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MAN OF MANY MINDS
by E. EVERETT EVANS
PYRAMID BOOKS, 444 Madison Avenue, New York 22, New York
A Pyramid Book, published by arrangement with Fantasy Press
Pyramid Books edition: November, 1959
Copyright, (c) 1953, by E. Everett EvansAll Rights Reserved
_Printed in the United States of America_
_This book is fiction. No resemblance is intended between any characterherein and any person, living or dead; any such resemblance is purelycoincidental._
* * * * *
To Thelma, a wedding anniversary present
* * * * *
GALAXY IN DANGER!
Somewhere, somehow, the first moves have been made--the pattern isbeginning to emerge. Someone--or something--is on the way to supremepower over all the planets held by Man.
And the Inter-stellar Corps is helpless to meet the threat--no normalman can hope to penetrate the conspiracy.
But--the Corps has a man who isn't normal, a man with a very strangeweapon...
..._his mind_.
Exciting! Strange! Extraordinary! One of the most unusual sciencefiction adventures ever published.
Chapter 1
Cadet George Hanlon stood stiffly at attention. But as the long, longminutes dragged on and on, he found his hands, his spine and hisforehead cold with the sweat of fear. He tried manfully to keep his eyesfixed steadily on that emotionless face before him, but found it almostimpossible to do so.
Tension grew and grew and grew in the room until it seemed the verywalls must bulge, or the windows burst to relieve the pressure. Thecadet felt he could not stand another minute of it without screaming.Why didn't that monster say something? What kind of torture was this,anyway? And why was he here in the first place? He couldn't think of asingle reg he had broken--yet why else would he be called before AdmiralRogers, the dread Commandant of Cadets?
In spite of his utmost efforts to stand eye to eye with the commandant,Hanlon couldn't keep his gaze steadily on that feared visage. His eyesinsisted on straying, time after time, although he always forced themback. He caught glimpses of the dozens of communicator studs and plateson the huge metal desk. He saw the bit of scenery showing through thewindow. He noted the pictures of great Corps heroes that adorned thewalls. In fact, he had to look at anything except those boring,impassive eyes fixed so steadily on his own face. If only he could gainsuch perfect control of his nerves. If only he knew what this was allabout!
By the big wall chronom he saw he had already been standing there atrigid attention a full five minutes. The second hand crept around again.Six minutes! It dragged slowly around once again. Seven minutes.
Then the unbearable silence was mercifully broken by the admiral'svoice.
"In some ways, Mister, you're quite a stupid young man," he said. "I'minclined to be disappointed in you."
Hanlon gave a start of surprise, and forced himself to scrutinize morecarefully that enigmatic face.
"What ... what do you mean, sir?"
The stern eyes were still boring into his. But now the cadet thought hecould detect a trace of secret amusement behind them.
"Why do you torture yourself like this? You know how to find out whatit's all about."
There was a sinking feeling in George Hanlon's mind. Did that mean whathe was afraid it meant?
He sent out a tentative feeler of thought toward the mind behind thatexpressionless face. He expected to find it difficult to do, because oflong disuse of the faculty. But he was amazed both at the ease withwhich the technique returned to him, and with the feeling of warmfriendliness he found in that mind--almost like a sort of fatherlypride.
He probed a bit deeper, and was aware of assurance that he had donenothing to merit punishment. Indeed, it seemed he could catch exactlythe opposite feeling.
He must have shown his relief, for the commandant's stern face relaxedinto a broad smile, and he lounged back in his big chair.
"That's better. At ease, and sit down."
Slowly, disbelieving the sudden change, the astonished young cadetgingerly sank onto the front edge of a chair. He had to, his legs weresuddenly rubbery.
"I ... I don't understand at all, sir."
The admiral leaned forward and spoke impressively. "Do you think, CadetHanlon, that we would let any man get to within weeks of graduationwithout knowing all about him?"
The young man's eyes widened, and his hands clutched at his knees in aneffort to keep them from shaking.
"Oh, yes, we know all about you, George Spencer Newton Hanlon," and thecadet's eyes opened even wider at that name. "We know about your talentfor mind-reading as a child, and how you suppressed it as you grew olderand found how it got you into trouble. We know all about your father'sdisgrace and disappearance; your mother's death; your running away, andyour adoption by the Hanlons, whose last name you assumed."
"How ... how'd you learn all that, sir?"
"The Corps has its ways. And that's why you're here now. Oh, all theFifth Year Cadets will be interviewed by myself or my assistants thiscoming week, to determine their first assignment after graduation. But Icalled you in today for a very, very special reason. And your ability toread minds is part of it."
The cadet drew himself up stiffly. "I'm through with all that, sir,definitely!"
The commandant regarded him enigmatically for a moment. "Just what doyou expect to do in the Corps, Mister?"
"Why, whatever I'm assigned to do, I suppose, sir. Or whatever I cando."
"And just how far will you go for the Corps?" The admiral leaned forwardand eyed him critically.
"All the way, sir, of course."
"Don't you believe a Corpsman should use all his abilities in hisservice?" The question was barked at him.
"Certainly, sir." But his eyes showed he realized he had been trapped bythat admission.
"You're one of the few persons known who have ever actually been able toread another's mind. That's important--very important--to the Corps. _Itmust be used!_"
Hanlon's eyes were still stormy, but he kept his lips tightly closed.
The commandant's face grew kindly again. "We know how it got you intotrouble when you were a boy, because the other children resented it, andavoided or abused you for using it on them. But now it will be a greatassistance to you--and to the Corps. We know you will use that talentwisely, for it has been proven time and again, by test after test, thatyou are scrupulously honest. You've lost your allowance several times incard games, when you could have read what cards your opponents held, andso won. You have let yourself fail on examination questions you did notknow, when you could have read the answers in your instructor's mind."
"No, not that, sir," Hanlon shook his head. "I never could read from amind such specific information as answers to questions or to problems."
"I imagine that will come when you start using your talent maturely,"Admiral Rogers shrugged indifferently. "But at the moment I want to talkvery seriously about your assignment. First, however, I must have yourmost solemn oath never to reveal what I am about to tell you, for it isour most carefully-guarded secret."
"I swear by my mother's memory, sir, never to reveal anything I am toldto keep confidential."
"Very well. I have been delegated by the High Command to ask you to jointhe Secret Service of the Inter-stellar Corps."
Cadet George Hanlon drew in a sharp, startled breath and half-rose fromhis chair. "The ... the Secret Service, sir? I didn't know there wasone."
"I told you it was top secret," Admiral Rogers said impressively. "Webelieve no one kno
ws anything about its existence outside of themembership of that service, and officers of the rank of Rear Admiral orabove."
The young cadet sat silent, his eyes on the tips of his polished boots,as though to see reflected there the answer to this astounding newsituation that had been slapped into his consciousness.
This was all so utterly unforeseen. He had dreamed of doing great deedsin the Corps, of course, but actually had never expected to be assignedto anything but routine work at first. His mind was a chaotic whirlpoolof conjectures. How could he fit into such an organization? Why had hebeen selected? Surely, the fact that as a child he was supposed to havebeen a mind-reader wasn't enough ... or was it, from their standpoint?
After some time he looked up. "I don't know as I'd make a very gooddetective, sir."
Admiral Rogers threw back his head and laughed, breaking the tension. "Ithink, and so do the top men of the Secret Service, who have studied youthoroughly, that you will soon become one of its most useful members."
That was another shock, but out of it grew determination.
"Very well, sir, I'll try it."
"Good! But not 'try it,' Hanlon. Once you're in, it's for life. Andthere's one other thing I haven't told you yet. I couldn't, until afteryou had agreed to join. This may make you change your mind, which youare still at liberty to do."
The cadet's throat tightened, and he moistened his lips as he saw theadmiral's face grow ominous.
"I want you to consider this very seriously," he said slowly, grimly,and Hanlon's probing mind caught the aura of importance in his manner."Take your time, and figure carefully all the angles and connotationsinherent in it, for it will not be an easy decision to make."
He paused impressively. "Here it is, cold! You'll have to be,apparently, dismissed from the Corps in disgrace. That is horriblyharsh, we know," he added quickly, compassionately, as he saw the lookof dismay that whitened the cadet's face. "But we have found over theyears that it is the best way to make members of the SS most valuable tous. Every one of them has gone through the same thing, if that is anyencouragement or consolation."
Young Hanlon's spirits sank to absolute nadir. "Not ... not evengraduate?" he whispered, agonizedly.
"Not publicly, with your class, no. But you'll be given privategraduation, for you'll still be a member of the Corps."
He was silent again to allow the young man to recover a bit, thencontinued in a fatherly voice. "We know it's a terrible price to ask anyman to pay. It takes guts to withstand, publicly and willingly, thedishonor, the loss of friends and the good will of people who know you.It means life-long disgrace in the eyes of the public and those membersof the Corps who have ever known you or will hear of you."
The blood drained from Hanlon's face, his breathing was quick andrasping. The admiral's heart went out to him in sympathy, but he had tokeep on. Now, though, he tried to soften the blow.
"Yet there are rewards in honor from those who do know. There will comea deep satisfaction from the years of devoting your life and abilitiesto the tremendous service of maintaining peace and security for allmankind of the entire Federation of Planets. Actually, the SS does moreto keep that peace than all the rest of the Corps. So these things are,in the estimation of those who have gone through it, well worth any painand humiliation they have to suffer."
His tone was so kind that Hanlon found a measure of comfort in the looksand attitude of the officer before him, now suddenly not a dread ogre,and martinet, but a kindly, fatherly, understanding friend.
George Hanlon sat with downcast eyes, thinking swiftly but more cogentlythan he had ever done before. He had come into this room still a boydespite his twenty-two years. Now, abruptly, he was roughly forced intomanhood.
As such an adult, then, he quickly realized this was the crucial pointin his life to date--probably in all the years to come. But to lose therespect and friendship of everyone he knew--he shuddered. To bedespised, an outcast!
Yet Admiral Rogers said all the SS men had gone through it, and now feltit worth all the pain and disgrace, to be able to do the work they weredoing.
He had been trained all his life, and especially in Corps school, toscan all available data for and against each problem that arose, andthen make a decision quickly and intelligently.
He rose to his feet and straightened determinedly. "I'll still take iton, sir, if you and the general staff think I'm worthy and will beuseful."
The admiral rose swiftly and came around the desk to grasp the cadet'shands in both of his. "I'm proud of you, my boy. It took real strengthof character to make that decision. I'm sure you will never regret it,though there'll be moments when it will hurt to the pit of your soul,especially the first few days."
The cadet's eyes clouded again, and he shivered convulsively. "Thatpart's got me in a blue funk, no fooling. Do you suppose I can take it,and not give the show away?"
Again the commandant's hearty, friendly laugh boomed out, filling theoffice with merriment and honest pride. "By Snyder, you will, Son, likea thoroughbred!" He went back behind that great desk, and was suddenlyonce more the strict disciplinarian. "Cadet Hanlon, 'ten-shun!" hebarked.
The young man stood rigid.
"Raise your right hand. Do you swear before the Infinite Essence touphold, with all your abilities, the Inter-Stellar Corps, and the lawsand decisions of the Federated Planets?"
"On my honor, sir, and with God's help, I pledge allegiance to theInter-Stellar Corps and to the people and governments of all theFederated Planets!"
Hanlon came to a punctilious salute, which Admiral Rogers returned asprecisely before resuming his seat.
"Senior Lieutenant George Hanlon, at ease."
He grinned companionably at the young man's start of surprise."Promotions are swift in the Secret Service, Hanlon. Now, go throughthat door. There you'll meet your immediate superior officer, who willgive you instructions. And Hanlon, my sincerest personal good wishes.Safe flights, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, sir, for everything."