3001 The Final Odyssey

chapter 21 Quarantine
'Do you believe in ghosts, Dim?'

'Certainly not: but like every sensible man, I'm afraid of them. Why do you ask?'

'If it wasn't a ghost, it was the most vivid dream I've ever had. Last night I had a conversation with Dave Bowman.'

Poole knew that Captain Chandler would take him seriously, when the occasion required; nor was he disappointed.

'Interesting - but there's an obvious explanation. You've been living here in the Bowman Suite, for Deus's sake! You told me yourself it feels haunted.'

'I'm sure - well, ninety-nine per cent sure - that you're right, and the whole thing was prompted by the discussions I've been having with Prof. Ted. Have you heard the reports that Dave Bowman occasionally appears in Anubis? About once every hundred years? Just as he did to Dr Floyd aboard Discovery, after she'd been reactivated.'

'What happened there? I've heard vague stories, but never taken them seriously.'

'Dr Khan does - and so do I - I've seen the original recordings. Floyd's sitting in my old chair when a kind of dust-cloud forms behind him, and shapes itself into Dave - though only the head has detail. Then it gives that famous message, warning him to leave.'

'Who wouldn't have? But that was a thousand years ago. Plenty of time to fake it.'

'What would be the point? Khan and I were looking at it yesterday. I'd bet my life it's authentic.'

'As a matter of fact, I agree with you. And I have heard those reports...'

Chandler's voice trailed away, and he looked slightly embarrassed.

'Long time ago, I had a girl-friend here in Anubis. She told me that her grandfather had seen Bowman. I laughed.'

'I wonder if Ted has that sighting on his list. Could you put him in touch with your friend?'

'Er - rather not. We haven't spoken for years. For all I know, she may be on the Moon, or Mars... Anyway, why is Professor Ted interested?'

'That's what I really wanted to discuss with you.'

'Sounds ominous. Go ahead,'

'Ted thinks that Dave Bowman - or whatever he's become - may still exist - up there on Europa.'

'After a thousand years?'

'Well - look at me.'

'One sample is poor statistics, my maths prof. used to say. But go on.'

'It's a complicated story - or maybe a jigsaw, with most of the pieces missing. But it's generally agreed that something crucial happened to our ancestors when that Monolith appeared in Africa, four million years ago. It marks a turning point in prehistory - the first appearance of tools - and weapons - and religion... That can't be pure coincidence. The Monolith must have done something to us - surely it couldn't have just stood there, passively accepting worship...'

'Ted's fond of quoting a famous palaeontologist who said "TMA ZERO gave us an evolutionary kick in the pants". He argues that the kick wasn't in a wholly desirable direction. Did we have to become so mean and nasty to survive? Maybe we did... As I understand him, Ted believes that there's something fundamentally wrong with the wiring of our brains, which makes us incapable of consistent logical thinking. To make matters worse, though all creatures need a certain amount of aggressiveness to survive, we seem to have far more than is absolutely necessary. And no other animal tortures its fellows as we do. Is this an evolutionary accident - a piece of genetic bad luck?

'It's also widely agreed that TMA ONE was planted on the Moon to keep track of the project - experiment - whatever it was - and to report to Jupiter - the obvious place for Solar System Mission Control. That's why another Monolith - Big Brother - was waiting there. Had been waiting four million years, when Discovery arrived. Agreed so far?'

'Yes; I've always thought that was the most plausible theory.'

'Now for the more speculative stuff. Bowman was apparently swallowed up by Big Brother, yet something of his personality seems to have survived. Twenty years after that encounter with Heywood Floyd in the second Jupiter expedition, they had another contact aboard Universe, when Floyd joined it for the 2061 rendezvous with Halley's Comet. At least, so he tells us in his memoirs - though he was well over a hundred when he dictated them.'

'Could have been senile.'

'Not according to all the contemporary accounts! Also - perhaps even more significant - his grandson Chris had some equally weird experiences when Galaxy made its forced landing on Europa. And, of course, that's where the Monolith - or a Monolith - is, right now! Surrounded by Europans...'

'I'm beginning to see what Dr Ted's driving at. This is where we came in - the whole cycle's starting over again. The Europs are being groomed for stardom.'

'Exactly - everything fits. Jupiter ignited to give them a sun, to thaw out their frozen world. The warning to us to keep our distance - presumably so that we wouldn't interfere with their development...'

'Where have I heard that idea before? Of course, Frank - it goes back a thousand years - to your own time! "The Prime Directive"! We still get lots of laughs from those old Star Trek programmes.'

'Did I ever tell you I once met some of the actors? They would have been surprised to see me now... And I've always had two thoughts about that non-interference policy. The Monolith certainly violated it with us, back there in Africa. One might argue that did have disastrous results...'

'So better luck next time - on Europa!' Poole laughed, without much humour. 'Khan used those exact words.'

'And what does he think we should do about it? Above all - where do you come into the picture?'

'First of all, we must find what's really happening on Europa - and why. Merely observing it from space is not enough.'

'What else can we do? All the probes the Medes have sent there were blown up, just before landing.'

'And ever since the mission to rescue Galaxy, crew-carrying ships have been diverted by some field of force, which no one can figure out. Very interesting: it proves that whatever is down there is protective, but not malevolent. And - this is the important point - it must have some way of scanning what's on the way. It can distinguish between robots and humans.'

'More than I can do, sometimes. Go on.'

'Well, Ted thinks there's one human being who might make it down to the surface of Europa - because his old friend is there, and may have some influence with the 'powers-that-be.'

Captain Dimitri Chandler gave a long, low whistle.

'And you're willing to risk it?'

'Yes: what have I got to lose?'

'One valuable shuttle craft, if I know what you have in mind. Is that why you've been learning to fly Falcon?'

'Well, now that you mention it... the idea had occurred to me.'

'I'll have to think it over - I'll admit I'm intrigued, but there are lots of problems.'

'Knowing you, I'm sure they won't stand in the way - once you've decided to help me.'