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149 pages

English

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Fans of golden-era science fiction will relish the strong characterization and intriguing plot twists of E. Everett Evans' coming-of-age novel Man of Many Minds. George Hanlon is a cadet on the verge of graduating from a prestigious military institution. His intelligence and skills -- including the ability to communicate telepathically with animals -- have made Hanlon a hot commodity. He's even had an offer to join an elite secret organization that wields enormous power -- but it comes with a price that may be too much to bear.

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Science-fiction

Science fiction

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 juillet 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776582037
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

MAN OF MANY MINDS
* * *
E. EVERETT EVANS

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Man of Many Minds First published in 1953 Epub ISBN 978-1-77658-203-7 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77658-204-4 © 2013 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25
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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 knows 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 quick