Jan shook his head. “I’ve never heard of any of this. The proles have all the bennies and joints they need…”
“They need far stronger drugs to numb the existence that they lead. Now, please, stop interrupting every minute to say you have never heard about any of this. I know that — and that is why I am trying to tell you what is happening. The world as it really is is not the world you have been told about. It shouldn’t matter to you, in the ruling minority, fat and rich in a hungry world. But you wanted to know. So I am telling you that Israel is a free and independent country. When all of the Arabian oil ran out the world turned their back on the Near East, happy at last to be free of the burden of the rich sheikhs. But we are here permanently — and the Arabs won’t go away. They tried invasion again, but without material from outside, they couldn’t win. We stayed alive, just barely, a capacity we have shown before. And we did what we could to help when things got bad. When Arab populations stabilized we taught them the traditional farming crafts of this part of the world, things they had forgotten in their years of financial exuberance. By the time the rest of the world took notice of us we had the area stabilized, viable. There were fruits and vegetables for export. It was a situation they were not happy with — but one that they accepted. Particularly when we demonstrated that our nuclear rockets were as good as theirs and if they wanted to destroy us they would have to accept a good deal of destruction of their own. And that situation has continued to the present day. Perhaps our entire country is a ghetto, but we are used to living in ghettos. And within our walls we are free.
Jan started to protest again, then thought better of it and sipped at his tea. Sara nodded approvingly.
“So now you know. For your own sake don’t spread the knowledge around. And for our sake I am going to ask you to do us a favor. The Captain would not ask a favor of you, but I have no such compunction. Don’t tell anyone. about this submarine. For your own security as well. We are going to put you ashore in a few minutes, on the beach where you could have drifted after the accident. They’ll find you there. The girl knows nothing. She was apparently unconscious, concussion, when they gave her the shot. She will be all right, the doctor says that there is no danger. You will be all right too if you keep your mouth shut. Will you?”
“Yes, of course, I won’t say anything. You saved our lives. But I think a lot of what you said is lies, it has to be.”
“That’s very nice.” She reached over and patted his arm. “You think whatever you like, inglieh, as long as you keep your big goyish mouth shut.”
Before he could muster up an answer she was out of the door and gone. The Captain did not return and no one else talked to him until he was ordered on deck. Aileen was brought up as well, with great haste, and they were paddled ashore to an invisible shore in an inflatable dinghy. The moon was behind high clouds but gave enough light to make out the beach and the desert beyond. Aileen was placed gently in the sand and the blanket pulled roughly from his shoulders. The cushion from the yacht was thrown down and then they disappeared. Being as gentle as possible, Jan pulled Aileen above the tide line; the only marks in the sand were of his own making. The dinghy and the submarine were gone, vanished and only a memory. A memory that seemed more and more unreal with every passing minute.
It was soon after sunrise that the search copter spotted them and settled down for a landing on the shore nearby.
Four
“Absolutely sound. Fit as a fiddle,” the doctor said. Tapping the readout on the screen. “Look at that blood pressure — wish I had one like it. EKG, EEG, all of it just fine. Here, I’ll give you a printout for your own physician, for his records.” He touched the controls on the computer diagnostician and a long sheet of typing emerged.
“It’s not myself I’m worrying about, it’s Mrs. Pettit.”
“Please don’t concern yourself, my dear young man. The fat doctor patted Jan’s knee with more than professional sympathy. Jan moved his leg away and looked coldly at the man. “She has had a mild concussion, swallowed a little sea water, nothing more. You can see her whenever you want to. I would like her to stay in the hospital for a day. To rest mostly, since she needs no medical care. And here is your medical readout.”
“I don’t want it. Have it transferred to my company’s records for the physicians.”
“That could be difficult.”
“Why? You have a satellite link, the call can be made easily. I can pay for it if you feel it is not within the hospital’s budget.”
“No such thing! Of course I shall take care of it instantly. Let us just, ha-ha, unplug you first.” The doctor’s hands moved efficiently, detaching the telltales from Jan’s skin, slipping the needle from his vein, then dabbing his skin with alcohol.
Jan was pulling on his trousers when the door burst open and a familiar voice called out to him.
“There you are, alive and well, you had me worried.”
“Smitty! What are you doing here?”
Jan took his brother-in-law’s hand and pumped it enthusiastically. The great beak of a nose, the lean and hard features, were a touch of home among the rotund softness of the locals. Thurgood-Smythe seemed just as pleased to see him.
“You gave me quite a scare. I was in Italy, at a conference, when word reached me. Pulled some strings, grabbed a military jet, and was just landing when they said you had been found. I must say, you don’t look any the worse for the experience.”
“You should have seen me last night hanging onto the cushion with one arm and Aileen with the other — and kicking with one leg. Not something I would like to do a second time: “It sounds quite the experience. Put on your shirt and I’ll buy you a drink and you’ll tell me all about it. Did you see the ship that ran you down?”
Jan had turned to get his shirt and he pushed his arms into the sleeves. All of the warnings of the night came back in a rush. Had Smitty’s voice changed when he had asked that last, not-so-innocent question? He was Security after all — with enough status to commandeer a military jet in the middle of the night. Now was the moment. To tell the whole truth — or to begin to lie. He pulled the shirt over his head, his voice muffled a bit by the fabric.
“Nothing. Night black as pitch, neither ship with a light. First one went past so close we almost capsized — the second sank us.” No lies there so far. “I’d like to find out who the bastards were. My fault for being out there without any lights, but still…”
“Absolutely right, old son. Plant a rocket and I’ll help you to do it. I put a tracer out on them. Two navy ships on maneuvers and well out of the area where they should have been. As soon as they dock they are going to hear a thing or two, you can be sure of that.”
“The hell with it, Smitty, it was an accident.”
“You’re too nice to them — but you’re a gentleman. Now let’s look in on Aileen, then get that drink.”
Aileen kissed them both soundly, then cried a bit, with joy she said, and insisted on telling Thurgood-Smythe every detail of their adventure. Jan waited, trying not to let the tension show. Would she remember the submarine? And someone was lying; there were two completely different stories. Smugglers and an explosion — or two naval vessels? How could he be sure?
… and — bang! Just like that we were in the sea. I was choking and blubbering but the ancient mariner here managed to keep my head above water. I’m sure I tried to scratch him for his troubles. Panic! I don’t think I knew the meaning of the word before. And my head hurt and things kept getting woozy and going in and out of focus. Then there was a cushion to hang onto and we were floating in the water and I remember him trying to cheer me up and me not believing him at all. And then — nothing.”