take a team and infiltrate the buildings, give me a backup.”
“Will do, General.”
They were on the outskirts of Rolla two hours later, with Ben trying to convince the new members it would be in their best interest to stay clear of the college
area. None of them bought his plan, especially Gale. She puffed up, stuck out her chin and marched up to Ben.
Ben braced for a confrontation.
“Mr. President, General-whatever. Are you trying to dump us?”
“Ms. Roth,” Ben said patiently. “I have a great many things on my mind right now, and you are not making any of them any easier to resolve with your stupid goddamn questions?”
“I only asked one.”
Ben looked toward the sky as if seeking some advice from a higher power.
Gale shifted the kid from left to right hip. Ben still didn’t know the kid’s name. Woman and baby glared at him.
It must be contagious, Ben thought.
“Ms. Roth, I have absolutely no intention of leaving anyone behind. But if matters deteriorate to the point where fast, violent action is the only way left us, I do not want a bunch of helpless civilians mucking about, getting in the way, hollering and bawling and being what they are: useless in any type of fire-fight. Now, Ms. Roth, is that perfectly clear?”
“It sure is. We’re going with you.” She turned to leave.
“Your ass, baby,” Ben said.
Gale spun around, off balance with the child perched on one hip. She almost fell. Ben caught her.
She jerked away from his hands and said, “Don’t call me baby!”
“OK, honey.”
She glared at him then walked off, muttering about
sexism still prevailing among men who should know better. But, she concluded, just loud enough for Ben to hear, anyone who wrote shtup books for a living couldn’t be anything but a sexist. And a male chauvinist pig, too. And other things that a lady should never even think, much less mention aloud. In public.
Ben laughed at her. “Are you any relation to Gloria Steinem?”
“I wish,” she called over her shoulder. “Were you any relation to Hilton Logan?”
“Bite your tongue!”
Ben grinned, thinking: Things sure had gotten livelier since she joined the parade.
Over the loud and sometimes heated protests of his people, Ben went into the campus alone, ordering his Rebels to dismount and prepare for a fire-fight, but hoping it would not come to that. Yet. Colonel Gray had his orders and, with a carefully selected team, quietly set about carrying them out.
Ben walked slowly up the weed-grown and cracked drive of the long-deserted college, toward a group of young men and women gathered in front of a building. They fell silent at his approach.
“President Raines,” someone muttered.
“Aw, come on. No way,” another young person said.
“Yeah, ain’t no way he’d be here.”
“That’s General Raines,” a young woman said, her eyes on the tall figure walking toward them. “Believe it.”
“Wonder what he wants with us?”
Some of the young people began backing away, to
the left and right. Ben’s reputation of shooting first and asking questions later had preceded him.
“President-General Raines,” a voice called from the steps of the building. “What an honor to have you join us. My name is Mike. What can I, or we, do for you?”
Ben looked at the young man. Tall and blond and well-built and blue-eyed. His eyes picked out many more like Mike. They looked as though they could have been brothers and sisters.
“Just looking for a couple of young friends of mine,” Ben told him, his voice carrying over the now-silent crowd. The butt of the Thompson rested on his right hip. A thirty-round clip was stuck in its belly, another thirty- round clip taped to that, for fast reloading. “Judy Stratmann and Roy Jaydot. Perhaps you’ve seen them?”
Mikael smiled. He had been well-trained, and was highly intelligent. He felt he could probably convince the general he had not seen either. But what he wasn’t sure of was how many troops the general had backing him up. And any convincing would have to be done privately; to lie now-openly-in front of the American young people would destroy everything he had so carefully constructed over the past two weeks.
“Yes, of course, I’ve seen them. They are here now, studying and learning.”
“Well, then,” Ben said with a smile. “You won’t mind if I speak to them, will you?”
Mikael’s smile had not wavered. “Of course not.” He turned to a young lady and spoke quietly. He swung his gaze back to Ben as the young IPF member walked away. “They will be along presently, General.”
“Fine. Don’t let me interrupt your lecture. You must be quite a speaker to hold the attention of so many young people. My speeches used to bore a lot of them.”
Small laughter among the crowd.
Without losing his smile, which, to Ben’s way of thinking, was a cross between a smirk and being downright smart-assed, the young man said, “Perhaps, sir, with all due respect, you did not speak to them on the right topic?”
“That might well be true, young man,” Ben said sagely. “But then, perhaps it was because I didn’t tell them everything they wanted to hear.”
Some of the young people looked at one another, shaking their heads in agreement with Ben. Their accord did not go unnoticed by Mikael. I will lose some of them, he thought. Perhaps ten or fifteen percent. But no matter. The majority will still be with me.
Ben’s mind was one jump ahead of the young Russian. He said, “We’re going to be camped just down the highway. Be there for a time. Perhaps Mikael would agree to debate me sometime? Then we could all have a question and answer session. That might not only be fun, but interesting and informative.”
The bastard! Mikael silently raged. He would have to contact Base One concerning this unexpected development. “Perhaps,” he said, his voice losing some of its confidence. “I will let you know tomorrow.”
“Why not now?” Ben challenged. “Or do you have to first speak with your superiors to get their
permission? Isn’t that the case-tovarich?”
Mikael knew his face was suddenly flushed. He fought to control his temper and struggled to keep from balling his hands into fists of anger.
Before Mikael could retort, a young woman in the crowd stood up and faced him. “What did General Raines mean, Mikael? What does tovarich mean?”
Mikael’s eyes were decidedly mean as he faced the questioner.
Ben said, “It means comrade, young lady. Your nice, friendly Mikael is a Russian.”
The young woman’s face drained of blood. “Is that true, Mikael?”
The Russian shrugged his shoulders. Silently he was damning Ben Raines to the pits of hell-if that place existed, and right now he hoped it did. “There is no Russia, Denise. Most of it was destroyed by nuclear warheads back in 1988. They were sent by NATO countries, and supplied by-was
Denise shook her head impatiently. “I didn’t ask for a political lecture, Mikael.” She stood with hands on hips. “Are you a Russian?”
His bright, hard blue eyes shifted from young lady to Ben. “Yes,” he said softly, with many straining to hear. “I am.”
A young man stood up. “Well… that don’t make no difference to me. I like what Mikael and his friends are all about and what they’ve told us. I believe what they say is true. I’m sticking with them.”
About two-thirds of the young people present agreed with that. It did not surprise Ben.
Ben said, “You young men and women who have not yet made up your minds about Mikael’s …
ideology, come with me when I leave. Just walk with me to where we’re camped and talk with those with me. I promise you no pressure will be exerted upon your minds. Let’s just talk. Isn’t that what a democracy is all about?”
