Archiwum
- Index
- James P. Hogan Giants 3 Giant's Star
- Janny Wurts The Cycle of Fire 3 Shadowfane
- Roberts Nora śÂšwić™te grzechy 2 Bezwstydna cnota
- Giovanni Boccaccio Il Corbaccio
- Vladimir Belayev The Old Fortress 3 The Town By The Sea
- 161. Harlequin Temptation Ross JoAnn Ten trzeci
- Drobiazgi zycia Czechow A.
- Aleksander Dumas D Artagnan
- Jack L. Chalker Three Kings 3 Kaspars Box
- Diana Palmer Panna z Charlestonu
- zanotowane.pl
- doc.pisz.pl
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- stemplofil.keep.pl
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codes. But since security codes are, changed periodically, perhaps daily in
some cases, to prevent just such penetration . . . well, it has to be
something else.'
'But, ah, psychic,' Mead said, mouthing the word with distaste. 'Well, I just
don't think such a thing is possible.'
'Quite right, Mr. Secretary,' Coogan said. 'On the available evidence, it's
hard to accept this explanation. Some psychics have demonstrated remarkable
abilities at times, ,but no one has ever demonstrated a. consistent, reliable
parasensory talent of any kind. So, if we are to consider psychic
intervention, we can't possibly use ,our general concept of psychic abilities
as a basis. ,We have to face it that we're confronted with something new. I
can only hypothesise either that someone, somewhere, found out some
significant key to the development of psychic abilities, or that some gigantic
step in evolution has taken place in someone.'
'Which idea do you favour?' asked the President.
'Either one is worthy of consideration,' stated Coogan. 'But what we are
involved with, essentially, is the advent of some unknown entity, an entity
that man cannot control. Whether this is a matter of someone making a radical
discovery or an evolutionary jump is beside the point. Whatever the entity is,
it is manipulating us, and that is what we have to deal with.'
Silence engulfed the presidential office, broken only by the thunder outside
and rain beating against the windows.
'Of course,' began the President, 'I cannot accept at face value the actuality
of this, umm, entity. But if one did exist, could you speculate on the motives
for his, or its, recent actions?'
'I've thought about that, of course,' Coogan said. 'We can consider the
possibility of a psychotic with megalomaniacal
fantasies, or a person possessed of deluded concepts of humanitarianism.
The Tonopah and Tolkien
206.
devices are, well, inhuman enough to occasion that sort of response.'
'You know,' Judd said, somewhat defensively, 'whoever it is is only asking for
a peculiar form of disarmament, which is something a lot of people are for.'
'You can't disarm when the enemy is armed!' Walters said in a near shout.
'Well . . . he's been fair in a way in demanding that both the Russians and us
began Judd, but stopped as he heard his own words.
For the second time, an ominous silence gripped the room, broken finally by
the President:
'I can't say that I buy your entire package, General Judd, hut at least for
the first time I can grasp the security fundamentals involved, which seem to
have been compromised. I'd like both of you, General Judd and Dr Coogan, to
really go to work on this possibility. I am sure, Chester, that your
department will give them whatever they need.'
'As you wish, Mr. President,' acceded Walters, thinly.
'Mr. Provost, if it were necessary, what would the optimum procedures be for
periodically altering national security codings?' Heathstone asked.
'Without causing confusion, every six hours, Mr. President. But you would have
to give an executive order for that. Normally, this would only be done in case
of war, on our own continent, to thwart the enemy should codes fall into their
hands.'
'O.K., Allan, when you leave here, please do that. If there is easy, but
unauthorised, access to these security codes, at least this might hamper
whoever is doing it.'
'Yes, Mr. President,' agreed Provost, shaking his head in disbelief.
The President, who was about to say something, was interrupted by Hedy
Allison's unannounced entrance.
'Sorry to disturb you, Mr. President, but I thought you would like to know.'
'Yes, Hedy, what is it?'
'Well, the telephones are starting to ring, the press, you
207
know, asking about this new telex that seems to be coming out.'
All eyes turned to her.
'Yes, Hedy, what do you mean?' Heathstone asked~
'Well, something - I don't understand it - about taking down the Tonopah and
Tolkien satellites or they and their development centres will be destroyed at
midnight tomorrow. Hector Allymany is waiting to see you immediately. He seems
very disturbed.'
Yet another silence possessed the presidential office.
Walters rose from his chair, disbelief etched on his face. 'But I can't
believe. . . 'he began.
The President, breaking through his own astonishment, turned to Judd.
'To destroy the satellites, General, is that possible?' he asked.
Judd drew his shoulders up, pursing his lips. 'I don't
know, Mr. President. He would have to interfere with and~ alter the orbiting
sequences of the satellites. Possibly.'~
'Mr. President,' gasped Walters, 'the ground base for Tonopah is at Omaha, at
SAC!'
'That's true, Mr. President,' confirmed Judd. 'Tonopah was moved to Air Force
Research there. That location was selected because of its impregnable
security, top of the priority movement plans for Tonopah, should it become
necessary.'
Thomas Cordero Heathstone closed his', eyes momentarily, his hand fluttering
to his forehead, his lips pulled back from his teeth.
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