ex-truckdriver walked over. âWhen we get to Greeley and settled in, pass the word for a low-alert status. These IPF people are sure to have patrols out â if theyâre smart. We donât want to be spotted.â
James nodded and called the four squad leaders together.
Lieutenant Macklin came to Benâs side. âThe International Peace Force, General? What in the world do they represent?â
âI . . . Iâm not sure, Mary. But I think itâs one hell of a threat to whatever future this country has left it.â
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Mary shivered, although the day was quite warm.
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The young man was fair-skinned, blue-eyed and well-built. The blue in his eyes was of the piercing type, cold. Almost all the young ladies gathered at the long-abandoned branch of the University of Missouri at Rolla thought him handsome.
Judy Stratmann thought his smooth line just a bit too oily and well-rehearsed. He reminded her of an old movie about Southern Californian used car salesmen. Those old, old clips sheâd seen of that guy named Johnny Carson.
Roy Jaydot thought that if all the members of the IPF were as smooth-talking and good-looking as this dude, the country was in trouble.
And both Judy and Roy had immediately noticed one thing: There was no blacks, Indians, Orientals, Jews or any other minority on the old campus.
Roy was a Ute Indian and Judy was half Jewish. It made them feel just a bit uncomfortable.
And the young ladies with Mike â Mikael, Roy felt would be the correct way to spell his name â they were all just as pretty as Mike was handsome.
On the second day of their roles as wandering young people, one of the young ladies with the IPF zeroed in on Roy.
âHi,â she said, walking up to where Roy was sitting on the grass. âMy name is Katrina.â
Roy looked up at her. Very pretty. About five-five, blue eyes, blond hair, fair-skinned. Very well endowed. No makeup. He wondered if she spelled her name with a C or a K? âRoy,â he said, getting to his feet.
âHow do you like it so far?â Katrina asked.
Roy returned her smile. The opening was just too good to let slide by. âI donât know,â he said, âyet.â
She looked puzzled for a moment, then the double meaning came to her. She smiled, but the smile did not quite touch her eyes. They remained as cold as the land she reportedly was from. âYes,â she said, âI see. A joke. Thatâs funny.â She laughed.
Roy thought the laughter sounded very false. âIâm sorry if I offended you.â
âYou didnât,â she was quick to reply. âA society without humor would be very drab indeed. Tell me, Roy, what are you going to report to General Raines?â
Roy felt the first mild clutches of panic grab at his guts. He kept his expression bland, but his face felt hot and he knew he was flushed. He thanked the gods for his dark complexion.
âDonât try to deny it, Roy.â She stood calm and self-assured. âYou and Judy were not on the campus six hours before we discovered you both were not what you pretended to be.â
Roy decided to level with her. There was something about the young woman. He kept picking up strange vibes that suggested â he hoped â she was not really happy with her role in the IPF.
âVery well, Katrina. I will report to General Raines that you and the others in your party are here spreading communist dogma.â
She cocked her head to one side and looked at him. âDogma. A good word. I like it. I shall retain that word for usage. Arenât you in the least interested in how we discovered your secret?â
Roy shrugged. He wondered if he was going to have to shoot his way out of this bind. He had a 9mm submachine in his kit, and could feel the weight of the .38 pressing against the skin of his belly. He wondered where Judy was.
âI noticed the minute we arrived we
Colin Wilson, Donald Seaman