[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
As the shot's effects spread like a deep massage throughout his body Ranji lost
control of his lower limbs. Two Massood caught him under the arms and at the
an-kles. He felt himself being carried from the room. Fight-ing to shout, to
call for help, he discovered that his larynx had been rendered as dysfunctional
as his legs.
A face appeared before his eyes, its outlines swimming. Weenn gazed down at
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Ranji as he was carried past. The fluid expression on his friend's face was
unreadable.
When he awoke he sat up in the bed so sharply that the O'o'yan attendant who
happened to be checking his waste-recovery system fainted, with the result that
instead of shouting imprecations and demands, Ranji found himself bending over
the unconscious creature trying to stop the slight bleeding at the back of its
head.
His return to consciousness, not to mention his abrupt physical reaction, had
alerted monitoring hospital instru-mentation. Hivistahm and other O'o'yan came
running. Those first on the scene were greeted by the disconcerting sight of the
Human warrior bending over the bleeding at-tendant. The tension level rose
quickly until Ranji was able to explain. Thus reassured, they hurried to assist
both O'o'yan and patient.
Ranji apologized, and the attendant absolved him of any blame. It was his fault,
the O'o'yan explained. Though an experienced rneditech, he'd never worked with
Humans before. It was his responsibility to be appropriately pre-pared, and he
ought to have anticipated potential shocks.
"Your concern is appreciated," the attendant con-cluded.
"Never mind that." An impatient Ranji evaluated shoulder insignia until he
located the highest-ranking Hivistahm present. "How is my brother? Where is he?"
"He's fine." A young man stood grinning in the door-way. "Resting comfortably."
As he entered Ranji saw above his heart the symbol of the Human combat meditech
corps ... the traditional caduceus with its entwined snakes spitting caustic
venom. "Matter of fact, he's in the next room."
Ranji started forward, stumbled, and allowed the tech to steady him. Though
concerned, none of the Hivistahm or O'o'yan stepped forward to offer physical
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
assistance. They were still subject to certain inherent antipathies only a few
of their kind had been able to overcome. They ex-amined the nude primate with
professional detachment.
"Take deep breaths," the tech advised Ranji. "Your clothes are in the side
closet."
Ranji nodded and did as he was instructed. When he felt halfway steady on his
feet he dressed. Still fumbling with the seals on his undersuit he hurried to
the next room down the hall. Two Massood were posted there, two Hu-mans within.
At a nod from the tech they let him pass.
Saguio was sitting up in bed, an entertainment projec-tion dancing in the air
before him. As his brother entered he waved and touched an unseen button. The
projection vanished.
"Hi, Ranj." He smiled easily, looking relaxed and comfortable. "You look worse
than I do."
Ranji put out a hand to steady himself against the wall. "I suppose I must. How
are you feeling?"
"Well. I heard what happened to you. That was a nice gesture, but apparently
unnecessary. I've been up all morning. You haven't." He looked past his brother
to the tech and the guards. "Could we have some privacy, please?"
The tech hesitated, then nodded. Turning, he spoke to the guards, smiled briefly
back into the room before fol-lowing them out into the corridor.
Ranji scanned the room. "Probably isn't any privacy. I'm sure they've had
sensors on both of us ever since we got here."
"I'd be surprised if it was any other way. If the situation were reversed, we'd
be doing the same. The rest of the squad was in earlier. They watched the
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
operation. It must've been pretty convincing because they all believe you now.
So do I, even though I didn't get to see anything. Tourmast said that organ
showed up on the visual probe exactly as you described it. The meditechs even
let them manipulate the visuals themselves." He ran a hand through his hair. "I
don't feel any different."
"No," Ranji told him slowly, "you won't."
"They ran some tests on me right afterward. Stuck me in a machine they said came
as close to duplicating a Teacher ... an Amplitur mind-touch as could be done
with circuits and programming. This time I was conscious of what was happening
inside my head. I could feel the pushing. Never felt that before." He shifted in
the bed, gazed earnestly at his brother. "Is that really what it's like? The
Teachers really have been making us do what they want without us even realizing
it?"
Ranji nodded slowly, luxuriating in the increasingly fa-miliar Human gesture.
"They've always referred to their pushes as 'suggestions.' I suppose that's all
they are, ex-cept that nobody has the ability to turn one down. Except Humans.
The operation doesn't give us back the Human neurodefense mechanism, but it does
make us immune to Amplitur suggestion. Those of us who have the surgery will
never have to suffer that again."
"And the rest of it, about us being abducted Human children and all, that's true
then, too?" Ranji nodded sol-emnly.
Saguio looked pensive for a while. "It's a lot to handle all at once, Ranj. A
lot."
"Sorry. It's not the kind of thing that can be ladled out in small doses."
' 'How long have you known? Since your disappearance on Eirrosad, right?"
Without waiting for his brother to reply he leaned back against the curving
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
mattress. "I've been Ashregan all my life, and now a few scalpel passes later
I'm Human. I wish I did feel differently. It might make it easier to accept." He [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
As the shot's effects spread like a deep massage throughout his body Ranji lost
control of his lower limbs. Two Massood caught him under the arms and at the
an-kles. He felt himself being carried from the room. Fight-ing to shout, to
call for help, he discovered that his larynx had been rendered as dysfunctional
as his legs.
A face appeared before his eyes, its outlines swimming. Weenn gazed down at
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Ranji as he was carried past. The fluid expression on his friend's face was
unreadable.
When he awoke he sat up in the bed so sharply that the O'o'yan attendant who
happened to be checking his waste-recovery system fainted, with the result that
instead of shouting imprecations and demands, Ranji found himself bending over
the unconscious creature trying to stop the slight bleeding at the back of its
head.
His return to consciousness, not to mention his abrupt physical reaction, had
alerted monitoring hospital instru-mentation. Hivistahm and other O'o'yan came
running. Those first on the scene were greeted by the disconcerting sight of the
Human warrior bending over the bleeding at-tendant. The tension level rose
quickly until Ranji was able to explain. Thus reassured, they hurried to assist
both O'o'yan and patient.
Ranji apologized, and the attendant absolved him of any blame. It was his fault,
the O'o'yan explained. Though an experienced rneditech, he'd never worked with
Humans before. It was his responsibility to be appropriately pre-pared, and he
ought to have anticipated potential shocks.
"Your concern is appreciated," the attendant con-cluded.
"Never mind that." An impatient Ranji evaluated shoulder insignia until he
located the highest-ranking Hivistahm present. "How is my brother? Where is he?"
"He's fine." A young man stood grinning in the door-way. "Resting comfortably."
As he entered Ranji saw above his heart the symbol of the Human combat meditech
corps ... the traditional caduceus with its entwined snakes spitting caustic
venom. "Matter of fact, he's in the next room."
Ranji started forward, stumbled, and allowed the tech to steady him. Though
concerned, none of the Hivistahm or O'o'yan stepped forward to offer physical
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
assistance. They were still subject to certain inherent antipathies only a few
of their kind had been able to overcome. They ex-amined the nude primate with
professional detachment.
"Take deep breaths," the tech advised Ranji. "Your clothes are in the side
closet."
Ranji nodded and did as he was instructed. When he felt halfway steady on his
feet he dressed. Still fumbling with the seals on his undersuit he hurried to
the next room down the hall. Two Massood were posted there, two Hu-mans within.
At a nod from the tech they let him pass.
Saguio was sitting up in bed, an entertainment projec-tion dancing in the air
before him. As his brother entered he waved and touched an unseen button. The
projection vanished.
"Hi, Ranj." He smiled easily, looking relaxed and comfortable. "You look worse
than I do."
Ranji put out a hand to steady himself against the wall. "I suppose I must. How
are you feeling?"
"Well. I heard what happened to you. That was a nice gesture, but apparently
unnecessary. I've been up all morning. You haven't." He looked past his brother
to the tech and the guards. "Could we have some privacy, please?"
The tech hesitated, then nodded. Turning, he spoke to the guards, smiled briefly
back into the room before fol-lowing them out into the corridor.
Ranji scanned the room. "Probably isn't any privacy. I'm sure they've had
sensors on both of us ever since we got here."
"I'd be surprised if it was any other way. If the situation were reversed, we'd
be doing the same. The rest of the squad was in earlier. They watched the
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
operation. It must've been pretty convincing because they all believe you now.
So do I, even though I didn't get to see anything. Tourmast said that organ
showed up on the visual probe exactly as you described it. The meditechs even
let them manipulate the visuals themselves." He ran a hand through his hair. "I
don't feel any different."
"No," Ranji told him slowly, "you won't."
"They ran some tests on me right afterward. Stuck me in a machine they said came
as close to duplicating a Teacher ... an Amplitur mind-touch as could be done
with circuits and programming. This time I was conscious of what was happening
inside my head. I could feel the pushing. Never felt that before." He shifted in
the bed, gazed earnestly at his brother. "Is that really what it's like? The
Teachers really have been making us do what they want without us even realizing
it?"
Ranji nodded slowly, luxuriating in the increasingly fa-miliar Human gesture.
"They've always referred to their pushes as 'suggestions.' I suppose that's all
they are, ex-cept that nobody has the ability to turn one down. Except Humans.
The operation doesn't give us back the Human neurodefense mechanism, but it does
make us immune to Amplitur suggestion. Those of us who have the surgery will
never have to suffer that again."
"And the rest of it, about us being abducted Human children and all, that's true
then, too?" Ranji nodded sol-emnly.
Saguio looked pensive for a while. "It's a lot to handle all at once, Ranj. A
lot."
"Sorry. It's not the kind of thing that can be ladled out in small doses."
' 'How long have you known? Since your disappearance on Eirrosad, right?"
Without waiting for his brother to reply he leaned back against the curving
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
mattress. "I've been Ashregan all my life, and now a few scalpel passes later
I'm Human. I wish I did feel differently. It might make it easier to accept." He [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]