Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven [241]
Al Hardy nodded. "As far as we can tell, that area's all underwater. Harry took a sweep north and west a couple of weeks ago and met somebody who'd talked to people who tried to get to Sacramento. All they found was more of the San Joaquin Sea."
"Damn," Baker said. "Then the nuclear power plant's gone."
"Yes. Sorry," Hardy said.
"Deke, you're not going to knuckle under to this goddam Montross, are you?" George Christopher demanded.
"I came here to ask for help," Wilson said. "They can whip us. That army of his is big."
"How big?" Al Hardy asked.
"Big."
"Something puzzles me," Senator Jellison said. "Deke, are you certain that the cannibal band you fought is part of this outfit that Montross is associated with?"
"I said so, didn't I?"
"Now don't get upset." The Senator's famous charm was suddenly evident. "It just surprised me, that's all. Montross was a screwball, but he wasn't crazy. Or stupid, for that matter. He championed the underdog—"
There was a growl from Christopher.
"—or so he claimed," Jellison continued smoothly. "But I wouldn't have thought he'd be friendly with cannibals."
"Maybe they're holding him prisoner," Al Hardy suggested.
Jellison nodded. "The point I was about to make. In which case he has no legal authority at all."
"Legal, shmegal, what do I do?" Deke Wilson asked. "I can't fight him. Will you people help me? I don't want to give in to them—"
"Don't blame you," Christopher said.
"It's not just the cannibals," Deke said. "They may give that up if they can get … other food. But some of those messengers!"
"How big a party did they send?" Hardy asked.
"About two hundred camped down the road from us," Deke said. "They sent in a dozen. All armed. General Baker saw them. A captain of state police—"
"No shit?" Christopher exclaimed. "State cops with the cannibals?"
"Well, he wore the uniform," Deke said. "And some guy who'd been an official in Los Angeles, a black man. And others. Most of them were okay, but two were … hell, they were weird!" He looked to Baker and got a nod of agreement.
"Really weird," Deke continued. "Acted like they were on dope. The eyes looked like that, wide, you know, and they wouldn't look straight at you. And they talked about the angels of the Lord. 'The angels have sent us to deliver this message.'"
"How did the others react to that?" Harvey Randall asked.
"Like nothing happened. Like it was normal to talk about the angels sending them. And when I asked what the hell that meant, they just turned and left. 'You have the message.' That's all they'd say."
"And you said there were two hundred camped near you?" Al Hardy asked. "How near? Where?"
"Not far. South, down the road," Deke said. "Why?"
"Harry went out your way," Hardy said. "He's not overdue, he doesn't keep any exact schedule, but we've been expecting him."
"He never got to my place," Deke said.
"Do you think this outfit has done anything to Harry?" Jellison asked.
Deke shrugged. "Senator, I don't know what to make of those people. They claim to have a lot more troops than the ones they let us see, and I believe it. We don't see traders anymore. No refugees. It's like there's nobody out there except you and the New Brotherhood."
"Angels," Al Hardy said. "It doesn't make much sense."
Not neat, Harvey Randall thought. Not neat at all, and it disturbs Al. "I met Montross a few times," Harvey said. "He didn't seem crazy to me. He was hyped up on the subject of environmentalism. Spray cans destroying the ozone, that kind of thing. Maybe the Hammer drove him over the edge."
"He may be crazy, he may be a prisoner, anything could be," Deke Wilson said. "But there's two hundred men camped down the road, I'd bet they've got five hundred more, and I don't know what the hell to do."
"No. I don't suppose you do," the Senator said. He paused for thought, and no one interrupted him. Presently he said, "Well. Six more days. Deke, I was going to make you an offer. You could bring your women and children and injured here, and your part would be to salvage things for us. Tools,