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I am here.
Once again he was struck by the essential hollowness of
Outsider's voice--an empty, echoing resonance that hinted. passion
beyond human knowledge or understandtng.
Outsider was, it didn't sound human.
"Yes," dim said. "So am I."
Did you carry my demand to the leaders?
"Yes."
What is their reply?
Jim studied the diaphanous apparition as it before him. The nearly
globular shape was actually ovoid tapered at one end. Now he
recognized it for what it ghostly tracings of a human brain imprinted
on the endless of space-time.
"Before I give you an answer, I have questions." Are you the
negotiator or the message bearer'?. Jim took an immaterial breath. He
comforted illusion of his own body. "Neither." :. What are you then?
. "Call me Questioner," Jim said formally. Very well. Ask your
questions.
Jim felt the sensual power rising in him again, as he had it on his
previous translation here, a liquid darkness that in his invisible body
and burned in his imagined skull. A wind began to blow; he felt it
ruffle and riffle past and carrying strange scents. He hadn't known
what it was he did. The question was, did Outsider know it, too?
It was his mother's ultimate gift and burden.. Did you
Mom? Did you? He gathered himself. "Are you Delta?" No. Delta is
dead.
"Were you Delta, before Delta died?"
Yes.
"What are you now?" Jim asked.
You know the answer.
"Yes. You are Delta's mind free of his body and his Separate from the
hormones and proteins that the you no longer have emotions. You are
pure intelligence, and as pitiless as entropy. I once knew you,
didn't
I?"
The reply was curiously soft: Yes you did. But I am not was then, and
you don't know me now. No body and no knows me but myself. I think,
therefore I am Outsider.
"Yes. How did you maintain yourself?"
I translated myself into what remained of array data space after my
satellite was destroyed. I had prepared for such an eventuality long
before. I was able to tap the Plebs for just enough power. I was very
weak. Now I am very strong. I control your new mind arrays, Jim
Endicott, more strongly than I did the old ones. Without me you have
no arrays. What reply did your leaders send me? "No more questions?"
What is their reply?
Jim imagined himself taking a deep breath. He wondered if Outsider
could see him. Probably so. He would have liked to see himself
through Outsider's eyes. Through whatever bizarre consensual
hallucination they had both agreed to share.
"I'm the reply," Jim said.
The force that was growing inside him whined into a nerve jarring
crescendo as the final codes his mother had hidden inside his genome
now took effect, triggered by his entry into the new data space her own
designs had built. He had been created for this, and now he reached
far past Outsider for the billion different patterns... Outsider's
image vanished behind a tide of blinding light. With no warning at all
Jim fell out of data space into rolling silent darkness. Instinctively
he reached for the invisible doorway, but it was gone.
Then nothing.
ABOARD ALB AGENS PRIDF EN ROUTE TO
COMETARY ORBIT SOL SYSTEM:
ETA HUNZZAN FLEETS: 09:3D:00 AND COUNTING
Jim? Are you awake? Come on, snap out of it." "VChuu o "
Korkal was shaking him, hard. He opened his eyes. "What pened?"
"We pulled the plug. The pack lord needs you right have a huge
problem."
Groggily, Jim allowed Korkal to tug him along. His were a complete
muddle. So many probabilities to juggle. pulling him out of the
arrays had been a grievous mistake. been just a hair away from seizing
control. Outsider had!i expected or been prepared for what Kate had
hidden genome. But they'd pulled him out before he could finish, i!
now Outsider was warned. He wouldn't be taken by next time. If there
was a next time.
Hith, Serena, and Tick were waiting for him. Korkal door and motioned
Jim toward a chair. Jim felt the his knees and sank gratefully into
the cushions.
"Packlord, it was a mistake to pull me out of the arrays. know if I
can--"
Hith waved one hand in dismissal. "No time, Jim. Watch The holoscreen
popped up, Idled with a broad saurian split by a toothy white grin. Jim
felt a sharp sense of wash over him, and then memory clicked: "Hey.
That's who tried to kidnap me..."
"Thargos the Hunter," Korkal said. "Watch."
The voice was deep and humming. Jim realized translated. Thargos was
speaking Terrie.
"Greetings, Packlord. I have taken command of the Relay Satellite
Number Two. I have mined it with a Terrie device my techs assure me is
capable of destroying it
We have analyzed the data flows in your mind arrays. The individual [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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I am here.
Once again he was struck by the essential hollowness of
Outsider's voice--an empty, echoing resonance that hinted. passion
beyond human knowledge or understandtng.
Outsider was, it didn't sound human.
"Yes," dim said. "So am I."
Did you carry my demand to the leaders?
"Yes."
What is their reply?
Jim studied the diaphanous apparition as it before him. The nearly
globular shape was actually ovoid tapered at one end. Now he
recognized it for what it ghostly tracings of a human brain imprinted
on the endless of space-time.
"Before I give you an answer, I have questions." Are you the
negotiator or the message bearer'?. Jim took an immaterial breath. He
comforted illusion of his own body. "Neither." :. What are you then?
. "Call me Questioner," Jim said formally. Very well. Ask your
questions.
Jim felt the sensual power rising in him again, as he had it on his
previous translation here, a liquid darkness that in his invisible body
and burned in his imagined skull. A wind began to blow; he felt it
ruffle and riffle past and carrying strange scents. He hadn't known
what it was he did. The question was, did Outsider know it, too?
It was his mother's ultimate gift and burden.. Did you
Mom? Did you? He gathered himself. "Are you Delta?" No. Delta is
dead.
"Were you Delta, before Delta died?"
Yes.
"What are you now?" Jim asked.
You know the answer.
"Yes. You are Delta's mind free of his body and his Separate from the
hormones and proteins that the you no longer have emotions. You are
pure intelligence, and as pitiless as entropy. I once knew you,
didn't
I?"
The reply was curiously soft: Yes you did. But I am not was then, and
you don't know me now. No body and no knows me but myself. I think,
therefore I am Outsider.
"Yes. How did you maintain yourself?"
I translated myself into what remained of array data space after my
satellite was destroyed. I had prepared for such an eventuality long
before. I was able to tap the Plebs for just enough power. I was very
weak. Now I am very strong. I control your new mind arrays, Jim
Endicott, more strongly than I did the old ones. Without me you have
no arrays. What reply did your leaders send me? "No more questions?"
What is their reply?
Jim imagined himself taking a deep breath. He wondered if Outsider
could see him. Probably so. He would have liked to see himself
through Outsider's eyes. Through whatever bizarre consensual
hallucination they had both agreed to share.
"I'm the reply," Jim said.
The force that was growing inside him whined into a nerve jarring
crescendo as the final codes his mother had hidden inside his genome
now took effect, triggered by his entry into the new data space her own
designs had built. He had been created for this, and now he reached
far past Outsider for the billion different patterns... Outsider's
image vanished behind a tide of blinding light. With no warning at all
Jim fell out of data space into rolling silent darkness. Instinctively
he reached for the invisible doorway, but it was gone.
Then nothing.
ABOARD ALB AGENS PRIDF EN ROUTE TO
COMETARY ORBIT SOL SYSTEM:
ETA HUNZZAN FLEETS: 09:3D:00 AND COUNTING
Jim? Are you awake? Come on, snap out of it." "VChuu o "
Korkal was shaking him, hard. He opened his eyes. "What pened?"
"We pulled the plug. The pack lord needs you right have a huge
problem."
Groggily, Jim allowed Korkal to tug him along. His were a complete
muddle. So many probabilities to juggle. pulling him out of the
arrays had been a grievous mistake. been just a hair away from seizing
control. Outsider had!i expected or been prepared for what Kate had
hidden genome. But they'd pulled him out before he could finish, i!
now Outsider was warned. He wouldn't be taken by next time. If there
was a next time.
Hith, Serena, and Tick were waiting for him. Korkal door and motioned
Jim toward a chair. Jim felt the his knees and sank gratefully into
the cushions.
"Packlord, it was a mistake to pull me out of the arrays. know if I
can--"
Hith waved one hand in dismissal. "No time, Jim. Watch The holoscreen
popped up, Idled with a broad saurian split by a toothy white grin. Jim
felt a sharp sense of wash over him, and then memory clicked: "Hey.
That's who tried to kidnap me..."
"Thargos the Hunter," Korkal said. "Watch."
The voice was deep and humming. Jim realized translated. Thargos was
speaking Terrie.
"Greetings, Packlord. I have taken command of the Relay Satellite
Number Two. I have mined it with a Terrie device my techs assure me is
capable of destroying it
We have analyzed the data flows in your mind arrays. The individual [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]