Page 66 - Astounding Pulp V2

66 ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION
THE SMALLEST GOD '61
The rest- of the tar probablv isn't-the no dange:r of n~rve pressu1·c. a nd cover
sa1nc.'' J the openmg with th~ removed section lwa<l of the syf1thetic man. He must Jmir 011 the problem. Bit by bit, the
H ermes wriggled · • . of the skull." 9pen bis eyes and look out. But his sensation sent up by the nerves regis-
, . • • • 111 1 1,.1s exc.1tement. cyes -refused to · open. Again he con- tered on his brain, were catalogued and
O rganic life 1s mere!)' a c 1em1coe ec- "Right. In that nutrient fluid, it
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tnca 1 1 eact10n, w1th raclioact· .t should heal comple:tely in a few hou ,·s." centrated, and nothing seemed to happen: a11alyzecl, 'and l:>ecame familiar things to
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. d IJ 1v1 y t 1rown . Brugh's voice, muffled as from a great liim. He.tried touching a table with his
m : an ~n all of that. What differ- !fermes dropped into the tank and was
ence does 1t make ?" H e st t 1 d 1mmcr_sed by the_ liquid : his a bility to distance, reached him. "v\lell, he's ·linger, atid made it in two attempts.
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a sma 11 eg. Dr. Bruo-1, will you ex- wor)< 111 a ny medium facilita ted the O __ .awake. His big toe twitched then.': "You'll be better than any ma·n when
amine my feet ?" "' ' eration. . P ;'fliere, ,~as _i1iothe·r ·sensation, the feel- ~,;e'·re ·ctone ,vith you," Hodges gloated.
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\,Vith a puzzled frown B . j·ng.--◊f .a . faint cu1re11t. poilring ip J r':)111 :''I£ I'd. bi·ought coilsciousness into i:\ n-
,. " T . , 1ug 1 1 com- And his sense of perception made him one qf the n~r✓e·. endings;, a1id ·H ennes .tl\ropos, 'I'd" still l1aYe · liai:I to educate
piled. hey re wearino- out., "d capable of performing the work w ith a l-
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'"T l . bb . ,, . 1e sa1 . realized · that must be his ears sending him as· a child is tai1ght: You can learn
1e I u er 1s almost paper-thin. You'll most) tdmchanny sl~ill. As the othe rs
need a new body soon, H ermes,. watc 1e . e cut brisk!)' aro~md tl1c I· II _their m_essage to his brain. by yourself.''. . · , ·; ·
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"Precisely.. That's what I',~ talkin ren~ove al ~ectton, and ,xent into the : T his time he tried. to. tall\, a1!d Hodges · Hermes ·was :learning to talk agai!l_- in
about. \1/hy couldn't I be pu m n- b ran~'. ana yz~,g it almost cell by cell a nd spoke. · . "That wa~ , hi.s l.eg ·n'loving,· · ~ the clumsy · systei11 :o.f breathing, throat
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I t 1ropos rampan ?'' wond~r if he ,.can . cen_rol his: body.'' contraction, and oral adaptation that pro-
sutu11ng: cutt mg, and scraping awa 1
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H odges let out a st.art] cl . ·1 I useless tissue. Y t e -Hermes . was le.arning; -the so.imd·. a11d ~h:1ces hi1111ai1 "·01·ds.· He tri-ed it 1iow.
died out and I ft I · e wai t ,at nerve . messages• co-:01:dinated this time·, .''Let me walk alone." ·
. c 11 s mouth hanging Blood oozed out slowly bu t ti 1· Lear_ning to use Anthropos' auditory ·. Another half-lioi1r· saw ·a sta),va1t
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open. Fmally he remembe. d t I ·c1• . , 1e 1q-
· t "I cl ,, , e o c ose ~1 sl re~~orat:ve power began' function- system would not be too difficult. . · young' figtlre striding . ab~ut the labor~.
'. . won er- he muttered. "vV Id 111g, 1~ad mg t 1_e soft nerve tissue alm ost
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i t work?" ou But he was having trouble_ • He-.had tory, e;_amining this and ·that, tryi11g.-out
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as<lrap1 y as it was cut. H e rmes n od -
Dixon demurred "It'd b e a d . de approval and continued until 1 1.1:ied to pen hi~ eyes, and a toe had .impJe111ents, .using liis hody" in every_ way
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ope1 ation, removmg the us e ess 11g 1er ti ~e , I a cen ers that fun~tioned p ro - ~w.ttch~d; an effor_t to· use his • tongue re- tliat i1e could. It ans_wered · his ~om-
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par o -t+le 1 )ram and leavi11g th .._sull'ed in a leg moving. · There was orfly rnands· with a smooth co-ordination that
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· I · I e essen- e1 y were left. Then he mdicat 1 P
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t 1a vita areas that co11trol ti 1 fi · t ec that : -one· thing to 90, anp · that was· . to try pleased .th.c111 all. ',. ,·. · .-' . · · _ : .. :
d . . 1e 1eart h e was 111s 1ed and Hodges p ulled .
an o1 gans. Besides, could H . out. h1111 ·· ~--~yerything until .the desired- r.esult" was Br-ugh was elated . . · W ith a bram hl\e
trol the nerves?" e1 mes con- obtained - that,-· I-Ienncs; and ·the body you have
The dry ice was numbino- as t i
"\\'hy not? He can • O C 1ey . It:~~v~:s : ~everal · .1ni111:;tes lat~r ~vht:1~ i10,y ,- we .could 111ake· the wortd's ·gr.ear-
. . . co1Jtro 1 your pac<e t
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nc1, es! at a distance if he tries hard began moving more s'luggjshly ~ug hts Dixon's voice· registered on his nerves : est physical chemiS out of ~ou. A li~-
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enoug 1. Bu~ the operation would consciousness left him, a head·y _ut as "See, his eyes are open. Can you see, tie wire pulling and a few t11cks, exa1111-
a •loctor's skill." need . · • . exulta- H ermes--:or Anthropos ?" nations, and things, and you cl have your
t1011 was smg mg its sono- throuo-1
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Hermes had ~hat all figured -out by atom o f I 11s )emo-. He would Hermes couldn't. T here was a wild degrees in no time. I could use you
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)e tall
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nuw, a1~d he voiced his p lan while the a'.1 cl ,an some, and Tanya would c • chaos of sensation pouring in through here." . . ,,
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others listened carefully. Hodges finall lmn. 1 the optic nerve, which must be the ef- ·"He'd be a wotlcle_rful ~JiocJJmiS ,
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feet o( light, but it made little sense H odges cut in. "T hmk ot ,w,. t ?t
nodded. "It might work, son, and A/ Consciousness faded as H odges 111
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~hropos isn't 1)rnch good as is. I prom- the relatively simple job of remo • )ega_n to him. He concentrated on one part sense of perception would mean lo us
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ised to help you grow up. and if you casmg . anA msertmg him into the va- that seemed to register less strongly, and trying to determine e effect of drugs
can use this body, it's yours. The uni- cancy 111 nthropos' head. succeeded in making out the distorted on an organism." .
ixon added his opinion. '·As an or-
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vt-rsity doesn't seem to value it much." figure of a man. It was enough to be- s aanic chemist think what tt wou ld mean
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gm wit 1 Jut earnmg to use 11s eye "' ' d 1 · ·
XI. took mo;e time than the ears had. in analyzing an synt ie~;z~;,g n~w ;:;~;
T..1rn BORROWED dissecting equipment 1 1
from the zoology department was in D ARKNESS. T hat was the first th _ - 1 ·
. ~~ gar up ~~ing/o _s~ak rd .. r:;:• ~:u ;.~!ily ~~~e~'" ~~ :~:l,:0t,t:: co-ordi-
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readiness and the men stood looking on Hermes felt on regaining consciot oug it 1111es iotug itdout irect y to rudgs10. I can nate the various fields, and Hermes is
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as Hermes prepared for his work. He • e was md a ,cave with no entrance, and l ou an move me aroun . .
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. lated to my ideal " He held out an old paJr ot trou-
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Stud y w 11c 1 sensa ions are I e
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paused at the brink of the tank. "You I 1 not st ream throug h · A. . I ,, sers acid stained, but who e, an d lI
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know what you're to do?" I 11111 was a: warm shell that h eld 1 11111 Brugh obeyed promptly with_ the l~elp mes began c .''.11 _mg 111to t 1~m. Tl
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''We do. After you open it, we'll away from direct contact w ith tlie wor 1 d of the others, enthusiasm runmng high. was a co111phL_at1011 he had11_ t thought
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lower your temperature t111til you harden He started to struggle ao-ainst 1 ·t - · Hermes had the entire job of learning of, and one which was not entirely pleas-
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up to unconscic,u,mess, remove your cas- t I 1e uneasy sense of closeness i.nci·e asec. to make his body behave before him, but ant. He saw n? reason_ to conceal the
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ing, pack you in the brainpan, so there's T hen he remembered he was • 1 he brou_ght a highly developed mind to new body of which he was so proud.
1n t 1e
AST-S