Ten From Infinity

by Paul W. Fairman

  4

  Dr. Rudolph Entman, one of the world's foremost neurologists, strippedoff his rubber gloves and scowled at the strange body that lay on thetable before him.

  "Goddamn it," he fumed, "it's artificially constructed. It's beenhand-made--manufactured. And there's one thing I'd give a few years ofmy life to know."

  Brent Taber stared moodily into Entman's myopic little eyes and asked,"What's that, Doctor?"

  "How in hell did they do it?"

  "Who do you suppose _they_ are?"

  Entman looked ceilingward in a manner that indicated he might either behunting for _them_ somewhere out beyond, or sending a prayer heavenwardin a plea for Divine counsel and guidance.

  "Some form of entity with far greater intelligence than we possess."

  "You can tell me more than that, can't you?" Brent asked sharply. Andwhen Doctor Entman looked up in surprise, he added, "Sorry for the tone.My nerves have gotten a little edgy lately."

  Entman smiled understandingly. "I don't wonder. As to this livingmachine--no ... it's not a machine because it did _live_. Let's see whatwe can figure out. What's it made of? The material used in itsconstruction is--oh, hell--how can I put it? This way, maybe. Take awool blanket and call it genuine flesh, blood and bone. Now, take ablanket made of one of the new synthetics--Dacron or any one of theother equally serviceable materials--call that the material thiscreature is made of. Figuring it that way--"

  "You mean our visitor's body is constructed of things that feel and looklike flesh, blood and bone--work as well, but aren't. Right?"

  "Right. But, of course, that doesn't tell you anything you didn't knowbefore."

  "But what about their potentials, their capabilities? They're_human_--in the sense that they're exact duplicates of humans--and they_live_, but what about emotions? If we accept the somewhat unscientifictheory that it's a soul which is responsible for feelings and emotions,these ... these ... creatures would be handicapped." Brent paused as ifuncertain of his ground. "Wouldn't they?" he asked lamely. "I mean, theycouldn't--theoretically, at least--react to situations ... or otherpeople's emotions."

  Doctor Entman nodded his head and murmured, "I would be inclined toagree. Except that we're obviously dealing with superiorintelligence--I'm speaking about the "people" responsible for theseandroids--and we have no idea how far they might have progressed induplicating that indefinable something we call a soul."

  For a moment he lapsed into silence. Then looked up at Brent abruptly."Have you read anything on Kendrick's experiments with syntheticemotion?"

  "Can't say that I have."

  "Kendrick, down at Penton Technological Institute, has done someremarkable things in drawing the stuff of human emotion from one person,holding it on a tape, and transferring it to another person."

  "On the face of it, that sounds ridiculous."

  "Doesn't it? Nevertheless, the vibrations set up, or created you mightsay, by a person in anger, consist of some sort of _stuff_--in the senseof an incredibly high frequency wave. Radio or television waves are thebest comparisons.

  "Kendrick, in one demonstration, took a young man who was very much inlove with a certain young lady. A really love-sick lad. He placed him inthe recording unit gave him the young lady's picture, and told him tolet his mind dwell on her to the exclusion of all else."

  Doctor Entman smiled briefly. "This, I imagine, wasn't difficult for thelad to do. Entman then put another young man, one who was unacquaintedwith the girl, into a receiving unit and exposed him, after giving himthe girl's picture, to the vibrations created by the lovelorn chap.Later, they saw to it that the second lad was introduced to the girl.The results were rather startling, in that the young lady suddenly hadtwo ardent suitors in place of one."

  Brent Taber scratched his ear and looked dubious. "That sounds prettysensational. But maybe the second lad just plain happened to fall inlove with the girl by natural processes."

  "True, but the experiments tended to eliminate that possibility. Otheremotions were tested. How about a man walking up to a man he'd neverseen before in his life and busting him in the nose?"

  "Okay, okay. Then you think--"

  "I think a lot of things. Here, I see the possibility of a race withsuperior science, having moved far ahead of us in the directionsKendrick is pointing toward in his research. For instance, with moreadvanced knowledge and know-how, they've probably been able to charge asynthetic body with a complete set of functioning emotional responses.Grant them that and we can also concede a tailor-made ego."

  "I don't mind admitting I'm scared, Doctor," Brent Taber said.

  "I think it's a time to be scared."

  "But if a race of people were that advanced, if their intention ishostile, why do they pussyfoot around this way? Why don't they just comedown and take us over?"

  "I've wondered that, too. And yet, a race on some planet out there inthe universe might not evolve according to what we consider a logicalpattern."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that while they can create a synthetic man, their interests, andtherefore their progress, may have stayed in peaceful channels. Forinstance, they may not have bothered with anything as elementary as theatom bomb."

  "It's a thought."

  "A wishful thought, I'll admit. But it does have some validity. Also, ithas a fact of some possible value to back it up."

  "What fact?"

  "That they _haven't_ come down and taken us over."

  "You almost cheer me, Doctor. Almost, but not quite."

  "Actually," Entman said, "I've been wondering about something else."

  "What's that?"

  "When and how they came here before."

  "You mean, where did they get the model for the ten androids?"

  "Yes. They had to have not only a model, but also some knowledgeconcerning our geographical and atmospheric conditions. The two heartsindicate that they knew the elements contained in our air--the pressuresand so forth necessary to our existence--and were unable to construct aworking model that would function under our conditions with a singleheart. So they put in two."

  "It looks as though they missed on some other things, too. Seven of theandroids have expired."

  Entman shrugged. "Still--a remarkable job, particularly since they wouldhave no chance for a trial-and-error test under the conditions thatwould prevail. It's surprising that _any_ of the androids were able tokeep functioning."

  "The eighth one is pretty sick. He may be gone by now. And about theirearlier coming, I can give you one point. They came quietly, probably atnight, grabbed their model, and moved out fast."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because, obviously, they think all men on earth look alike. Or, atleast, we can assume that. Else how did they expect to get away with tenidentical androids?"

  Entman's eyes widened. "I never thought of that," he muttered.

  * * * * *

  Senator Crane, a doggedly determined man, had listened to the replay ofBrent Taber's top-secret conference again and again. In the comfortablerationalization of which he was capable, his whole zeal and hostilitywere fashioned around Brent's "arrogant disregard of democraticprocesses." Who did this bureaucrat think he was? Did he considerhimself smarter than the People? Did he feel they couldn't be trustedwith revelations affecting their survival? Well, by God, they'd beentrusted with word of the bomb and its implications, and they'd reactedadmirably. So they were entitled to frankness concerning this new threatto their security.

  Of course, Senator Crane reserved the right to enlighten them in his owntime and in his own way. After all, hadn't they elected him and thusgiven him leeway to use his own judgment in their best interests?

  But who the hell had elected Brent Taber?

  Nobody.

  So Crane listened to the recording and picked out what he classified asthe key lines.

  _A routine autopsy revealed some peculiar things ... The man had two hearts...._

 
_The blood? Could it have been a new kind of plasma?..._

  _All in all, gentlemen, eight identical specimens have been picked up in various American cities ...

  Exactly alike...._

  Crane ran through the rest of it and threw himself moodily into a chair.The idiots! The stupid unelected, self-appointed guardians of democracy!Not once--not _once_, mind you--had a single one of these great brainsreferred to the obvious.

  It was a Russian plot!

  All those allusions to the extraterrestrial was so much bilge. TheRussians were infiltrating the country with synthetic men. Thismeant--oh, God--it meant that in a short time Russia would be able tocreate an army of these monsters and overwhelm the world.

  Senator Crane sprang to his feet and measured his indignation in longstrides across the thick, expensive carpeting on his floor. Thetraitor! The sheer, compulsive opportunist! That was certainly all thatBrent Taber could be called. Using this deadly situation as a means offurthering his own interests.

  Senator Crane deliberately stilled his rage and objectively consideredwhat he should do about it. With the obvious source of the androidslogically deduced, there was only his own defensive procedures to beconsidered. And they had to be considered carefully. As he saw himself,he stood alone, against a group of bumbling idiots, with the future ofthe nation at stake. What to do?

  The key question, of course, was: How soon will Russia be able to mountan army? Probably not very soon, he decided. That fact gave him time toferret out more information; to become completely sure of himself.

  One thing you had to realize about the American public--or about anymass of humanity, for that matter--a thing of importance had to bepresented dramatically. This, in a sense, was the duty of the electedpublic servant--to recognize this somewhat childish failing of theaverage intelligence and make allowances for it. _You can do this, ofcourse_, Senator Crane told himself, _when you love the people_.

  And, fortunately for their survival, Senator Crane loved the Americanpeople.

  So, for a few moments, he o'erleaped the hard work ahead and saw thegoal--envisioned the headlines:

  SENATOR CRANE UNCOVERS DEADLY PERIL TO THE NATION

  Due entirely to the patriotic, selfless efforts of one United States Senator, the nation has been warned in time of....

  SENATOR CRANE STUNS CONGRESS AND THE NATION WITH HIS REVELATIONS

  Standing alone on the rostrum, a heroic figure pitted, as it were, against all the sinister forces that bore from within, one valiant United States Senator....

  Crane had dropped back into his chair. His eyes had closed, the betterto visualize a grateful nation expending their plaudits.

  And because he was a man who used a great deal of energy in pursuing anobjective, he tired at times. He became drowsy now....

  ... And went gently to sleep.