Mr. Spaceship Read online

know." Kramer went to the window. He stood looking out. "In away, I hope not."

  "But if he doesn't--"

  "Then we'll have to find somebody else. I know. There would besomebody else. Why did Dolores have to--"

  The vidphone rang. Kramer pressed the button.

  "This is Gross." The heavy features formed. "The old man called me.Professor Thomas."

  "What did he say?" He knew; he could tell already, by the sound ofGross' voice.

  "He said he'd do it. I was a little surprised myself, but apparentlyhe means it. We've already made arrangements for his admission to thehospital. His lawyer is drawing up the statement of liability."

  Kramer only half heard. He nodded wearily. "All right. I'm glad. Isuppose we can go ahead, then."

  "You don't sound very glad."

  "I wonder why he decided to go ahead with it."

  "He was very certain about it." Gross sounded pleased. "He called mequite early. I was still in bed. You know, this calls for acelebration."

  "Sure," Kramer said. "It sure does."

  * * * * *

  Toward the middle of August the project neared completion. They stoodoutside in the hot autumn heat, looking up at the sleek metal sides ofthe ship.

  Gross thumped the metal with his hand. "Well, it won't be long. We canbegin the test any time."

  "Tell us more about this," an officer in gold braid said. "It's suchan unusual concept."

  "Is there really a human brain inside the ship?" a dignitary asked, asmall man in a rumpled suit. "And the brain is actually alive?"

  "Gentlemen, this ship is guided by a living brain instead of the usualJohnson relay-control system. But the brain is not conscious. It willfunction by reflex only. The practical difference between it and theJohnson system is this: a human brain is far more intricate than anyman-made structure, and its ability to adapt itself to a situation, torespond to danger, is far beyond anything that could be artificiallybuilt."

  Gross paused, cocking his ear. The turbines of the ship were beginningto rumble, shaking the ground under them with a deep vibration. Kramerwas standing a short distance away from the others, his arms folded,watching silently. At the sound of the turbines he walked quicklyaround the ship to the other side. A few workmen were clearing awaythe last of the waste, the scraps of wiring and scaffolding. Theyglanced up at him and went on hurriedly with their work. Kramermounted the ramp and entered the control cabin of the ship. Winter wassitting at the controls with a Pilot from Space-transport.

  "How's it look?" Kramer asked.

  "All right." Winter got up. "He tells me that it would be best to takeoff manually. The robot controls--" Winter hesitated. "I mean, thebuilt-in controls, can take over later on in space."

  "That's right," the Pilot said. "It's customary with the Johnsonsystem, and so in this case we should--"

  "Can you tell anything yet?" Kramer asked.

  "No," the Pilot said slowly. "I don't think so. I've been going overeverything. It seems to be in good order. There's only one thing Iwanted to ask you about." He put his hand on the control board. "Thereare some changes here I don't understand."

  "Changes?"

  "Alterations from the original design. I wonder what the purpose is."

  Kramer took a set of the plans from his coat. "Let me look." He turnedthe pages over. The Pilot watched carefully over his shoulder.

  "The changes aren't indicated on your copy," the Pilot said. "Iwonder--" He stopped. Commander Gross had entered the control cabin.

  "Gross, who authorized alterations?" Kramer said. "Some of the wiringhas been changed."

  "Why, your old friend." Gross signaled to the field tower through thewindow.

  "My old friend?"

  "The Professor. He took quite an active interest." Gross turned to thePilot. "Let's get going. We have to take this out past gravity for thetest they tell me. Well, perhaps it's for the best. Are you ready?"

  "Sure." The Pilot sat down and moved some of the controls around."Anytime."

  "Go ahead, then," Gross said.

  "The Professor--" Kramer began, but at that moment there was atremendous roar and the ship leaped under him. He grasped one of thewall holds and hung on as best he could. The cabin was filling with asteady throbbing, the raging of the jet turbines underneath them.

  The ship leaped. Kramer closed his eyes and held his breath. They weremoving out into space, gaining speed each moment.

  * * * * *

  "Well, what do you think?" Winter said nervously. "Is it time yet?"

  "A little longer," Kramer said. He was sitting on the floor of thecabin, down by the control wiring. He had removed the metalcovering-plate, exposing the complicated maze of relay wiring. He wasstudying it, comparing it to the wiring diagrams.

  "What's the matter?" Gross said.

  "These changes. I can't figure out what they're for. The only patternI can make out is that for some reason--"

  "Let me look," the Pilot said. He squatted down beside Kramer. "Youwere saying?"

  "See this lead here? Originally it was switch controlled. It closedand opened automatically, according to temperature change. Now it'swired so that the central control system operates it. The same withthe others. A lot of this was still mechanical, worked by pressure,temperature, stress. Now it's under the central master."

  "The brain?" Gross said. "You mean it's been altered so that the brainmanipulates it?"

  Kramer nodded. "Maybe Professor Thomas felt that no mechanical relayscould be trusted. Maybe he thought that things would be happening toofast. But some of these could close in a split second. The brakerockets could go on as quickly as--"

  "Hey," Winter said from the control seat. "We're getting near the moonstations. What'll I do?"

  They looked out the port. The corroded surface of the moon gleamed upat them, a corrupt and sickening sight. They were moving swiftly towardit.

  "I'll take it," the Pilot said. He eased Winter out of the way andstrapped himself in place. The ship began to move away from the moonas he manipulated the controls. Down below them they could see theobservation stations dotting the surface, and the tiny squares thatwere the openings of the underground factories and hangars. A redblinker winked up at them and the Pilot's fingers moved on the boardin answer.

  "We're past the moon," the Pilot said, after a time. The moon hadfallen behind them; the ship was heading into outer space. "Well, wecan go ahead with it."

  Kramer did not answer.

  "Mr. Kramer, we can go ahead any time."

  Kramer started. "Sorry. I was thinking. All right, thanks." Hefrowned, deep in thought.

  "What is it?" Gross asked.

  "The wiring changes. Did you understand the reason for them when yougave the okay to the workmen?"

  Gross flushed. "You know I know nothing about technical material. I'min Security."

  "Then you should have consulted me."

  "What does it matter?" Gross grinned wryly. "We're going to have tostart putting our faith in the old man sooner or later."

  The Pilot stepped back from the board. His face was pale and set."Well, it's done," he said. "That's it."

  "What's done?" Kramer said.

  "We're on automatic. The brain. I turned the board over to it--to him,I mean. The Old Man." The Pilot lit a cigarette and puffed nervously."Let's keep our fingers crossed."

  * * * * *

  The ship was coasting evenly, in the hands of its invisible pilot. Fardown inside the ship, carefully armoured and protected, a soft humanbrain lay in a tank of liquid, a thousand minute electric chargesplaying over its surface. As the charges rose they were picked up andamplified, fed into relay systems, advanced, carried on through theentire ship--

  Gross wiped his forehead nervously. "So _he_ is running it, now. Ihope he knows what he's doing."

  Kramer nodded enigmatically. "I think he does."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Not
hing." Kramer walked to the port. "I see we're still moving in astraight line." He picked up the microphone. "We can instruct thebrain orally, through this." He blew against the microphoneexperimentally.

  "Go on," Winter said.

  "Bring the ship around half-right," Kramer said. "Decrease speed."

  They waited. Time passed.