The men in strange uniforms had reached the spaceport tarmac with the Corianis' purser in their midst. They now met another group of uniformed men with the Corianis' purser in their midst. The port from which
Bedell and Kathy looked down was a good fifty feet high, but they could see perfectly. The purser just emerged from the ship was identical to the man already on the spaceport ground. They were identical in height and weight and the fit of their uniforms. That was conceivable. But they moved alike; they made the same gestures. It was insanely like seeing mirror-images making independent motions. One felt the same shocked incredulity.
Kathy pointed a shaking finger. "There's Mr. Brunn! My boss! But he's here on the ship! If-if there's-if I'm down there too…"
She searched for her own self among the figures down below, shaking with terror lest she might succeed.
A ground-car rolled out past the spaceport buildings and came to a halt below. Bedell recognized the man who stepped out; he was the Planetary President. With him was the Kholarian Minister of State. Both of them happened-as Bedell knew very well-also to be on board the Corianis which had recently landed.
"Now I wonder," said Bedell meditatively, "if the President who got here first is going to try to face down the President who got here second! And if the Minister of State of Kholar is going to denounce his other self, who's foaming at the mouth at this instant on board this ship!"
Another ground-car arrived and disgorged dignified persons. The intention was clear; the head of the Maninean planetary government found himself accused of imposture. Somebody else claimed to be him. Lesser officials who had seen the claimant were uncertain and unsure. But the President knew who he was! With enormous dignity he came to confound the impostor who could bewilder his subordinates. Face-to-face, he was sure, there could be no doubt of who was who!
But Jack Bedell, staring from overhead, saw the confusion and then the terrific and undignified row which followed the discovery that it was hopeless-not only to know who was who, but which was which. Other ground-cars arrived, and the two identical Planetary Presidents of Maninea faced each other. They were backed by equally identical Ministers of State of Kholar, two identical Speakers of the Maninean Senate, two Chairmen of the Lower House Committee, and so on down to the utterly identical nurses-identical to fingerprints and eye-patterns-who tended the utterly identical children of identical assistant undersecretaries, and even to the identical undersecretaries' identical wives. And even the wives were identical to the very number and location of gray hairs in their heads caused by identical griefs caused by their identical husbands! Naturally, there was tumult.
It was a beautiful row, a stupendous one, and it settled nothing whatever. The governmental process of an entire planet clanked to a halt pending the solution of the problem posed by the Corianis' tardy or over-hasty arrival. The government of another planet would be thrown into confusion as soon as this news reached it.
"I think," said Bedell, gazing down, "I think they're going to have to try something else. They'll never be able to settle the matter on objective evidence. They've just tried to act on the theory that two people can't be exactly alike-but it appears that they can be, and are. Now they'll try to find some people who aren't identical and study them to find out why not. I suspect that we may be called on, Kathy."
Kathy's teeth chattered.
"I-didn't see myself down there," she said shakily. "I-I don't want to! I'd-I think I'd hate her."
Bedell looked surprised. Then his expression changed.
"Yes. I suppose one would. Hmmm… Simple, natural instincts like that will probably have a good deal to do with settling this business."
As they turned away from the port, loudspeakers clicked and everywhere over the ship the same voice was heard in innumerable echoings of the same words: "Will the following passengers please go to the exit-port? Will the following passengers please go to the exit-port?" There followed four names. One was Bedell's. One was Kathy's. Neither of them recognized the other two.
"This is good," said Bedell. "They hope to learn something from us because we came on the Corianis and we are nevertheless like everybody else on every other planet in the galaxy. We're peculiar. We are ourselves alone. We can feel proud."
Presently, in one of the spaceport offices a harried Maninean official looked at them with great though precarious self-control.
"Look here!" he said uneasily. "On both ships together there are just seven people who don't match up to the last pimple with somebody else. You're two of the seven. Can you explain why you aren't part of the business that is driving everybody crazy?"
Bedell found himself hesitating. Then he cursed himself for self-consciousness. He said, "I got on the Corianis at the last minute-by accident. I wasn't really supposed to be on the ship. I imagine you'd say my presence is accidental. That might explain it."
The official said drearily, "The ship record says you're a mathematical physicist. Is there anybody on Maninea who might know you personally?"
"I think so," said Bedell. "There was a convention of astrophysicists on Hume, some years ago. I read a paper there. Some men from your astrophysical institute here will probably remember me."
"We'll check that," said the official. He seemed to brood. "This is the devil of a mess! The planetary vice-president has issued an executive order, keeping authority in his own hands until it's decided who is the real president. Both-both men who seem to be President have agreed to it, though both of them are raging. The two Ministers of State from Kholar have agreed to hold up official conferences until things are straightened out. And we're sending a ship to Kholar with a report and records and memos from everybody on both ships, to see if they can solve it on Kholar. You aren't anybody's double. But do you want to send any message? Nobody claims to be you-or her."
Bedell frowned. "I think," he said thoughtfully, "that there'll be somebody back on Kholar who'll claim to be me. He'll be registered at the Grampion Hotel in Kholar City. He'll be waiting for a ship that will be coming here. He missed the Corianis. I'd like to write him a note."
"You wouldn't," said the Maninean official sardonically, "you wouldn't let sleeping doubles lie?"
"No," said Bedell. "I know him rather well. If he isn't there, it will be informative. If he answers, it will be more helpful still. And I think I can promise that he'll stay on Kholar. He won't come here. I wouldn't. I don't think he will."
"It's nice that somebody believes he can arrange something helpful!" said the official bitterly. "I don't see a chance! Do you realize that every pair of doubles we've tested so far has had the same blood type and same RH factor and same immunity-antibodies in his blood at the same intensities? And they also have the same fingerprints and same teeth and same height and weight and metabolic readings? I'm getting so I talk to myself! If this keeps up I'll start answering back!"
"It could be worse," said Bedell, after consideration. "I don't think it likely, but there could be a third Corianis."
"Don't say it!" snapped the Maninean vehemently. "Don't say any more! I was relaxing, talking to a man from the Corianis that there's only one of! It felt good! Don't say any more!"
He turned to Kathy. "Young lady," he said. "I'd like you to talk to another girl from the other Corianis. She doesn't claim to be you, but she does claim to have the job of secretary to the same man. Will you see what you can find out about each other?"
"N-naturally," said Kathy.
The official pressed a button and said, "Ask her to come in, will you?"
He slumped back in his chair. Within seconds, a girl came in. She was nervous; she was jumpy. She looked relieved to see, in Kathy, somebody who didn't look in the least like herself.