[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.In fact we'll make sure that he doesn't give anything away.The point is this.Although I've no doubt that the long arm of Washington could extend as far as Nortonstowe, I can't believe that our Government can relish being told what to do on their own territory.Therefore we start with the advantage of some sympathy from our own people.If we stop Parkinson answering the call we cancel that advantage straight away.Let's go along and see him."When they had wakened Parkinson and told him of the call, Kingsley said:"Look here, Parkinson, I'm going to do some plain speaking.By our own lights we've played this game pretty clean so far.It's true that we made a lot of conditions when we came here, and we've insisted on those conditions being honoured.But in return we've quite genuinely supplied your people with the best information we had.Again it's true that we haven't always been right, but the reason for our mistakes is now only too clear.The Americans set up a corresponding establishment and this was run on the politicians' terms not on the scientists' terms, and the amount of information that came from that establishment was less than it has been from Nortonstowe.In fact, you know very well that but for our information the death roll in recent months would have been even vaster than it is.""Where is all this leading, Kingsley?""I'm simply showing you that however much it might at times have seemed otherwise we've played very straight.We've played straight even to the extent of revealing the real nature of the Cloud, and of passing on the information we've received from it.But where I do dig my toes in is at the thought of losing valuable communication time.We can't expect that the Cloud is going to give endless time to talking to us, it's got bigger fish to fry.And I'm emphatically not going to let what time we can get go by in political chit-chat if I can help it.We've got too much still to learn.Besides, if the politicans started up with their Geneva stuff and arguing about agendas, it's more than likely that the Cloud would sign off altogether.It's not going to waste its time talking to gibbering idiots.""I never cease being flattered at your opinion of us.But I still don't see where this is leading.""It's leading to this.London is calling you, and we're going to be there when you answer.If you breathe a word of doubt over my suggestion of an alliance between us and the Cloud I'll hit you over the head with a spanner.Come on,let's get it over."It turned out that Kingsley had misjudged the situation somewhat.All the Prime Minister really wanted to know from Parkinson was whether in his opinion there was any doubt that the Cloud could obliterate a continent if it really wished.Parkinson was in no difficulty over his answer.He answered quite genuinely and without hesitation that he had every reason to believe that it could.This satisfied the Prime Minister, and after a few unrelated remarks he went off the air."Very odd," said Leicester to Kingsley after Parkinson had returned to bed."Too much Clausewitz," he went on."They're only interested in fire power.""Yes, it's apparently never occurred to them that anybody might possess an overwhelming weapon and still decline to use it.""Particularly in a case like this.""What d'you mean, Harry?""Well, isn't it axiomatic that any non-human intelligence must be evil?""I suppose it is.Now I come to think of it, ninety-nine per cent of stories about non- human intelligences treat 'em as being entirely villainous.I'd always supposed that was because it's so difficult to invent a really convincing villain, but perhaps it may run deeper.""Well, people are always frightened of what they don't understand, and I don't suppose the political boys have understood much of what's been going on.Still you'd think that they'd have realised that we're on pretty matey terms with Old Joe, wouldn't you?""Unless they've interpreted it as evidence of a devil's compact."The first move of the U.S.Government after Kingsley's threat, and after London had confirmed the Cloud's potential destructive power, was to give overriding priority to the building of a one centimetre transmitter and receiver of the Nortonstowe design (which thanks to the information supplied byNortonstowe at an earlier date was available to them).So excellent was American technical ability that the work was finished in an extremely short time.But the outcome was wholly disappointing.The Cloud did not reply to the American transmissions, nor were any messages that the Cloud addressed to Nortonstowe intercepted.There were two distinct reasons for these failures.Failure to intercept was due to a serious technical difficulty
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
