by LEMPEREUR
The little group stopped in front of the first gangway. It seemed to lead to the bridge.
“Go on up. You’re expected by the Council. We’ll wait here. Anyway, there’s no other way out and armed guards are waiting at the top. There’s no point in trying anything. If you cooperate, everything will be just fine.”
“Don’t worry. Where would I go, anyway? This vessel is probably the safest place on the whole planet these days. Oh, yes – speaking of that – I’m sure you’ve received your embarkation forms, haven’t you?”
Surprise and concern showed clearly on their faces. They obviously had no idea what Senec was talking about.
Senec smiled and saluted them respectfully before going up the gangway stairs which would lead him to the Council.
Charlie wanted to follow him, but the two guards were standing in front of the entrance, completely blocking his way. They were standing side by side, shoulders back, looking into the distance as they talked.
“Have you received anything?”
“No. And you?”
“Me neither.”
“You think he’s telling the truth?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I’d better!”
“You think so? Our places are booked anyway, aren’t they? Everyone will have a place. Isn’t that what they said?”
But his companion did not answer.
Charlie made up his mind and headed determinedly toward the two mammoths. Without even noticing, he went through their enormous bodies and continued on up the stairway. Worrying that he had hesitated too long and would find the door shut, he tripped on the first step in his haste and went flat on his face on the metal stairs of the gangway. The noise made by his heavy fall was practically inexistent. However, a vibration ran along the gangway until it reached Senec, who felt it and turned around, puzzled. He looked downstairs, but seeing nothing went on his way, as Charlie got painfully to his feet, feeling embarrassed at this new blunder. He who had felt so exhilarated a few moments earlier had just come crashing back down to Earth. It must be said that Charlie had never done anything in life but split hairs and make fine speeches, straight-jacketed as he was, in a deformed and clumsy body. It would obviously take him some time to fully benefit from the new freedom of movement now available to him.
21 THE COUNCIL
Five members of the Council were sitting in a semi-circle in a large oval room next to the bridge. Senec came and stood before them, without even bothering to look for somewhere to sit. He remained standing, waiting for the questions. He seemed used to the protocol and knew full well what was coming. Charlie hung back, slightly behind him.
“I suppose you know why you have been brought here?”
Senec did not answer.
“You are accused of seeking to divulge information that the Council wished to remain confidential as long as we did not have sufficient guarantees. You must be aware that such behavior could compromise the whole rescue program that we have been working toward for over thirty years. Your last-minute schemes could call everything into question if ever a fringe group decided to rebel which, given the situation, is quite likely.”
“What proof do you have of these allegations? All I did was share a secret with my brother that was too heavy for me to bear – a person I know perfectly well and whom I trust entirely. I absolutely recognize that I should not have done that, but I needed to confide in someone I could trust.”
“You did not merely talk to him. You left in his possession a report which should never have left these premises. Why would you leave him that document unless it was so he could spread the information?”
“I admit that I didn’t understand the full impact of my action at the time. When I did realize, I tried to get the file back, but it was already too late. The Council already knew about the missing file.”
Another councilor, who had remained in the background until then, now leaned forward slightly and fixed his eyes on Senec. He was a lot younger than the others and his face, and posture showed a level of self-importance which Senec did not appreciate.
“What do you know about Project XK207, Senec? I am told that the number of its partisans is on the increase. What link do you have with this little group of extremists?”
Senec looked at him in disdain before replying curtly, “Councilor, I find your manner of referring to people who – like you and I – are merely seeking to save their lives, very disrespectful and quite inappropriate. I consider that in the current situation, it is unfitting for a representative of the people to be overzealous to the point of forgetting the right to fundamental freedoms. Everyone deserves respect and is free to choose, as long as his choice does not in any way compromise our system’s political and economical equilibrium. If such a case should arise, time must first be taken to seriously consider the proposition before taking any action. History has shown us repeatedly that radical and beneficial changes to our society were first initiated by minorities who were able to innovate and stand up for their beliefs in the face of a government in paralysis.”
“You sure have a nerve, Senec! Perhaps you imagine that the Council can take no action against a renowned scientist like you. Whatever you say or do, you tell yourself that we won’t manage to see through the Exodus project without your active involvement. Isn’t that it, Senec? That’s what lies behind your arrogance, isn’t it?”
“Call it what you will! As far as I’m concerned, it’s a question of personal conviction and respecting individual freedom. Apart from that, you can say what you like. The Council must have an opinion on the issue.”
The rising sound of murmuring was heard in the gathering. There was no representative of supreme authority in the Council. Each person would express his opinion and important decisions were made unanimously. However, as was the case elsewhere in civilian society, there was an unwritten code of respect for the elders. When the councilors could not reach an agreement, it was often the eldest among them who would use his influence to encourage everyone to make a compromise. In the current situation, that is exactly what happened.
“Well, it seems to me that we have already lost far too much time on irrelevant matters. All of us present here know, and Senec knows too, that the Exodus program cannot do without a scientist of his standing. I propose therefore that we get straight to the point. If you will allow me, Gentlemen, I propose we cut short this discussion and tell Senec about the decisions we have made according to the incriminating evidence at our disposal. Senec, I would ask that you be reasonable and listen carefully to what we have to say, after which time we will give you the opportunity to respond. I am counting on you, however, to keep to the point and avoid personal disagreements as much as possible.”
He looked around at the other councilors, who nodded in consent. The young councilor, although a little piqued, also agreed to the proposition, while continuing to stare fiercely at Senec.
“As you are no doubt aware, the Council has sufficient proof to establish with certainty your involvement in Project XK207. Is it now evident that you have been actively involved in the initiation and development of this alternate project. In light of this, although we are quite capable of understanding your position concerning the respect of individual freedom, we would remind you that the chances of such a project’s success are very slim. The Exodus program, on the other hand, has the unanimous approval of the scientific community. Consequently, Senec, you must realize that in encouraging this project, you are causing a whole section of the population to take an uncalculated risk.”
Senec would have replied, but the councilor motioned to him to wait until he had finished what he had to say.
“The Council has therefore decided to prohibit you from any outside contact until the situation can be resolved. It is not a disciplinary action or a suspension, but simply a precautionary measure. We hope, however, that you will continue to work with the Exodus program teams. We need you and your skills to complete the only project that is curre
ntly truly viable. I hope to be able to count on your sense of duty, and your respect for the lives of millions of individuals who put their trust in us. If you cooperate, we will agree not to take legal action against the founders of Project XK207. We will, however, make sure its expansion is limited, as we do not believe in its chance of success. Do you have anything to add, Senec?”
“Well, I’m sorry it’s come to this, as both projects could quite well have co-existed officially. I do recognize that you are acting out of a measure of wisdom and a sense of duty, to your credit. I also know, along with my colleagues, that the Exodus program definitely affords the best chance of survival for a large portion of the population in the long term, but at what cost? Many of us are not prepared to leave the planet which has been our birthplace and home to thousands of generations before us. Some have even already decided they would rather die here, at home, surrounded by their loved ones, than agree to be put to sleep with no guarantee of waking up again one day. Where will they wake up, anyway? For the luckier ones, it will be on a new planet, probably situated in the farthest reaches of space. It will be a world where absolutely everything will have to be built from scratch; a world where they will be utterly rootless, with nostalgia and the guilt of totally abandoning the world of their birth forever, as their only companions. As for the others, it’s endless hibernation that awaits them. Nothing can guarantee that we will be able to rescue them one day. It is not definite either that the sub-marine caves will afford sufficient protection from effects of the impact. I you want my opinion; it’s a huge debacle in the making. It would not have come to this if consecutive councils had not insisted on prioritizing political and economic emergencies over the financing of research into methods of preparing for this type of event – catastrophes that are very rare, certainly, but not unknown to scientists. Several times during our evolution, life has faced phases of widespread extinction. The probability of such a phenomenon happening on a timescale of several hundreds of millions of years is one hundred percent but of course, viewed over the course of a lifespan, there are much more urgent problems to be resolved.”
“Unfortunately, it is too late to change our strategy. You know that only too well. In less than three years an asteroid shower will rain down on the Earth and there is nothing we can now do about it now.”
“I know! But let’s at least leave each person the possibility of choosing the path he wishes to take when the time comes. After all, the chance of some of them managing to survive is not zero. No cataclysm has ever completely destroyed the Earth and it will probably not be the case this time either. The chance of survival is minimal but I am persuaded that it does exist.”
The youngest councilor began to speak, ignoring the accepted protocol.
“As has just been explained to you, that is exactly what we plan to do, but we do not want innocent people to pay the price for the unrealistic vision of a handful of fanatics. Are you willing to fully participate in the Exodus program and will you renounce all involvement, direct or indirect, in any other project?”
The whole Council fell completely silent, nervously awaiting Senec’s reply. They knew very well that a true commitment from Senec to the Exodus project was crucial. There were not only others’ lives at risk, but their own, too. In that regard, the young councilor’s last speech was not at all appreciated by the others.
“Yes,” replied Senec, willfully ignoring the one who had asked the question.
A deep sense of relief swept through the room, but the councilors took care not to let their satisfaction show too clearly. The eldest among them politely asked Senec to leave and go back to his work without delay. He specified however that he would be placed in isolation until the Council could make sure he was not receiving help from accomplices inside the space complex. Following that, he could return to his previous post.
22 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
The heavy metal door had just closed on the little cramped room. Charlie was sitting in the corner of the cell again, but this time he was not alone. Opposite him, Senec was sitting at a small, legless table. There seemed to be a magnetic field that kept the object hovering above the ground. It was made up of a seat and a desk, both without legs. He could therefore move them around as he pleased, without the slightest effort. The artifice did not seem particularly useful but did give the prisoner an impression of ease and freedom of movement, which helped him to put up with his detention. It also meant that Charlie had to be constantly on his guard, moving out of the way each time his room-mate felt like a change of scene. Very soon the situation became nerve-wracking for him, already edgy as he was about being in a confined space.
He had to stay, however, if he was to learn more about Senec. Anyway, he did not really know how to leave this memory. He had to wait until something happened to show him the way out. For now, it was dead calm. Senec was reading and writing texts on a glass, graphic tablet like the one Jiec had used in the vehicle. Charlie could not understand them at all, but he kept glancing at them from time to time in case something suddenly became clear to him.
He had been constantly moving out of the way to avoid physical contact with Senec, but it had to happen sooner or later. In a burst of anger, he thrust the table violently toward Charlie, hitting him full in the belly. The pain was so intense that Charlie could not hold back a sharp cry before collapsing on the floor. This is impossible! he thought. I haven’t felt physical contact with objects so acutely before. My fall on the stairs was puzzling, but this is different. Something’s wrong!
Forgetting his pain, he looked up. Senec was right there in front of him, looking at him intently.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “Can’t you see that you’ve nothing more to do here?”
Paralyzed by fear, Charlie remained mute.
“Don’t you understand? It’s me – Victor!”
“How is that possible?” stammered Charlie, still in shock. “You were Senec from the start?”
“No, not exactly. This memory is not technically a memory. Didn’t you notice?”
“Well, actually, some things did bother me: How could I have been alone in your memory? Logically, you would have had to be present or else you wouldn’t have any trace of what happened in your memory. I must admit that I still don’t understand how such a paradox can occur.”
“Some of our memories are not necessarily linked to experiences we have been through. They are merely the reconstitution of events which have been told to us. Our brain then builds mental constructs which it plays out according to what it knows. That’s why I am not physically present in this memory. According to my observation, your brain has the same faculty. Sometimes that similarity makes me wonder if our two species are perhaps not so different, despite the millions of years that separate us. It’s almost as if evolution had gone backwards.”
Charlie did not understand the significance of what Victor had just disclosed. His attention was focused solely on finding a logical explanation for what had happened.
“And yet, you’re here now. How is that possible?”
“Even if I did not experience these events, don’t forget that you are in my space here; in my mind, just as I am in yours. We are thinking together, Charlie, and in a way, sometimes we dream together.”
“In the first memory, Vikern could sense my presence at times. That’s something I can comprehend, in that you and Vikern are one and the same person. Senec, however, is only your brother. He does not exist independently in this memory. He is merely a mental construct that serves your memory. How did he notice signs of my presence, too?”
“You are right, Charlie. That is the reason why I intervened. We were getting dangerously close to the point of mental convergence. I hadn’t foreseen that such a phenomenon could occur, but now I understand. The longer we are connected, the more our brains learn to function in symbiosis. It’s obviously a side-effect of the connection. You and I must learn to recognize these areas of convergence and be wary of them. I d
on’t know exactly what the consequences would be, but I don’t want to take this experience beyond a certain limit.”
Now Charlie understood that he controlled very little. Without the help of Victor, whose intelligence was obviously far superior to his own, he had no chance of pulling through. He was aware that this world he found himself in, in spite of appearances, was not a film or a virtual universe that could be visited without ramifications. This virtual existence was causing constant modifications to his mental and physiological state that were as imperceptible as they were inevitable. However things turned out, he would not come out of this experience unscathed. Convergence was already taking place; a slow but relentless progression which was going to profoundly change his whole being.
“Isn’t it too late, Victor?” he asked.
“As long as we manage to counter the effects of convergence we will not completely lose our identities.”
“So all I was told about the previous candidates was not true? They all suffered the consequences of this convergence!”
“No, Charlie. As I told you, they never really penetrated my mind. I made sure they remained trapped in their own thoughts. With you, it’s different. In agreeing to open the door of my mind to you, I knew that there was a risk, but one I had to take. Now it’s time for you to go further in this memory. There are still things I would like to share with you. Observe everything you see carefully and be especially attentive to signs of convergence.”