"Julian May - The Pliocene Exiles 04 - The Adversary" - читать интересную книгу автора (May Julian)

under the benevolent overlordship of the Tanu. Rough work
was done by small ramapithecine apes who were, ironically, part
of the direct hominid line that would climax in Homo sapiens
six million years in the future. The ramas wore tiny grey torcs
that compelled obedience; they had been used in largely abortive
breeding experiments by the Tanu prior to the arrival of time-
travelling humans.

Certain human slaves were also fitted with the collarlike torcs.
Those who occupied positions of trust or were engaged in vital
pursuits wore grey torcs similar to those fitted to the ramas.
These did not amplify the mind, but did allow telepathic commu-
nication with the Tanu, who were also able to administer punish-
ment or reward through the device. Luckier humans, who
showed evidence of metapsychic latencies when tested, were
given silver torcs. These were similar to the golden collars worn
by the Tanu, making latent metafaculties operant. The silver
torcs contained control circuits, however, and disobedience
brought swift and excruciating punishment. Silver-torc humans
were accepted as conditional citizens of the Tanu kingdom, and
under certain circumstances the silvers might be granted golden
torcs and full freedom. For humans as well as for Tanu the
torcs were potentially hazardous. Occasionally an incompatible

human torc wearer would be driven insane or killed outright by
the device. Pathological reactions were especially likely among
humans without significant metapsychic latencies.

The eight members of Group Green were to be mind-tested by
Tanu overlords immediately upon their arrival in the Pliocene,
as were all time-travellers. Five of them were "normal," that is,
possessing latencies far below the threshold of potential oper-
ancy. These were Claude Majewski, an elderly paleontologist;
Sister Amerie Roccaro, a physician and burnt-out priest; Stein
Oleson, a herculean planet-crust driller; Richard Voorhees, a
disgraced starship captain; and Bryan Grenfell, an anthropolo-
gist who had followed his lover, Mercy Lamballe, into the
Pliocene.

The other three members of Group Green were anything but
"normal." Aiken Drum, a charming young criminal, showed
very strong latencies and was fitted with a silver torc. Felice
Landry, a disturbed young athlete, knew that she also possessed
extremely powerful latent metafaculties; but for reasons of her
own, she refused to cooperate with the Tanu overlords and was
able to postpone being tested.

The eighth and most unusual member of Group Green was
Elizabeth Orme. In the Milieu, she had been a fully operant
Grand Master metapsychics, an honoured teacher. Through a