strument being developed in England that could display the insides
of things. The result had been Caldwell's visit to Portland.
Inside the first laboratory it was dark. Researchers were using
binocular microscopes to study sets of photographic transparencies
arranged on several glass-topped tables, illuminated from below.
Danchekker selected some plates from a pile and, motioning the
others to follow, made his way over to the far wall. He positioned
the first three of the plates on an eye-level viewing screen,
snapped on the screen light, and stepped back to join the expectant
semicircle. The plates were X-ray images showing the front and side
views of a skull. Five faces, thrown into sharp relief against the
darkness of the room behind, regarded the screen in solemn silence.
At last Danchekker moved a pace forward, at the same time half
turning toward them.
"I need not, I feel, tell you who this is." His manner was somewhat
stiff and formal. "A skull, fully human in every detail-as far as
it is possible to ascertain by X rays, anyway." Danchekker traced
along the line of the jaw with a ruler he had picked up from one of
the tables. "Note the formation of the teeth-on either side we see
two incisors, one canine, two premolars, and three molars. This
pattern was established quite early in the evolutionary line that
leads to our present day anthropoids, including, of course, man. It
distinguishes our common line of descent from other offshoots, such
as the New World monkeys with a count of two, one, three, three."
"Hardly necessary here," Hunt commented. "There's nothing apelike
or monkeylike about that picture."
"Quite so, Dr. Hunt," Danchekker returned with a nod. "The reduced
canines, not interlocking with the upper set, and the particular
pattern of the cusps-these are distinctly human characteristics.
Note also the flatness of the lower face, the absence of any bony
brow ridges. . . high forehead and sharply angled jaw.
well-rounded braincase. These are all features of true man as we
know him today, features that derive directly from his earlier
ancestors. The significance of these details in this instance is
that they demonstrate an example of true man, not something that
merely bears a superficial resemblance to him."
The professor took down the plates and momentarily flooded the room
with a blaze of light. A muttered profanity from one of the
scientists at the tables made him switch off the light hastily. He
picked up three more plates, set them up on the screen, and
switched on the light to reveal the side view of a torso, an arm,
and a foot.
"Again, the trunk shows no departure from the familiar human
pattern. Same rib structure. . . broad chest with well-developed
clavicles. . . normal pelvic arrangement. The foot is perhaps the
most specialized item in the human skeleton and is responsible for
man's uniquely powerful stride and somewhat peculiar gait. If you
are familiar with human anatomy, you will find that this foot
resembles ours in every respect."
"I'll take your word for it," Hunt conceded, shaking his head.
"Nothing remarkable, then."
"The most significant thing, Dr. Hunt, is that nothing is
remarkable."
Danchekker switched off the screen and returned the plates to the
pile. Caldwell turned to Hunt as they began walking back toward the
door.
"This kind of thing doesn't happen every day," he grunted. "An
understandable reason for wanting some. . . er. . . irregular
action, you would agree?"
Hunt agreed.
A passage, followed by a short flight of stairs and another
passage, brought them to a set of double doors bearing the large
red sign STERILE AREA. In the anteroom behind, they put on surgical
masks, caps, gowns, gloves, and overshoes before passing out
through another door at the opposite end.
In the first section they came to, samples of skin and other
tissues were being examined. By reintroducing the substances
believed to have escaped over the centuries, specimens had been
restored to what were hoped to be close approximations to their
original conditions. In general, the findings merely confirmed that
Charlie was as human chemically as he was structurally. Some
unfamiliar enzymes had, however, been discovered. Dynamic computer
simulation suggested that these were designed to assist in the
breakdown of proteins unlike anything found in the diet of modern
man. Danchekker was inclined to dismiss this peculiarity with the
rather vague assertion that "Times change," a remark which Hunt
appeared to find disturbing.
The next laboratory was devoted to an investigation of the
spacesuit and the various other gadgets and implements found on
and around the body. The helmet was the first exhibit to be
presented for inspection. Its back and crown were made of metal,
coated dull black and extending forward to the forehead to leave a
transparent visor extending from ear to ear. Danchekker held it up
for them to see and pushed his hand up through the opening at the
neck. They could see clearly the fingers of his rubber glove
through the facepiece.
"Observe," he said, picking up a powerful xenon flash lamp from the
bench. He directed the beam through the facepiece, and a circle of
the material immediately turned dark. They could see through the
area around the circle that the level of illumination inside the
helmet had not changed appreciably. He moved the lamp around and
the dark circle followed it across the visor.
"Built-in antiglare," Gray observed.
"The visor is fabricated from a self-polarizing crystal,"
Danchekker informed them. "It responds directly to incident light
in a fashion that is linear up to high intensities. The visor is
also effective with gamma radiation."
Hunt took the helmet to examine it more closely. The blend of
curves that made up the outside contained little of interest, but
on turning it over he found that a section of the inner surface of
the crown had been removed to reveal a cavity, empty except for
some tiny wires and a set of fixing brackets.
"That recess contained a complete miniature communications
station," Danchekker supplied, noting his interest. "Those grilles
at the sides concealed the speakers, and a microphone is built into
the top, just above the forehead." He reached inside and drew down
a small retractable binocular periscope from inside the top section
of the helmet, which clicked into position immediately in front of
where the eyes of the wearer would be. "Built-in video, too," he
explained. "Controlled from a panel on the chest. The small hole in
the front of the crown contained a camera assembly." Hunt continued
to turn the trophy over in his hands, studying it from all angles
in absorbed silence. Two weeks ago he had been sitting at his desk
in Metadyne doing a routine job. Never in his wildest fantasies had
he imagined that he would
one day come to be holding in his hands
something that might well turn out to be one of the most exciting
discoveries of the century, if not in the whole of history. Even
his agile mind was having difficulty taking it all in.
"Can we see some of the electronics that were in here?" he asked
after a while.
"Not today," Caidwell replied. "The electronics are being studied
at another location-that goes for most of what was in the backpack,
too. Let's just say for now that when it came to molecular
circuits, these guys knew their business."
"The backpack is a masterpiece of precision engineering in
miniature," Danchekker continued, leading them to another part of
the laboratory. "The prime power source for all the equipment and
heating has been identified, and is nuclear in nature. In addition,
there was a water recirculation plant, life-support system, standby
power and communications system, and oxygen liquefaction plant-all
in that!" He held up the casing of the stripped-down backpack for
them to see, then tossed it back on the bench. "Several other
devices were also included, but their purpose is still obscure.
Behind you, you will see some personal effects."
The professor moved around to indicate an array of objects taken
from the body and arranged neatly on another bench like museum
exhibits.
"A pen-not dissimilar to a familiar pressurized ballpoint type; the
top may be rotated to change color." He picked up a collection of
metallic strips that hinged into a casing, like the blades of a
pocketknife. "We suspect that these are keys of some kind because
they have magnetic codes written on their surfaces."
To one side was a collection of what looked like crumpled pieces of
paper, some with groups of barely discernible symbols written in
places. Next to them were two pocket-size books, each about half an
inch thick.
"Assorted oddments," Danchekker said, looking along the bench. "The
documents are made from a kind of plasticized fiber. Fragments of
print and handwriting are visible in places-quite unintelligible,
of course. The material has deteriorated severely and tends to
disintegrate at the slightest touch." He nodded toward Hunt. "This
is another area where we hope to learn as much as we can with the
Trimagniscope before we risk anything else." He pointed to the
remaining articles and listed them without further elaboration.
"Pen-size torch; some kind of pocket flamethrower, we think; knife;
pen-size electric pocket drill with a selection of bits in the
handle; food and drink containers-they connect via valves to the
tubes inside the lower part of the helmet;
pocket folder, like a wallet-too fragile to open; changes of
underclothes; articles for personal hygiene; odd pieces of metal,
purpose unknown. There were also a few electronic devices in the
pockets; they have been sent elsewhere along with the rest."
The party halted on the way back to the door to gather around the
scarlet spacesuit, which had been reassembled on a life-size dummy
standing on a small plinth. At first sight the proportions of the
figure seemed to differ subtly from those of an average man, the
build being slightly on the stocky side and the limbs a little
short for the height of about five feet, six inches. However, since
the suit was not designed for a close fit, it was difficult to be
sure. Hunt noticed the soles of the boots were surprisingly thick.
"Sprung interior," Danchekker supplied, following his gaze.
"What's that?"
"It's quite ingenious. The mechanical properties of the sole
material vary with applied pressure. With the wearer walking at
normal speed, the sole would remain mildly flexible. Under impact,
however-for example, if he jumped-it assumes the characteristics of
a stiff spring. It's an ideal device for kangarooing along in lunar
gravity-utilizing conditions of reduced weight but normal inertia
to advantage."
"And now, gentlemen," said Caldwell, who had been following events
with evident satisfaction, "the moment I guess you've been waiting
for-let's have a look at Charlie himself."
An elevator took them down to the subterranean levels of the
institute. They emerged into a somber corridor of white-tiled walls
and white lights, and followed it to a large metal door. Danchekker
pressed his thumb against a glass plate set into the wall and the
door slid silently aside on recognition of his print. At the same
time, a diffuse but brilliant white glow flooded the room inside.
It was cold. Most of the walls were taken up by control panels,
analytical equipment, and glass cabinets containing rows of
gleaming instruments. Everything was light green, as in an
operating theater, and gave the same impression of surgical
cleanliness. A large table, supported by a single central pillar,
stood to one side. On top of it was what looked like an oversize
glass coffin. Inside that lay the body. Saying nothing, the
professor led them across the room, his overshoes squeaking on the
rubbery floor as he
walked. The small group converged around the table and stared in
silent awe at the figure before them.
It lay half covered by a sheet that stretched from its lower chest
to its feet. In these clinical surroundings, the gruesome impact of
the sight that had leaped at them from the screen in Caldwell's
office earlier in the day was gone. All that remained was an object
of scientific curiosity. Hunt found it overwhelming to stand at
arm's length from the remains of a being who had lived as part of a
civilization, had grown and passed away, before the dawn of
history. For what seemed a long time he stared mutely, unable to
frame any intelligent question or comment, while speculations
tumbled through his mind on the life and times of this strange
creature. When he eventually jolted himself back to the present, he
realized that the professor was speaking again.
". . . Naturally, we are unable to say at this stage if it was
simply a genetic accident peculiar to this individual or a general
characteristic of the race to which he belonged, but measurements
of the eye sockets and certain parts of the skull indicate that,
relative to his size, his eyes were somewhat larger than our own.
This suggests that he was not accustomed to sunlight as bright as
ours. Also, note the length of the nostrils. Allowing for shrinkage
with age, they are constructed to provide a longer passage for the
prewarming of air. This suggests that he came from a relatively
cool climate. . . the same thing can be observed in modern
Eskimos." Danchekker made a sweeping gesture that took in the whole
length of the body. "Again, the rather squat and stocky build is
consistent with the idea of a cool native environment. A fat, round
object presents less surface area per unit volume than a long, thin
one and thus loses less heat. Contrast the compact build of the
Eskimo with the long limbs and lean body of the Negro.
We know that
at the time Charlie was alive the Earth was just entering the last
cold period of the Pleistocene Ice Age. Life forms in existence at
that time would have had about a million years to adapt to the
cold. Also, there is strong reason to believe that ice ages are
caused by a reduction in the amount of solar radiation falling on
Earth, brought about by the Sun and planets passing through
exceptionally dusty patches of space. For example, ice ages occur
approximately every two hundred and fifty million years; this is
also the period of rotation of our galaxy-surely more than mere
coincidence. Thus, this being's evident adaptation to cold, the sug
gestion of a lower level of daylight, and his established age all
correlate well."
Hunt looked at the professor quizzically. "You're pretty sure
already, then, that he's from Earth?" he said in a tone of mild
surprise. "I mean-it's early days yet, surely?"
Danchekker drew back his head disdainfully and screwed up his
eyebrows to convey a shadow of irritation. "Surely it is quite
obvious, Dr. Hunt." The tone was that of a professor reproaching an
errant student. "Consider the things we have observed: the teeth,
the skull, the bones, the types and layout of organs. I have
deliberately drawn attention to these details to emphasize his
kinship to ourselves. It is clear that his ancestry is the same as
ours." He waved his hand to and fro in front of his face. "No,
there can be no doubt whatsoever. Charlie evolved from the same
stock as modern man and all the other terrestrial primates."
Gray looked dubious. "Well, I dunno," he said. "I think Vic's got a
point. I mean, if his lot did come from Earth, you'd have expected
someone to have found out about it before now, wouldn't you?"
Danchekker sighed with an overplay of indifference. "If you wish to
doubt my word, you have, of course, every right to do so," he said.
"However, as a biologist and an anthropologist, I for my part see
more than sufficient evidence to support the conclusions I have
stated."
Hunt seemed far from satisfied and started to speak again, but
Caidwell intervened.
"Cool it, you guys. D'you think we haven't had enough arguments
like this around here for the last few weeks?"
"I really think it's about time we had some lunch," Lyn Garland
Giant Series 01 - Inherit the Stars Page 5
