adjoining room. There were nine large cages there, and the room smelled strongly of animals. Hall found himself looking at nine of the largest German shepherds he had ever seen.
They barked at him as he entered, but there was no sound in the room. He watched in astonishment as they opened their mouths and threw their heads forward in a barking motion.
No sound.
“These are Army-trained sentry dogs,” the security man said. “Bred for viciousness. You wear leather clothes and heavy gloves when you walk them. They’ve undergone laryngectomies, which is why you can’t hear them. Silent and vicious.”
Hall said, “Have you ever, uh, used them?”
“No,” the security man said. “Fortunately not.”
They were in a small room with lockers. Hall found one with his name on it.
“We change in here,” Leavitt said. He nodded to a stack of pink uniforms in one corner. “Put those on, after you have removed everything you are wearing.”
Hall changed quickly. The uniforms were loose-fitting one-piece suits that zipped up the side. When they had changed they proceeded down a passageway.
Suddenly an alarm sounded and a gate in front of them slid closed abruptly. Overhead, a white light began to flash. Hall was confused, and it was only much later that he remembered Leavitt looked away from the flashing light.
“Something’s wrong,” Leavitt said. “Did you remove everything?”
“Yes,” Hall said.
“Rings, watch, everything?”
Hall looked at his hands. He still had his watch on.
“Go back,” Leavitt said. “Put it in your locker.”
Hall did. When he came back, they started down the corridor a second time. The gate remained open, and there was no alarm.
“Automatic as well?” Hall said.
“Yes,” Leavitt said. “It picks up any foreign object. When we installed it, we were worried because we knew it would pick up glass eyes, cardiac pacemakers, false teeth—anything at all. But fortunately nobody on the project has these things.”
“Fillings?”
“It is programmed to ignore fillings.”
“How does it work?”
“Some kind of capacitance phenomenon. I don’t really understand it,” Leavitt said.
They passed a sign that said:
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING LEVEL I PROCEED DIRECTLY TO IMMUNIZATION CONTROL
Hall noticed that all the walls were red. He mentioned this to Leavitt.
“Yes,” Leavitt said. “All levels are painted a different color. Level I is red; II, yellow; III, white; IV, green; and V, blue.”
“Any particular reason for the choice?”
“It seems,” Leavitt said, “that the Navy sponsored some studies a few years back on the psychological effects of colored environments. Those studies have been applied here.”
They came to Immunization. A door slid back revealing three glass booths. Leavitt said, “Just sit down in one of them.”
“I suppose this is automatic, too?”
“Of course.”
Hall entered a booth and closed the door behind him. There was a couch, and a mass of complex equipment. In front of the couch was a television screen, which showed several lighted points.
“Sit down,” said a flat mechanical voice. “Sit down. Sit down.”
He sat on the couch.
“Observe the screen before you. Place your body on the couch so that all points are obliterated.”
He looked at the screen. He now saw that the points were arranged in the shape of a man:
He shifted his body, and one by one the spots disappeared.
“Very good,” said the voice. “We may now proceed. State your name for the record. Last name first, first name last.”
“Mark Hall,” he said.
“State your name for the record. Last name first, first name last.”
Simultaneously, on the screen appeared the words:
SUBJECT HAS GIVEN UNCODABLE RESPONSE
“Hall, Mark.”
“Thank you for your cooperation,” said the voice. “Please recite, ‘Mary had a little lamb.’ ”
“You’re kidding,” Hall said.
There was a pause, and the faint sound of relays and circuits clicking. The screen
They barked at him as he entered, but there was no sound in the room. He watched in astonishment as they opened their mouths and threw their heads forward in a barking motion.
No sound.
“These are Army-trained sentry dogs,” the security man said. “Bred for viciousness. You wear leather clothes and heavy gloves when you walk them. They’ve undergone laryngectomies, which is why you can’t hear them. Silent and vicious.”
Hall said, “Have you ever, uh, used them?”
“No,” the security man said. “Fortunately not.”
They were in a small room with lockers. Hall found one with his name on it.
“We change in here,” Leavitt said. He nodded to a stack of pink uniforms in one corner. “Put those on, after you have removed everything you are wearing.”
Hall changed quickly. The uniforms were loose-fitting one-piece suits that zipped up the side. When they had changed they proceeded down a passageway.
Suddenly an alarm sounded and a gate in front of them slid closed abruptly. Overhead, a white light began to flash. Hall was confused, and it was only much later that he remembered Leavitt looked away from the flashing light.
“Something’s wrong,” Leavitt said. “Did you remove everything?”
“Yes,” Hall said.
“Rings, watch, everything?”
Hall looked at his hands. He still had his watch on.
“Go back,” Leavitt said. “Put it in your locker.”
Hall did. When he came back, they started down the corridor a second time. The gate remained open, and there was no alarm.
“Automatic as well?” Hall said.
“Yes,” Leavitt said. “It picks up any foreign object. When we installed it, we were worried because we knew it would pick up glass eyes, cardiac pacemakers, false teeth—anything at all. But fortunately nobody on the project has these things.”
“Fillings?”
“It is programmed to ignore fillings.”
“How does it work?”
“Some kind of capacitance phenomenon. I don’t really understand it,” Leavitt said.
They passed a sign that said:
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING LEVEL I PROCEED DIRECTLY TO IMMUNIZATION CONTROL
Hall noticed that all the walls were red. He mentioned this to Leavitt.
“Yes,” Leavitt said. “All levels are painted a different color. Level I is red; II, yellow; III, white; IV, green; and V, blue.”
“Any particular reason for the choice?”
“It seems,” Leavitt said, “that the Navy sponsored some studies a few years back on the psychological effects of colored environments. Those studies have been applied here.”
They came to Immunization. A door slid back revealing three glass booths. Leavitt said, “Just sit down in one of them.”
“I suppose this is automatic, too?”
“Of course.”
Hall entered a booth and closed the door behind him. There was a couch, and a mass of complex equipment. In front of the couch was a television screen, which showed several lighted points.
“Sit down,” said a flat mechanical voice. “Sit down. Sit down.”
He sat on the couch.
“Observe the screen before you. Place your body on the couch so that all points are obliterated.”
He looked at the screen. He now saw that the points were arranged in the shape of a man:
He shifted his body, and one by one the spots disappeared.
“Very good,” said the voice. “We may now proceed. State your name for the record. Last name first, first name last.”
“Mark Hall,” he said.
“State your name for the record. Last name first, first name last.”
Simultaneously, on the screen appeared the words:
SUBJECT HAS GIVEN UNCODABLE RESPONSE
“Hall, Mark.”
“Thank you for your cooperation,” said the voice. “Please recite, ‘Mary had a little lamb.’ ”
“You’re kidding,” Hall said.
There was a pause, and the faint sound of relays and circuits clicking. The screen
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