The Thinking Machine Affair (2 page)

"So that's your 'Project I.P.'," Vlasta exclaimed admiringly. "I didn't expect it to be the size of a portable wireless set—somehow I had imagined it to be a huge thing with plenty of dials and all sorts of gadgets."

"In actual fact," the Professor explained, "the final version—when all problems are solved and everything works to my complete satisfaction—will be even smaller. My ultimate aim is to reduce the machine to half or even one third of its present size."

He plugged the apparatus into an electric socket on the opposite wall and began turning some dials and working tiny levers. Fascinated, Vlasta watched his every move, trying to figure out how 'Project I.P.' operated.

"I am ready for the experiment," her father said at long last. "If you care to name any of your friends or acquaintances whom you wish to receive your thought transference, we can go ahead. But mind, at present the distance cannot be further than about two miles."

"We could try Marie Diouha," Vlasta suggested. "She lives about a mile from here, and it's most likely she's at home."

"Where does she live?"

"Petrin Street 15, second floor, the flat on the right."

"What message do you want to send her?"

"Well—" Vlasta thought a moment and then said:

"Send her a thought message to phone me immediately and to suggest that we go to the Roxy Cinema."

Professor Novak checked to see that the telephone was plugged through to the laboratory, then went to his apparatus and began to work some dials and levers. When he was satisfied that the scene was set for his experiment, he said aloud:

"Marie Diouha, telephone Vlasta Novak immediately and suggest that you and she should go to the Roxy Cinema."

As soon as he had finished the spoken message, he switched off the apparatus. Then he explained:

"Under ordinary circumstances I would just have sent out a concentrated thought message, because it is unnecessary to speak a message aloud; but in this particular case I wanted you to hear that I was transmitting the message you asked me to..."

He was interrupted by the shrill sound of the telephone bell on his desk.

"Shall I take the call?" Vlasta asked.

"Please do. It ought to be Marie."

And it
was
Marie Diouha!

"I'd actually planned to stay at home tonight and watch the television play," Marie said, "but I suddenly thought I'd phone and suggest we go to the Roxy Cinema. Would you like to come? The film had quite a good Press."

Vlasta made some excuses and declined the invitation. When she replaced the phone receiver, she cried enthusiastically:

"This is almost unbelievable! You have invented and built something tremendous, father! I wouldn't have thought it possible."

"Still, so much has yet to be done before my goal is achieved," sighed the Professor. Then he brightened. "But I am confident I shall succeed. You see, at first the apparatus would transfer thoughts only inches away; then the radius improved and it worked on people yards away; now a distance of about two miles can be covered. I have no doubt that I'll succeed in over coming any distance in the future."

"I am sure you are right, father. I only wish you'd let me help you with your calculations and experiments. Maybe I'll stumble on something that might eventually help you solve your problem."

To her delight, he instantly agreed.

"I should be happy if you would assist me," he said. "But one thing must be understood between us. It must remain a secret that you are in any way connected with 'Project I.P.' If someone learned that you were assisting me, hell would break loose, because, you know, all the Government officials are obsessed with security-phobia, and without special security clearance and consent no one is allowed to gather the inside knowledge of my work."

That same evening they began experimenting with new calculations and adaptations of the original apparatus, convinced that the time must come when all present obstacles would be overcome.

CHAPTER TWO

LONG NOSES AND BIG EARS

THE Monitoring Officer of the Electronics Department at THRUSH'S European Center E lit another cigarette as he checked the long-distance electronic listening device beamed at Professor Novak's villa in Prague Dejvice. He was tired of keeping this leading Czech scientist, rumored to be engaged on top-Secret research, under round-the-clock electronic audio surveillance.

The Monitoring Officer had good reason to be fed up with the task he'd been given. Since the day three months earlier when THRUSH Intelligence had unearthed the fact that the Professor's villa had been turned into a miniature fortress and that he had been classified as being on top-secret research, it had been the Monitoring Officer's duty to record every sound in the villa. But this task had been frustrating because the only words the listening device had overheard and recorded on tape were harmless everyday conversations between father and daughter, unrevealing telephone conversations, or brief contacts with people who came to the villa. It was obvious that Professor Novak was the only scientist engaged on this particular project, and it was annoying that he never spoke about his work to his daughter or anyone else. For these reasons the long nose of THRUSH, as well as its electronic ears, were having very little luck.

Then, quite unexpectedly, on the day of Professor Novak's fiftieth birthday, THRUSH'S patience was rewarded. The Monitoring Officer's ears overheard the conversation which took place at the Novak's dinner table, and which suddenly turned to the Professor's work. In this way they had discovered the secret the villa held.

The Monitoring Officer felt elated when, in the early hours of that morning, the Professor and his daughter decided to stop work. The THRUSH electronic listener reproduced the sounds of footsteps, the noise of the locking of the safe and the laboratory's heavy steel door. The Officer was now able to report to his Chief Organizing Officer some unique information of real importance and some detail—an unexpected stroke of luck which could mean promotion for him.

His hands trembled with excitement as he pressed the knob on the closed circuit television set that linked his monitoring room with his superior at THRUSH'S office. As soon as the latter appeared on the television screen, he reported proudly:

"Sir, I have obtained the requested information and data on Professor Novak's research. Do you wish me to play the tape for you?"

"Send me the tape. I'll listen to it here," came the curt command, and the Chief Organizing Officer switched off the circuit.

He hasn't said a single word of praise or expressed some appreciation, the Monitoring Officer grumbled to himself, but as he rewound the tape, ready for his superior to play back, and then placed it in a metal container which he sealed, hopeful thoughts ran through his mind. Perhaps once the Chief realized the importance of the news, he would praise and reward the work he had done. As he dreamed of promotion, he put the package containing the tape into a special channel which had been constructed to connect with the Chief Organizing Officer's office; through this tapes and other items could speedily and privately be transported in either direction.

Later, when the Chief Organizing Officer had listened to the tape, he at once realized that immediate action was imperative. There was no doubt in his mind that an instant THRUSH Executive Council meeting must take place. He sent out appropriate commands which would at once convene the extraordinary meeting. This done, he flashed the necessary signals to the Armed Guards Commander at THRUSH'S European Center E to prepare for this meeting.

As he approached the door of his office, the two steel sections slid silently into the surrounding walls, permitting him to enter the corridor where two armed guards stood watchfully. As soon as he had passed the door, the invisible electronic eyes moved the steel plates silently back to the closed position.

The guards escorted him on his way towards the elevator which was at the end of the long, well-lit corridor with its numerous steel doors on either side. The elevator doors opened automatically and as soon as the three men entered, shut silently behind them. They descended at high speed to the eighth floor, where the doors again opened automatically.

Once more the Chief Organizing Officer and his two armed guards walked along a seemingly endless corridor, until at last they reached a closed oversize steel door in front of which stood half-a-dozen armed guards of higher rank. They stepped aside to allow the officer to enter the Conference Room; concealed electronic eyes having opened the door for him.

The Executive Council members of THRUSH arrived in rapid succession and the council was in session less than fifteen minutes after it had been convened.

"Information of extreme importance prompted this meeting," said the Chief Organizing Officer, opening the convention. "I now propose to play a tape recording containing the said vital information so that the Council may decide what steps should be taken."

After the assembled members had unanimously concurred with the proposition, the loudspeakers reproduced the sounds and words registered on the monitored tape.

"This calls for immediate action," the Executive Council's Chairman announced, once the tape had been heard. Turning to the Chief Organizing Officer, he questioned: "How do you propose to get the Professor and his apparatus to our Headquarters?"

"The simplest and speediest solution would be to send a special task force to the villa and bring him and the apparatus here," the Chief Organizing Officer replied.

"Before arriving at any final decision on the operation, we should take into consideration the danger of a self-destruction gadget having been built into the apparatus, to prevent it falling into unauthorized hands," warned the Head of THRUSH'S Technical Department. "If this were so, forceful action might induce the Professor to destroy the apparatus, and thus thwart our plans."

"There's no indication on the tape of any self destructing gadget on the apparatus," the Chief Organizing Officer countered.

"That doesn't establish that there isn't one," the Technical Department head insisted. "The tape gives us a very good idea of what the invention is, and how the apparatus works, but it doesn't give us all the answers. If you listened carefully to the tape, you'd know that no opportunity arose for the Professor to say whether of not a self-destruction gadget is built in. Under the circumstances I must insist that we take every safety precaution to ensure that we get both the Professor and his apparatus undamaged."

"Regardless of whether there is a self-destruction Unit or not, I am against a special task force being sent to the Professor's villa," the Executive Council's chairman declared. "I want the operation to be smooth and unnoticed. I want no disturbance that might alert Government Security forces. I propose that we use the information we have from the Ultimate Computer and carry out the operation smoothly."

"I'm not with you, sir," the Chief Organizing Officer said uneasily. "I have no knowledge of this Ultimate Computer data."

"You can't have it because I haven't made it known to anyone yet," the other replied sharply. "It would have been premature. But now, in the light of this important development, the time has come when all members of the Executive Council must know the facts to enable us to arrive at the appropriate solution for the problem."

The eyes of the assembled men were now fixed on the speaker.

"The information from the Ultimate Computer is as follows," the Chairman continued. "Professor Karel Novak's wife Dana was killed in a road accident in 1946 and left him with their five-year-old daughter Vlasta. He brought up the girl, whom he loves more than anything in the world. Here is the means of getting at the Professor and his apparatus without creating any special disturbance. Bring his daughter here, and the rest will be simple."

"This solution is doubtless best," the Deputy Chair man seconded after a moment. "I suggest it be accepted unanimously."

"There's only one thing to be considered and it is that, despite his great love for his daughter, the Professor might not after all be persuaded to come over to us with his apparatus." This was the opinion of the Chief of the Special Tasks Department. He liked the initial proposal made by the Chief Organizing Officer because it gave him the chance of displaying the efficiency of his Task Force section. "We mustn't overlook the fact," he added, "that Professor Novak is one of the most devoted of Czech Government scientists. Because of this, he might put his country before his love for his daughter..."

"I don't think we need worry about that. We know from experience how well the hostage method works," the Deputy Chairman insisted. "However, should it turn out to be a futile
modus operandi
in this case, we can then switch to the Special Tasks Force for assistance."

It was unanimously moved by THRUSH'S Executive Council that Vlasta Novak be brought to their European Center E.

"This, I think, concludes our extraordinary meeting," declared the Executive Council Chairman. "All other matters can be dealt with at the next extraordinary meeting when the Professor's daughter has been brainwashed and conditioned for our plans."

"There is one thing that, I think, should be decided at this meeting," the head of the Technical Department intervened.

"What is it?" the Chairman inquired.

"We have learned from the tape that Professor Novak is faced with stalemate in the development of his apparatus, and from what we've heard it seems unlikely that he and his daughter will quickly stumble on the solution to this vital problem."

"I am confident that, aided by you and with the help of your assistants, Professor Novak and his daughter will certainly solve that problem, once he and his apparatus are safely here," the Chairman cut in.

"That may be, but I'm afraid there's not much chance of us being successful, because none of us here have the slightest knowledge of this thought vibration transference business." The Head of the Technical Department looked wry. "By trial and error we might of course solve the problem sooner or later; but I consider it my duty to point out to the Executive Council that it may take a very considerable time before Professor Novak can achieve his goal."