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,' Caldwell 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 suggestion 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 Caldwell intervened.
