Читать книгу Parasite Planet - John Russell Fearn - Страница 10

CHAPTER FIVE

RANDOM ELEMENT

“Marvelous how you do that,” Mexone reflected, when it was over. “Cer­tainly nobody on this planet who’s capable of it.”

“I have done it,” Abna replied, “because since you are a scientist you might be useful. We’re endeavoring to discover the cause of the paralysis which overwhelmed all of you.”

“So are a lot of other people,” Mexone smiled. “The scientists in the city, for instance. Also, a lot is being said about you three wonderful people who’ve dropped in from outer space somewhere—where exactly?”

“A distance of countless light-years,” Abna replied. “That is unimportant. Our aim is to help you, and it is just possible that you are being victimized without knowing it.”

“Oh? By whom?”

“As yet I have no idea—but as my wife has pointed out, it is quite impossible for the paralysis on this planet to have been produced by natural causes. The only other possibility is that it was deliberately created.”

“You are a scientist, Mexone,” the Amazon said. “Can you not form some theory as to how the paralysis was produced?”

“None at all. Nor can any of the other scientists. As I told you, our abilities do not yet rate very high, which is one reason why I can’t believe anybody would wish to scientifically overpower us. We’re beneath notice.”

“That depends on what the unknowns have in mind. You have here a world that might be useful to somebody: your state of civilization doesn’t enter into it.” The Amazon pondered for a moment and then asked quietly, “Have you any knowledge of the pro­cess of entropy, of the meaning of thermodynamic equilibrium?”

“We do not understand, friends,” Cesnon said, spreading his hands.

“What is this—er—thermo–something?”

“Thermodynamic equilibrium and entropy are virtually the same thing,” the Amazon explained, “and they are states which apply to the whole universe and not to one particular world; therefore, the law is applicable to this planet as any other. Entropy means the running down of the universe, the state of increasing disorganization which must ultimately end in every trace of disorganization having been accomplished, when the death of the universe will take place.”

Mexone and his father gazed in silence, completely lost. Abna gave a grin and glanced toward the Amazon.

“Your lecture-hall method doesn’t fit the case,” he told her. “Put it in simple language.”

The Amazon sighed. “Very well, but it isn’t going to be easy. Imagine a deck of playing cards—or let us say a deck of cards with each one marked with a higher number. Card one is obviously ‘one,’ and so we go through the deck until we come to card num­ber 100. Now to begin with, your cards are neatly stacked, with the ‘one’ on top and ‘100’ at the bottom. That represents the point at which the universe began, when there was perfect order. But, from the moment of that beginning entropy—or disorganization—set in. The movement of energies, the interchange of forces, caused the perfect order to get more and more out of sequence. Our theoretical cards are no longer neat. We might have card 100 in the middle; card one at the bottom, and card 50 at the top. Clear, so far?”

“If you go carefully,” Mexone replied, pondering.

“Finally, in any state of matter, there must come a time when every possible interchange of energy and so forth has been made. In other words, every possible exchange of cards—and that runs into tens of millions—has been accomplished and no more are possible. At that stage, the matter concerned is said to have reached thermodynamic equilibrium, which means that death has come. Total cessation of molecular movement, which is the basis of material life. The universe is more disordered today than it was yesterday, and this shuffling and reshuffling will continue throughout the untold centuries until eventually no more shuffling or re­shuffling will be possible. When that stage is reached there will descend what is called ‘heat death.’ In plain language, that means that with the stoppage of molecular movement, heat and life will cease. It is only the activity of molecules and the energy interchange which keeps matter living.”

“An interesting theory,” Mexone admitted, “even if it does mean that the entire universe is hurrying on­wards to doom, same as everything material. But how does it particularly apply to this planet of ours?”

“Expert scientists,’ the Amazon replied, “could produce a localized thermodynamic equilibrium if they wished. I could do it myself in any laboratory. By forces which you do not understand in your present development, the molecules of any matter can be slowed to a standstill, bringing equilibrium and paralysis.”

“Yes, I suppose that is possible, too,” Mexone admitted, “but it is still only a theory, if I may say so. There’s no proof that you are right.”

“On the contrary.” The Amazon leaned forward in her chair. “There is one more point regarding thermo­-equilibrium which I must still explain. It is this: when that totally motion­less state has been reached, it can be destroyed by the introduction of what is called a ‘random element’.”

“Random element?” Cesnon repeated vaguely.

“For the sake of our scientific illustration,” the Amazon continued, “let us imagine the whole universe has reached the state of thermo-equilibrium and is dead, motionless. Now, from some source outside the known universe there comes either a radiation, a drift of matter, or a force of some kind. What happens? It would mean that disorganization would start up again, and life would gradually return to matter, because this new element would need to be shuffled and re­shuffled through endless epochs until the balance was again restored.…

“Our ship,” she continued, “represented a random element introduced into a state of thermo-equilibrium. My husband, daughter, and I left the ship and walked through motionless dust to your store. The existing state of equi­librium was rapidly destroyed.”

Silence. Then Abna spoke: “Since it is fundamentally impossible for one world to reach thermo-equilibrium while the rest of the universe remains normal, it seems to suggest that your world was deliberately put into that condition by scientific forces under intelligent control. The controllers of these scientific forces did not foresee the possibility of a random element in the shape of our advent. Unwittingly, we have undone all the work they built up.”

“And,” Viona put in, “there is one more point which supports the thermo-equilibrium theory. We found everything intensely cold, as far as actual matter was concerned. The air was warm, but that must have been caused by residual warmth remaining from the moment when the paralysis became complete—or even perhaps the air had still not quite succumbed to the general molecular slowdown.”

“The latter theory is the more probable,” Abna murmured.

It seemed quite an effort for Mexone to bring himself back to the realities of the moment after listening to such an airing of super-scientific knowledge. When he did finally find his voice, it was to ask a question.

“To all intents and purposes, everybody died. How did they come back to life and take up the thread just as they dropped it?”

The Amazon shook her head. “You did not die, my friend. None of you did. You suffered a form of suspended animation in which everything dropped to zero. But that has nothing to do with our immediate problem.”

“Which seems to be to discover who produced such a disastrous state of affairs, and why?” Cesnon asked.

“Exactly.”

“I still have no idea,” Mexone sighed. “Unless, as you have sug­gested, one of our neighbor worlds might be responsible. To make sure it would be necessary for you, in your marvelous machine, to visit each one of them. As you have said, each one of them might, however, be in the condition that ours was until you came.”

“My interest,” the Amazon replied, “still centers on a smaller independent world near to your sun, which apparently you know nothing of.”

Mexone looked surprised. “Is there one?”

“Definitely, and with a reasonable-looking civilization. There might even be science there of a high order. As to why your world and maybe the neighboring worlds have been subjected to such treatment, we don’t know—but we can try to find out.”

“Immediately?” Viona asked, and for some reason it sounded as though there was a sharp edge of disappoint­ment in her voice.

“Well, of course!” The Amazon looked at her in surprise. “I see nothing to be gained by delaying.”

“Somehow,” Cesnon remarked. “I cannot feel that it is right that you should have to endanger yourselves on our behalf—yet on the other hand, our science is of such a poor order that we are powerless to help ourselves. Naturally, it goes without saying that we’re extremely grateful to you.”

“Our governing body ought to know what is intended,” Mexone put in. “So far everything has been confined to us, and we’re only ordinary citizens when all comes to be said.”

The Amazon shook her head briefly and got to her feet. “That, to my mind, would cause a lot of delay, together with endless explanations. There just isn’t the time. I think you’d better do all the explaining yourselves.”

“It will not be at all easy.” Mexone was looking troubled.

“In some ways,” Viona said, thinking, “I have the feeling that we’re neglecting our job, mother.”

“Meaning?” The Amazon gave her a sharp look.

“Primarily, our job is to help backward worlds to advance their civiliza­tion so it can have all the necessary amenities. For that very reason we call ourselves the Cosmic Crusaders. Here we have a planet definitely in need of an uplift, yet the first thing we do is dash away from it on the off-chance of tackling a planet about which we know precisely nothing. And on top of that, poor Mexone is left with the unenviable task of trying to explain thermodynamic equilibrium to the governing body. To say nothing of attempting to explain why we came here and what our object is.”

The Amazon and Abna looked at each other. This was the first time in all their experience they had ever found Viona disinclined to leap into a new adventure.

“Of course,” Viona added, rising, “there might be a way round it. I could stay here and impart such scientific knowledge as I possess, and you and father could go ahead to this mystery world. You don’t really need me as well. You’re quite capable of looking after yourselves.”

“That is possible,” Abna admitted dryly; then he, too, got to his feet, caught at Viona’s arm, and drew her away to a quiet corner of the room.

“I’m afraid you’re not doing it very well, Viona.” Abna said, smiling. “I could read your mind and find out the truth, but I never invade the sanctity of thought unless I’m com­pelled. It wouldn’t be because of Mexone that you prefer to stay behind, would it?”

“Of course not!” Viona’s sapphire-blue eyes had a hint of resentment in them, but under her father’s steady look the light died out of them. “That is.… Well, he’s rather nice.”

“Very. Quite a good-looking young man, but his intelligence rating is infinitely below yours, my dear—”

“All the better. You like being top dog. Well, so do I. Here’s a young man I really like, and he hasn’t enough knowledge to dictate anything. Not like Sefner Quorne, for instance.”

“I see.” Abna gave his slow, toler­ant smile. “You haven’t had much fun in your associations with the opposite sex so far, have you?”

“I can teach these people a good deal,” Viona added.

“And Mexone too, maybe,” Abna murmured; then he led the way back to the group and raised his voice. “I’ve just been talking things over with Viona, my friends, and I think it as well that she stays with you.”