The War in 2020

mind, it would always be a knife. That was how men remembered combat, part hyperreality and part imagination. That was how they remembered it when they wrote up their reports, which historians would later cite as indisputable eyewitness accounts. Taylor had learned how history was sculpted years before. He knew it could never be fully trusted. Yet he had never stopped reading it. Searching for a truth deeper than his own life could offer.

There was a noise in the hallway behind them. Taylor swung his weapon around. It was Parker. With Kozlov, who was still unarmed.

'Colonel Taylor,' Parker called. His voice was agitated. 'Sir, the warrant officer needs to see you.'

Taylor felt on the verge of illness. What was wrong now?

'What's the matter?' Taylor demanded.

'Nothing,' Parker said. Then Taylor noticed that the captain was grinning. As though he had just won a blue ribbon at the county fair. 'He just needs you. You're not going to believe this. He wants you to make a decision.'

Taylor got up angrily. The plan was clear. The kid, Ryder, had his instructions, and there wasn't a second to waste playing games. The relief columns could shoot their way into the compound at any time. Or some lunatic or fanatic could blow the entire headquarters to hell. Upstairs, the fighting stormed on, with screams and shouts underscored by resounding gunfire.

Taylor tossed his automatic rifle to Kozlov, who caught it awkwardly. 'You might need it,' Taylor said. 'I want you two to take over from Major Meredith. Merry, you come with me.'

Taylor did not wait to see his orders carried out. He ran down the hallway in a fury, anxious to see what kind of bullshit Ryder was up to. The mission was as clear as could be.

Taylor burst into the computer room. Ryder jumped, then calmed when he saw who it was. He sat before the central workstation of a large computer. Smiling.

'What the hell's going on here?' Taylor barked.

Ryder ignored his tone of voice, grinning like a fool. 'Look at this here, sir,' he said. 'Just look. It's incredible.'

Jesus Christ, Taylor thought. What now? He walked over to the workstation in a rage that the boy was not already putting all of his energy into destroying Japanese combat systems. Ryder gave the appearance of just playing with the great machine.

Taylor wanted to scream at him. But he was not certain that would be the best approach. The important thing, he reminded himself, was to accomplish the mission. Even if one of your key players turned out to be an incompetent nut.

'What's the problem?' Taylor asked, straining to keep his voice calm. Meredith came up beside him.

Ryder looked up brightly. 'There's no problem, sir. This is great. Just look.'

Taylor bent over the computer. But he could not read he arcane symbols of the Japanese computer language. 'All right,' he said. 'Tell me what it means.'

'That column of numbers on the right side?' Ryder said. 'See?'

Taylor mumbled. 'Yes.'

'Those are control nodes for the Japanese space defense system, the what-do-you-call-it? Satsee or something?'

'SAD-C,' Taylor corrected automatically. 'Okay, so what does it mean?' No sooner had he spoken the words than he began to realize why the warrant officer was so excited.

'Well,' Ryder said happily, 'we knew the Japanese had programmed all their tactical stuff so it could be ordered to self-destruct. But we never dreamed—'

Taylor put his hand on the younger man's shoulder, anchoring them both to reality.

'You're telling me,' Taylor said, 'that this computer can order the Japanese space defenses to self-destruct? The home islands shield?'

'Well,' Ryder said, 'they probably won't blow up or anything like that. The self-destruct order will probably just destroy the electronic circuits. The satellites will still be up there and all. They just won't be able to do anything.'

Taylor tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder. 'Are you absolutely certain? There's no possibility of a mistake?'

Ryder shrugged as though it were really a minor matter.

'No way,' he said. 'It's clear as day. Just look over here. See, I told the computer I was that Japanese general and—'

Taylor listened. Yes. General Noburu Kabata. Meredith interrupted. 'Do it,' he begged. 'Stick it to the bastards while there's still time. If we take out the space defenses, Japan won't be able to defend itself against shit. It changes everything.'

Yes.

It changed everything.

'Is it hard to do?' Taylor asked Ryder.

'Piece of cake,' the warrant officer said, as though he had been surprised at the question. 'You want me to do it then, sir?'

Taylor listened to the sounds of battle above their heads. 'Absolutely. How long will it take?'

Ryder didn't answer. He began to punch keys. The screen changed, and the warrant officer began to sort his way through a parade of numbers. Heavy footsteps pounded overhead. The fighting intensified again.

While waiting for Ryder to set up the program, Taylor turned to Meredith. The S-2 was putting pressure on his neck with a handkerchief. There was a lot of blood. 'Merry? Are you sure you're all right?'

The intelligence officer nodded heavily. 'Just messy. Slash wound. Doesn't even hurt. Christ, I thought my number was up.'

'Merry, the general's dead.'

The S-2 looked at him.

'General Noburu Kabata,' Taylor went on. 'I killed him. It was a fluke. The bastard had me cold. And he didn't fire.' Taylor shook his head, still unable to understand it. A shiver passed over him at the remembrance. 'He had me cold.'

'You're sure? You're sure it was him?'

'Yeah. You can report it as a confirmed kill. He's in the ops center, if you want to see. Not very pretty, I'm afraid.' Taylor lowered his eyes. 'I got carried away. Flashing on Lucky Dave. And Manny.'

Meredith lifted the handkerchief from his neck, testing. Taylor tugged at his first aid pack, letting the bandage drop into his hand. 'Here. Use this. And where's your goddamned aid pack? I ought to give you an Article Fifteen.'

'When we get out of this,' Meredith said, 'you're welcome to give me anything you want, sir.'

'I still don't understand it,' Taylor said. 'All he had to do was pull the damned trigger.'

Out in the hallway Parker or Kozlov fired a burst down the corridor. Then another.

Ryder slapped at the keyboard one last time, then swiveled around to face Taylor and Meredith.

'Ready to do it, Chief?' Taylor asked.

'It's already done,' Ryder said nonchalantly. 'No more Japanese space defenses.'

Taylor looked at the warrant officer, unsure whether he was joking or not, unable to quite believe that things could be this easy, after all the years of struggle, of failure, of dreaming of a better day.

'Chief,' Meredith said, speaking for Taylor, 'this is no joke. Are you absolutely certain the Japanese space defense system has been… incapacitated?'

Ryder shrugged. 'Unless the computer's lying.'

'Jesus,' Meredith said.

'All right,' Taylor said, businesslike again. He had commanded himself not to think of anything but the matters at hand. History and greater decisions could wait. There was more shooting out in the hallway.

'Chief,' Taylor said urgently, 'we've still got to take out the systems in-theater. Can you find the Scramblers?' He almost added that there was no time to waste. But Ryder was doing just fine. In his own little world. Taylor did not want to make him nervous at this point.

The warrant officer was easily the least troubled of the three men in the room. He was an expert, doing