“What’s he up to?” I muttered. I’d never troubled to learn much about the new church. Or the old ones, for that matter. Not that Ginny and I were ignorant of modern scientific discoveries proving the reality of the Divine and things like absolute evil, atonement, and an afterlife. But it seemed to us that so little is known beyond these bare hints, and that God can have so infinitely many partial manifestations to limited human understanding, that we might as well call ourselves Unitarians.
“I don’t know,” she answered. Her tone was bleak. “I studied what’s public about their rites and doctrines, but that’s just the top part of the iceberg, and it was years ago for me. Anyhow, you’d have to be a communicant—no, a lot more, an initiate, ultimately an adept, before you were told what a given procedure really means.
I stiffened. “Could he be hexing our side?”
Whetted by alarm, my vision swept past the uneasy sourceless illumination and across the wider scene. About a score of burly blue policemen were posted around the block. No doubt they were mighty sick of being jeered at. Also, probably most of them belonged to traditional churches. They wouldn’t exactly mind arresting the agent of a creed which said that their own creeds were finished.
“No,” I replied to myself, “he can’t be, or the cops’d have him in the cooler this minute. Maybe he’s anathematizing us. He could do that under freedom of religion, I suppose, seeing as how man can’t control God but can only ask favors of Him. But actually casting a spell, bringing goetic forces in to work harm—” I interrupted my thinking aloud. “The trouble is,” she said, “when you deal with these Gnostics, you don’t know where their prayers leave off and their spells begin. Let’s get cracking before something happens. I don’t like the smell of t he time stream tonight.”
I nodded and steered for the principal building. The Johnny didn’t fret me too much. Chances were he was just holding one of his esoteric masses to encourage the demonstrators. Didn’t the claim go that his church was the church of universal benevolence? That it actually had no need of violence, being above the things of this earth? “The day of the Old Testament, of the Father, was the day of power and fear; the day of the New Testament, of the Son, has been the day of expiation; the day of the Johannine Gospel, of the Holy Spirit, will be the day of love and unveiled mysteries.” No matter now.
The police were interdicting airborne traffic in the immediate vicinity except for whoever chose to leave it. That was a common-sense move. None but a minority of the mob were Johnnies. To a number of them, the idea of despising and renouncing a sinful material world suggested nothing more than that it was fashionable to wreck that world. The temptation to flit overhead and drop a few Molotov cocktails could get excessive.
Naturally, Ginny and I might have insisted on our right to come here, with an escort if need be. But that could provoke the explosion we wanted to avoid. Altogether, the best idea was to slip in, unnoticed by friend and foe alike. Our commando-type skills were somewhat rusty, though; the maneuver demanded our full attention.
We succeeded. Our stick ghosted through a skylight left open, into the garage. To help ventilate the rest of the place, this was actually a well from roof to ground floor. Normally our employees came and went by the doors. Tonight, however, those were barred on two sides-by the bodies of the opposition, and by protective force-fields of our own which it would take an expert wizard to break.
The Pinkerton technician hadn’t conjured quite fast enough for us. Every first-story window was shattered. Through the holes drifted mumbled talk, background chant. Racking the broom, I murmured in Ginny’s ear-her hair tickled my lips and was fragrant “You know, I’m glad they did get a priest. During the day, they had folk singers.”
“Poor darling.” She squeezed my hand. “Watch out for busted glass.” We picked our way in the murk to a hall and upstairs to the R & D section. It was defiantly lighted. But our footfalls rang too loud in its emptiness. It was a relief to enter Barney Sturlason’s office.
His huge form rose behind the desk. “Virginia!” he rumbled. “What an unexpected pleasure.” Hesitating: “But, uh, the hazard—”
“Shouldn’t be noticeable, Steve tells me,” she said. “And I gather you could use an extra thaumaturgist.”
“Sure could.” I saw how his homely features sagged with exhaustion. He’d insisted that I go home and rest. This was for the practical reason that, if things went sour and we found ourselves attacked, I’d have to turn wolf and be the main line of defense until the police could act. But he’d stayed on, helping his few volunteers make ready. That, far more than his best competence as a research man, was his mark of bosshood.
“Steve’s explained our scheme?” he went on. His decision to accept her offer had been instantaneous. “Well, we need to make sure the most delicate and expensive equipment doesn’t suffer. Quite apart from stuff being ruined, imagine the time and cost of recalibrating every instrument we’ve got, from dowsers to tarots! I think everything’s adequately shielded, but I’d certainly appreciate an independent check by a fresh mind. Afterward you might cruise around the different shops and labs, see what I’ve overlooked and arrange its protection.”
“Okay.” She’d visited sufficiently often to be familiar with the layout. “I’ll help myself to what I need from the stockroom, and ask the boys in—in the alchemistry section did you say, dear?—for help if necessary.” She paused. “I expect you two’ll be busy for a while.”
“Yes, I’m going to give them one last chance out there,” Barney said, and in case somebody gets overexcited, I’d better have Steve along for a bodyguard.”
And I still believe you might as well save your breath,” I snorted.
“No doubt you’re right, as far as you go,” Barney said; “but don’t forget the legal aspect. I don’t own this place, I only head up a department. We’re acting on our personal initiative after the directors agreed to suspend operations. Jack Roberts’ approval of our plan was strict sub rosa. Besides, ownership or not, we can no more use spells offensively against trespassers than we could use shotguns. The most we’re allowed is harmless defensive forces to preserve life, limb, and property.”
“Unless we’re directly endangered,” I said.
“Which is what we’re trying to prevent,” he reminded me. “Anyhow, because of the law, I have to make perfectly clear before plenty of witnesses that we intend to stay within it.”
I shrugged and shed my outer garments. Underneath was the elastic knit one-piecer that would keep me from arrest for indecent exposure as a human, and not hamper me as a wolf. The moonflash already hung around my neck like a thick round amulet. Ginny kissed me hard. “Take care of yourself, tiger,” she whispered.
She had no strong cause to worry. The besiegers were unarmed, except for fists and feet and possibly some smuggled billies or the like—nothing I need fear after Skinturning. Even knives and bullets and fangs could only inflict permanent harm under rare and special conditions, like those which had cost me my tail during the war. Besides, the likelihood of a fight was very small. Why should the opposition set on us? That would launch the police against them; and, while martyrdom has its uses, closing down our plant was worth more. Nonetheless, Ginny’s tone was not completely level, and she watched us go down the hall till we had rounded a corner.
At that time, Barney said, “Wait a tick,” opened a closet, and extracted a blanket that he hung on his arm. “If you should have to change shape,” he said, “I’ll throw this over you.”