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the Service reports, she shouldn t be running into immediate problems. But it
might not stay with the pattern.
Her probe moved cautiously into the psi-emptiness. After a time, she gained
again the impression of a few days before: it wasn t as empty as it had
appeared at first contact. Something shadowy, distant, seemed to be there.
She began to work with the impression. What did she feel about it? A vague
thing and large. Cold perhaps. Yes.
Cold and dark . . .
It was what she felt, no more than that. But her feelings were all she had to
work with at this stage. Out of them other things could develop. There was
this vague, dark, cold largeness then, connected with the Siren on the study
table. She tried to gain some impression of the relationship.
An impression came suddenly, a negative one. The relationship had been denied.
Afterward, the darkness seemed to have become a little colder. Telzey s nerves
tingled. There was no change otherwise, but she d had a response.
Her psi sensors reached toward the fringes of the darkness, seemed to touch
it, still found nothing that allowed a probe. She had a symbol of what was
there, not yet its reality. But the search had moved on a step.
Then there was an interruption. She knew suddenly she wasn t alone in the
study. This was much more definite than any previous feeling that there might
be someone or something about. She still sensed nothing specific, but the hair
at the nape of her neck was trying to lift, and the skin of her back prickled
with awareness of another s presence in the room.
Telzey didn t look around, knowing she d see no one if she did. Instead, she
flicked a search probe out suddenly.
As suddenly the presence was gone.
She sat quiet a moment, returned her attention to the symbol. Nothing there
had changed. She withdrew from it, stood up, turned the container s psi block
back on, and looked at her watch. About an hour had passed since she d entered
the study.
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She found Trigger in the conservatory, tending to the plants under the indoor
sun. Trigger, she said, did you happen to be thinking about me a few
minutes ago?
Probably, Trigger said. I ve been thinking about you right along, wondering
how you were doing. Why?
Has there ever been anything to indicate you might be a psi?
Trigger looked surprised.
Well, she said, I understand everybody s a bit of a psi. So I suppose I m
that. I ve never done anything out of the ordinary, though. Except perhaps
She hesitated.
Except perhaps what? Telzey asked.
Trigger told her about the Old Galactics and her contacts with them.
Great day in the morning! Telzey said, astounded, when Trigger concluded.
You certainly have unusual acquaintances!
Of course, no one s to know they re there, Trigger remarked.
Well, I won t tell.
I know you won t. You think it might mean I m a kind of telepath?
It might, Telzey said. It wouldn t have to. They may simply have themselves
tuned in on you. She stood a moment, reflecting. I ran into a heavy-duty psi
once who didn t have the faintest idea he was one, she said. It was a
problem because all sorts of extraordinary things kept happening to him and
around him. Right now, anything like that could be disturbing.
Trigger looked concerned. Have there been disturbances?
I haven t noticed anything definite, Telzey said untruthfully. But I ve
been wondering.
Could you find out about me if I undid that mind shield they gave me?
Telzey sat down. Let s try.
Trigger wished the shield out of existence. Some little time passed. Then
Telzey said, You can put the shield back.
Well? Trigger asked. Am I?
You are, Telzey said absently. I thought you might be, from the way you ve
been worrying about the Sirens.
She shook her head. Trigger, that s the most disorganized psi mind I ve ever
contacted! I wonder why Pilch never mentioned it.
Trigger hesitated. Now that you ve mentioned it, she said, I believe Pilch
did suggest something of the kind on one occasion. I thought I d misunderstood
her. She didn t refer to it again.
Well, if you like, said Telzey, we can take a week off after we re through
with the Siren, and see if we can t make you operational.
Trigger rubbed her nose tip. Frankly, I doubt that I d want to be
operational.
Why?
You and Pilch seem to thrive on it, Trigger said, but I ve met other psis
who weren t cheery people. I suppose you can pick up a whole new parcel of
problems when you have abilities like that.
You pick up problems, all right, Telzey acknowledged.
That s what I thought. And I, Trigger said, seem to find all the problems I
can handle without adding complications. Could that disorganized psi mind of
mine do anything to disturb you when you re trying to work with the Siren?
Telzey shook her head. Trigger, psi-latent, hadn t been unconsciously
responsible for those manifestations, couldn t have been. Neither was the
Siren. This time, there d been, for a moment, a decidedly human quality about
the immaterial presence.
So the Psychology Service was keeping an eye on proceedings here. She d half
expected it. And they d assigned an operator of exceptional quality to the
job
she couldn t have prowled about an alerted telepath and remained as well
concealed.
Nor, Telzey thought, was that the only concealed high-quality psi around.
While Trigger was talking about the
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Old Galactics, she d recalled that flick of mind-stuff she caught the moment
the Siren container came unshielded in the Haplandia Hotel.
It seemed the Old Galactics, too, had an interest in the Siren specimen, and
were represented in the
summerhouse. . . .
Did either of them know about the other? Did the Siren entity know about
either of them, or suspect it had an occupant? It was nothing she could
mention to Trigger there was too much psi involved all around, and Trigger s
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