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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..72c122a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51767 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51767) diff --git a/old/51767-h.zip b/old/51767-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 03e5776..0000000 --- a/old/51767-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51767-h/51767-h.htm b/old/51767-h/51767-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index e35725d..0000000 --- a/old/51767-h/51767-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1670 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Death's Wisher, by Jim Wannamaker. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Death's Wisher, by Jim Wannamaker - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Death's Wisher - -Author: Jim Wannamaker - -Release Date: April 15, 2016 [EBook #51767] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEATH'S WISHER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="394" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>DEATH'S WISHER</h1> - -<p>BY JIM WANNAMAKER</p> - -<p>Illustrated by DICK FRANCIS</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Magazine February 1960.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>There's just one way to disarm a bomb—be<br /> -at least a step ahead of it—but what if<br /> -it's always at least a step ahead of you?</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Flinn took the seat that Wilmer indicated, dropped his overnight bag -beside it, and tried to relax. He'd had five hours of inactivity on -the plane, but the peremptory manner with which he had been routed out -of his California apartment and conveyed to Washington, D. C, had so -filled his mind with unanswered questions that he still found rest to -be impossible. He had been told simply that the government needed him; -and when federal wheels started turning, there wasn't much a private -citizen could do to stop them.</p> - -<p>He watched the tall, lean, dark-haired man, who had been introduced as -Dr. Jackson Wilmer, nuclear physicist, disappear through a door.</p> - -<p>Flinn looked around.</p> - -<p>The room in which he sat—comparatively small, one of hundreds in the -vastness of the Pentagon—seemed to be a sort of minor office. At least -there were several desks and filing cabinets. Besides himself, there -were now only two other men in the room.</p> - -<p>One, a complete stranger, sat at a desk across the room with his back -turned toward Flinn.</p> - -<p>The other leaned against the wall near the door. All Flinn knew about -him, despite the fact that they had been as close as boy and dog for -the past seven hours, was that his name was Hayes and that he was a -special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There was a -muscular hardness about this young man that betrayed an athletic -background. He was about thirty, had a craggy face beneath short brown -hair, hard gray eyes, and his nose had been broken at least once. There -was a light trace of beard beginning to show on the agent's face, but -his brown summer suit still looked neat, and the man himself seemed -something less than tired.</p> - -<p>Looking at him, Flinn felt a sense of his own shabbiness. He needed a -shave as badly as his slacks and sports jacket needed pressing.</p> - -<p>At forty-two, Flinn was somewhat taller than average and slightly -underweight from overwork and the irregularities of a bachelor -existence. His black hair, beginning to recede a little, was peppered -with silver, and his normally relaxed face was now tight, and the -whites of his hazel eyes were bloodshot.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The door beside Hayes opened and Wilmer entered, carrying a brown -folder. He was in his shirtsleeves, his necktie pulled down and his -collar open, and, as he approached, Flinn noted that the deeply tanned -face of the physicist was as stubbled and tired-looking as his own -felt. He was about the same age as Flinn.</p> - -<p>Wilmer tossed the folder on the desk in front of Flinn and then perched -on one corner of the desk. He gazed at the parapsychologist for a long -few seconds, his eyes startingly ice-blue in his dark face.</p> - -<p>"Well," he said presently, "I guess you're wondering what this is all -about."</p> - -<p>"Yes, I guess I am," Flinn said wryly. "This bird dog—" he indicated -Hayes with a nod of his head, and the agent retaliated with a flash -of teeth—"hauls me away from an important experiment, loads me on an -Air Force jet, and, after a high-altitude flight at God only knows -what kind of fantastic speeds, I find myself in the holiest of holies, -surrounded by MPs and—yes, you might say I'm wondering what this is -all about."</p> - -<p>Wilmer nodded patiently and rubbed one hand across his eyes.</p> - -<p>"When you find out, you'll understand the reason for the secrecy." He -faced Hayes. "How long have we been on this thing now, Fred? It seems -like weeks."</p> - -<p>"Ten days," the FBI man answered.</p> - -<p>Wilmer shook his head slowly, then reached for the folder, opened -it, and took out several scientific journals that Flinn recognized -instantly. The physicist opened one of them.</p> - -<p>"'Advanced Experiments in TP, by Patrick Flinn,'" he read. He laid -the publication aside and picked up another. "'A Monograph on the -Probabilities of TH,' same author."</p> - -<p>He quoted at random from the introductory page: "'It is therefore -my belief, based upon recent preliminary experimentation, that not -only can one mind be used to scan the thoughts of another, but that -ideas and suggestions may be implanted upon another's mind without -the knowledge of the receptor. This is not to be confused with simple -telepathic 'sending,' where the receptor is completely aware of the -other's transmission. This to which I refer may, at least in one -phase, be described as hypnotic in effect. The possibilities of such -influence over the mind-matter of another are more than somewhat -considerable....'"</p> - -<p>He paused, lowered the journal and gazed speculatively at Patrick -Flinn. "Telepathy, telehypnosis," he said, rolling out the words as if -they left a strange taste in his mouth. "Very interesting. Just how -much truth is there in all this stuff? I mean, how far along are you, -really?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Flinn considered the question for a few seconds. It was one he had -heard often, especially from his colleagues at the small California -college where he held an assistantship in psychology. But after -twenty years of skepticism—he had first discovered his rudimentary -telepathic abilities just after graduating from college, and had been -experimenting and advancing ever since—he had become immune to -criticism.</p> - -<p>"Very few people bother to read my articles," Flinn said evenly, "and -still fewer understand them, and the <i>fewest</i> believe. But I can tell -you I'm far enough along in my research to know that the human mind -has latent powers that are, to quote my article, more than somewhat -considerable."</p> - -<p>Wilmer and Hayes exchanged glances.</p> - -<p>"That's fine," Wilmer said, "but abstruse, wouldn't you say? What I'm -getting at is, I want to see a practical demonstration."</p> - -<p>"Put up or shut up, eh?" Flinn said.</p> - -<p>"I'd rather call it an examining of credentials," the physicist -countered.</p> - -<p>"All right. I don't see any connection between my work and nuclear -physics, but what do you want me to do? First, though, I'd better -explain that I might fail. I'm really just on the threshold."</p> - -<p>"Granted. So I'll make it easy. Suppose—" He looked over his shoulder, -faced Flinn again, and continued in a low voice: "Suppose you tell me -what the man at the far desk is thinking."</p> - -<p>Flinn glanced past the physicist at the stranger across the room. The -man seemed completely unaware of the others. He was poring over some -papers that were spread out upon the desk.</p> - -<p>Flinn focused his eyes upon the man's head. His mind was really too -steeped in fatigue for this sort of thing, but it was a chance not -to be missed, a chance to demonstrate his talents in the presence -of a responsible scientist, so he willed himself into a gradually -deepening concentration. His eyes seemed to go myopic, out of focus. A -gray, ethereal haze came into his consciousness, like swirling smoke. -<i>Easy?</i> But presently a picture began to form, blurred at first, then -fragmentary, then coming into identifiable clarity.</p> - -<p>Flinn held it for a moment, before snapping back into objective -consciousness. He was grinning slightly as his eyes refocused and came -to rest on Wilmer.</p> - -<p>"Well?" the physicist asked.</p> - -<p>"What's his name?" Flinn said.</p> - -<p>"Barnes. Robert Barnes."</p> - -<p>"Say, Bob!" Flinn called out. The smallish, partially bald man at the -far desk looked up and swiveled around to face him. "Tell me something, -Bob," Flinn went on. "Do you act that way with all women, or just -blondes?"</p> - -<p>Barnes' placid face suddenly underwent a marvelous transformation. -First he blushed furiously. Then his jaw dropped open and the high -color began to drain away. He stared across the room, his face pallid.</p> - -<p>"My God!" he managed to blurt in a stricken voice.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was dead silence in the room as Wilmer and Hayes looked from -Barnes' shocked face to Flinn's smiling one.</p> - -<p>"I think it's obvious—" Hayes started to say.</p> - -<p>"Me, too," Wilmer agreed. He looked sharply at Flinn. "Can you tell -what I'm thinking at this moment?"</p> - -<p>Flinn shrugged. "Not without a special effort, and I'm not going to -make that effort unless I have to."</p> - -<p>The physicist sighed and his tanned face relaxed a little. He looked at -Flinn with a new respect. "I guess I'd better put you in the picture." -He reopened the folder and extracted several newspaper clippings. "What -I'm about to divulge is so unbelievable that—well, I'd best break it -to you gradually. You know my job. That fact and this tan—" he pointed -to his face—"should give you an inkling of what I've been up to the -last few weeks."</p> - -<p>Flinn thought, and nodded. "I'm to assume that you've been out in the -Pacific, is that right?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," Wilmer said. "Eniwetok. Have you been following our progress in -the papers?"</p> - -<p>"Not really. I've been a little too busy, I'm afraid."</p> - -<p>"No matter." The physicist handed the clippings to Flinn. "Read these."</p> - -<p>Flinn scanned the first clipping. It bore a recent date.</p> - -<p>"'... Reliable sources,'" he read aloud, "'report that a civilian, -believed to be a scientist, is being held incommunicado in the -Pentagon. All efforts on the part of newsmen to gain additional -information have been met with polite but firm rebuffs. Spokesmen -from the AEC have refused to confirm or deny theories that the man's -detention is in some way connected with the recent fiasco at Eniwetok -Atoll ...'"</p> - -<p>He read the second. It was date-lined Honolulu, a week before the other.</p> - -<p>"'Beyond the terse comment that there were "no casualties," all -official sources are silent today concerning the news leak of the -failure of a nuclear device in our Pacific Test Area. It has been -understood that this device, the third in a series of thermonuclear -test shots, failed to detonate. Since this test was scheduled to have -been a "tower shot," under rigid instrumental control, much speculation -has arisen ...'"</p> - -<p>Flinn looked up hopelessly. "I don't understand. Does this concern you? -I mean—"</p> - -<p>"It concerns <i>all</i> of us," Wilmer said grimly. "But I know what you're -getting at. No, I'm not the man they mention. I was in charge of that -particular test."</p> - -<p>Hayes cleared his throat abruptly and Wilmer nodded.</p> - -<p>"I want you to understand, Mr. Flinn, before we go any further, that -everything you hear and see, and have heard and seen from the time Fred -first contacted you, is to be held in the strictest confidence. Is that -clear?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"All right. How much do you know about atomic physics?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Flinn spread his hands. "I'm somewhat past the Democritus stage, but I -don't claim to be an expert."</p> - -<p>"Well, basically, in a thermonuclear explosive device, hydrogen is -transformed into helium," said Hayes. "In the process there is a loss -of mass. This loss results in a tremendous and sudden release of -energy. Are you familiar with the energy-mass relationship, E = MC<sup>2</sup>?"</p> - -<p>Flinn nodded.</p> - -<p>"Okay. In other words, the nuclei of hydrogen atoms are fused under the -influence of great heat, resulting in a different element, less mass, a -release of energy, and an explosion."</p> - -<p>"I'm with you so far," Flinn said.</p> - -<p>"Then you realize that once this fusion process commences, nothing in -God's great universe can stop it?"</p> - -<p>"Yes."</p> - -<p>"And that after certain things are done, fusion <i>must</i> result?"</p> - -<p>"Surely."</p> - -<p>"Well, so all of us believed, too. But we were wrong about it."</p> - -<p>"I don't understand. You just said—"</p> - -<p>"So I <i>said</i>. But let me try to describe to you the situation as it -happened." He paused, not for dramatic effect, but to take a moment -to force himself to recall what Flinn could see must have been a very -painful experience.</p> - -<p>"We are on the command ship," Wilmer continued, "at a safe distance -from the atoll. Everything is in readiness, checked and double-checked -by me, personally. The automatic firing process is in progress. The -last countdown has commenced. Five, four, three, two, one, zero. -<i>Nothing happens.</i></p> - -<p>"I'll simplify the subsequent chain of events. After a reasonable -interval, a volunteer pilot and myself and one other man fly by -helicopter to the atoll. We climb the tower. I'm sweating and so are -the others. We're standing beside a <i>live hydrogen bomb</i>. I disconnect -the power sources and do various things to render the device safe. -Then we check. Everything—<i>everything</i>—is in working order. There is -absolutely no reason why the thing failed to detonate. Yet it did fail.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="346" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"We fly back to the command ship. We hold an emergency conference. -We're sitting there staring at each other. Then this—this man, Dobbs, -starts to laugh. We think it is hysterics, due to the tremendous -strain that everyone has been under. But apparently it isn't. He laughs -and laughs and laughs. Finally he manages to say: 'You can't figure -it out, can you? Well, I know. Old Dobbsie knows. <i>It didn't explode -because I willed it not to!</i>'"</p> - -<p>Flinn's mind was almost too tired to accept what he had heard. "Are you -trying to tell me—"</p> - -<p>"Figure it out for yourself," Wilmer said flatly. "It's your field. -Telepathy, telehypnosis, and what's left?"</p> - -<p>"<i>Psychokinesis</i>," Flinn said in a stifled voice.</p> - -<p>"Right. Psychokinesis. Mind over matter."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ordinarily, Patrick Flinn would have used the morning ride over -Washington's broad avenues to good advantage—this was his first visit -to the nation's capital—but his mind was too filled with the preceding -day's revelations to permit anything save minimal sightseeing.</p> - -<p>"I hate to keep repeating myself," Wilmer was saying, "but I must be -certain you understand what's at stake here."</p> - -<p>"I know," Flinn answered with some impatience. "I'm not to reveal, -under any circumstances, the fact that I have telepathic powers."</p> - -<p>"Correct." The physicist sat in the seat beside Flinn, and Hayes was in -front beside the driver. "Your job is to find out just how much this -man can do. We'd like to know the <i>way</i> he does it, too, but that's -secondary."</p> - -<p>"It strikes me," Flinn mused, "that anyone who can influence a fusion -bomb can do anything."</p> - -<p>"That's what we're afraid of." Wilmer looked soberly at the -parapsychologist. "I think I can understand what's going on in your -mind. This is your special love and you're finding it difficult to -divorce yourself from pure clinical investigation. You want, really, -to talk to Dobbs as one scientist to another. But I must warn you that -this is impossible. If he gets the least inkling that you're a special -mind, something disastrous may result. As long as he gets what he -wants, fine, but rub him the wrong way and—"</p> - -<p>"And yet you have him a virtual prisoner and he doesn't object?"</p> - -<p>"Well, at least not strenuously," Wilmer said. "I don't profess to -understand a warped mind, but apparently Dobbs realizes that his -confinement is mostly protective custody. It's to his own advantage. -After all, he doesn't have to stand up at a public forum and shout -threats. All he has to do is contact the few to reach the many. And if -he has the powers he says he has, full use of them would result in his -own destruction. And he doesn't want that. He's too interested, right -now, in satisfying his own animal appetites. But faced with losing -everything—"</p> - -<p>"Our biggest immediate worry," Hayes said from the front seat, "is -keeping all this from the public. That's why we put Dobbs out of sight -in a hurry. There have been some leaks already, but so far most people -consider the papers' theories as just so much wild speculation. And -thank God for that. You can understand why all recognizable public -figures are keeping as far away from Dobbs as possible."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Flinn nodded; it was self-evident. There were other phases of the -problem that bothered him more. He was still vaguely and, as it seemed, -illogically worried about the several questions he had raised the day -before.</p> - -<p>The fact that Dobbs might have read his articles and hence might put -two and two together, despite a cover identity, was the least of -them. Flinn had never lectured in public, his efforts had received no -publicity except in specialized psychological circles, and his latest -monograph on TH had been published when Dobbs was working at the atoll.</p> - -<p>Wilmer, Hayes, and others had managed to assuage reasonable fears on -the other point. Flinn had always assumed that psychokinesis would be -the logical result of advanced telepathy, that they were links in -the same chain. Now it seemed that a person could be one without the -other. Either you possessed a latent ability to scan mind-matter, or an -affinity for material substance, but not necessarily both.</p> - -<p>Earlier, Wilmer and Hayes had devised a test to check the possibility -that Dobbs was an advanced telepath. They had mentally vilified him -beyond the ability of even an accomplished actor to resist, over -prolonged periods of time, and yet Dobbs had shown not the least -indication that he had intercepted their thoughts. But there was one -additional point.</p> - -<p>"You used the expression 'warped mind' in describing Dobbs," Flinn said -to Wilmer. "Is it your opinion then that he is definitely psychopathic? -The reason I ask is that scanning a confused mind may prove to be more -than I can handle."</p> - -<p>"I used that expression for want of a better," Wilmer answered -cautiously. "Put it this way—suppose you suddenly found you were able -to control, even in a minor way, the stuff of the universe; would you -use those powers for the benefit of mankind, or would you leap over the -traces and reach for all the things that had been denied you over the -years for moral, or legal, or whatever reasons?"</p> - -<p>"You paint a lurid picture," Flinn said.</p> - -<p>They turned down a side street in a residential district and drew up in -front of what appeared to be a large two-story private home.</p> - -<p>Flinn took a deep breath. He was rested now, but still uncertain -whether he was up to what lay ahead.</p> - -<p>After the preliminary discussion with Wilmer, Hayes, and Barnes—the -latter had proved to be a military intelligence man—the previous -afternoon, Flinn had been closeted immediately with a number of -generals, admirals, and high-ranking civilians from both houses of -Congress, the Defense Department, the Department of State, and various -security agencies.</p> - -<p>There had been the usual skepticism until he had performed some simple -but histrionic "mind-reading" feats, and then there had been much talk -about the responsibilities that had now become incumbent upon him and -how perhaps even the fate of the nation was in his hands. It had left -him wandering in a jungle of doubts and fears. Yet he had managed to -sleep.</p> - -<p>"The wonderful ability of the human mind to reject unpleasantness," he -had told himself.</p> - -<p>As a matter of fact, he had fallen into deep, untroubled -unconsciousness within an hour of the time his head had first touched -the pillow in the comfortable hotel room the government had provided. -Hayes had been with him. "Security," Hayes had said.</p> - -<p>And now, clean-shaven, his clothes neatly pressed, the substantial -breakfast still warm in his stomach, and fatigue no longer in his -muscles and nerves, Flinn told himself that he was as ready as he would -ever be.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They got out of the conservative, unmarked sedan and approached the -house. There was a man mowing the lawn, another clipping hedges, and -still another polishing a car that was parked in the driveway just -outside the spacious garage.</p> - -<p>"How's it going?" Hayes said to the hedge trimmer.</p> - -<p>"All quiet," the man answered without looking up.</p> - -<p>They went around the house and entered unchallenged through a side -door. It was all very casual, yet Flinn did not have to be told that -they were under constant scrutiny.</p> - -<p>The room in which he found himself was just off the kitchen. Three men -in working clothes sat around a table, drinking coffee. They looked -up and nodded. They seemed to be cut from much the same cloth as Fred -Hayes, even to the expression.</p> - -<p>"Well, well," one of them said, "the brain trust." He surveyed Flinn -with frank interest, then faced Hayes. "Say, buddy, how does a man get -a transfer out of this outfit?"</p> - -<p>Hayes grinned his wolfish grin. "All in good time, partner." He pointed -with his chin upstairs and raised his eyebrows.</p> - -<p>The man who had spoken, a large, broad-shouldered youngster with an -affably homely face, got up, stepped back from the table, and went into -a vaudevillian travesty of a bow. "The great man has been prepared and -awaits your presence." Then his expression changed. "What a party! I -never saw so much liquor in my life! It's a lucky thing the rumpus room -is soundproof."</p> - -<p>"And girls!" one of the seated men said. "Man, oh, man!"</p> - -<p>Flinn looked at Wilmer, and Wilmer shrugged as if to say, "That's the -way it is."</p> - -<p>"Just don't forget what you're here for," Hayes said harshly.</p> - -<p>"Don't fret," the big man said. "None of us touched a drop."</p> - -<p>"Neither did Dobbs," one of the seated men interjected. "I guess that's -the only reason he's alive today." He guffawed loudly and suggestively.</p> - -<p>Hayes leading, they entered a hallway and turned toward a flight of -stairs.</p> - -<p>"Your boys seemed very off-hand about all this," Flinn said to the -government agent.</p> - -<p>"Don't kid yourself," Hayes replied. "They're as nervous as cats."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Come in, gentlemen," Dobbs called amiably from the rear of the -spacious bedroom. There was an unobtrusive man in a dark suit with him, -but he left immediately.</p> - -<p>Now that he was face to face with the enigmatic Mr. Dobbs, Flinn felt a -momentary sense of disappointment.</p> - -<p>Malcolm Dobbs sat in a straight-backed chair beside the large bed. -Next to him was a table laden with empty breakfast dishes. Dobbs was -dressed in an ordinary bathrobe. He appeared to be in his mid-forties -and had a full head of dark hair, slightly gray at the temples. His -mild, undistinguished face was only slightly less tanned than Wilmer's, -and he was of average size and weight. His dark eyes were the only -things that belied the man's composed exterior; they were intelligent, -interested, and intently watchful. A tiny smile lingered upon Dobbs' -lips, as if he were sharing only with himself some form of immensely -funny but eminently private joke.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="349" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Flinn's total impression of the man was that he was not the sort one -would look at twice in a crowded room—under different circumstances.</p> - -<p>"Another delegation?" Dobbs asked. "Hello, Jack, Hayes."</p> - -<p>"Mal this is Mr. Dugan," Wilmer said, indicating Flinn. "He's from the -government."</p> - -<p>Even as he acknowledged the introduction, Flinn paused momentarily -over the casual familiarity between the physicist and the apparent -psychokinetic, until he was reminded that they were both nuclear -physicists and had been together for weeks at the atoll. Flinn found -himself wondering how close they had been and what thoughts must -be going through Wilmer's mind at the moment. But he squelched his -curiosity. He was here to scan Dobbs' mind, nobody else's.</p> - -<p>"Be unobtrusive," he had been warned. "Stay in the background as much -as possible and let Wilmer and Hayes carry the ball. And do the job -quickly."</p> - -<p>Dobbs looked Flinn over carefully, then seemed to dismiss him from his -mind, as if he had decided Flinn was of no particular importance—or no -immediate threat.</p> - -<p>"You boys should have been here last night," Dobbs smiled. "We had -quite a party." His smile faded and he added petulantly: "The only -thing—some of the girls weren't as cooperative as I had hoped."</p> - -<p>"We'll be more selective next time," Hayes promised quickly.</p> - -<p>"See to it," Dobbs said.</p> - -<p>They seated themselves, Hayes and Wilmer close to Dobbs, and Flinn just -far enough away to seem deferential without raising suspicion.</p> - -<p>"Now, what can I do for you?" Dobbs queried. "Another demonstration, I -assume?"</p> - -<p>"That's right," Wilmer said. "How about that disappearance thing again?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dobbs sighed. "You boys just can't get it through your skulls that what -I do isn't some sort of trick, can you? Even faced with the evidence of -the bomb."</p> - -<p>Wilmer raised his hands. "It's not that so much, although what you can -do, you'll have to admit, is rather unbelievable. It's the fact that -Mr. Dugan here has never seen any evidence of your powers, and the -report he will deliver to his superiors may cause even more commotion -in high places—to your advantage."</p> - -<p>Flinn was amazed that such a flimsy appeal to the appetites and ego of -a man as intelligent as Malcolm Dobbs could be successful. Yet it not -only could, it was.</p> - -<p>Dobbs looked again at Flinn, the strange smile playing upon his lips; -then he reached across the table, picked up an opaque glass water -carafe, poured out its remaining liquid into an empty cereal bowl, and -replaced it on the table.</p> - -<p>"We don't want water spilled over everything, do we?" he said.</p> - -<p>Wilmer slipped one arm behind the back of his chair and signaled -urgently to Flinn.</p> - -<p>Since entering the room, Flinn had been gathering all his resources -for a quick and powerful effort, and, at the sight of Wilmer's waving -fingers, he began.</p> - -<p>He was startled that, despite the interaction and interference of -the other thought patterns in the room, he was able to make so quick -a contact. Just before reaching Dobbs' mind, the thought impressed -itself upon Flinn that the reason was the immense mental power that was -building within, and generating from, Dobbs. It was the simplest piece -of telepathic scanning with which Flinn had ever been involved.</p> - -<p>For a matter of seconds, nothing happened. Then the water carafe -abruptly disappeared, its passage into apparent nothingness coincident -with a faint "pop" as the air of the room rushed in to fill the vacuum.</p> - -<p>Dobbs turned triumphantly and saw Flinn still in the trancelike stupor -of the telepath-in-contact. Hayes stood up to screen him, but Flinn -shook his head and managed to clear his mind quickly.</p> - -<p>"Your friend seems somewhat astounded," Dobbs chuckled.</p> - -<p>"My God!" was all Flinn could say.</p> - -<p>Wilmer and Hayes looked at him questioningly, and Hayes muttered: "I -think he's seen enough. Let's get out of here."</p> - -<p>"Come back anytime, gentlemen," Dobbs said.</p> - -<p>His laughter followed them as they retreated through the door and down -the hall to the stairs.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Well?" Wilmer said.</p> - -<p>They sat around the table in the room just off the kitchen, steaming -cups of coffee in front of them. The three security agents who had been -in the room were gone now to their respective duties.</p> - -<p>Flinn gazed down into the dark depths of the coffee, trying to organize -his thoughts; trying to interpret and evaluate what he had seen.</p> - -<p>Wilmer and Hayes sipped their coffee, waiting with forced patience for -the parapsychologist to speak.</p> - -<p>Presently, Flinn shivered and looked up at them. "If he says he can -control a critical mass, or erase Washington, D. C., or destroy the -nation, you'd better believe him."</p> - -<p>"He's telling the truth then," Hayes said grimly.</p> - -<p>"Yes," Flinn answered. "Here are my findings. Somehow Dobbs has -established rapport with the atom. Any atom. Probably any number -of atoms. I doubt if he can move one single mass in the ordinary -conception of psychokinesis. That is, I doubt if he can cause a pebble, -say, to shift one millimeter. What he <i>can</i> control are the forces that -bind atoms into molecular structures, or that hold nuclei together. Do -you understand what I mean? For example, what he did up there just -now was to get rid of the space between atoms in the molecules of that -water carafe. I saw it clearly; there's no mistake. The space ceased to -exist, the atoms crashed in upon each other, and the carafe seemed to -disappear. The mass is the same. It's simply in a different form."</p> - -<p>He paused and scanned the numb faces of the government agent and the -nuclear physicist beside him.</p> - -<p>"Let's get down to specifics," he continued. "What's his trump card? -What is it he's holding over our heads?"</p> - -<p>"The atmosphere," Wilmer said painfully.</p> - -<p>"Oxygen," Flinn mused. "Suppose Dobbs concentrated upon the oxygen -atoms all around us and caused their nuclei suddenly to fuse. What -would happen?"</p> - -<p>"Nobody on the face of the Earth would know what hit him," Wilmer said. -"The Moon would probably be blasted out of its orbit. And if there is -any intelligent life on Mars, they'd be treated to a sight they'd never -forget—if they survived it."</p> - -<p>"Well, then," Flinn said, "we've done what we came here to do. What's -the answer?"</p> - -<p>Hayes' face set into a hard mask. "There'll be a meeting of the brass, -of course. But I can tell you what the result will be. I'll be assigned -to kill him."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A buzz of excited conversation filled the Pentagon conference room. -Flinn sat in one of the several dozen chairs between Wilmer and Hayes -and looked at a glass ashtray that lay on the part of the long table -just in front of him. One day perhaps he, too, might be able to -influence the molecular structure of such an object. Or, more likely, -one of his descendants, because he would never be able to discover the -short-cuts now.</p> - -<p>Planned murder. All the resources and brains of the government, the -champion of the rights and dignity of the individual, gathered together -to plot the deliberate destruction of one man.</p> - -<p>It filled Flinn with sadness. It was inevitable. It had to be done. No -one had the right to put himself above the rules of social conduct and -the welfare of several billion innocent souls. And yet—</p> - -<p>He found himself wondering what the Founding Fathers would think of -such a move. "... all men are endowed by their Creator with certain -unalienable rights ... Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -Executions of criminals were the result of lengthy legal processes, -during which all the rights of the individual were scrupulously -observed. But this—was he also one of the judges? Let the punishment -fit the crime. What about the judging?</p> - -<p>"Isn't there some other way?" Wilmer broke into his thoughts. "That's -what you're thinking, correct?"</p> - -<p>Flinn managed a faint smile. "And I'm supposed to be the telepath."</p> - -<p>"Let's be entirely rational about it," Wilmer said. "Dobbs is a -brilliant man, granted. But he is also a lecher and a coward."</p> - -<p>"There's some of the pig and the wolf in every man," Flinn said.</p> - -<p>"Depends on the extent," Wilmer went on. "Dobbs is way overboard. -And he's a craven. I know it's hard to picture a man who voluntarily -crosses a bridge into the unknown as anything but brave. I suppose -there is a sort of bravado in it. But when he turns that bridge into a -club to threaten the rest of mankind—is this courage?" He turned to -the FBI man. "What do you think about it, Fred?"</p> - -<p>Hayes pulled himself out of the shell of disciplined impassivity -into which he had retreated shortly after passing his own unofficial -death sentence upon Dobbs. He looked at the physicist and the -parapsychologist.</p> - -<p>"Nothing," Hayes said bluntly. "Absolutely nothing. I'm just one of the -expendables."</p> - -<p>"Aren't we all?" Wilmer said. He shrugged at Flinn. "That's why we were -chosen originally. Me because I was there at the atoll when all this -started, and was acquainted with Dobbs, and capable of understanding -the implications of his acts. Hayes because—"</p> - -<p>"Because I've a good enough record to be above suspicion, and because -I'm young enough not to be missed," the agent said.</p> - -<p>"And you, Pat," the physicist said to Flinn, "because of your unique -talents. But now we're all under the gun."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There was a lapse in the background noise, and the three turned to see -the President's representative rise and signal for order. He was a -tall, graying man, beautifully dressed, and, as he spoke, there was a -note of sad resignation in his voice.</p> - -<p>"So, gentlemen, since reasoning with Dobbs has proven to be useless, we -find ourselves in agreement. All that remains is to select the time and -the method. And, by the way, Mr. Hilliard—" he nodded at the Director -of the FBI—"has assured me there is no need to deviate from our -original plan, at least so far as the human element is concerned. Agent -Hayes will remain our—messenger. He seems to be ideally suited for the -job."</p> - -<p>There was a visible stir down the length of the table as the top men -from the government tried not to look at Fred Hayes. None of them -succeeded. Under their brief, self-conscious but probing scrutiny, -Hayes' hard face betrayed not a flicker of emotion.</p> - -<p>"And now the time and the method." The Presidential assistant cleared -his throat and scanned the faces of the men before him. "I should think -as soon as possible." A murmur of assent swept the room. "There remains -the problem of method. Dr. Wilmer cautions that it must be done very -efficiently. If Dobbs even suspects that his life is to be forfeit at -a predictable time—well, I hardly need tell you the danger. Director -Hilliard suggests that we leave it up to Agent Hayes, since he knows -his own capabilities better than anyone else. Mr. Hayes?"</p> - -<p>The tall, athletic agent rose, reached under his coat to his right hip -and produced a short-barreled revolver. He held it up. "With this," he -said laconically. "In the head. Death will be instantaneous."</p> - -<p>There were sudden protests from the military representatives.</p> - -<p>Hayes holstered the revolver and looked at his chief. Hilliard nodded, -and Hayes walked to the end of the room. From a carton, he lifted a -small bullet trap and placed it against the wall. The safe area inside -the trap was about the size of an opened magazine. Then he moved to the -conference table, picked up one of the ashtrays, returned to the trap, -and propped the tray against it.</p> - -<p>Appropriately, the tray was about the width of a man's head.</p> - -<p>Agent Hayes stood up, buttoned his coat and began walking leisurely -away from the trap. At twenty paces, he whirled. It was almost too fast -for the eye to follow, but the individual actions were these:</p> - -<p>With his left hand, Hayes unbuttoned his coat. With his right, he swept -open the coat, turned in a crouch, simultaneously drew the revolver, -and fired. The ashtray assumed a new identity—a scattered pile of -broken glass.</p> - -<p>It all happened in measurably less than a second.</p> - -<p>There was a collective expiration of breath from the men around the -table.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Before breakfast the next morning, there wasn't a single one of the -small group of men intimately involved with the top-priority problem -who did not know that Hayes had failed.</p> - -<p>This was shocking enough in itself, but what made it even more so was -the fact that Hayes was still alive to tell it—and that anyone else -was there to hear him.</p> - -<p>"I came as close as hell to swearing," Hayes said dully to Wilmer and -Flinn.</p> - -<p>Neither of them needed any special powers of observation to see that -the young agent was shaken. The three sat in the small Pentagon -office. Coffee had been served, and they were waiting now for a quorum -of the governmental officials to gather.</p> - -<p>"I had it lined," Hayes continued. "I'd waited half the night for -everything to be just right. I was in a good position, close and to one -side. Dobbs was as relaxed as I've ever seen him. I was just telling -myself '<i>Now</i>' when Dobbs looked directly at me and grinned. 'If you're -planning on doing anything rash, my friend, don't. You can't possibly -kill me swiftly enough to keep from destroying yourself, every person -in this room, every man, woman, and child in this city, and every -living thing on the face of this Earth.' <i>What could I do?</i>"</p> - -<p>"Thank God you didn't figure it was just a bluff!" Wilmer exclaimed. -"Pulling that trigger would have been the greatest blunder in history."</p> - -<p>"Move and countermove," Flinn mused. "It was our gambit and we were -checked before we started."</p> - -<p>"So I got on the open line and told the boys to fetch Flinn as quickly -as possible," Hayes went on. "But I still don't understand. I'd swear -that man read my mind."</p> - -<p>"I don't think so," Flinn said. "I've had two mental contacts with -Dobbs, and neither time did I get the least suggestion that he was -telepathic."</p> - -<p>"No need for him to be," Wilmer said. "It doesn't take a smart man to -put two and two together and arrive at four. And this man is more than -merely smart."</p> - -<p>"I suppose you're right," Hayes said, "but it sure knocked the props -out from under me."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They were all in attendance, most of them looking rumpled and gritty -from lack of sleep and the realization that they had been beaten.</p> - -<p>"I just don't know," a senator said wearily. "First a man who can -influence matter, then one who reads minds, and now the latter tells us -the former is inviolable. It's too much for me."</p> - -<p>"I refuse to accept defeat!" a fleet admiral thundered, bringing his -fist down upon the table explosively. He was an erect, bristling man -with an aggressive combat record in two wars. "We've lost the first -round—so what? There will be others."</p> - -<p>"I quite agree," the Presidential assistant said. "This man <i>must</i> be -destroyed. Already he's beginning to make impossible demands."</p> - -<p>"But how do we go about it?" a congressman said. "Personally, I think -we're licked. As far as I can see, the best thing to do is let him have -his head and hope for the best."</p> - -<p>"<i>Hope for the best?</i>" a man from a security agency echoed -incredulously. "It's power Dobbs wants—recognized power. He wants to -be feared and worshipped. Sooner or later he'll let everyone know. His -egotism will force it. Can you conceive of what that would mean? For -myself, I'd rather see the entire human race disappear in one flash of -fire without ever knowing what hit it than live under the thumb of the -fear of destruction!"</p> - -<p>"Gentlemen!" The Presidential assistant rapped for order. "Let's -examine the situation rationally and seek out the flaws. There must be -some somewhere. Nothing in the mind of man is perfect."</p> - -<p>"Well, this comes as close as anything," Wilmer interjected. "You ask -what's wrong with the direct approach—why not shoot him while he -sleeps? Well, I'll answer with some questions. Have any of you died as -the result of a bullet in the brain? Have you ever questioned anyone -who has been killed in that manner? Then how do we know there isn't -a microsecond of awareness before life is extinguished? And even—or -especially—on the subconscious level, isn't this enough time for a -preset signal? What's the time-lag between countdown zero and the -explosion of a thermonuclear bomb?"</p> - -<p>"Apparently he has us blocked in every way," Flinn picked up Wilmer's -argument. "Asleep or awake. Conscious or unconscious. It's all the -same. Think of it as a special circuit in his mind. Destroy Dobbs, the -circuit shorts, and this preset signal to the oxygen atoms is sent, -their nuclei fuse, and that's the end of everything."</p> - -<p>He scanned the faces of the men around the conference table. "Or think -of it as a hypnotic suggestion. Under hypnosis, an individual is given -a certain order that he is to carry out whenever a certain set of -circumstances or stimuli occurs. No matter when this happens, no matter -what he is doing or thinking when the moment arrives, the subject -reacts according to the order buried in his subconscious."</p> - -<p>"But for every move there is a countermove," the admiral argued. "This -is a situation. A fantastic one, but a situation. There has to be an -answer."</p> - -<p>"I think there is," Flinn said carefully, "but it could be very risky."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was up to the committee now. The decision rested squarely in the lap -of the United States Government. Flinn had stated his ideas, presented -his plan, and tried to give the odds—although in his heart he knew -that was impossible—so it was now out of his hands.</p> - -<p>Or was it?</p> - -<p>The parapsychologist lay on the bed in his hotel room, trying to -relax, trying to store up energy for the ordeal that might be imminent. -Hayes and Wilmer were in the room, too, awaiting word from the heavily -guarded conference chamber in the Pentagon.</p> - -<p>The thin physicist paced up and down, his tanned face a study in -strain. Wilmer had been with this as long as anyone, except Dobbs, and -Flinn found himself wondering what deep inner resources the man had -tapped to retain his sanity.</p> - -<p>The big federal agent slouched in a chair, looking at nothing. He had -lapsed again into the welcome protection of training and discipline.</p> - -<p>Several times during the past thirty hours, since presenting his -plan, Flinn had had to restrain himself from probing the minds of -his two associates. At a time like this, no one had the right to -invade another's privacy. And curiosity had to give way for another -reason—just one look into either of their minds might be enough to -weaken or shatter his own resolve.</p> - -<p>The classic dilemma. Do nothing and face a living hell. Act and court -destruction. The very simplicity of the alternatives made the problem -intolerable.</p> - -<p>Telehypnosis—the untried hypothesis.</p> - -<p><i>Good Lord!</i> Flinn told himself. <i>I'm not even proficient as a -telepath yet!</i></p> - -<p>Outside, he could hear the murmur of the city—the traffic, the people, -moving along their separate paths to their own destinations in the -humid afternoon heat.</p> - -<p>Well, anyway, once the complete curtain of security had fallen, there -had been no more leaks. Proving that if a secret was big enough, it -could be kept.</p> - -<p>Another classic problem. Do the people have the right to be informed? -Does forewarned really mean forearmed? And how about the other nations -of the world?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>An hour after the dinner dishes had been cleared away by the government -agent dubbing as a room-service waiter, the telephone rang with an -awful insistency.</p> - -<p>Wilmer was the closest, but Hayes beat him to it by a full stride.</p> - -<p>After identifying himself, Hayes listened in silence. Then he said, -"All right," and replaced the receiver.</p> - -<p>He nodded at Wilmer and Flinn.</p> - -<p>"It's go ahead." He paused and his face seemed to change—to relent -somehow. "And they wanted me to relay this message: The President says, -'May God be with you.'"</p> - -<p>Flinn felt very alone and very close to something terrible.</p> - -<p>In the gloom of the darkened bedroom that adjoined Dobbs', he could -see Wilmer silhouetted against the meager light that came through the -curtained window from the street lamp outside and Hayes was out in the -hall. But the knowledge of the proximity of the two men did nothing -to lessen Flinn's loneliness. The committee had even couched it as an -order, trying to relieve him of that small burden, but if he failed, -who would remain to accept the blame?</p> - -<p>A few times in his forty-two years had Flinn wondered how it would feel -to have the fate of the world riding upon his shoulders. Now he knew -and wished he didn't.</p> - -<p>The door opened silently and Hayes eased in.</p> - -<p>"He's asleep," the agent breathed in a barely audible voice. "You can -start anytime now."</p> - -<p>The plan was simple, deceptively so.</p> - -<p>Since Dobbs' block was a kind of self-hypnotic thing, why not -countermand it with a deeper hypnotic suggestion introduced by -telepathy? If it could be done and was strong enough, the second would -counteract the first. At least for a short time.</p> - -<p>There were terrifying flaws—the first one obvious, the second not so -easily seen.</p> - -<p>Suppose Dobbs' block had inherent within it an anti-disturbance -feature that might react to any interference, including hypnotism -in any form? Then the result would be an immediate "short-circuit" -and—disaster.</p> - -<p>Trembling with the responsibility that was upon him, Flinn forced -himself into a deep concentration, an almost cataleptic trance. All -details of the room faded from his consciousness. There was the -familiar gray, swirling mist, and, for what seemed an intolerably long -time, he fought to make contact with the sleeping man's mind. He almost -sobbed aloud from the effort.</p> - -<p>Then at last he found it, entered, and gradually pushed down through -the subconscious.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was seeking now, probing for the deep-seated level of the block that -he had discovered the second time he had investigated Dobbs' mind.</p> - -<p>It was very difficult with the sleeping man and, before he found -it, more than once he felt himself standing on the precipice of the -unknown, close to slipping away into a fright-filled nothingness.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus3.jpg" width="600" height="263" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Finally, he had it, clear and cold. The strange, unhuman, inscrutable -area that was in diabolical rapport with the basic stuff of one element -of the atmosphere. Flinn lingered there for a while, wondering again -why he could not read it completely, then forced himself on and on, -deeper and deeper, until at last he felt the limit had been reached.</p> - -<p>His own warning thought intruded, telling him that this was the place. -And the time for the first test was at hand. He could not afford the -luxury of another pause. His resolve might crack....</p> - -<p>The thought arced like a high-voltage spark, the preamble of the -counter-suggestion: <i>You are to do nothing. No matter what happens, no -matter what is done to you, you are to take no action whatsoever. You -are not to react. You are to do nothing. You are to disregard every -thought but this.</i></p> - -<p>The battle had been joined. The interference had bridged the gap—yet -the block remained dormant!</p> - -<p>The first hurdle had been cleared.</p> - -<p>For the better part of three hours, Flinn continued to transmit the -counter-suggestion. Although he was not aware of it, sweat rolled from -every pore of his body and his nerves spasmed in unfelt agony.</p> - -<p>Something happened.</p> - -<p>Flinn lost contact as a shrill of warnings welled through Dobbs' mind.</p> - -<p>A second later, the door opened and Hayes' voice hissed: "He's awake!"</p> - -<p>Flinn returned to awareness slowly. First he was conscious only of how -tired he was, and then he knew that a voice was trying to reach him, -and he felt a handkerchief swabbing at his face.</p> - -<p>Wilmer bent over him in the gloom.</p> - -<p>Hayes said in Flinn's ear: "Dobbs is awake. He knows something's wrong. -He's moving around in there."</p> - -<p>"Then go ahead," Flinn heard his voice say. "There won't be a better -time."</p> - -<p>"Maybe we should wait," Wilmer cautioned.</p> - -<p>"No! Do it now. Hurry!"</p> - -<p>The agent stiffened, stepped back, and disappeared.</p> - -<p>They heard the door to Dobbs' room open and close and the sound of -voices.</p> - -<p>There was an exclamation, then Dobb's voice shouting: "What are you -doing? Are you crazy? I warn you, <i>I'll take every one of you with -me</i>!" Then a sudden explosion, muffled, but still shockingly loud, and -the thump of a heavy object falling.</p> - -<p>Flinn could not bring himself to move a muscle.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The silence seemed absolute. It was as if even the house itself were -listening, straining, preparing itself for the inevitable.</p> - -<p>One second passed.</p> - -<p>Two.</p> - -<p>Five.</p> - -<p>Ten.</p> - -<p><i>Nothing happened.</i></p> - -<p>Abruptly, Wilmer shouted: "It's all over!"</p> - -<p>Flinn heard footfalls upon the stairs and the sound of excited voices.</p> - -<p>Hayes burst into the room and turned on the light, the .357 magnum -still in his hand. His face was pale; his mouth worked, but no sound -emerged.</p> - -<p>Flinn found that his muscles would obey him now, and he stood up and -headed for the door. He felt numb, drained. He stepped out into the -hall. Every special agent and security man on the premises was crowded -there.</p> - -<p>Flinn turned back to Hayes.</p> - -<p>"I never thought to ask before," Flinn said. "Dobbs—did he have any -close living relatives? A wife? Children?"</p> - -<p>Hayes shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Thank God for that!" Flinn said.</p> - -<p>He started down the hall toward the stairs. The men there grew silent -as he approached and moved soundlessly out of his way.</p> - -<p>He went down the stairs, through the room off the kitchen, and outside -to the driveway. He looked up at the dark sky.</p> - -<p><i>It's over</i>, he told himself. <i>And now I'm a murderer. All of us are. A -guilt shared by the few to save the many. But the few are the product -of the many, just as each individual is, so where are we to place the -blame?</i></p> - -<p>Twenty years of research, and where had it led?</p> - -<p>Somewhere he had failed as society had failed, and, even in success, -Flinn could feel no flush of victory.</p> - -<p>The Earth was safe, but every human upon it had died a little without -even knowing it.</p> - -<p><i>Yes, it's over</i>, Flinn thought finally. <i>For now. Until the next time.</i></p> - -<p>He could see no stars. In a while it would be dawn.</p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Death's Wisher, by Jim Wannamaker - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEATH'S WISHER *** - -***** This file should be named 51767-h.htm or 51767-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/7/6/51767/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Death's Wisher - -Author: Jim Wannamaker - -Release Date: April 15, 2016 [EBook #51767] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEATH'S WISHER *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - DEATH'S WISHER - - BY JIM WANNAMAKER - - Illustrated by DICK FRANCIS - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Magazine February 1960. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - There's just one way to disarm a bomb--be - at least a step ahead of it--but what if - it's always at least a step ahead of you? - - -Flinn took the seat that Wilmer indicated, dropped his overnight bag -beside it, and tried to relax. He'd had five hours of inactivity on -the plane, but the peremptory manner with which he had been routed out -of his California apartment and conveyed to Washington, D. C, had so -filled his mind with unanswered questions that he still found rest to -be impossible. He had been told simply that the government needed him; -and when federal wheels started turning, there wasn't much a private -citizen could do to stop them. - -He watched the tall, lean, dark-haired man, who had been introduced as -Dr. Jackson Wilmer, nuclear physicist, disappear through a door. - -Flinn looked around. - -The room in which he sat--comparatively small, one of hundreds in the -vastness of the Pentagon--seemed to be a sort of minor office. At least -there were several desks and filing cabinets. Besides himself, there -were now only two other men in the room. - -One, a complete stranger, sat at a desk across the room with his back -turned toward Flinn. - -The other leaned against the wall near the door. All Flinn knew about -him, despite the fact that they had been as close as boy and dog for -the past seven hours, was that his name was Hayes and that he was a -special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There was a -muscular hardness about this young man that betrayed an athletic -background. He was about thirty, had a craggy face beneath short brown -hair, hard gray eyes, and his nose had been broken at least once. There -was a light trace of beard beginning to show on the agent's face, but -his brown summer suit still looked neat, and the man himself seemed -something less than tired. - -Looking at him, Flinn felt a sense of his own shabbiness. He needed a -shave as badly as his slacks and sports jacket needed pressing. - -At forty-two, Flinn was somewhat taller than average and slightly -underweight from overwork and the irregularities of a bachelor -existence. His black hair, beginning to recede a little, was peppered -with silver, and his normally relaxed face was now tight, and the -whites of his hazel eyes were bloodshot. - - * * * * * - -The door beside Hayes opened and Wilmer entered, carrying a brown -folder. He was in his shirtsleeves, his necktie pulled down and his -collar open, and, as he approached, Flinn noted that the deeply tanned -face of the physicist was as stubbled and tired-looking as his own -felt. He was about the same age as Flinn. - -Wilmer tossed the folder on the desk in front of Flinn and then perched -on one corner of the desk. He gazed at the parapsychologist for a long -few seconds, his eyes startingly ice-blue in his dark face. - -"Well," he said presently, "I guess you're wondering what this is all -about." - -"Yes, I guess I am," Flinn said wryly. "This bird dog--" he indicated -Hayes with a nod of his head, and the agent retaliated with a flash -of teeth--"hauls me away from an important experiment, loads me on an -Air Force jet, and, after a high-altitude flight at God only knows -what kind of fantastic speeds, I find myself in the holiest of holies, -surrounded by MPs and--yes, you might say I'm wondering what this is -all about." - -Wilmer nodded patiently and rubbed one hand across his eyes. - -"When you find out, you'll understand the reason for the secrecy." He -faced Hayes. "How long have we been on this thing now, Fred? It seems -like weeks." - -"Ten days," the FBI man answered. - -Wilmer shook his head slowly, then reached for the folder, opened -it, and took out several scientific journals that Flinn recognized -instantly. The physicist opened one of them. - -"'Advanced Experiments in TP, by Patrick Flinn,'" he read. He laid -the publication aside and picked up another. "'A Monograph on the -Probabilities of TH,' same author." - -He quoted at random from the introductory page: "'It is therefore -my belief, based upon recent preliminary experimentation, that not -only can one mind be used to scan the thoughts of another, but that -ideas and suggestions may be implanted upon another's mind without -the knowledge of the receptor. This is not to be confused with simple -telepathic 'sending,' where the receptor is completely aware of the -other's transmission. This to which I refer may, at least in one -phase, be described as hypnotic in effect. The possibilities of such -influence over the mind-matter of another are more than somewhat -considerable....'" - -He paused, lowered the journal and gazed speculatively at Patrick -Flinn. "Telepathy, telehypnosis," he said, rolling out the words as if -they left a strange taste in his mouth. "Very interesting. Just how -much truth is there in all this stuff? I mean, how far along are you, -really?" - - * * * * * - -Flinn considered the question for a few seconds. It was one he had -heard often, especially from his colleagues at the small California -college where he held an assistantship in psychology. But after -twenty years of skepticism--he had first discovered his rudimentary -telepathic abilities just after graduating from college, and had been -experimenting and advancing ever since--he had become immune to -criticism. - -"Very few people bother to read my articles," Flinn said evenly, "and -still fewer understand them, and the _fewest_ believe. But I can tell -you I'm far enough along in my research to know that the human mind -has latent powers that are, to quote my article, more than somewhat -considerable." - -Wilmer and Hayes exchanged glances. - -"That's fine," Wilmer said, "but abstruse, wouldn't you say? What I'm -getting at is, I want to see a practical demonstration." - -"Put up or shut up, eh?" Flinn said. - -"I'd rather call it an examining of credentials," the physicist -countered. - -"All right. I don't see any connection between my work and nuclear -physics, but what do you want me to do? First, though, I'd better -explain that I might fail. I'm really just on the threshold." - -"Granted. So I'll make it easy. Suppose--" He looked over his shoulder, -faced Flinn again, and continued in a low voice: "Suppose you tell me -what the man at the far desk is thinking." - -Flinn glanced past the physicist at the stranger across the room. The -man seemed completely unaware of the others. He was poring over some -papers that were spread out upon the desk. - -Flinn focused his eyes upon the man's head. His mind was really too -steeped in fatigue for this sort of thing, but it was a chance not -to be missed, a chance to demonstrate his talents in the presence -of a responsible scientist, so he willed himself into a gradually -deepening concentration. His eyes seemed to go myopic, out of focus. A -gray, ethereal haze came into his consciousness, like swirling smoke. -_Easy?_ But presently a picture began to form, blurred at first, then -fragmentary, then coming into identifiable clarity. - -Flinn held it for a moment, before snapping back into objective -consciousness. He was grinning slightly as his eyes refocused and came -to rest on Wilmer. - -"Well?" the physicist asked. - -"What's his name?" Flinn said. - -"Barnes. Robert Barnes." - -"Say, Bob!" Flinn called out. The smallish, partially bald man at the -far desk looked up and swiveled around to face him. "Tell me something, -Bob," Flinn went on. "Do you act that way with all women, or just -blondes?" - -Barnes' placid face suddenly underwent a marvelous transformation. -First he blushed furiously. Then his jaw dropped open and the high -color began to drain away. He stared across the room, his face pallid. - -"My God!" he managed to blurt in a stricken voice. - - * * * * * - -There was dead silence in the room as Wilmer and Hayes looked from -Barnes' shocked face to Flinn's smiling one. - -"I think it's obvious--" Hayes started to say. - -"Me, too," Wilmer agreed. He looked sharply at Flinn. "Can you tell -what I'm thinking at this moment?" - -Flinn shrugged. "Not without a special effort, and I'm not going to -make that effort unless I have to." - -The physicist sighed and his tanned face relaxed a little. He looked at -Flinn with a new respect. "I guess I'd better put you in the picture." -He reopened the folder and extracted several newspaper clippings. "What -I'm about to divulge is so unbelievable that--well, I'd best break it -to you gradually. You know my job. That fact and this tan--" he pointed -to his face--"should give you an inkling of what I've been up to the -last few weeks." - -Flinn thought, and nodded. "I'm to assume that you've been out in the -Pacific, is that right?" - -"Yes," Wilmer said. "Eniwetok. Have you been following our progress in -the papers?" - -"Not really. I've been a little too busy, I'm afraid." - -"No matter." The physicist handed the clippings to Flinn. "Read these." - -Flinn scanned the first clipping. It bore a recent date. - -"'... Reliable sources,'" he read aloud, "'report that a civilian, -believed to be a scientist, is being held incommunicado in the -Pentagon. All efforts on the part of newsmen to gain additional -information have been met with polite but firm rebuffs. Spokesmen -from the AEC have refused to confirm or deny theories that the man's -detention is in some way connected with the recent fiasco at Eniwetok -Atoll ...'" - -He read the second. It was date-lined Honolulu, a week before the other. - -"'Beyond the terse comment that there were "no casualties," all -official sources are silent today concerning the news leak of the -failure of a nuclear device in our Pacific Test Area. It has been -understood that this device, the third in a series of thermonuclear -test shots, failed to detonate. Since this test was scheduled to have -been a "tower shot," under rigid instrumental control, much speculation -has arisen ...'" - -Flinn looked up hopelessly. "I don't understand. Does this concern you? -I mean--" - -"It concerns _all_ of us," Wilmer said grimly. "But I know what you're -getting at. No, I'm not the man they mention. I was in charge of that -particular test." - -Hayes cleared his throat abruptly and Wilmer nodded. - -"I want you to understand, Mr. Flinn, before we go any further, that -everything you hear and see, and have heard and seen from the time Fred -first contacted you, is to be held in the strictest confidence. Is that -clear?" - -"Yes." - -"All right. How much do you know about atomic physics?" - - * * * * * - -Flinn spread his hands. "I'm somewhat past the Democritus stage, but I -don't claim to be an expert." - -"Well, basically, in a thermonuclear explosive device, hydrogen is -transformed into helium," said Hayes. "In the process there is a loss -of mass. This loss results in a tremendous and sudden release of -energy. Are you familiar with the energy-mass relationship, E = MC^2?" - -Flinn nodded. - -"Okay. In other words, the nuclei of hydrogen atoms are fused under the -influence of great heat, resulting in a different element, less mass, a -release of energy, and an explosion." - -"I'm with you so far," Flinn said. - -"Then you realize that once this fusion process commences, nothing in -God's great universe can stop it?" - -"Yes." - -"And that after certain things are done, fusion _must_ result?" - -"Surely." - -"Well, so all of us believed, too. But we were wrong about it." - -"I don't understand. You just said--" - -"So I _said_. But let me try to describe to you the situation as it -happened." He paused, not for dramatic effect, but to take a moment -to force himself to recall what Flinn could see must have been a very -painful experience. - -"We are on the command ship," Wilmer continued, "at a safe distance -from the atoll. Everything is in readiness, checked and double-checked -by me, personally. The automatic firing process is in progress. The -last countdown has commenced. Five, four, three, two, one, zero. -_Nothing happens._ - -"I'll simplify the subsequent chain of events. After a reasonable -interval, a volunteer pilot and myself and one other man fly by -helicopter to the atoll. We climb the tower. I'm sweating and so are -the others. We're standing beside a _live hydrogen bomb_. I disconnect -the power sources and do various things to render the device safe. -Then we check. Everything--_everything_--is in working order. There is -absolutely no reason why the thing failed to detonate. Yet it did fail. - -"We fly back to the command ship. We hold an emergency conference. -We're sitting there staring at each other. Then this--this man, Dobbs, -starts to laugh. We think it is hysterics, due to the tremendous -strain that everyone has been under. But apparently it isn't. He laughs -and laughs and laughs. Finally he manages to say: 'You can't figure -it out, can you? Well, I know. Old Dobbsie knows. _It didn't explode -because I willed it not to!_'" - -Flinn's mind was almost too tired to accept what he had heard. "Are you -trying to tell me--" - -"Figure it out for yourself," Wilmer said flatly. "It's your field. -Telepathy, telehypnosis, and what's left?" - -"_Psychokinesis_," Flinn said in a stifled voice. - -"Right. Psychokinesis. Mind over matter." - - * * * * * - -Ordinarily, Patrick Flinn would have used the morning ride over -Washington's broad avenues to good advantage--this was his first visit -to the nation's capital--but his mind was too filled with the preceding -day's revelations to permit anything save minimal sightseeing. - -"I hate to keep repeating myself," Wilmer was saying, "but I must be -certain you understand what's at stake here." - -"I know," Flinn answered with some impatience. "I'm not to reveal, -under any circumstances, the fact that I have telepathic powers." - -"Correct." The physicist sat in the seat beside Flinn, and Hayes was in -front beside the driver. "Your job is to find out just how much this -man can do. We'd like to know the _way_ he does it, too, but that's -secondary." - -"It strikes me," Flinn mused, "that anyone who can influence a fusion -bomb can do anything." - -"That's what we're afraid of." Wilmer looked soberly at the -parapsychologist. "I think I can understand what's going on in your -mind. This is your special love and you're finding it difficult to -divorce yourself from pure clinical investigation. You want, really, -to talk to Dobbs as one scientist to another. But I must warn you that -this is impossible. If he gets the least inkling that you're a special -mind, something disastrous may result. As long as he gets what he -wants, fine, but rub him the wrong way and--" - -"And yet you have him a virtual prisoner and he doesn't object?" - -"Well, at least not strenuously," Wilmer said. "I don't profess to -understand a warped mind, but apparently Dobbs realizes that his -confinement is mostly protective custody. It's to his own advantage. -After all, he doesn't have to stand up at a public forum and shout -threats. All he has to do is contact the few to reach the many. And if -he has the powers he says he has, full use of them would result in his -own destruction. And he doesn't want that. He's too interested, right -now, in satisfying his own animal appetites. But faced with losing -everything--" - -"Our biggest immediate worry," Hayes said from the front seat, "is -keeping all this from the public. That's why we put Dobbs out of sight -in a hurry. There have been some leaks already, but so far most people -consider the papers' theories as just so much wild speculation. And -thank God for that. You can understand why all recognizable public -figures are keeping as far away from Dobbs as possible." - - * * * * * - -Flinn nodded; it was self-evident. There were other phases of the -problem that bothered him more. He was still vaguely and, as it seemed, -illogically worried about the several questions he had raised the day -before. - -The fact that Dobbs might have read his articles and hence might put -two and two together, despite a cover identity, was the least of -them. Flinn had never lectured in public, his efforts had received no -publicity except in specialized psychological circles, and his latest -monograph on TH had been published when Dobbs was working at the atoll. - -Wilmer, Hayes, and others had managed to assuage reasonable fears on -the other point. Flinn had always assumed that psychokinesis would be -the logical result of advanced telepathy, that they were links in -the same chain. Now it seemed that a person could be one without the -other. Either you possessed a latent ability to scan mind-matter, or an -affinity for material substance, but not necessarily both. - -Earlier, Wilmer and Hayes had devised a test to check the possibility -that Dobbs was an advanced telepath. They had mentally vilified him -beyond the ability of even an accomplished actor to resist, over -prolonged periods of time, and yet Dobbs had shown not the least -indication that he had intercepted their thoughts. But there was one -additional point. - -"You used the expression 'warped mind' in describing Dobbs," Flinn said -to Wilmer. "Is it your opinion then that he is definitely psychopathic? -The reason I ask is that scanning a confused mind may prove to be more -than I can handle." - -"I used that expression for want of a better," Wilmer answered -cautiously. "Put it this way--suppose you suddenly found you were able -to control, even in a minor way, the stuff of the universe; would you -use those powers for the benefit of mankind, or would you leap over the -traces and reach for all the things that had been denied you over the -years for moral, or legal, or whatever reasons?" - -"You paint a lurid picture," Flinn said. - -They turned down a side street in a residential district and drew up in -front of what appeared to be a large two-story private home. - -Flinn took a deep breath. He was rested now, but still uncertain -whether he was up to what lay ahead. - -After the preliminary discussion with Wilmer, Hayes, and Barnes--the -latter had proved to be a military intelligence man--the previous -afternoon, Flinn had been closeted immediately with a number of -generals, admirals, and high-ranking civilians from both houses of -Congress, the Defense Department, the Department of State, and various -security agencies. - -There had been the usual skepticism until he had performed some simple -but histrionic "mind-reading" feats, and then there had been much talk -about the responsibilities that had now become incumbent upon him and -how perhaps even the fate of the nation was in his hands. It had left -him wandering in a jungle of doubts and fears. Yet he had managed to -sleep. - -"The wonderful ability of the human mind to reject unpleasantness," he -had told himself. - -As a matter of fact, he had fallen into deep, untroubled -unconsciousness within an hour of the time his head had first touched -the pillow in the comfortable hotel room the government had provided. -Hayes had been with him. "Security," Hayes had said. - -And now, clean-shaven, his clothes neatly pressed, the substantial -breakfast still warm in his stomach, and fatigue no longer in his -muscles and nerves, Flinn told himself that he was as ready as he would -ever be. - - * * * * * - -They got out of the conservative, unmarked sedan and approached the -house. There was a man mowing the lawn, another clipping hedges, and -still another polishing a car that was parked in the driveway just -outside the spacious garage. - -"How's it going?" Hayes said to the hedge trimmer. - -"All quiet," the man answered without looking up. - -They went around the house and entered unchallenged through a side -door. It was all very casual, yet Flinn did not have to be told that -they were under constant scrutiny. - -The room in which he found himself was just off the kitchen. Three men -in working clothes sat around a table, drinking coffee. They looked -up and nodded. They seemed to be cut from much the same cloth as Fred -Hayes, even to the expression. - -"Well, well," one of them said, "the brain trust." He surveyed Flinn -with frank interest, then faced Hayes. "Say, buddy, how does a man get -a transfer out of this outfit?" - -Hayes grinned his wolfish grin. "All in good time, partner." He pointed -with his chin upstairs and raised his eyebrows. - -The man who had spoken, a large, broad-shouldered youngster with an -affably homely face, got up, stepped back from the table, and went into -a vaudevillian travesty of a bow. "The great man has been prepared and -awaits your presence." Then his expression changed. "What a party! I -never saw so much liquor in my life! It's a lucky thing the rumpus room -is soundproof." - -"And girls!" one of the seated men said. "Man, oh, man!" - -Flinn looked at Wilmer, and Wilmer shrugged as if to say, "That's the -way it is." - -"Just don't forget what you're here for," Hayes said harshly. - -"Don't fret," the big man said. "None of us touched a drop." - -"Neither did Dobbs," one of the seated men interjected. "I guess that's -the only reason he's alive today." He guffawed loudly and suggestively. - -Hayes leading, they entered a hallway and turned toward a flight of -stairs. - -"Your boys seemed very off-hand about all this," Flinn said to the -government agent. - -"Don't kid yourself," Hayes replied. "They're as nervous as cats." - - * * * * * - -"Come in, gentlemen," Dobbs called amiably from the rear of the -spacious bedroom. There was an unobtrusive man in a dark suit with him, -but he left immediately. - -Now that he was face to face with the enigmatic Mr. Dobbs, Flinn felt a -momentary sense of disappointment. - -Malcolm Dobbs sat in a straight-backed chair beside the large bed. -Next to him was a table laden with empty breakfast dishes. Dobbs was -dressed in an ordinary bathrobe. He appeared to be in his mid-forties -and had a full head of dark hair, slightly gray at the temples. His -mild, undistinguished face was only slightly less tanned than Wilmer's, -and he was of average size and weight. His dark eyes were the only -things that belied the man's composed exterior; they were intelligent, -interested, and intently watchful. A tiny smile lingered upon Dobbs' -lips, as if he were sharing only with himself some form of immensely -funny but eminently private joke. - -Flinn's total impression of the man was that he was not the sort one -would look at twice in a crowded room--under different circumstances. - -"Another delegation?" Dobbs asked. "Hello, Jack, Hayes." - -"Mal this is Mr. Dugan," Wilmer said, indicating Flinn. "He's from the -government." - -Even as he acknowledged the introduction, Flinn paused momentarily -over the casual familiarity between the physicist and the apparent -psychokinetic, until he was reminded that they were both nuclear -physicists and had been together for weeks at the atoll. Flinn found -himself wondering how close they had been and what thoughts must -be going through Wilmer's mind at the moment. But he squelched his -curiosity. He was here to scan Dobbs' mind, nobody else's. - -"Be unobtrusive," he had been warned. "Stay in the background as much -as possible and let Wilmer and Hayes carry the ball. And do the job -quickly." - -Dobbs looked Flinn over carefully, then seemed to dismiss him from his -mind, as if he had decided Flinn was of no particular importance--or no -immediate threat. - -"You boys should have been here last night," Dobbs smiled. "We had -quite a party." His smile faded and he added petulantly: "The only -thing--some of the girls weren't as cooperative as I had hoped." - -"We'll be more selective next time," Hayes promised quickly. - -"See to it," Dobbs said. - -They seated themselves, Hayes and Wilmer close to Dobbs, and Flinn just -far enough away to seem deferential without raising suspicion. - -"Now, what can I do for you?" Dobbs queried. "Another demonstration, I -assume?" - -"That's right," Wilmer said. "How about that disappearance thing again?" - - * * * * * - -Dobbs sighed. "You boys just can't get it through your skulls that what -I do isn't some sort of trick, can you? Even faced with the evidence of -the bomb." - -Wilmer raised his hands. "It's not that so much, although what you can -do, you'll have to admit, is rather unbelievable. It's the fact that -Mr. Dugan here has never seen any evidence of your powers, and the -report he will deliver to his superiors may cause even more commotion -in high places--to your advantage." - -Flinn was amazed that such a flimsy appeal to the appetites and ego of -a man as intelligent as Malcolm Dobbs could be successful. Yet it not -only could, it was. - -Dobbs looked again at Flinn, the strange smile playing upon his lips; -then he reached across the table, picked up an opaque glass water -carafe, poured out its remaining liquid into an empty cereal bowl, and -replaced it on the table. - -"We don't want water spilled over everything, do we?" he said. - -Wilmer slipped one arm behind the back of his chair and signaled -urgently to Flinn. - -Since entering the room, Flinn had been gathering all his resources -for a quick and powerful effort, and, at the sight of Wilmer's waving -fingers, he began. - -He was startled that, despite the interaction and interference of -the other thought patterns in the room, he was able to make so quick -a contact. Just before reaching Dobbs' mind, the thought impressed -itself upon Flinn that the reason was the immense mental power that was -building within, and generating from, Dobbs. It was the simplest piece -of telepathic scanning with which Flinn had ever been involved. - -For a matter of seconds, nothing happened. Then the water carafe -abruptly disappeared, its passage into apparent nothingness coincident -with a faint "pop" as the air of the room rushed in to fill the vacuum. - -Dobbs turned triumphantly and saw Flinn still in the trancelike stupor -of the telepath-in-contact. Hayes stood up to screen him, but Flinn -shook his head and managed to clear his mind quickly. - -"Your friend seems somewhat astounded," Dobbs chuckled. - -"My God!" was all Flinn could say. - -Wilmer and Hayes looked at him questioningly, and Hayes muttered: "I -think he's seen enough. Let's get out of here." - -"Come back anytime, gentlemen," Dobbs said. - -His laughter followed them as they retreated through the door and down -the hall to the stairs. - - * * * * * - -"Well?" Wilmer said. - -They sat around the table in the room just off the kitchen, steaming -cups of coffee in front of them. The three security agents who had been -in the room were gone now to their respective duties. - -Flinn gazed down into the dark depths of the coffee, trying to organize -his thoughts; trying to interpret and evaluate what he had seen. - -Wilmer and Hayes sipped their coffee, waiting with forced patience for -the parapsychologist to speak. - -Presently, Flinn shivered and looked up at them. "If he says he can -control a critical mass, or erase Washington, D. C., or destroy the -nation, you'd better believe him." - -"He's telling the truth then," Hayes said grimly. - -"Yes," Flinn answered. "Here are my findings. Somehow Dobbs has -established rapport with the atom. Any atom. Probably any number -of atoms. I doubt if he can move one single mass in the ordinary -conception of psychokinesis. That is, I doubt if he can cause a pebble, -say, to shift one millimeter. What he _can_ control are the forces that -bind atoms into molecular structures, or that hold nuclei together. Do -you understand what I mean? For example, what he did up there just -now was to get rid of the space between atoms in the molecules of that -water carafe. I saw it clearly; there's no mistake. The space ceased to -exist, the atoms crashed in upon each other, and the carafe seemed to -disappear. The mass is the same. It's simply in a different form." - -He paused and scanned the numb faces of the government agent and the -nuclear physicist beside him. - -"Let's get down to specifics," he continued. "What's his trump card? -What is it he's holding over our heads?" - -"The atmosphere," Wilmer said painfully. - -"Oxygen," Flinn mused. "Suppose Dobbs concentrated upon the oxygen -atoms all around us and caused their nuclei suddenly to fuse. What -would happen?" - -"Nobody on the face of the Earth would know what hit him," Wilmer said. -"The Moon would probably be blasted out of its orbit. And if there is -any intelligent life on Mars, they'd be treated to a sight they'd never -forget--if they survived it." - -"Well, then," Flinn said, "we've done what we came here to do. What's -the answer?" - -Hayes' face set into a hard mask. "There'll be a meeting of the brass, -of course. But I can tell you what the result will be. I'll be assigned -to kill him." - - * * * * * - -A buzz of excited conversation filled the Pentagon conference room. -Flinn sat in one of the several dozen chairs between Wilmer and Hayes -and looked at a glass ashtray that lay on the part of the long table -just in front of him. One day perhaps he, too, might be able to -influence the molecular structure of such an object. Or, more likely, -one of his descendants, because he would never be able to discover the -short-cuts now. - -Planned murder. All the resources and brains of the government, the -champion of the rights and dignity of the individual, gathered together -to plot the deliberate destruction of one man. - -It filled Flinn with sadness. It was inevitable. It had to be done. No -one had the right to put himself above the rules of social conduct and -the welfare of several billion innocent souls. And yet-- - -He found himself wondering what the Founding Fathers would think of -such a move. "... all men are endowed by their Creator with certain -unalienable rights ... Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -Executions of criminals were the result of lengthy legal processes, -during which all the rights of the individual were scrupulously -observed. But this--was he also one of the judges? Let the punishment -fit the crime. What about the judging? - -"Isn't there some other way?" Wilmer broke into his thoughts. "That's -what you're thinking, correct?" - -Flinn managed a faint smile. "And I'm supposed to be the telepath." - -"Let's be entirely rational about it," Wilmer said. "Dobbs is a -brilliant man, granted. But he is also a lecher and a coward." - -"There's some of the pig and the wolf in every man," Flinn said. - -"Depends on the extent," Wilmer went on. "Dobbs is way overboard. -And he's a craven. I know it's hard to picture a man who voluntarily -crosses a bridge into the unknown as anything but brave. I suppose -there is a sort of bravado in it. But when he turns that bridge into a -club to threaten the rest of mankind--is this courage?" He turned to -the FBI man. "What do you think about it, Fred?" - -Hayes pulled himself out of the shell of disciplined impassivity -into which he had retreated shortly after passing his own unofficial -death sentence upon Dobbs. He looked at the physicist and the -parapsychologist. - -"Nothing," Hayes said bluntly. "Absolutely nothing. I'm just one of the -expendables." - -"Aren't we all?" Wilmer said. He shrugged at Flinn. "That's why we were -chosen originally. Me because I was there at the atoll when all this -started, and was acquainted with Dobbs, and capable of understanding -the implications of his acts. Hayes because--" - -"Because I've a good enough record to be above suspicion, and because -I'm young enough not to be missed," the agent said. - -"And you, Pat," the physicist said to Flinn, "because of your unique -talents. But now we're all under the gun." - - * * * * * - -There was a lapse in the background noise, and the three turned to see -the President's representative rise and signal for order. He was a -tall, graying man, beautifully dressed, and, as he spoke, there was a -note of sad resignation in his voice. - -"So, gentlemen, since reasoning with Dobbs has proven to be useless, we -find ourselves in agreement. All that remains is to select the time and -the method. And, by the way, Mr. Hilliard--" he nodded at the Director -of the FBI--"has assured me there is no need to deviate from our -original plan, at least so far as the human element is concerned. Agent -Hayes will remain our--messenger. He seems to be ideally suited for the -job." - -There was a visible stir down the length of the table as the top men -from the government tried not to look at Fred Hayes. None of them -succeeded. Under their brief, self-conscious but probing scrutiny, -Hayes' hard face betrayed not a flicker of emotion. - -"And now the time and the method." The Presidential assistant cleared -his throat and scanned the faces of the men before him. "I should think -as soon as possible." A murmur of assent swept the room. "There remains -the problem of method. Dr. Wilmer cautions that it must be done very -efficiently. If Dobbs even suspects that his life is to be forfeit at -a predictable time--well, I hardly need tell you the danger. Director -Hilliard suggests that we leave it up to Agent Hayes, since he knows -his own capabilities better than anyone else. Mr. Hayes?" - -The tall, athletic agent rose, reached under his coat to his right hip -and produced a short-barreled revolver. He held it up. "With this," he -said laconically. "In the head. Death will be instantaneous." - -There were sudden protests from the military representatives. - -Hayes holstered the revolver and looked at his chief. Hilliard nodded, -and Hayes walked to the end of the room. From a carton, he lifted a -small bullet trap and placed it against the wall. The safe area inside -the trap was about the size of an opened magazine. Then he moved to the -conference table, picked up one of the ashtrays, returned to the trap, -and propped the tray against it. - -Appropriately, the tray was about the width of a man's head. - -Agent Hayes stood up, buttoned his coat and began walking leisurely -away from the trap. At twenty paces, he whirled. It was almost too fast -for the eye to follow, but the individual actions were these: - -With his left hand, Hayes unbuttoned his coat. With his right, he swept -open the coat, turned in a crouch, simultaneously drew the revolver, -and fired. The ashtray assumed a new identity--a scattered pile of -broken glass. - -It all happened in measurably less than a second. - -There was a collective expiration of breath from the men around the -table. - - * * * * * - -Before breakfast the next morning, there wasn't a single one of the -small group of men intimately involved with the top-priority problem -who did not know that Hayes had failed. - -This was shocking enough in itself, but what made it even more so was -the fact that Hayes was still alive to tell it--and that anyone else -was there to hear him. - -"I came as close as hell to swearing," Hayes said dully to Wilmer and -Flinn. - -Neither of them needed any special powers of observation to see that -the young agent was shaken. The three sat in the small Pentagon -office. Coffee had been served, and they were waiting now for a quorum -of the governmental officials to gather. - -"I had it lined," Hayes continued. "I'd waited half the night for -everything to be just right. I was in a good position, close and to one -side. Dobbs was as relaxed as I've ever seen him. I was just telling -myself '_Now_' when Dobbs looked directly at me and grinned. 'If you're -planning on doing anything rash, my friend, don't. You can't possibly -kill me swiftly enough to keep from destroying yourself, every person -in this room, every man, woman, and child in this city, and every -living thing on the face of this Earth.' _What could I do?_" - -"Thank God you didn't figure it was just a bluff!" Wilmer exclaimed. -"Pulling that trigger would have been the greatest blunder in history." - -"Move and countermove," Flinn mused. "It was our gambit and we were -checked before we started." - -"So I got on the open line and told the boys to fetch Flinn as quickly -as possible," Hayes went on. "But I still don't understand. I'd swear -that man read my mind." - -"I don't think so," Flinn said. "I've had two mental contacts with -Dobbs, and neither time did I get the least suggestion that he was -telepathic." - -"No need for him to be," Wilmer said. "It doesn't take a smart man to -put two and two together and arrive at four. And this man is more than -merely smart." - -"I suppose you're right," Hayes said, "but it sure knocked the props -out from under me." - - * * * * * - -They were all in attendance, most of them looking rumpled and gritty -from lack of sleep and the realization that they had been beaten. - -"I just don't know," a senator said wearily. "First a man who can -influence matter, then one who reads minds, and now the latter tells us -the former is inviolable. It's too much for me." - -"I refuse to accept defeat!" a fleet admiral thundered, bringing his -fist down upon the table explosively. He was an erect, bristling man -with an aggressive combat record in two wars. "We've lost the first -round--so what? There will be others." - -"I quite agree," the Presidential assistant said. "This man _must_ be -destroyed. Already he's beginning to make impossible demands." - -"But how do we go about it?" a congressman said. "Personally, I think -we're licked. As far as I can see, the best thing to do is let him have -his head and hope for the best." - -"_Hope for the best?_" a man from a security agency echoed -incredulously. "It's power Dobbs wants--recognized power. He wants to -be feared and worshipped. Sooner or later he'll let everyone know. His -egotism will force it. Can you conceive of what that would mean? For -myself, I'd rather see the entire human race disappear in one flash of -fire without ever knowing what hit it than live under the thumb of the -fear of destruction!" - -"Gentlemen!" The Presidential assistant rapped for order. "Let's -examine the situation rationally and seek out the flaws. There must be -some somewhere. Nothing in the mind of man is perfect." - -"Well, this comes as close as anything," Wilmer interjected. "You ask -what's wrong with the direct approach--why not shoot him while he -sleeps? Well, I'll answer with some questions. Have any of you died as -the result of a bullet in the brain? Have you ever questioned anyone -who has been killed in that manner? Then how do we know there isn't -a microsecond of awareness before life is extinguished? And even--or -especially--on the subconscious level, isn't this enough time for a -preset signal? What's the time-lag between countdown zero and the -explosion of a thermonuclear bomb?" - -"Apparently he has us blocked in every way," Flinn picked up Wilmer's -argument. "Asleep or awake. Conscious or unconscious. It's all the -same. Think of it as a special circuit in his mind. Destroy Dobbs, the -circuit shorts, and this preset signal to the oxygen atoms is sent, -their nuclei fuse, and that's the end of everything." - -He scanned the faces of the men around the conference table. "Or think -of it as a hypnotic suggestion. Under hypnosis, an individual is given -a certain order that he is to carry out whenever a certain set of -circumstances or stimuli occurs. No matter when this happens, no matter -what he is doing or thinking when the moment arrives, the subject -reacts according to the order buried in his subconscious." - -"But for every move there is a countermove," the admiral argued. "This -is a situation. A fantastic one, but a situation. There has to be an -answer." - -"I think there is," Flinn said carefully, "but it could be very risky." - - * * * * * - -It was up to the committee now. The decision rested squarely in the lap -of the United States Government. Flinn had stated his ideas, presented -his plan, and tried to give the odds--although in his heart he knew -that was impossible--so it was now out of his hands. - -Or was it? - -The parapsychologist lay on the bed in his hotel room, trying to -relax, trying to store up energy for the ordeal that might be imminent. -Hayes and Wilmer were in the room, too, awaiting word from the heavily -guarded conference chamber in the Pentagon. - -The thin physicist paced up and down, his tanned face a study in -strain. Wilmer had been with this as long as anyone, except Dobbs, and -Flinn found himself wondering what deep inner resources the man had -tapped to retain his sanity. - -The big federal agent slouched in a chair, looking at nothing. He had -lapsed again into the welcome protection of training and discipline. - -Several times during the past thirty hours, since presenting his -plan, Flinn had had to restrain himself from probing the minds of -his two associates. At a time like this, no one had the right to -invade another's privacy. And curiosity had to give way for another -reason--just one look into either of their minds might be enough to -weaken or shatter his own resolve. - -The classic dilemma. Do nothing and face a living hell. Act and court -destruction. The very simplicity of the alternatives made the problem -intolerable. - -Telehypnosis--the untried hypothesis. - -_Good Lord!_ Flinn told himself. _I'm not even proficient as a -telepath yet!_ - -Outside, he could hear the murmur of the city--the traffic, the people, -moving along their separate paths to their own destinations in the -humid afternoon heat. - -Well, anyway, once the complete curtain of security had fallen, there -had been no more leaks. Proving that if a secret was big enough, it -could be kept. - -Another classic problem. Do the people have the right to be informed? -Does forewarned really mean forearmed? And how about the other nations -of the world? - - * * * * * - -An hour after the dinner dishes had been cleared away by the government -agent dubbing as a room-service waiter, the telephone rang with an -awful insistency. - -Wilmer was the closest, but Hayes beat him to it by a full stride. - -After identifying himself, Hayes listened in silence. Then he said, -"All right," and replaced the receiver. - -He nodded at Wilmer and Flinn. - -"It's go ahead." He paused and his face seemed to change--to relent -somehow. "And they wanted me to relay this message: The President says, -'May God be with you.'" - -Flinn felt very alone and very close to something terrible. - -In the gloom of the darkened bedroom that adjoined Dobbs', he could -see Wilmer silhouetted against the meager light that came through the -curtained window from the street lamp outside and Hayes was out in the -hall. But the knowledge of the proximity of the two men did nothing -to lessen Flinn's loneliness. The committee had even couched it as an -order, trying to relieve him of that small burden, but if he failed, -who would remain to accept the blame? - -A few times in his forty-two years had Flinn wondered how it would feel -to have the fate of the world riding upon his shoulders. Now he knew -and wished he didn't. - -The door opened silently and Hayes eased in. - -"He's asleep," the agent breathed in a barely audible voice. "You can -start anytime now." - -The plan was simple, deceptively so. - -Since Dobbs' block was a kind of self-hypnotic thing, why not -countermand it with a deeper hypnotic suggestion introduced by -telepathy? If it could be done and was strong enough, the second would -counteract the first. At least for a short time. - -There were terrifying flaws--the first one obvious, the second not so -easily seen. - -Suppose Dobbs' block had inherent within it an anti-disturbance -feature that might react to any interference, including hypnotism -in any form? Then the result would be an immediate "short-circuit" -and--disaster. - -Trembling with the responsibility that was upon him, Flinn forced -himself into a deep concentration, an almost cataleptic trance. All -details of the room faded from his consciousness. There was the -familiar gray, swirling mist, and, for what seemed an intolerably long -time, he fought to make contact with the sleeping man's mind. He almost -sobbed aloud from the effort. - -Then at last he found it, entered, and gradually pushed down through -the subconscious. - - * * * * * - -He was seeking now, probing for the deep-seated level of the block that -he had discovered the second time he had investigated Dobbs' mind. - -It was very difficult with the sleeping man and, before he found -it, more than once he felt himself standing on the precipice of the -unknown, close to slipping away into a fright-filled nothingness. - -Finally, he had it, clear and cold. The strange, unhuman, inscrutable -area that was in diabolical rapport with the basic stuff of one element -of the atmosphere. Flinn lingered there for a while, wondering again -why he could not read it completely, then forced himself on and on, -deeper and deeper, until at last he felt the limit had been reached. - -His own warning thought intruded, telling him that this was the place. -And the time for the first test was at hand. He could not afford the -luxury of another pause. His resolve might crack.... - -The thought arced like a high-voltage spark, the preamble of the -counter-suggestion: _You are to do nothing. No matter what happens, no -matter what is done to you, you are to take no action whatsoever. You -are not to react. You are to do nothing. You are to disregard every -thought but this._ - -The battle had been joined. The interference had bridged the gap--yet -the block remained dormant! - -The first hurdle had been cleared. - -For the better part of three hours, Flinn continued to transmit the -counter-suggestion. Although he was not aware of it, sweat rolled from -every pore of his body and his nerves spasmed in unfelt agony. - -Something happened. - -Flinn lost contact as a shrill of warnings welled through Dobbs' mind. - -A second later, the door opened and Hayes' voice hissed: "He's awake!" - -Flinn returned to awareness slowly. First he was conscious only of how -tired he was, and then he knew that a voice was trying to reach him, -and he felt a handkerchief swabbing at his face. - -Wilmer bent over him in the gloom. - -Hayes said in Flinn's ear: "Dobbs is awake. He knows something's wrong. -He's moving around in there." - -"Then go ahead," Flinn heard his voice say. "There won't be a better -time." - -"Maybe we should wait," Wilmer cautioned. - -"No! Do it now. Hurry!" - -The agent stiffened, stepped back, and disappeared. - -They heard the door to Dobbs' room open and close and the sound of -voices. - -There was an exclamation, then Dobb's voice shouting: "What are you -doing? Are you crazy? I warn you, _I'll take every one of you with -me_!" Then a sudden explosion, muffled, but still shockingly loud, and -the thump of a heavy object falling. - -Flinn could not bring himself to move a muscle. - - * * * * * - -The silence seemed absolute. It was as if even the house itself were -listening, straining, preparing itself for the inevitable. - -One second passed. - -Two. - -Five. - -Ten. - -_Nothing happened._ - -Abruptly, Wilmer shouted: "It's all over!" - -Flinn heard footfalls upon the stairs and the sound of excited voices. - -Hayes burst into the room and turned on the light, the .357 magnum -still in his hand. His face was pale; his mouth worked, but no sound -emerged. - -Flinn found that his muscles would obey him now, and he stood up and -headed for the door. He felt numb, drained. He stepped out into the -hall. Every special agent and security man on the premises was crowded -there. - -Flinn turned back to Hayes. - -"I never thought to ask before," Flinn said. "Dobbs--did he have any -close living relatives? A wife? Children?" - -Hayes shook his head. - -"Thank God for that!" Flinn said. - -He started down the hall toward the stairs. The men there grew silent -as he approached and moved soundlessly out of his way. - -He went down the stairs, through the room off the kitchen, and outside -to the driveway. He looked up at the dark sky. - -_It's over_, he told himself. _And now I'm a murderer. All of us are. A -guilt shared by the few to save the many. But the few are the product -of the many, just as each individual is, so where are we to place the -blame?_ - -Twenty years of research, and where had it led? - -Somewhere he had failed as society had failed, and, even in success, -Flinn could feel no flush of victory. - -The Earth was safe, but every human upon it had died a little without -even knowing it. - -_Yes, it's over_, Flinn thought finally. _For now. Until the next time._ - -He could see no stars. In a while it would be dawn. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Death's Wisher, by Jim Wannamaker - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEATH'S WISHER *** - -***** This file should be named 51767.txt or 51767.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/7/6/51767/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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