Free A Creed for the Third Millennium by Colleen McCullough Page B

subconsciously you were relying on phase two to get you out of any possible
dilemma.' She paused, and looked straight at Dr
Chasen. 'Before I discuss phase two, I had better say that I am removing Dr
Chasen from Operation Search entirely as of today. You're going to a fresh
project, Moshe. Not because I consider your contribution to Operation
Search unsatisfactory! Quite the contrary.' Her official stiffness relaxed a
little. 'You did very well, Moshe. I confess you have amazed me.'
    'Don't tell me our work didn't measure
up!' gasped Dr Hemingway, face screwed into anguished wrinkles.
    'Don't panic, Millie, it measured up
fine. I believe the overall outcome is not altered by Moshe's prejudicial tack
with the data. Don't forget that phase one provided for the unexpected by
offering three candidates from each team. I had thought it would be phase two
that would refine these nine possibles to the point where intangibles could be
dealt with properly. I was thinking of phase one's computer work more as a tool
to remove any human error from what I considered truly computer-assessable data.
So I admit I am fascinated that one of you did manage to devise a program
capable of assessing a massive sample with respect to an intangible. But it is
possible that phase two will reverse Moshe's findings. Which does not detract in
the least from the brilliance of Moshe's approach to phase one. It will merely
show Moshe where he went wrong, and next time he won't go wrong. Don't lose
sight of the fact that there are nine candidates entering phase two, six of whom
did not belong to Moshe's lot. Moshe skewed to favour one of his ten parameters,
the intangible one. But there's every chance that in so doing, he tampered with
the data in such a way that the other nine parameters did not receive sufficient
emphasis.'
    'No!' barked Dr Chasen.
    Dr Carriol smiled. 'Okay, okay! But phase
two will go ahead as originally planned, if only
because we are dealing with nine people, not just Moshe's three.'
    'Would it help any to run our six through
Moshe's programs?' asked Dr Abraham.
    'We could, yes. But I'd rather not. That
is leaving too much to chance and Moshe, no offence.'
    'I take it phase two is human
investigation?' asked Dr Hemingway.
    'Correct. No one has yet managed to
define what I call gut instinct, but I guess it's some kind of ostensibly
illogical human reaction to other human beings in human situations. So I've
always been of the opinion that in this particular exercise, where human emotion
is of paramount importance, there should be a period of time in which we can
personally observe or interview or test a small, select number of possibles.
Today is February first. I will call today the last day of phase one, and
tomorrow the first day of phase two. We have three months. May first must see
phase two of Operation Search completed.'
    Creep creep went her hands across the
table, an unconscious mannerism that always had an uncomfortable effect on those
who watched. As if, independent of her mind, her hands could sniff after prey,
and weave webs of entrapment, and see.
    'As of tomorrow,' she went on, 'your
teams are disbanded. Only we in this room will have any knowledge of phase two,
so you will give out to your teams that Operation Search has achieved what it
set out to achieve without a phase two. And during the next three months you,
Sam, you, Millie, and I myself in lieu of Moshe, will undertake personal
investigation of the nine candidates. Three each. Sam will take on Millie's
three. Millie will take on Sam's three, and I will take on Moshe's three. So —
that's Dr Walking Horse, Dr Hastings and Professor Charnowski for Sam. And for
Millie we have Maestro Steinfeld, Dr Schneider and Mr Smith. I inherit Dr
Christian, Senator Hillier and Mayor d'Este. You are
experienced field investigators, so I need not enlarge upon the protocol
governing phase two. Tomorrow John will allow you to look at