James Follett - Mindwarp x

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MINDWARP

Prelude to Earthsearch

a 120,000 word novel by

James Follett

REPRESENTATION:

Jacqui Lyons

Marjacq Scripts Ltd.

161 Bickenhall Mansions

Bickenhall Street

LONDON

W1H 3DF

Tel: 071 935 9499 FAX 071 935 9115

NB: The GoD (Guardian of Destiny) symbol above is based on the

international circuit diagram symbol of the transistor.

For George Markstein.

Mentor and friend.

Sadly missed.

Part 1: Selection

Part 2: Training

Part 3: War!

Part 4: Mindwarp

Part 5: Discovery

Part 6: Fugitives

Part 7: Escape

Part 8: Outdoors

Part 9: Flight

Part 10: Prelude

Part 11: Prologue to Earthsearch

Outdoors! Outdoors!

Full of fire and fear,

Outdoors! Outdoors!

Where sinners disappear!

Outdoors! Outdoors!

Hell fires burn within,

Outdoors! Outdoors!

Throw the wicked in!

Outdoors! Outdoors!

Where flies and birds do dwell,

Outdoors! Outdoors!

Another name for hell!

Children's skipping rhyme

Origin unknown

FOREWORD

Excuses. Excuses.

Or, wriggling convincingly off the hook.

It doesn't matter if you haven't read the other books in the

Earthsearch series because this book is a self-contained

novel. Also it's the Earthsearch curtain-raiser although it

was not written first.

Its appearance is a touch embarrassing, so if you find the

spectacle of a writer casting about frantically for excuses

is unedifying, you can skip this intro and plunge straight

into the story.

One of the pleasurable perks of being an author are the

invitations to give lectures (I prefer to call them talks --

it's less pretentious) around the country to arts festivals,

library groups, writers' circles, and science-fiction

conventions etc. During the question and answer session I'm

usually asked by loyal fans of both BBC series if I have

plans to write anymore Earthsearth books, to which I have

usually answered: no. To my shame, the reasons I've trotted

out are usually along lines about how I need to move on to

develop new ideas. There's some truth in this pretentious

twaddle, but the real reason is that I thought I'd played all

the aces in both books. I was convinced that there was little

left to provide fresh twists and turns in the plot and, above

all, surprises. Like everyone else, I was thinking in terms

of a continuation of the story from the end of the last book,

not realising that a story I've had simmering since 1975 is,

in fact, the beginning of the Earthsearch story: a failure of

that most precious tool of the writer -- lateral thinking.

Let me explain about 1975. This was the year when I

forsook an index-linked pension to become a writer, and had

the good fortune to meet the late George Markstein, a partner

in the literary agency, Marjacq Scripts. The other partner

was Jacqui Lyons, who still represents me. George was the

genius behind The Prisoner television series which he co-

conceived and script edited besides writing some of the

scripts. He was a great storyteller, and a master of

indirection which he later demonstrated in his novels. He

could also be a terrifying ogre, especially if he suspected a

writer was not giving an audience or readership their best.

Mindwarp was one of my very early ideas and George loved

it. I still have his enthusiastic notes and suggestions on

the shape the story should take, and I referred to them when

writing this book. George said that Mindwarp had all the

makings of a first class yarn of which the most important

ingredient was its bizarre quest: the search for the mythical

outdoors. The basic premise of the story was strong enough

for Jacqui Lyons to persuade Thames TV to commission a pilot

TV script, but there was something missing. Something

important: Mindwarp did not have a convincing ending. Neither

of us could come up with good one so the story had to be set

aside. `Don't worry,' was George's advice. `All authors have

a file containing great ideas that lack a vital piece of the

jigsaw. Sooner or later the missing piece will turn up. When

it does, it'll be so glaringly obvious, that you'll wonder

why you never thought of it earlier.'

He was right on all counts. The missing piece materialised

in 1992 just as I was starting a four-week holiday having

spent several months writing Savant.

Mindwarp is the prelude to Earthsearch!

The idea came as I was lazing in the Spanish sun, watching

a beautiful girl emerging from the sea. I was so excited (by

the idea, not the girl. Yeah... Okay then, the girl was

pretty exciting too, and she's in this book) that I got

straight down to work and wrote Mindwarp in a couple of

months, tapping an unsuspected well of energy. For continuity

I've included the prologue of the first Earthsearth book at

the end of this book. Any suggestion that it's there as a

commercial -- to whet your appetite and so persuade you to

buy the Earthsearch books (to be reissued soon and available

from all good bookshops, so place your orders) -- is, of

course, a monstrous calumny.

A final twist in this odd tale is that this book contains

the seeds of the continuation of the Earthsearch story,

offering those essential twists and turns that had eluded me

10-years ago. Which means that a fourth book is now a

distinct possibility. Thinking about a fourth book has given

me an idea for a fifth, and even a sixth! And maybe a

seventh! They've even got titles which means they're as good

as written. All this from someone who was saying no more

after the second book!

Wriggling over. Even if you were unimpressed by my

explanations, I do hope you enjoy the book. Now read on as

they say.

James Follett

Godalming, Surrey

England

February 1993

PART 1

Selection

An image of a blonde appeared on the wall screen that

dominated the huge reception hall where over 300 milling,

whooping, boisterous children were gathered with their

parents. She was wearing the high neck, pink uniform of a

government information officer. The mothers and fathers

quickly hushed their charges and looked expectantly up at the

screen. It was the mid-morning war report.

`Good morning, fellow citizens of Arama!' The blonde was

smiling blandly. There was a collective easing of the sudden

tension; a smile meant good news. `The Department of Defence

has announced the result of yesterday's war. Our glorious

army of Arama has suffered this number of dead...'

A row of logo-like graphic representations of soldiers

appeared along the foot of the screen. Each figure was

clutching a plasma discharge weapon. They shone out on a

background of shimmering gold.

`And the profane forces of Diablo sustained these huge

losses...'

Several rows of sinister black figures appeared below the

first set so that it was possible to visualise the imbalance

without an understanding of the numbers. For most people of

Arama, counting beyond ten was difficult because they had to

visualise the entire quantity as a string of units.

`We have now won the war on six consecutive days,'

trumpeted the blonde. `A record, fellow citizens! A glorious

achievement which his excellency, the First Secretary has

decided to commemorate with an extra decra for every five

decras earned today. And now some important messages.'

The blonde's face was replaced by a friendly cartoon

character telling the audience that plastic was fantastic,

but fibron was right on. The commercials ended and the stern

still picture of the Emperor of Arama appeared on the screen.

It was the same picture that was displayed in all public

places throughout Arama.

Kally released Tarlan, who had squirmed in her arms during

the announcement. For the five-year-old to keep still for

even 30-seconds was a misery. The boy immediately made a

lunge for Ewen. The brothers rolled on the floor, kicking and

punching. Ewen put up a spirited defence. He was two years

older than Tarlan, and much stroner despite his skinny frame,

and could have beaten him easily had Kally not dragged them

apart. Her consolation was that the behaviour of many of the

restless children in the reception hall was not much better.

`You promised me that you'd both be on your best

behaviour!' she scolded them equally.

`He started it!' Ewen yelled defensively, rubbing his calf

where Tarlan had kicked him.

Kally thrust her youngest offspring into a moulded chair

and threatened that she'd send for the technicians if he

didn't behave. It was a threat she hated using. Not only

because of its seriousness, but because of its echoes of a

miserable childhood with a brutish, overbearing father.

`You do as I say, my girl or I'll send for the technicians

to throw you to the outdoors where the Diablons will get you

and eat you!'

Well she never went that far. She had never frightened her

children with talk of the eternal damnation of the outdoors

and the Diablons.

`Hardly any technicians in our sector. Takes ages for

anything broke to get mended,' said Tarlan belligerently. But

the look of anger in his mother's dark eyes stilled further

aggression. He scowled sulkily at Ewen. It was always Ewen

who got all the attention. Ewen this, Ewen that. Ewen had

been given a toy hot air balloon for his birthday that he

wouldn't let anyone else play with. They were even here

because of Ewen. He hated his older brother and wanted to

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摘要：

MINDWARP PreludetoEarthsearch a120,000wordnovelby JamesFollett REPRESENTATION:JacquiLyonsMarjacqScriptsLtd.161BickenhallMansionsBickenhallStreetLONDONW1H3DFTel:0719359499FAX0719359115NB:TheGoD(GuardianofDestiny)symbolaboveisbasedontheinternationalcircuitdiagramsymb...

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James Follett - Mindwarp x

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