Читать книгу Sigma Rising - John Randolph Price - Страница 6

Merriam Livingston-Vance paused from her remembrances and looked at the man sitting on a chair in the corner of the small room. "How do you feel?"

Carlton Matthews said, "Fine, but I am curious as to what the media is saying about our disappearances, and what the FBI is doing."

She grimaced. "Wild stories from every imaginable angle, but nothing close to the truth. And the FBI? Depends on which faction you're talking about."

He watched her slow pacing, smiled. "Merriam, I'm reminded of our get-together when we were eight, and seeing you doing what you're doing now. You walked up and down that beach after our little ceremony of pressing our hands in the sand. I had to go back to get you and bring you inside. Similar thoughts in your mind, then and now?"

She sat down in the other chair and leaned back, hands in her lap. "No, back then I was looking eagerly to the future." She shrugged. "Now, since it appears we won't be around much longer, my thoughts are turned to the past, the fun we all had when we met on the island, and how wonderful Charles and Anne were in helping me live what would be considered a normal life in this country. And finding George Vance in college. I didn't know he had been assigned to the group, and was delighted to see him again."

"And the wedding," Carlton said. "You were the first. It was quite a celebration with all of us there. We sang and danced most of the night, then followed you to the hotel for another round of toasts. Some contagious affair, that was. We all caught the marriage bug. I guess when George told us about the second wave that came in right after we did, we knew it wouldn't take long to find suitable partners."

"Marrying one of our own was the only proper course of action." She smiled. "And within a year the twelve had multiplied by two."

"Thank goodness. I know my life here has been much better having Eve at my side. Of course, with the twenty-four of us having such a close bond, it was almost as though we had our own little community. I guess family is a better word."

"It sure helped when we longed to be home," she said.

"Yes, but we adjusted to the American way of life early on by mixing and mingling with others as though we were one of them."

"Still it was our close association in later years that helped us meet our individual objectives," Merriam said. She thought for a moment. "I'm just glad I didn't have to run for political office. I don't think I would have found campaigning too pleasant."

Carlton laughed. "Me either. Do you remember when the polls said O'Conner would lose his senate race?"

"I sure do. That's when we put out the word to our people hidden in the rank and file to get active in his campaign. Good thing. He only won by a little more than three hundred votes."

"Merriam, it's been quite an adventure."

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "But we were not able to finish our assignment."

Carlton brought his chair over beside her and took her hand. "Merriam, you've made major changes in the structure of the United Nations, and I think I've played a significant role in the affairs of State. And look what the others have done. Ames has overhauled the Justice Department, Jessops and Craig have changed the entire warfare concept of the military, and Ellenberg. Look how he's influenced the Supreme Court. And the whole tone and pitch of Congress is different because of Obrey, Andrews, and the others."

"I'm amazed that no one got suspicious and began tracking our rise to power as a group."

"Perfect infiltration," Carlton said. "We were from different regions of the country with divergent backgrounds. As far as I know, there's only one outsider who might figure out who we are and the scope of our mission. I've left enough clues along the way." He saw the question in her eyes. "Because I felt he might be helpful to us at some point in time. I'm talking about my friend, Phillip Lansing."

She closed her eyes. "I don't see what he could do now. It's almost over."

He squeezed her hand. "Merriam, the mission will be successful. Others will follow in our steps, and they will complete what we came to do. And Phillip, with his print and broadcast media experience, can begin to reach and influence the general public in a way we couldn't."

"I know you're right. It's just that--"

She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.