“There will be an investigation, sir, trouble. Not fair to you. I’ll see that the guard t~ks to no one about this. Then I’ll get a welder, seal the door. Might be best, major, don’t you think so?”

He started to speak, then closed his mouth, and thought instead. Looking from me to the door. Then he noticed the keys still in his hand. He put them in his packet and straightened his shoulders.

“As you say, captain, nothing happened. No point in getting involved in investigations and suchlike. I’ll stay here. Send the welder at once.”

“Very good, sir. I’ll take care of everything.” Morton was waiting at the foot of the stairs, the frightened MP standing beside him. I walked up to the man and gave him a good glare.

“I am going to be kind to you, soldier, although it goes against the grain. I think it might be wisest if we forgot all about this matter. What is your name?”

“Pip7812, sir.”

“All right. Pip, you can go back to your unit now. But—if I hear any rumors or loose talk about locks or such you will be dead within twenty-four hours. Understand?”

“Locks, captain? I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“Very good. Pip. Report to the sergeant. Tell him I need a welder here at once. Move.” He moved. “What was all that about?” Morton asked.

“That was about warfare, my friend. I know now what they are up to here. I know all about their invasion plans.” Except—what could I possibly do about it?

Chapter 15

When the meeting broke up I saw to it that I was busily occupied away from the theatre entrance. It was a long chance that Zennor would recognize me from his Captain Garth days. But even a long chance is some chance, so I stayed out of sight. The troops formed up and marched away: with the emergency over they were not being coddled with effete transportation. The major had a car at his disposal but I turned downthis offer.

“We could have used a lift,” Morton complained as the car moved away.

“To where? Prison? The farther we are from authority the happier we should be.”

“I’m tired.”

“Who isn’t? Not to mention hungry. Let’s find a place to spend some ofGow’s money…”

“Jim… Jim diGriz…”

The sound was high-pitched, barely audible. Was I hearing things? I looked around but Morton -was the only person nearby.

“Did you hear anything?”

“No. Should I?”

“Don’t know. A sudden ringing in my ears. But I swear I heard something.”

“Maybe it was that moth on your shoulder talking to you. Ha-ha.”

“Ha-ha yourself. What moth?”

“See it there? Sitting on your captain’s bars. Should I brush it off?”

“No. Leave it.”

I turned my head and biinked and could just make out the moth. It flapped its wings and took off—and landed on my ear.

“Co… aergropl. . . now.”

“I can’t understand you.’L “That’s because I’m not talking.”

“Shut up, Morton. I’m talking to the moth, not to you.” His jaw dropped and he moved quickly sideways. “Repeat message,” I said, ignoring him for the moment. “Airfield… go airfield.”

“Right, go to the airfield. Understood. Over and out.” The moth fluttered away and I patted Morton on the shoulder; I could feel him shivering. “Come on, cheer up. And stop looking at me as though I were mad. The moth is a communication device, nothing more.”

“Communicating with whom?”

“The less you know, the less trouble you can get into.”

“You really are a spy, aren’t you?”

“Yes and no. I’m here on my own business, but certain parties are trying to get me involved in their business. Do you understand?”

“No.”

“Good. Let’s find the airfield. At a guess I would say that it is over there where all the lights are and the planes are landing. Coming with me?”

“Do I have a choice? Is there any way of going back? Starting over again? I mean we can’t just sneak back into the barracks as if nothing happened, can we?”

“You know that we can’t.”

He sighed and nodded his head. “I know. But I’m just not cut out for the kind of thing that we have been doing. And where is it going to end?”

A good question. With very little hope of an answer at the present time.

“Truthfully—1 don’t know. But you have my word, Morton, because I got you into this. My first priority, before anything else, is to get you out of trouble and safe. Don’t ask how—because I don’t know yet.”

“You can’t blame yourself. It was I who opened my mouth to that cagaling corporal. That’s where it started.” We had been walking while we talked, getting closer and closer to the airfield. The road that we were taking curved around the end of the field, separated from it by a high wire fence, well illuminated by bright lights. On the other side of the fence were grass and taxiways. A heavy freighter had just landed. It trundled by and we watched it go. When it had moved on a flock of black birds swooped down and began poking about in the grass. One of them unfolded its wings and flew toward the fence, landing on the other side. It cocked its head at me and spoke. “You are not alone.”

“Obviously. He’s safe. Is that you, Varod.”

“No. Captain Varod is offduty.”

“Get him. I don’t talk to just any old crow.”

“You will be contacted.”

The bird turned about and opened its beak and spread its wings. It took off without flapping, making a whistling sound.

“Jet powered,” I said. “Air intake in its mouth. Jet exhaust just where you imagine it might be. Let’s walk.” There was the whine of an approaching siren and a detector van came hurtling down the road. It slowed when it passed us, the dish aerial pointing in our direction, then moved on.

“They are really efficient about spotting radio transmission,” I said.

“Is that bird a radio?”

“Among other things. It is remotely controlled and probably has some logic circuitry for hopping about and staying with the other birds. Only when it transmits back to base can it be detected.”

“Where is the base?”

“You don’t want to know. Or who is operating it. But I can assure you they mean no harm to this country.”

“Why not?” He spoke with great agitation now. “Toll them to get to work and get rid of the military and their friends and start elections again. Do you know how long the present state of emergency has been going on? I’ll tell you, I checked. The so-called temporary emergency was declared over two hundred years ago. Some emergency! Tell your bird friends they can cause all the trouble they want as far as I’m concemecL”

“I heard that,” the bird said in a deep voice, swooping out of the darkness and landing on my shoulder. “Our work is not to cause trouble. We labor only to…”

“Varod, shut up,” I said. “We have limited communication time before the detectors show up again and let us not waste it with speeches. I have found out the invasion plans.”

The bird cocked his eye at me and nodded. “Very good,” it said. “Details soonest, I am recording. Where is the invasion site?”

“Not on this planet. They are readying a space fleet to attack another planet.”

“You are sure of this?”

“I eavesdropped. I’m sure.”

“What is the name of the planet?”

“I have no idea.”

“I will return. I must get rid of the detector van.” The bird whistled into the sky leaving the stench of burned jet fuel behind. It did a neat barrel roll and landed on the top of a passing truck. Still broadcasting, I imagine, because a moment later the detector van hurtled by in pursuit of the truck. We walked on.

“What’s this about an invasion? What did you find out?”

“Just that. The one in charge is a General Zennor. I imagine it will happen pretty soon from the way that he was talking . . ,”

There was a whistle and a blast of hot air: sharp claws dug into my scalp right through my cap as the bird landed on my head.