The Transcendent Man

by Jerry Sohl

  Martin, who had been listening and watching Dr. Penn, saw his expression change ever so slightly. There was the merest flicker of an eyelid, a more intent look about the eyes. Martin looked at Dr. Merrill to see what had caused the change.

  Dr. Merrill had a gun in his hand. Martin could see the lettering on its side: colt cal .45. He wondered where he got it, but a man who can get whiskey on a military reservation ought not have too much trouble filching a service automatic...

  “Now, Dr. Penn,” Dr. Merrill said in a voice strained with tension. “The funny stuff is over. We’re through listening to your lecture. Now we want to listen to a few of your answers.”

  “Take it easy, Doctor,” Martin said.

  “I don’t know where you got that, Dr. Merrill,” Dr. Penn said, unperturbed. “I suggest you put it away and forget you ever brought it out.”

  “Think I’m a fool?”

  Martin did not like the tone of Dr. Merrill’s voice. He did not like the look in his eyes. They were wide and round and his face was blanched, his lips a grim, white line. Sweat stood out on his forehead.

  “I’m giving you a warning,” Dr. Penn said levelly, never moving from his spot beside the open door.

  “Are you going to talk?” The words were like whiplashes, but they fell on unyielding substance, for the doctor never moved.

  The release of the safety catch was like the snapping of a giant spring and the sound jarred the three men in the room.

  They all stood as if in tableau, the doctor by the door, looking hard at the man with the gun, Dr. Merrill leaning forward, his finger circling the trigger determinedly, Martin still sitting in Dr. Penn’s chair, undecided what he should do.

  Dr. Penn vanished.

  All that remained was a curling wisp of pipe smoke that dissolved in the air. There was a feeling that somewhere a door had blown open.

  Dr. Merrill and Martin stared, unbelieving. Dr. Merrill stood as if sculptured, leaning slightly forward, tense, taut and rigid, eyes on the spot where Dr. Penn had stood.

  Suddenly there was a frenzy of motion and Dr. Merrill was gone, gun and all.

  Then there was more motion, a blinding flash.

  All thought and life for Martin Enders had ceased.

  Chapter 10

  In the infinite blackness of space there was nothing. No star shone. He was part of it, this absence of matter, of light, of not the least suggestion of a thing material, a minus quantity native to the vacuum. He was there for an eon; he might have been there from the beginning of time, if time had begun.

  From the limitless distances surrounding him there came suddenly a surge of power, seeking him out, a stream of force from the far reaches inhibited by no opposing thing, searching and finding the infinitely small parcels of his being, encompassing them. Then he understood. He had being! The shreds of life shattered and strewn beyond existence were being compressed, pushed together.

  A tiny spark of light, a pin point of life like a burning candle seen across the miles on a lonely, black night appeared at the furthermost reaches of time and grew until he could see the universe before him.

  Then the universe exploded and he was further pressed and diminished while nebulae, star clusters and systems raced him by. He was stronger, had form and shape now, an existence molded by the force drawing him like a magnet.

  The final blaze of blurring, rushing stars flashed outward and then there was peace. He was whole again.

  “Martin!”

  With effort, he opened his eyes. A girl stood before him. Virginia’s face was gaunt, her eyes concerned. Her lips moved.

  “Can you hear me?” The sound of the words came afterward, as when a sound film is not synchronized. It was peculiar.

  “Yes.” It was all he could do to reply.

  “Martin, do not try to do anything just yet. Listen to me. You were gone. I almost couldn’t bring you back, you had gone so far.”

  “Gone?” He did not understand.

  “Yes. You were destroyed... Oh, no matter, darling. Listen: You are in danger. We are in danger.”

  “We are?”

  “Martin!” she cried in frenzy. She slapped at his face. He hardly felt the sting of her hands.

  “For God’s sake, Martin!” She looked around in anguish. Then she came close to him, her hazy blue eyes only a few inches from his. “Think, Martin! Think!”

  Suddenly the haze was gone and he was shocked by the clarity of his own vision. He could see her eyes clearly now, for the first time. He could see through them...

  Then he knew. In a moment he saw what had happened, why her voice was filled with urgency.

  “I—I was dead?”

  “Yes, darling. You didn’t—exist any more.”

  “And you brought me back.”

  She smiled through tears. “Yes.”

  “And—and Dr. Merrill...?”

  He saw in her eyes the vastness of the outer reaches where he had gone.

  “Your father. He did this?”

  “Yes.” Tears flowed. “I pleaded with him. He told me I could not have you, that I couldn’t bring you back. I betrayed him for you. We mustn’t stay here.”

  She got up but he did not move.

  Suddenly she was shaking him. Then she grasped his hands, tried pulling him to his feet. “Get up, Martin!” she urged.

  He tried moving his limbs, felt the blood flow in them as if for the first time. If he had been dead... He noticed they were still in Dr Penn’s office.

  “Dr. Penn?” he asked.

  “He’s not here now, praise God,” she said. “He thinks you are gone—like Dr. Merrill. That’s why we’ve got to get you out of here before he comes back.”

  “He disappeared.”

  She nodded. “He went—” She smiled. “Never mind.”

  The air outside felt good as it brushed Martin’s cheeks. He continued to hold the girl’s hand as they walked along the sidewalk; there was strength in her and it flowed to him when he touched her. He needed that strength, for he was still unable to move fast or think clearly.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “We’ve got to go to the house,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “There is no time to explain.”

  The air and the brisk walk along the street were reviving him. While he was still dazed, he felt safer following her than he would have felt left at the laboratory. The girl had rescued him. Otherwise he would be what Forrest Killian and Dr. Merrill no doubt were: nonexistent. Therefore, he’d better mind what she said. Or was this all a dream she was creating in his mind? The thought made him dizzy. A box within a box within a box within a box...

  If she said he was in danger, it was true. Hadn’t he seen it in her eyes? He did not understand the forces opposing him, so it would be wiser to put his trust in a member of the enemy who seemed to want to help him. He could not hope to combat them after what he had seen in Dr. Penn’s office. If the girl was right, he would be lucky to escape with his life—his new life.

  She stopped in front of the house, faced him. “Act natural if you can,” she said. “Stay close to me. There is an envelope around you. It is stronger the closer you are to me.”

  “Good evening, Virginia, Mr. Enders,” Ethel said when they passed her by in the living room. “You sure went out of here fast before, Mr. Enders. Was anything wrong?”

  Virginia was going up the stairs.

  “Nothing, Ethel,” he said, hurrying upstairs after her. “I just remembered an appointment. I was trying to make it on time.”

  “Oh.” Ethel was unconvinced. Martin did not think she could be one of the enemy.

  Virginia went to the phone in the hallway on the second floor. “This will be away from prying ears,” she explained softly.

  She dialed a number.

  “Send an ambulance to P-110 right away. It’s an emergency. This is Virginia Penn.... Yes.... There’s not time to explain. Hurry.”

  “What...?” he started to sa
y.

  “You’re sick,” she said. “You’ve got acute appendicitis. You’re all doubled up when they get here, understand?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “What’s up, Sis?” It was Bobby coming out of his room into the hallway, his boyish eyes twinkling, his face and hands dirty.

  His appearance changed unexpectedly. The eyes grew brighter with intelligence and the boy looked at Martin in wonder.

  “I can feel it from here,” Bobby said. “What are you trying to do, Virginia?” It was adult talk but it was a child’s voice.

  “Please, Robert! Try to understand.”

  “Where is Dad?”

  “Back there.”

  “He came back, though. I felt two shocks. Who were they and why was it necessary?”

  “You know as well as I why they were necessary.”

  Bobby smiled craftily. “Just who were they?”

  “Dr. Merrill and—”

  “And him “ Bobby sneered. “I felt you bring him back. Dad probably did, too. What do you think you’re doing now? You did not answer before!”

  “How’s Tornado Bill?” Martin could not restrain himself, the change in the boy was so ludicrous.

  Bobby shot him a scornful look. “You know the penalty, Virginia.”

  “I’ve lived many years more than you, Robert. I’m as aware as you are of the penalties involved.”

  “You’re a fool! Protecting him in an envelope! When father gets back he’ll talk sense into you.”

  “We’re leaving, Robert.”

  “They’ll find you.”

  “They must let him live!”

  “Are you out of your mind?”

  “Will you stop me?”

  Bobby looked at the floor. “No,” he said resignedly. “I won’t stop you. Good luck.”

  “You won’t tell Dad?”

  “I won’t go back for him, if that’s what you mean.”

  “Thanks, Robert.”

  The boy turned and went back into his room.

  “Come on,” Virginia said, grasping Martin’s hand and pulling him to the stairs.

  The front-door chime jarred them into motion on the stairs, Martin clattering down behind the racing Virginia. Ethel was already at the door and, as she opened it, Martin collapsed at the bottom of the stairs, clutching his stomach.

  A sergeant removed his hat as he stepped through the doorway. Ethel stared at the fallen figure. “What’s the matter with Mr. Enders?” she asked in surprise.

  “Are you alone?” Virginia asked the soldier.

  “No. I got a buddy in the meat wagon outside,” he said, studying Martin, who lay on the floor, groaning and lashing about. “What’s the trouble with him?”

  “Appendix,” Virginia said. “Better get him to the hospital in a hurry. It may have burst. I’ll help you.”

  Together, with Martin supported between them and barely able to walk, they half carried him out of the house to the ambulance. The driver jumped and opened the rear door. Then he helped them put Martin on a stretcher inside.

  The truck drew away from the curb, gathered speed down the street, the two army men in front, Virginia at Martin’s side in the rear.

  “I can’t stand it!” Martin cried in mock agony, thrashing about, hands on his stomach, teeth bared and grinding as if in pain.

  “There, there, darling,” Virginia comforted, stroking his forehead. “It will be all right soon.”

  “Oh, what’s going to happen next?” he groaned, fixing her with one eye, the other closed.

  “Quiet,” she replied, giving him a sharp look.

  “How’s he making it?” the sergeant asked, turning around.

  “Not too good,” Virginia said.

  The ambulance slowed, turned a corner. Martin, who had been watching Virginia, saw her tense, narrow her eyes and assume the manner of one in extreme concentration.

  Suddenly the ambulance screeched to a lurching stop.

  “I’ll be damned!” the driver said, leaning forward on the wheel, staring ahead. “Where did that wall come from? It wasn’t there a second ago!”

  “What is this?” the sergeant asked no one in particular, leaning forward in order to see how high the wall was.

  Martin turned his head and, through what he could see of the windshield, saw the even bricks of the wall.

  The sergeant opened the car door, looked to the rear. “Hey! Can you beat that! There’s a wall behind us, too!”

  “What’s the trouble, Sergeant?” Virginia asked concernedly. “Is this the hospital?”

  “No, ma’am,” he said. “It’s—I don’t know how to explain it. Just a minute.”

  Both army men got out to inspect the wall, leaving the ambulance motor running.

  “Can you drive?” Virginia asked Martin.

  “Sure, but—”

  “Get there and drive, then,” she snapped, indicating the driver’s seat.

  Martin clambered over the rear of the seat, gestured to the wall in front of them which ran to the houses on either side of the street. “How...?”

  Suddenly the wall was gone and the street stretched on in front of them.

  “Let’s go!” Virginia yelled.

  Martin put the truck in gear and they whizzed past the two soldiers who had been examining the wall and who stood now staring at where it had been.

  “Head for the gate,” the girl shouted above the din of the motor. “It’s straight on down this street.”

  “How can we get through it?” he returned.

  “I don’t know. There will be a way.”

  “Maybe those ambulance men will phone the gate.”

  “Maybe.”

  The gate was before them. It would be suicide to try to race past the lighted office and the brightly illuminated area around it. Martin slowed the ambulance, brought it to a stop as a soldier with a white helmet, sidearm and bobby stick in his belt stepped out of the building in the center of the road. Beyond was freedom.

  “Your pass?” the soldier, a corporal, asked. Then he gave a start as he saw they weren’t in uniform. “Hey! What are you two doing in that truck?”

  Martin turned to Virginia. It was up to her. She had a thoughtful look. Here we go again, Martin said to himself.

  “It will take a moment, Corporal,” Martin explained.

  A phone was ringing inside. The corporal drew his gun, hollered to another soldier in the office and reached up for the handle on the door of the ambulance.

  “What’s that, Corporal?” Virginia said, pointing across Martin to the office. “That place is on fire!”

  No sooner had she uttered the words than the office exploded in flames and the soldier inside ran out, yelling, “Fire!”

  The corporal froze for a moment, hand on the door, fascinated by the flames. Then he gave a hoarse cry and ran for the nearest building.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Virginia cried.

  Martin gunned the ambulance and they slid through the reservation entrance on screeching tires as they turned onto the highway.

  In Avon Ridge they parked the ambulance on a side street and walked toward the center of town.

  “They probably have an alarm out for this ambulance by this time,” Virginia said.

  “Us, too.”

  She nodded. “I wouldn’t doubt it, if that little corporal has recovered from shock. We’re not going to be able to stay here for long.”

  “What about renting a car?” he suggested.

  “Renting?” She smiled at him. “That’s a little naive, don’t you think? They’d easily trace us that way.”

  “I suppose so. Well, let’s steal one. I’ve already been dead, so I guess it doesn’t make any difference how I start out my new life.”

  “You sound bitter. Are you sorry I rescued you?”

  “You know I’m not,” he said. “It’s just that I feel so damned helpless. I don’t understand it all and I’m so—so impotent.”

  “There’s a car,” she said, stopping and
nodding to a new sedan parked in front of a residence. “It has a full gas tank.”

  “Now how can you tell that?”

  “I just know.”

  “How are we going to get it started?”

  “Come on,” she said. “I just changed a couple wires at the ignition switch. All you need to do is push the starter.”

  “There you go again,” he said, following her.

  They got in the car, he pushed the starter button and the motor leaped to life.

  They headed toward the business district, picked up the main street which became a highway on the outskirts. They were nearing the edge of town, driving within the speed limit so as to attract no notice, when Virginia tensed, put a hand on Martin’s arm.

  “Damn!” she said.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “It’s Dad.”

  “Where?”

  “Right behind us.”

  Martin looked in the rear view mirror, saw nothing at first, then caught sight of a jeep as it passed a street light speeding toward them.

  “Pull over,” she ordered. “There’s nothing else we can do.”

  Martin put the car to the curb and in a few moments the jeep slid to a stop in front of them, blocking the way. Martin’s heart was beating wildly now; he wanted to run, yet knew it was useless. He hoped that in the impending battle of power Virginia would be the victor. Dr. Eric Penn got out of the jeep, came over to Virginia’s side of the car, his grey eyes blazing in anger, his face livid.

  “By what right—” he exploded, but Virginia interrupted.

  “I told you how I felt,” she said.

  “But you’ve violated—” He put his hands to his head. “Never in our history has this happened. What do you think you’re doing, Virginia? You’ve not only violated every rule but you’ve disobeyed your father.”

  “You went ahead despite my pleading,” she said. “There were other ways.”

  “You’ve disgraced me, Virginia! Who is going to explain this to the Triumvirate? Who is going to account for it all? Not only have you brought back a human from annihilation, but you’ve used our power in a disgraceful show—that brick wall, that fire in the gatehouse office, that—that changing the wires...”