Zelazny, Roger - Novel 07 Read Online Free Page A

vessels. Periodically, one of them is awakened to monitor
the human race's progress and to make whatever adjustments may be required to
keep things moving along the proper track."
                   "Toward our destruction?"
                   "Yes. They have calculated things pretty
closely— possibly having had experience with this sort of situation before—so
that the planet becomes suitable for them at just about the point where it
becomes uninhabitable for humanity. Your purpose is to do the job for them and
expire at its completion."
                   "How could such a type of being have
evolved? I cannot understand the natural development of a creature adapted to a
planet despoiled in such a sophisticated fashion. Unless—"
                   The other shrugged. "—unless they are
some secondary species evolved on an already ruined world? Or the primary one,
struck by a fortuitous run of mutations? Or perhaps they were far enough along
in the life sciences to induce the changes to save themselves after they had
already wrecked their world? I do not know. I only know that they seek a
particular sort of post-ecological-catastrophe environment and that they are
well on their way to achieving it here."
                   "You said that they keep us under surveillance,
and make—adjustments?"
                   "Yes."
                   "This would seem to indicate that our
programming to achieve their ends is not perfect."
                   "True. For the past several thousand
years they have been keeping a much closer watch over human society than they had
previously. They have always been wary of prodigies, prophets, possible
mutations, who might redirect the course of events in undesirable directions.
Their impact could be greater now than, say, ten thousand years ago. Also,
statistically, the possibility of their occurrence has increased. Consequently,
they were much more alert during this time to stifle premature technological
developments which might have slowed or thwarted their program, and to
discourage philosophical tendencies which could have had similar effects. On
the other hand, they encouraged the opposite. For an example, they saw an
advantage in promoting the otherworldly aspects of Christianity, Buddhism and
Islam for purposes of minimizing the importance of the Earth itself. They have dealt
with hundreds of philosophers, scientific thinkers—"
                   "Dealt with?"
                   "Killed or ruined, or backed and
assisted—as the case may be."
                   "It is a terrible picture that you
paint," said Van Duyn. "Why have you told me all these things?"
                   The dark man looked away, out over the city,
fingering a medallion he wore about his neck.
                   "I have fought them," he finally
said, "for ages. At best, I might have succeeded in slowing things a bit.
Now, though, our struggle is rushing to a conclusion— the conclusion toward
which they directed the race so long ago. I am not certain how much of a chance
remains. It would almost seem necessary to effect some change in the nature of
man in order to defeat them. What or how, I do not know. What I am attempting
now is to buy time, to slow things as much as possible, while I continue to
search for an answer. The passage of the resolution now before the General
Assembly would help in this—considerably. I was aware that the voting would run
very close. This is why I arranged for a spectacle—your assassination. I felt
that with the endorsement of a martyr, its chances of passage would be
considerably improved. At the last moment, however, I realized that my respect,
my fondness for you, would not permit me to proceed quite so coldbloodedly. I
owed you this much of explanation. By then, though, it was too late to stop the
assassin. And unnecessary. While no one has ever succeeded