[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

femaker.txt (39 of 222) [1/19/03 5:15:02 PM]
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20James%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20L
ifemaker.txt explode the myths upon which the prejudices and the fantasies
were based.
He left home at the age of nineteen and teamed up with a Russian defector who
was causing a small stir in Europe by claiming to have been a subject of
top-secret Soviet military experiments in psychic perception. Over the
following few years, which proved educational as well as profitable, young
Zammerschnigg came to recognize fully his own innate talents, and in the
process discovered an irresistible way to thumb his nose at the whole system
of stylized rules and artificial standards by which the drab, the dreary, the
gullible, and the conforming would have had him be like them.
The Russian, however, was not attuned to exploiting the opportunities afforded
by commercialized Western mass-media culture. So Zammerschnigg changed his
name and embarked on his own career with the aid of an influential West German
magazine publisher. Within five years Karl
Zambendorf had become a celebrity.
His road to worldwide fame and fortune opened up in Hamburg when he was
introduced to Dr. of what, was obscure Osmond Periera from Arizona, a
researcher of the paranormal and a convinced UFOlogist who had written a
number of best-sellers claiming among other things that the roughly circular
North Polar Sea was in fact a gigantic crater caused by the crash of an
anti-matter-powered alien spacecraft; that the area had once been a continent
harboring an advanced human culture ("Polantis," not Atlantis the legend had
been distorted); and that a polar shift and the climatic upheavals caused by
the impact were at the root of all kinds of ancient myths and legends.
Ridicule from the scientific community had merely reinforced Periera's
lifelong ambition to go down in history as the Sigmund
Freud of parapsychology; and after his "discovery" of Zambendorf, he displayed
the fervor and ecstasy of a wandering ascetic who had at last found his guru.
Whatever else his peculiarities, Periera's books had made money, which meant
he possessed the connections necessary to boost
Zambendorf to even higher orbits; accordingly, Zambendorf accepted an
invitation to accompany Periera back to the U.S.A.
The U. S. scientific community remained largely aloof and disinterested, and
Page 38
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
the "experts" that Periera produced to vindicate his claims turned out to be
from its more credulous fringes. Zambendorf proceeded to divine information
from tamper-proof sealed envelopes, influence delicate electrical measuring
instruments by pure mind power, alter the decay rates of radioisotopes, read
thoughts, prophesy events, and perform many other wondrous feats which
America's professional dream merchants built into a world sensation.
Zambendorf's confidence grew with every new guffaw as
"experts" tumbled in their tumbril-loads.
He owed his success in no small degree to the loyalty of the odd collection of
individuals who had attached themselves to him over the years. He especially
depended on them for information-gathering, and a characteristic shared by all
the members of his team, despite their various differences, was an instinct
for information likely to be of value in Zambendorf's business and an ability
to acquire it, legally, ethically, and honestly ...
or otherwise. Anticipating future information needs was one of the team's
never-ending activities.
The atmosphere by the pool outside Zambendorf's villa overlooking the
Pacific from the hills above Malibu was businesslike despite the setting as
he, Abaquaan, and Thelma discussed the latest status update forwarded from
GSEC, which among other things listed the people nominated so far to accompany
the Mars mission. "We'll need background histories and profiles on as many of
those names as we can get," Zambendorf said, propped on a sun-lounge by a
table of iced drinks and fruits. Thelma, wearing a beach-wrap over a bikini,
sat taking notes beneath a sunshade at another
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20...s%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20Li
femaker.txt (40 of 222) [1/19/03 5:15:02 PM]
file:///F|/rah/James%20P.%20Hogan/Hogan,%20James%20P%20-%20Code%20Of%20The%20L
ifemaker.txt table littered with some of the books on Mars, the history of
planetary exploration, and NASO that she had been immersing herself in for
days.
"Make a separate list of the scientists. Clarissa has some useful contacts at
most of the professional institutions she can take care of those."
"Okay . . . Okay . . . That's okay . . . And Clarissa to take care of the
scientists. I'll talk to her about it when she gets back tomorrow," Thelma
murmured, checking off the items on her pad. "What about the Europeans?"
"Umm . . ." Zambendorf thought for a few seconds. "You'd better leave them to
Otto and me." He turned his head to look inquiringly at Abaquaan, who was
sitting sideways on another lounge and sipping from a can of beer while he
listened. Abaquaan nodded curtly in reply, seemingly preoccupied with
something else. "Yes, we'll make some calls to Europe," Zambendorf confirmed.
"But get Drew to talk to his newspaper friends about those political people
who might be going. We shouldn't ignore sources like that." He looked at
Abaquaan again. "Does that cover the main points.
Otto?"
"Except Massey," Abaquaan replied.
"Ah, yes," Zambendorf agreed breezily. "A fine mess you've got us into, Otto."
Abaquaan rolled his eyes upward in a silent plea for patience and ignored the
gibe. He had first expressed concern when the name Gerold J.
Massey, nominated by NASO as an "Observational Psychologist," appeared on the
schedule. It implied that somebody at NASO had decided things had gone too far [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]