The Future War

briskly, and without looking back.

Silence reigned at the table.

'I'm glad we had dinner before you came in,' Dieter said.

John looked at him, feeling sick. 'I don't think I ever want to eat again,' he mumbled.

'You will. You'd better.' The big Austrian narrowed his eyes.

'We've got a mess to clean up.'

That shocked an incredulous laugh out of John. 'A mess?

That's putting it a bit mildly, wouldn't you say?'

'Yah, but I don't have my violin.'

Genuinely shocked, the younger man stared at him. 'I can understand if you don't wanna give me a hug, but I've just realized this whole thing is my fault. I'd appreciate it if you didn't make fun of me, okay?'

'You made a mistake,' Dieter agreed. 'But you weren't the only one. I knew you were upset, and hurt. I was the more experienced operative; I should have double-checked your work.'

'It's good of you to want to shoulder some of the responsibility, Dieter,' John began.

Dieter waved that off. 'At this juncture assigning blame is meaningless. And in this case it's particularly pointless. We've been in this situation before, John.' He nodded his head. 'And we've discussed what's happening. Events want to happen a certain way. You and your mother and I have changed things three times. The first two times you had nothing to do with creating Skynet, yet you owe your very existence to it.' He sighed. 'I suppose it's only reasonable that fate would choose you to bring it into being.'

'We have no fate but what we make for ourselves,' Sarah said.

John jumped and looked up at her. She was wearing her hardest expression, but she wasn't looking at him as though he was the enemy.

'This was bad luck and poor performance, brought about no doubt by your having hypothermia and John's being wounded and in shock. But we're not going to lie down and wail, 'Oh, it was fate, there's nothing we can do.' We've fought Skynet before and won; we'll go on fighting it until the damn thing's obliterated. Now let's go home and get to work.' She turned and walked away.

Dieter watched her go with awe in his face. 'What a woman,'

he whispered. Then he smiled at John and, reaching over the table, gave him a slap on the back. 'Let's go see what we can do, eh?'

* * *

NEAR THE MOSQUITO RIVER, ALASKA

Ninel rode her bike up the weed-grown gravel driveway, then paused just as the house came in sight through the bushes. It was a neat little cottage with a stone chimney and a screened-in front porch. It seemed surprisingly well cared for given the condition of the driveway. Someone moved within the shaded depths of the porch and Ninel tightened her lips, embarrassed at being seen spying on the house. She continued riding.

'Hello the house,' she called out.

A slightly plump woman with short gray hair, wearing a shapeless housedress, opened the screen door and stood on the steps. She had a pleasant, motherly face and alert, intelligent eyes. Ninel warmed to her immediately.

'Hello yourself,' the woman said, and took another step down.

'You'd be Ninel?'

'Petrikoff,' Ninel agreed and held out her hand.

'Balewitch,' the woman said with a grin and a slight shrug.

She took Ninel's hand in a firm clasp. 'It seemed romantic and interesting when I was young.' She rolled her eyes. 'Now it just reminds me of how young I once was. Still, a lot of people know me by Balewitch. C'mon in and have some tea.' She went up the steps and onto the porch, holding the door open invitingly.

'Quick, before the mosquitoes get in!'

Ninel put the bike on its kickstand and dashed lightly up the steps. Her hostess led her past a tiny sitting room and down a short hall to a sunny kitchen. It was probably the largest room in the house and most likely where Balewitch spent most of her time. The room was painted in soft yellow and pale green with a big farmhouse-style table and ladder-back chairs with rush seats around it. It smelled like fresh bread, with maybe just a hint of the sandalwood scent of pot beneath it.

'You have a lovely home,' Ninel said.

The woman turned from spooning tea into a pot and smiled.

'Thank you, honey. I like it.' She poured boiling water into the pot and brought it to the table where two mugs already sat. 'It's mint from my garden.'

'Oh really, how nice,' Ninel said, and sat down.

'Ron said you used to be a lot more active than you've been the last little while,' Balewitch said, pouring the fragrant beverage for both of them.

'Yeah, I was going to college in Fairbanks and there was a pretty big Luddite presence on campus. But so many people up here are Luddites that I sometimes felt like we were preaching to the converted. You know what I mean?'

Balewitch nodded as she drizzled honey into her tea.

'So when the opportunity came up to. take over this trapper's run, I grabbed it. Kyle kept me pretty busy teaching me everything I needed to know, so I didn't even have time to keep up with my friends in the movement, never mind the broader scope of things. But as soon as I could, I got back in touch.' She took a sip of tea, smiled approval at her hostess, then shook her head. 'But when Ron Labane himself seemed to be answering my postings, well, naturally, my interest soared. Although'—she carefully put her mug on the table—'I have to admit I sometimes doubt it's really him.'

Balewitch chuckled, her eyes sparkling with humor. 'Oh, I can understand that. I had my doubts when he got back in touch with me at first. But it's him all right.' She gave a firm nod. 'No one else would know the things he knows—about me, about my group. It's him all right.' She looked at Ninel and smiled. 'So tell me all about yourself.'

Perhaps it was her motherly appearance or the sympathy in her smile, but Balewitch was very easy to talk to; she was an intelligent listener who asked all the right questions. Or maybe it was finally being in the company of someone with similar interests and ideas, but Ninel found herself talking more than she probably had all year. When the flow of words ran out, she looked down at her cold tea in surprise. Balewitch grinned and took the cup away from her.

'Well, you've at least kept up with the literature,' she said.

'I'm a fast reader,' Ninel admitted. 'When I finally got the opportunity to hit the library, I just devoured everything I could get my hands on. And when I didn't have access, I just'—she shrugged—'well, thought about Mr. Labane's philosophy. My parents thought that Marxist-Leninist philosophy put forth the most important ideas ever known. But they were wrong. Ron Labane's ideas will save the human race from itself.'

After a moment Balewitch said, 'I suppose your parents saw themselves as revolutionaries.'

Ninel shook her head, smiling sadly. 'Maybe before I was born they were. The fire was pretty much gone before I was ten. When I was in high school I discovered the Luddite movement and tried to get them interested, but it was hopeless. I haven't been back home since I left for college, and I seriously doubt they've noticed I'm gone.'

Balewitch patted her hand. 'They've noticed. Maybe they've even discovered the movement.'

Ninel shook her head. 'I doubt it. The last time I went to one of their party meetings, the women were trading recipes and the men were talking about baseball. Like I said, the fire is gone.'

'What about your fire?' Balewitch asked. 'Still hot?'

The younger woman leaned forward eagerly. 'Give me a chance to prove myself. Ask me to do something and I'll do it. I can be very efficient.'

Balewitch laughed and patted her hand again. 'Down, girl!

First why don't we try to put you in touch with some like-minded young people and see how you get along. Meanwhile, Ron told me to give you this.' She got up and retrieved a booklet from a counter.

Ninel took it and gasped. 'Oh! The library didn't have this and they said they couldn't get it.'