Turquoiselle, Tanith Lee [100 best novels of all time .TXT] 📗

– shall I say, diseases? –will be much more susceptible than others. It has been noted, nevertheless,even once a formula for general protection was developed for use by Mantik,passed off as one more essential ordinary medical shot – against ‘flu, MRSA –there were always slight discrepancies. You may, for example, have noticed thatsome people, when they are with you, even if not acting in any overtlypeculiar way, are still prone to silly little affectations andmistakes. Repeating some word over and over – that’s a favourite. Jack Stuartfound it very amusing, that. He found, luckily for Mr Stuart, that once he leftyour vicinity, this blip quickly corrected itself for him. Mr Carver, I haveto say, even I, who am virtually totally naturally immune to your skill –your unconscious, and innocent and deadly skill – seem to berepeating certain words, phrases, as I’ve sat here with you. Full, for exampleeven, if in different syntactical forms. Forms, even. Even,even. But you know, don’t you, you’ve known in some way all your life,that people close to you, exposed to you, and inevitablythose that work with you, live with you, sleep with you, fuck with you, seem tolose their reason.”

Carver (afterward) thought he did not speak. Not now.

“You produce, Mr Carver, an energy, decidedly, and of a sortlargely unquantifiable. Although by now heightened by Mantik’s chemicaltreatment of certain articles and objects – things you might, given your tendency,appropriate – steal. The chemical, by the way, is in itself harmless. The restof Mantik’s crew, or anyone, remain impervious, having no reaction to or withit. Which, evidently, is not so for you. Evidently also, thechemical formula was allowed to pass into the hands of Croft’s people, so thatonce they got hold of you, they could apply it and immediately witness theunmissable result. The augmentation reacts with and on you, MrCarver. Your astonishing power is galvanised. And, incidentally if mosteffectively, this is what produces the extravagant side effect, the colouredglow that filled your private garden shed, and now lights up to the left ofus, here. Your own unease and dread, Mr Carver, have changed its nature, (you see, nature repeated by me yet once more),turned it through the colours of the Alert, blue-green right through toscarlet: 6th Level High. And the volume of your deadly, (deadly, again), poweris now also raised to a phenomenal level. It goes perhaps without saying, Croft’soutfit did not in any form understand precisely what it indicated – or whatthat power entails. They were hoping to learn. Obviously, once they had youhere, certain people were set specially to watch you. I was one. Mr Van Seddenand Mr Ball were the main operatives. And as we see, they were affected veryrapidly. But I must add, even when you were first held here, drugged andinvestigated, helpless,your power worked on all and everything around you. Unconscious, Mr Carver, youwere and are as lethal as when fully aware. Even your prime interrogator, I’veheard, lost purchase after only a day and night. They thought it was abreakdown. It was.Your work. As I say, Croft and his people hoped to learn what you were, andwhat you could accomplish. They have. I though am, as I said, immune. Ninety-ninepercent immune. As, very probably, the other member of our trio is, or perhaps any ofour kind. But nobody, Mr Carver, nobody else. And that is why noone has yet come up the hill, to us here. A purely animal response. They sense you arehere. But also, Mr Carver, that is why they will, eventually, irresistibly,arrive. Your skill, your genius, Mr Carver, is to bring insanity. And by nowyou can affect machines too. Am I correct – your cars frequently neededrepairs, your phones – other items? Even – it has been mooted at Mantik – youcan upset the weather.But your main talent lies with people. Your main talent lies in driving yourfellow humans mad. To start with, your father and your mother, the most andworst exposed, and as your power erratically and blindly grew, caught in itsblast. Later, if more patchily, fellow students at your schools, even certainadolescents and teachers at the special college, though by then you had becomeeven more solitary, and Mantik, too, was already experimenting with antidotes,several of which had some helpful effects. Nevertheless, you have seen whatyou can do with the entirely unprotected. Donna, even Maggie, Donna’s mother.Even Mr Johnston, your neighbour in the village. He was one very susceptiblevictim, who did not have much contact with you at all, though of course,generally meeting you at the garden’s end, by the shed, where – naturally – yourability was itself augmented. Mr Johnston went mad and acted out the fantasy ofa dangerous intruder. Even manipulating his injured leg to move with anunusual fluidity it should not have been capable of – and for which he has paidphysically, since. He might even have murdered you that night, if Mr Croft’sbattalion hadn’t stepped in first. Madness. Theinfliction of madness is your power. You can drive insane. You can even driveto suicide. You have always been a gun, Mr Carver, but now the bullets are in,you are loaded and primed. You are a missile,Mr Carver, and now the clock has struck midnight, the hand of authority hasturned the key and pressed the button. Mantik. They perfected your talent andlet their enemies – their Life-Long Enemies – seek and find and take you. Andso you destroyed these enemies of Mantik, as you were intended to. Not evenknowing, Mr Carver, what you did. Forgive me,” she said, the voicesaid, gentle now, sorrowful and sorry. “Forgive me, Car. For telling you thewhole truth at last.”

White.

White flashed, cracked, burned, blanked.

Out of the redness, blind whiteness. The ruby glare had flared toDiamond. Top Level Alert. Annihilation. Terminus.

A second later, pale and amorphous, offering no competition, reallightning clawed across the hill. And instant thunder detonated less from thesky than underfoot.

As with the explosion, the earth shook. And the central shed’sblind white glare went out.

Carver, in the darkness, could see her now, again. Anjeela. Hervoice had stopped, and so she