The Dark Design by Phillip Jose Farmer

“Where were these people?

“Spruce answered that they were elsewhere, and that was all he would say on the subject.

“Monat then asked him how the people of the Earth had been recorded. That is, what device had the Ethicals used to make recordings of our bodies? Since it was obvious that scientific, not supernatural, means were used to resurrect us, that meant that everyone from the Old Stone Age to 2008 a.d. had somehow been observed, the structure of every cell of a person’s body recorded, and this recording was stored somewhere to be used later in the re­creation of the body.

“Monat said that the recordings must be placed in an energy-matter converter, whereupon the body was duplicated. The effects of injuries, wounds, and diseases that had caused death were can­celled. Amputated limbs and organs were restored. I myself saw some of this regeneration process when I awoke in the preresurrec-tion space. Also, those aged past twenty-five were rejuvenated.

“Monat further speculated that the bodies in the PR bubble were destroyed after the regeneration process was completed. But record­ings of the new bodies had been made, and these recordings were used in the final stage, the great resurrection, when all of us appeared together on that never-to-be-forgotten day.

“Monat supposed that the resurrection was accomplished through the metal of the grailstone system. That is, all the stones are connected deep underground to form a circuit of some sort, and the energy is supplied from the hot nickle-iron core of this planet.

“Monat then said, “The big question is why?’

“Spruce said, ‘If you had it in your power to do all this, would you not think it your ethical duty?”

“Monat said that he would think so. But he would bring back to life only those who deserve a second life.

“Spruce became angry then. He replied that Monat was setting himself up as an equal of God. Everybody, no matter how stupid, selfish, petty, brutal, etcetera, must be given another chance to redeem themselves, to make themselves worthy. It would not be done for them; they must, somehow, lift themselves by their own moral bootstraps.

“Monat asked Spruce how long this process would take. A thousand years? Two? A million?

“Spruce became angry, and he shouted, ‘You will stay here as long as it takes you to be rehabilitated! Then . . .’

“He paused, glaring at us as if he hated us, and he said, ‘Con­tinued contact with you makes even the toughest of us take on your characteristics. We then have to go through a rehabilitation process ourselves. Already, I feel unclean . . .’

“One of the councillors, wishing to press him, urged that he be put over the fire until he would talk freely.

“Spruce cried, ‘No, you won’t! I should have done this long ago! Who knows what . . .'”

Burton paused dramatically.

“Then Spruce fell dead!”

There were gasps, and someone said, “Mein Gott!”

“Yes, but that isn’t the end of the story. Spruce’s body was taken away for dissection. It seemed too coincidental that he should have had a heart attack. Not only was it too convenient for him, it was unheard of.

“While he was being dissected, we discussed what happened. Some thought that he was lying to us. Or, at least, only giving us half-truths. We did agree on one thing. That was that there were people in this Valley who were agents of the Ethicals or perhaps the Ethicals themselves. These did not bear the mark on their foreheads.

“But it seemed likely that we would not be able to distinguish them anymore by using Kazz’s peculiar visual powers. Spruce would be resurrected wherever their headquarters was. He would report to the others that we now knew about the symbols. And of course they would put the mark on their agents.

“This would take time, and in the meantime Kazz might detect others. But this has not happened. Neither he nor Besst has seen anybody unmarked. Again, of course, this does not mean too much. They have to get a close look under certain conditions to see the mark.

‘ “Three hours later, the surgeon reported to us. There was nothing remarkable about Spruce. Nothing to distinguish him from, other members of Homo sapiens.”