Reality Matrix Effect (9781310151330) by Laura Remson Mitchell Page B

our
facilities. ”
    Al nodded expressionlessly and looked around.
The lab was larger than a classroom but smaller than the newsman
had imagined it would be. Along the back wall was a tank Al
recognized as a cloud chamber. The left wall was dominated by
computer equipment. There were two workbenches toward the front of
the room, and a large storage cabinet shared the back portion of
the right wall with several file cabinets.
    “This is where we ’ ll
be doing most of our work together, ” Zorne
said, patting a table in the left rear  corner of the room.
These electrodes are going to become old friends. ”
    Zorne was holding what looked like a mass of
colored spaghetti attached to a number of small discs.
    “What ’ s this
thing? ” Al asked, indicating the
unfamiliar piece of equipment to which the electrodes were
attached.
        
    “A cousin of the electroencephalograph. I call
it an ‘ electroscan. ’   I designed it to measure certain
characteristics of the electromagnetic waves in the
brain—characteristics that an EEG doesn ’ t
pick up. I did my early experiments using an EEG, but it
wasn ’ t telling me what I needed to know.
The EEG was never intended to monitor the kind of oscillations that
my equations were predicting. All you really need to know is that
this gadget here measures the activity that I think is responsible
for psychic phenomena. ”
    Suddenly, the lights flickered, went out
briefly, and then brightened once more.
    “Damn! ” Zorne
erupted, rushing to the computers. “ Not
again! ”   He inspected the equipment
with a quickness born of repeated experience.
    “Well, at least this time the auxiliary kicked
in! ”
    Al raised his eyebrows in an unspoken
question.
    “It ’ s the wiring in
here, ” Zorne explained. “ When we set up the lab, they had to change the
electrical system. The company that gave us the low bid on the job
told us they could use the existing wiring, but now it turns out
that my equipment is creating too much of a load. It all has to be
changed, and it looks like that ’ s going to
take months. Meanwhile, we keep getting these short-circuits and
blackouts. ”  
    Zorne shook his head unhappily. “ Cost me some valuable information when this first
started happening. ”   He gazed
silently at nothing in particular for a moment, as if mourning the
loss of his data.
    “Last week, ” he
added, “ the institute ’ s governing board finally agreed to spring for a
small emergency generator that would cut in if the power dropped
too far. ”   He leaned toward Al and
gave him a conspiratorial wink. “ I made
damn sure we got one installed right away, too—before they could
change their minds. ”   Zorne
straightened up once more. “ I store as
much as I can on tape, but that doesn ’ t
help when the computer ’ s processing data.
You lose power, and you lose a lot of valuable work. So I always
worry when the lights flicker. ”  
    The scientist turned and headed for the door,
with Al following close behind.
    “How about a cup of coffee? ” Zorne said over his shoulder. “ You ’ ll probably want to
relax for awhile before we get started. Then I ’ ll need you to fill out some forms. I want all the
paperwork in order. Otherwise, the establishment types at the
foundations ’ ll never give this project any
serious consideration. It ’ s too easy for
them to just write me off as some crackpot. ”
    Al stopped suddenly and looked at
Zorne.
     “ Are you? ” he asked solemnly.
    “Am I what? ” Zorne
responded, halting after a few steps and turning to face
Al.
    “Are you a crackpot? ”
    Zorne laughed good-naturedly. “ Well, some of my students apparently think so. They
call me ‘ Crazy Azey ’ whenever they think I ’ m out
of earshot. ”
    “Azey? ”
    “Right. Azey. When I was a kid, I hated my
name. The other kids—even members of my own family—used to tease
me. ‘ Smart Alec. ’   That ’ s what they
called me. ”