“This is a nightmare,” said Taylor.
“The Japanese want the Roundhouse handed over to the UN and destroyed. They say the port technology will destroy the global economy.”
“They won’t be alone,” said Taylor. “The whole world is terrified of discovering that it could get a whole lot smaller. Overnight.”
Yakata sighed. “Exactly how difficult would it be to reproduce the port technology, Mr. President?”
“We haven’t been able to get a good look at it yet, Margaret. But my people tell me that anything we can get a working model of, we can duplicate.”
“That’s what I thought. Mr. President, you’d know more about this than I do, but in my opinion the people who have been raising security concerns have a point.” She considered what she was about to say and did not like it. She was not among those who had lost faith in technology or in the human race itself. And yet…“Matt,” she said, “do you want a suggestion?”
He nodded.
“Kill the damned thing. Kill it dead. Arrange an accident. Discover that it has stopped working. Do something to put it out of business. Then, when it’s done, invite the UN to come have a look, so there won’t be any question about the identity of the body.”
Arky’s fax was pumping out paper on a full-time basis. Sonny’s Barbecue, Hooters, International House of Pancakes, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Steak ‘n’ Ale, and a dozen other chains wanted to put restaurants on Johnson’s Ridge. Sheraton, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, and Best Western had all submitted bids to build hotels. Albright REIT wanted to construct a shopping mall, and five oil companies were asking to install gas stations on the approach.
Some corporations were thinking about operations on the other side of the port. Lumber companies wanted to survey Eden’s forests. Real-estate developers thought that the beach beneath the Horsehead needed a boardwalk and hot-dog stands. Requests for oil surveys were coming in already.
A group calling itself Kurds for a Better World had sent an application for land, informing Max that they hoped to send sixty thousand people to establish an independent colony in Eden. Representatives of displaced peoples from around the globe were making statements to journalists that implied there’d be more requests of the same nature. A Poor People’s Crusade was forming in Washington and issuing demands.
“Maybe they’re right,” said April. “Maybe we should open it up and let everybody use it. What’s the harm?”
Arky frowned. “What happens if we try to settle and the owners show up?”
“I don’t think there are any owners,” said Max. “I wouldn’t want to put anybody in the Maze, but I think Eden is empty.”
Arky’s eyes flashed. “Maybe the owners like it empty. I would.”
“And that’s the real reason,” said Max, “isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“You don’t want anybody using the land except your own people.”
Arky started to deny the charge but only shrugged. “No one else will treat it appropriately,” he said. “Turn it over to any of these other groups, and within a few years you’ll have something that looks like downtown Fargo. At best.” He was looking past Max, focusing on some distant place. “This is a new wilderness. We allowed strangers to settle our lands once before. I don’t think we are going to make that mistake again.”
“We’re concerned about the port.” Jason Fleury peered at Walker through horn-rimmed trifocals. There was something vaguely unkempt about the man, a quality which contributed to an overall sense of self-effacing honesty. Not at all what the chairman had expected in a presidential representative. “Chairman,” he said, “I’m sure you understand that what you have here is of such significance that it has become, in effect, a national resource. Are you familiar with what has been happening at the UN?”
“I am. People there are arguing that the Roundhouse belongs to the world.”
“And what is your reaction?”
“It is the property of the Mini Wakan Oyaté.”
Fleury nodded sympathetically. “I know,” he said. “I think I understand. But there are political realities involved. Tomorrow the United Nations will debate a motion that the U.S. be requested to declare Johnson’s Ridge an international facility. Under ordinary circumstances, the idea would be laughable. But the Roundhouse is a unique global problem. People are terrified of what will happen if its technologies become generally available. Some regional economies are already in a shambles. For example, the auto parts industry in Morocco has collapsed. The price of oil has fallen through the floor, and clothing industries in every major western country are dying. Dying, Chairman.” He dropped wearily back in his chair. “I don’t have to tell you what’s been happening to the stock market. Gold is way up, several major western banks have collapsed, capital investment everywhere is paralyzed. North Korea is threatening to nuke South Korea unless it gets access to the Roundhouse. We’re in a pressure cooker, sir. And something is going to have to give.”
An icy rain was rattling the windows. Outside, a school bus had pulled up, and children were hurrying into the building. It would be a tour group, kids trying to learn about their heritage. “We’re not unaware of these problems,” the chairman said. “It seems to me they result from widespread fear rather than from any tangible effect from Johnson’s Ridge. However, we are prepared to help.” He liked Fleury, who seemed a decent enough man. “We think what might be needed is a review board that would pass on any proposals to exploit Roundhouse technology or information. And we would be willing to enter discussions to set up such a board.”
Fleury seemed pleased. “That kind of arrangement was our first thought, Chairman. But the truth is that we don’t think it would work.”
“May I ask why not?” The council had expected pressure to be brought to bear, but they had all thought their proposal was eminently reasonable.
“People don’t trust their governments anymore,” Fleury said. “They don’t trust them to be honest or to be competent. I won’t debate with you whether that’s a fair assessment.” A smile played at the corners of his lips. “The truth is, as long as the Roundhouse exists, people are going to be terrified. They will not believe that a board of review will be a sufficient safeguard. And, frankly, neither do we. Not over the long term. In any case, if people don’t believe it will work, it won’t work.”
Walker felt a chill creeping into the room. “What, precisely, are you saying?”
“I’d like to speak off the record.”
“Go ahead.”
Fleury got up and closed the office door. “The artifact has to disappear. It has to be destroyed. What we propose to do is to buy it from you. We will offer a generous amount, more than you could have got from Wells’s group. And then there will be an accident.”
The chairman nodded. “There will be nothing left.”
“Nothing.”
“How do you propose to arrange that?”
Fleury didn’t know. “Not my department,” he said. “Probably blow it to hell and claim it was an intrinsic instability or an alien self-destruct device. They’re imaginative.” He looked unhappy. “You’ll get a fair price. More than fair.”
For a long time the chairman did not move. When at last he responded, his voice was heavy. “Some of our people,” he said, “are preparing to move over there.”
“Beg pardon?”
“We have been given a second chance, Mr. Fleury. A chance to remember who we used to be. That has nothing to do with government payments. Or reservations. Or a world so crowded that a man cannot breathe. No, we will keep Eden. And we will maintain control over the access point.”