world it would be today.'
Days later Avery would wonder why Tioulang's comment didn't make him guess the truth. Perhaps it was Gerrault's interruption; the younger man was not interested in reminiscence. 'This then explains why our communication satellites have failed!'
'We think so. We're trying to bring up the old radar watch we maintained through the twenties. It would help if both of you would do this, too.
'However you cut it, it seems we have our first effective opposition in nearly thirty years. Personally, I think they have been with us a long, long time. We've always ignored these 'Tinkers,' assuming that without big energy sources their technology could be no threat to us. `Cottage industry' we called it. When I showed you how far their electronics was ahead of ours, you seemed to think they were at most a threat to my West Coast holdings.
'Now it's clear that they have a worldwide operation in some ways equal to our own. I know there are Tinkers in Europe and China. They exist most places where there was a big electronics industry before the War. You should regard them as much a threat as I do mine.'
'Yes, and we must flush out the important ones and... ' Gerrault was in his element now. Visions of torture danced in his eyes.
'And,' said Tioulang, 'at the same time convince the rest of the world that the Tinkers are a direct threat to their safety. Remember that we all need goodwill. I have direct military control over most of China, but I could never keep India, Indonesia, and Japan in line if the people at the bottom didn't trust me more than their governments. There are more than twenty million people in those holdings.'
'Ali, that is your problem. You are like the grasshopper, lounging in the summer of public approval. I am the industrious ant,' Gerrault looked down at his enormous torso and chuckled at the metaphor, 'who has diligently worked to maintain garrisons from Oslo to Capetown. If this is `winter' coming, I'll need no public approval.' His eyes narrowed. 'But I do need to know more about this new enemy of ours.'
He glanced at Avery. 'And I think Avery has cleverly provided us with a lever against them. I wondered why you supported their silly chess tournament in Aztlan why you used your aircraft to transport their teams from all over the continent. Now I know: When you raided that tournament, you arrested some of the best Tinkers in the world. Oh, no doubt, just a few of them have knowledge of the conspiracy against us, but at the same time they must have many loved ones — and some of those will know more. If, one at a time, we try the prisoners for treason against Peace... why, I think we'll find someone who is willing to talk.'
Avery nodded. He would get none of the pleasure out of the operation that Christian might. He would do only what was necessary to preserve the Peace. 'And don't worry, K.T, we can do it without antagonizing the rest of our people.
'You see, the Tinkers use a lot of x- and gamma-ray lithography; they need it for microcircuit fabrication. Now, my public affairs people have put together a story that we've discovered the Tinkers are secretly upgrading these etching lasers for use as weapons lasers like the governments had before the War.'
Tioulang smiled. 'Ah. That's the sort of direct threat that should get us a lot of support. It's almost as effective as claiming they're involved in bioscience research. '
'There.' Gerrault raised his hands beneficently to his fellow directors. 'We are all happy then. Your people are pacified, and we can go after the enemy with all vigor. You were right to call us, Avery; this is a matter that deserves our immediate and personal attention.'
Avery felt grim pleasure in replying, 'There is another matter, Christian, at least as important. Paul Hoehler is alive.'
'The old-time mathematician you have such a fixation on? Yes, I know. You reported that in hushed and terrified tones several weeks ago.'
'One of my best agents has infiltrated the Middle California Tinkers. She reports that Hoehler has succeeded — or is near to succeeding — in building a bobble generator.'
It was the second bombshell he had laid on them, and in a way the greater. Spaceflight was one thing; several ordinary governments had had it before the War. But the bobble: For an enemy to have that was as unwelcome and incredible as hell opening a chapel. Gerrault was emphatic: 'Absurd. How could one old man fall on a secret we have kept so carefully all these years?'
'You forget, Christian, that
'I'm sorry, Hamilton, but I have trouble believing, too. There is no hard evidence here, apparently just the word of a woman. I think you always have been overly distressed by Hoehler. He may have had some of the original ideas, but it was the rest of your father's team that really made the invention possible. Besides, it takes a fusion plant and some huge capacitors to power a generator. The Tinkers could never...' Tioulang's voice trailed off as he realized that if you could hide space-launch facilities, you could certainly do the same for a fusion reactor.
'You see?' said Avery. Tioulang hadn't been in Father's research group, couldn't realize Hoehler's polymath talent. There had been others in the project, but it had been Hoehler on all the really theoretical fronts. Of course, history was not written that way. But stark after all the years, Avery remembered the rage on Hoehler's face when he realized that in addition to inventing 'the monster' (as he called it), that the development could never have been kept secret if he had not done the work of a lab full of specialists. It had been obvious the fellow was going to report them to LEL, and Father had trusted only Hamilton Avery to silence the mathematician. Avery had not succeeded in that
