[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

physically speaking, she was not a woman; she had no sex organs as such, no breasts; her hips were as
narrow as a man s, and her face was fathomless and cruel.
 Just think, Barnes said to her as they walked down the corridor past the double rows of
weapons-police guards and came to Willis Gram s massive, ornate oak door,  how good you d feel
if you had after all managed to get something on Irma Gram. Too bad. He nudged her as the door
opened and they entered Gram s bedroom office. In his huge bed, Gram lay, buried in piles of sections
of the Times, an expression of cunning on his face.
 Council Chairman, Barnes said,  this is Alice Noyes, the special occifer who has been in
charge of obtaining material relating to the moral habits of your wife.
 I ve met you before, Gram said to her.
 Correct, Council Chairman, Alice Noyes said, nodding.
Gram said calmly,  I want my wife murdered, by Eric Cordon, on live world-wide TV.
Barnes stared at him. Peacefully, Gram stared back, the look of animal cunning still on his face.
After a pause Alice Noyes said,  It would, of course, be easy to snuff her. A fatal squib accident
during a shopping tour to Europe or Asia, she makes them all the time. But by Eric Cordon 
 That s the inventive part, Gram said.
After a pause, Alice Noyes said,  Respectfully, Council Chairman, are we supposed to work out
the project or do you have ideas as to how we should or could proceed? The more you tell us, the
better our position, operationally, would be, all the way down to the working level.
Gram eyed her.  By all that, do you mean do I know how to do it?
 I m puzzled, too, Director Barnes said, at this point.  I am trying, first of all, to imagine the
effect this would have on the average citizen, if Cordon did a thing of this sort.
 They d know that all the love and gift-giving and mutual help and empathy and cooperation
among Old Men, New Men and Unusuals they d know it was so much bombastic bilge. And I d be
rid of Irma. Don t forget that part, Director; don t forget that part.
 I m not forgetting that part, Barnes said,  but I still don t see how it can be done.
 At Cordon s execution, Gram said,  all top officials of the government will be present,
including wives my wife. Cordon will be brought out by a dozen or so armed police guards. The TV
cameras will be getting it all; don t forget that. Then all of a sudden, by just one of those flukes that
happens, Cordon grabs a hand weapon from an occifer, aims it at me, but misses me and snuffs Irma,
who will of course be sitting beside me.
 Jesus God, Director Barnes said heavily; he felt enormous weight gather over him, bowing him
down.  Are we supposed to alter Cordon s brain so he s compelled to do it? Or do we just ask him to,
if he d mind 
 Cordon will already be snuffed, Gram said.  The day before at the latest.
 Then how 
Gram said,  His brain will be replaced by a synthetic neuro-control turret which will direct him
to do what we want him or it, rather to do. That s easy enough. We ll get Amos Ild to install it.
 The New Man who s building the Great Ear? Barnes asked.  You intend to ask him to help you
do this?
 It s like this, Gram said.  If he doesn t, I ll cut off all funds for the development of the Great
Ear. And we ll get some other New Man capable of scooping out Cordon s brain  He halted Alice
Noyes had shuddered.  Sorry. Remove his brain, then, if you prefer it put that way. In any case, it s
the same thing. What do you say, Barnes? Isn t this brilliant? He paused. There was silence.  Answer
me.
 It would help, Barnes said carefully,  to discredit the Under Man movement. But the risk is too
great. The risk outweighs the possible gain; you have to look at it that way . . . with all due respects.
 What risk?
 First of all, you ll have to bring a top-level New Man into this, which makes you dependent on
them, which you absolutely don t want to be. And those laboratory synthetic brains they re making in
their research centers they re not dependable. It might go berk and shoot everyone, including you. I
wouldn t want to be out there when that thing emerges with a gun and starts through its programming;
I want to be a million miles away, for the sake of my own hide.
 You don t like the idea, then, Gram said.
 My statement could be so construed, Barnes said, pulsing inside with indignation. Which
Gram, of course, picked up.
 What do you think, Noyes? Gram asked the police-woman.
 I think, Noyes said,  that it s the most fantastically brilliant plan I ve ever encountered.
 See? Gram said to Barnes.
Curious, Barnes said to her,  When did you arrive at that conclusion? A moment ago when the
Council Chairman talked about 
 It was merely his choice of words, that to-do with scooping, Noyes said.  But now I see it in
perspective.
 It s the finest idea that has ever come to me in all the years I ve spent in the Civil Service and
this top office, Gram said proudly.
 Maybe so, Barnes said wearily.  Maybe it is. Which, he thought, is a commentary on you.
Picking up Barnes thoughts, Gram scowled.
 Just a fleeting, dubious thought, Barnes said.  A doubt which I m sure will presently be gone.
He had momentarily forgotten about Gram s telepathic ability. But even if he had remembered, he
nonetheless would have thought the thought.
 True, Gram said, nodding as he picked up this, too.  Do you want to resign, Barnes? he asked.
 And disassociate yourself from this?
 No sir, Barnes said respectfully.
 All right. Gram nodded.  Get hold of Amos Ild as soon as possible, make sure he understands
that it s a state secret, and ask him to get started on an artificial analogue to Cordon s brain. Get the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]