Part 16
"John?" You know instinctively that it is John who will hurt most when you tell them. "John, I..."
Words fail you for a moment and John and the others look at you curiously. Then John's expression becomes incredulous.
"You don't think Earth should be a member of the Federation." He says and it's not a question. "You really think that we should abandon our own world!"
"I don't think Earth is ready yet, John." You manage to say. "I don't think it's safe."
"We've been working to bring Earth into the Federation for years!" Carol says angrily. "Without us the Earth would have been destroyed or enslaved several times already."
"But Timus said that it's only because we're there that those things happened." You argue. "Even if they don't realise it and we don't realise it we must be extending some kind of mental invitation to everyone going past. Earth's survived for millions of years without Tomorrow People being there."
"Not if you count the Kulthan." Stephen tells you. He looks more upset than angry by your decision. "They only left Earth a few thousand years ago and the psi-damping field they left would have stopped most sensitive races from approaching Earth anyway. It's gone now."
"You think we should just abandon all those people who would try to break out and die?" Tyso asks you, his west-country accent thickening in his excitement. "If John and Liz and Stephen hadn't been there I don't think I would ever have survived."
You squirm uncomfortably on your seat.
"Perhaps with fewer of us there, there will be fewer breakouts." You suggest. "You must have noticed how many of us lived in or near London when we broke out. Perhaps we're triggering them just by being there."
John's eyes are angry as he studies you.
"I always thought that one day there would be enough of us to trigger a cascade. A mass breakout. You're talking about stopping that completely."
"John, just one of us could kill millions of people. We could be tricked into it. It might kill us too but the danger is there. I don't think it's fair to risk the people we love and the people we don't even know for this. What does Federation membership mean for Earth anyway? 99.9% of the planet doesn't know about it anyway."
"If we let this go now it might be a thousand years before a group of Tomorrow People can get to where we are now." John tells you. "They will have a thousand years' more war and prejudice and resentment to deal with. We have been so lucky to survive as long as we have, to make contact with the Federation, to weather the storms. I can't make Earth go through that again. I cant let that happen to future Tomorrow People."
"I understand that, John, I really do but I cant help feeling that it might be better if Earth does wait a thousand years. Perhaps there wont be more prejudice or resentment, John. Perhaps there will be less."
John turns away from you angrily and you can feel the unhappiness in the eyes of the other Tomorrow People. Nonetheless you are sure of your decision. You wish with all your heart that there was a way for Tomorrow People to live peacefully on Earth but you don't see any way that can happen. It would be better for all of you if you gave the furore time to die down and the idea of Tomorrow People time to sink into obscurity.
"Jay," Stephen sounds uncomfortable but sure. "You're wrong. You don't understand how hard we've had to fight to get to where we are now. We can't give that up."
"He's made up his mind, Stephen." John snaps and Stephen gives you a regretful look but falls silent. Carol and Tyso seem as resolved as John and Stephen. Only Mike seems to share a little of your uncertainty but despite that his expression is a little sad when he looks at you. You feel new barriers between you and the other Tomorrow People. They would still give their lives to save yours. They would still move the world to protect you, but the easy familiarity you were starting to share has gone completely. John looks at you with a deliberately blank expression. "I suppose the question, Jay, is whether you're going to go back to Earth for what could be the last time or whether you're going to speak against us at the hearings."
You can't conceal your surprise. You had assumed that your opinion would be far from significant enough to count for anything in these discussions.
"They'll want to talk to all of us who are here." Carol tells you quietly.
So that is your decision to make. Disagreeing with the others is one thing, speaking against them is quite another. But on the other hand, now you've decided that Earth is better off without the Tomorrow People can you in good conscience ignore that fact and just leave?
Do you:
a) Go back to Earth for now?
b) Testify against the Earth's Federation membership?
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