Government Men by Gary J. Davies

  ****

  Cutting power, the Bus stealthily dropped away from the aircraft when it reached Arizona airspace. At treetop level, the Bus completed its trip to the coordinates Bates determined from the detailed maps of Arizona now accessed by the Bus navigation computers. If Jane was at the campsite, he didn't want to scare her with the Bus, so they landed almost half a kilometer from the campsite.

  The passengers were happy to be on firm ground again, and some were amazed by the glimpse of Arizona revealed by the Bus's lights. It looked just like a cover from Arizona Highways magazine, minus sunshine.

  "Where's the sand?" asked Sandra.

  "Where's the beef?" asked Oscomb, patting his big stomach.

  "Where's the Injins?" asked Hank, sweeping the area with his ever present assault rifle.

  "Take it easy everyone," said Bates. "This isn't quite desert country, or cattle country, or American Indian territory, though don't be surprised if you see all of that stuff tomorrow. This happens to be forest.” Indeed, the Bus sat in a clearing surrounded by scrubby looking pine trees. Rugged, red rock hills surrounded them, and there seemed to be the silhouette of mountains in the distance, though the moonlight wasn't strong enough to be certain.

  "And is there a Wawa or something? We have a problem!” said Flood. "We're almost out of fuel."

  "What!” exclaimed Bates. "But we just stocked up at the Enterprise!”

  Norma explained. "We have plenty of Premium Fuel concentrate, but we're out of liquid to add it to. You see, the concentrate has to be thinned out, or it will rip the Bus apart! Actually, it takes very little additional liquid. We flew across the country on about three ounces of Premium Fuel concentrate and two gallons of liquid. A couple quarts of water would get us through local travel for the next day or so. All we have right now is a few ounces of water and a can of un-cola. Also we stuff to drink for us humans."

  "What will work besides water and soda-pop?" asked Bates.

  "Practically anything wet, but as it turns out, cold beer works best," said Norma.

  "Cold beer?”

  "Yup," said Flood. "And we did stock up on it, but it appears to be all gone! I put it in the refrigerator myself. I don't understand where it all went!”

  Norma, Bates, and several others turned to stare at Oscomb.

  "OK, so I got thirsty! It was Bud for Christ's sake, my favorite! How the hell was I to know it was the Bus fuel!” said Oscomb.

  "OK, it was an honest mistake. Don't we have anything else that we can use?” Bates asked.

  "No. The Pepsi is gone too. We desperately need just a couple quarts of something!” said Flood.

  "Will used beer work?" asked Bates.

  "Used beer? You mean piss?" asked Flood, incredulously.

  "I suppose so,” Norma nodded in agreement.

  The group again stared at Oscomb.

  "Well Oscar, have you got a couple of quarts of used beer that you can contribute?" Bates asked.

  The big man shrugged. "Sure. I was going to water that dried out pine tree over there, but if my country needs it somewhere else, that's fine by me.” He went back into the Bus with Flood and Norma. When they returned, they were all smiles.

  "You folks need any more?" asked Hank.

  "Nope, not right away," said Norma. "The big fellow gave us enough to blast us hundreds of miles."

  "OK then," said Bates. "Let's get to work. Most of you better stay with the Bus. Keep Milo on a leash, I don't want him running after jack rabbits or getting eaten by coyotes. Flood, man the radio and radar. A Ra ship could show up at any time. Oscar, Mel, and I will go look for Jane while the rest of you set up camp. Before we turn in we'll scout for more supplies. This is the USA, so there's bound to be beer of some kind within easy driving distance. That’s probably mandated somewhere in the Constitution."

  The trio, armed only with flashlights and innocence, walked through some bush and onto a trail that Bates recognized after twenty years, even at night.

  They were close. A flood of the most incredible memories assaulted Bates as he walked through the darkness. The sounds and smells, just the over-all feel of the place, was hauntingly familiar, even though in the past he had mostly been here in the summer. It was a disorienting experience, like waking into a dream. It just didn't seem that this could be real.

  At the same time, he was comforted. He knew this forest, this trail, and the campsite just ahead. Twenty years ago the three weeks that he and Janet spent here together were by far the happiest in his life.

  Actually, he didn’t very much like roughing it in the country, even then, especially with snakes. But making love with Janet much of the time made up for a heck of a lot of inconveniences. Now it almost seemed that he had gone back in time to those weeks; that he had been out for supplies perhaps, and was now returning to the campsite. Returning to Janet.

  But no, of course he knew that wasn't true; not in the sense that he had so frequently fantasized. Too much water under the bridge for that.

  In a few minutes they noticed the glow from a campfire. The fire was farther than it seemed to be, but finally, stepping into a clearing, they at last approached the camp itself. It was located exactly where Bates and Garb had camped almost two decades earlier.

  "You should go on in alone, Bates," whispered Mel.

  Bates had actually forgotten that Mel and Oscar were with him. Alone, he approached the fire apprehensively. His heart sank. He could make out three people, so it probably wasn't Janet. "Hello there!” he called, when he got closer. "Campers! I'm looking for someone.” Out West it still wasn't a healthy practice to simply go walking into somebody's campsite without warning and invitation. Many folks still packed guns.

  "Narb? Is that you?" a woman's voice asked. HER VOICE!

  "Janet?" he replied, his own voice sounding strange.

  One of the shadowy figures walked towards him. In moments there she was, just like in the VISICOM! But real! She stopped just out of reach. "Narbando, I knew that you'd come! It's been a very long time.”

  She looked great, he thought, but he wasn't capable of speech!

  "I have someone here for you to meet," she said. "The reasons why I called you."

  The two others also left the campfire and were walking towards him. At first Bates couldn't see them clearly, because of the glare of the campfire behind them, but finally they were standing next to Janet in the light of his flashlight. He stared at them in shock. One he could have sworn was the Janet he knew twenty years ago. The other was a duplicate of Narbando T. Bates, only younger. It was like looking back into time. He was trying to make sense of it, when the apparitions simultaneously spoke!

  "Hi Dad," they said simultaneously.

  Bates, unconscious, promptly crumbled to the ground with a thud, as limp and senseless as a sack of potatoes.