James P. Hogan Giants 1 Inherit The Stars

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Page 91
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
ice. Charlie too had stood upon the surface of a barren waste and gazed up at
a world wreathed in light and color -- but the colors had been those of death.
At that moment, the scenes that Charlie had seen came to Hunt more vividly
than at any time before. He saw cities consumed by fireballs ten miles high;
he saw gaping chasms, seared and blackened ash that had once held
oceans, and lakes of fire where mountains had stood. He saw continents buckle
and break asunder, and drown beneath a fury of white heat that came exploding
outward from below. As clearly as if it were really happening, he saw the huge
globe above him swelling and bursting, grotesque with the deceptive slowness
of mighty events seen from great distances. Day by day it would rush outward
into space, consuming its moons one after the other in an insatiable orgy of
gluttony until its force was spent. And then.
Hunt snapped back to reality with a jolt.
Suddenly the answer he had been seeking was there. It had come out of nowhere.
He tried to trace its root by backtracking through his thoughts --
but there was nothing. The pathways up from the deeper levels of his mind had
opened for a second, but now were closed. The illusion was exposed. The
paradox had gone. Of course nobody had seen it before. Who would think to
question a truth that was self-evident, and older than the human race itself?
"Pithead Control calling Dr. V. Hunt. Dr. Hunt, come in, please." The sudden
voice in his helmet startled him. He pressed a button in the control panel on
his chest.
"Hunt answering," he acknowledged. "I hear you."
"Routine check. You're five minutes overdue to report. Is everything okay?"
"Sorry, didn't notice the time. Yes, everything's okay...very okay. I'm coming
back now."
"Thank you." The voice cut off with a click.
Had he been gone that long? He realized that he was cold. The icy fingers of
the Ganymedean night were beginning to feel their way inside his suit. He
wound his heating control up a turn and flexed his arms. Before he turned, he
looked up once more for a final glimpse of the giant planet. For some strange
reason it seemed to be smiling.
"Thanks, pal," he murmured with a wink. "Maybe I'll be able to do something
for you someday."
With that he began moving down from the ridge, and rapidly faded into the sea
of cloud.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A group of about thirty people, mainly scientists, engineers, and UNSA
executives, filed into the conference theater in the Navcomms Headquarters
building. The room was arranged in ascending tiers of seats that faced a large
blank screen at the far end from the double doors. Caldwell was standing on a
raised platform in front of the screen, watching as the various groups and
individuals found seats. Soon everybody was settled and an usher at the rear
signaled that the corridor outside was empty. Caldwell nodded in
acknowledgment, raised his hand for silence, and stepped a pace forward to the
microphone in front of him.
"Your attention, please, ladies and gentlemen...Could we have quiet,
please..." The baritone voice boomed out of the loudspeakers around the walls.
The murmurs subsided.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he resumed. "All of you have
been engaged for some time now in some aspect or other of the Lunarian
problem. Ever since this thing first started, there have been more than a few
arguments and differences of opinion, as you all know. Taking all things into
consideration, however, we haven't done too badly. We started out with a body
and a few scraps of paper, and from them we reconstructed a whole world. But
there are still some fundamental questions that have remained unanswered right
up to this day. I'm sure there's no need for me to recap them for the benefit
of anyone here." He paused. "At last, it appears, we may have answers to those
Page 92
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
questions. The new developments that cause me to say this are so unexpected
that I feel it appropriate to call you all together to let you see for
yourselves what I saw for the first time only a few hours ago." He waited
again and allowed the mood of the gathering to move from one suited to
preliminary remarks to something more in tune with the serious business about
to begin.
"As you all know, a group of scientists left us many months ago with the
Jupiter Five Mission to investigate the discoveries on Ganymede. Among that
group was Vic Hunt. This morning we received his latest report on what's going
on. We are about to replay the recording for you now. I think you will find it
interesting."
Caldwell glanced toward the projection window at the back of the room and
raised his hand. The lights began to fade. He stepped down from the platform
and took his seat in the front row. Darkness reigned briefly. Then the screen
illuminated to show a file header and reference frame in standard
UNSA format. The header persisted for a few seconds, then disappeared to be
replaced by the image of Hunt, facing the camera across a desktop.
"Navcomms Special Investigation to Ganymede, V. Hunt reporting, 20
November 2029, Earth Standard Time," he announced. "Subject of transmission: A
Hypothesis Concerning Lunarian Origins. What follows is not claimed to be [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Archiwum