The boy nodded. 'And, Wili... thanks.'
They stood and started into the valley. Wili suddenly found himself grinning. He felt so proud. Not smug, just proud. For the first time in his life, he had been the strong shoulder for someone else.
THIRTY
What Wili had missed most, even more than Paul and the Moraleses, was the processor hookup. Now that he was back, he spent several hours every day in deep connect. Most of the rest of the time he wore the connector. In discussions with Paul and Allison, it was comforting to have those extra resources available, to feel the background programs proceeding.
Even more, it brought him a feeling of safety.
And safety was something that had drained away, day by day. Six months ago, he had thought the mansion perfectly hidden, so far away in the mountains, so artfully concealed in the trees. That was before the Peacers started looking for them, and before Allison Parker talked to him about aerial reconnaissance. For precious weeks the search had centered in Northern California and Oregon, but now it had been expanded and spread both south and east. Before, the only aircraft they ever saw was the L.A./Livermore shuttle — and that was so far to the east, you had to know exactly where and when to look to see a faint glint of silver.
Now they saw aircraft several times a week. The patterns sketched across the sky formed a vast net — and they were the fish.
'All the camouflage in the world won't help, if they decide you're hiding in Middle California,' Mike's voice was tight with urgency. He walked across the veranda and tugged at the green-and-brown shroud he and Bill Morales had hung over all the exposed stonework and hard corners of the mansion. Gone were the days when they could sit out by the pond and admire the far view.
Paul protested, 'It's no ordinary camouflage, it-'
'I know it was a lot of work. You've told me Allison and the Moraleses spent two weeks putting it together. I know she and Wili added a few electronic twists that make it even better than it looks. But, Paul' — he sat down and glared at Paul, as if to persuade by the force of his own conviction 'they have other ways. They can interrogate del Norte — or at least his subordinates. That will get them to Ojai. They've raided Red Arrow and Santa Ynez and the market towns further north. Apparently the few people — like Kaladze who really know your location have escaped. But no matter how many red herrings you've dropped over the years, they're eventually going to narrow things down to this part of the country.'
'And there's Della Lu,' said Allison.
Mike's eyes widened, and Wili could see that the comment had almost unhorsed him. Then he seemed to realize that it was not a jibe. 'Yes, there's Lu. I've always thought this place must be closer to Santa Ynez than the other trading towns: I laid my share of red herrings on Della. But she's very clever. She may figure it out. The point is this: In the near future, they'll put the whole hunt on this part of California. It won't be just a plane every other day. If they can spare the people, they might actually do ground sweeps.'
'What are you suggesting, Mike?' Allison again.
'That we move. Take the big wagon, stuff it with all the equipment we need, and move. If we study the search patterns and time it right, I think we could get out of Middle California, maybe to some place in Nevada. We have to pick a place we can reach without running into people on the way, and it has to be some ways from here; once they find the mansion, they'll try to trace us... I know, it'll be risky, but it's our only chance if we want to last more than another month.'
Now it was Paul's turn to be upset. 'Damn it, we can't move. Not now. Even if we could bring all the important equipment which we can't — it would still be impossible. I can't afford the time, Mike. The Tinkers need the improvements I'm sending out; they need those bobble generators if they're going to fight back. If we take a month's vacation now, the revolution will be lost. We'll be safe in some hole in Nevada-safe to watch everything we've worked for go down the tubes.' He thought a moment and came up with another objection. 'Hell, I bet we couldn't even keep in touch with the Tinkers afterwards. I've spent years putting together untraceable communication links from here. A lot of it depends on precise knowledge of local terrain and climate. Our comm would make us sitting ducks if we moved.'
Throughout the discussion, Wili sat quietly at the edge of the veranda, where the sunlight came through the camouflage mesh most strongly. In the back of his mind, Jill was providing constant updates on the Authority broadcasts she monitored. From the recon satellites, he knew the location of all aircraft within a thousand kilometers. They might be captured, but they could never be surprised.
This omniscience was little use in the present debate. At one extreme, he 'knew' millions of little facts that together formed their situation; at the other, he knew mathematical theories that governed those facts. In between, in matters of judgment, he sensed his incompetence. He looked at Allison. 'What do you think? Who is right?'
She hesitated just a moment. 'It's the reconnaissance angle I really know.' It was eerie watching Allison. She was Jill granted real-world existence. 'If the Peacers are competent, then I don't see how Mike could be wrong.' She looked at Naismith. 'Paul, you say the Tinkers' revolt will be completely suppressed if we take time out to move. I don't know; that seems a much iffier contention. Of course, if you're
'What?' Wili said abruptly. That sabotage was his big contribution. Besides, he hadn't 'trashed' the system, only made it inaccessible to the Authority. 'They would find us
