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First-of-Surgery consulted with a cluster of O'o'yan and other Hivistahm.
Removing a sheet from the envelope of lies, the elderly surgeon approached the
prisoner for the second time.
"Remember this picture?"
Ranji glanced haughtily at the plastic. "Maybe."
"I again call your attention to the small area in red highlighted. This a much
deeper scan is than any of the others. It shows a tiny portion of the interior
of the right side of your cerebral cortex."
"If you say so," he replied indifferently. "What's this one supposed to be?
Another graft? Another trick?''
The Hivistahm's teeth ground against one another as he slowly explained. "The
red-enhanced portion the location signifies of a minute ganglionic complex. A
nodule, a collection of nerve endings and connections. It took quite a while to
find and was not at first noticed. Once it was identified a great deal of our
time it occupied." The sheet rustled slightly in his fingers.
"The Human brain no such formation contains."
Ranji smiled. "You see? That only proves what I've been saying all along."
The short Human scratched at an ear. "There is also no such nodule present in
the Ashregan brain."
Ranji involuntarily found himself eyeing the picture again. There it was: a
fuzzy blot of indeterminate size and indistinct outline. Reason enough to
concede one's sanity?
First-of-Surgery handed him another picture. "Here still another view is. The
magnification is greater."
The blot resolved itself into a tight cluster of cells from which tiny filaments
extended in many directions. It looked like any creature one might observe
through a microscope.
"And still greater magnification."
The third picture revealed the filaments and cells in detail. No biologist, he
was incapable of identifying any of it. Except . . .
He pointed. "What's that?"
First-of-Surgery forced himself to lean close. "A nanoneural weld. A place where
nerve endings artificially joined have been." The slit-eyed, scaly reptilian
face stared up at him.
"Your body no code contains for such a complex. It was built and then in your
mind installed. As one would accessorize any rare precision instrument. It in a
portion of your brain reposes which Human scientists have designated as unused.
I should prefer to say hitherto dormant.
"Research leads us to believe that this is the region of the Human mind which
holds the key to Homo sapiens's ability to resist Amplitur mind-probes and
suggestions. It therefore follows logically that this unique addition to your
cerebral structure was by Amplitur nanobioengineers there ernplaced in order
susceptible to their mental manipulation to render you. It a bridge appears to
be. A neural bypass, if you will. As artificial and unnatural as the bony ridges
above your ears."
"Not only are they breeding Ashregan-looking Humans to fight for them," said the
woman softly, "if they can get you and your friends to mate with Human captives
or others, they can breed out of the species the neurocerebral mechanism that
enables humankind to resist their mind-probes. That has to be their eventual
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aim."
"First-of-Surgery told you they take the long view,'' her companion huffed.
Ranji stared blankly at them. A psychosomatic throbbing started near the back of
his skull, where the minuscule nodule supposedly reposed.
"I don't believe you," he finally managed to mutter hoarsely. "If this thing is
for real, then it's something all my people possess. All Ashregan people. You're
trying to make me paranoid by showing me some obscure, harmless growth or faked
imagery. Well, it won't work. You're crazy if you think I'm going to be taken in
by something so obvious."
"The nodule is to you unique." First-of-Surgery was quietly insistent. "It is
real, it is not found in Humans, it is not found in Ashregan. Only you."
"This is a wicked thing," the elderly Massood whispered. "Barbarous.
Uncivilized."
"Like war itself." The short Human scanned the roomful of allies. "Mankind is
just the only species that readily accepts the fact, is all. That's why this
discovery only surprises but does not shock us."
"Indubitably." The Massood's comment was a peculiar melange of distaste and
admiration.
"Lies, clever lies." Ranji glared defiantly at the two Humans. "They won't help
you. Did you really think you'd be able to convince me of such a sweeping
hypothesis on the basis of such paltry evidence? This," and he shook the plastic
sheet violently, "is nothing!" He whirled and flung it as far as he could. It
sailed through the air.
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