war ceased.You're right, it was a hoax. You worked hard undersurface, sending upguns and weapons, and we destroyed them as fast as they came up."
"But why?" Taylor asked, dazed. He stared down at the vast valley below."Why?"
* * * * *
"You created us," the leady said, "to pursue the war for you, while youhuman beings went below the ground in order to survive. But before wecould continue the war, it was necessary to analyze it to determine whatits purpose was. We did this, and we found that it had no purpose,except, perhaps, in terms of human needs. Even this was questionable.
"We investigated further. We found that human cultures pass throughphases, each culture in its own time. As the culture ages and begins tolose its objectives, conflict arises within it between those who wish tocast it off and set up a new culture-pattern, and those who wish toretain the old with as little change as possible.
"At this point, a great danger appears. The conflict within threatens toengulf the society in self-war, group against group. The vitaltraditions may be lost--not merely altered or reformed, but completelydestroyed in this period of chaos and anarchy. We have found many suchexamples in the history of mankind.
"It is necessary for this hatred within the culture to be directedoutward, toward an external group, so that the culture itself maysurvive its crisis. War is the result. War, to a logical mind, isabsurd. But in terms of human needs, it plays a vital role. And it willcontinue to until Man has grown up enough so that no hatred lies withinhim."
Taylor was listening intently. "Do you think this time will come?"
"Of course. It has almost arrived now. This is the last war. Man is_almost_ united into one final culture--a world culture. At this pointhe stands continent against continent, one half of the world against theother half. Only a single step remains, the jump to a unified culture.Man has climbed slowly upward, tending always toward unification of hisculture. It will not be long--
"But it has not come yet, and so the war had to go on, to satisfy thelast violent surge of hatred that Man felt. Eight years have passedsince the war began. In these eight years, we have observed and notedimportant changes going on in the minds of men. Fatigue and disinterest,we have seen, are gradually taking the place of hatred and fear. Thehatred is being exhausted gradually, over a period of time. But for thepresent, the hoax must go on, at least for a while longer. You are notready to learn the truth. You would want to continue the war."
"But how did you manage it?" Moss asked. "All the photographs, thesamples, the damaged equipment--"
"Come over here." The leady directed them toward a long, low building."Work goes on constantly, whole staffs laboring to maintain a coherentand convincing picture of a global war."
* * * * *
They entered the building. Leadys were working everywhere, poring overtables and desks.
"Examine this project here," the A-class leady said. Two leadys werecarefully photographing something, an elaborate model on a table top."It is a good example."
The men grouped around, trying to see. It was a model of a ruined city.
Taylor studied it in silence for a long time. At last he looked up.
"It's San Francisco," he said in a low voice. "This is a model of SanFrancisco, destroyed. I saw this on the vidscreen, piped down to us. Thebridges were hit--"
"Yes, notice the bridges." The leady traced the ruined span with hismetal finger, a tiny spider-web, almost invisible. "You have no doubtseen photographs of this many times, and of the other tables in thisbuilding.
"San Francisco itself is completely intact. We restored it soon afteryou left, rebuilding the parts that had been damaged at the start of thewar. The work of manufacturing news goes on all the time in thisparticular building. We are very careful to see that each part fits inwith all the other parts. Much time and effort are devoted to it."
Franks touched one of the tiny model buildings, lying half in ruins. "Sothis is what you spend your time doing--making model cities and thenblasting them."
"No, we do much more. We are caretakers, watching over the whole world.The owners have left for a time, and we must see that the cities arekept clean, that decay is prevented, that everything is kept oiled andin running condition. The gardens, the streets, the water mains,everything must be maintained as it was eight years ago, so that whenthe owners return, they will not be displeased. We want to be sure thatthey will be completely satisfied."
Franks tapped Moss on the arm.
"Come over here," he said in a low voice. "I want to talk to you."
He led Moss and Taylor out of the building, away from the leadys,outside on the hillside. The soldiers followed them. The Sun was up andthe sky was turning blue. The air smelled sweet and good, the smell ofgrowing things.
Taylor removed his helmet and took a deep breath.
"I haven't smelled that smell for a long time," he said.
"Listen," Franks said, his voice low and hard. "We must get back down atonce. There's a lot to get started on. All this can be turned to ouradvantage."
"What do you mean?" Moss asked.
"It's a certainty that the Soviets have been tricked, too, the same asus. But _we_ have found out. That gives us an edge over them."
"I see." Moss nodded. "We know, but they don't. Their Surface Councilhas sold out, the same as ours. It works against them the same way. Butif we could--"
"With a hundred top-level men, we could take over again, restore thingsas they should be! It would be easy!"
* * * * *
Moss touched him on the arm. An A-class leady was coming from thebuilding toward them.
"We've seen enough," Franks said, raising his voice. "All this is veryserious. It must be reported below and a study made to determine ourpolicy."
The leady said nothing.
Franks waved to the soldiers. "Let's go." He started toward thewarehouse.
Most of the soldiers had removed their helmets. Some of them had takentheir lead suits off, too, and were relaxing comfortably in their cottonuniforms. They stared around them, down the hillside at the trees andbushes, the vast expanse of green, the mountains and the sky.
"Look at the Sun," one of them murmured.
"It sure is bright as hell," another said.
"We're going back down," Franks said. "Fall in by twos and follow us."
Reluctantly, the soldiers regrouped. The leadys watched without emotionas the men marched slowly back toward the warehouse. Franks and Moss andTaylor led them across the ground, glancing alertly at the leadys asthey walked.
They entered the warehouse. D-class leadys were loading material andweapons on surface carts. Cranes and derricks were working busilyeverywhere. The work was done with efficiency, but without hurry orexcitement.
The men stopped, watching. Leadys operating the little carts moved pastthem, signaling silently to each other. Guns and parts were beinghoisted by magnetic cranes and lowered gently onto waiting carts.
"Come on," Franks said.
He turned toward the lip of the Tube. A row of D-class leadys wasstanding in front of it, immobile and silent. Franks stopped, movingback. He looked around. An A-class leady was coming toward him.
"Tell them to get out of the way," Franks said. He touched his gun. "Youhad better move them."
Time passed, an endless moment, without measure. The men stood, nervousand alert, watching the row of leadys in front of them.
"As you wish," the A-class leady said.
It signaled and the D-class leadys moved into life. They stepped slowlyaside.
Moss breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad that's over," he said to Franks. "Look at them all. Why don'tthey try to stop us? They must know what we're going to do."
Franks laughed. "Stop us? You saw what happened when they tried to stopus before. They can't; they're only machines. We built them so theycan't lay hands on us, and they know that."
His voice trai
led off.
The men stared at the Tube entrance. Around them the leadys watched,silent and impassive, their metal faces expressionless.
For a long time the men stood without moving. At last Taylor turnedaway.
"Good God," he said. He was numb, without feeling of any kind.
The Tube was gone. It was sealed shut, fused over. Only a dull surfaceof cooling metal greeted them.
The Tube had been closed.
* * * * *
Franks turned, his face pale and vacant.
The A-class leady shifted. "As you can see, the Tube has been shut. Wewere prepared for this. As soon as all of you were on the surface, theorder was given. If you had gone back when we asked