Picking up a directive lying in front of him, Reynolds said, "You failed to read the report sent you, evidently. It outlined-"
"I question the legality of this session," Barris broke in, halting directly in front of the platform. "I question your right to give orders to Managing Director Dill-your superior." Stepping up on the platform, Barris said, "This appears to be a crude attempt to seize power and force out Jason Dill. Let's see you demonstrate otherwise. The burden of proof is on you-not on Jason Dill!"
The murmur burst into a roar of excitement. Reynolds waited calmly for it to die down. "This is a critical time," he said at last. He gave no sign of being perturbed. "The revolutionary Movement of Healers is attacking us all over the world; their purpose is to reach Vulcan 3 and destroy the structure of Unity. The purpose of this session is to indict Jason Dill as an agent of the Healers--a traitor working against Unity. Dill deliberately withheld information from Vulcan 3. He made Vulcan 3 powerless to act against the Healers; he rendered it helpless, and so made impotent the entire Unity organization."
Now the audience listened not to Barris but Reynolds.
Rising, John Chai of South Asia said, "What do you say to that Director Barris? Is this true?"
Edgar Stone of West Africa joined Chai. "Our hands have been tied; we've had to stand idle while the Healers grow. You know it as well as we do-in fact, you put direct questions to Jason Dill yourself. You mistrusted him too."
Facing the Directors, not Reynolds, Barris said, "I mistrusted him until I had proof that he acted in the interests of Unity."
"What was that proof?" Alex Faine of Greenland demanded.
Beside Barris, Jason Dill said, "Show them the memory elements from Vulcan 2. The ones you reconstructed."
"I can't," Barris said.
"Why not?" With panic, Dill said, "Didn't you bring them?"
Barris said, "I had to destroy them."
For a long time Jason Dill stared at him speechlessly. All the color had drained from his face.
"When one of those metal mobile extensions got in," Barris said, "I had to act instantly."
At last some color returned to Dill's aging face. "I see," he said. "You should have told me."
Barris said, "I didn't know at that time that I'd need them for a purpose such as this." He too felt the grim futility of their position. The memory elements would have been effective proof... and they were gone. "The tapes," he said. "That you first showed me. The two final tapes from Vulcan 2."
Nodding, Dill reached into his brief case. He produced the two reels of tape, displaying them for all the Directors to see.
"What do you have?" John Chai demanded, standing up.
"These tapes," Dill said, "are from Vulcan 2. I was working under its instructions. It instructed me to withhold data from Vulcan 3 and I did so. I acted in the interests of Unity."
At once, Reynolds said, "Why should data-any kind of data-have been withheld from Vulcan 3? How could it be justified?"
Jason Dill said nothing; he started to speak, but evidently he found no words. Turning to Barris he said, "Can you-"
"Vulcan 3 is a menace to the Unity system," Barris said. "It has built mobile units which have gone out and murdered. Vulcan 2 was aware of this danger on a theoretical level. It deduced from the nature of Vulcan 3 that
Vulcan 3 would show inclinations similar enough to the survival drive of living organisms to-"
Reynolds interrupted, "To be considered what?" His voice took on a contemptuous tone. "Not alive, surely." He smiled without any humor. "Tell us that Vulcan 3 is alive," he said.
"Every Director in this room is free to examine these tapes," Barris said. "The issue is not whether Vulcan 3 is alive or not-but whether Jason Dill believed it to be alive. After all, his job is not to make original decisions, but to carry out out the decisions made by the Vulcan computers. He was instructed by Vulcan 2 to the effect that the facts indicated-"
Reynolds said, "But Vulcan 2 is a discard. It was not Dill's job to consult it. It is Vulcan 3 who makes policy."
That was a strong point, Barris realized. He had to nod in agreement.
In a loud voice, Dill said, "Vulcan 2 was convinced that if Vulcan 3 learned about the Healers, it would do terrible things in order to protect itself. For fifteen months I wore myself out, I exhausted myself, day after day, seeing to it that all data pertaining to the Movement were kept out of the feeding-troughs."
"Of course you did," Reynolds said. "Because you were ordered to by the Healers. You did it to protect them."
"That's a lie," Dill said.
Barris said, "Can any proof be offered in that direction?" Raising his hand he pointed at Reynolds. "Can you show any evidence of any kind whatsoever that Jason Dill had any contact with the Healers?"
"On the third subsurface level of this building," Reynolds said, "you will find Dill's contact with the Movement."
Uneasiness and surprise moved through Barris. "What are you talking about?"
Reynolds' blue eyes were cold with hostile triumph.
"The daughter of Father Fields-Dill's contact with the Movement. Marion Fields is here in this building."
At this point, there was stunned silence. Even Barris stood wordlessly.
"I told you about her," Dill was saying to him, close to his ear. "That I took her out of her school. It was her teacher who was murdered, that Agnes Parker woman."
"No," Barris said. "You didn't tell me." But, he realized, I didn't tell you that I had destroyed the remains of Vulcan 2. There just wasn't time. We've been under too much pressure.
"Reynolds must have spies everywhere," Dill said.
"Yes," Barris said. Spies. But they were not Reynolds'. They were Vulcan 3's. And it was true; they were everywhere.
"I brought the girl here to question her," Dill said aloud, to the silent auditorium. "It was clearly within my legal right."
But very foolish, Barris thought. Far too foolish for a man holding the top position in a paranoid structure like this.
We may have to fight, he realized. Carefully, he moved his hand until he was touching his pencil beam. It may be the only way for us, he thought. This is no genuine legal proceeding; no ethic binds us to abide by it. This is nothing but a device on the part of Vulcan 3 to further protect itself, a further extension of its needs.
Aloud, Barris said to the Directors, "You men have no conception of the danger that exists for all of us. Danger emanating from Vulcan 3. Dill has risked his life for months. These lethal mobile units-"
"Let's see one," Reynolds broke in. "Do you have one you can show us?"
"Yes," Barris said.
For an instant, Reynolds' composure was shaken. "Oh?" he murmured. "Well, where is it? Produce it!"
"Give me three hours," Barris said. "It's not present. It's with someone else, in another part of the world."
"You didn't think to bring it?" Reynolds said, with sly amusement.
"No," Barris admitted.
"How did it fall into your possession?" John Chai asked.
"It made an attack on someone near me, and was partly destroyed," Barris said. "Enough of it survived for an analysis. It was similar to the ones which committed the murder of the school teacher, Agnes Parker, and no doubt the one which destroyed Vulcan 2.
"But you have no proof," Reynolds said. "Nothing here to show us. Only a story."
Director Stone said, "Give them the time they need to produce this thing. Good Lord, if such a thing exists we should know about it."
"I agree," Director Faine said.
Reynolds said, "You say you were present when this attempted murder took place."