Stone Junction

‘I wouldn’t argue about the justice,’ Daniel said, ‘but it’s still murder.’

‘I won’t dispute your judgment – except to say AMO has been debating the fine moral points of the issue for centuries, and to no conclusion.’

Daniel was shaking his head. ‘No, not the fine points, just the fact: You drove him to do it. I can understand that. But why torment him? That’s different. That’s cruel. Why not just walk up and shoot him? A hundred days… that’s what I don’t understand. I just can’t believe you could do that.’

‘Could you, Daniel? Suppose your mother was set up, with cold premeditation, to be killed in that alley. What would you do?’

‘Try to find out who did it.’

‘Assumed. And when you were certain who’d done it?’

‘I don’t know,’ Daniel sighed. ‘I really don’t know.’

‘I didn’t either,’ Volta said, ‘till I found out. Let me tell you what I learned. I didn’t enjoy it. I’m not proud of it. I’m not ashamed. I never did it again. And I want you to know you’re the only person I’ve ever told. It wasn’t sanctioned by the Alliance; it was personal business. I obviously trust you’ll honor it as a strict confidence.’

Daniel said with a flash of anger, ‘Yes, sure, you know I will. But why are you telling me all this stuff about Shamus and the girl and that poor kid and killing the sergeant? Now, of all times? When I need to keep focused on the work?’

‘Because you’re the only other person who has vanished, and thus might be capable of understanding the particular nature of my decision and the state of mind in which it was made. And I’m telling you now because you’re going to see the Diamond, and perhaps be forced to make some impossible decisions, and I want you to know you’re not alone. Our ability to vanish changes nothing but our form. While it gives us a rare perspective, it offers no exemptions. It doesn’t make us wise or powerful or compassionate. And what understanding and compassion we do earn from our efforts only makes some decisions more painful – though perhaps we suffer them more gladly.’

‘Then what’s the point? A finer appreciation of inescapable suffering?’

‘No. The point is life. Its facts and meanings and mysteries.’

‘Okay,’ Daniel said breezily, ‘tell me the facts of life.’

‘I can offer a condensed version of the first statement of principles in the Emerald Tablet, ascribed to Hermes Trismegistos, the protoalchemist. “As below, so above. As above, so below. It is thus to accomplish the miracles of one thing.”’

‘“Miracles of one thing?” Shouldn’t that be “miracle”?’

Volta looked at Daniel and shook his head. ‘I wish that deer had kicked you harder; I really do. Maybe seeing the Diamond will help. Perhaps we should abandon our metaphysical inquiries and turn our attention to the more mundane task of stealing it.’

When the dishes were done, Volta spread a large map on the table. He used his pencil for a pointer. ‘As we now know, the Diamond is being kept at the White Sands Proving Ground. More exactly, right here, in the Tularosa Valley, roughly between the San Andres and Capitan Mountains in the old lands of the Mescalero Apache. The closest towns are Tularosa, Mescalero, High Rolls, and Bent. However, we have allies on the Mescalero reservation, so we’ll use that area for staging the raid, with our field headquarters in El Paso. So far, no problem.’

Volta replaced the map with an aerial photo of what appeared to be a volcano rising from a plain. Daniel interrupted: ‘It might save us time and explanation if you want to hear how I think I can steal the Diamond, whatever the defenses.’

‘I think it would be more efficient if I describe the security and you listen, judging its effects on your approach. You’ll have to know it anyway. Tell me when your plan is compromised, if it is.’ He pointed at the volcanic cone. ‘This is Sunrise Mountain, a cinder cone as you no doubt see, and though it appears taller, its elevation is five hundred forty-five feet – which would hardly qualify as a knoll around here, but then we aren’t surrounded by alkali flats.’ His pencil moved to a dark rectangular speck at the base of the mountain. ‘This is where the bad news begins. That speck you see is the entrance to a horizontal shaft that runs to the center of the mountain. It’s approximately seven hundred yards long, with a five-degree declination from entrance to center. At the end of the shaft is a large vault. The Diamond is in the vault.

‘What sort of lock?’

‘We’ll get to that. First, let’s go down the shaft, which has four separate checkpoints, each manned by a marine machine-gun crew. The guns are in concrete bunkers built into the tunnel. The watch changes every six hours, but the old shift stays in place until the new one occupies its positions, so the changing of the guards, traditionally a vulnerable moment in all security arrangements, is well covered.’

‘I’m beginning to see what was meant by “formidable defenses,” but none of that affects my plan.’

‘Keep looking.’ Volta slid a diagram of the shaft over the aerial photo. ‘There are four alarm systems in the tunnel, one at each checkpoint, each on an independent circuit, each monitored at Holloman Air Force Base twenty miles to the south, where, at any alarm, a squadron of F-15s and an entire company of marines in helicopter transports can be airborne within fifteen minutes – the jets perhaps sooner.’

Daniel said, ‘I don’t like that at all – not that it hurts my plan.’

‘Just on general principles then?’

‘Right. Especially the principle that a mistake could really be punished.’

Volta nodded. ‘Also, the airspace above Tularosa Valley is under routine radar surveillance from the air base, but only above five hundred feet, so a small plane or helicopter could come in under it, though again the margin for error is substantially narrowed.

‘Back to the shaft for a moment. It has tracks for electric carts to carry people and supplies. There’s been a lot of activity lately, technicians shuttling back and forth with equipment, and we’re concerned our information may already be outdated. I’m sure you understand the difficulty of close scrutiny, since there’s no concealed vantage point on the flats. So let me tell you for the first time now what you will hear from me a hundred times more: If you encounter anything that is different than expected, don’t try to improvise. Retreat; report; and we’ll revise the plan.’