The World of Null-A

“Somebody had discovered the secret of human immortality. An immortality that is proof even against accidents. That is”—he paused contemptuously—“except the kind of accidents that can happen to bodies on Earth, where outsiders and their weapons have access everywhere.”

Thorson paused, and looked keenly at Gosseyn. “You’ll be interested to know where we found the body of Gosseyn III. Frankly, I was always a little suspicious of Lavoisseur. Just because he had that accident, I didn’t quite see him turning against his old work and joining up with the enemies of null-A. So I paid a visit to the Semantic building on Korzybski Square and—”

He stopped again, tantalizingly, this time. And Gosseyn gasped, “It was there?”He didn’t wait for the answer. His mind had leaped on, beyond those words, to a new comprehension. “Lavoisseur!” he said. “I didn’t get the name before. You mean ‘X’ was Lavoisseur, head of the Semantics Institute?”

“His accident was publicized two years ago when it happened,” said Thorson. “Very few people knew how bad it had been. But that’s unimportant now. What matters is, there was your third body. The scientists in charge swore it was brought in only a week before and that it was supposed to be held for the Games Machine. They said they’d called the Machine in a routine fashion and verified that it would send a truck for it in a week or so. But when I found it, it was still in its case. I didn’t intend to destroy the body but when my men tried to get it out of its— container, the damned thing blew up.”

He pulled up the chair again, and sank into it heavily. He seemed unaware of the action, for he did not take his gaze from Gosseyn’s face. He said in a ringing voice, “That’s the picture, my friend. I assure you there was a Gosseyn III. I saw him with my own eyes, and he looked exactly like you and exactly like Gosseyn I. Seeing that third body of yours decided me to take the great personal gamble of my career.”

The statement seemed to relieve him, as if by putting his decision into words he had made it final. Thorson shifted in his chair, and leaned confidentially closer.

“Gosseyn, I don’t know just how much you know. I have assumed, a great deal.” He added ironically, “I have not been blind to the eagerness with which other people for reasons of their own have given you information. However, they don’t count.” He waved his right hand with a large gesture that dismissed others with finality. “Gosseyn, what I told you a moment ago about League regulations is true enough. But, as you have probably guessed, all that doesn’t matter.” He paused, nevertheless, with the air of a man about to reveal a secret. “Those treaties were deliberately broken.” He planted his feet solidly on the floor. He said darkly, “Enro is weary of the vaporings of the League. He wants war on the largest scale, and he has specifically given me instructions to exterminate the people of null-A Venus as a deliberate provocation.”

He finished quietly, “Because of you I have decided not to carry out his orders.”

Gosseyn had mentally watched it coming. From his first words, the big man had concentrated on the mystery of Gilbert Gosseyn. His own problem, his own duties had been incidentally brought in for purposes of clarification and explanation. And the tremendous, the almost incredible thing was that, unknowingly, Thorson had at last provided a reason for the appearance of so many Gosseyns on this vast canvas of events. The leader of an irresistible war mechanism, geared for unlimited destruction, had been turned aside from his purpose. His mind’s eye was focused beyond the normal realities of his life, and the vision of immortality on which he gazed blinded him to all else. There were still loose ends, still blurs in that picture—but it was to divert this man from his goal that Gosseyn had been brought back to life. There was no doubt, either, as to where Thorson’s logic was taking him.

“Gosseyn, we’ve got to find the cosmic chess player. Yes, I said ‘we.’ Whether you realize it or not, you have to be in on this search. The reasons are weighty, both personal and general. It cannot have escaped you that you’re only a pawn, an incomplete version of the original. No matter how much you develop, you can probably never know who you are and what is the real purpose of the person behind you. And, Gosseyn, you must realize that he was only temporarily caught off base. Wherever he gets these additional bodies, you can be sure that he needs you for a short time only while he puts others into—production. It sounds inhuman, I know, but there’s no point in fooling yourself. Whatever you do now, whatever success you attain, in a very short time you’ll be scheduled for the scrap pile. And because of the accident that happened to Gosseyn III, it just may be that the life memories of I and II will be lost.”

The big man’s face was a study in calculation, in a tensed anticipation of action about to be taken. He said in a harsh voice, “Naturally, I am prepared to pay a price for your assistance. I won’t destroy null-A. I will use no atomic energy. I break with Enro, or at least keep him in the dark as long as possible. I fight a holding war here only, and restrict the slaughter. All that I am prepared to pay for your voluntary co-operation. If we have to force your help, then I am not bound. The only question, accordingly, that remains is”—the gray-green eyes were like burning pools—“are you going to help us willingly or unwillingly? Help us you shall!”

Because of his realization of what was coming, Gosseyn had had time to decide, and time to think of some of the implications. He said now without hesitation, “Willingly, of course. But I hope you realize the initial step must be to train my extra brain. Are you prepared to carry your logic to that limit?”

Thorson was on his feet. He came over and patted Gosseyn on the shoulder. “I’m way ahead of you,” he said in a ringing voice. “Listen, we’ve rigged up a transporter system between here and Earth. Crang should be here any minute with Dr. Kair. Prescott won’t be here till tomorrow, because he’s to be in charge on Venus, and so for the benefit of our Earth supporters he had to come by spaceship. But—”

There was a knock on the door. It opened and Dr. Kair came in, followed by Crang. Thorson waved at them, and Gosseyn stood up and a moment later silently shook hands with the psychiatrist. He was aware of Thorson and Crang talking together in low tones. Then the big man walked over to the door.

“I’ll leave you three to talk over the details at your leisure. Crang tells me there’s a major revolution started on Earth, so I’ve got to get back to the palace to direct the fighting.”

The door closed behind him.

XXX

In the elder days of Art,
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part,
For the Gods see everywhere.

W. W. L.

“It will be,” said Dr. Kair, “a battle of wits. And I’ll bet on the extra brain.”

They had been talking for more than an hour, with Crang interjecting only an occasional remark. Gosseyn watched the hazel-eyed man from the corner of his eyes, puzzled and uncertain. According to Kair, it was Crang who had found and arrested him. The man, of course, had to appear to be a Thorson man, but he was acting out his role the hard way. Gosseyn decided not to ask him about Patricia Hardie. Not yet, anyway. He saw that Kair was standing up.

“No use wasting time,” the psychiatrist said. “I understand that galactic technicians have been rigging up a special room for you. The training should not be difficult with all the equipment they have here.” He shook his head wonderingly. “It’s still hard for me to grasp that they’ve got several square miles of underground buildings here, with only Crang’s tree house as a front. But to get back to what I was saying.” He frowned thoughtfully. “The main point is, if we’re right, your extra brain is an organic Distorter, and all that that implies. With the help of the mechanical Distorter, you should be able to similarize two small blocks of wood in three or four days, and that will be the beginning.”