Chapter 23 Chapter 21 Forbidden Land

"Do you believe in ghosts, Tim?" "Of course I don't believe it, but like other sensible people, I'm afraid of ghosts. Why do you ask?" "I never had a more realistic dream if it weren't for ghosts. I had a long talk with David Bowman last night." Poole knew that Captain Chandler would take him seriously when needed; and he was never disappointed. "Interesting—but there's an obvious explanation. You've been living in the Bowman suite, God! And you tell me you're freaking yourself out." "I'm sure—well, I'm 99% sure you're right, and my discussion with Professor Ted brought it up again. Have you ever heard that David Bowman occasionally shows up in Wolf City Like every 100 years or so? Like when he showed up to Dr. Floyd after Discovery was restarted."

"What's that about? I've heard vague stories, but not seriously." "Dr. Ted was serious, and so was I—I've seen the original transcript. Floyd was sitting in my old seat when the dust cloud formed behind him and became David's head. And then The Thing delivered the famous message, warning him to leave quickly." "Who wouldn't? But that was 1,000 years ago, plenty of time to fake it." "Why fake it? Ted and I were looking at that record yesterday, and I'd bet my life it was real." "Actually, I agree with you. I've heard those reports too..."

Chandler spoke in a quieter voice, seeming a little embarrassed. "A long time ago, I had a girlfriend here in Wolfshen City. She told me that her grandpa had seen Bowman, and I laughed out loud." "I don't know if there is such a record on Ted's list, can you help him contact your friends?" "Er—preferably not. We haven't spoken in years. For all I know, she could be on the Moon, or Mars... Anyway, why would Professor Ted be interested?" "That's what I really want to talk to you about." "It doesn't sound like a good thing, let's talk."

"Ted thinks David Bowman might still be alive, up there on Europa—whatever he's turned into." "After 1000 years?" "Hey! Look at me." "One example doesn't count, my math professor used to say. But go ahead." "It's a complex story, and it's like a jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing. But it's generally accepted that some key events occurred in our ancestors when the tablet appeared in Africa three million years ago. It marks A turning point in prehistoric times - the first appearance of tools and weapons and religion... It can't be pure coincidence. The slate must have done something to us. It certainly wasn't just sitting there, waiting to be worshipped...

"Ted is fond of quoting a famous paleontologist who said: 'TMA0 gave us an evolutionary kick in the ass'. The kick, he argues, wasn't quite in the direction we wanted .Do we have to be that mean and ugly to survive? Maybe... From what I know of him, Ted thinks there's something fundamentally wrong with the distribution lines in our brains that prevent us from coherent logic Thoughts. Worse yet, while every creature needs a certain degree of aggression to survive, we have far more than absolutely necessary. And there is no other creature that torments our fellow beings as much as we do . Could this be an evolutionary accident, a genetic misfortune?

"Another widely accepted theory is that TMA1 on the moon is there to track the program, or experiment or whatever, and report back to Jupiter - apparently Jupiter is the 'solar system mission control center'; that's why the other piece The slate - the reason Big Brother waited there. By the time Discovery arrived, it had been waiting three million years. So far, agree?" "Agreed, I always thought this was the most likely theory." "What follows is more speculative. Bowman was apparently swallowed by Big Brother, though some remnants of his personality seem to have survived. Heywood Floyd on his second expedition to Jupiter Twenty years after meeting him, they met again aboard Cosmos, where Floyd joined the mission for the rendezvous with Halley's Comet in 2061. At least, that's what he tells us in his memoirs—though he dictated Over 100 years old."

"Probably due to advanced age." "Not by modern standards! Likewise, and perhaps more significantly, when the Galaxy crash-landed on Europa, his grandson Chris had a similarly eerie experience. And, of course, that's where the The place where the stone slab is currently located! It is surrounded by the two of Ou Xing... "I've come to understand what Dr. Ted's purpose is, and now it's time for us to play. The whole cycle starts all over again, and Wei and Wei will be cultivated into tomorrow's stars." "Exactly! Everything fits. Fired Jupiters to give them a sun and melt that frozen world. Warned us to keep our distance, presumably so we wouldn't hinder their development..."

"Where did I hear such an idea? Right! Frank - this goes back 1,000 years, back to your time! 'Supreme Directive'! That old 'Starship' series was so prescient. " "Did I tell you that I met some of these actors? If they saw me now, they would be amazed...I myself was often conflicted about that policy of non-intervention. Back in Africa, Slate was What humans have done obviously violates this principle. Some people may say that it has indeed brought disastrous consequences..." "So luck will be better next time - on Europa!" Poole chuckled dryly.

"Exactly as Khan said." "So what does he think we should do? Most importantly, what role did you play?" "First, we need to know exactly what's going on on Europa and why. Observing it from space is not enough." "What else can we do? The probes launched by Wei San were all blown up before they landed." "Also, since the mission to save the Galaxy, the manned spacecraft have been pushed aside by some kind of force field, no one knows what kind of force. It's interesting, and it proves that whatever is underneath, it's purely protective Nature, no malice. And—this is the point, it must have a way to know who is coming, and be able to distinguish between robots and humans."

"Worse than me, sometimes I can't see clearly. Continue." "Well, Ted thinks there might be a guy who can land on the surface of Europa—since his old friend is there, maybe he can influence that force." Captain Demetrius Chandler gave a low, long whistle. "And you're willing to take the risk?" "Yes. What have I got to lose?" "A valuable space shuttle, if I'm not mistaken. Is that why you learned to fly the Peregrine?" "Well, since you mentioned it... that's what I thought about it." "I'll have to think about it. I admit you've piqued my interest, but there are still a lot of questions."

"Because I know you well, once you decide to help me, no one else will be an obstacle."