Additional investigation is recommended.
—The Red Book,
(Release 22.19A)
Chapter 14
Authority
"You can open more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. "
-SOLOMON SHORT
—the phone rang.
"Goddammit! I told you to break all connections."
"Sorry, sir. I left the time and position channel on."
"Shit." I clicked open the voice line. "McCarthy here."
A familiar voice-very familiar-and very official sounding. "Captain, do you recognize my voice?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Scramble this line immediately."
The bottom of my stomach fell away, but my hand reached out to the keyboard and tapped the scramble button.
Lizard's voice cut angrily into my ears. "All right, what the hell is going on?"
"Nothing's going on."
"The hell you say. I just got my ears roasted by Dr. Zymph. nfter she calmed down, she was only furious. Apparently, you're sitting on top of a major anomaly and you've cut the uplink."
"Security," I said.
"Bullshit."
"Okay, try this. Article Twenty-Twenty. I'm putting on an iron cap."
"All right, all right, all right-" she said hastily. "Wait a minute. Let's start over. I know you're angry-"
"Don't handle me."
"Shut up and listen, that's an order. I know you're angry at me-"
"No, actually, I'm not. I love you."
"-but this is a mistake. What did you say?"
I repeated it very slowly. "I. Love. You."
"That's another discussion."
"I just wanted you to know that."
"Stop trying to distract me."
"I'm not trying to distract you. I just have a different set of priorities here."
She sighed. Loudly. She took another breath. I could picture her deliberately composing herself before continuing. I could see it as clearly as if I were sitting across from her. First, she'd smile just a hint. And she'd flush just a little bit. Then, embarrassed for allowing even that much personal sentiment to pull her off purpose, she'd cover it by brushing her hair back, as if in annoyance-but really, she'd be cherishing the moment. She had the softest, reddest hair in the world-then she'd give her head a quick shake as if to empty it of all superfluous thoughts, and then she'd refocus her expression as she got clear about her purpose again. And when she was ready, her voice would be smooth and controlled.
I was right. Lizard's tone was gently velvet when she resumed. "Okay, what's going on?"
"I called for assistance and was denied. Specialist First Class Martha Dozier refused to put me through to Dr. Zymph. Instead, she connected me to a Dr. Marietta Shreiber in Oakland. Dr. Shreiber wouldn't say so in so many words, but she gave me the very distinct impression that I am out here alone; that no backup at all is available to me. Apparently, since that little mixup with Major Bellus, somebody has decided that I'm not a very good team player, so the team is going to play without me, and I can sit out here and play with myself."
"I see," she said.
"I'm being set up to take a fall, Lizard. If anything goes wrong out here, I'm the one whose pants are down around his ankles. I have the right to a security blanket."
"I appreciate the visual imagery of your language," she said, dispassionately. "But your metaphors are starting to… um, get personal." After a momentary hesitation, she added, "If you really think that's the situation, Jim, then you're better off operating in public. So everybody can see how carefully you go." "No, I don't think so."
"Reopen the channels, Jim."
"I can't do that."
"That's an order, Captain."
"And under Article Twenty, Section Twenty, I have the authority to refuse that order. We've got something out here, something big. I don't know how big or how important, but nobody's ever seen anything like this before. Maybe it's the next phase of the infestation, maybe it isn't, but whatever it is, it's mine. I didn't cut the channel. Somebody above me did. I'm just making it real."
"Jim-"
"Lizard, listen to me. I called for backup. It was denied."
"You'll have backup. I'll see to it."
"Not good enough."
"Say again?"
"I said, that's not good enough. Backup was denied me."
"I said I'd restore it."
"You don't understand. I should be able to expect immediate assistance as a matter of course, without regard to rank or politics. This arbitrary withholding of support demonstrates that support can be withdrawn without reason at any time. Therefore I can't depend on it. Therefore I'm out here alone. So why the hell should I give the home office or anyone else a free ride on my ticket?"
"You're not out there alone. I'm here."
"That's the part that's not good enough," I said, hating myself for saying it even as the words fell out of my mouth. "Am I going lo have to call on you every time I need assistance in the future? If you have to keep stepping in on my behalf, that weakens both of us. I need to be able to depend on the whole chain of command."
There was silence on the line for a long moment. I could hear her breathing, but I couldn't hear what she was thinking. I knew she understood my reasoning.
"I promised Dr. Zymph that you'd reopen the channel," she admitted at last.
"You aren't in a position to make that promise," I replied.
"I thought-" she began, and then stopped.
"That's right," I said. "You thought that our relationship meant something. And it does. But it doesn't outrank the normal chain of command in an operation. You taught me that."
After a much longer hesitation, she said very softly, "You're right. I wasn't thinking. I let Dr. Zymph's anger stampede my actions."
It was a major admission on her part. I knew what she must have been through. Dr. Zymph had as much charm as a bulldozer. I felt sorry to be the cause of it, but I couldn't back down. Not on this.
Nevertheless, I softened my tone. I made my voice as dispassionate as possible. What I had to say was important, too important to be overwhelmed by the emotions of the moment. "As near as I can tell, one of Dr. Zymph's officers accepted an order from an outside authority. That compromises the whole chain of command. Not only is the integrity of the support system called into question; the trust that the field units have to have in it has been destroyed. It's not your place to reestablish the channel, Lizard-or mine."
"Jim, you're making too much of this. It was a spiteful act, a petty one, yes, but it was aimed at you only-"
"That's my point exactly. Science Section has a basic responsibility to provide unconditional support. If somebody can cut me off like this, just because I'm unpopular or because I'm politically incorrect, then they can do it to anyone for any reason. That's a violation of the basic charter. An essential relationship has been intolerably damaged here. And I don't know if it can be restored."
I thought for a moment, then I added, "Personally, I think reprimands are in order. Personally, I think Randy Dannenfelser needs his ass kicked so high, he'll have to shit through his ears. Personally, I'm so fucking angry that I'm about this close to turning in my resignation to you."
"Frankly," said Lizard, "I'm about this close to accepting it."
That stopped me. That hurt. But I said, "If you want it-if you think it's appropriate-then you've got it. I'll pull the prowler out and we'll call for pickup right now."