Systemic Shock

sort.

Quantrill, alias 'Lendal Stone', nodded; watched Jansen's approach from the corner of his eye. “Clean hands and a pure heart, Prophet Monroe, like you told me,' said Quantrill. 'Didn't want to be unseemly first time I showed up in church.'

'Plenty of wives and little vessels cuttin' their eyes at you, 'Monroe grinned; winked. 'If they had votes, you'd be Prophet Stone already.' Quantrill did not comment on Monroe's fantasy. Most of the women and children seemed dull-eyed captives with all the personality of so many ears of corn in a crib.

'Brother Monroe.' The little man jumped, made a show of facing Jansen as an equal. Jansen went on, 'Could you spare an acolyte for awhile?'

Quantrill had been watching the man — had studied them all — for three days. Jansen stood tall and tanned in a suit of black, with a formal white shirt and black string tie. His dark gray Stetson and low-quarter black boots fitted well; lent authenticity to his leadership in the devotionals. But every afternoon, Monroe had said, a different prophet performed that solemn office. This was Quantrill's first gathering with the faithful, and it seemed to be an occasion for formal attire. Earlier in the day Jansen had worn work clothes, the tendons in his arms marking him as one familiar with hard work. But always he wore that stern look of command, and his flat twanging baritone implied that it was used to obedience.

'Glad to oblige, Brother.' And scared not to, Monroe's tone said. Since Quantrill was Monroe's only helper, the subtlety was shallow. Monroe formally presented Acolyte Lendal Stone to Prophet Jansen, excused himself, and hurried from the barn to seek the warm Texas breeze.

Quantrill gazed up at the commanding face with a polite smile, waiting. Gradually the lines in Jansen's face grew more stern, the eyes more piercing, until Quantrill's smile became quizzical. Then, 'Oh, 'said the youth, and dropped his gaze.

'Oh,' Jansen mocked him. 'That's better, boy. Insolent eyes aren't fitten in the young. Remember that.'

'Yessir, I will.'

'Yes, Prophet Jensen.'

Quantrill made his voice very small: 'Yes, Prophet Jansen.'

Pleased, the baritone lifted a bit. 'Prophet Beasley testified on your behalf Sunday morning. Some were in favor of consigning you and your vessel to perdition, but Prophet Beasley thought you might be worthy of the kingdom of God. I heard all about your pa and his ways and your pilgrimage back from Modesto.' He paused, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet. The next moment his voice was almost singsong, as if murmuring to himself: 'That's all a pack of lies, of course.'

Still looking down at his feet, Quantrill shook his head ever so slightly. “I know better'n to lie to a prophet, as God is my witness,' he mumbled.

'No you don't,' said Jansen, enjoying himself. 'I know Modesto like the back of my hand. Where was your pa's cafe?'

If this was true, Quantrill had only seconds to make some decisions. Control could not hear Jansen; only Quantrill himself. Scuffing his feet in the dust, scanning his memory furiously for details of his cover, he said, 'Out Route one-thirty-two on the right-hand side of the road, east of the shopping center. We had snooker tables and shuffleboard.' Surely, Control would recognize this as an interrogation, but his critic lay silent.

Judicious silence, then a chuckle from Jansen: 'More of a roadhouse than a cafe.' More silence, then suddenly:”What was your under-the-counter beer?'

'Coors,' said Quantrill, blessing Mason Reardon's thoroughness in the cover sessions. 'But the black-and- whites knowed it; wasn't no secret.'

'I just bet it wasn't,' Jansen chuckled again. 'Well, you pass muster on that score — so you tell me why your pa would hide his treasures from his own seed, but trusts the secret to a vessel that isn't even family!'

In a crystalline burst of insight, Quantrill realized that a man like Jansen was simply incapable of believing such a thing, true or not. He spoke huskily, adding a touch of nasality; tried to recover the lost credibility. 'Pa showed us both, Prophet Jansen. It was down the road from a kilometer post, but I ain't that good at numbers. Delight, she's real good, why she — anyhow,' he feared overdoing it, 'I can't recall five-ninety-two or two-ninety- five, so what I told Prophet Beasley ain't really a lie. Not really,' he whined.

'And besides, you'd say anything to get your little hotsy out of the jug. Right?'

'We made a vow. And I ain't seen her at all today,' Quantrill said, not missing the practiced ease with which Jansen was removing his broad leather belt.

'A half-lie deserves half-punishment,' said Jansen, and began to swing the belt.

If this was half-punishment, Quantrill thought, cringing in the dust, he hoped to be spared the whole article. Jansen had the knack of flicking the belt's tip, and of picking his spot. He picked a dozen spots on Quantrill's naked flesh; wrists, ears, the back of his neck. The young gunsel groaned and writhed face down, hands protecting his head. Quantrill's tears were real, half from pain and half from suppressed rage.

'That wasn't for lyin' to Beasley,' Jansen said when he had begun to reinsert his belt through its loops, breathing hard but speaking pleasantly. ' 'That was for askin' Almighty God to bear false witness to your half-lie. All the prophets are equal in the sight of the Lord, Acolyte Stone; but I ask you in all loving kindness to be careful which one you talk to about your pa's stash on the Ozona Road.

'Now I don't like to say things twice, so listen. We're missin' three vessels — missed 'em ever since the night you came, some fool thought Beasley was a posse and gave the alarm and off they went. A mother with a nine-year-old and a sucklin' babe. We got men out that you ain't — haven't — met yet, still lookin', since they were in charge when the three got away. It's fitten. If they make it to a highway, we might have to pull up stakes. Your vessel, Delight, is on a sweep with prophets right now. You're goin' with others to cover another area. Bring me a body. Mother, girl, or babe, where one is the others are — and that'll be the Lord's sign you're worthy of us.'

Quantrill got to his feet slowly, dusting himself off, disgusted with his own genuine fear of this cool merciless fanatic. “Yessir — Prophet Jansen. You want me to shoot on sight? I don't know what they look like; maybe I should bring 'em in for questioning.'

'Mother's skinny, short gray hair; hell, they'll look like strangers, Stone, that's all you need to go on. And you won't have a gun, but I don't need them three for questions. I have all the answers, all I need is bodies. Let it be a challenge to you.' The black eyes flickered in glacial amusement: “God put plenty of rocks out there to be used in His service.' With that, the Prophet Jansen straightened his severe black suit, polished the tips of his boots before striding from the barn into God's own brightly-polished, midsummer wild-country sun.

A half-hour later, Quantrill stood empty-handed in jeans and canvas work shirt and watched morosely as the terratired vehicle bobbed from sight over the toasted-meringue tints of Texas rangeland. He knew exactly where he was; had known it from the morning when he saw the way that barn listed like some shiplapped drunkard lost on broken limestone soil. He was on the Willard place, without the Willards. There were enough predators on two legs and four to dishearten the most hard-bitten of small ranchers. He had alerted Control, seeking confirmation that he was again in Sutton County east of Sonora with a raging case of dejd vu.

Another man hopped down from the distant vehicle and waved. They paced each other in a slow march to the north, a red sun over their left shoulders, and Quantrill murmured his prayer to the great god Tau Sector.

'We have an interesting sanction, Q,' said the sexless Control as Quantrill moved down a gully in search of the escapees. He intended to ignore them unless they shot first, but could not afford to blow the assignment on behalf of some poor human flotsam. Control continued, 'Pelletier and

Quinn are reassigned to counter intrusions by Mexican nationals to the south. Their team will not, repeat not, be available to you.'

'That's interesting, all right. Doesn't help us much here,' Quantrill replied.

'Neg, Q; your new sanction is interesting. S has met two more prophets on picket duty to the south. She reports sexual harassment but stands ready when you are.' Something almost humorous, rare in Control: 'Even more than you are. From your team reports I make it twelve male prophets, seventeen adult females, ten immature females. No immature males; we doubt they intend to keep you long.'

'Figures,' Quantrill.murmured, staring down at damp sand in a dry-wash. He knelt to study the hoofprints, thinking at first they had been made by deer. The split print was huge; a bandwidth long, almost as wide, trailed by