“Now don’t start with that religious nonsense,” Darmobray said, and smiled. “What do you think of my experimental subjects?”
“If I had my Bowies, I’d castrate you,” Blade responded harshly.
“Then I’m in no danger, because Colonel Hufford took your weapons to his office in the dorm the troopers are using as a barracks.”
Blade registered the news for later use, gaping at the hapless men and women strapped onto tables covered with rubber mats or sheets. There were ten unfortunates, arranged in two rows of five apiece. All ten were unconscious and attached to life-support systems. They wore white hospital gowns. And every one had been subjected to the same surgical procedure. The tops of their heads had been shaved and sliced into, then peeled back much like an orange peel from an orange, exposing their brains. Oblong black boxes rested on metal stands alongside each table, and a series of multicolored wires connected to the boxes had been inserted into the brain of each victim.
“This sort of reminds me of high school biology class,” Darmobray mentioned.
“You’re sick, do yo know that?” Blade snapped.
“This is where my research started. This is where I first began conducting my elaborate tests on the human brain, where Project Automaton was launched.”
“Project what?”
“Automaton. The term describes my operation precisely. An automaton is someone who acts in a routine or monotonous manner and lacks active intellect. An automaton is also a machine designed to act under its own power, such as a robot.”
Blade’s mouth slackened and his skin tingled as he realized the ulterior motive behind Project Automaton. “You’re making human robots?”
“Close, but not quite,” Darmobray said. He walked to the nearest table and placed his left hand on the chest of the supine woman in the detached manner of someone who had no regard for human life whatsoever. “Allow me to elaborate. You see, once we realized that discontent was spreading among our populace, we decided to nip the rebellion in the bud.”
“We?”
“The Minister and the directors of the different divisions. As head of the Science Division, the project was put in my hands. Given our computer projections, we knew we had to act quickly. The more dissatisfaction spreads, the harder it will be to stop. So we’ll stop it now.”
“How?” Blade inquired, his gaze riveted on the woman’s brain.
“We realized that our educational system had failed if we couldn’t guarantee our citizens were properly indoctrinated in Technic teachings.
But we were bewildered because we knew our system was the best it could possibly be. Why then, we asked ourselves, was our system breeding individuals who were able to resist indoctrination and reject the concept of loyalty to the Technic state?” Darmobray talked in a clinical fashion, as if he were instructing a novice Technic. “We came to the conclusion that the fault didn’t rest in our system—the fault lay in our citizens. There would always be those who were incapable of assimilating our indoctrination. There would always be those who naturally inclined towards rebellion.”
“So instead of changing your system, you decided to change your populace,” Blade deduced.
“Improve them would be more apt,” Darmobray said. “I hit on the idea about eight years ago, but I wasn’t able to implement my experiments until I came to Green Bay.”
“What idea?”
Darmobray glanced at the oblong black box to which the woman had been attached. “Where do I begin?” he asked, and paused. “What do you know about the human brain?”
“It’s the center of thought and understanding.”
“Crudely put, but adequate. Actually, I was referring to the physiological aspects. As you may know, the brain continually gives off waves of electricity which can be measured by means of an electroencephalogram. By tracing this electrical activity, the lines of communication within the brain itself can be traced. Follow me so far?”
“No problem.”
“Okay. To be more specific, these brain waves have a frequency of about three to one hundred per second, and a magnitude of only five or five hundred millionths of a volt.”
“And all this relates to your Research Facility?”
“Bear with me. Studies have shown normal brains function within a given range of frequencies and voltage. Once the parameters are exceeded, all kinds of problems can result. Grand mal epilepsy, for instance, is associated with beta waves that attain a voltage of one hundred millionths of a volt,” Darmobray detailed. “Other studies have demonstrated that different drugs affect the generation of brain waves differently. If strychnine is put directly on an exposed brain, it will increase the frequency and the voltage. Dilantin can eliminate abnormal waves. Even more important, from my point of view, was research that proved that the frequency of brain waves can be increased or decreased by temperatures.”
Blade stared at the woman, wondering who she might be and whether she was aware of the wires inserted in her brain.
“I became fascinated by the correlation between brain waves and human behavior,” the Director mentioned. “It occurred to me that controlling the frequency and voltage might be the key to controlling conduct.”
“And if you can control human conduct, you can eliminate the Resistance Movement,” Blade interrupted.
“If I can perfect my technique, not only will all of our citizens become models of loyalty, devoted to our Technic doctrines, but they’ll also do whatever we want without hesitation. Imagine that. Millions of men and women at the Minister’s beck and call. His slightest wish will be their command.”
“Not to mention the slightest wishes of the directors of the various divisions,” Blade noted facetiously.
“Well, us also,” Darmobray admitted.
“If you can accomplish your goal, you’ll be the envy of every dictator on the planet.”
“Won’t we, though?” Darmobray said, smiling.
The Warrior pointed at the nearest oblong box. “Is this the technique you’re so proud of? You stick wires into someone’s brain?”
“Not quite,” Darmobray replied. “These are my research subjects. Let me demonstrate.” He moved to the woman’s oblong box and flicked a switch, activating the device. A row of meters and dials lit up and the box buzzed loudly. “Now watch what happens when I adjust that dial.”
Blade saw the Director turn a green dial, and the next instant the womans’ arms flapped uncontrollably. The dial was rotated to another setting and her legs quivered. Another turn, and her eyes unexpectedly opened and stared blankly at the ceiling. “Is she alive?” he inquired.
“Technically, she’s a vegetable. If I disconnected the life-support system, she’d die,” the Director said. He touched the wires attached to her exposed brain. “By inserting the needles attached to the ends of these wires into specific areas of her brain, then regulating the frequency using the black box, I can control her bodily functions.”
“How can a person live with their brain exposed?”
“With the proper equipment, they can be kept alive indefinitely. This one has lasted almost a month.”
“And I suppose she volunteered to be your guinea pig?”
Darmobray laughed. “She was a farmer’s wife, I believe. Her daughter was brought in at the same time, but the girl only lasted a week, as I recall.”
A farmer’s wife? A mother and daughter who had been brought to the Research Facility together? “Were their names Sandra and Nadine Wolski?”
“Wolski?” Darmobray said, his brow knitting, gazing at the Warrior in surprise. “Why yes, I believe they were. How did you know?”
“A lucky guess.”
The Director’s eyes narrowed. “In any event, the experiments I conducted in this room were the first step in proving my theory on how to control human behavior.” He walked to the doorway. “Come with me.”