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they were prepared in case anyone survived except Brandy, since they would
certainly be rushed to the Center-after quarantine and examination. That gave
them, ahead of time, the names of any survivors, namely me, and the nature and
extent of the wound. Again, they pulled their favorite trick.
"Care at the Center for most things is automated and computer controlled and
monitored. The physician with his diagnostic computer just puts in the
treatment and the like and it's done. Knowing it was a head wound and which
doctor was alerted, they used the standard security taps on all medical
emergencies and intercepted the doctor's instructions, adding a small extra
detail, a slightly higher level of a support drug that would keep me comatose
indefinitely. It was such a fine difference it took months before any doctor
noticed it and questioned it."
"Who could tap into the medical line with such knowledge and finesse?" Mayar
asked.
"In a minute, sir. First, why Brandy? Well, first of all, they'd just lost
their experimental subjects and the heat was on. It was going to be dangerous
to bring in more than small quantities of the needed semen in the future. My
death- or, as it turned out, my coma-sent her into severe depression. They
knew her well, had her entire mental profile. She would go in after the only
lead left. This did them several favors. First, since Brandy went in and would
be giving detailed, inside reports, Aldrath would hold off on a major
commitment there pending what she found. Second, they could control those
reports, via Crockett, and keep Aldrath more concerned about Brandy's safety
than about what was actually there. Finally, they already had a Brandy of
their own, one taken in the usual manner from a world close to ours but where
the duplicate's life was, shall we say, less fortunate and the individual more
opportunist."
Brandy Two smiled. "How sweet."
"The idea was an eventual switch. Brandy Two would be primed and sent back as
Brandy One. They were very impressed by our Brandy, and none too sure that she
could or would carry out their orders implicitly, hooked or not. There were a
few circumstances in the Vogel tests where people committed suicide rather
than face an impossible alternative. They couldn't take the chance. Brandy
Two, as
Brandy One, would have Aldrath's confidence here and Bill Markham's at home.
She would also be an effective test case if they found the right element for
their plot, since she could walk right into this world of yours on a security
pass."
"Impossible!" Mukasa shouted. "You go too far. It is precisely because such
twins exist that we have our unique security codes. Even twins from adjacent
worlds who have precisely the same history and development will show up as
different individuals under our system."
"And so would both of them-but they don't. They don't, because Brandy One's
original code still has the security code and tracker superimposed on it and
that drowns out and supersedes the old code. That code is intended to be
temporary and so it's not in the master identification system as such."
"But only the security medical technician who imposed it would know that
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%....%20Inc%202%20-%20The%20Shadow%
20Dancers.txt (133 of 146) [1/19/03 4:19:24 PM]
file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%20Jack%20L%20-%20G.O.D.%20Inc%202%
20-%20The%20Shadow%20Dancers.txt specific code and be able to provide it for
duplication!" Mayar pointed out.
"Exactly so. Isn't that right, Chief Medical Security Advisor Jamispur?"
The doc jumped. "Look here, if you're implying that I'm a part of this
conspiracy-"
"I apologize, sir. I was not implying anything. I am saying that you are the
medical technician who knew and took Carlos under your wing when you were
younger. I am saying that you were the ambitious and frustrated scientist
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tapped by our man to set this all up. That's why you got promoted to Chief
Medical
Security Advisor, so you could be in the best position for this."
"Now, hold on! I picked Jamispur!" Mayar said.
"How?"
"Why-computer records, job performance and proficiency, medical and
psychiatric evaluations. The usual. He was the best man for the job."
"Of course he was. Because for several years our man had been letting the
computer know all about Jamispur- exactly what they both wanted. He probably
scored ninety-nine out of a possible hundred. Doesn't pay to be absolutely
perfect. Your computer picked him from among the staff after that tragic flyer
'accident' killed his predecessor. Garbage in, garbage out. How does it feel
to be garbage, Doc?"
"This is outrageous!" Jamispur stormed. "I will not sit here and allow any
more of this insanity to continue!"
"Oh, yes, you will," said young Dakani softly, speaking for the first time.
The tone left no doubt that the doc was gonna stay, whether tied up and
muzzled or comfortable. Dakani and he was the same class; no political or
jurisdictional problems there.
"It had to be Jamispur all along. He was the only one who could duplicate the
security code. He was the only one who could feed that code to Carlos and his
accomplices, via Addison, so that they could set their own tracers for the
ambush. He was the only one who had the complete medical and psychiatric
history of Brandy One and even had the opportunity right from the start to
plant the seed in her mind that if anything happened to me she'd do what she
did. As chief medical security advisor, he could tap into any of the Center's
lines as well as just call security at the station and know exactly what to do
to neutralize me-all by phone, or its equivalent, here, with his trusty little
computer and all those wonderful access codes a top security position gives
you. What was it, Doc? Ambition? Blackmail? Or did they just keep refusing to
let you experiment on your own with people?"
"I have rights here. I do not have to answer to the likes of you," the doc
responded kinda surly.
"No doubt. And no doubt you're good enough to have booby-trapped your own mind
and memories. We start probing and prying and it all goes away. Don't worry,
Doc. We're not even gonna try that stuff. We'll just walk you down to this [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]