its credibility now, in spite of its deep and authoritative tone. “Are
you saying you not only see the future as it will be but as it might
have been?”
“Yes”
“Aren’t we back to your being God now?”
“No. I do not see as clearly as God. But I see” In his boyish best
humor again, Jim smiled at the kaleidoscopic patterns of light,
obviously excited and pleased by all that he was hearing.
Holly turned away from the wall, crossed the room, squatted beside her
suitcase, and opened it.
Jim loomed over her. “What’re you doing?”
“Looking for this,” she said, producing the notebook in which she had
chronicled the discoveries she’d made while researching him. She got
up, opened the notebook, and paged to the list of people whose lives he
had saved prior to Flight 246. Addressing the entity throbbing through
the limestone, she said, “May fifteenth. Atlanta, Georgia. Sam Newsome
and his five-year-old daughter Emily. What are they going to contribute
to humanity that makes them more important than all the other people who
died that day?”
No answer was forthcoming.
“Well?” she demanded.
“Emily will become a great scientist and discover a cure for a major
disease” Definitely a note of pomposity this time.
“What disease?”
“Why do you not believe me Miss Thorne?” The Friend spoke as formally
as an English butler on duty, yet in that response, Holly felt she heard
the subtle pouting tone of a child under the dignified, reserved sur She
said, “Tell me what disease, and maybe I’ll believe you.”
“Cancer”
“Which cancer? There are all types of cancer.”
“All cancers” She referred to her notebook again. “June seventh.
Corona, California Louis Andretti.”
“He will father a child who will grow up to become a great diplomat. ”
Better than dying of multiple rattlesnake bites, she thought.
She said, “June twenty-first. New York City. Thaddeus”
“He will become a great artist whose work will give millions of people
hope.”
“He seemed like a nice kid,” Jim said happily, buying into the whole
thing. “I liked him.”
Ignoring him, Holly said, “June thirtieth. San Francisco-”
“Rachael Steinberg will give birth to a child who will become a great h
spiritual leader” That voice was bugging her. She knew she had heard it
before. But where?
“July fifth-”
“Miami; Florida. Carmen Diaz She will give birth to a child who will
become president of the United States” Holly fanned herself with the
notebook and said, “Why not president of the world?”
“July fourteenth. Houston, Texas. Amanda Cutter She will give birth to
a child who will &be a great peacemaker”
“Why not the Second Coming?” Holly asked.
Jim had moved away from her. He was leaning against the wall between
two windows, the display of light quietly exploding around him. “What’s
the matter with you?” he asked.
“It’s all too much,” she said.
“What is?”
“Okay, it says it wants you to save special people.”
“To help mankind”
“Sure, sure,” Holly said to the wall.
To Jim she said, “But these people are all just too special, don’t you
think? Maybe it’s me, but it all seems overblown, it’s gotten trite
again.
Nobody’s growing up to be just a damned good doctor, or a businessman
who creates a new industry and maybe ten thousand jobs, or an honest and
courageous cop, or a terrific nurse. No, they’re great diplomats, great
scientists, great politicians, great peacemakers.
Great, great, great!”
“Is this adversarial journalism?”
“Damn right.”
He pushed away from the wall, used both hands to smooth his thick hair
back from his forehead, and cocked his head at her. “I see your point,
why it’s starting to sound like another episode of Outer Limits to you,
but let’s think about this. It’s a crazy, extravagant situation. A
being from another world, with powers that seem godlike to us, decides
to use me to better the chances of the human race. Isn’t it logical
that he’d send me out to save special, really special people instead of
your theoretical business tycoon?”
“Oh, it’s logical,” she said. “It just doesn’t ring true to me, and
I’ve got a fairly well-developed nose for deception.”
“Is that why you were a great success as a reporter?”