ICE BALL

by Thomas Hand

Copyright (c) 1989

Part 1

The water was getting cold. It was the city's way of saying he had spent enough time in the shower already.

"Hot water ration nearing end." The shower warned him. It always disquieted Teri to have a machine talk to him while he bathed.

"Water off." He said, when the water was too frigid to bear. "Drier on."

The stainless steel walls slid away revealing large vents which blew warm air over him. When his drying ration was exhausted, he dressed in his robe and stepped out of the Water Closet. Teri surveyed his apartment, till he found the dinner table which had been accumulating a pile of mailchips all that week. With a comfortable scratch and a yawn he settled in a chair beneath the pile.

"Coffee, black." The food dispenser processed the request and offered him a mug.

"Thank you. Now let's see." He took the first chip, and read "Sale at Sojki" The chip tumbled through the air, landing in the open disposal unit.

"Blasted junk mail." As he sifted through the other chips, the Sojki chip gained company. Teri stopped his hoopshooting long enough to view a chip from his Aunt.

"Hello, Teri. How are you? I had hoped to hear from you, but I guess you were too busy to worry about your poor old Aunt..." She always enjoyed making him feel guilty, and she was good at it. "... I don't blame you, you probably have some girl you're seeing that is taking up all of your time..." She was also in a hurry to get him married, not exactly what he was planning. "... well, you be sure to sent me a chip. Love and Kisses." Teri watched the face pucker, then he added her chip his score.

"Important Message From a Friend" It sounded important enough, so he popped it in.

"Greetings customer, let me show you..." The face of a businessman polluted the screen, but it never finished its sentence.

"Getting sneaky aren't we." Two more points.

Teri picked up the next chip and dropped it as if it bit him. It was marked with the official symbol of the Protectorate. There was to need for further identification.

A stern face filled the screen, while behind him the presidential seal covered the wall.

"This is the President of the Protectorate Council. I am informing you that you have been selected to receive the honor of serving as part of the Protectorate Galactic Marine Corp. You are to follow the proceeding instructions exactly. Failure to do so can be punishable by 40 years imprisonment or permanent exile. Thank you, and remember to vote Liberal." The face broke into a smile and disappeared. Teri felt faint.

The next face belonged to a uniformed officer who had a friendly air about him.

"Mr. Teri M. Demsy," Patriotic music began in the background. "You have been chosen to wear the uniform of the finest army in the galaxy, the Galactic Marine Corps." The screen changed to a line of uniformed men at attention. "You will be trained in the latest weaponry. " The screen showed a firing range. "You will be given the opportunity to visit exotic planets." Pictures of popular tourist attractions on several planets were shown. "In short, Mr. Demsy, you will become one of the few, the proud, the GMC. You are scheduled to begin training at seven thirty hours at Fort Reagan, April 4, 2054. I must remind you of the consequences should you refuse to appear at the appointed time. Standard punishment is 40 years in prison or permanent exile to an outer planet. I'm sure you don't want this Mr. Demsy." The final picture shown was the Protectorate flag, flying in the breeze. The officer's smiling face covered the screen once more. "We look forward to seeing you Mr. Demsy." The screen went blank.

Teri glanced at his watch: April 2nd, two more days to live the rest of his life.

With the war between the Protectorate and the Federation at its present stage, he would be killed within a year. If he didn't join, he would face imprisonment or worse- exile to a frozen planet where he would slowly starve or freeze. There would be little chance to escape the Protectorate if he decided to run since they control the entire planet. He would be continuously running from Administrators. That he disliked more than death. No one could decide how they wanted to die in two days.

The hands of his watch read 3:42 am. Teri could remember the day his grandfather gave it to him, describing how old it was. Since the Protectorate outlawed analog watches long before Teri was born, it must be old. His grandfather speculated its age somewhere before the revolution. However old, it was Teri's only conscious offense against the Protectorate, and he cherished it. He rarely wore it outside his apartment, because, if seen, he would spend the next five years in prison.

The apartment was still the way he left it when he viewed the chip, except for an absence of light. He didn't work that day, instead, he slumped in his quiet room, lost in thought.

It was almost two o'clock when he awoke. He couldn't remember falling asleep, but was grateful he had.

Teri began all the necessary arrangements. By three, he had all his belongings packed and informed the landlord he was moving. By four, he had reservations on a shuttle to Fort Reagan, nine thirty that night, and had sent his luggage to the airport. By five, he removed his savings for the First Bank of the Protectorate, seven years worth. With this done, and his room vacant, he had time to waste.

Teri had always wanted to dine at a restaurant where they still prepare food by hand, but he could never afford to. Although the Protectorate did not approve of this unsanitary practice, they tolerated it because it proved itself profitable. So, with a pleasant lump of bank credits in his pocket, and his grandfather's watch proudly displayed on his wrist, he set off to find one.

Outside the apartment, Teri hailed a personal transport instead of public transit.

"Destination please." The mechanical voice of the driver asked.

"The nearest restaurant where they serve food by hand." He said hoping the computer understood the request. It did and the transport zipped out into traffic. Teri was enjoying the speed at which the transport was moving. It eventually slowed and stopped before La Brunch restaurant.

"Please insert 39 credits." With a shrug, he deposited a day's work.

The restaurant was magnificent. It exceeded everything Teri had imagined. There were people, real people, standing, sitting, walking, talking, dancing, serving, being served, and enjoying themselves. Just like those Protectorate movies showing how wonderful the system is, where everyone is smiling, but this was really happening.

A man dressed in the customary waiter's tuxedo approached him.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"No I was hoping you would have a vacancy."

"I'm afraid we are booked at the moment, try later."

Teri had little practice at bribery, and didn't know how much to give him, so he decided to give him the first credit that came out of his pocket. The five hundred credit piece helped the waiter find a vacant table.

He ordered, and watched the as people dance. The waiter returned with his meal, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." The waiter paused.

"Yes sir. May I help you?"

"I don't suppose you could find me a bottle of wine."

"Sir we don't serve such things here! That is against the law..."

"I would be most generous." Again he, played lotto with the credits.

The waiters eyes widened when the next piece was handed to him. "I'll see what I can do." With that he hurried to the kitchen. Teri savored the tender meat, prepared by a fascinating process which the waiter had described as "broiling." The waiter returned with a bottle, stripped of all labels. Teri found that the wine and meat went together very well, so he thanked the waiter with another "tip." The night went on, and the last memory Teri had of that night was asking for another bottle.

When he awoke, he noticed how hard the floor seemed, and wondered why it was so close. He flipped onto his back, and realized he was lying down. He sat up, but the dizziness made him lie down again.

"Where am I?" He asked the ceiling, but there was no answer. He noticed a smell, like vomit, but he couldn't locate its source.

The room was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps because he was lying on the floor. That must be it. He flopped upright and with practice, managed to keep his balance. He was in his apartment, that's where he was. How long was I unconscious? He wondered. Then Teri remembered his flight. He looked at his watch, eight twenty. There was still time to shower and get rid of this nasty smell.

Teri locked the room after he cleaning off his sample of the floor's dirt. He shuffled down the hall towards his destiny.

"Going somewhere?" Since he didn't did not recognize the voice he froze, and slowly turned to face a Protectorate Administrator.

"Yes, um, I'm um I have to catch a shuttle."

"You are not going anywhere, Mr. Demsy."

"What do you mean, and how do you know my name?"

"That is irrelevant. You had your chance to go on a shuttle ride, Mr. Demsy. You chose not to. I'm afraid you must pay the consequences."

"What are you talking about?" He glanced at his watch. "Its only eight twe..." Teri's jaw dropped. The watches hands were frozen at 8:21 pm. His most cherished object had betrayed him.

• * *

Stenciled in red letters across the cell's only cement wall were the words:

"Absolutely no talking permitted"

Below it were several other sentences written in some other dialects, which Teri assumed said the same thing.

The cell itself consisted of three bare walls and a fourth of cement. It was vacant of all furniture except one blanket for each of its three occupants.

The first of Teri's cellmates wore the majority of a flight suit mixed with other casual wear. He had traced his name in the air with his finger until everyone knew him as Reihn Verice.

The other was wearing the long white jacket of a doctor. It took some time for Teri to realize he was actually a scientist of some sort. Teri found his name rather interesting too, Samual Johnson. He and the pilot were attempting to communicate using hand gestures. Teri tried as well but soon lost interest. He was still awaiting his impending doom.

Teri awoke to the harsh voice of the guard.

"Teri Demsy, your lawyer is here to see you. You gonna get up or should I tell him to go away." The guard chuckled.

Teri opened his mouth to reply, then remembered the sign on the wall. His mouth snapped shut before sound could escape and he stood by the door being unlocking.

The guard lead him down a long grey corridor lined with empty cells identical to the one Teri had occupied. They turned a corner and walked through a steel door. Inside was a room no bigger than his cell. Unlike his cell, however, the room had privacy and furniture. Behind a table in the center of the room sat his only hope, the public defender. He was tapping away at his portable console, but did take enough time to direct Teri to the seat opposite him. The guard locked the door behind them, just as the lawyer began to speak.

"Mr. Teri Ran Demsy, age 28, weight 153, brown hair, blue eyes, No previous record. What are you doing here, Mr. Demsy?"

"I..."

"Mr. Demsy, please don't interrupt. As I was saying, you are being held, pending judgement, for the crime of treason..."

"Treason..."

"Yes treason, and they have a pretty good case against you. Now tell me, why didn't you report on time?"

"I uh, I was incapacitated at the time."

"Incapacitated."

"Yes uh," Teri began to turn a rose shade of red. "I was drunk."

The lawyer's expression remained constant.

"This does not make my job any easier, Mr. Demsy. You expect me to walk into that courtroom and say `please excuse my client, he was drunk, but he promises never to do it again.' Being in possession of alcohol alone carries a five year sentence. No way, Mr. Demsy. You would be sent to the far reaches of space, and I'd probably be sent right behind you."

The lawyer turned back to his console and tapped away for some time. He sighed and looked back at Teri.

"At least you have a clean record. You've even helped the protectorate while you were an accountant. Maybe with a little persuasion, and luck, I can get you enlisted again with a few fines and a couple months in the stockade."

"I would appreciate that very much."

"Don't take this personally. If I don't make my quota, I'll lose my position. That's why you're getting my best."

The guard had led him back to his cell after his meeting. With a grunt, he slammed the door behind Teri, loud enough to wake the scientist and the pilot. With an unpleasant chuckle, he shuffled on.

Teri sat wrapped in his blanket in the corner, wondering what would become of him. Right now, the Marine Corps seemed the most pleasant of all the choices. He had often wondered what it would be like. If he tried hard enough he could actually make a decent life out of it, assuming that he lived to enjoy it. Teri decided that was exactly what he was going to do make the best of it.

Again, the guard escorted Teri from his cell and down the hallway. Instead of visiting the tiny room, they continued further to a large wooden door labeled Criminal Court. Teri entered the room expecting to see a large number of people. At the table in the center of the room sat his attorney, tapping away again.

"Come in and sit down, Mr. Demsy. We have just enough time to review your case again before court begins." The lawyer said without looking up from his console Teri seat next to the lawyer.

"Now, Mr. Demsy, what we are planning to do may seem a little risky, so if you're nervous I understand." He wasn't, and he didn't understand why. "Now let's go over the game plan."

"Yes, let's"

"Ok, first, you will plead guilty to treason by trying to escape the draft. Second, you present your spotless record, along with your aunt as a character witness. And, finally, you ask that you be enlisted in the marines with whatever punishment they see fit to deliver."

"Sounds good to me." It should, he had been thinking about it all that night.

"Ok, now we wait."

After waiting for five minutes, Teri began to wonder if anyone would show up. He also wondered where they would sit. There was no other furniture other that the table and the two chairs. The room itself didn't look like what he pictured it to be. Although it was a spacious room, it was not decorative at all. The walls were an off white color, almost transparent. As he was examining the walls, one lit with a beam of light from some unknown source. The light focused into a face which spoke.

"Please stand." They both obeyed. "This Criminal Court is now in session, the Honorary Greod Hjery residing." On the wall directly in front of them, five more faces appeared. To their right, another face appeared.

"That's our real opponent." The lawyer whisper.

The central face in front of them began to speak.

"We are here to judge one Teri R. Demsy for the crime of treason. Will he please step forward." Teri did so. "How do you plead."

With a hard swallow, he answered.

"Guilty."

"Very well, you may sit." The face look to the other wall. "Mr. Prosecutor, you may begin."

The face to their right began speaking.

"Thank you your honor." The face glanced at the table then at the five faces. "Honorable Judges, I'll make this short. I intend to show this court that Teri Demsy is not some ordinary treason case. Indeed not. Don't be fooled by his innocent looking exterior, for inside lurks a beast. I will show you facts and evidence which will reveal his true identity. Thank you."

Teri couldn't believe his ears. Was all this really happening? His attorney stood.

"Honorable Judges. My client is a decent man who made a mistake. He now realizes the error in what he has done and wishes to rectify the situation. Please don't close your hearts to him. Thank you."

The central face spoke again.

"Mr. Defense, you may present your case."

Teri's lawyer proceeded with his presentation exactly as they planned. He showed Teri's clean record. He displayed Teri's willingness to enlist. He even brought Teri's aunt in as a character witness. Then the prosecutor began his presentation.

"Honorable Judges. I would like to point out a few items that my esteemed collogue failed to mention. First, Mr. Demsy is no ordinary case. He must be recognized for what he really is, a treasonous spy. Second, we must find out just what happened on that mysterious night. And lastly, I will give you my final proof that he is a spy, and a traitor to the Protectorate."

Teri looked his lawyer with a confused expression, only to meet another.

"I call to the stand Mr. Demsy, since he is the only one who can tell us what really happened." Teri slowly stood and walking in front of the table.

"Mr Demsy, please recount what happened to you from the time you received notification on your enlistment to the time you were arrested."

"Well, I had not gone through my mail all that week..."

"... and so I closed my account at the bank and decided to splurge a little."

"Wasn't it true that you went to a Manual Food Preparation Restaurant?"

"Yes, but I had never been..."

"And isn't it true that you bought alcohol from the waiter, and drank to excess."

"Yes, but..."

"There are no buts about it Mr. Demsy. You have committed two crimes. You drank until you were drunk, and because of that, you missed your shuttle. Isn't that true Mr. Demsy?"

"Yes."

There was a pause, probably to allow the words to take effect.

"Mr. Demsy, are you a spy?"

"What?

"Simply answer the question."

"No, I am certainly not a spy."

The prosecutor held something up.

"Do you recognize this, Mr. Demsy?"

Again, Teri swallowed hard.

"Yes, it's my grandfather's watch."

"I see you know it very well then. I suppose you know how the transmitter got inside it."

"What?"

"The transmitter. We found a transmitter in your watch. I suppose you know nothing about it?"

"Yes, that's right."

"How long have you had this watch? And, I would like the judges to notice it's analog."

"About twenty years."

"That's a long time breaking the law. In all that time you never opened it? Not ever to replace the battery?"

"I've only opened it once. To change the battery like you said."

Teri's lawyer stood and said.

"I think this has gone far enough."

"Yes, it has." The prosecutor replied. "Mr. Demsy, you are lying. You have been playing games form the start. You are really a Federation spy." The lawyer still went on despite Teri's furious head shaking. "You have been sent here by the Federation with a perfect record so no one would be suspicious, and report periodically on our economic status using this transmitter." He held up a tiny black chip. "We had it analyzed Mr. Demsy. It was made by the Federation."

Teri was speakless. The only word he could utter was "no." His attorney was equally at a loss.

"Well Mr. Demsy, can you explain?"

"No, I don't know anything about it."

"I have no more questions, you may sit down" Teri slumped back into his chair. The prosecution rests it's case your honor."

"Why didn't you tell me about the watch?" Teri's lawyer whispered.

"Well, it was taken from me when I was arrested. I didn't know anything about any transmitter."

"Well, Mr. Demsy, looks like we are going for a trip." The lawyer stood. "The defense rests your Honor."

"Very well, this court will adjourn while we decide." All faces disappeared.

(to be continued...)

Thomas Hand is a freshman at Penn State Schuykill Haven Campus. He plans to graduate with a baccalaureate degree in Computer Science. He also promises to write more about Teri. (At least enough so you know where the title comes from)

tth102@psuvm.BITNET