The Mad Scientist Megapack

by Lawrence Watt-Evans

  TB: When you arrived at the ship, the Sergeant sent you aft to investigate. Why?

  DSH: Well, sir, coming aboard we saw an unusually large number of cats congregating on the deck of the ship. They were coming up the gangway in droves and the Sergeant sent me to find out what they were after.

  TB: Have you ever noticed Sgt. Conover expressing any hostility towards animals?

  DSH: No, sir, I have not. He always seemed rather fond of dogs and cats.

  TB: When you went to investigate, what did you discover?

  DSH: There was an open hold containing a large pile of fish. The fish were rotting and the smell was extraordinary, but the cats were having a feast regardless. I asked some of the dock workers who were hanging about if there was any way to close off the hatch to stop the endless parade of cats from getting underfoot but there was no way to get rid of the ones already there and they did not seem inclined to worry about it. I looked around the deck, went down into the hold, saw nothing of interest, had one of the harbormaster’s men show me to the engine room, the boiler room and the other parts of the ship’s workings.

  I saw much the same thing as had been reported elsewhere—signs of violence and destruction, smashed gauges in the engine room, the hatch between the radio room and the bridge torn from its hinges, evidence that some of the crew had attempted to barricade themselves in the galley, then apparently fought a retreat back to the dry stores and finally the cold storage locker, where the blood pools made it clear no one got out of there alive. The laboratory facilities were utterly destroyed. All in all, it appeared that they had been doing battle with some force much stronger and ferocious than themselves. But there was nothing to indicate what that force might have been.

  TB: At that point, you returned to report to the Sergeant?

  DH: Yes, sir. We found him with the Assistant Harbor Master in the quarters belonging to one of the members of the expedition. I told him what I had seen and he directed me to search some of the other quarters nearby. We were hoping to discover some sort of message that might indicate what had happened to these men.

  TB: And you were the one that found the notebook?

  DSH: Yes, sir, in the cabin of a journalist who accompanied the expedition, one Thaddeus Rajala, a writer for a scientific journal published by a New England university. He had evidently documented the entire journey, as the pages were dated, but we were unable to read the entries because he had written them in some form of shorthand. I recognized the scribbling as similar to what my wife used when she was a secretary, but I can’t read it.

  TB: Was there no one aboard that could read it?

  DH: No, sir. We were about to send one of the officers on duty by the gangplank round to the stationhouse to see if someone could be found to translate it, but as we emerged on deck, they were trying to hold back a rather large, angry individual who insisted on coming aboard. Once we straightened things out, we found we were dealing with Thaddeus Rajala Sr., father of the missing journalist. It seems the expedition had been overdue by some weeks and he had been trying to get information on their whereabouts from the Pelgimbly Family, who had bankrolled the enterprise, but no one knew what had become of the ship.

  When word reached him that the vessel had been discovered and brought into NY Harbor, he caught a train down from Boston and came straight to the dock. It was a lucky break for us because it turns out young Thaddeus used a form of shorthand that he and his father had developed as a private means of communication and, short of getting some of those codebreaker chaps from Washington, he was the only one who could translate his son’s notes.

  TB: You then convened in the galley while Rajala Sr. read the notebook?

  DSH: Yes, sir. We gave him a few moments to scan through the notebook, then Sgt. Conover began asking him for specific information. It took a while as he had to page back and forth through the notebook to find sections that could fill in the blanks for us. It appears that nothing unusual happened during the first several weeks of the expedition. They left Boston on February 19th and were in position for their research southeast of Bermuda by the end of the month. But soon after they began their work, the trouble began.

  The next witness to be called was Thaddeus Rajala Sr., father of the journalist whose notebook provided all of what we know about the events that transpired on the ship. The relevant sections of his testimony are as follows:

  TB: You and your son developed your own form of shorthand as a private means of communication; could you explain your reasons?

  THADDEUS RAJALA SR.: It began when Thad was young, maybe 12 or so. He developed an interest in codes and ciphers and that expanded to include a fascination with symbols and “phonography”, which is the use of a written language of symbols that represent sounds, more popularly referred to as shorthand. We took traditional shorthand and melded some cipher principles to it and gradually came up with out own system of phonograms. We would use the code to send one another brief notes and the like. It was sort of a private joke between us. When Thad began working as a journalist, he found that our code worked quite well for taking notes in the field. It allowed him to keep records as quickly as regular shorthand would but with the added benefit that no one else could read his notes.

  TB: Was such secrecy often necessary in his work?

  TRS: Not really. Thad was never involved in anything that would be considered sensitive. He just preferred to keep his notes private. And, I dare say, he delighted in having his own code that only he and I could read.

  TB: Detective Hawks testified that you were somewhat surprised by what you saw in the notebook. Can you elaborate?

  TBS: Well, yes. You see, Thad was an obsessively neat fellow. His penmanship was a point of honor for him. The first fifty or so pages of the notebook make that amply clear. But then the writing got progressively messier and he was writing smaller and smaller until at the end it was often quite difficult to make out what he was trying to convey.

  TB: Was there a specific event that occurred at the point where the entries started getting sloppy?

  TRS: It started soon after the expedition began testing its submersible chamber.

  TB: Can you please clarify that statement, sir?

  TRS: The primary goal of the expedition was exploration of the ocean at a depth considerably lower than any that had been previously attempted. They had developed a chamber they believed could carry two men down under the sea to previously unexplored depths. I imagine that the easiest way to describe it would be to say it was not unlike a diving helmet but it was big enough for two people to sit inside of it. There were instruments onboard and provisions for gathering and storing specimens, long hoses connected to the ship through which fresh air could be pumped and pressure could be kept equal to that of the outside surroundings. Also communications were possible via a telegraphic link by a cable attached to the outside of the air hose and a system of lighting allowed for illumination of the immediate area outside of the chamber’s porthole.

  TB: And what was it that set off this chain of events you mentioned?

  TRS: Apparently, the first week’s experiments had gone well which set the stage for the first dive below previously visited depths for the next week. Professor Anton Grimaldi and Dr. Isaac Moss were chosen for the first dive. Grimaldi is, er…was a noted marine biologist and Moss a Nobel laureate in physics as pertains to oceanographic studies. By Thad’s account written that night, all went well. They were able to reach a depth some 2000 feet lower than ever before attempted and the two men showed no ill effects when they returned to the surface. You may not be all that familiar with the difficulties associated with going down that far underwater, but I’m sure you’ve heard of caissons disease or the bends. Nitrogen dissolves in the bloodstream while at great depths due to the extreme pressure. It must be gradually relieved before one can return to the surface.

  So, while a descent can be made in unde
r an hour, returning to the surface can take several hours or more. Nevertheless, it appeared that Moss and Grimaldi had made the ascent slowly enough and both men reported no difficulties. Although the object of the day’s exercise had been primarily to test the submersible chamber at significant depth, the two scientists did avail themselves of the opportunity to do some preliminary investigations of the marine life at that level of the sea. They were able to gather several specimens with the aid of the mechanical arm attachment and there was some excitement over a new species they discovered amongst their prizes-some sort of fish that they managed to entice into the specimen storage chamber.

  TB: What was it about this fish that caused the excitement?

  TRS: Discovery of a never-before seen species is a very important event for any expedition, but especially so in such an early part of the trip. It makes the sponsoring body’s investment in time and money appear worthwhile; it excites the board of trustees who approved said budget; it cements the expedition’s reputation in the scientific community. Regardless of any further success or lack thereof, the expedition had already secured its page in the journals and the history books. In addition, it is customary for the new species to receive a name that somehow includes a mention of the sponsoring body in this case, the fish’s “common” name will be the Pelgimble, after the Institute that bankrolled its discovery. It should be noted that, while this may seem of little importance to us, it is a rare and coveted honor amongst the scientific community.

  TB: And what was the incident that caused young Rajala to first suspect something was amiss?

  TRS: By the end of the week that saw the discovery of the Pelgimble, all of the scientists of the expedition had been down in the submersible chamber. There were several other new species discovered; there was a great deal of material with which to commence their laboratory work; there was a message of congratulations from the Institute read aloud over brandy and cigars following that Friday night’s dinner. All in all, it should have been a very pleasant evening and, until about eight o’clock, it was. But then, Dr. Moss and Professor Grimaldi got into a rather heated discussion regarding their planned work for the upcoming week. Some of the others tried to calm them down, but it got rather nasty and, much to everyone’s shock and dismay, blows were struck. It settled down after that and both participants were considerably chagrined at their behavior, but Thad’s notes that night indicated his uneasy belief that something nearly imperceptible had changed that night.

  He wanted to believe it was just an aberration, but he noted several small incidents in the days following that appeared to indicate a general shift in the attitudes and demeanor of the expedition members—people behaving snappishly, insults perceived in innocent remarks, grumbling about others behind their backs. All in all, Thad seemed to be feeling more than somewhat uneasy about the situation in which he found himself and I detected a slight tone of regret that he had signed on-something I would never have believed if I hadn’t read it myself.

  TB: Why is that?

  TRS: Well, you should understand that this was quite a feather in Thad’s cap. He was invited to accompany this expedition on the basis of some articles he had written over the previous year, concerning the future of oceanographic exploration and it would appear his thoughts on the subject met with the approval of Grimaldi himself. They had been corresponding for some months before the Professor extended the invitation and Thad had told me that he got along quite well with the man. So, to find his mentor was suddenly turning hostile to one and all, Thad apparently included, was quite a disappointment for the lad. He had no opportunity to write to us at home so we had no idea of his situation and I must confess my thoughts now are consumed with sadness and horror for what the lad endured.

  This behavior continued to spread amongst the expedition’s members and, one by one, they began to report headaches of an extremely severe nature. The medical staff aboard was made up of two prominent New England physicians and a well-known surgeon whose outside interests included oceanography. They also had two orderlies and a sick bay large enough to handle six patients but they were quickly overwhelmed by the plethora of those needing treatment. The level of pain being experienced was, in fact, so severe that one of the doctors confided to Thad that if he wasn’t certain such a phenomenon was impossible, he’d swear he had a boatload of brain tumors. And in a sense, it turned out that was almost exactly what he had.

  Although the equipment at the doctors’ disposal was quite impressive for an oceangoing vessel, it was not equal to what they could have used here at any reasonably large hospital, so it took some time to fully understand what was causing these headaches. And there were certain phenomena accompanying the headaches that were, quite simply, inexplicable.

  TB: What sort of phenomena?

  TRS: Well, to begin with, it was determined that the headaches were afflicting only those men who had gone down in the submersible and the older a man was, the more severe the headaches. Several younger scientists reported very little discomfort and, in order to find out if the cause was connected to visiting the lower depths, they continued to take the submersible chamber down to the area they were investigating. About a week after the start of the headaches, those younger scientists began to notice something unusual—their hats no longer fit their heads. You understand, of course, in those climes, going without a hat while on deck in the daytime is an extremely risky mistake to make, so they were considerably upset that their hats would no longer fit properly, not to mention the worry attendant upon discovering such an unusual change.

  After a few days of taking careful measurements, it was discovered that their craniums were, in fact, growing larger and it was believed that this was the factor that prevented their experiencing the headaches that afflicted their older colleagues. The theory that developed suggested that the headaches were caused by swelling of the brain and that the bone structure of younger men still had enough elasticity to adapt to such changes, whereas the older men, whose bone matter was harder and had lost its flexibility, were suffering from the brain expanding into an area too small to accommodate its growth.

  TB: And what, if anything, could be done for these older scientists?

  TRS: They decided to operate in an effort to relieve the pressure, with Professor Oxley, the oldest member of the expedition, as the first subject. Oxley had grown incoherent with pain and had been sedated for some 48 hours before the group agreed that an operation was the only possible solution. They began early the next day. Morningstar, the surgeon, had made clear his misgivings concerning an operation to drill into the cranium, but Grimaldi, who had no medical training as far as anyone knew, kept insisting it was neither dangerous nor difficult. That marked the first really serious evidence of what was to come—Grimaldi’s apparent complete break from reality.

  Then, frustrated with the timidity of the doctors and the attending surgeon, Grimaldi, in a fit of what Thad described as superhuman strength, threw Morningstar out of the operating theater and finished the operation on Oxley himself—demonstrating a surgical skill that left the other two physicians in awe. He not only opened Oxley’s skull but he literally removed the top and fashioned some sort of membranous covering that conformed to the swollen balloon of his brain. But that was not the most extraordinary thing—not by far. What happened next was that Oxley, finally free of the pain from his cranial pressure, woke up in midoperation and began consulting with Grimaldi on the best way to proceed with the fabrication of the covering. The doctors could understand none of the discussion, which they later privately agreed was filled with science they had never before encountered and language that they couldn’t follow.

  TB: What did they make the covering from?

  TRS: Thad wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew that it was somehow connected with work they’d been doing in the lab a few days prior. He suspected the material was a kelp-like substance they’d brought up with them on one of the descents.
But whatever it was, over the next day and a half, they performed the operation on every member of the expedition that was so afflicted and all of them came through it well.

  TB: I’m sorry, Mr. Rajala, but you must understand how hard it is to believe such a thing.

  TRS: Quite. I reread that section several times before I told the detectives what it said. I confess I feared they might think me mad. Or worse. But things on that ship were so…inexplicable, that we seemed to agree instinctively to wait until we’d finished Thad’s account before we tried to make sense of it. I worried that my boy had grown delusional and that perhaps the others had locked him inside his cabin where he’d concocted this story in a delirium, but when I voiced that concern, the Sergeant pointed out that one disturbed young journalist was unlikely to be capable of causing the chaos we had seen surrounding us.

  TB: Let’s return to the account of the events. Did your son indicate how the scientists accounted for their behavior?

  TRS: According to Thad, they didn’t. It was clear that the entire group had made some sort of leap forward in intelligence—their brains were not simply swelling, they were growing. And their capabilities were growing just as quickly. Thad’s notes indicated it was only a matter of days before he and the crew and the lab assistants were completely unable to communicate with the bulk of the expedition’s scientists. Their talking was on a level none of the others could comprehend. But what they could comprehend, though, was the intent of these men, whose arrogance made them feel no compunction to hide their disdain for the less intelligent among them.

  Thad said it rapidly devolved to a sort of nobility/peasant relationship and the physical fear these madmen were capable of projecting made the crew loathe to even discuss the matter. Evidence that their leaders’ senses had grown more acute gave rise to a belief that they could hear a whisper through the thickness of the bulkhead and that they could see around corners and the usually benign superstitions of the seafarer gave way to wild paranoia that was seemingly proven as even the smallest defiance was not only quickly and harshly dealt with but in some cases was actually anticipated.