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JUNE 2

They traveled for two days in that train, which was practically open to the air. Every time the train stopped, masses of people would climb in, and when there was no more room available, they would climb up on the roof and travel that way for miles. Igor was also up on the roof, speaking in Hindustani and singing popular songs. Once, when the train stopped at what could be called a station, Yuri watched Igor's antics from afar. Igor pretended to engage in serious discussions with the children; then he raised one of them to his shoulders, threatening to begin running faster than the train, to run through mountains, jungles, lakes and valleys. The train whistle blew, and Igor placed the child back next to him, with his hand on the child's shoulders. Yuri was able to see how Igor discreetly handed a few rupees to the child's parents, and then began to sing again.

They had finally arrived at Calcutta. Immediately, they embarked to the Kalighat temple. It was almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and a huge storm was approaching. With this heat and this humidity, the temple had a nauseating, greasy smell. A crowd of people was adoring Kali. She was represented in stone, painted in black. Her eyes were red, and she had ferocious tusks, like an elephant. Her face was splattered with blood, and her hair bristled with terror. She was wearing a necklace made of human skulls, and earrings made of cadavers. She was dancing over a dead body, holding a sword with one hand, and a severed head in the other. Her two other hands blessed her worshippers. The chanting, prayers, and frenetic shouting increased as one approached the place for sacrifices. An Indian was decapitating goats that were being offered to the goddess. His naked torso was splattered with blood. The heads flew into the air as he lopped them off with a giant sword; the goat's bodies quivered with almost electrical contortions.

An Indian approached Yuri timidly. He was holding a beautiful, dark-sinned boy by the hand. The boy was smiling, and his large, almond-colored eyes were also smiling.

"Sacrifice, sacrifice! Only one hundred rupees," the stranger told Yuri. He pointed to the child's neck.

In his mind, the professor saw the goat's head fly into the air, and also that of the boy. He remembered Vladie; the bread knife and the wounded finger. The blood pounded against his temples and something inside of him was ignited with uncontrollable fury. He attacked the stranger, grabbing his throat.

"Only fifty rupees, then, only fifty rupees!" the victim exclaimed.

Igor broke the two men apart, while the child cried inconsolably. Now that Yuri was apart, Igor began to speak with the stranger. The professor saw Igor give the Indian fifty rupees; the adult and the child then left, gesturing their appreciation. Yuri jumped once again, attacking Igor and yelling:

"You are an accomplice!"

Igor detained Yuri, holding him by the arms. "Professor," he explained, "the man wants fifty rupees so that he may sacrifice a goat, to win the goddess' favor for his little brother. He wanted Kali to protect the child... See, you don't know the Indian customs yet. Or did you really believe that they would sacrifice children as a tourist attraction?"

Nothing of interest developed in Calcutta, so both of them boarded an airplane to Bombay, the greatest and most westernized city in the whole of India.

In Bombay, they rented a dilapidated car that would take them to Poona, some 100 miles away. Yuri engaged in conversation with the driver, and was able to understand him pretty well. When the driver affirmed something, he would shake his head from side to side. Igor had explained this curious custom some days before. So from then on, Yuri was able to understand that "no" meant "yes." Well, in the USSR it was common for leaders to clap to the public, and then the public would respond in kind. This custom that appeared completely normal to the Soviets, was considered strange by capitalists.

As soon as they arrived in Poona, they checked in at the Amir Hotel. The went out to tour the city, as usual, looking for non-official mystical groups that were mentioned in the brown book.

The day ended with failure, as usual.

JUNE 4

It was almost 9 a.m. when they arrived at Zawan's ashram, just in time to listen to his dissertation. The loyal followers, about one hundred Westerners, were all sitting on the grass. Zawan was sitting on a golden throne raised upon a platform. He was following the rhythm of phonograph music broadcast through large speakers. He moved his hands to and fro, or sweetly rock his head. At times, he turned his eyes completely white and shook his greasy beard... there was an explosion of amazement. How peaceful he looked!

"Kneel before the master," said a voice in American English over the loudspeakers. "He who wishes to liberate himself must give up his ego." The Westerners responded by kneeling down, brushing their face against the grass. Those that were more fortunate could reach the fat man and kiss the pink stockings that could be seen beneath black sandals.

The two Russians mingled among the disciples. Yuri sat down on the grass, but his friend went directly towards an empty chair, which he found curiously inviting. As soon as Igor sat down, several women began to scream hysterically, hurling themselves at him. Igor defended himself as best he could while trying not to hurt his attackers. Everything happened so quickly that some of the women tore his shirt and his trouser pockets.

Yuri ran over to rescue his friend as the guru took over the microphone.

"Relax, my little lambs," the guru declared. "Relax. You must understand that this man does not know the great meaning of that empty chair. Every morning, the spirit of India's greatest dis-incarnate sits there to listen to my words."

The furious women retreated reluctantly. They began to wobble, and fell down on the grass, laughing grotesquely. Clearly, alcohol and drugs had been consumed since very early morning -- the reason for this bizarre behavior. Later on, someone explained that certain stimulants predisposed the audience to "open their hearts to the truth of Zawan."

The chair was empty once again, and Igor sat on the grass next to Yuri.

"I crushed him," he whispered softly.

"Who?" asked Yuri.

"The spirit of India's greatest dis-incarnate, comrade."

Zawan rambled on for half an hour. When he finished his speech, many followers again tried to touch his pink stockings. The mood became sublime when a black Mercedes Benz appeared. Zawan was assisted by several followers onto the car. Then he circled the kneeling crowd two or three times, blowing out kisses from the rear window. He got off exactly where he had boarded the vehicle. While the Mercedes was returned to the garage, the fat Zawan climbed back onto the platform, and then disappeared away from the eyes of the profane.

Two hours later, the Russians were leaving the ashram when two men hurried to their side. Apparently, they were helping a young woman who had trouble keeping her balance.

"Are you returning to Poona?" one of the strangers asked.

"Yes, right away," said Igor.

"Could you take Ethel with you?" asked the second stranger.

"Take her where?" said Igor, a bit perplexed.

"Wherever you are going," replied one of the young men. "Tell us where we can reach you, and in a few hours we will be by to pick her up. There is no time for explanations. Pierre, write down their address."

Yuri spoke, "Listen, Pierre, we are at the Amir Hotel. Ask for Professor Tokarev. But if you are not there within two hours, we will leave this woman at the hotel."

The two young men wheeled around and returned to the ashram.

The Russians were back at the hotel. Ethel had not said a single word. She was lying down, with her eyes completely open, almost without blinking. Igor had ordered some fruit juices and some conventional Indian food. Shortly afterwards, a crowd of servants arrived. They wheeled in a cart with the food and drinks, then formed a single line near the door. Igor began to give each of them some paisas. As each servant received his coins, he thanked Igor by nodding his head from side to side, then left the room.

Yuri offered Ethel a glass of fruit juice, but she did not respond. The two Russians decided to leave things as they were and wait for the two young strangers to arrive. They killed some time by taking showers and packing their clothes, including Igor's damaged shirt and pants.

Someone knocked at the door soon afterward.

"Come in," said Igor.

The two young men entered the room, sat down, and drank some fruit juice. Then the tallest of them said:

"My name is Kaustila and this is Pierre. Ethel has been at the ashram for three months. We visited the ashram yesterday and met her then. We listened to her story last night, but today she could no longer speak, so we decided to take her out."

"I see, so you must be Boy Scouts," replied Igor, sarcastically.

"No, we're Sisters of Mercy," Pierre shot back.

Yuri intervened. "OK, OK, why don't we let these two gentlemen explain what is going on?"

"There are about ten more idiots at the ashram," said Kaustila. "They are all drugged, like Ethel. They refuse to leave, because they are waiting for Zawan to give them 'The Great Secret.' In order to be ready, they volunteer to reduce their portion of polished rice day by day."

"Oh, I see," said Igor. "So you must be from the Salvation Army!"

"No!" said Pierre, "we are the boys from the Bolshoi Ballet!"

"What is wrong with you guys?" Yuri snapped. "If you are going to get into a fist fight, I suggest you go outside. Go ahead! And you, what did you mean by that remark about the Bolshoi?"

"You are Russians, are you not?" replied Kaustila. "They verified this at the lobby. Russian diplomats."

"And what are you?" asked Yuri, irritated.

"I am French and he is Indian," said Pierre. "The other people back at the ashram did not want to leave, so that is no longer our problem, because we are not going back. But since we decided to take Ethel, we have to make sure she boards an airplane and goes back to London before something serious happens to her. She is completely anemic, drugged, and penniless. She does not remember where she lives and has lost her papers. So, since you are distinguished diplomats living in the high life at the Amir Hotel, it is up to you to take her out of India."

The Russians were shocked. The two young men sipped a little more fruit juice and headed for the door.

"We have done what we can," added Kaustila. "Now it is your turn to fulfill your duty to international solidarity. You are members of the United Nations, right?"

"Just a moment," said Yuri. "We need to know more about what is going on."

"There is no more to talk about," said Pierre.

Igor began to laugh, and slapped the two young men in the back. The mood changed, the two strangers also began to laugh, and sat down at the table, willing to improve the situation. The two young men explained, very candidly, that they were followers of the Doctrine and that they were fulfilling a project that had been assigned to them.

"Wherever I find suffering, I do my best to resolve it," Kaustila declared. "If I cannot do anything, I will continue happily on my way."

Yuri recognized that attitude thanks to his conversations with Jose back in Moscow. Yuri proposed a settlement.

"We will take the girl back to Bombay, to the British Consulate, requesting that they send her back to a hospital in London. If money becomes an issue, the USSR will pay for her air fare, but it is up to the British to resolve the problem with the paperwork. Do you agree, gentlemen?"

"Absolutely," said Kaustila.

The young men then inquired what the two Russians were doing in Poona. Yuri told him about his research, without hiding anything. He felt that he had the opportunity to discover something meaningful, and he would not ruin everything by provoking their suspicion. He remembered his conversation with the lama, and this reinforced his approach. In addition, since he could not discuss these things with Jose right now, at least he would discuss it with people who followed the same Doctrine.

After listening to Yuri's explanations, Pierre replied that they also were aware of an increasing psycho-social unbalance, and of the sudden appearance of perturbing mystical phenomena. He continued to explain that a chain reaction of irrational explosions was about to begin.

"During the decade of the eighties, the energy crisis will become generalized. Many countries will go bankrupt. We will see hungry masses of people, without jobs, without a future, wandering through the great cities, dedicated to violence and robbery. The mental state of entire populations will approach that of collective madness. Mystical currents will attract the masses, and become important sources of power."

The two Russians listened attentively.

"Let us assume you are right," said Yuri. "What can be done about it?"

"There is only one thing that can be done," Pierre replied. "To prepare resources for an enormous social psychotherapy, something that is capable of absorbing the gigantic negative charges of the collective mind and transform them into positive energy. In order to achieve, this, we must have a launching. "

Igor interrupted, "A launching? What are you talking about?" Igor was trying to confuse this discussion. "Gentlemen, what I would like to know is whether you are students at some religious school, or perhaps, well-meaning sociologists who are concerned with the health of the collective mind."

Pierre responded, "I can answer that by repeating a statement that we recite in public. My Doctrine says that I can believe or not believe in God. My Doctrine says that I can believe or not believe in immortality. My Doctrine explains that I can, and must learn how to overcome suffering. For example, my friend Kaustila is an atheist, and I believe in God. But both of us agree that suffering is not good. You may believe that there is no suffering in your country. If that were the case, it would be a paradise from the Doctrine's point of view. But if you are mistaken, then something is also going to explode back in your country."

Ethel was now standing, and walked over to the rest of the group. She was still wobbly. Kaustila helped her onto a chair, then carefully helped her drink some juice and nibble on some small pieces of cold chicken.

"Thank you," she said finally, and returned to bed.

Everyone looked at each other quietly. A feeling of brotherhood circulated throughout the room.

"OK, we have to go," said Pierre.

Yuri held him back. "Tell me, what are the chances that you can channel this alleged explosion that is about to happen?"

"No chances," Kaustila replied. "We are just a few nuts, without resources, without significant numbers. And since we cannot reach the masses with some seductive proposal, we cannot channel anything. So, let me repeat what I told you earlier. Wherever I find suffering, I do my best to resolve it. If I cannot do anything, I will continue happily on my way. "

"Just one more thing," pleaded Yuri, "where is your center of activities, your epicenter?"

"Professor Tokarev," Pierre replied, ironically, "we are not a local earthquake. We are poli-centric. However, if you want to find out where the Doctrine began, you can search the surroundings of the Andes. However, you are not going to find any ashrams. We are just a few nuts, scattered throughout the world. But I will tell you this much... if, during the chaos that is approaching, we have an opportunity to prevent the psychopaths from launching their missiles, we will do so. We will have our own launching, to de-activate the bombs."

The discussion ended on this strange note.

When the young men left the room, the Russians began to get ready for their own departure. The professor had some time to write in his journal. His comments made no mention of the look of warning that he had perceived in Pierre's sparkling eyes.

JUNE 5

Yuri would leave that evening from Bombay to Paris, with just enough time to change airplanes and continue on to Latin America. In less than two days he would find himself in one of the most remote locations on Earth, close to the South Pole. He decided against investigating any more and focused instead on organizing his notes about India. Igor was taking care of Ethel, would confirm the reservations, and would probably run a some errands before they both left to Santa Cruz Air Port.

Yuri had been working at a table in the hotel lobby since very early that day, with a few pieces of luggage near him. It was 8 a.m. when Igor appeared.

"Comrade Professor! Everything is OK!"

"So, you didn't have any problems, Igor?"

"Not at all. The Englishmen reacted as if Ethel's situation were something that happens every day, and are taking care of the matter. Air India confirmed the flight. Here is your ticket."

Later on, while they were waiting for the departing flight, Igor extended his best wishes to his co-worker.

"Professor," he exclaimed, "I sincerely hope that they will be waiting for you with as much anticipation as we did in India."

"Well, you did not have to anticipate me for very long," Yuri replied. "They decided on my journey on the 24th of May, and I arrived in New Delhi on the 27th. That is only three days."

"No professor, you're mistaken," Igor said, slowly. "Your arrival was announced through telex five months ago. Yuri V. Tokarev. Social ID: 140.392.388. Address: Dyietigara M 6/25 Moscow University. Date of birth: July 7, 1940, Novgorod. 5 ft. 9 in. 150 lbs. Color of skin: white. Reddish hair. Blue eyes. No visible scars. Intellectual worker. Social investigator. Professor of comparative religions. Moscow University. Married, two children. Prepare reception and arrange tour with a qualified escort through the interior of that country. Stop. Then, the telex would be retracted, your visit would be canceled... and then everything would start all over again..."

"Last call for Flight 126 from Bombay to Paris. Gate number three," blared the loudspeakers.

Yuri turned pale. Igor kissed him on both cheeks, and then added, with a big smile:

"You are no simple professor, and I am no simple tourist guide... The telexes were all in code, and they were coming directly from the Ministry of Defense. Have a nice flight, comrade!"

JUNE 6

A small audience was seated in the conference hall, watching a film about a rat that was trying to bite and incandescent object, while completely ignoring a piece of cheese nearby. Shortly afterward, the rat lost all of its strength, falling to one side, kicking violently, and then remaining completely still. The rat was dead. The film now focused on Tolmacheva as she was being assisted by the biotronist. Later on, the camera showed an automobile avoiding obstacles in its way. The car was very small, like a toy. Its front wheels would move accurately to the left or the right as it rolled over a clear acrylic table. Amazingly, when the camera closed in, one could clearly see that the toy had no mechanism to propel it. No motor, no spring... and yet it continued maneuvering about. The camera showed it from many different angles.

The film was over for the time being. Nietzsky, spread out in his chair, exclaimed in a loud voice:

"Tolmacheva influenced the impulses of a rat with a force strong enough to completely confuse its nervous system; therefore, it is not beyond reason to believe she could affect much simpler choices within a human brain."

Someone in the audience asked, "Is there any chance that Tolmacheva -- able as she is to move small cars -- could affect the circuit inside of a missile, or a nuclear firing device?"

"There is no chance," replied Nietzsky. "She is hopelessly mad and on the brink of death."

The room darkened again and the movie screen came to life. Tokarev appeared walking into the sensory deprivation chamber. The camera showed the steam begin to fill the room, and Yuri disappearing beneath the fog. There was a pause in the film, and one could now see two men talking in a small room.

"We have studied these hallucinations very well," Karpov explained.

"And if I told you that in this hallucination I traveled home, and there I saw my young Vladimir cut his finger with a bread knife?" Yuri asked.

"Just the same chain of hallucinations. Get real, Tokarev, no 'thing' leaves your body. These are just hallucinations."

"Is there a telephone nearby?"

"Of course."

The film showed the two men walking into an adjoining room. Yuri picked up the telephone and dialed out. The sound of the telephone could be heard on film. It was young Vladimir's voice, amplified by the sound system.

"Who is it?" the child asked.

"Your father. Don't you recognize me Vladie?" Yuri asked softly.

"Daddy, daddy... when are you getting home? Daddy, you must come right away... I've cut my finger with a bread knife."

The film ended, and the lights went on again.

The biotronist was still spread out in his chair as he continued his explanations.

"The article written by Tokarev, and which appeared in the journal, contained several phrases that replicated, word-for-word, passages of the memorandum that we had received a month earlier. His general assessment of events agreed with those of the document that was received at one of our South American embassies."

Nietzsky paused for an instant and sat straight up in his chair.

"So, the memorandum was delivered to our embassy. They believed it was a curiosity, and forwarded it to Moscow. Since this curious document made some mention of 'prophecies' it was delivered to our department. You all know very well that biotronists and para-psychologists are the witch-doctors of the academic world.

The audience laughed. Grigori waited for the chatter to subside and began speaking.

"The first prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. It concerned the suicides in Guyana. We assembled a commission that approached the Ministry of Defense, with solid evidence to back our arguments. We were given the cold shoulder, but were nevertheless instructed to organize the committee. At the beginning we considered sending Tokarev to India and Latin America, because the memorandum ended with the following phrase: We cordially greet you and expect to see you in India and South America. "

An Armenian-looking woman continued to explain. "We started and interrupted the project over and over again. But the prophecies continued to fulfill themselves. The revolution in Iran, the disturbances caused by the Pope's travel, and so on. Then there was the nuclear accident in the United States -- the Ministry was enraged and ordered us to move quickly."

"We had not even perfected a good model for interpretation," Grigori added. "And yet we sent Professor Tokarev off in his adventure. Poor Yuri!"

The biotronist was now on his feet and addressed himself to the full committee.

"The memorandum ended with these words: We cordially greet you and expect to see you in India and South America. So we are finished with the first part, and now go on to the second. Igor has informed us that in India he tried to create confusion and to block Professor Tokarev. However, Yuri was always able to find decisive contacts. We know that the followers of the 'Doctrine' had a discussion with the two. As if that were not enough, they brought a young woman by the name of Ethel and asked that she be placed at the British Consulate in Bombay. Of course, this Ethel was part of the plot, as Igor soon discovered. When he was at the consulate he informed the British about what Tokarev had explained at the hotel in Poona. The Brits had also received a memorandum, quite similar to ours, and now they are also following our unique professor.

"The Americans sent their famous journalist to Moscow, to find out what we could have known beforehand about Guyana and Iran. So it is safe to assume that the Americans have also received a copy of the memorandum."

"We'll see," said Grigori, smiling, "maybe we will find a diplomatic cocktail brewing in South America."

"A Molotov cocktail!" exclaimed Karpov. "The fact of the matter is that they are leading us toward some point, and we are going there without knowing exactly what it is all about."

"Gentlemen," said the biotronist, in his pompous tone, "if they are capable of influencing Tokarev's mind while he was preparing his article, and if Tokarev has the abilities of a sensitive, as the film has shown, then it makes sense to use Yuri as a radar, so that he can lead us to these interesting subjects that claim to follow the famous 'Doctrine.' As you know, at some point in their memorandum they explain that they will have their own launching, one that is capable of de-activating our missiles. Now the question is, do they have enough mental development to act at a strategic level? They have shown us that they can anticipate events, but of course, that does not guarantee that they can change them."

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