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attack the generals were not the only ones with their fingers on the buttons.
The people near the various command centers, fearful though they might be, did
not want to fight back that way.
So the bacteria multiplied and the telepathic unity grew, uniting families and
cities as the physical boundaries of mountains, rivers, and borders ceased to
exist. Like a tapestry woven in fast motion the web of awareness and
communication spread. The handful of spaceships still in orbit were ordered
down to join in the change, before their unaffected crews could misinterpret
what was happening and use their
weapons rashly.
Within hours the Susa-mind's mission was accomplished. War on Kohinoor was
forever ended.
It came to Shapur Nain as a curious feeling of lightness and almost-forgotten
youth, and he nearly lost his balance as the word senility flashed through his
mind. A few dozen meters to his right a group of children had been playing
steal-ball, but even as he turned to face them the game ground to a halt, the
players looking at each other with wide eyes. One of them glanced at Shapur,
and he caught an incredibly sharp sense of wonder and fear. He thought to tell
the boy it was all right, but before he even opened his mouth he felt a ripple
of reassurance from the group. His own surprise and confusion at this
premature result somehow struck them as funny, and as their laughter echoed
through his mind he felt their fear evaporate completely. Recovering from his
surprise, Shapur joined in the hilarity. Anything one can laugh at can't be
all evil, he thought, and the children accepted the nugget of wisdom readily
and without question. It had been a long time since anyone had listened to
anything Shapur had to say, and it felt good.
New tendrils of awareness were beginning to creep into his mind, both from the
buildings surrounding the park and the cars on the streets bordering it. He
could hear the screech of brakes as startled drivers slammed to a halt,
snarling traffic and adding to the confusion and growing panic. Instinctively,
Shapur threw himself against the fear, even as he'd done with the children.
Don't panic! It's all right, we'll be all right. Together we can handle
whatever is happening. Fear and panic will gain you nothing. The children
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joined with him, adding their strength to his assault. The wave of fear poised
for a moment against their island of reason... and then, slowly, the wave's
strength began to decay. True, there was nothing like tranquility or joy yet
in the growing web, but the cautious wait-and-see attitude that was rapidly
smothering the panic was a big improvement.
So engrossed had Shapur become in the happenings around him that someone else
first noticed that his left leg was hurting. Getting a new grip on his cane,
the old man began to move again toward the bench he'd originally been aiming
for. He sensed and then saw two of the children detach themselves from their
group and move alongside him. With their added support he reached the bench
in-for him-record time.
He thanked them mentally as he sat down, and was pleased to find that happy
smiles had their mental equivalent. The two ran back to their friends, and
after a brief mental conference got back to their game.
Though the rules were clearly different now.
Resting back against his bench, with one part of his mind enjoying the
children's game, Shapur reached out to the growing consciousness around him.
Whatever was happening, he knew he'd want to stay alert and be an active part
of it.
It was nighttime in eastern Lorikhan, and Ruhl Tras was fast asleep when it
happened there. For him it began as a dream which, though strange, was not as
nightmarish as some he'd had. Once, in the middle of the night, he woke up
with his heart pounding and the taste of fear in his mouth, and he almost
cried out. But, somehow, he could feel that his parents were with him, and
with that strange but warm presence to calm him he rolled over and went
contentedly back to sleep.
By morning he had grown reasonably accustomed to the whole thing. What all the
panic was about he couldn't really understand.
Narda Jalal thought she was going insane.
"Oh, no," she gasped, clutching her head with both hands as the whispers
of-what?-grew stronger. "No!
I can't-I mustn't!" She began to talk to herself, louder and louder, trying to
drown out the voices invading her head. But it was no use. Louder and clearer
they became, voices of fear and confusion that mirrored
her own feelings. "Pahli!" she gasped in hopeless anguish. But he was lost
somewhere in deep space....
Narda? Narda, can you hear me? Relax, darling, it's all right.
Pahli? No, that was impossible. A cruel trick of her dementia-
No, it's not, the voice in her head assured her. It really is happening. We're
making Kohinoor over, making it so there will never again be war on our world.
For a moment she forgot the other voices. How can that be possible?
You're feeling it already. All our people are being melded into a single vast
consciousness that'll span the planet. Never mind how for the moment-you'll
learn soon enough. I'll be home soon, but until then we can talk
telepathically as much as you like.
The voices-minds-around her had listened to the entire exchange, Narda
realized, and it seemed to have relieved some of their own fears. That it was
a true conversation and not something self-generated she no longer doubted,
somehow. All right. But please hurry. I don't like being away from you.
His chuckle echoed through her mind. We'll never be apart again, darling. I
promise.
They talked only sporadically after that. Narda had always preferred
face-to-face communication over the long-distance variety, and she still
couldn't see this telepathy as anything more than an elaborate wireless phone
network. Still, now that she could watch what was happening without fear for
her sanity, she began to get a glimmer of what Pahli had been talking about.
Already she could see that this wasn't going to be just a new sort of town
meeting. The more distant thoughts came, like Pahli's, as a normal spoken
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conversation would, but she could feel a deeper melding taking place with
those people nearby.
As if she could see through their eyes or feel what they were feeling-
She jerked, physically, as if she'd grabbed a live wire. For a second she'd
touched Mehlid-had seen his current painting, his palette and brushes-had been
as close to him as she ever was with her husband. And had enjoyed it....
Had anyone noticed? She hoped not, but knew down deep that even if she'd
escaped this time it was only a temporary reprieve. All the contacts were
growing stronger, and soon she wouldn't be able to avoid Mehlid's mind no
matter how she tried. And then he'd learn about her silly thoughts, as would
all the neighbors... and Pahli. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]