whole universe. Let me please you."
Pike eyed her speculatively. "You can," he said abruptly. "Tell me about them. Is there some way I can keep them from using my own thoughts against me?,Ah, you're frightened. Does that mean there is a way?"
"You're being a fool."
He nodded. "You're right. Since you insist you're an illusion, there's not much point in this conversation."
He went over to the bed and lay down, ignoring her. It was not hard to sense her anxiety, however. Whatever her task was, she did not want to fail it.
After a while she said, "Perhaps—if you asked me something I could answer . . ."
He sat up. "How far can they control my mind?"
"That's not a—that is—" she paused. "If I tell you—will you pick some dream you've had, let me live it with you?"
Pike considered this. The information seemed worth the risk. He nodded.
"They—they can't actually make you do anything you don't want to."
"They have to try to trick me with their illusions?"
"Yes. And they can punish when you're not cooperative. You'll find out about that."
"They must have lived on the planet's surface once . . ."
"Please," she interrupted. "If I say too much . . ."
"Why did they move underground?" he pressed insistently.
"War, thousands of centuries ago," she said hurriedly. "The ones left on the surface destroyed themselves and almost their whole world too. It's taken that long for the planet to heal itself."
"And I suppose the ones who came underground found life too limited—so they concentrated on developing their mental power."
She nodded. "But they've found it's a trap. Like a narcotic. When dreams become more important than reality, you give up travel, building, creating, you even forget how to repair the machines left behind by your ancestors. You just sit living and reliving other lives in the thought records. Or probe the minds of zoo specimens, descendants of life they brought back long ago from all over this part of the galaxy."
Pike suddenly understood. "Which means they had to have more than one of each animal."
"Yes," Vina said, clearly frightened now. "Please, you said if I answered your questions . . ."
"But that was a bargain with something that didn't exist. You said you were an illusion, remember."
"I'm a woman," she said, angry now. "As real and human as you are. We're—like Adam and Eve. If they can . . ."
She broke off with a scream and dropped to the floor, writhing.
"Please!" she wailed. "Don't punish me—I'm trying my best with him—no, please . . ."
In the midst of her agony, she vanished. Pike looked up to see the creature called the Magistrate watching through the panel. Furiously, he turned his back—and noticed for the first time an almost invisible circular seam, about man-high, in the wall beside his bed. Was there a hidden panel there?
A small clink of sound behind him made him turn again. A vial of blue liquid was sitting on the floor, just inside the transparency. The Magistrate continued to watch; his mental speech said, "The vial contains a nourishing protein complex."
"Is the keeper actually communicating with one of his animals?"
"If the form and color are not appealing, it can appear as any food you wish to visualize."
"And if I prefer—" Pike began.
"To starve? You overlook the unpleasant alternative of punishment."
With the usual suddenness, Pike found himself writhing in bubbling, sulphurous brimstone in a dark place obscured by smoke. Flame licked at him from all sides. The instant agony was as real as the surprise, and a scream was wrenched from him.
It lasted only a few seconds and then he was back in the cage, staggering.
"From a fable you once heard in childhood," the Magistrate said. "You will now consume the nourishment."
"Why not just put irresistable—hunger in my mind?" Pike said, still gasping with remembered pain. "You can't—do that. You do have limitations, don't you?"
"If you continue to disobey, deeper in your mind there are things even more
Pike eyed her speculatively. "You can," he said abruptly. "Tell me about them. Is there some way I can keep them from using my own thoughts against me?,Ah, you're frightened. Does that mean there is a way?"
"You're being a fool."
He nodded. "You're right. Since you insist you're an illusion, there's not much point in this conversation."
He went over to the bed and lay down, ignoring her. It was not hard to sense her anxiety, however. Whatever her task was, she did not want to fail it.
After a while she said, "Perhaps—if you asked me something I could answer . . ."
He sat up. "How far can they control my mind?"
"That's not a—that is—" she paused. "If I tell you—will you pick some dream you've had, let me live it with you?"
Pike considered this. The information seemed worth the risk. He nodded.
"They—they can't actually make you do anything you don't want to."
"They have to try to trick me with their illusions?"
"Yes. And they can punish when you're not cooperative. You'll find out about that."
"They must have lived on the planet's surface once . . ."
"Please," she interrupted. "If I say too much . . ."
"Why did they move underground?" he pressed insistently.
"War, thousands of centuries ago," she said hurriedly. "The ones left on the surface destroyed themselves and almost their whole world too. It's taken that long for the planet to heal itself."
"And I suppose the ones who came underground found life too limited—so they concentrated on developing their mental power."
She nodded. "But they've found it's a trap. Like a narcotic. When dreams become more important than reality, you give up travel, building, creating, you even forget how to repair the machines left behind by your ancestors. You just sit living and reliving other lives in the thought records. Or probe the minds of zoo specimens, descendants of life they brought back long ago from all over this part of the galaxy."
Pike suddenly understood. "Which means they had to have more than one of each animal."
"Yes," Vina said, clearly frightened now. "Please, you said if I answered your questions . . ."
"But that was a bargain with something that didn't exist. You said you were an illusion, remember."
"I'm a woman," she said, angry now. "As real and human as you are. We're—like Adam and Eve. If they can . . ."
She broke off with a scream and dropped to the floor, writhing.
"Please!" she wailed. "Don't punish me—I'm trying my best with him—no, please . . ."
In the midst of her agony, she vanished. Pike looked up to see the creature called the Magistrate watching through the panel. Furiously, he turned his back—and noticed for the first time an almost invisible circular seam, about man-high, in the wall beside his bed. Was there a hidden panel there?
A small clink of sound behind him made him turn again. A vial of blue liquid was sitting on the floor, just inside the transparency. The Magistrate continued to watch; his mental speech said, "The vial contains a nourishing protein complex."
"Is the keeper actually communicating with one of his animals?"
"If the form and color are not appealing, it can appear as any food you wish to visualize."
"And if I prefer—" Pike began.
"To starve? You overlook the unpleasant alternative of punishment."
With the usual suddenness, Pike found himself writhing in bubbling, sulphurous brimstone in a dark place obscured by smoke. Flame licked at him from all sides. The instant agony was as real as the surprise, and a scream was wrenched from him.
It lasted only a few seconds and then he was back in the cage, staggering.
"From a fable you once heard in childhood," the Magistrate said. "You will now consume the nourishment."
"Why not just put irresistable—hunger in my mind?" Pike said, still gasping with remembered pain. "You can't—do that. You do have limitations, don't you?"
"If you continue to disobey, deeper in your mind there are things even more
Similar Books
