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lab。 The keys were in the ignition lock。 Walking to the rear of the vehicle； he stared for a moment at the red and white license plate to convince himself he was where he was supposed to be： Illinois 1980。 Two other automobiles parked beyond the first one appeared to be newer； but the only visible change in their design appeared to be fancy grills and wheel caps。 So much for nubile taste and Detroit pandering。
Chaney didn't enter the car immediately。
Moving warily； half fearful of an unexpected meeting； he circled the laboratory building to reconnoiter。 Nothing seemed changed。 The installation was just as he remembered it： the streets and sidewalks well repaired and clean…policed daily by the troops on station…the lawns carefully tended and prepared for the approach of winter； the trees now bare of foliage。 The heavy front door was closed and the familiar black and yellow fallout shelter sign still hung above it。 There was no guard on duty。 On an impulse； Chaney tried the front door but found it locked…and that was a mentary of some kind on the usefulness of the fallout shelter below。 He continued his inspection tour all the way around again to the parking lot。
Something was changed behind the lot。
Chaney eyed the space for a moment and then recognized the difference。 What had been nothing more than a wide expanse of lawn two years ago was now a flower garden； the flowers were wilted with the nearness of winter and many of the dead blossoms and vines had been cleared away； but in the intervening two years someone…Katrina？…had caused a garden to be planted in an otherwise empty plot of grass。
Chaney left a sign for Major Moresby。 He placed a shiny new quarter on the concrete sill of the locked door。 A moment later he turned the key in the ignition and drove off toward the main gate。
The gatehouse was lighted on the inside and occupied by an officer and two enlisted men in the usual MP uniforms。 The gate itself was shut but not locked。 Beyond it； the black…topped road stretched away into the distance； aiming for the highway and the distant city。 A white line had been newly painted…or repainted…down the center of the road。
〃Are you going off station； sir？〃
Chaney turned； startled by the sudden question。 The officer had emerged from the gatehouse。
He said： 〃I'm going into town。〃
〃Yes； sir。 May I see your pass and identification？〃
Chaney passed over his papers。 The officer read them twice and studied the photograph affixed to the ID。
〃Are you carrying weapons； sir？ Are there any weapons in the car？〃
〃No； to both。〃
〃Very good； sir。 Remember that Joliet has a six o'clock curfew； you must be free of the city limits before that hour or make arrangements to stay overnight。〃
〃Six o'clock；〃 Chaney repeated。 〃I'll remember。 Is it the same in Chicago？〃
〃Yes； sir。〃 The officer stared at him。 〃But you can't enter Chicago from the south since the wall went up。 Sir； are you going to Chicago？ I will have to arrange for an armed guard。〃
〃No…no； I'm not going there。 I was curious。〃
〃Very well； sir。〃 He waved to a guard and the gate was opened。 〃Six o'clock； sir。〃
Chaney drove away。 His mind was not on the road。
The warning indicated that a part of the Indic report had correctly called the turn： the larger cities had taken harsh steps to control the growing lawlessness； and it was likely that many of them had imposed strict dusk…to…dawn curfews。 A traveler not out of town before dusk would need hotel acmodations to keep him off the streets。 But the reference to the Chicago wall puzzled him。 That wasn't foreseen； nor remended。 A wall to separate what from what？ Chicago had been a problem since the migrations from the south in the 1950s…but a wall？
The winding private road led him to the highway。 He pulled up to a stop sign and waited for a break in traffic on route 66。 Across the highway； an officer in a parked state patrol car eyed his license plate and then glanced up to inspect his face。 Chaney waved； and pulled into traffic。 The state car did not leave its position to follow him。
A second patrol car was parked at the outskirts of town； and Chaney noted with surprise that two men in the back seat appeared to be uniformed national guardsmen。 The bayonet…tipped rifles were visible。 His face and his license were given the same scrutiny and their attention moved on to the car behind him。
He said aloud （but to himself）： 〃Honest； fellas； I'm not going to start a revolution。〃
The city seemed almost normal。
Chaney found a municipal parking lot near the middle of town and had to search for the rare empty space。 He was outraged to learn it cost twenty…five cents an hour to park； and grudgingly put two of Seabrookc's quarters into the meter。 A clerk sweeping the sidewalk before a shuttered store front directed him to the public library。
He stood on the steps and waited until nine o'clock for the doors to open。 Two city squad cars passed him while he waited and each of them carried a guardsman riding shotgun beside the。； driver。 They stared at him and the clerk with the broom and every other pedestrian。
An attendant in the reading room said： 〃Good morning。 The newspapers aren't ready。〃
She hadn't finished the chore of rubber…stamping the library name on each of the front pages； or of placing the steel rods through the newspaper centerfolds。 A hanging rack stood empty； awaiting the dailies。 An upside…down headline read： JCS DENIED BAIL。
Chaney said： 〃No hurry。 I would like the merce and Agriculture yearbooks for the past two years； and the Congressional Record for six or eight weeks。〃 He knew that Saltus and the Major would buy newspapers as soon as they reached town。
〃All the governmental publications are in aisle two； on your left。 Will you need assistance？〃
〃No； thanks。 I know my way through them。〃
He found what he wanted and settled down to read。
The lower house of Congress was debating a tax reform bill。 Chaney laughed to himself and noted the date of the Record was just three weeks before election。 In some few respects the debate seemed a filibuster； with a handful of representatives from the oil and mineral states engaging in a running argument against certain of the proposals on the pious grounds that the socalled reforms would only penalize those pioneers who risk capital in the search for new resources。 The gentleman from Texas reminded his colleagues that many of the southwestern fields had run dry…the oil reserves exhausted…and the Alaskan fields were yet ten years from anticipated capacity。 He said the American consumer was facing a serious oil and gasoline shortage in the near future； and he got in a blow at the utility people by reminding that the hoped…for cheap power from nuclear reactors was never delivered。
The gentleman from Oregon once injected a plea to repeal the prohibition on cutting timber； claiming that not only were outlaw lumberjacks doing it； but that foreign opportunists were flooding the market with cheap wood。 The presiding officer ruled that the gentleman's remarks were not germane to the discussion at hand。
The Senate appeared to be operating at the customa