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colleagues also disagreed, but she was foolish enough to say so. Right now she is probably undergoing hypnotic reorientation."

"What was the decision?"

Koralin began unwrapping the bundle. Her hands moved slowly, methodically. With a touch of melodrama she kept the contents covered by the paper until she was ready to perform the unveiling ceremony. Then she said: "The world brain decided, after many weeks of careful consideration, that this should be destroyed . ."

She unveiled the baby in a crackling flourish of paper.

The Controller of Internal Security switched off the videophone and pressed a green button on the intercom panel.

"Get me the Senior Mistress of Applied Cytology in Zone Four."

"Yes, ma'am.”

Fifteen seconds of silence, then a metallic voice through the intercom grille.

"Applied Cytology. Senior Mistress speaking."

The Controller faded up the video screen. A flaccid, square-jawed face stared at her from beyond the rectangular panel of glass.

"Code six," said the Controller curtly.

The image on the screen glanced downwards. Unseen fingers moved an unseen switch. Scrambler circuits clicked into operation to render the conversation indecipherable at all intermediate points between the two terminals.

"I have received an alarming report," said the Controller. "It concerns you."

"Indeed?"

"And test four-six-five."