Consumer electronics contain little or no ion or aluminum. And those with battery-operated radios and televisions heard it.
The voice was Heinrich Copernick’s, although, for linguistic reasons, the speaker was the CCU.
“I am Heinrich Copernick. I have a message that is vital to your welfare. Be patient, and it will be repeated in your own language. An English-language broadcast will begin in ten minutes.” These lines, with appropriate broadcast times, were then repeated in Russian, Chinese, French, German, Hindustani, and fifty-three other languages and dialects.
“We are in the midst of a devastating and historically unprecedented plague,” it continued in English. “As you are doubtless well aware, it is caused by an insect that is capable of metabolizing iron and aluminum. It has spread with incredible rapidity across the entire globe.
“The biological metabolism of metals is not unprecedented. Iron bacteria have plagued corrosion engineers for many years. It is possible that these insects carry such bacteria, or have somehow incorporated DNA from these bacteria into their chromosomes.
“It seems a law of nature that everything that can be eaten eventually will be eaten. Every possible ecological niche is eventually filled. Nature has finally caught up with us, at least insofar as our two most common metals are concerned.
“Mankind is indeed fortunate that my uncle, Dr. Martin Guibedo, has developed a means of supplying food and shelter that does not depend on the metals we once used. I am speaking, of course, of the tree houses.
“You are doubtless familiar with them. Just previous to the plague, an estimated three percent of the world’s population was living in them. These tree houses are capable of supporting, for a few months and at a bare sustenance level, ten times the number of people currently living with them. There is room for one third of humanity in the adult trees that already exist, and for all of humanity in the young trees that are now maturing.
“Those of you now living in tree houses are urged to be generous. You must do this because all men are brothers; we cannot allow our brothers to starve needlessly.
“And you must do this for your own self-protection, for a hungry man with a hungry family is a dangerous man. The people you invite into your homes can help protect you from the marauding gangs that now infest our world.
“As mayor of a tree-house city growing in what was once Death Valley, I invite anyone who can come to join us. Our citizens are planting tree houses to accommodate you. We will do what we can to make your walk here as comfortable as possible.
“In addition to this, we have planted ten million food trees across the Earth. Each of these trees will, in two months’ time, be able to feed one thousand people. Alone they will be able to feed all of humanity. Eat only the food pods that grow from the trunks. The leaves and branches are poisonous. These trees were designed by Dr. Martin Guibedo to combat the present crisis. One of them should now be growing for every five square miles of our Earth’s land. As each covers forty acres of land, they will be easy enough to spot. Each leaf has a small red cross in the center.
“Because of the emergency, these trees were planted hurriedly and without regard to property rights. While we normally respect property rights, racial survival comes first.
“Those of you who are living in cities and heavily populated areas must leave them at once. Staying where you are, you are in serious danger of dying from disease, fire, or starvation. Take what food and clothing you can, join others for self-protection, and head for the most isolated area you can find. Odds are a food tree will be there. If you go far enough, you will find food.
“Besides developing new forms of plants, we have also developed several new forms of animals. One of these is called a Labor and Defense Unit. They resemble a walking kitchen table and I am afraid that they are rather ugly to look at, but they are honest policemen and good doctors. They are intelligent, fast, and deadly.
“There are now one million LDUs. This is a very small force compared with the world’s population, but it seems to be the only one capable of acting on a worldwide basis. Because of this we are declaring martial law.
“Murder, slavery, and the wanton destruction of food supplies, including tree houses and food trees, are hereby declared capital offenses. LDUs have been ordered to kill immediately anyone found committing these offenses.
“It is not our intention to infringe the rights of any organized group. We will support any group capable of maintaining order within its local area, and we urge everyone to form such groups for mutual aid and self-protection, provided that obvious standards of conduct are maintained.
“To summarize, there is more than enough food for everyone, but you must leave the cities to find it.
“And a force of intelligent, strange-looking animals will be helping to maintain law and order. Please give them your complete cooperation.
“I am Heinrich Copernick. I have a message that is vital to your welfare. Be patient, and it will be repeated in your own language. The next English-language broadcast will begin in twelve hours.”
Guibedo, Copernick, Mona, Patricia, Liebchen, and Dirk listened to the broadcast in the living room at Oakwood, Guibedo’s home.
“Heiny, you make me out for such a hero, I get embarrassed,” Guibedo said, switching off the radio.
“You deserve it, Uncle Martin. It’s about time you got some recognition for your accomplishments. But when times are rough—and they’ve never been worse—people need to know that there is someone, someplace, who can and will help them. They need a hero to keep their spirits up, and you’re handy.”
“Well, I still get embarrassed.”
“At least now there will be fewer people trying to kill you,” Copernick said.
“Kill Martin!” Patricia was horrified, and Mona was startled. Liebchen was immediately in tears.
“Nobody did it,” Guibedo said with his arms around Patricia and Liebchen. “Thanks mostly to Dirk and his buddies. We didn’t tell you about it because there wasn’t any point to making you worry.”
“Thank you, Dirk,” Patricia said, gently stroking the LDU’s feathery back. Gently, because he had been badly burned in the fire a month before. LDUs with their four-stranded DNA healed almost as slowly as humans did. By comparison, the fauns, Ohura and Colleen, far more seriously injured, were almost completely well, although Ohura’s hair was still short and Colleen’s new leg was still three inches shorter than her old one.
Liebchen was considerably more demonstrative than Patricia, jumping up and hugging Dirk as best she could. She kissed both of his eye stalks and then began working her way around his oval body, kissing all eight of his fixed eyes. Dirk caressed her back, and if her actions caused him any pain, he didn’t show it.
“You know,” Guibedo said, “I think they’re in love.”
“As you know, my lord, we’re both incapable of the romantic love of bisexual beings,” Dirk said. “Though I must confess that I rather enjoy having her around. Still, I wish I could join my brothers who are leaving tomorrow. There is so much work to do and so few to do it.”
“Somebody has got to mind the store,” Guibedo said. “Only twenty of you will be left in the valley, and all of you are injured. You’ll have your share of work.”
“The Aerial Defense Units will be ready in six months to back up your brothers,” Copernick added.
“I wish there was something I could do,” Patricia said.
“I think there is, Patty,” Mona said. “Let’s you and me load Winnie up with food and tree-house seeds and head out to the coast. A lot of people must be in trouble out there.”