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The suspension tech was ancient and reliable. It suppressed neuromuscular
responses, so the customer lay dormant, only his mind engaged with the pan.
Magnetic webs capped over his cerebrum. Through electromagnetic in-
ductance they interwove into layers of the brain. They routed signals along
tiny thread-paths, suppressing many brain functions and blocking physio-
logical processes.
All this, so that the massively parallel circuitry of the brain could be in-
ductively linked out, thought by thought. Then it was transmitted to chips
embedded in the pan subject. Immersion.
The technology had ramified throughout the Empire, quite famously.
The ability to distantly manage minds had myriad uses. The suspension tech,
however, found its own odd applications.
On some worlds, and in certain Trantorian classes, women were wed-
ded, then suspended for all but a few hours of the day. Their wealthy hus-
bands awoke them from freeze-frame states only for social and sexual purposes.
Over a half century, the wives experienced a heady whirlwind of places,
friends, parties, vacations, passionate hours but their total accu-
the stuff of stim-party talk.
He had thought that he would in some sense visit another, simpler, mind.
He did not expect to be swallowed whole.
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4.
A good day. Plenty of fat grubs to eat in a big moist log. Dig them out with
my nails, fresh tangy sharp crunchy.
Biggest, he shoves me aside. Scoops out plenty rich grubs. Grunts.
Glowers«
My belly rumbles. I back off and eye Biggest. He's got pinched-up face so I
know not to fool with him.
I walk away, I squat down. Get some picking from a fern. She finds some-fleas,
cracks them in her teeth.
Biggest rolls the log around some to knock a few grubs loose, finishes up.
He's strong. Ferns watch him. Over by the trees a bunch of ferns chat-
ter, suck their teeth. Everybody's sleepy now in early afternoon, lying in the
shade. Biggest, though, he waves at me and Hunker and off we go.
Patrol. Strut tall, step out proud. I like it fine. Better than humping, even.
Down past the creek and along to where the hoof smells are. That's the shallow
spot. We cross and go into the trees sniff-sniffing and there are two
Strangers.
They nave no branches. We hit them and kick and they grab at us. They are tall
and quick. Biggest slams one to the ground. I hit that one so Big-
gest knows real well I'm with him. Hammer hard, I do. Then I go quick to help
Hunker.
His Stranger has taken his branch away. I club the Stranger. He sprawls. I
whack him good and Hunker jumps on him and it is wonderful.
The Stranger tries to get up and I kick him solid. Hunker grabs back his
branch and hits again and again with me helping hard.
Biggest, his Stranger gets up and starts to run. Biggest whacks his ass with
the branch, roaring and laughing.
Me, I got my skill. Special. I pick up rocks. I'm the best thrower, better
than Biggest even.
Rocks are for Strangers. My buddies, them I'll scrap with, but never use
rocks. Strangers, though, they deserve to get rocks in the face. I love to
bust a Stranger that way.
I throw one clean and smooth. Catch the Stranger on the leg. He stum-
bles. I smack him good with a sharp-edged rock in the back.
He runs fast then. I can see he's bleeding. Big red drops in the dust.
Biggest laughs and slaps me and I know I'm in good with him.
Hunker is clubbing his Stranger. Biggest takes my club and joins in. The
Hari shook his head to clear it. That helped a little. "You were that big
one?" Dors asked. "I was the female, over by the trees. " "Sorry, I couldn't
tell. " "It was... different, wasn't it?" He laughed dryly. "Murder usually
is. "
"When you went off with the, well, leader " "My pan thinks of him as 'Big-
gest. ' We killed another pan. "
They were in the plush reception room of the immersion facility. Hari stood
and felt the world tilt a little and then right itself. "I think I'll stick to
historical research for a while. "
Dors smiled sheepishly. "I... I rather liked it. " [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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