IV. “I KNOW WHERE MY DUTY LIES”

Harper marches a column of prisoners from White City to New York.  Two weeks into the journey, John is introduced to a man who describes the underground distribution of a Martian publication.

On the orders of the Peaceguard, John teaches reading skills to the illiterate inmates.  He asks one, Stennis, to read and explain a passage in praise of Russia from a government-issued handbook.  

A well-dressed man interrupts the lesson, prompting John to dismiss his makeshift class.  John speculates that the visitor is a local bureaucrat but is refused identification.  The caller confides in John the crisis precipitated by the Martian transmissions and publications and describes the raising of an army by the Pro Tem Government.

Arriving at the purpose of his visit, the man identifies John as an agent of ARES and offers his services to the revolutionary group.  John laughs off the suggestion, explaining that he holds no authority to accept the enlistment.  Dismayed, the man departs.

John shares a drink with Harper, who asks after the provenance of a machine gun carried by his men.  Harper describes the abbreviated training afforded the militia and its officers.

The rare sight of a circling aircraft causes a commotion among the inmates as they break camp.  Harper attempts to calm the group by explaining the vehicle as a plane gifted to the United States by the Soviet Union.

John notices that the aircraft lacks wings or any visible means of propulsion.  The vehicle strafes the line of prisoners before coming to land behind a stand of trees.  The inmates scatter, John among them.

Approaching the craft, John greets its Martian pilot.  The Martian urges the prisoners to overtake their guards and break free.  Several, including Stennis, manage to rendezvous with John.