Ricky's whole demeanor suggested that he did not regard Charley as rational. He was treating Charley in that careful way you do when someone's out of control. Mae said, "Is Charley being affected by the swarm? Is that why he's acting that way?"
"I can't tell." I looked closer at the screen. "I don't see any swarm."
"No," she said. "But he's pretty angry."
"What does he want them to do?" I said.
Mae shook her head. "Put the glasses back? Wash them? Use different glasses? I can't tell." I said, "Charley doesn't care about that stuff. He'd eat out of a dirty plate somebody else had used." I smiled. "I've seen him do it."
Suddenly, Charley stepped several paces back. For a moment, he was completely still, as if he had discovered something that stunned him. Ricky said something to him. Charley began pointing and shouting at both of them. Ricky tried to approach him. Charley kept backing away, and then he turned to the phone, mounted on the wall. He lifted the receiver. Ricky came forward, very quickly, his body a blur, and slammed the phone down. He shoved Charley back-hard. Ricky's strength was surprising. Charley was a big guy, but he went down to the floor, and skidded backward a few feet. Charley got to his feet, continued to yell, then he turned and ran out of the room.
Julia and Ricky exchanged a glance. Julia said something to him.
Immediately, Ricky ran after Charley.
Julia ran after Ricky.
"Where are they going?" I said.
Mae released the hold button, and the screen flashed "Updating Time," and then we started seeing images from all the cameras again, in sequence. We saw Charley running down a corridor, and we saw Ricky start after him. We waited impatiently for the next cycle. But nobody was visible there.
Another cycle. Then we saw Charley in the utility room, dialing the phone. He glanced over his shoulder. A moment later, Ricky came in, and Charley hung up the phone. They argued, circling around each other.
Charley picked up a shovel, and swung it at Ricky. The first time Ricky dodged away. The second time it caught him on the shoulder and knocked him to the floor. Charley swung the shovel over his head, and slammed it down on Ricky's head. The gesture was brutal, the intention clearly murderous. Ricky managed to duck back just as the shovel smashed onto the concrete.
"My God ..." Mae said.
Ricky was getting to his feet, when Charley turned and saw Julia enter the room. Julia held out her hand, pleading with Charley (to put down the shovel?). Charley looked from one of them to the other. And then Vince entered the room, too. Now that they were all in the room, he seemed to lose his urge to fight. They were circling him, closing in. Suddenly Charley dashed for the comm room, stepped inside, and tried to shut the door behind him. Ricky was on him in a flash. He had his foot in the door and Charley couldn't get it closed. Charley's face looked angry through the glass. Vince came right alongside Ricky. With both of them at the door, I couldn't see what was happening. Julia seemed to be giving orders. I thought I saw her reach her hand through the crack in the door, but it was difficult to be sure. In any case, the door opened, and both Vince and Ricky entered the room. The action that came next was swift, blurred on the video, but apparently the three men were fighting, and Ricky managed to get behind Charley, and get him in a hammerlock; Vince pulled Charley's arm behind his back, and together the two men subdued Charley. He stopped fighting. The image was less blurred.
"What's happening?" Mae said. "They never told us any of this." Ricky and Vince were holding Charley from behind. Charley was panting, his chest heaving, but he no longer struggled. Julia came into the room. She looked at Charley, and had some conversation with him.
And then Julia walked up to Charley, and kissed him full and long on the lips. Charley struggled, tried to wrench away. Vince grabbed a fistful of Charley's hair and tried to hold his head steady. Julia continued to kiss him. Then she stepped away, and as she did I saw a river of black between her mouth and Charley's. It was only there for a moment, and then it faded.
"Oh my God," Mae said.
Julia wiped her lips, and smiled.
Charley sagged, dropped to the ground. He appeared dazed. A black cloud came out of his mouth, and swirled around his head. Vince patted him on the head and left the room. Ricky went over to the panels-and pulled out wiring by the handful. He literally ripped the panels apart. Then he turned back to Charley, said something else, and walked out of the comm room.
At once Charley sprang to his feet, closed the door, and locked it. But Ricky and Julia just laughed, as if this was a futile gesture. Charley sagged again, and from then on he was out of sight.
Ricky threw his arm around Julia's shoulder, and they walked out of the room together.
"Well, you two are certainly up bright and early!"
I turned.
Julia was standing in the doorway.
DAY 7
5:12 A.M.
She came forward into the room, smiling. "You know, Jack," she said, "if I didn't trust you so completely, I'd think there was something going on between the two of you."
"Really," I said. I stepped away from Mae a little, while she typed quickly. I felt tremendously uneasy. "Why would you think that?"
"Well, you had your heads together about something," she said, as she came toward us. "You looked quite fascinated by what you were seeing on the screen. What're you looking at, anyway?"
"It's ah, technical."
"May I see? I'm interested in technical things. Didn't Ricky tell you I had a new technical interest? I do. I'm fascinated by this technology. It's a new world, isn't it? The twenty-first century has arrived. Don't get up, Mae. I'll just look over your shoulder." By now she had walked around the bench, and could see the screen. She frowned at the image, which showed bacterial cultures on a red growth medium. White circles within red circles. "What's this?"