He shook his head. "Not now. I'm tired. I don't want to now. Maybe I
never will. All I want now, is rest."
Merrol leaned across the desk. "Before you rest, you'd better get a
few things straight, Greg. We want you to be convinced that you're
doing the right thing. We feel that the big Chain blow-up shocked
the whole human race into a mass psychosis, comparable to individual
cases of hysteria, schizophrenia, escape from reality. That's why
the non-change, non-aggressiveness Codes were established. Also, the
anesthesia, the Dream Continuity Scale--nothing but hysteria on a mass
and planned basis."
Merrol got up. He walked around and sat down beside Greg.
"Carried out to its inevitable end, this could only lead to mass
racial suicide. That's obvious. It was a static dead end. A few people
recovered from the psychosis. They escaped, and formed the Colonists.
But their own welfare wasn't the most important thing.
"They concerned themselves then with the freeing of the Citizens of
the Cowls from their psychosis. The world is untenable on a large
scale now, due to radioactive poisoning. It will remain untenable for
some time. Meanwhile we decided to Colonize Venus. We've established
Colonies there. Thriving communities, but the important thing is this,
Greg--it's given new impetus and enthusiasm to those who become sane
and escape the Cowls. It presents a big challenge and solidifies the
cure.
"It's bigger than Control has any idea that it is. It will take a long
time yet, but we'll win. You have noticed the increase in so-called
insanity in the Cowls. It really means just the opposite. Our numbers
are increasing by leaps and bounds."
Greg said, "The Controllers think you're using some psychological or
physical pressure to create these--cures."
Merrol smiled. "We've got a recruiting system. Drakeson, for example,
is a spy. We have spies all over the Cowls."