All In The Mind
copy afteryou've solved them and say it couldn't be done."
* * * * *
Mel missed the cart more than he thought he would. It was much like thetime when, as a boy, he'd broken a leg and had to stay in bed forseveral weeks. He was forced to turn in on himself.
The real turn in the development of his mind, and above the level he hadthought possible, came about as an accident one day. Resting, withnothing to do, he had the full room in vision with the stationarylenses. A flicker of motion caught his attention and careful waitingdisclosed it to be a small mouse that had somehow gained access to thelaboratory and then into his room. Welcoming any change in his routine,he watched as the small creature scurried around the room looking forsomething to eat. Several times Mel amused himself by causing his voicebox to rumble, making the rodent scurry around madly for a hiding placeuntil the imagined danger had passed. Eventually it became used to thenoise and not even talking affected it.
It disappeared from sight for several minutes and Mel had just begun towonder if it had a nest in the equipment when it reappeared on top ofthe calculator, near the electrical prod that Neil had used on hisbrain. Remembering the searing jolt it had given him, Mel watchedanxiously as the mouse pushed an inquisitive nose into the still exposedcomponents. He became more concerned as the animal became moreintrigued. Not only was there danger that the mouse would push down on adelicate relay and close it, but he could conceivably short out the mainpower supply. The result wasn't pleasant to contemplate. If it didn'tpermanently damage some of his brain cells, the pain might drive himinto insanity.
He tried shouting but the mouse paid no attention to him. He called forfirst, Jenkins and then Neil until he remembered that his partner hadsaid they were going in after some special equipment. While he watchedhelplessly, the mouse stretched out and touched a relay point. Instantlypain knifed through his brain and he became aware of a roaring soundthat he realized was his voice blaring out. The extra loud and continuedblast of sound had caused the mouse to withdraw nervously from therelay. Something about it had made him determined, however, and as Melwas barely recovering from the first jolt, the mouse moved back. Melwished desperately that the cart had been left in operation so that hemight at least use the sound of motion or the mechanical arm to frightenhis tiny tormentor from the vicinity of the relay.
He watched intently as the mouse came closer to the points, oblivious toeverything else in the room. As it almost touched the points, a violentsurge of hate coursed through his brain cells and he was surprised tosee the mouse flung violently back down to the floor. It lay theremotionless and he finally realized, with thankfulness, that it was dead.As the pain from the jolt subsided to the point where he could barelyfeel it, he began to wonder what had happened. The amount of voltagenecessary to hurt him was so small that nothing beyond a direct shortacross the primary power would have affected the mouse. He began toanalyze everything preceding the point where the mouse had been flungfrom the top of the calculator. A check and recheck brought the sameanswer, one that he had at first refused to believe--his thoughts hadbeen responsible.
Further contemplation convinced him that, while his thoughts hadundoubtedly been responsible, the mental power itself had not beenenough, as pure, brute force, to accomplish the task, but must havestruck at the rodent's brain itself. That would have been enough toconvulse the animal's muscles and make it look at first as if someoutside force had hurled it to the floor. The stolid Jenkins wassomewhat perturbed when he found the dead mouse.
"But how could it get in here," he demanded querulously. Then, as if insudden thought, "and what could have killed it?"
Mel suddenly decided that it might be better if the other were set atease since even Jenkins could dissect it if he became curious enough andmight find enough to make Neil suspicious.
"I saw it yesterday," he said. "I didn't say anything since it wasinteresting and was company for me. I noticed that it was moving moreslowly today and seemed to be weaker. It must have starved to death.Nothing to eat in here, and he couldn't get out."
"Yeah," agreed the other, picking it up and throwing it into awastepaper basket. The explanation had evidently satisfied him, since hewent about his routine tasks.
* * * * *
After the excitement of his discovery had worn off, Mel began tocautiously test its potential. He carefully directed his thoughts atJenkins and caused an instant reaction. For a brief moment, he felt aresilient pressure as if something were pressing against his own brain.He instinctively pushed back harder and heard Jenkins yell as theopposing pressure collapsed. The assistant was leaning against a worktable, a dazed look on his face.
"What happened?" Mel asked.
"I don't know," said the other, pressing a hand to the side of his head."It felt as if something had hit me in the head, now it aches a little.Guess I'll have to do something about this cold." He left, still holdinga hand to his head.
It was obvious that his newly discovered power could be dangerous so Melproceeded with his experimenting more slowly. Jenkins was still his onlyguinea pig and he learned to gage just when the assistant's resistancewas about to collapse and reduce the intensity of his own probingaccordingly. He was disappointed to discover that either it wasimpossible to read another's mind or that he hadn't discovered themethod. However, he could roughly direct the other's actions. Jenkinshad been becoming increasingly nervous so Mel became even more subtle inhis experimenting. He'd wait until the assistant was idle and theneither make him cross his legs or put one or the other of his hands upto scratch his head. He finally became so smooth and accurate in hiscontrol that it lost most of its interest as a means of recreation.
He began to extend his range. Wood and concrete offered no impedance atall. Metal, with the exception of aluminum, cut the intensity roughlyabout half. Jenkins was in Mel's room when he first probed Neil's brain.His partner's mental resistance was much higher and he pressed slowlybut methodically so that the break-through would be controlled. To hissurprise, he found that Neil's brain was much easier to control thanthat of Jenkins had been.
It was about this time that he found he was beginning to master thesharing of his host's eyesight. While he might not be able to readanother's mind, it would be a big help to know what someone else wasdoing or what he was looking at. He tried searching outside the buildingbut found nothing, other than an occasional small spot of resistancethat would probably indicate a small animal. This wasn't surprisingsince the lab was hidden in caves in a secluded canyon that had noattraction to the casual wanderer.
His next concentration was on the animals he encountered every so often.His first few attempts resulted in sudden and complete collapse ofresistance and he sadly concluded that his control had been too powerfuland resulted in their death. He tried more carefully and was overjoyedwhen he established contact with their visual senses. The sensation wasalmost as over-powering as if he had suddenly gained eyesight of hisown. For the first time in months, he revelled in seeing the countryaround the outside of the lab and never before had he thought it sobeautiful. Once, while in control of a rabbit's mind, he saw an eagleflying overhead. He quickly transferred and, before the bird flew farenough away to make control impossible, he enjoyed the far-reachingvision of the bird's eyes as it swept on towards some hidden nest. Hecould even see the city in the distance.
* * * * *
Several times he neglected to notice Neil's entrance into the room, soabsorbed did he become in his newly discovered, if second-hand, freedom.
"What's happened to you anyway?" demanded his erstwhile partner one dayafter he had had to repeat a question. "Half of the time lately you'relost in a world of your own. What're you up to anyway?"
"Nothing," replied Mel, suddenly alert to any new danger, althoughconfident he could take care of himself now. "I was just going over somenew equations I've been formulating as a hobby. Now that you've takenaway my cart, there isn't much to ke
ep me occupied you know. You don'tbegin to bring enough problems. What's wrong?"
Mel wished that he could read the other's mind since Neil began to actevasive. He laughed with a false heartiness. "Wrong? Why I've--we've--"he corrected, "--already made a fortune on a couple of our own patentsas well as commissions from project solutions. Someone might getsuspicious if we did too well or too much."
This made sense but Mel couldn't resist digging. "You mean that yourpast record of success as measured against your supposed one now mightmake the police ask questions?" he asked. The other remained silent sohe pressed the attack. "Or are they already wondering why I haven't beenseen for so long?"
"There were a few questions at