little enough of her will left, she knew, and now she tried to steel herself to take back her words. “I
am
Sarah!” she cried, her lips moving but making no sound.
Again the sharp stab of pain struck her so that she gasped and could not catch her breath.
Just relax, 6r9g. You are part of the One. There are no others. There is only the One, and you are part of the One
.
How long this went on, Sarah never knew. At times she would struggle and cry out her name, but the pain would always come. She cried out for pity. But always the voice would come, that soft hypnotic voice that sprang up deep inside of her from somewhere.
You have been ill, but now you are part of the One. There will be no more pain and no more doubts. Everything will be peace. I am the Peacemaker
.
Time ceased to exist for Sarah. There were no clocks, there were no calendars, there were no glorious sunrises or beautiful sunsets.
At times she was dimly aware of others moving about her. They had numbers such as she herself had, but she was not interested in them. They seemed to be faceless and voiceless, and she paid them no heed whatsoever.
At some point, the Peacemaker’s voice came like soothing oil, saying,
It is good to work. Insane people do not work, but you are part of the One, and you will work
.
The voice gently repeated over and over again anyaction she must take. In obedience to that voice, she walked down the street and turned into a building. As she stepped inside, the voice said,
You will work in this place
.
Sarah found herself standing at a long table. A moving belt was carrying long green beans past her, and the voice said,
6r9g, you will break the beans into small pieces and put them into the sacks
.
How long she stood there, Sarah did not know. She watched her fingers breaking the beans into small pieces over and over and over again. There was no sense of time passing, but finally the voice said,
You must eat now
.
She ate at the direction of the Peacemaker, and then the inner voice said,
You must rest now. You will go to Station 26r. That will be your place
.
As in a dream, Sarah made her way to the building that the voice indicated. Stepping inside, she was directed to one of the pads on the floor.
Lie down and sleep
.
Obediently she lay down and closed her eyes.
When the voice came again, she rose from the pad, she ate, she went to work. The routine seemed to be repeated many times, but she was not easily conscious of it.
Once, however, as Sarah broke the beans into small lengths, she suddenly was conscious of a memory stirring within her. It was something out of her past. It was the face of a boy. He was calling her name.
Sarah! Sarah!
She cried, “Josh!” and instantly pain drove into her temple. She bowed her head and gritted her teeth. “I am
Sarah!”
she cried out. “I am not a cyborg!”
And then the headache became unbearable. Shelost consciousness and fell in a heap on the floor. As the blackness of unconsciousness rolled over her, she knew only the pain and that Sarah was ceasing to exist. And she wept.
The room was large and airy. It had a high ceiling. The furniture was covered with something like fine silk and was of many colors—scarlets, emerald greens, dark blues. Pictures hung around the walls in gilt frames, and standing against one wall was a beautifully carved and glowing table, set with vessels of silver and crystal and gold.
The Peacemaker looked about his apartment with a sense of satisfaction. He raised his voice and said, “More of this wine.”
A female cyborg dressed in a white gown came at once, picked up a bottle, and brought it to him. She filled his glass. When he said, “Now, back,” the girl returned to her station and stood there as still as a statue.
“When are we ever in this world going to make another journey, Makor?”
The woman who spoke was much younger than the Peacemaker. She was small with large brown eyes, widely spaced. Her hair was brown with glints of red. She
am
Sarah!” she cried, her lips moving but making no sound.
Again the sharp stab of pain struck her so that she gasped and could not catch her breath.
Just relax, 6r9g. You are part of the One. There are no others. There is only the One, and you are part of the One
.
How long this went on, Sarah never knew. At times she would struggle and cry out her name, but the pain would always come. She cried out for pity. But always the voice would come, that soft hypnotic voice that sprang up deep inside of her from somewhere.
You have been ill, but now you are part of the One. There will be no more pain and no more doubts. Everything will be peace. I am the Peacemaker
.
Time ceased to exist for Sarah. There were no clocks, there were no calendars, there were no glorious sunrises or beautiful sunsets.
At times she was dimly aware of others moving about her. They had numbers such as she herself had, but she was not interested in them. They seemed to be faceless and voiceless, and she paid them no heed whatsoever.
At some point, the Peacemaker’s voice came like soothing oil, saying,
It is good to work. Insane people do not work, but you are part of the One, and you will work
.
The voice gently repeated over and over again anyaction she must take. In obedience to that voice, she walked down the street and turned into a building. As she stepped inside, the voice said,
You will work in this place
.
Sarah found herself standing at a long table. A moving belt was carrying long green beans past her, and the voice said,
6r9g, you will break the beans into small pieces and put them into the sacks
.
How long she stood there, Sarah did not know. She watched her fingers breaking the beans into small pieces over and over and over again. There was no sense of time passing, but finally the voice said,
You must eat now
.
She ate at the direction of the Peacemaker, and then the inner voice said,
You must rest now. You will go to Station 26r. That will be your place
.
As in a dream, Sarah made her way to the building that the voice indicated. Stepping inside, she was directed to one of the pads on the floor.
Lie down and sleep
.
Obediently she lay down and closed her eyes.
When the voice came again, she rose from the pad, she ate, she went to work. The routine seemed to be repeated many times, but she was not easily conscious of it.
Once, however, as Sarah broke the beans into small lengths, she suddenly was conscious of a memory stirring within her. It was something out of her past. It was the face of a boy. He was calling her name.
Sarah! Sarah!
She cried, “Josh!” and instantly pain drove into her temple. She bowed her head and gritted her teeth. “I am
Sarah!”
she cried out. “I am not a cyborg!”
And then the headache became unbearable. Shelost consciousness and fell in a heap on the floor. As the blackness of unconsciousness rolled over her, she knew only the pain and that Sarah was ceasing to exist. And she wept.
The room was large and airy. It had a high ceiling. The furniture was covered with something like fine silk and was of many colors—scarlets, emerald greens, dark blues. Pictures hung around the walls in gilt frames, and standing against one wall was a beautifully carved and glowing table, set with vessels of silver and crystal and gold.
The Peacemaker looked about his apartment with a sense of satisfaction. He raised his voice and said, “More of this wine.”
A female cyborg dressed in a white gown came at once, picked up a bottle, and brought it to him. She filled his glass. When he said, “Now, back,” the girl returned to her station and stood there as still as a statue.
“When are we ever in this world going to make another journey, Makor?”
The woman who spoke was much younger than the Peacemaker. She was small with large brown eyes, widely spaced. Her hair was brown with glints of red. She
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