plenty of time to study the confusion on Helen’s face, how her jaw began to work back and forth, how she had to struggle to still it, the way her hand trembled as it lifted to brush one white lock of hair back behind her ear.

But, in the end, Helen lifted her gaze and spoke firmly. “I am sure you are aware that our satellites record thousands of hours of images in a single year. We do not have the personnel or the computing power to analyze all of them carefully.” She glanced down at the photo’s caption and her voice took on an added measure of calm assurance. “This was not of an area under active study. It bears a close resemblance to a land feature known as a ‘tick.’ Like the vast majority of all our satellite imagery, it was filed for later study.”

“But you must see it from our point of view, Dr. Failia.” Secretary Kent had a smile on her face. She was once again, all innocence, all righteousness. All for the cameras and public record. “This looks a little strange.”

“A scientific inquiry is not a political or legal inquiry, Secretary,” Su said smoothly. “Particularly from a privately funded project. The researchers must concentrate on areas most likely to yield interesting or useful results. As Dr. Failia said, this”—she gestured at the photo—“appeared to be a common Venusian land feature. Nothing to excite additional inquiry. A review of Venera’s work practices can certainly be arranged for another time. What is most important now—”

“Is that we understand exactly what our position with regard to these aliens is,” said Secretary Haight, cutting Su off. “And to do so, we need to know the truth about how long the Venerans have been in contact with them and exactly what they’ve been negotiating.”

When the question reached her, the color drained from Helen’s face. “And when we have established this, then what?”

Secretary Haight looked at her as if Helen had just missed something glaringly obvious. “Then Venera Base will be placed under the direct control of the Colonial Affairs Committee, which will oversee personnel assignments and all other requirements pertaining to the alien dialogue.”

The words crept the long, slow way to Venus. Helen’s face remained frozen and paper white. “I see,” was all the reply that returned.

“You are not being accused of anything yet, Dr. Failia.” Secretary Kent’s voice was soothing, almost sweet with reassurance. “We are merely asking for clarifications.”

“I see.” Without another word, Helen’s representation vanished.

Su stared at the empty box, along with everyone else. She looked mutely up at the Secretaries and the committee and then back at the box.

“A recess, please, Secretaries, committee members.” Su got to her feet. “Surely there’s been an outside interruption in communications from Venus.”

The Secretaries gave their assent. It was still being seconded as Su turned and hurried out of the chamber, the sounds of her footsteps echoing off the marble walls.

What does she think she’s doing?
Su ground her teeth as she marched across the lobby.
This is not productive. She could be cited for contempt. She could be arrested….

What if she doesn’t care?

Su staggered and caught her balance against a marble bench. She sat down heavily, as if pushed bodily by her thoughts.

This might have done it. They had attacked Helen’s integrity, her management of her people and her world. It might have been enough. After all the work and the caution and the planning, this confrontation might have pushed Helen over the edge into rebellion.

Su took a deep, slow breath. “Oh, Helen,” she whispered. “Oh, Helen, my friend, be careful.”

Michael watched as Helen slowly, deliberately, removed the assembler rig goggles and set them on her desk. She blinked at them a moment before she could make herself look up again and focus on Michael and Ben.

“That,” said Michael mildly, “was probably not extremely productive. They’re going to haul you down there for contempt.”

“Then they are going to have to come and get me.” She pulled the gloves off, one finger at a time.

“Helen…” began Michael. A cold sensation crept through him as he watched her eyes. This was not Helen angry. This was not even Helen furious. She had gone past those emotions into some new world, and he wasn’t sure how to pull her back.

“No.” She swiveled the chair and stabbed a finger at him. “No. We’re finished with them.” She stood up a little bit at a time, as if all her joints protested the move. “They are not taking our world away from us.”

“Amen,” whispered Ben. Michael whipped around to stare at him.

“That’s not the word I’d use.” Helen smoothed her scarf down. “Michael, someone here sent the committee that photograph. I want you to find out who.”

“Does it really matter?” Michael spread his hands.

“It matters!” Helen began to shake. “The U.N. is about to take Venera away from us and one of our own people is trying to help them!” Her fists clenched involuntarily.

Michael licked his lips. “Okay, Helen. I agree, we need to know who sent that picture, but just so we can head off a complete takeover. We can tell the C.A.C. somebody’s been spreading lies and then they’ll—”

“And then they’ll still conclude we are even more out of control than they thought we were and come up with a few extra security people,” said Helen bitterly. “It’s done, Michael. Whatever spin can be put on that photo, it’s not going to change anything. They are coming and they are taking over.” She smoothed down her scarf. “I just want to know who it was so we can keep them out of the info loop. Start with Grace Meyer. She might just have done it to see me out of here.”

“Helen, we don’t know—”

“Then find out!” Helen’s fist slammed against the wall. “That’s your job!”

“All right, Helen, all right,” said Ben. “We’ll find out for you. Don’t worry about it.”

“Good. Good.” The tide of her more-than-anger subsided in her a little. “While you’re doing that, I’m going down to the surface to talk to our neighbors. We’re going to need them. Ben, have a couple of pilots meet me in the hangar, and warn Josh and Vee I’m coming down.”

She left the office without looking back. Michael stared after her as she walked down the stairs and began crossing the farm, with her shoulders hunched and her hands knotted.

He turned to Ben. “What are we going to do?”

Ben shrugged. “I’m going to send a message to Dr. Hatch and Dr. Kenyon. I assumed you were going to start checking out whether Grace Meyer gave the C.A.C. that photo.”

Disbelief flooded Michael. “Ben, she’s over the edge. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“Yes, she does.” Michael could practically hear the
finally
Ben added in his thoughts. “She’s saving her home, and she’s asking us to do the same.”

Michael’s hands fell to his sides.
You’re on your own now, Michael,
whispered a voice in the back of his mind.
He’s gone with Helen or taken her with him.

“All right,” he heard his own voice say. “But you’d better hope I don’t find out you sent that picture.”

Ben’s jaw tightened, just a little, but he said nothing. He just turned and left, following Helen’s path across the farms.

Michael rested one hand on the windowpane and tried to think, but before he could sort out what had just happened, his phone spot chimed. Michael touched it to take the message, a little relieved.