"Damon Knight - Turncoat" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knight Damon)

TURNCOAT
A Novel by Damon Knight

PROLOGUE

1990: THE pressroom on the eightieth floor of the World Legislature Building was a bedlam, but it
quieted the minute the big sandy-haired man walked in.
"You know what we want, Doctor," somebody called. "Let's have it."
"Print this," said Dr. Kusko, enunciating clearly.



"The passage by the World Legislature today, of the bill creating a universal analogue treatment
program, not only gives me and my associates a very deep gratification, but should be a cause for
rejoicing on the part of every citizen of this globe. This date marks the begin-ning of the world's maturity.
We have put an end to war, to crimes of violence, to conspiracy against the peace, to cor-ruption in
public office, to all the myriad insanities that have oppressed and di-vided us since the beginning of
history. From now on, we go forward."
Pencils scribbled busily for another second or two. "What are you going to do next, Doctor ?" asked
a reporter.
Kusko grinned. "Off the recordтАФ" A groan went up; the big man's grin wid-ened. "Off the record,
I've spent the last twenty years, figuratively speaking, in building a bug-trap. Now that it's built, I'm going
to sleep for thirty-six hours, spend the next twelve getting reac-quainted with my wifeтАФand after that,
praise God, I believe I can begin to get some real work done."
"Some of us thought," said a woman, "that Mr. Haggerty of the Civil Rights Commission might block
the passage of the bill at this session and perhaps de-feat it altogether. Have you any com-ment on that?"
"How could he?" Kusko asked. "Hag-gerty had the analogue treatment him-self six years ago. He
was developing a suicidal maniaтАФoff the record."
After an uncertain pause, the woman said, "Dr. Kusko, forgive me if I'm misinterpreting youтАФdo you
mean that when you treated Mr. Haggerty for that condition, that you also deliberately made it impossible
for him to interfere with the passage of this bill?"
"That's what I mean," siad Kusko.' "Just as all of you in this room have had the treatment to keep you
from reveal-ing anything your informant asks you to keep quietтАФotherwise you wouldn't be getting this
story. The only difference is, Haggerty didn't know what was be-ing done to him. Neither did the
fifty-odd world senators who came to us for one reason or another. And everything I have just said, by
the way, isтАФvery defi-nitelyтАФoff the record."
Most of the reporters laughed. They liked Kusko; you couldn't help it.
"The end justifies the means, is that it, Doctor?" said a little-man in the front row, who had not
laughed.
"In this case," said Kusko seriously, "it does."

2035: "Gentlemen," said the bulky, well-groomed man at the head of the table, "now that the mutual
intro-ductions are over, you undoubtedly realize that we have here a rather unique assemblage. Here in
this room are repre-sentatives of some of the major interests in every field of production in North
America, from food to steel. Together, the companies we represent can clothe Mr. Average North
American Consum-er, feed him, amuse him, keep him healthy, house him, and sell him every-thing he
needs or wants: And we are all interested in that same consumer, yet we are not in competition with one
an-other. For that reason"тАФhe cleared his throatтАФ"I believe that every one of you will be intensely
interested in the propo-sition I have to lay before you here today."
He glanced down the double line of faces, then consulted his notes. "As a matter of fact," he said,