Read The Dragon in the Sea Online
Authors: Frank Herbert
The Dragon in the Sea (32 page)
“Are we set for the automatic pickup?” asked Sparrow.
“All set,” said Bonnett.
“We've brought home the bacon,” said Ramsey.
Bonnett's voice took on an unconscious mimicry of Garcia's bantering accent: “We're a bunch of bloody heroes!”
It was peaceful in Dr. Oberhausen's Charleston office. The wizened BuPsych chief sat behind a desk like all other
BuPsych office desks, leaning back with his hands steepled beneath his goatee. His bat-eye radar box, disconnected from its shoulder harness, rested on the patterned wood of the desk top. Dr. Oberhausen's sightless ball-bearing eyes seemed to be staring at Ramsey, who sat across the desk from him.
BuPsych office desks, leaning back with his hands steepled beneath his goatee. His bat-eye radar box, disconnected from its shoulder harness, rested on the patterned wood of the desk top. Dr. Oberhausen's sightless ball-bearing eyes seemed to be staring at Ramsey, who sat across the desk from him.
Ramsey rubbed a hand over his head, feeling the stubble of returning hair. “That's pretty much the story,” he said. “Most of it was in my notes. You've had those, even though the medics wouldn't let you talk to me.”
Dr. Oberhausen nodded silently.
Ramsey leaned back in his chair. It creaked and Ramsey suddenly realized that Dr. Oberhausen purposely surrounded himself with creaking chairsâreassuring signals for a blind man.
“A close thing with you, Johnny. Radiation sickness is a peculiar thing.” He passed a hand across his own radiation-blinded eyes. “It is fortunate that BuPsych agents are virtually indestructible.”
“Does this check with my notes and the telemeter tapes?” asked Ramsey.
Dr. Oberhausen nodded. “Yes, it checks. Sparrow became almost literally a part of his boat, sensitive to everything about itâincluding his crew. An odd mating of the right mentality and the right experiences has made him a master psychologist. I'm going to see about taking him into the department.”
“What about my recommendation for preventing those psychotic breaks?”
Dr. Oberhausen pursed his lips, tugged at his goatee. “The old Napoleonic fancy-uniform therapy: fanfare coming and going.” He nodded. “Security will kick and scream
that it will prevent secrecy of departures, but they've already made one concession.”
that it will prevent secrecy of departures, but they've already made one concession.”
“What?”
“They've announced officially that we're pirating oil from the EPs.”
“That was a senseless secret anyway.”
“They were reluctant.”
“We'd be better off without Security,” muttered Ramsey. “We should be working to get rid of it. Security stifles communication. It's creating social schizophrenia.”
Dr. Oberhausen gave a negative shake of his head. “No, Johnny, we shouldn't get rid of Security. That's an old fallacy. Use Captain Sparrow's analogy: In an insane society, a crazy man is normal. Security has the kind of insanity that's normal for wartime. Normal and needed.”
“But
after
the war, Obe! You know they're going to keep right on!”
after
the war, Obe! You know they're going to keep right on!”
“They'll try, Johnny. But by that time we'll have Security under the control of BuPsych. We'll be able to nullify them quite effectively.”
Ramsey stared at him, then chuckled. “So that's why you've been moving in on Belland.”
“Not just Belland, Johnny.”
“You scare me sometimes, Obe.”
Dr. Oberhausen's goatee twitched. “Good. That means my pose of omnipotence is effective even with those who know better.” He smiled.
Ramsey grinned, stirred in his chair. “If that's all, Obe, I'd like to get away. They wouldn't let Janet and the kids anywhere near me while I was in the hospital, and now thatâ”
“I waited, too, Johnny. BuMed's little dictatorship halted even the great BuPsych. There's an area of autonomy in radiation medicine thatâ” He shook his head slowly.
“Well?” asked Ramsey.
“The impatience of youth,” said Dr. Oberhausen. “There are just a few more points to be cleared up. Why do you believe we never saw the need for this fancy-uniform therapy?”
“Partly Security,” said Ramsey. “But it really wasn't obvious. Wrong symptoms. Napoleon was looking to build up enlistments and stop his gunners from going over the hill. We've never had that trouble. In fact, our submariners seemed eager to return to duty. That's the paradox: they found threat in both spheresâashore and at sea. When they were ashore they seemed to forget about the menace of the sea because the subconscious masked it. The boat spelled enveloping safety, a return to the womb. But when the men came ashore, that was birth: exposure. The sky's a hideous thing to men who want to hide from it.”
Dr. Oberhausen cleared his throat. His voice took on a crisp, business-like tone. “Now, I'd like to go back to your notes for just a moment. You say BuPsych should emphasize religious training. Explain your reasoning.”
Ramsey leaned forward and the telltale chair creaked. “Because it's sanity, Obe. That's theâ”
“It smacks of a panacea, Johnny. A nostrum.”
“No, Obe. A church provides a common bond for people, a clear line of communication.” He shook his head. “Unless BuPsych can uncover telepathy or absolute proof of the hereafter, it can't substitute for religion. The sooner we face that, the sooner we'll be able to offerâ”
Dr. Oberhausen slapped his hand on the desk top.
“Religion is not scientific! It's faith!” He said
faith
as he might have said
dirty
.
“Religion is not scientific! It's faith!” He said
faith
as he might have said
dirty
.
He's needling me
, thought Ramsey. He said, “Okay, Obe. All I'm saying is this: We don't have a substitute for religion. But we're offering our so-called science as a substitute. That's all I'mâ”
, thought Ramsey. He said, “Okay, Obe. All I'm saying is this: We don't have a substitute for religion. But we're offering our so-called science as a substitute. That's all I'mâ”
“So-called?”
“How many distinct schools of psychology can you name?”
Dr. Oberhausen smiled thinly. “At least as many as there are distinct religions.”
“We're following the pattern even there,” said Ramsey.
The BuPsych chief chuckled. “Did I interrupt a chain of thought?”
Ramsey paused. “Only that I've never met a psychoanalyst who didn'tâat least subconsciouslyâoffer his system as a substitute for religion. Present company included. We set ourselves up as little gods-all-knowing, all-healing. People resent that and rightly. We have polite labels for our failures. We agree among ourselves that anything bearing one of those labels is, of course, incurable.”
Dr. Oberhausen's voice held a sense of remoteness. “That's quite an indictment, Johnny. Do I take it that you've been
converted
by our good Captain Sparrow?”
converted
by our good Captain Sparrow?”
Ramsey leaned back, laughed. “Hell, no! I'm just going to stop posing as a messiah.”
Dr. Oberhausen took a deep breath. “That's encouraging.”
“And I guess I'll go on poking around inside people's minds. If that describes whatever it is we do.” He smiled. “I'll keep on being a psychologist.”
“What do you expect to find?”
Ramsey was silent a moment, then: “A good scientist doesn't
expect
to find anything, Obe. He reports what he sees.”
expect
to find anything, Obe. He reports what he sees.”
Dr. Oberhausen clasped his hands. “If you find God, please let me know.”
“I'll do that.” Ramsey forced briskness into his voice. “As long as we're clearing up loose ends, what about me? When do I get out of this damned uniform and into my nice new department of BuPsych?”
Dr. Oberhausen pushed his chair back, resting his hands on the edge of the desk. He tipped his head down, appeared to be staring at the bat-eye box. “First, you'll have to play out your hero role. The president's going to pin medals on all of you. That's Belland's doing. By the way, the admiral has given Mrs. Garcia a job in his department, his polite way of keeping her under surveillance. But it works out for the best of all concerned.”
“In this best of all possible worlds,” said Ramsey. He sensed hesitancy in Dr. Oberhausen's manner. “But when
do
I get out of the service?”
do
I get out of the service?”
Dr. Oberhausen lifted his chin. “I may not be able to get you out immediately, Johnny.”
Ramsey felt pressure building up inside him. “Why?”
“Well, you're a hero. They'll want to exploit that.” The BuPsych chief cleared his throat. “Some things are difficult even for BuPsych. Look, I couldn't even get past BuMed and in to see you whileâ”
“You promised me aâ”
“And I'll keep my promise, Johnny. In time.” He leaned back. “Meanwhile, there's a commodore on the board of
classification and promotion. He's a presidential errand boy and he needs anâan aide-de-camp.”
classification and promotion. He's a presidential errand boy and he needs anâan aide-de-camp.”
“Oh no!” Ramsey stared at Dr. Oberhausen.
The little doctor shrugged. “Well, Johnny, he found out that you're the clever Long John Ramsey who improvised a vampire gauge from a hypodermic and two glass tubes and saved the
Dolphin
during that training-mission breakdown. He wantsâ”
Dolphin
during that training-mission breakdown. He wantsâ”
Ramsey groaned.
“You'll be jumped to lieutenant,” said Dr. Oberhausen.
“Thanks,” said Ramsey bitterly. He curled his lips, copied Dr. Oberhausen's voice: “Sure, Johnny. You'll have your own department.”
“You're young,” said Dr. Oberhausen. “There's time.”
“He'll have me polishing his shoes.”
“Oh no. He's quite impressed by your talents. Says you're too good for BuPsych. Bringing home that oil has done nothing to reduce his admiration.” Again the BuPsych chief cleared his throat. “And while you're with the commodore, there are some things about this department that I'd like you toâ”
“So that's it!” barked Ramsey. “Another of your damned spy jobs! You want me to ferret out the dope on the commodore so you can move in on him. I'll bet you set this job up yourself.”
“I'm sure you see the necessity,” said Dr. Oberhausen. “That way lies sanity.”
“I'm not so sure,” said Ramsey.
“I like your Captain Sparrow's analogy about sanity and swimming,” said Dr. Oberhausen. “But I would add to it, the swimmer must be prepared at all times to grasp a paddle.”
Ramsey smiled even as he realized that Dr. Oberhausen
was amusing him to ease the tension between them. “Okay, Obe. One more. But I'm telling you now: that's all.”
was amusing him to ease the tension between them. “Okay, Obe. One more. But I'm telling you now: that's all.”
“Fair enough, Johnny. Now, if you'll justâ”
A door slammed in the outer hall behind Ramsey. He heard a flurry of sounds. A woman's voice shouted: “You can't stop me from going in there!”
Janet!
His pulse quickened.
The woman's voice mounted almost to a scream: “I know he's in there with that damned Dr. Oberhausen! And by Heaven I'm going in!”
The office door behind Ramsey burst open. He turned. It was a secretary. “Please excuse me,” she said. “There'sâ”
“Let her come in,” said Dr. Oberhausen.
Ramsey stood up, feeling suddenly giddy. Janet came rushing through the door and into his arms. A familiar perfume. The contours of a familiar face pressing against his cheek, a familiar body against his own.
“Johnny! Oh, Johnny!”
He heard Dr. Oberhausen get up, saw him walk past him toward the office door, fastening the bat-eye box to his shoulder as he went.
“Johnny, I missed you so.”
“I missed you, too,” he said.
“I never knew it would be so dangerous. Why, they told meâ”
“It wasn't bad, Janet. Really.”
“But you were so long in the hospital!”
Dr. Oberhausen paused at the door, a figure in new perspective, grown suddenly smaller, giving off a sense of loneliness. Ramsey wanted to call out something but didn't know what. He said, “Obe.”
The BuPsych chief turned.
“We'll see you soon,” said Ramsey.
The doctor smiled, nodded, went out, closing the door behind him.
And then Ramsey had to explain to Janet why he wanted to include “that awful old Obe” in their reunion plans.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE DRAGON IN THE SEA
Copyright © 1956 by Herbert Properties, LLC
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eISBN 9781429984980
First eBook Edition : January 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Herbert, Frank.
The dragon in the sea / Frank Herbert.â1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates Book.”
ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1774-2
ISBN-10: 0-7653-1774-5
ISBN-10: 0-7653-1774-5
1. Submarines (Ships)âFiction. 2. Oil industriesâFiction. I. Title.
PS3558.E63D7 2008
813' .54âdc22
813' .54âdc22
2007038328
First Edition: April 2008
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