Oneness Read online

it was that," Dorn said. "It seems to make very littledifference now." He paused, frowned. "When the first talk ofinitiating change began in the councils, there were numerousexecutions. I know now that we were badly frightened men. Then thoseof us who had ordered the executions found themselves wanting similarchanges. Presently we had a majority, and the changes began to bebrought about. Reforms, you would call them--and reforms I supposethey actually were. There was considerable general disturbance, ofcourse, but we retained the organization to keep that withinreasonable bounds."

  "We expected that you would," Rainbolt said.

  "It hasn't really been too bad," Spokesman Dorn said reflectively. "Itwas simply an extraordinary amount of work to change the structure ofthings that had been imposed on Earth by the Machine for the pastcentury and a half. And the curious part of it is, you know, that nowit's done we don't even feel resentment! We actually wouldn't want togo back to what we had before. You've obtained an incredible hold onour minds--and frankly I expect that when at last you do relinquishyour control, we'll commit suicide or go mad."

  Rainbolt shook his head. "There's been just one mistake in what you'vesaid," he remarked.

  Spokesman Dorn looked at him with tired eyes. "What's that?" he asked.

  "I said I was undermining the conditioning of the Machine. I did--andafter that I did nothing. You people simply have been doing what mostof you always would have preferred to do, Spokesman. I relinquishedcontrol of the last of you over six months ago."

  * * * * *