CHAPTER TWELVE SCREEN LANGUAGE-1
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Tell me again," said Dr. Oliver Payne, itle laboratory overlooking the park. "Either I didnt hear you, or youre talking nonsense. A child from another world?""Thats what she said. All right, its nonsense, but listen to it, Oliver, will you?" said Dr. Mary Malone. "She knew about Shadows. She calls them—it—she calls it Dust, but its the same thing. Its
our shadow particles. And Im telling you, when she was wearing the electrodes linkio the Cave, there was the most extraordinary display on the s: pictures, symbols .... She had an instrument too, a sort of pass thing made of gold, with different symbols all around the rim.
And she said she could read that in the same way, and she knew about the state of mind, too—she k intimately."
It was midm. Lyras Scholar, Dr. Malone, was red-eyed from lack of sleep, and her colleague, whod just returned from Geneva, was impatient to hear more, and skeptical, and preoccupied.
"And the point was, Oliver, she was unig with them. They are scious. And they respond. And you remember your skulls? Well, she told me about some skulls it-Rivers Museum. Shed found out with her pass thing that they were much older than the museum said, and there were Shadows—"
"Wait a minute. Give me some sort of structure here. What are you saying? You saying shes firmed what we know already, or that shes telling us something new?"
"Both. I dont know. But suppose something happehirty, forty thousand years ago. There were shadow particles around before then, obviously—theyve been around sihe Big Bang—but there was no physical way of amplifying their effects at our level, the anthropic level. The level of human beings. And then something happened, I t imagine what, but it involved evolution.
Hence your skulls—remember? No Shadows before that time, lots afterward? And the skulls the child found in the museum, that she tested with her pass thing. She told me the same thing.
What Im saying is that around that time, the human brain became the ideal vehicle for this amplification process. Suddenly we became scious."
Dr. Payilted his plastic mug and drank the last of his coffee.
"Why should it happen particularly at that time?" he said. "Why suddenly thirty-five thousand years ago?"
"Oh, who say? Were not paleontologists. I dont know, Oliver, Im just speculating. Dont you think its at least possible?"
"And this poli. Tell me about him."
Dr. Malone rubbed her eyes. "His name is Walters," she said. "He said he was from the Special Branch. I thought that olitics or something?"
Terrorism, subversion, intelligence... all that. Go on. What did he want? Why did he e here?"
"Because of the girl. He said he was looking for a boy of about the same age—he didnt tell me why —and this boy had been seen in the pany of the girl who came here. But he had something else in mind as well, Oliver. He knew about the research. He even asked—"
The teleph. She broke off, shrugging, and Dr. Payne answered it. He spoke briefly, put it down, and said, "Weve got a visitor."
"Who?"
"Not a name I know. Sir Somebody Something. Listen, Mary, Im off, you realize that, dont you?"
"They offered you the job."
"Yes. Ive got to take it. You must see that."
"Well, thats the end of this, then."
He spread his hands helplessly, and said, To be frank... I t see any point in the sort of stuff youve just been talking about. Children from another world and fossil Shadows.... Its all too crazy. I just t get involved. Ive got a career, Mary."
"What about the skulls you tested? What about the Shadows around the ivory figurine?"
He shook his head and turned his back. Before he could ahere came a tap at the door, and he ope almost with relief.
Sir Charles said, "Good day to you. Dr. Payne? Dr. Malone? My name is Charles Latrom. Its very good of you to see me without any notice."
"e in," said Dr. Malone, weary but puzzled. "Did Ohver say Sir Charles? What we do for you?"
"It may be what I do for you," he said. "I uand youre waiting for the results of your funding application."
"How do you know that?" said Dr. Payne.
"I used to be a civil servant. As a matter of fact, I was ed with direg stific policy. I still have a number of tacts in the field, and I heard... May I sit down?"
"Oh, please," said Dr. Malone. She pulled out a chair, a down as if he were in charge of a meeting.
"Thank you. I heard through a friend—Id better not mention his he Official Secrets Act covers all sorts of silly <big>..</big>things—I heard that your application was being sidered, and what I heard about it intrigued me so much that I must fess I asked to see some of your work. I know I had no busio, except that I still act as a sort of unofficial adviser, so I used that as an excuse. And really, what I saw was quite fasating."
"Does that mean you think well be successful?" said Dr. Malone, leaning forward, eager to believe him.
"Unfortunately, no. I must be blunt. Theyre not mio renew yrant."
Dr. Malones shoulders slumped. Dr. Payne was watg the old man with cautious curiosity.
"Why have you e here now, then?" he said.
"Well, you see, they havent officially made the decisio. It doesnt look promising, and Im being frank with you; they see no prospect of funding work of this sort iure. However, it might be that if you had someoue the case for you, they would see it differently."
"An advocate? You mean yourself? I didnt think it worked like that," said Dr. Malone, sitting up. "I thought they went on peer review and so on."
"It does in principle, of course," said Sir Charles. "But it also helps to know how these ittees work in practice. And to know whos on them. Well, here I am. Im intensely ied in your work; I think it might be very valuable, and it certainly ought to tinue. Would you let me make informal representations on your behalf?"
Dr. Malo like a drowning sailor being thrown a life belt. "Why ... well, yes! Good grief, of course! And thank you.... I mean, do you really think itll make a difference? I doo suggest that... I dont know what I mean. Yes, of course!"
"What would we have to do?" said Dr. Payne.
Dr. Malone looked at him in surprise. Hadnt Oliver just said he was going to work in Geneva? But he seemed to be uanding Sir Charles better than she was, for a flicker of plicity assiween them, and Oliver came to sit down, too.
"Im glad you take my point," said the old man. "Youre quite right. There is a dire Id be especially glad to see you taking. And provided we could agree, I might even be able to find you some extra money from another source altogether."
"Wait, wait," said Dr. Malone. "Wait a mihe course of this research is a matter for us. Im perfectly willing to discuss the results, but not the dire. Surely you see—"
Sir Charles spread his hands in a gesture ret and got to his feet. Oliver Payood too, anxious.
"No, please, Sir Charles," he said. "Im sure Dr. Malone will hear you out. Mary, theres no harm in listening, foodness sake. And it might make all the difference."
"I thought you were going to Geneva?" she said.
"Geneva?" said Sir Charles. "Excellent place. Lot of scope there. Lot of mooo. Do me hold you back."
"No, no, its not settled yet," said Dr. Payne hastily. "Theres a lot to discuss—its all still very fluid.
Sir Charles, please sit down. I get you some coffee?"
"That would be very kind," said Sir Charles, and sat again, with the air of a satisfied cat.
Dr. Malone looked at him clearly for the first time. She saw a man in his late sixties, prosperous, fident, beautifully dressed, used to the very best of everything, used to moving among powerful people and whispering in important ears. Oliverbbr></abbr> was right: he did want something. And they would his support uhey satisfied him.
She folded her arms.
Dr. Payne handed him a mug, saying, "Sorry its rather primitive...."
"Not at all. Shall I go on with what I was saying?"
"Do, please," said Dr. Payne.
"Well, I uand that youve made some fasating discoveries in the field of sciousness.
Yes, I know, you havent published anythi, and its a long way—seemingly— from the apparent subject of your researevertheless, wets around. And Im especially ied in that. I would be very p<u></u>leased if, for example, you were to trate your resear the manipulation of sciousness. Sed, the many-worlds hypothesis—Everett, you remember, 1957 or thereabouts—I believe youre orack of something that could take that theory a good deal further. And that line of research might even attract defense funding, which as you may know is still plentiful, even today, aainly isnt subject to these wearisome application processes.
"Dont expect me to reveal my sources," he went on, holding up his hand as Dr. Malo forward and tried to speak. "I mentiohe Official Secrets Act; a tedious piece of legislation, but we mustnt be naughty about it. I fidently expee advances in the many-worlds area. I think you are the people to do it. And third, there is a particular matter ected with an individual. A child."
He paused there, and sipped the coffee. Dr. Malone couldnt speak. Shed gone pale, though she couldnt know that, but she did know that she felt faint.
"For various reasons," Sir Charles went on, "I am in tact with the intelligence services. They are ied in a child, a girl, who has an unusual piece of equipment—an antique stifistrument, certainly stolen, which should be in safer <var>..</var>hands than hers. There is also a boy hly the same age— twelve or so—who is wanted in e with a murder. Its a moot point whether a child of that age is capable of murder, of course, but he has certainly killed someone.
And he has been seen with the girl.
"Now, Dr. Malo may be that you have e across one or the other of these children. And it may be that you are quite properly ined to tell the police about what you know. But you would be doing a greater service if you were to let me know privately. I make sure the proper authorities deal with it effitly and quickly and with no stupid tabloid publicity. I know that Ior Walters came to see you yesterday, and I know that the girl turned up. You see, I do know what Im talking about. I would know, for instance, if you saw her again, and if you didnt tell me, I would know that too. Youd be very wise to think hard about that, and to clarify your recolles of what she said and did when she was here. This is a matter of national security.
You uand me.
"Well, there Ill stop. Heres my card so you get in touch. I shouldnt leave it too long; the funding ittee meets tomorrow, as you know. But you reach me at this any
time."
He gave a card to Oliver Payne, and seeing Dr. Maloh her arms still folded, laid one on the bench for her. Dr. Payhe door for him. Sir Charles set his Panama hat on his head, patted it gently, beamed at both of them, a.
When hed shut the dain, Dr. Payne said, "Mary, are you mad? Wheres the sense in behaving like that?"
"I beg your pardon? Youre not taken in by that old creep, are you?"
"You t turn down offers like that! Do you want this project to survive or not?"
"It wasnt an offer," she said hotly. "It was an ultimatum. Do as he says, or close down. And, Oliver, fods sake, all those not-so-subtle threats and hints about national security and so on—t you see where that would lead?"
"Well, I think I see it more clearly than you . If you said no, they wouldnt close this place down. Theyd take it over. If theyre as ied as he says, theyll want it to carry on. But only oerms."
"But their terms would be... I mean, defense, fods sake. They want to find new ways of killing people. And you heard what he said about sciousness: he wants to manipulate it. Im not going to get mixed up in that, Oliver, never."
"Theyll do it anyway, and youll be out of a job. If you stay, you might be able to influe in a better dire. And youd still have your hands on the work! Youd still be involved!"
"But what does it matter to you, anyway?" she said. "I thought Geneva was all settled?"
He ran his hands through his hair and said, "Well, not settled. Nothings signed. And it would be a different aogether, and Id be sorry to leave here now that I think were really on to something."
"What are you saying?"
"Im not saying—"
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