become prime minister of Great Britain."
"What are you talking about?" said Finn, angry with her for thinking about Churchill when Lucas was dead. "To hell with Churchill. Churchill's not an issue any longer. Whatever happened to begin the chain of events which led that Ghazi tribesman to kill Winston Churchill, whichever act interfered with history to bring that about, it's been compensated for. Lucas did it. I wish it had been me, but I wasn't even there. Damn it, I wasn't even there!"
"Finn," said Andre, softly, "I didn't know him as well as you did or as long, but I didn't love him any less. He thought this was important. I didn't know Churchill would become prime minister of Great Britain because there was nothing about him in the subknowledge of my implant education. There was nothing about him in the mission programming either. But Lucas knew. Lucas remembered. He didn't know it from his subknowledge, and he didn't know it from the mission programming. He just
remembered
. Do you understand?"
Delaney simply stared at her.
"Finn, you had to have encountered Churchill before Lucas died. You must have seen him at the officer's conference at least. Think. Finn, did you know who he was? Who he would be?"
"Of course I knew," said Finn, frowning. "I even had a chance to talk with him for a while last night. Hell, I remember thinking that he was so serious for his age, that if he didn't ..."
"What?"
A blank look came over Finn's face.
"That doesn't make any sense," he said. "How could I have thought ..." His voice trailed off.
"You didn't know him either, did you?" Andre said. "His name didn't trigger any responses. It was the same with me. It was the same with Lucas, too, don't you understand? Lucas remembered who Churchill was, but not because the information was contained in his subknowledge or in the mission programming. He remembered reading it. If Churchill was important enough to have been written about in history books, how could he have been left out of the implant education programs? How could there have been nothing about him in the mission programming if it was a known historical fact that he served in this campaign?"
"You're right," said Finn. "It wasn't in my subknowledge, either. After you told me what Lucas sad, I just assumed—Wait a minute. If a historical disruption somehow brought about Churchill's death—if he actually caught that bullet—then that would have accounted for there being nothing about him in the implant education programs or in the mission programming, because he would never have survived to become prime minister of Great Britain. But then how could Lucas have read about him in history books? There must have been some sort of flaw in the mission programming."
"And in the implant education programs?" Andre said.
"I admit that sounds unlikely, but—"
"Sahib Finn?"
They turned around to see their native attendant, Gunga Din, approaching hesitantly.
"Yes, Din, what is it?" Finn said.
"Soldier sahibs say time to leave for Peshawar," said Din. "Mulvaney Sahib say must not waste daylight."
"He's right," said Finn. "Have you made everything ready, Din?"
"Everything ready," Din said. "Sahib Finn? Is permitted for this worthless one to pay respect Father Sahib?"
"Of course it's permitted, Din," said Finn.
Din approached the grave and stood over it for a moment, his lips moving as he silently said a prayer in his native tongue. When he was finished, he glanced at them with an embarrassed smile and thanked them profusely.
Finn knelt down over the grave and placed his hand upon the mound of earth. "Good-bye, old friend," he said.
They turned and walked away. Din, too, felt the loss.
Perhaps he did not feel it so profoundly as did Finn and Andre, but he was overcome with emotion at the death of the one man who had ever treated him as something more than what he was—an untouchable. As they walked back down toward the green. Din glanced over his shoulder for one last look at the
"What are you talking about?" said Finn, angry with her for thinking about Churchill when Lucas was dead. "To hell with Churchill. Churchill's not an issue any longer. Whatever happened to begin the chain of events which led that Ghazi tribesman to kill Winston Churchill, whichever act interfered with history to bring that about, it's been compensated for. Lucas did it. I wish it had been me, but I wasn't even there. Damn it, I wasn't even there!"
"Finn," said Andre, softly, "I didn't know him as well as you did or as long, but I didn't love him any less. He thought this was important. I didn't know Churchill would become prime minister of Great Britain because there was nothing about him in the subknowledge of my implant education. There was nothing about him in the mission programming either. But Lucas knew. Lucas remembered. He didn't know it from his subknowledge, and he didn't know it from the mission programming. He just
remembered
. Do you understand?"
Delaney simply stared at her.
"Finn, you had to have encountered Churchill before Lucas died. You must have seen him at the officer's conference at least. Think. Finn, did you know who he was? Who he would be?"
"Of course I knew," said Finn, frowning. "I even had a chance to talk with him for a while last night. Hell, I remember thinking that he was so serious for his age, that if he didn't ..."
"What?"
A blank look came over Finn's face.
"That doesn't make any sense," he said. "How could I have thought ..." His voice trailed off.
"You didn't know him either, did you?" Andre said. "His name didn't trigger any responses. It was the same with me. It was the same with Lucas, too, don't you understand? Lucas remembered who Churchill was, but not because the information was contained in his subknowledge or in the mission programming. He remembered reading it. If Churchill was important enough to have been written about in history books, how could he have been left out of the implant education programs? How could there have been nothing about him in the mission programming if it was a known historical fact that he served in this campaign?"
"You're right," said Finn. "It wasn't in my subknowledge, either. After you told me what Lucas sad, I just assumed—Wait a minute. If a historical disruption somehow brought about Churchill's death—if he actually caught that bullet—then that would have accounted for there being nothing about him in the implant education programs or in the mission programming, because he would never have survived to become prime minister of Great Britain. But then how could Lucas have read about him in history books? There must have been some sort of flaw in the mission programming."
"And in the implant education programs?" Andre said.
"I admit that sounds unlikely, but—"
"Sahib Finn?"
They turned around to see their native attendant, Gunga Din, approaching hesitantly.
"Yes, Din, what is it?" Finn said.
"Soldier sahibs say time to leave for Peshawar," said Din. "Mulvaney Sahib say must not waste daylight."
"He's right," said Finn. "Have you made everything ready, Din?"
"Everything ready," Din said. "Sahib Finn? Is permitted for this worthless one to pay respect Father Sahib?"
"Of course it's permitted, Din," said Finn.
Din approached the grave and stood over it for a moment, his lips moving as he silently said a prayer in his native tongue. When he was finished, he glanced at them with an embarrassed smile and thanked them profusely.
Finn knelt down over the grave and placed his hand upon the mound of earth. "Good-bye, old friend," he said.
They turned and walked away. Din, too, felt the loss.
Perhaps he did not feel it so profoundly as did Finn and Andre, but he was overcome with emotion at the death of the one man who had ever treated him as something more than what he was—an untouchable. As they walked back down toward the green. Din glanced over his shoulder for one last look at the
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