The native just looked at her, but he made no move to answer or even indicate that he had understood.
"Tell him I will open these blinds, and something very bad will fall upon him," Carter said.
Gabrielle seemed confused.
"Just tell him that," Carter insisted.
She did, and the change in his expression was noticeable. Still, however, he said nothing.
Carter went around Owen's desk and, keeping his eye on the native, slowly raised the blinds all the way. The change in the native's expression this time was startling. His apparent self-confidence and lack of understanding instantly melted away, changing into abject fear.
"He will be sent to that place," Carter shouted, pointing out die window to the radomes and antenna farm.
Gabrielle told the native what Carter had said. The man shook his head and babbled something.
"He begs you on his family's heads and on the great god Hiva Maui Hiva — which I think is the volcano on Natu Faui — not to do this to him."
"Why did his people attack this station?" Carter asked.
Gabrielle repeated the question, but the native kept shaking his head and repeating his plea.
Carter lowered the blinds, and the man calmed down. Gabrielle repeated the question.
For several moments it seemed as if the native was not going to answer them, but then he launched into a long, very involved explanation of some sort. Several times Gabrielle stopped him and asked him something else. Each time it produced another string of babble.
At length he fell quiet, and Gabrielle looked up. She seemed uncertain. It raised the hair on the nape of Carter's neck.
"His people attacked this base twice because each time the god of Hiva Maui Hiva appeared and told them to do so."
Carter waited for her to go on. But she did not. "That's it?" he asked. "All that?"
"He kept repeating it, and I asked if he meant the volcano was active… if the god spoke to his people through flame and lava. But he said no. The god himself appeared."
"What else?" Carter asked. Fenster had a sneer on his lips, and Owen was clearly confused.
"I asked him if the god had come as a sign. A bird flying at night. A shark. Some other sign. But he insisted the god came to them in person. In a ghostly light at night," Gabrielle said. This last seemed to disturb her the most.
"Holy shit," Fenster swore.
They ail turned as the native flipped off the chair onto the floor, blood gushing from between his clenched teeth as he choked.
"Christ!" Carter shouted, throwing himself down beside the native. "Get a medic over here on the double!"
The native had bitten completely through his tongue. A large piece of it hung by a few tatters against his cheek. His eyes were open wide and shining.
Carter tried to roll him over on his stomach so that the vast amount of blood pumping from his severed tongue would not choke him to death. But the man resisted. When Carter finally did get him over, the native kept taking deep, rasping breaths, forcing the blood down his windpipe and into his lungs. Drowning himself in his own blood.
Fenster had rushed out the door, but long before he returned with the medic, the native shuddered, then lay still.
Six
After the native's body had been removed from Owen's office, they all stood around staring at the huge pool of blood until Owen finally went to the door and shouted for his batman, Huang Chou.
One of the technicians hurrying down the corridor looked back. "They're all gone, sir," he said.
Owen stepped out into the hallway. "What did you say?"
"They're all gone, Mr. Owen. There isn't one Chinese on the base."
Owen walked in glum silence back into his office.
Carter had poured them each a stiff shot of bourbon. "They knew about the attack before it came."
"It would seem so," Fenster said, taking his drink.
"Why didn't you know?"
"We never expected anything like that to happen the first time and certainly not a second time. We weren't even looking."
"It's al I right," Carter said tiredly. He glanced at his watch. It was after one in the morning. It seemed like years since he had last slept. "As soon as your people get back, we'll know how they got in and out undetected."
"What?" Fenster asked.
"Your patrols," Carter said. "The people you sent after the natives."
Fenster said nothing.
"You did send up a chopper or at least a couple of men on foot to follow them?"
Fenster shook his head. "There was too much confusion," he said. "In the darkness we didn't know who was hurt, who was killed, or what was going on."
"Damn," Carter swore. "Is there another chopper pilot? I can fly, but I want to concentrate on the ground."
"I can fly the helicopter," Fenster said. "But it's no use. We wouldn't see a damned thing out there. It's too dark."
"You run a curious security operation here, Fenster."
"I don't have to take that, Carter. Not from you or anyone else. If you want my resignation, you have it. Otherwise, I'll take you over to Natu Faui in the morning. Only that won't do you much good. We've tried it before."
The man was probably right, Carter thought. The damage had already been done. There was very little to be done about it tonight. In the morning he would go over to the island. One way or another he was going to get to the bottom of this. And very quickly.
He turned to Owen. "Where is your crypto section?"
"Crypto?" Owen asked.
"Your comm center. I have to talk with Washington this morning."
"If you want my resignation, you can have it here and now. You don't have to complain to Washington."
"Shut up, Fenster," Carter snapped. "If and when I want your resignation, you'll be the first to know, I assure you."
"This isn't going to help us," Owen said wearily. "We have at least four men dead, another dozen wounded."
"Six," Carter said. He told Owen about the two techs by the generator sheds.
"We're going to have to get help from Washington, or we're going to have to shut down. The men won't stand for it. They'll quit, contract or no. This isn't the military. We're all civilians."
"I'll see what can be done," Carter said.
"Duvall quit. He was just outside. He had shot and killed two natives. He just turned around and told me to shove this place. He was quitting."
"The comm center," Carter prompted.
"Across the way in Engineering Able. Next to the antenna farm," Owen said. "But I'll have to go with you. They won't let you in otherwise."
"Fine," Carter said. He turned back to Fenster. "Would you show Madame Rondine to her quarters in the VIP building?"
Fenster nodded.
"Afterward, I want you and your people to question every single person on this base. I want as accurate a picture of what happened, when it happened, who was killed, and who was wounded, as possible."
Again Fenster nodded. "What time do you want to fly over to Natu Faui?"
"Oh-eight-hundred," Carter said. "That'll give you a chance to do what you have to do, and it'll give us all a chance to get a few hours' sleep."
"I'll have some clothing sent up to your quarters, Madame Rondine," Owen said.
"I would appreciate it, Mr. Owen," she said. She nodded to Carter, then left with Fenster.
"We're in for some trouble from the governor and his people before this is all over," Owen said.
"Most likely," Carter said. "I'll see what I can do with State on that score as well."
They went across to the engineering building, to a back, windowless room where they signed in to the top-secret electronic cryptographic room. Here classified messages were sent back and forth between this station and the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon, and to a special circuit addressed to the State Department but in actuality relayed through AXE on Dupont Circle.