The Dark Design by Phillip Jose Farmer

“Of course, it took a long time to run your memory track for the seven years since you’ve been here. And it required an enormous amount of energy and materials. But the computer Loga monitored was set to run your memory at high-speed and stop only when you were visited by that filthy renegade. So, we know what happened then exactly as you knew what happened. We saw what you saw, heard what you heard, felt what you touched, what you smelled. We even experienced your emotions.

“Unfortunately, you were visited at night, and the traitor was effectively disguised. Even his voice was filtered through a distorter which prevented the computer from analyzing his-or her-voice-prints. I say his or her because all you saw was a pale thing without identifiable features, sexual or otherwise. The voice seemed to be masculine, but a female could have used a transmitter to make it seem a man’s.

“The body odor was also false. The computer analyzed it, and it’s obvious that a chemical complex altered that.

“In short, Burton, we have no idea which of us is the renegade, nor do we have any idea why he or she would be working against us. It is almost inconceivable that anyone who knew the truth would try to betray us. The only explanation is that the person is insane. And that, too, is inconceivable.”

The Burton in the pit knew, somehow, that Thanabur had not spoken those words during the first performance, the real drama. He also knew that he was dreaming, that he was sometimes putting words in Thanabur’s mouth. The man’s speech was made up of Burton’s own thoughts, speculations, and fantasies which were afterthoughts.

The Burton in the chair now voiced some of these.

“If you can read a person’s mind-tape it, as it were-why don’t you read your own minds? Surely you have done that? And just as surely, you would have found your traitor.”

Loga, looking uncomfortable, said, “We submitted to a reading, of course. But …”

He raised his shoulders and spread out his palms upward.

Thanabur said, “So, the person you call X must have been lying to you. He is not one of us but one of the second-order, an agent. We are calling them in for memory scanning. That takes time, however. We have plenty of that. The renegade will be caught.”

The Burton in the chair said, “And what if none of the agents is guilty?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Loga said. “In any event your memory of awakening in the preressurection bubble will be erased. Also, your memory of the renegade’s visit and all events from that time on will be a blank space. We are truly sorry to have to do this violent act. But it is necessary, and the time will come, we hope, when we can make amends.”

The Burton in the chair said, “But… I will have many recollections of the preressurection place. You forget that I often thought of that between the time I awoke on the banks and X’s visit. Also, I told many people about it.”

Thanabur said, “Ah, but do they really believe you? And if they do, what can they do about it? No, we do not want to remove your entire memory of your life here. It would cause you great distress; it would remove you from your friends. And”-here Thanabur paused-“it might slow down your progress.”

“Progress?”

“There is time for you to find out what that means. The insane person who claims to be aiding you was using you for his own purposes. He did not tell you that you were throwing away your opportunity for eternal life by carrying out his designs. He or she, whoever the traitor is, is evil. Evil, evil!”

“Now, now,” Loga said. “We all feel strongly about this but we must not forget. The . . . unknown is sick.”

The jewel-eyed man said, “To be sick is, in a sense, to be evil.”

The Burton in the chair threw back his head and laughed loudly and long.

“So you bastards don’t know everything?”

He stood up, the gray fog supporting him as if it were solid, and he shouted, “You don’t want me to get to the headwaters of The River! Why? Why?”