Cox said, 'If the boy's idea works and you record it, make sure we get a copy. We'll be making our own, of course, but the scientists in charge of this thing will want to see what the hit looks like from your side of the Dome.'
'I think we can do better than that,' Barbie said. 'If Joe here can put this together, I think most of the town will be able to watch it live.'
This time Julia raised her fist. Grinning, Barbie bumped it.
13
'Holee shit,' Joe said. The awe on his face made him look eight instead of thirteen. The whipcrack confidence was gone from his voice. He and Barbie were standing about thirty yards from where Little Bitch Road ran up against the Dome. It wasn't the soldiers he was looking at, although they had turned around to observe; it was the warning band and the big red X sprayed on the Dome that had fascinated him.
'They're moving their bivouac point, or whatever you call it,' Julia said. 'The tents are gone.'
'Sure. In about' - Barbie looked at his watch - 'ninety minutes, it's going to get very hot over there. Son, you better get to it.' But now that they were actually out here on the deserted road, Barbie began to wonder if Joe could do what he had promised.
'Yeah, but... do you see the trees?'
Barbie didn't understand at first. He looked at Julia, who shrugged. Then Joe pointed, and he saw. The trees on the Tarker's side of the Dome were dancing in a moderate fall wind, shedding leaves in colorful bursts that fluttered down around the watching Marine sentries. On The Mill side, the branches were barely moving and most of the trees were still fully dressed. Barbie was pretty sure air was coming through the barrier, but not with any force. The Dome was damping the wind. He thought of how he and Paul Gendron, the guy in the Sea Dogs cap, had come to the little stream and had seen the water piling up.
Julia said, 'The leaves over here look... I don't know... listless, somehow. Limp.'
'It's just because they've got a wind on their side and we've only got a puff of breeze,' Barbie said, then wondered if that was really it. Or all of it. But what good did it do to speculate about the current air quality in Chester's Mill, when there was nothing they could do about it? 'Go on, Joe. Do your thing.'
They had swung by the McClatchey house in Julia's Prius to get Joe's PowerBook. (Mrs McClatchey had made Barbie swear he would keep her son safe, and Barbie had so sworn.) Now Joe pointed at the road. 'Here?'
Barbie raised his hands to the sides of his face and sighted at the red X. 'Little to the left. Can you try it? See how it looks?'
'^eah.' Joe opened the PowerBook and turned it on. The Mac power-up chime sounded as pretty as ever, but Barbie thought he had never seen anything quite so surreal as the silver computer sitting on the patched asphalt of Little Bitch Road with its screen up. It seemed to summarize the last three days perfectly.
'Battery's fresh, so it should run for at least six hours,' Joe said.
'Won't it go to sleep?'Julia asked.
Joe gave her an indulgent Mother, please look. Then he turned back to Barbie. 'If the missile roasts my Pro, do you promise to buy me another one?'
'Uncle Sam will buy you another one,' Barbie promised. 'I'll put in the requisition myself.'
'Sweet.'
Joe bent over the PowerBook. There was a little silver barrel mounted atop the screen. This, Joe had told them, was some current compu-miracle called iSight. He ran his finger over the computer's touchpad, hit ENTER, and suddenly the screen filled with a brilliant image of Little Bitch Road. From ground level, each little bump and irregularity in the tar looked like a mountain. At mid-range, Barbie could see the Marine sentries up to their knees.
'Sir, does he have a picture, sir?' one of them asked.
Barbie looked up. 'Let's put it this way, Marine - if I was doing inspection, you'd be doing push-ups with my foot in your ass. There's a scuff on your left boot. Unacceptable on a noncombat assignment.'
The Marine looked down at his boot, which was indeed scuffed. Julia laughed.Joe did not. He was absorbed.'It's too low. Miz Shumway, have you got something in the car we can use to-?' He raised his hand about three feet off the road.
'I do,' she said.
'And get me my little gym bag, please.' He fiddled some more with the PowerBook, then held out his hand. 'Cell?'
Barbie handed it to him. Joe hit the tiny buttons with blinding speed. Then: 'Benny? Oh, Norrie, okay. You guys there?... Good. Never been in a beerjoint before, I bet.You ready?... Excellent. Stand by' He listened, then grinned. 'Are you kidding? Dude, according to what I'm getting, the jack is awesome.They're blasting the Wi-Fi. Gotta jet.' He snapped the phone closed and handed it back to Barbie.
Julia came back with Joe's gym bag and a carton containing undistributed sheets of the Democrat's Sunday extra edition. Joe set the PowerBook on the carton (the sudden rise in the image from ground level made Barbie a bit dizzy), then checked it and pronounced it totally rad. He rummaged in the gym bag, brought out a black box with an antenna, and plugged it into the computer. The soldiers were clustered on their side of the Dome, watching with interest. Now I know how a fish feels in an aquarium, Barbie thought.
'Looks okay,'Joe murmured. 'I got a green bulb.'
'Shouldn't you call your - '
'If it's working, they'll call me,'Joe said. Then:'Uh-oh, this could be trouble.'
Barbie thought he was referring to the computer, but the boy wasn't even looking at it. Barbie followed his gaze and saw the green Chief of Police car. It wasn't moving fast, but the bubblegums were pulsing. Pete Randolph got out from behind the wheel. Emerging from the passenger side (the cruiser rocked a little when his weight left the springs) came Big Jim Rennie.
'Just what in the heck do you think you're doing?' he asked.
The phone in Barbie's hand buzzed. He handed it to Joe without taking his eyes from the approaching Selectman and Chief of Police.