John Wright - The Golden Age

His hopes were pinned on three ideas: First, anyone who knew him would conclude that self-deception was utterly out of character for Phaethon. Second, Atkins, if asked about his investigation, could not and would not answer. And third, Phaethon himself would, by that time, be firmly convinced that there was an alien super-virus lurking in the mentality, hunting for him, and so therefore he would have an excuse

to refuse a noetic examination. If he were not neotically examined, this tampering would not be noticed.

As an added bonus, he would, of course, by then, have forgotten all about this moment and this falsification. He would still be able to think of himself as an honest man, and have no reason to think otherwise.

Smiling grimly, Phaethon loaded the program to begin erasing and rewriting his own memory.

The Phaethon who had been Phaethon exclaimed: "But that is not what happened!"

But he was alone when he said this. All the other Phaethons had returned to their own identities, and were staring down at Phaethon with remote, august, and unpitying stares.

"But that is not what happened!" Phaethon said again.

Neo-Orpheus said, "Not that you recall, you mean. But the reason why your recollection is in error, is because you yourself falsified it."

Phaethon said, "But I would never do such a thing! You all know I would not!"

Neo-Orpheus smiled thinly. "We know that is what you had hoped we would believe. The record shows us everything."

Phaethon made an angry gesture: "The record has been falsified! During the moment it took me to transfer my copy to Channel 2120, the alien Sophotech or its unmaker virus must have rewritten the memory chains."

Tau Continuous Albion said, "Albion Sophotech informs me that such tampering is not theoretically possible. He has examined the record we just experienced, subjecting it to six levels of redundant scrutiny. No evidence of tampering has been found. Is there any contrary opinion?"

Nebuchednezzar Sophotech had a thoughtful look, his eyes focused on the distant ceiling. "I also am examining the Mentality records, and have invented three new tools of statistical

analysis to do so. During the transmission from the Eleemosynary box to our local service, there was no opportunity for anyone or anything to affect the data. If it had been modified during the reading process, the modification would have had to have been introduced between every other picosecond pulse of the main circuit action. To fit such an enormous I volume of change into so short a time would require a data-compression technique beyond the Planck unit limit. In theory, such a compressed data formulation could be assembled under what scientists call nonrational continuum conditions, either within the event horizon of a singularity, or in the ach-ronic conditions preceding the big bang. There is no way known to our science of crossing such an event horizon, or of passing the information intact from inside a singularity to the outside."

Tau Continous said, "In other words, not possible." Nebuchednezzar brought his eyes down. "Not possible within the present state of our technology."

Kes Satrick Kes spoke for the first time. His voice was flat, crisp, and precise: "I note a symmetry in both of the world-views here. Phaethon's view is that he is being persecuted by an alien sophotechnology, which he supposes to be sophisticated enough to alter or falsify the evidence to the contrary. The other view, which the testimony of the record supports, is that Phaethon, in desperation, falsified his memory and erased his own knowledge that he had done so. Both world-views adequately explain the appearances, and are self-consistent. Occam's razor urges us, when two explanations adequately explain the phenomena, to choose the one requiring fewer hypothetical assumptions. Naturally, I estimate that it is more likely that a man could falsify himself (which is something we see all the time) than that an alien, utterly unknown civilization (which is something we have never seen) could adopt a hostile posture toward us; single out Phaethon for attack; and yet be familiar enough with all of our protocols and systems to forge multiple sealed records and memories without being detected by the Earthmind. Without additional evidence, I will assume Phaethon's version of events is false.

A Noetic examination of his brain directly could provide the additional evidence we need to reverse this opinion. But I anticipate that Phaethon, in order to be consistent with his present beliefs, will continue to refuse such an examination."

Phaethon said, "The threat is real, even if I am the only one who sees it. I dare not reestablish a direct connection to the Mentality. The Nothing Sophotech has acted; I saw the results just now, practically in front of our eyes." But his voice was low, his eye was dull; the look of man who knows, beyond question, that he will not be believed.

The other Hortators did not bother to make so careful an analysis as Kes Satrick Kes. Most did not even bother to record a speech, or proffer a supporting opinion, but simply announced their support for an endless, permanent, and absolute exile to be imposed on Phaethon.

Helion's voice came, once again, quietly into his ear: "You are clearly suffering from a self-imposed paranoid fantasy. Open your deep structure mind to the Noetic probe, and we will be able to undo the harm. We can redact these false beliefs entire out of your mind and memory. This may be your last chance, son; the Hortators are voting."

Phaethon shook his head. He was not hallucinating.

An eerie thought struck him: what if, every time the invasions of this external foe had been detected, the victims had concluded that their memories were false, and had had them redacted? There could be a thousand unreported cases of such attacks, or a million.

Helion's voice, tense and anguished, came to his ear again: "Do not refuse me, son! Let me change your mind! I have a reconstruction program standing by; your false memories and beliefs can be removed in a moment. Don't end your life as Hyacinth Septimous ended his! I am begging you now, son. In the name of my love for you, I beg."

"No, Father. I will not change my mind. Not about this, not about my ship, not about my dream. And, as you love me, I ask you to understand me."

A pause.

Helion's voice: "I am afraid that I do, my brave, foolishly

brave, beloved son. I fear I understand all too well—" The voice was cut off. Phaethon returned his attention to the scene around him.

Silence was in the chamber. One of the voters had paused to ask him a question.

"Please repeat the question," said Phaethon, "My mind was ... elsewhere." He wanted to turn his head and look at his father, but he dared not.

It was Ao Prospero Circe of the Zooanthropic Incarnation Coven. "None of the considerations of my fellow Horators, whether you bring war or hope, whether you are sane or insane, truthful or self-deluded, matters as much to me as this one question: Why did you pick your name?"

Phaethon said, "You are asking me about what? My name?"

"Of course. To know the true name of a thing is to have power over it. You named yourself after Phaethon, the child of the sun god who overreached himself. In his pride and folly, he demanded to drive his father's chariot, the sun, across the sky; but he could not control the horses. He flew high and he flew low, burning sky and burning earth, till all the world cried out for Jupiter to destroy him with a lightning bolt. Why did you name yourself after this image of recklessness and pride?"

Phaethon smiled. "That I can answer. I know the truth about that myth. Phaethon did not burn the world; after all, the world is still here, is it not? No. Jupiter was afraid when he saw a mortal at the reigns of the mighty sun chariot, and he felt jealous when he saw a mere man driving the divine steeds of fire. Jupiter was afraid that something might go wrong. Rather than give the youth a chance to prove himself, he shot down and killed the charioteer during takeoff. Before he ever even began to fly. What's the moral of the story? In my version, maybe the moral is that one should not let gods, or people who think that they can play gods, anywhere near where the lightning bolts are kept."