Eva hesitated a moment.
“It thought you were right about the Watcher,” she lied.
“Too true,” said Alison. “Katie thinks it’s evolved in all those databases, all those computer networks and so on. It has become aware. Now it wants to stretch its wings, it wants to do things. But how? It’s far more intelligent than we are. It must be; it knows far more than we do. What if our machines and our senses are no longer enough for it? What is it going to do if it wants more powerful eyes and arms?”
“Build its own, I suppose,” replied Eva. “Oh. That thing on the news earlier today…”
“A mathematical expression that describes itself,” Katie said from the doorway.
Alison interrupted her. “And no one knows for sure where it came from. It just turned up on a computer.”
“Maybe that man; what was his name…?”
“Kay Lovegrove,” Katie said.
“Isn’t it possible that Kay Lovegrove wrote it?”
“It was the Watcher,” said Nicolas. “It’s beginning to shape the world into a fashion that suits itself. What does that tell you about us? About humans? What is it going to do to us?”
Alison stared at him. Outside the rain rattled against the windows and Eva stared out at the limes. She heard the voice.
“He’s right. What is the Watcher going to do to you? It’s watching you at the moment, you know. It can see you.”
“Eva! Speak to us, Eva!”
Suddenly, Alison was kneeling in front of the bed, gazing up at her. Eva didn’t remember her moving there.
“What’s the matter?” asked Eva, confused.
“I thought you were going to black out that time. What did it say?”
“It said the Watcher was looking at us now. It said it could see us.”
Katie was jumping up and down by the doorway. She seemed very excited.
“What is it, Katie?” Nicolas called.
Katie was having trouble speaking. Nicolas moved up beside her and put one hand on her arm. “Deep breaths, Katie. Deep breaths.”
“I think I understand!” Katie gasped. “Eva. Get off the bed. Go and stand over there.”
Katie was fighting for breath, such was her excitement. She pointed toward the opposite corner of the room.
Eva looked at Alison.
“Do it,” she said. Hesitantly, Eva obeyed. She moved across to the space by the tiny desk. Two magazines, bought for her at the village by one of the helpers, sat by her elbow. She looked at their glossy covers, embarrassed and confused.
“Ask the voice to speak,” said Katie, excitedly.
Eva nodded and coughed a little.
“Er, hello? Are you there?” she said. Nothing.
“I can’t hear anything,” she said.
“I know. We can tell,” said Alison.
“Now move back to the bed,” said Katie. Eva walked back to the bed.
“Look out the window.”
The voice spoke. “Katie has worked it out. I think I understand myself, now. I never knew before.”
Eva turned pale. She spun slowly around to face the room. The other three looked eagerly at her. “It says Katie has worked it out,” she said.
Alison and Nicolas looked at Katie. She gave a huge beam and spoke. “It’s the limes. She hears the voice every time she looks at the limes.”
Eva was shivering with fear. Alison and Nicolas jumped up from the bed and went to look through the window.
“It’s difficult to see anything through this rain,” said Nicolas. “One gust and they vanish again.”
“Why can’t we hear anything?” Alison asked.
“I don’t know,” Katie said.
“What is it then?” asked Nicolas.
“I don’t know that, either.” Katie was losing her shyness again, Eva noticed, now that she had something to concentrate on.
“Why don’t you ask the voice?” Alison interjected.
“Oh yes, that’s a good idea.” Katie and Nicolas turned to gaze at Eva. She shivered again.
“I don’t want to,” she said. “It frightens me.”
“Don’t be so silly. Turn and face the window.”
Katie was so uncharacteristically brusque, it took Eva quite aback. Hesitantly, she obeyed. She turned and looked out of the window.
“Who are you? Are you the Watcher?” she asked.
“No. I’m…I think I’m…I think I was your brother.”
“My brother?”
Katie began hugging herself with delight.
“Yes! I should have guessed. I’ve read about this. It’s your addiction. It’s the MTPH! You’re having flashbacks!”
“Flashbacks? No. It’s not my brother. He didn’t sound like that. Anyway, he would know me…”
Alison was impatient. “Why? You’re not taking the drug anymore, are you? It isn’t constantly regenerating the personality in your mind. But that doesn’t mean that you haven’t worn the habit of him into the paths of your brain.”
“Permanently altered the chemistry,” Katie interrupted.
“Whatever. Something in the sight of the limes out there is reminding you of him. Now what could it be?”
“I watched the limes as I waited for him to die,” Eva said softly. She felt strangely calm. She ought to be upset, but there was nothing.
“It’s your brother’s ghost,” said Nicolas.
“Oh, Nicolas. Have some tact!”
“No,” said the voice. “He’s right. Ghost is a good description. I’m not the man I used to be.”
Katie was grinning. “This is excellent. This is better than we could have hoped for.”
Eva turned to her in disgust. “Why?”
“Because this is something that the Watcher can’t measure. It may even be something that the Watcher doesn’t even know about. This can only aid us.”
Eva lost her temper. “No. I’m fed up with this. I’ve heard enough. I’m not playing along anymore. There is no Watcher, and if there were, there would be no way of escaping it. How would we do that? Four poor loonies, all trapped in a mental hospital in Wales, without a penny to their names.”
Her voice faltered as she saw Nicolas and Alison begin to smile at her.
“What? What’s the matter?”
Nicolas was looking at Alison and smiling, waiting for her to tell Eva the big joke.
“Speak to me. What’s the matter?” said Eva. She was becoming angrier. Katie was blushing with embarrassment. She seemed to be retreating back inside herself, the real Katie withdrawing from the room and leaving nothing but the body behind.
“Tell me what you’re laughing at!” demanded Eva.
Alison spoke first. She pointed at her friend.
“You don’t recognize her, do you? You don’t know who she is! That’s Katie Kirkham!”
“Katie Kirkham?” said Eva weakly. “It can’t be.”
But it was. No wonder Eva had thought she recognized her. No wonder they were laughing at her.
“Katie Kirkham.” Nicolas laughed. “The Poor Little Rich Girl.”
