The zenith angle (33 page)

“Globalstar loses money already,” said Mr. Gupta gloomily. “If satellite phones made money, our Indian ISRO would be launching telephone satellites! Millions of Indians have never made a phone call.”

“Maybe you would do that,” said Tony. “More likely, you would become a customer of Mr. Liang. China already has a financially sound commercial space-launch service.”

“Why is it getting so hot in here?” said the actress suddenly. “So cold, and then so hot in here! Where is my coconut milk? Did you bring only coffee?”

“When do you begin your so-called satellite attack?” said Mr. Liang’s interpreter. “Our phone line to Beijing is still working perfectly!”

“We
are
attacking that Iridium satellite,” said Tony. “Right now. There is no visible beam. It is a very energy-efficient process. The adaptive beam has to penetrate miles of atmosphere with as little signal loss as possible. We don’t even generate the laser pulses locally. We amplify them and collate them. We are beaming Internet traffic up into the sky, from the telescope, right now. Those Internet signals come from all over the planet.”

“Don’t the people miss their Internet when you throw it up into outer space?” said Sanjay.

“It’s all spam.”

“No.”

“Yes, I am attacking a satellite with laser spam.”

“No.”

“We are running a major Internet backbone across the Rocky Mountains here,” said Tony patiently.

“We have spam filters. Nobody ever asks where the spam goes. We beam the spam into outer space.”

“You are an evil man,” said Sanjay simply. “I don’t like you. I never liked you.”

“Why are you selling this laser weapon to us?” demanded Mr. Gupta. “Why don’t you sell your weapon to the Americans? They are the ones obsessed with space violence.”

“Because India and China are the planet’s two emergent space powers,” said Tony passionately. “China is about to launch its first manned mission. China is only the third nation on this world that is able to launch men in space. And India has an unmanned moon rocket planned for 2008. You Indians, you Chinese, you
need
this space capability to diminish America’s overwhelming space power. The Americans don’t need laser weapons. Not at all! If the Americans want to attack your Indian and Chinese satellites, they can
fly up with a Space Shuttle and bring them down whole in one piece.
”

There was a long silence as the listeners consulted their satellite phones.

“It makes no sense for us to purchase American weapons on American soil for use against American satellites,” insisted the Chinese interpreter. “Your proposal is absurd. We do have some interest in the hardware and the technical plans. A very mild interest.”

“You
don’t have any choice,
” Tony shouted. He tried to calm himself. “Look at the geomilitary realities here. You are the two oldest civilizations in this world. You have a billion people each. But the Americans completely rule your air. The Americans have more advanced fighters and bombers than all other nations combined. The Americans completely rule your seas. The Americans have nine supercarrier battle groups and whole fleets of nuclear submarines. On land, the Americans have nine thousand Abrams tanks with the world’s most accurate fire-control systems. Nobody else even has the
experience
of the American armies—since 1985 the Americans have been the only military that still fights genuine wars. The Americans are taking over your planet by force of arms. And now, after one terrorist incident from some small cult of fanatics, the Americans feel completely justified in attacking anyone, anywhere, at any time! And with space dominance to leverage all those other military assets, the Americans
can do
that.
The Americans can strike with total speed and accuracy on every square meter of this globe! If you don’t move into space warfare, your militaries will be completely irrelevant.”

“No space weapon will ever harm the many American submarines,” said Mr. Gupta wisely. “Nor would this one trifling weapon be of much use against the vast host of American satellites. However, I concur that this weapon has one important use. This weapon might be of great use in harming the Chinese space program. We Indians could rent this laser and attack Chinese photoreconnaissance assets. For instance, we could burn up the orbiting Tsinghua surveillance system, a considerable irritant in our Indian nuclear development efforts. May I ask my esteemed colleague Dr. Liang what he thinks of that prospect?”

Liang engaged in consultation with his interpreter and his telephone. “We Chinese would consider that a very hostile, provocative act from the Indian nation, likely to create a nuclear crisis between our two great powers.”

“I fully agree with Dr. Liang. May I further ask if Dr. Liang considers it necessary to beg foreign technical assistance in order to sabotage India’s peaceful space program?”

More consultation. “We Chinese are entirely aware of India’s space ambitions. We Chinese feel entire confidence that indigenous Chinese space technology will conclusively prove China’s superiority to India’s halting efforts in this regard. ‘Begging’ is not necessary for us. ‘Begging’ is more of an Indian skill.”

“May I point out to my esteemed Chinese colleague, as a matter of record, that India has an English-speaking population, vigorous democratic institutions, a market economy, and is rapidly becoming the planet’s software powerhouse? May I further point out that Indian engineers are so very common in the United States that this
very space war weapon
is manned by Indian engineers? China has a manufacturing capacity that we respect—but it is Indian genius that is going to lead South Asia into the twenty-first century!”

“We are entirely aware of the bellicose Hindutva sentiments of Dr. Gupta! We are glad to consider outer space one area of peaceful competition, in which the Indian government does not feel driven to repeat the gruesome atrocities of Kashmir and Gujarat.”

“My esteemed Chinese colleague should not think that the genocidal sufferings of the Tibetan people have escaped our notice—”

“Seven hundred and fifty million dollars!” Tony shouted at them.

The two fell silent.

“That’s all! Just seven hundred and fifty million dollars was all it took to cripple a thirteen-billion-dollar American spacecraft,” said Tony. “Can’t you people see the amazing financial leverage in that? I didn’t even ask you for that money in a lump sum!”

“The Indian ISRO can send a spacecraft all the way to the Moon for seven hundred and fifty million dollars,” said Gupta indignantly. “That amount of money is absurd.”

“No Chinese moneys will be forthcoming to you,” said Liang’s translator, with finality.

“We Indians could build an infernal machine like this with our own strong, skillful hands,” said Gupta.

“We built atomic bombs and we tested them successfully in defiance of the entire world! Let no one think we Indians lack the ability and resolution to build space weapons. We scorn to do that. That is the truth: we scorn to do any such wicked thing.” Gupta rose to his feet. “These negotiations are at an end.”

Van looked around the desk. It was true. Tony’s guests were leaving. They simply opened the door and walked out in a body.

Tony was abandoned there with two women: Mrs. DeFanti and the little actress.

“Don’t look so sad, Tony,” said Mrs. DeFanti. “That was all a negotiating ploy. You are a technical genius, you have them completely dominated. Those people are mere spies, not entrepreneurs like you and Tom. What can they do but play psychological games? The Indians and Chinese can never think like Americans think. They can’t treat a billion dollars like fast food. You astonished them here, Tony. Really, you amazed and impressed them very much. They’ll consult with the home offices, and talk to all the elders. Then they’ll come back to you.”

“But I can’t wait while they stall for time,” Tony said hollowly. “I’m past waiting. I really need to make this sale. There’s nothing else left, Katrina.”

“I’m taking my limousine home,” she told him. “Stop fretting, darling. You’ve always got a place with Tom.” She kissed him on the cheek.

Mrs. DeFanti left the observatory. Tony looked hopefully at his girlfriend. “Well, honey, by pulling that sad little snit like that, those suckers missed the very best part! I guess that situation looked pretty bad, but you know, I’m not too surprised by what they did. No, I’m not. They don’t appreciate me, that’s all. They can’t grasp the scale of my achievement here. But you know what I’m going to do now? I’m going to do the most amazing thing that any man has ever done for a woman he loved! I am going to write your name on the Moon.”

Anjali Devgan didn’t seem much impressed. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll be able to see it happening, right through this beautiful Japanese telescope. This used to belong to Tom DeFanti, and I brought it here just for you. I am
literally
going to write your adorable name, with a laser, on the surface of this planet’s satellite. A-N-J-A-L-I. That process will take about half an hour. If we get some overcast cirrus, we might drop a few pixels here and there. But, honey: it’s the Moon!”

“You’re writing my name on the Moon in English?”

“Why not?” Tony paused. “Honey, please don’t do this to me. I don’t have a font in Hindi.”

“I know that Chinese woman is your lover. She kissed you on the face in front of me! She called you

‘darling.’ ”

“I can
get
you a font in Hindi. I just can’t get it tonight.”

“You have no soul, Anthony Carew. You are a decadent Western intellectual. You never think of anything but your power and your money. I am sick and tired of being your concubine, Tony Carew. I don’t care how many toys you give me. You are unworthy of my love. You have no home. You have no warmth of elders in your house. You cannot marry me properly as a man should marry a woman. There is no husband’s mother to properly send me my sargee. You want only love without commitment, and sex without children. You have no future!”

“Honey, people in the modern world can work out little issues like this.”

“I’m going home to marry Amitabh. That’s what Bapuji wants from me.”

“Anjali, you can’t marry that guy. Amitabh? Even as Bollywood star-children go, Amitabh is as dumb as a racehorse.” Tony recoiled from her scalded look. “Okay, fine! Go marry Amitabh, have his kids! I’m willing to look right past that!”

“I hate you, Tony Carew. You are evil. I should never have erred and sinned with you. My audience will forgive me my vamp roles when I give them children.” Anjali looked at her jeweled watch. “I’m never going back to that ugly Chinese woman’s stupid ranch house! Never! I am flying away from you in Sanjay’s jet. I have a three-night engagement to dance in London. Bipasha is there, Kareena is there. I want to talk to my star sisters! They understand the sorrows of life!”

“Oh, come on,
sajaana...
”

“Our love affair is over, Tony. I don’t love you, and I never want to see you again.” She left him. Tony stood immobile. Then he turned and ran headlong for the desk. He scrabbled at the black fabric rifle case and unzipped it. He stood the rifle on its wooden butt. Trembling all over, he jammed his chin against the muzzle.

Van stepped into the light. “I disarmed your rifle, Tony. Bullets equal zero.”

Tony glared at him with red-rimmed eyes. “Oh, for God’s sake. You? What good are you to me now?”

“I’m no good to you, Tony. I am the end of you, pal.” Van leveled the ray gun.

“What’s with the titanium toy? Am I under arrest or something?”

“No, Tony. You are not under arrest. I hacked you and I own you. You are an illegal combatant. It’s the steel box in Cuba for you, you son of a bitch.”

Tony made a sudden break for it. Van cut him off, grabbed his jacket, and punched him twice in the head. Then he dragged Tony bodily across the floor of the observatory. He threw Tony headlong across a tumbling heap of metal chairs. He opened a chair. He picked Tony up and sat him down.

“Now what?” said Tony, wiping his split lip. “I guess you can beat me up. What does that prove?”

“I am not beating you, Tony. I am interrogating you. Are there any other ones?”

Tony was stunned. “What?”

“Are there other laser weapons like this telescope? Anywhere on planet Earth.”

“Would I
need
another one?” said Tony. He gestured wildly. “Look at her! This is the most fantastic weapon in the world! I
built a death ray,
man! I built a no-kidding, working death ray in the very same world that’s got bubble gum and
Hollywood Squares
and Chee•tos! I can
fry spacecraft
!”

He drew a sobbing breath. “Okay, so they don’t blow up all at once! Maybe it takes me a few months to destroy them! Sometimes the orbit isn’t quite right, sometimes the weather is wrong. But I am
bigger
than NASA,
dude! I could take down a Shuttle.”

“You are a traitor, Tony. You wrecked a spy satellite for money. And you just outed me, to Chinese and Indian intelligence agents, as a part of your rotten conspiracy.”

Tony looked up wearily. “Van, would you stop pointing that ray gun at me? That’s just really geeky. The thing melts glue, all right? It’s not even plugged in.”

Van reached down and plugged the gun into a power strip.

Van looked up in time to see Tony nerving himself to leap on him. “Forget trying to kill me,” Van said. “I led my cyberwar team here. We have surveilled and recorded everything. You’re toast, Tony.”

Tony laughed hollowly. “That’s a good try, pal. You are a glorified computer clerk for an advisory board. Real military people are never gonna move one inch without clearance from SOCOM and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I could be in Tahiti by the time those morons shuffle their paperwork.”

Van looked at him in wonderment.

“Tony, you sold out.”

“Why would you even wonder at that?” Tony said passionately. “That was the whole point of living in the 1990s! Did I ever
ask
to be born under some particular flag? I could live in Bombay. I
wanted
to live in Bombay, the action there is amazing. I could live in Shanghai! Shanghai has got skyscrapers that make New York look like a bombed-out rathole! So what if I sold out the USA—what about the USA selling
me
out? I don’t even recognize this country since 9/11. It’s mean! It’s vindictive! It’s aggressive! It’s broke, that’s the worst part. And it invades places! Your country is like a giant Serbia. The people who run it are moron oil company people. I’m a dot-com guy. I am thirty-two years old. I was right on top of the world. Then I went from genius, to bum, to bankrupt in eighteen months! I was right in the middle of the fastest, most potent, the best technological revolution in human history. I was making that happen, I was a true-blue revolutionary. It’s been no time, Van, and I’m already history. I’m obsolete, I’m invisible. The sons of bitches vanished me. It’s just like I was never there at all.”