The Touch of Death (19 page)

 

Palfrey sat in the large room at Brierly Place, with only Drusilla, his wife, Andromovitch and Bruton. For some time, the telephone had been silent. For some time, they had sat in silence, too, waiting for a word from Anak.

They had heard from those in authority.

The decision to accept the ultimatum had come from smaller governments first, each being prepared to make a separate peace; but gradually the pressure of public will had compelled all governments to agree. The United Nations, meeting for an emergency session, had given a unanimous vote; there were few with the spirit to say, afterwards, that this was the first time in history that such concord had been reached.

Drusilla stirred in her chair; she was watching Palfrey's pale, tired face. On her own was an expression which suggested that she knew she would never see him again. The Russian and the American were also watching him intently; they watched and waited. Once the telephone bell rang, they would turn away from Palfrey. Now—

“Sap,” Drusilla said.

“Yes, my sweet?”

“There isn't any guarantee that he'll stop the attacks, is there?”

“No,” said Palfrey. “No, I suppose there isn't.”

“He probably will,” Bruton said abruptly.

“He will for the time being, I think,” Palfrey said. “When we've all bowed the knee and he can do what he likes with us, we'll have some idea what he proposes to do. The obvious thing—”

He broke off.

“The caste system among us,” said Stefan Andromovitch, in his precise English. “Slaves, workers, executives and ruling classes – a new feudalism. And I suppose out of the ashes there will rise a new democracy. Perhaps the lessons we have had now will be well learned, and those who follow will not quarrel about the meanings of words like freedom and democracy and—”

The telephone bell rang.

Palfrey stiffened; the others looked away from him. The bell rang again. Palfrey stretched out his hand, and lifted the receiver.

“This is Dr. Palfrey speaking.”

“Good evening, Dr. Palfrey,” said a woman. It was Rita Morrell. “I have a message for you from Anak.”

“Yes.”

“You are to take the world's surrender to him, at High Peak,” the girl said. “You are to walk from your house towards Hyde Park, enter through the main Park Lane gates, walk straight across the road and the riding track, beyond the trees and into the fields. You are to be alone, but you must have the documents of surrender with you. Don't allow anyone to follow you.”

Palfrey didn't speak.

“Do you understand?” Rita asked sharply.

“Yes,” said Palfrey, very slowly. “Yes, I understand.”

“Anak will tell you exactly how he wishes the surrender to be carried out,” Rita said.

 

A few people watched Palfrey as he walked across the grass of Hyde Park. He knew that Drusilla and the two men watched him, but he did not turn round, and they did not cross the road from the gates of the Park. Traffic seemed to be moving at half-speed, and on a subdued note; in fact, few people were about. There was fear of what would happen if they were caught in a crowd and the touch of death came again. Only those who were compelled to journey, or those with great courage, walked the streets.

It was a clear, bright day.

Palfrey heard the sound of the machine coming through the higher atmosphere; the cracking roar; and then the hissing sound. He saw it, suddenly, a mile or more above him. He saw it hovering, before it dropped almost vertically. A few people stared, but no one else was near.

It landed.

“I have come to fetch you in person,” Klim said, as he stepped out of the aircraft. He was smiling a little, but there was no humour in him, only a great triumph. “It's just as well you're alone.”

Palfrey watched the great peaks standing out above the snow; and saw the valleys and the soft powder; saw the chalet and even the people skiing, children hurling snowballs in mock battles. It was fine there, too, a bright day; it was hard to believe that shadows and clouds existed.

They landed.

A few guards were waiting at the airfield, and walked in Palfrey's wake as he went, with Klim beside him, towards the main doors leading into the fortress city. The doors opened, and swung to and fro as they passed through.

There was no excitement here.

In the false daylight which filled the clean, wide streets, the people walked without excitement or fear. Their faces glowed with health. Nothing suggested that they knew that they were in the middle of a struggle for world conquest. Little groups stood at corners, talking idly; a few walked briskly. All of them broke off whatever they were doing to smile at or salute Klim, who walked on pompously towards the Council Chamber.

To reach this, they had to pass the house where Palfrey knew that Banister had been staying. No one was outside the front doors of that house.

The building which housed the Council Chamber was small, and on one floor; not at all pretentious. Around it were the offices and private rooms; including Anak's study. Guards stood outside; more were on duty inside, where the light was as bright as that in the streets. They looked at Palfrey incuriously. Compared with the rest of them, he seemed weak and pale – as if he were sickening for some mental illness.

They went into the Council Chamber.

Anak, several other men whom Palfrey had never seen before, Rita, Banister and two other women were sitting round the table.

Palfrey approached Anak.

The door swung to, behind him.

There was silence, as the others watched him. He sensed the gloating which was in Klim and some of the men. He wasn't sure of Rita. He wasn't sure of Banister, either, but there was a great change in Banister.

He looked fit and well – in glowing health; he was like all the others at High Peak. There was satisfaction in his eyes, too. Palfrey found it easy to believe that it was smug satisfaction; that he had swung right over. The thought stabbed at him.

He stood in front of Anak.

“Sit down, Palfrey,” Anak said, in the most casual way. “Klim, push up a chair.” He paused, then sat down himself. “I understand that there isn't going to be any further opposition.”

“There'll be no organised opposition,” Palfrey said. “There'll probably be guerrilla resistance.”

“Oh, that.” Anak shrugged it off. “That does not matter. Very well. I have drawn up a list of instructions. Each nation will scuttle its warships, nothing over two thousand tons is to remain afloat. All military aircraft must be destroyed. Armies, navies and air forces are to be disbanded at once – it will take a little time to disperse them; I have allowed two months. All weapons are to be destroyed –
all
land and air weapons of every kind. Fortifications are to be dismantled everywhere.” He paused, and tapped the documents. “It is all in there.”

Palfrey said: “Anak, we must keep civil order. We—”

“I shall keep civil law and order,” interrupted Anak. “The first thing you will do will be to issue a proclamation simultaneously in all countries, telling the people what has happened.”

“The death sentence, to be carried out summarily, will be applied for a variety of offences, such as carrying arms, organising opposition to my World Government, and to theft of any kind whatsoever. The present civil authorities will be responsible for enforcing the law until I make arrangements for them to be superseded. It is all in there,” Anak added, impatiently. “Is there anything you want to ask?”

“I am instructed to put certain questions,” Palfrey said carefully, “and I am also instructed that unless there is a favourable answer, the governments cannot undertake to maintain order or to guarantee the obedience of the peoples. I—”

Anak said: “What on earth are you talking about? Don't you understand that you simply have to do what you're told?”

“As an emissary,” Palfrey asserted, “I have to tell you what I am instructed to tell you. First, we want assurances, in the form of pledges, that you will not use the weapons
fatalis
or
pulveris
anywhere again, or weapons of like destructive quality.”

“If you people behave yourselves, there'll be no need,” Anak said carelessly. “What else?”

“Have I your assurance?”

Anak said sharply: “You are getting beyond yourself. I shall make no promises, give no undertakings of any kind. Didn't you understand that I wanted unconditional surrender?”

Palfrey kept silent.

Banister and Rita were leaning forward, elbows on the big table, looking at him. They seemed touched with tension; and for that matter, so did the others. Palfrey sensed the gaze of everyone there, and saw the storm gathering in Anak's eyes.

He had been frightened before; he was doubly frightened now.

“Did you understand or didn't you?” demanded Anak.

Palfrey said: “I don't think you quite understand. You're dealing with people – men and women with minds of their own, and people who aren't all afraid of death. Many of them would rather die than live in your kind of world.”

“You think so,” sneered Anak. “You don't think that I can deal with them?” He gave a sharp, explosive laugh. “I'll show you whether I can! I'll teach anyone, governments or people, to defy me. I'm
ready
, Palfrey, didn't you make that clear?”

Palfrey didn't speak.

Anak leaned forward and pressed a button on the table. Everyone else looked towards the far wall; and Palfrey looked with them.

It slid sideways in two directions, making a door. There was a lighted landing beyond and then steps leading into a vast lighted chamber. One after the other they got up and walked towards the steps. Anak was at Palfrey's side. He saw that Rita and Banister were together, a little way behind him.

Anak went on: “Do you remember what happened at the Wentworth Stadium, Palfrey? I heard about your silly, frantic scramble to try to get the people away. That should have taught you the final lesson – that you can't escape from me. Everything has been too carefully planned. But—Banister set that little business in motion—didn't you, Banister?” There was a sneer in Anak's voice. “I insisted that he should. It was the only way for him to prove how completely he was with me. Wasn't it, Banister?”

Banister said huskily: “Yes, Anak.”

“
Fatalis
is, of course, passed from person or thing to another person or thing, and the actual distribution is from sources down below. However, we have to be able to give instructions, and these are done by radio in direct transmission to our agents. Plans for the little demonstration at Wentworth had been in hand for some time – Banister gave the orders by radio for the plans to be put into effect. Didn't you, Banister?”

The sneer was there again.

Banister said huskily: “Yes.”

Palfrey sensed something which he couldn't understand; tension which hadn't been here when he had been with Anak before. That took away from any shock he felt; any revulsion against Banister.

“But in spite of that demonstration and others, the people below
still
want to impose terms,” said Anak. “Will they never learn? It is a clear indication of their intellectual dullness – they are
so
dull-witted. I'm sure you find that the case, Palfrey. However, I was half-prepared for it, and I have another demonstration ready.”

Palfrey said sharply: “I am here under a truce—”

“I made no truce,” Anak said brutally. “I delivered an ultimatum.”

They fell silent.

Banister and Rita were some distance away; and Palfrey, used to these things, saw that a group of men had surrounded them. Banister appeared to be walking wherever he wished, quite freely; but in fact he was hemmed in. He looked as if he realised that.

Palfrey could imagine what Banister had felt like when he had issued those orders. He could understand the shock it had given to Banister's mind and body. It would explain the oddness of his expression, the way he walked; the fear that was in him.

They came into a large room.

This, Palfrey judged, was at least a hundred feet below the level of the Council Chamber itself. It was empty. The walls were smooth. The shape of the room was circular. He looked up – and was reminded of a planetarium, where the wonders of the skies by day and by night, and in all seasons of the year, could be made clear.

There were circular rows of seats also; and in the middle of a raised platform some instrument which looked like a gigantic telescope on a swivel base. Two men stood beside it.

The seats were upholstered and comfortable.

They all sat down, Palfrey next to Anak. He glanced along and saw that Banister was several seats away from him; and that Rita was next to Banister. He saw Banister look towards him; he had never seen greater horror on the face of a man. He sensed vicious disappointment, too – an awful frustration. He guessed that something had gone badly wrong, and he could not understand what; but he could guess.

Banister had laid plans, had plotted as he had promised – but was now fearful of failure.

The great hall was silent when the lights began to fade. Soon, only a glow showed about the great sphere, or globe, which was suspended above their heads.

The world gradually appeared in front of their eyes, a great relief map, moving slowly. There was Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific islands . . . there were the dots which represented the ships . . . there were the cities and the large towns.

It moved round slowly.

There was South America . . .

Mexico, the United States, the Atlantic, Great Britain looking so tiny against Europe, Russia, the Middle East. It was all there; as if they were looking at a huge globe which was turning on its own axis in such a way that they could see it from every angle.