Odnośniki
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- Greg Bear Songs of Earth 01 The Infinity Concerto
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- Glen Chapman There Were Giants On The Earth
- 373. Philips Sabrina Wesele w Atenach
- Dragonlance Anthologies 01 The Dragons Of Krynn
- 422. Gerard Cindy Wszystko, co najwaśźniejsze
- Judith Tarr The Hounds of God
- Douglass Clifford, Social Credit
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vanced basic science are producing plenty. And suppose that what
we have seen is relatively minor compared with what we haven t
seen?
Cal leaned back heavily. I can t speak from experience yet
but I think you re on the wrong track. An enemy could hardly
operate like this under the nose of our own military.
Who said anything about enemy? said Ole. Isn t it just as
bad in the long run if our own military has corralled these brains
by this deception? In fact, that seems to be the more likely ex-
planation.
We re not arguing for any one conclusion, said Ruth abruptly.
We don t know. We re simply saying that this whole front of
Peace Engineer propaganda is false. We want to know what s
back of it. It scares us to think what might lie behind this se-
cretly controlled technology.
But we can t go to any authorities and tell them we re scared
and ask them to investigate the place. There is absolutely noth-
Forrest J Ackerman Presents: This Island Earth 57
ing we can do unless we find out who is behind the Peace Engi-
neers.
That s where we need your help, said Ole. You re going to
be in a high and responsible place around here. If anyone is in a
position to get behind this false front you ought to be able to.
Will you help us find out what is going on here?
No, said Cal. The one thing I ve looked for all my life is
here! I m willing to grant whoever originated this technology
some rights to secrecy regarding the dispersal of it. I m going to
play ball with them until I find out differently and it will take a
lot more than these suspicions of yours to change my mind!
You don t have to get sore, said Ole. Just try to find out. You ll
get curious sooner or later. Then you ll beat your head against
the stone wall just like the rest of us are beginning to do. And
then maybe you ll begin to get scared, too, when you realize that
no one here knows a thing about whose hand is behind all this.
He wasn t sore, Cal thought, as he lay in the darkness vainly
trying to sleep long after their departure. He wasn t sore, but he
was more than irritated by their jumping him with their suspi-
cions on his first night here.
Certainly, in every organization there were soreheads who
didn t like the way things went. He would never have suspected
Ole or Ruth of being such, however. But he could scarcely be
more generous after what he had heard from them.
And yet that wasn t the whole story and he knew it. The fear
he had seen in those dark eyes of Ruth was a real and tangible
thing to her. It was no mere fantasy.
But he would wait. In one respect they were right. In his posi-
tion he might have opportunity to study the organization as a
whole. When he found the answers to their questions he could
put their minds at ease. He felt certain the answers would not be
what they suspected.
58 Forrest J Ackerman Presents: This Island Earth
Forrest J Ackerman Presents: This Island Earth 59
7
For the next six months his days and nights were spent in the
most intensive study he had ever done. The engineering specifi-
cations and basic physical principles behind the interocitor were
thrown open to him. He pored over the books. He built up com-
ponents, tore them down again until he was certain he could
build an interocitor blindfolded and with one hand tied behind
his back.
In all that time he did not once meet the Engineer,
Jorgasnovara, although the man was pointed out to him. Warner
had promised that he would be introduced and Cal wondered
when the time would come.
It was a wonderful day when he at last saw the assembly lines
in full operation and tested the first completed equipment as it
came off the line. He had gained skill in executive leadership
and he had a smoothly running plant that required only top di-
rection of the most general kind.
It gave him a breathing spell, a measure of freedom to con-
template the significance of what he had accomplished, free-
dom to review his position, freedom to question During those
busy months he had found little time to talk to Ruth, At first she d
been his guide in getting him acquainted at the plant, but gradu-
ally his entire time had been taken up with other engineers. It
had been five weeks, he thought suddenly, since he had even
seen her.
He reached for the phone and called her extension.
Her voice was a pleasant sound in his ear. Ruth! I thought
you would be over for the christening. The lines are moving.
Hello, Cal. I heard about it but I was too busy to get over. Dr.
Warner is very pleased with your success, and the Engineer
thinks highly of your work. In fact, I was to call you and let you
60 Forrest J Ackerman Presents: This Island Earth
know that he s coming in and wants to talk with you, probably
tomorrow.
Well, how about a little delayed celebration?
Such as what?
Oh, nothing fancy. A dinner in town, maybe. Then just go for
a ride.
For a moment there was no sound from the receiver, then she
said hesitantly, All right, Cal. I d love to. Pick me up at my place.
I live in town, you know.
As he scribbled her address after hanging up he reflected that
he hadn t known. He hadn t learned a thing about her in all the
time he d been here. He didn t know where Ole fitted in, but that
didn t worry him much. Ole was a good guy but he wasn t for
Ruth.
And Cal found himself wondering again about those fears of
Ruth. He had found nothing to substantiate them, yet he couldn t
forget her eyes as they had looked that first day.
He picked her up at eight. She was dressed in a soft gray
evening dress and wore the tiny orchid he had sent. It was ut-
terly impossible to think of an M.D. and Ph.D. in that dress. He
didn t try.
There was no hint of distress in her. She was pleasant and gay
at dinner and not once did the talk go back to their work at the
plant or her feelings about the place.
Afterward he headed the car beyond the outskirts of town. They
stopped with the radio on to watch the moon-washed desert.
But her mood seemed to have changed once they left the lights
of the restaurant. She settled in silence in the far corner of the
seat. A panicky thought occurred to him that he might have of-
fended by stopping. He moved to start the car again.
Oh, don t, Cal let s watch it for a while.
I thought he fumbled.
I got a letter from Ole the other day, said Ruth abruptly.
Letter? Where is he? I haven t seen him for a couple of months
Forrest J Ackerman Presents: This Island Earth 61
but I thought he was still around the plant.
No, he s gone. She was looking straight ahead, her voice
ending each flat statement with finality as if not willing to vol-
unteer more.
Why? Where did he go? Was it what you tried to tell me
about that night six months ago?
She nodded slowly. Ole found out I wanted you to see him
and talk to him. Maybe you could have understood what he was
trying to say. I made an attempt to call you but you weren t there.
And then they came for Ole and took him away. They wouldn t
let me see him again until they had changed him.
Changed him? What are you talking about, Ruth? Did they do
something to Ole?
She turned slightly towards him so that he could see the moon- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]