Part 25 (1/2)
Barby, Jan, and Scotty were kind to Rick, which annoyed hinored hiht But they all had to reassure him and tell him it could have happened to anyone, and so on, and on All of which made it unbearable
He was more sure than ever that the houseboaters and barber were connected, but he still had no clear evidence Of course he had made a report of the day's activities to Steve, who at least hadn't tried to be nice about it
”An agent can't always think of everything,” was Steve's comment ”But he can try Sometiets aith it Sometimes he fails Solad your lives weren't hanging in the balance”
Rick took the lesson to heart He wouldn'tof the cereal fiasco, Parnell Winston returned to Spindrift after another visit to Dr Chavez He called Steve Aent Then he called the project team and the boys into the library
”We're on the track of so,” he reported ”At least we think we are It's so incredible that I simply can't believe it If true, it means some unfriendly nation is so far ahead of us scientifically that we should all be treents of a hostile country could be involved in the actions against the project tea spoken Only another country could gain from disruption of the project
”Chavez and I have run a series of EEG's on Marks We now have the records of EEG's on the other two teaed to turn up a pre-project EEG on one which gives us a basis of comparison Now, to comprehend our tentative hypothesis, youof what is known about the brain”
Rick prepared to listen withoutThe field in which Parnell Winston worked was new and strange to hiot lost when Winston got highly technical
”Our understanding of the huan, ”and we're still only on the threshold of knowledge In a e've just discovered the tools of research The principal tool, of course, is electricity Through it we can explore the electrochemical nature of brain processes”
Rick ith hi tothe entire history of brain physiology
You all know of Pavlov's work on conditioned reflexes And you all know that Fritsch and Hitzig demonstrated that, when electrically stimulated, certain portions of the brain show a response You also know that Caton discovered o that the brain itself produces electric currents”
Rick didn't know, but he intended to find out There y in the library
”However, the ier in the late 1920's He found that the brain emits a definite pulse of activity, which was then known as the 'Berger rhyther's work has been very much refined We no that the brain actually produces a number of clearly defined electrical rhythnosis of brain injury Walter, in England, has even developed awith each other, by analysis of their wave patterns”
This was interesting, and Rick intended to find out an to wish Winston would coht add that the rhythhly individual No two are alike, even in identical twins However, each person shows a pattern that remains fairly constant, even over a period of years
”With this background, you will understand when I report that the EEG's taken of our colleagues brains are completely abnormal The EEG's were taken while they were awake Yet, the most prominent pattern is the delta rhythm that is universally associated with sleep and soe to the brain”
”Are there any other signs of physical daative Spinal taps show no concussion, and there is no evidence of trauma of any kind other than psychic Yet, the delta rhythms persist In the one case where we have an EEG taken before the--incidents, let's call them--the pattern is entirely different The scientist had a pattern of a well-known type which bears no resemblance to the EEG taken after the incident”
Dr Morrison leaned forward ”What is your conclusion?”
”That our e of an unknown kind, by ree was caused electronically, probably by transh the air”
”Incredible,” Weiss asps of the others
”Let's consider the implications of Parnell's statement,” Hartson Brant said slowly ”If he is correct, then the ene brain disruption in an individual A transnal would inevitably strike countless others; there can be no such thing as a beam of radiation that strikes one person at a distance whileall others Therefore, this bea many”
”But how can a beam be tuned to one person?” Rick asked
”I don't know, Rick” Hartson Brant turned to Winston ”Do you?”