Giant Series 01 - Inherit the Stars

by Inherit the Stars [lit]

  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