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fully against Horace Siskin and his grubby enterprise? In short,
Simulacron Three 119
I'm an agent, all right. But not in the sense you imagine. I'm
aligned with ARM because I realize it's the only organization
strong enough to fight Siskin's simulator."
Relieved but confounded at the same time, I groped my way into
a chair.
Collingsworth came and stood over me. "I've been working with
the reaction monitors, keeping them filled in on every move
Siskin's made. That's why ARM was ready with its picketing
gambit within hours after Siskin broke the news of Simulacron-3
at the party."
I glanced up. "You planted the thermite bomb?"
"Yes. But believe me, son, I didn't know you were going to be in
the peephole room when it went off."
Unbelievingly, I repeated, "You've been spying against Siskin?"
Nodding, Avery said, "He's vicious, Doug. I realized what his
ultimate goal was when I saw him with Hartson. But I was
working with Vernon Carr long before then. I had enough sense
to know you can't, with the flick of a simulectronic switch, throw
millions of men out of jobs all over the country."
Convinced finally that he wasn't, after all, the Contact Unit, I lost
interest in his petty intricacies. But he misinterpreted my silence
for skepticism.
"We can fight him, son! We've got allies we don't even know
about! For instance: Siskin and the party get their flunkies to
introduce legislation outlawing public opinion sampling. And what
happens? A bill that should have become law gets dumped for
this session!"
I lunged from the chair. "Avery! Don't you realize what that
actually means? Don't you see who your ally is in Congress?"
He straightened, perplexed.
"The Operator up there!" I pointed. "I should have realized it long
ago. Don't you understand? The Upper Reality is not just trying
to reorient or deprogram anyone who learns what the set-up is.
That's only one of Their purposes. Their main target is Siskin's
simulator itself! They want it destroyed!"
"Oh, for God's sake, son!" He scowled. "Sit down and "
"No, wait! That's it, Avery! You didn't plant the thermite bomb in
Simulacron Three 120
the interest of ARM. You did it because you were so programed
by the Operator!"
Impatiently, he asked, "Then why wasn't I programed to plant
another and another, until I succeeded?"
"Because everything that's done down here has to be
manipulated within a framework of reasonable cause and effect.
After Siskin redoubled his security effort at REIN, it wasn't likely
that a subversive attempt would succeed!"
"Doug," he interrupted wearily, "listen "
"No, you listen! The Upper Reality doesn't want us to put our
simulator into operation. Why? Because that would wipe out
ARM and all its reaction monitors. And They can't have that
because the pollsters are Their system for introducing
reaction-seeking stimuli into this world!"
"Really, Doug, I "
I paced in front of him. "So They go all out to eliminate Fuller's
simulator. They program you to wield the hatchet. You fail. They
program all of ARM. Picketing, unrest, violence will get the job
done, They figure. But Siskin counters what he thinks is ARM
strategy by marshaling public opinion against the pickets. And
now it's stalemate. That's why the pressure's been off me lately.
The Operator hasn't had time to check and see whether I'm still
willing to believe I was only suffering pseudoparanoia."
"You're just rationalizing your hallucinations."
"The hell I am! I understand clearly now. And I can see I'm not
the only one in danger!"
He smiled. "Who else? Me? Because you've ah, contaminated
me with forbidden concepts?"
"No. Not just you. The whole world!"
"Oh, come now." But deep furrows were beginning to show his
doubt.
"Look. The Operator has tried every reasonable way of
eliminating Simulacron-3 subversion, direct attack by ARM,
legislation. But all His efforts have failed. He can't reprogram
Siskin because then the party would take up where Siskin leaves
off. He can't reprogram the party because thousands of
reactional entities would be involved, right on down to the grass
roots level.
Simulacron Three 121
"And he hasn't made a move for several days now. Which
means only one thing: He's planning a final, all-out attack of
some sort or other on the simulator! If it succeeds, our world will
be safe again. But if it fails "
Collingsworth leaned forward tensely in his chair. "Yes?"
Grimly, I went on. "If it fails, there's only one recourse: He'll have
to destroy the entire complex! Wipe every reactional circuit
clean! Deactivate His simulator our world and start over from
scratch!"
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