Slow Apocalypse by John Varley Page B

into the city. There isn’t room or time to grow anything here. Where do you go to put food on your table? The central valley? Sure, but you’ll have to walk, and it’s a long ways, and there isn’t much water along the way. And one other thing. What makes you think we’d be welcomed in the valley? I suspect they’d be inclined to save the food they’re growing for their own children.”
    They batted it around a little longer, and came to an unpleasant conclusion. The best course of action was to get out of town, right now. Head for someplace in the country where food was grown and stored. Head for a place that got most of its electricity from hydro plants.
    When they were gone Dave sat at his desk, looking out over the city, brooding. Tomorrow would be a busy day.
    “Daddy?”
    He jumped, and turned around. Addison had come into the office.
    “What is it, honey?”
    “Were you just making all that up? Is it all a joke, or is it true?”
    “How did you hear that?”
    She came down and walked over to one of his cluttered bookshelves. She moved a pencil cup to one side and revealed something that he didn’t recognize at first.
    “You rascal! How dare you! You’ve been spying on me!”
    She looked frightened for a moment, then realized he was kidding.
    “It’s that old baby monitor. We brought everything along from the old house when we moved, and me and my friends used to use it when we played. Then I used to put it in here sometimes when your writing group was here because I liked to listen to you guys when you’re making up stories.
    “When I heard you calling Mr. Winston I brought it back in here and hid it on that shelf. Because…well, Daddy, you’ve been acting kind of strange.”
    Dave got up and took her hand and led her over to the couch. They sat side by side and he put his arm over her shoulder. She snuggled up against him.
    “Addie…It’s not a joke. I don’t know how much of what you heard is true, but at least some of it is.”
    “You really saw that man get shot and fall out of that building?”
    “I really did.”
    “That sounds awful.”
    “It was. It was about the worst thing I’ve ever seen. And the fact that he was accessing classified information that it seems the government didn’t want him to see, and the fact that they
did
kill him…all that makes me think what he said was true.”
    “But what does it all mean? You were talking about getting guns and stuff.”
    “Well, some of them were. They think it might get violent.”
    “Will it?”
    “I honestly don’t know. I can see how it could. I’m just glad we’ve got a little advance warning. For most people, what’s coming is going to be a big surprise.”
    She was quiet for a while.
    “What you said…if people can’t buy food for their children…they probably won’t just sit around quietly, will they?”
    “I wouldn’t.”
    “What would you do?”
    “Addie, let’s not get into that. That’s a problem for another day.”
    She wasn’t having any of that.
    “Are you going to buy a gun?”
    “I don’t know. I might.”
    “If you do, will you teach me to shoot it?”
    Dave began to wonder if, in some ways, Addie might be well ahead of him in thinking about this. He kissed her on the top of the head, and she looked upat him with a shy smile. He knew at that moment that he’d do pretty much anything to see she was safe and fed.
    They got up and went to the window.
    “I wish you had told me when you learned about this,” she said. “I may not be an adult yet, but I’m not really a child, either.”
    “No, you’re not. I’m sorry, and I won’t do it again.”
    “So…when are you going to tell Mom?”
    “She’s due back day after tomorrow. I’ll tell her then.”
    Addison sighed deeply.
    “That’s going to be interesting.”
    The next day was a busy one.
    Addison was helping him gather information, and the more they learned, the more they were sure they were in for hard times ahead.
    The president