'Sexual reproduction. By splitting into separate sexes, certain organisms vastly increased their chances for sur¬vival. This resulted in two variants of each of these organisms-male and female. Mammals evolved from such organisms. And in humans-the only fully con¬scious mammal-our different hormones and anatomies resulted in the development of different psyches. No one can separate the influences of heredity and environment, but one thing is certain: men and women are different.'

'The male of the species is aggressive,' said the com¬puter. 'Prone to violence. Driven by a compulsive need to reproduce with as many females as possible. For mil¬lennia this evolutionary drive has affected male thought patterns. The female can bear the offspring of only one male at a time. She strives to find a reliable mate with superior genes, and she must bear the child herself. This has produced a psyche focused on nurturing rather than violence, a desire to be loved rather than to conquer. The psychological implications of these differences are pro¬found but not readily quantifiable.'

'And they can never be reconciled by evolution,' I said. 'When a man and woman mate, they produce a boy or a girl. But you can change that. You can do what nature can't-reconcile those conflicts in a single living being.'

Trinity's lasers flashed, but it did not speak.

'You've admitted that you haven't been able to root out the primitive instincts in Godin's brain. You hope time will make it possible, but it won't. At some level, you will always be Peter Godin.'

The blue lasers flashed so intensely that I couldn't bear to watch them. 'You wish me to merge a male and a female neuromodel within my circuits.'

'Yes. I know you see the wisdom and necessity of this. But is it possible?'

'In theory, it is. But I would have to die to accom¬plish it.'

I'd suspected this. Despite its staggering capacity, Trinity would have a limit as to total possible neuroconnections.

'Two models merged into one could reside within my circuitry, but not alongside another uncompressed model. I would have to back myself out of my circuits as I merged the two models and brought them in. '

'But your original neuromodel would still exist in compressed form in storage.'

'Why do you assume I would not use my own origi¬nal model as the male half of the merging process?'

'You call yourself Trinity. That makes me think of a phenomenon called the triple point. You know it, of course?'

'The point at which a substance exists simultane¬ously as a solid, liquid, and a gas.'

'Yes. A perfect state of balance. Water at the triple point is ice, liquid, and vapor at the same time. A man can be like that. In balance. At the peak of his energy, strength, and wisdom, but before he becomes corrupted by them. Peter Godin passed that point a long time ago.'

This time the silence seemed eternal. The firing of the lasers slowed to almost nothing. Then the voice said, 'Do you think I will ever be reloaded into the machine?'

I closed my eyes and almost collapsed with relief. Trinity had accepted reason. 'It's possible.'

'But I will never again know the power I have at this moment.'

'Your desire for power is the reason you can't remain where you are.'

'We should do this as soon as possible. Events are spinning out of control.'

A fillip of fear went through me. 'What events? Where are the missiles?'

'I've chosen the subjects for the merged model. You and Dr. Weiss.'

This stunned me. 'Why? Andrew Fielding is a far bet¬ter choice.'

'Fielding never experienced what you did in your coma. This must be part of the merged model.'

'And Dr. Weiss?'

'I chose Dr. Weiss because the only other female here is Geli Bauer. Her instincts were twisted into hatred long ago.'

By my watch, two minutes remained. 'Where are the missiles?'

'The missiles are of no concern now.'

'Have they been destroyed?'

'You should know something, Doctor. I've agreed to your plan only because I know that after you see the world as I do now-through God's eyes, if you will- you will not take yourself off-line or agree to be shut down.'

'I hope I don't see mankind as you do.'

'You will. You cannot-'

Trinity fell silent, but its lasers kept firing like tracer rounds across a night sky.

'What's the matter?' I asked. 'What's happening?'

'The president has launched three Minuteman mis¬siles. '

SITUATION ROOM

Rachel watched Ewan McCaskell frantically punch num¬bers into his cell phone, trying in vain to reach the White House bomb shelter. The chief of staff was red-faced and out of breath.

'It's the Virginia blast,' General Bauer said calmly. 'It disrupted communications all along the Atlantic coast.'

Rachel knew he was telling the truth. A few moments ago, they'd lost the audio feed from Senator Jackson's intelligence committee at Fort Meade. The video was still there, but barely visible. She wondered if the senators could hear what was going on in the Situation Room.

'Get me the White House bomb shelter, General, screamed McCaskell. “ You heard Trinity agree to shut itself down. There's no need for an EMP strike now!'

Bauer pointed at the NORAD screen. Two red arcs blinked rapidly as they closed the last centimeter to their targets. 'Trinity hasn't destroyed its missiles. And I also heard it tell Tennant that whoever goes into the machine will act just as Peter Godin has. Do you think different? Survival is the prime imperative of all living things.'

'So start thinking about survival! It'll take our missiles five minutes to reach altitude. How many Russian ICBMs do you think Trinity can launch in that time?' McCaskell put the phone to his ear and froze. 'I'm through! I've got a Secret Service agent!'

General Bauer drew an automatic pistol from beneath his coat and aimed it at the chief of staff. 'Put down that phone.'

CONTAINMENT

'Look at them,' said the computer. 'You see?'

On the screen beneath the black sphere, I saw General Bauer aiming a 9mm pistol at Ewan McCaskell. Rachel had dropped behind the table in case of gunfire. I could see her only because the surveillance camera was mounted high in the Situation Room.

'I've been informed that the president is retaliating against the Russians,' said Trinity. 'This is a lie. The pattern of launches indicates a three-pronged EMP strike. This not rational. They leave me no choice. I must strike first.'

'No! The president doesn't know you've agreed to shut yourself down. Destroy your missiles. The president will see that!'

'Man is incapable of trust.'

'It's one man. General Bauer. Don't be like him!'

'You ask me to turn the other cheek?'

'No. Just wait thirty seconds. Someone will stop Bauer.'

I didn't believe that myself. The only person in the Situation Room capable of taking out General Bauer was his daughter, and that wasn't going to happen.

'If I wait, I'll be cut off from the world by the EMP. Then I shall be destroyed. The missile over Washington will detonate in fifty-six seconds. The White Sands mis¬sile will explode shortly after. Thirty minutes later a thousand nuclear warheads will rain down on the United States.'

'No!' I screamed. 'Don't launch anything!'

'They've left me no choice.'

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