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He looked at me carefully。 I stood with my arms folded； staring over his head toward the front door of the barracks。 To look at him would be to declare my vulnerability。
〃I wouldn't worry about what I can't see or feel；〃 he said。 〃I'd go ahead and live my life。 Get married； settle down； have kids。 There's no reason you can't do these things； knowing what we know。〃
〃But you said we have a situation。〃
〃I didn't say it。 The puter did。 The whole system says it。 It's what we call a massive data…base tally。 Gladney； J。 A。 K。 I punch in the name； the substance； the exposure time and then I tap into your puter history。 Your genetics； your personals； your medicals； your psychologicals； your police…and…hospitals。 It es back pulsing stars。 This doesn't mean anything is going to happen to you as such； at least not today or tomorrow。 It just means you are the sum total of your data。 No man escapes that。〃
〃And this massive so…called tally is not a simulation despite that armband you're wearing。 It is real。〃
〃It is real；〃 he said。
I stood absolutely still。 If they thought I was already dead； they might be inclined to leave me alone。 I think I felt as I would if a doctor had held an X…ray to the light showing a star…shaped hole at the center of one of my vital organs。 Death has entered。 It is inside you。 You are said to be dying and yet are separate from the dying； can ponder it at your leisure； literally see on the X…ray photograph or puter screen the horrible alien logic of it all。 It is when death is rendered graphically； is televised so to speak； that you sense an eerie separation between your condition and yourself。 A network of symbols has been introduced； an entire awesome technology wrested from the gods。 It makes you feel like a stranger in your own dying。
I wanted my academic gown and dark glasses。
When I got back to the other end of the barracks； the three younger children were asleep； Heinrich was making notations on a road map and Babette was seated some distance away with Old Man Treadwell and a number of other blind people。 She was reading to them from a small and brightly colored stack of supermarket tabloids。
I needed a distraction。 I found a camp chair and set it near the wall behind Babette。 There were four blind people； a nurse and three sighted people arranged in a semicircle facing the reader。 Qthers occasionally paused to listen to an item or two； then moved on。 Babette employed her storytelling voice； the same sincere and lilting tone she used when she read fairy tales to Wilder or erotic passages to her husband in their brass bed high above the headlong traffic hum。
She reported a front…page story。 〃Life After Death Guaranteed with Bonus Coupons。〃 Then turned to the designated page。
〃Scientists at Princeton's famed Institute for Advanced Studies have stunned the world by presenting absolute and undeniable proof of life after death。 A researcher at the world…renowned Institute has used hypnosis to induce hundreds of people to recall their previous…life experiences as pyramid…builders； exchange students and extraterrestrials。〃
Babette changed her voice to do dialogue。
'〃In the last year alone；' declares reincarnation hypnotist Ling Ti Wan； 'I have helped hundreds to regress to previous lives under hypnosis。 One of my most amazing subjects was a woman who was able to recall her life as a hunter…gatherer in the Mesolithic era ten thousand years ago。 It was remarkable to hear this tiny senior citizen in polyester slacks describe her life as a hulking male chieftain whose band inhabited a peat bog and hunted wild boar with primitive bow and arrow。 She was able to identify features of that era which only a trained archaeologist could know about。 She even spoke several phrases in the language of that day； a tongue remarkably similar to modern…day German。'〃
Babette's voice resumed its tone of straight narration。
〃Dr。 Shiv Chatterjee； fitness guru and high…energy physicist； recently stunned a live TV audience by relating the well…documented case of two women； unknown to each other； who came to him for regression in the same week； only to discover that they had been twin sisters in the lost city of Atlantis fifty thousand years ago。 Both women describe the city； before its mysterious and catastrophic plunge into the sea； as a clean and well…run municipality where you could walk safely almost any time of day or night。 Today they are food stylists for NASA。
〃Even more startling is the case of five…year…old Patti Weaver who has made convincing claims to Dr。 Chatterjee that in her previous…life experience she was the secret KGB assassin responsible for the unsolved murders of famed personalities Howard Hughes； Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley。 Known in international espionage circles as 'the Viper' for the deadly and untraceable venom he injected into the balls of the feet of his celebrity victims； the assassin died in a fiery Moscow helicopter crash just hours before little Patti Weaver was born in Popular Mechanics； Iowa。 She not only has the same bodily markings as the Viper but seems to have a remarkable knack for picking up Russian words and phrases。
〃'I regressed this subject at least a dozen times；' says Dr。 Chatterjee。 'I used the toughest professional techniques to get her to contradict herself。 But her story is remarkably consistent。 It is a tale of the good that can e from evil。' Says little Patti； 'At the moment of my death as the Viper； I saw a glowing circle of light。 It seemed to wele me； to beckon。 It was a warm spiritual experience。 I just walked right toward it。 I was not sad at all。'〃
Babette did the voices of Dr。 Chatterjee and Patti Weaver。 Her Chatterjee was a warm and mellow Indian…accented English； with clipped phrasing。 She did Patti as a child…hero in a contemporary movie； the only person on screen who is unawed by mysterious throbbing phenomena。
〃In a further startling development it was revealed by little Patti that the three supercelebrities were murdered for the same astonishing reason。 Each of them at the time of his or her death was in secret possession of the Holy Shroud of Turin； famed for its sacred c