The Stone That Never Came Down by John Brunner

Author:John Brunner
Language: pt
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science fiction, Fiction
ISBN: 9780450032943
Publisher: Nel
Published: 1973-12-14T19:30:00+00:00

BOOK THREE

Dissent

“An atheist could not be as great a military leader as one who is not an atheist . . . I don’t think you will find an atheist who has reached the peak in the Armed Forces.”

— Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, when chairman-designate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, quoted in the Milwaukee Journal. XVII

There was silence. Malcolm made it more complete by switching off the TV.

“Ruth,” he said in a tone suddenly full of tenderness, “it would clear all our consciences, not just yours, if we could persuade Hector what we plan to do is right. That’s what I had in mind when I appealed to him just now. I submit to you that one could not at random pick a more ideal judge. He is not affected by VC, but he knows about it, and he knows people who have it, and he has examined one of them — me — using tests of his own choice and all available medical facilities. Furthermore, he is a doctor in general practice at a large clinic. Not only is he acquainted with the use of virtually every drug in the pharmacopoeia; he is also acquainted with the social conditions that obtain in London today, because he sees patients from every class every day. It’s a dreadful burden to place on any man. But if he is willing to undertake the task; will you abide by what be says?”

Stiff-featured and pale, Ruth countered, “Will the rest of you? Or will you simply go ahead anyway?”

“If we can’t prove to you and Hector that it’s right, it won’t be worth doing. Particularly to you.”

“What? Why?” She stared at him.

“Because you were deprived of your own life, and that hasn’t made you hate the world. You care about it, and the people in it. It would be pointless reasoning with somebody like Charkall-Phelps, who doesn’t give a damn for mankind, only for himself.”

“And if we can’t persuade you,” Kneller said, I’ll personally destroy this.”

He held up the test-tube.

“Good. Hector?”

“You want me to — to sort of interrogate you about your motives, is that it? I’ll do my best, although . . .” Hector gathered himself. “Very well! To begin with, all my instincts as a doctor cry out against turning loose VC, a substance that once at large can never be eradicated short of killing everybody who carries it. Maurice asked me whether someone who had it in his power to alter human nature should do so. I couldn’t answer. I still can’t. Such a thing is unprecedented.”

“Not at all,” Malcolm said. “Its directly owing to just such a chemical alteration in a large terrestrial population that we can sit here and reason with one another.” He glanced at Kneller. “Wilfred, you must know what I’m talking about.”

“I believe I do. The loss of the enzyme which converts urea to allantoin.”

“I don’t know about that,” Ruth said stubbornly. “Or” — seemingly suddenly giddy, she put her hands to her temples — “Or

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