Mars (Planet) -- Fiction; Psychological fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
"The Psychologists suspected the basis of the Plan. They converted
it by conditioning into a kind of religion. Then it wasn't dangerous
anymore. Meanwhile, they had also learned they could never reach Mars.
There's a final step to releasing the pure analytical power of the
human mind. Synthesis. Similarization. There's a dome down there shaped
like the skull of a giant. Inside that metal skull is a synthesis of
human intellect and machinery, pure analytical power. The brain, at
its optimum, is a perfect thinking machine. No five perfect thinking
machines would solve a problem differently. The result is synthesis.
With synthesis came an ultimate thinking machine because it gives off
energy, electrical let us say for convenience, in the form of thought.
"And that master brain down there has the will to radiate and control
this great energy. It's a kind of final perfection of the unguessed
power of the brain. It goes beyond the human, for them at least. They
can send out beams, or rather it, sends out beams of sheer power, solid
thought, by dipping into nine million brain cells plus a hundred. That
brain can stop any enemy's approach to Mars, but it couldn't reach
Earth. Yet.
"You follow me, Morrow?"
Morrow nodded slowly. He slumped a little. His face was shabby now and
old. "Some of it," he whispered. "I don't understand. But I believe. I
have to believe. You--power--"
* * * * *
"I have a lot of power," Bronson said. "I'll have more of it. You see,
the Plan really did work in a sense. Variables work both ways. Over a
period of time, circumstances meshed in such a way that a Disciplinary
Corpsman named Bronson got THE CALL. The sight of the planet Mars was
the key-in stimulant. I happened to be alone in my apartment so that no
one knew I'd been hit. I happened to be a Corpsman which meant I knew
what happened to those who got THE CALL. I couldn't accept that, so I
had to look for other reasons. I also happened to never have undergone
brain surgery, any prefrontal lobotomies, for example. Those things
destroy the analytical mind so even Freedom Unlimited is not certain of
a cure. I couldn't doubt my own sanity. So I came to Mars, I answered
THE CALL. It happened to me by accident, but I had the command in my
cells ready for re-stimulation."
"What now?" Morrow said. "What do you do now? What about me--and--"
"I'll go back to Earth, and start to work. With each clearing of a
human being from his Pavlovian prison, I'll gain greater strength,
allies. No one will know. This time there'll be no disaster because the
destructive elements of war aren't there. The Psychologists are too
sure of themselves. We'll win the world and free men's minds."
"And what about me?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account