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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ac37860 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51336 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51336) diff --git a/old/51336-h.zip b/old/51336-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e5f6a40..0000000 --- a/old/51336-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51336-h/51336-h.htm b/old/51336-h/51336-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 10504ba..0000000 --- a/old/51336-h/51336-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1217 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of What Is Posat?, by Phyllis Sterling Smith. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of What is Posat?, by Phyllis Sterling Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: What is Posat? - -Author: Phyllis Sterling Smith - -Release Date: March 1, 2016 [EBook #51336] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT IS POSAT? *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="357" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>What is POSAT?</h1> - -<p>By PHYLLIS STERLING SMITH</p> - -<p>Illustrated by ED ALEXANDER</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction September 1951.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3">Of course coming events cast their shadows<br /> -before, but this shadow was 400 years long!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The following advertisement appeared in the July 1953 issue of several -magazines:</p> - -<p class="ph4">MASTERY OF ALL KNOWLEDGE CAN BE YOURS!</p> - -<p class="ph4">What is the secret source of those profound<br /> -principles that can solve the problems of life?<br /> -Send for our FREE booklet of explanation.</p> - -<p class="ph4">Do not be a leaf in the wind! YOU<br /> -can alter the course of your life!</p> - -<p class="ph4">Tap the treasury of Wisdom through the ages!</p> - -<p class="ph4">The Perpetual Order of Seekers After Truth</p> - -<p class="ph4">POSAT</p> - -<p class="ph4">an ancient secret society</p> - -<p>Most readers passed it by with scarcely a glance. It was, after all, -similar to the many that had appeared through the years under the -name of that same society. Other readers, as their eyes slid over the -familiar format of the ad, speculated idly about the persistent and -mildly mysterious organization behind it. A few even resolved to clip -the attached coupon and send for the booklet—sometime—when a pen or -pencil was nearer at hand.</p> - -<p>Bill Evans, an unemployed pharmacist, saw the ad in a copy of <i>Your -Life and Psychology</i> that had been abandoned on his seat in the bus. -He filled out the blanks on the coupon with a scrap of stubby pencil. -"You can alter the course of your life!" he read again. He particularly -liked that thought, even though he had long since ceased to believe -it. He actually took the trouble to mail the coupon. After all, he -had, literally, nothing to lose, and nothing else to occupy his time.</p> - -<p>Miss Elizabeth Arnable was one of the few to whom the advertisement -was unfamiliar. As a matter of fact, she very seldom read a magazine. -The radio in her room took the place of reading matter, and she always -liked to think that it amused her cats as well as herself. Reading -would be so selfish under the circumstances, wouldn't it? Not but what -the cats weren't almost smart enough to read, she always said.</p> - -<p>It just so happened, however, that she had bought a copy of the -<i>Antivivisectionist Gazette</i> the day before. She pounced upon the POSAT -ad as a trout might snap at a particularly attractive fly. Having -filled out the coupon with violet ink, she invented an errand that -would take her past the neighborhood post office so that she could post -it as soon as possible.</p> - -<p>Donald Alford, research physicist, came across the POSAT ad tucked at -the bottom of a column in <i>The Bulletin of Physical Research</i>. He was -engrossed in the latest paper by Dr. Crandon, a man whom he admired -from the point of view of both a former student and a fellow research -worker. Consequently, he was one of the many who passed over the POSAT -ad with the disregard accorded to any common object.</p> - -<p>He read with interest to the end of the article before he realized that -some component of the advertisement had been noted by a region of his -brain just beyond consciousness. It teased at him like a tickle that -couldn't be scratched until he turned back to the page.</p> - -<p>It was the symbol or emblem of POSAT, he realized, that had caught his -attention. The perpendicularly crossed ellipses centered with a small -black circle might almost be a conventionalized version of the Bohr -atom of helium. He smiled with mild skepticism as he read through the -printed matter that accompanied it.</p> - -<p>"I wonder what their racket is," he mused. Then, because his typewriter -was conveniently at hand, he carefully tore out the coupon and inserted -it in the machine. The spacing of the typewriter didn't fit the dotted -lines on the coupon, of course, but he didn't bother to correct it. -He addressed an envelope, laid it with other mail to be posted, and -promptly forgot all about it. Since he was a methodical man, it was -entrusted to the U.S. mail early the next morning, together with his -other letters.</p> - -<p>Three identical forms accompanied the booklet which POSAT sent in -response to the three inquiries. The booklet gave no more information -than had the original advertisement, but with considerable more -volubility. It promised the recipient the secrets of the Cosmos and the -key that would unlock the hidden knowledge within himself—if he would -merely fill out the enclosed form.</p> - -<p>Bill Evans, the unemployed pharmacist, let the paper lie unanswered for -several days. To be quite honest, he was disappointed. Although he had -mentally disclaimed all belief in anything that POSAT might offer, he -had watched the return mails with anticipation. His own resources were -almost at an end, and he had reached the point where intervention by -something supernatural, or at least superhuman, seemed the only hope.</p> - -<p>He had hoped, unreasonably, that POSAT had an answer. But time lay -heavily upon him, and he used it one evening to write the requested -information—about his employment (ha!), his religious beliefs, his -reason for inquiring about POSAT, his financial situation. Without -quite knowing that he did so, he communicated in his terse answers some -of his desperation and sense of futility.</p> - -<p>Miss Arnable was delighted with the opportunity for autobiographical -composition. It required five extra sheets of paper to convey all the -information that she wished to give—all about her poor, dear father -who had been a missionary to China, and the kinship that she felt -toward the mystic cults of the East, her belief that her cats were -reincarnations of her loved ones (which, she stated, derived from a -religion of the Persians; or was it the Egyptians?) and in her complete -and absolute acceptance of everything that POSAT had stated in their -booklet. And what would the dues be? She wished to join immediately. -Fortunately, dear father had left her in a comfortable financial -situation.</p> - -<p>To Donald Alford, the booklet seemed to confirm his suspicion that -POSAT was a racket of some sort. Why else would they be interested in -his employment or financial position? It also served to increase his -curiosity.</p> - -<p>"What do you suppose they're driving at?" he asked his wife Betty, -handing her the booklet and questionnaire.</p> - -<p>"I don't really know what to say," she answered, squinting a little as -she usually did when puzzled. "I know one thing, though, and that's -that you won't stop until you find out!"</p> - -<p>"The scientific attitude," he acknowledged with a grin.</p> - -<p>"Why don't you fill out this questionnaire incognito, though?" she -suggested. "Pretend that we're wealthy and see if they try to get our -money. Do they have anything yet except your name and address?"</p> - -<p>Don was shocked. "If I send this back to them, it will have to be with -correct answers!"</p> - -<p>"The scientific attitude again," Betty sighed. "Don't you ever let your -imagination run away with the facts a bit? What are you going to give -for your reasons for asking about POSAT?"</p> - -<p>"Curiosity," he replied, and, pulling his fountain pen from his vest -pocket, he wrote exactly that, in small, neat script.</p> - -<p>It was unfortunate for his curiosity that Don could not see the -contents of the three envelopes that were mailed from the offices of -POSAT the following week. For this time they differed.</p> - -<p>Bill Evans was once again disappointed. The pamphlet that was enclosed -gave what apparently meant to be final answers to life's problems. They -were couched in vaguely metaphysical terms and offered absolutely no -help to him.</p> - -<p>His disappointment was tempered, however, by the knowledge that he -had unexpectedly found a job. Or, rather, it had fallen into his lap. -When he had thought that every avenue of employment had been tried, a -position had been offered him in a wholesale pharmacy in the older -industrial part of the city. It was not a particularly attractive place -to work, located as it was next to a large warehouse, but to him it was -hope for the future.</p> - -<p>It amused him to discover that the offices of POSAT were located on the -other side of the same warehouse, at the end of a blind alley. Blind -alley indeed! He felt vaguely ashamed for having placed any confidence -in them.</p> - -<p>Miss Arnable was thrilled to discover that her envelope contained not -only several pamphlets, (she scanned the titles rapidly and found that -one of them concerned the sacred cats of ancient Egypt), but that it -contained also a small pin with the symbol of POSAT wrought in gold and -black enamel. The covering letter said that she had been accepted as an -active member of POSAT and that the dues were five dollars per month; -please remit by return mail. She wrote a check immediately, and settled -contentedly into a chair to peruse the article on sacred cats.</p> - -<p>After a while she began to read aloud so that her own cats could enjoy -it, too.</p> - -<p>Don Alford would not have been surprised if his envelope had shown -contents similar to the ones that the others received. The folded -sheets of paper that he pulled forth, however, made him stiffen with -sharp surprise.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" width="413" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Come here a minute, Betty," he called, spreading them out carefully on -the dining room table. "What do you make of these?"</p> - -<p>She came, dish cloth in hand, and thoughtfully examined them, one by -one. "Multiple choice questions! It looks like a psychological test of -some sort."</p> - -<p>"This isn't the kind of thing I expected them to send me," worried -Don. "Look at the type of thing they ask. 'If you had discovered -a new and virulent poison that could be compounded from common -household ingredients, would you (1) publish the information in a -daily newspaper, (2) manufacture it secretly and sell it as rodent -exterminator, (3) give the information to the armed forces for use -as a secret weapon, or (4) withhold the information entirely as too -dangerous to be passed on?'"</p> - -<p>"Could they be a spy ring?" asked Betty. "Subversive agents? Anxious to -find out your scientific secrets like that classified stuff that you're -so careful of when you bring it home from the lab?"</p> - -<p>Don scanned the papers quickly. "There's nothing here that looks like -an attempt to get information. Besides, I've told them nothing about -my work except that I do research in physics. They don't even know -what company I work for. If this is a psychological test, it measures -attitudes, nothing else. Why should they want to know my attitudes?"</p> - -<p>"Do you suppose that POSAT is really what it claims to be—a secret -society—and that they actually screen their applicants?"</p> - -<p>He smiled wryly. "Wouldn't it be interesting if I didn't make the grade -after starting out to expose their racket?"</p> - -<p>He pulled out his pen and sat down to the task of resolving the -dilemmas before him.</p> - -<p>His next communication from POSAT came to his business address and, -paradoxically, was more personal than its forerunners.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>Dear Doctor Alford:</p> - -<p>We have examined with interest the information that you have sent to -us. We are happy to inform you that, thus far, you have satisfied the -requirements for membership in the Perpetual Order of Seekers After -Truth. Before accepting new members into this ancient and honorable -secret society, we find it desirable that they have a personal -interview with the Grand Chairman of POSAT.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, you are cordially invited to an audience with our Grand -Chairman on Tuesday, July 10, at 2:30 P.M. Please let us know if this -arrangement is acceptable to you. If not, we will attempt to make -another appointment for you.</p></div> - -<p>The time specified for the appointment was hardly a convenient one -for Don. At 2:30 P.M. on most Tuesdays, he would be at work in the -laboratory. And while his employers made no complaint if he took his -research problems home with him and worried over them half the night, -they were not equally enthusiastic when he used working hours for -pursuing unrelated interests. Moreover, the headquarters of POSAT was -in a town almost a hundred miles distant. Could he afford to take a -whole day off for chasing will-o-wisps?</p> - -<p>It hardly seemed worth the trouble. He wondered if Betty would be -disappointed if he dropped the whole matter. Since the letter had been -sent to the laboratory instead of his home, he couldn't consult her -about it without telephoning.</p> - -<p><i>Since the letter had been sent to the laboratory instead of his home!</i> -But it was impossible!</p> - -<p>He searched feverishly through his pile of daily mail for the -envelope in which the letter had come. The address stared up at him, -unmistakably and fearfully legible. The name of his company. The number -of the room he worked in. In short, the address that he had never given -them!</p> - -<p>"Get hold of yourself," he commanded his frightened mind. "There's some -perfectly logical, easy explanation for this. They looked it up in the -directory of the Institute of Physics. Or in the alumni directory of -the university. Or—or—"</p> - -<p>But the more he thought about it, the more sinister it seemed. His -laboratory address was available, but why should POSAT take the trouble -of looking it up? Some prudent impulse had led him to withhold that -particular bit of information, yet now, for some reason of their own, -POSAT had unearthed the information.</p> - -<p>His wife's words echoed in his mind, "Could they be a spy ring? -Subversive agents?"</p> - -<p>Don shook his head as though to clear away the confusion. His -conservative habit of thought made him reject that explanation as too -melodramatic.</p> - -<p>At least one decision was easier to reach because of his doubts. Now he -knew he had to keep his appointment with the Grand Chairman of POSAT.</p> - -<p>He scribbled a memo to the department office stating that he would not -be at work on Tuesday.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>At first Don Alford had some trouble locating the POSAT headquarters. -It seemed to him that the block in which the street number would fall -was occupied entirely by a huge sprawling warehouse, of concrete -construction, and almost entirely windowless. It was recessed from the -street in several places to make room for the small, shabby buildings -of a wholesale pharmacy, a printer's plant, an upholstering shop, and -was also indented by alleys lined with loading platforms.</p> - -<p>It was at the back of one of the alleys that he finally found a door -marked with the now familiar emblem of POSAT.</p> - -<p>He opened the frosted glass door with a feeling of misgiving, and faced -a dark flight of stairs leading to the upper floor. Somewhere above him -a buzzer sounded, evidently indicating his arrival. He picked his way -up through the murky stairwell.</p> - -<p>The reception room was hardly a cheerful place, with its battered desk -facing the view of the empty alley, and a film of dust obscuring the -pattern of the gray-looking wallpaper and worn rug. But the light of -the summer afternoon filtering through the window scattered the gloom -somewhat, enough to help Don doubt that he would find the menace here -that he had come to expect.</p> - -<p>The girl addressing envelopes at the desk looked very ordinary. <i>Not -the Mata-Hari type</i>, thought Don, with an inward chuckle at his own -suspicions. He handed her the letter.</p> - -<p>She smiled. "We've been expecting you, Dr. Alford. If you'll just step -into the next room—"</p> - -<p>She opened a door opposite the stairwell, and Don stepped through it.</p> - -<p>The sight of the luxurious room before him struck his eyes with the -shock of a dentist's drill, so great was the contrast between it and -the shabby reception room. For a moment Don had difficulty breathing. -The rug—Don had seen one like it before, but it had been in a museum. -The paintings on the walls, ornately framed in gilt carving, were -surely old masters—of the Renaissance period, he guessed. Although he -recognized none of the pictures, he felt that he could almost name the -artists. That glowing one near the corner would probably be a Titian. -Or was it Tintorretto? He regretted for a moment the lost opportunities -of his college days, when he had passed up Art History in favor of -Operational Circuit Analysis.</p> - -<p>The girl opened a filing cabinet, the front of which was set flush with -the wall, and, selecting a folder from it, disappeared through another -door.</p> - -<p>Don sprang to examine the picture near the corner. It was hung at eye -level—that is, at the eye level of the average person. Don had to bend -over a bit to see it properly. He searched for a signature. Apparently -there was none. But did artists sign their pictures back in those -days? He wished he knew more about such things.</p> - -<p>Each of the paintings was individually lighted by a fluorescent tube -held on brackets directly above it. As Don straightened up from his -scrutiny of the picture, he inadvertently hit his head against the -light. The tube, dislodged from its brackets, fell to the rug with a -muffled thud.</p> - -<p><i>Now I've done it!</i> thought Don with dismay. But at least the tube -hadn't shattered.</p> - -<p>In fact—it was still glowing brightly! His eyes registered the fact, -even while his mind refused to believe it. He raised his eyes to the -brackets. They were simple pieces of solid hardware designed to support -the tube.</p> - -<p>There were no wires!</p> - -<p>Don picked up the slender, glowing cylinder and held it between -trembling fingers. Although it was delivering as much light as a two -or three hundred watt bulb, it was cool to the touch. He examined it -minutely. There was no possibility of concealed batteries.</p> - -<p>The thumping of his heart was caused not by the fact that he had never -seen a similar tube before, but because he had. He had never held -one in his hands, though. The ones which his company had produced as -experimental models had been unsuccessful at converting all of the -radioactivity into light, and had, of necessity, been heavily shielded.</p> - -<p>Right now, two of his colleagues back in the laboratory would still -be searching for the right combination of fluorescent material -and radioactive salts with which to make the simple, efficient, -self-contained lighting unit that he was holding in his hand at this -moment!</p> - -<p><i>But this is impossible!</i> he thought. <i>We're the only company that's -working on this, and it's secret. There can't be any in actual -production!</i></p> - -<p>And even if one had actually been successfully produced, how would it -have fallen into the possession of POSAT, an Ancient Secret Society, -The Perpetual Order of Seekers After Truth?</p> - -<p>The conviction grew in Don's mind that here was something much deeper -and more sinister than he would be able to cope with. He should have -asked for help, should have stated his suspicions to the police or the -F.B.I. Even now—</p> - -<p>With sudden decision, he thrust the lighting tube into his pocket and -stepped swiftly to the outer door. He grasped the knob and shook it -impatiently when it stuck and refused to turn. He yanked at it. His -impatience changed to panic. It was locked!</p> - -<p>A soft sound behind him made him whirl about. The secretary had -entered again through the inner door. She glanced at the vacant light -bracket, then significantly at his bulging pocket. Her gaze was still -as bland and innocent as when he had entered, but to Don she no longer -seemed ordinary. Her very calmness in the face of his odd actions was -distressingly ominous.</p> - -<p>"Our Grand Chairman will see you now," she said in a quiet voice.</p> - -<p>Don realized that he was half crouched in the position of an animal -expecting attack. He straightened up with what dignity he could manage -to find.</p> - -<p>She opened the inner door again and Don followed her into what he -supposed to be the office of the Grand Chairman of POSAT.</p> - -<p>Instead he found himself on a balcony along the side of a vast room, -which must have been the interior of the warehouse that he had noted -outside. The girl motioned him toward the far end of the balcony, where -a frosted glass door marked the office of the Grand Chairman.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" width="581" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>But Don could not will his legs to move. His heart beat at the sight of -the room below him. It was a laboratory, but a laboratory the like of -which he had never seen before. Most of the equipment was unfamiliar -to him. Whatever he did recognize was of a different design than he had -ever used, and there was something about it that convinced him that -this was more advanced. The men who bent busily over their instruments -did not raise their eyes to the figures on the balcony.</p> - -<p>"Good Lord!" Don gasped. "That's an atomic reactor down there!" There -could be no doubt about it, even though he could see it only obscurely -through the bluish-green plastic shielding it.</p> - -<p>His thoughts were so clamorous that he hardly realized that he had -spoken aloud, or that the door at the end of the balcony had opened.</p> - -<p>He was only dimly aware of the approaching footsteps as he speculated -wildly on the nature of the shielding material. What could be so dense -that only an inch would provide adequate shielding and yet remain -semitransparent?</p> - -<p>His scientist's mind applauded the genius who had developed it, even as -the alarming conviction grew that he wouldn't—couldn't—be allowed to -leave here any more. Surely no man would be allowed to leave this place -alive to tell the fantastic story to the world!</p> - -<p>"Hello, Don," said a quiet voice beside him. "It's good to see you -again."</p> - -<p>"Dr. Crandon!" he heard his own voice reply. "<i>You're</i> the Grand -Chairman of POSAT?"</p> - -<p>He felt betrayed and sick at heart. The very voice with which -Crandon had spoken conjured up visions of quiet lecture halls and -his own youthful excitement at the masterful and orderly disclosure -of scientific facts. To find him here in this mad and treacherous -place—didn't anything make sense any longer?</p> - -<p>"I think we have rather abused you, Don," Dr. Crandon continued. His -voice sounded so gentle that Don found it hard to think there was any -evil in it. "I can see that you are suspicious of us, and—yes—afraid."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Don stared at the scene below him. After his initial glance to confirm -his identification of Crandon, Don could not bear to look at him.</p> - -<p>Crandon's voice suddenly hardened, became abrupt. "You're partly right -about us, of course. I hate to think how many laws this organization -has broken. Don't condemn us yet, though. You'll be a member yourself -before the day is over."</p> - -<p>Don was shocked by such confidence in his corruptibility.</p> - -<p>"What do you use?" he asked bitterly. "Drugs? Hypnosis?"</p> - -<p>Crandon sighed. "I forgot how little you know, Don. I have a long -story to tell you. You'll find it hard to believe at first. But try to -trust me. Try to believe me, as you once did. When I say that much of -what POSAT does is illegal, I do not mean immoral. We're probably the -most moral organization in the world. Get over the idea that you have -stumbled into a den of thieves."</p> - -<p>Crandon paused as though searching for words with which to continue.</p> - -<p>"Did you notice the paintings in the waiting room as you entered?"</p> - -<p>Don nodded, too bewildered to speak.</p> - -<p>"They were donated by the founder of our Organization. They were part -of his personal collection—which, incidentally, he bought from the -artists themselves. He also designed the atomic reactor we use for -power here in the laboratory."</p> - -<p>"Then the pictures are modern," said Don, aware that his mouth was -hanging open foolishly. "I thought one was a Titian—"</p> - -<p>"It is," said Crandon. "We have several original Titians, although I -really don't know too much about them."</p> - -<p>"But how could a man alive <i>today</i> buy paintings from an artist of the -Renaissance?"</p> - -<p>"He is not alive today. POSAT is actually what our advertisements -claim—an <i>ancient</i> secret society. Our founder has been dead for over -four centuries."</p> - -<p>"But you said that he designed your atomic reactor."</p> - -<p>"Yes. This particular one has been in use for only twenty years, -however."</p> - -<p>Don's confusion was complete. Crandon looked at him kindly. "Let's -start at the beginning," he said, and Don was back again in the -classroom with the deep voice of Professor Crandon unfolding the -pages of knowledge in clear and logical manner. "Four hundred years -ago, in the time of the Italian Renaissance, a man lived who was a -super-genius. His was the kind of incredible mentality that appears not -in every generation, or even every century, but once in thousands of -years.</p> - -<p>"Probably the man who invented what we call the phonetic alphabet was -one like him. That man lived seven thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, -and his discovery was so original, so far from the natural course -of man's thinking, that not once in the intervening seven thousand -years has that device been rediscovered. It still exists only in the -civilizations to which it has been passed on directly.</p> - -<p>"The super-genius who was our founder was not a semanticist. He was -a physical scientist and mathematician. Starting with the meager -heritage that existed in these fields in his time, he began tackling -physical puzzles one by one. Sitting in his study, using as his -principal tool his own great mind, he invented calculus, developed the -quantum theory of light, moved on to electromagnetic radiation and what -we call Maxwell's equations—although, of course, he antedated Maxwell -by centuries—developed the special and general theories of relativity, -the tool of wave mechanics, and finally, toward the end of his life, he -mathematically derived the packing fraction that describes the binding -energy of nuclei—"</p> - -<p>"But it can't be done," Don objected. "It's an observed phenomenon. It -hasn't been derived." Every conservative instinct that he possessed -cried out against this impossible fantasy. And yet—there sat the -reactor, sheathed in its strange shield. Crandon watched the direction -of Don's glance.</p> - -<p>"Yes, the reactor," said Crandon. "He built one like it. It confirmed -his theories. His calculations showed him something else too. He saw -the destructive potentialities of an atomic explosion. He himself could -not have built an atomic bomb; he didn't have the facilities. But his -knowledge would have enabled other men to do so. He looked about -him. He saw a political setup of warring principalities, rival states, -intrigue, and squabbles over political power. Giving the men of his -time atomic energy would have been like handing a baby a firecracker -with a lighted fuse.</p> - -<p>"What should he have done? Let his secrets die with him? He -didn't think so. No one else in his age could have <i>derived</i> the -knowledge that he did. But it was an age of brilliant men. Leonardo. -Michelangelo. There were men capable of <i>learning</i> his science, even as -men can learn it today. He gathered some of them together and founded -this society. It served two purposes. It perpetuated his discoveries -and at the same time it maintained the greatest secrecy about them. He -urged that the secrets be kept until the time when men could use them -safely. The other purpose was to make that time come about as soon as -possible."</p> - -<p>Crandon looked at Don's unbelieving face. "How can I make you see that -it is the truth? Think of the eons that man or manlike creatures have -walked the Earth. Think what a small fraction of that time is four -hundred years. Is it so strange that atomic energy was discovered a -little early, by this displacement in time that is so tiny after all?"</p> - -<p>"But by one man," Don argued.</p> - -<p>Crandon shrugged. "Compared with him, Don, you and I are stupid men. -So are the scientists who slowly plodded down the same road he had -come, stumbling first on one truth and then the succeeding one. We know -that inventions and discoveries do not occur at random. Each is based -on the one that preceded it. We are all aware of the phenomenon of -simultaneous invention. The path to truth is a straight one. It is only -our own stupidity that makes it seem slow and tortuous.</p> - -<p>"He merely followed the straight path," Crandon finished simply.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Don's incredulity thawed a little. It was not entirely beyond the realm -of possibility.</p> - -<p>But if it were true! A vast panorama of possible achievements spread -before him.</p> - -<p>"Four hundred years!" he murmured with awe. "You've had four hundred -years head-start on the rest of the world! What wonders you must have -uncovered in that time!"</p> - -<p>"Our technical achievements may disappoint you," warned Crandon. -"Oh, they're way beyond anything that you are familiar with. You've -undoubtedly noticed the shielding material on the reactor. That's a -fairly recent development of our metallurgical department. There are -other things in the laboratory that I can't even explain to you until -you have caught up on the technical basis for understanding them.</p> - -<p>"Our emphasis has not been on physical sciences, however, except as -they contribute to our central project. We want to change civilization -so that it can use physical science without disaster."</p> - -<p>For a moment Don had been fired with enthusiasm. But at these words his -heart sank.</p> - -<p>"Then you've failed," he said bitterly. "In spite of centuries of -advance warning, you've failed to change the rest of us enough to -prevent us from trying to blow ourselves off the Earth. Here we are, -still snarling and snapping at our neighbors' throats—and we've caught -up with you. We have the atomic bomb. What's POSAT been doing all that -time? Or have you found that human nature really can't be changed?"</p> - -<p>"Come with me," said Crandon.</p> - -<p>He led the way along the narrow balcony to another door, then down a -steep flight of stairs. He opened a door at the bottom, and Don saw -what must have been the world's largest computing machine.</p> - -<p>"This is our answer," said Crandon. "Oh, rather, it's the tool by which -we find our answer. For two centuries we have been working on the -newest of the sciences—that of human motivation. Soon we will be ready -to put some of our new knowledge to work. But you are right in one -respect, we are working now against time. We must hurry if we are to -save our civilization. That's why you are here. We have work for you to -do. Will you join us, Don?"</p> - -<p>"But why the hocus-pocus?" asked Don. "Why do you hide behind such a -weird front as POSAT? Why do you advertise in magazines and invite just -anyone to join? Why didn't you approach me directly, if you have work -for me to do? And if you really have the answers to our problems, why -haven't you gathered together all the scientists in the world to work -on this project—before it's too late?"</p> - -<p>Crandon took a sighing breath. "How I wish that we could do just that! -But you forget that one of the prime purposes of our organization is -to maintain the secrecy of our discoveries until they can be safely -disclosed. We must be absolutely certain that anyone who enters this -building will have joined POSAT before he leaves. What if we approached -the wrong scientist? Centuries of accomplishment might be wasted if -they attempted either to reveal it or to exploit it!</p> - -<p>"Do you recall the questionnaires that you answered before you were -invited here? We fed the answers to this machine and, as a result, we -know more about how you will react in any given situation than you do -yourself. Even if you should fail to join us, our secrets would be -safe with you. Of course, we miss a few of the scientists who might -be perfect material for our organization. You'd be surprised, though, -at how clever our advertisements are at attracting exactly the men we -want. With the help of our new science, we have baited our ads well, -and we know how to maintain interest. Curiosity is, to the men we want, -a powerful motivator."</p> - -<p>"But what about the others?" asked Don. "There must be hundreds of -applicants who would be of no use to you at all."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes," replied Crandon. "There are the mild religious fanatics. We -enroll them as members and keep them interested by sending pamphlets in -line with their interests. We even let them contribute to our upkeep, -if they seem to want to. They never get beyond the reception room if -they come to call on us. But they are additional people through whom we -can act when the time finally comes.</p> - -<p>"There are also the desperate people who try POSAT as a last -resort—lost ones who can't find their direction in life. For them we -put into practice some of our newly won knowledge. We rehabilitate -them—anonymously, of course. Even find jobs or patch up homes. It's -good practice for us.</p> - -<p>"I think I've answered most of your questions, Don. But you haven't -answered mine. Will you join us?"</p> - -<p>Don looked solemnly at the orderly array of the computer before him. -He had one more question.</p> - -<p>"Will it really work? Can it actually tell you how to motivate the -stubborn, quarrelsome, opinionated people one finds on this Earth?"</p> - -<p>Crandon smiled. "You're here, aren't you?"</p> - -<p>Don nodded, his tense features relaxing.</p> - -<p>"Enroll me as a member," he said.</p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's What is Posat?, by Phyllis Sterling Smith - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT IS POSAT? *** - -***** This file should be named 51336-h.htm or 51336-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/3/3/51336/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: What is Posat? - -Author: Phyllis Sterling Smith - -Release Date: March 1, 2016 [EBook #51336] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT IS POSAT? *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - What is POSAT? - - By PHYLLIS STERLING SMITH - - Illustrated by ED ALEXANDER - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction September 1951. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - Of course coming events cast their shadows - before, but this shadow was 400 years long! - - -The following advertisement appeared in the July 1953 issue of several -magazines: - - MASTERY OF ALL KNOWLEDGE CAN BE YOURS! - - What is the secret source of those profound - principles that can solve the problems of life? - Send for our FREE booklet of explanation. - - Do not be a leaf in the wind! YOU - can alter the course of your life! - - Tap the treasury of Wisdom through the ages! - - The Perpetual Order of Seekers After Truth - - POSAT - - an ancient secret society - -Most readers passed it by with scarcely a glance. It was, after all, -similar to the many that had appeared through the years under the -name of that same society. Other readers, as their eyes slid over the -familiar format of the ad, speculated idly about the persistent and -mildly mysterious organization behind it. A few even resolved to clip -the attached coupon and send for the booklet--sometime--when a pen or -pencil was nearer at hand. - -Bill Evans, an unemployed pharmacist, saw the ad in a copy of _Your -Life and Psychology_ that had been abandoned on his seat in the bus. -He filled out the blanks on the coupon with a scrap of stubby pencil. -"You can alter the course of your life!" he read again. He particularly -liked that thought, even though he had long since ceased to believe -it. He actually took the trouble to mail the coupon. After all, he -had, literally, nothing to lose, and nothing else to occupy his time. - -Miss Elizabeth Arnable was one of the few to whom the advertisement -was unfamiliar. As a matter of fact, she very seldom read a magazine. -The radio in her room took the place of reading matter, and she always -liked to think that it amused her cats as well as herself. Reading -would be so selfish under the circumstances, wouldn't it? Not but what -the cats weren't almost smart enough to read, she always said. - -It just so happened, however, that she had bought a copy of the -_Antivivisectionist Gazette_ the day before. She pounced upon the POSAT -ad as a trout might snap at a particularly attractive fly. Having -filled out the coupon with violet ink, she invented an errand that -would take her past the neighborhood post office so that she could post -it as soon as possible. - -Donald Alford, research physicist, came across the POSAT ad tucked at -the bottom of a column in _The Bulletin of Physical Research_. He was -engrossed in the latest paper by Dr. Crandon, a man whom he admired -from the point of view of both a former student and a fellow research -worker. Consequently, he was one of the many who passed over the POSAT -ad with the disregard accorded to any common object. - -He read with interest to the end of the article before he realized that -some component of the advertisement had been noted by a region of his -brain just beyond consciousness. It teased at him like a tickle that -couldn't be scratched until he turned back to the page. - -It was the symbol or emblem of POSAT, he realized, that had caught his -attention. The perpendicularly crossed ellipses centered with a small -black circle might almost be a conventionalized version of the Bohr -atom of helium. He smiled with mild skepticism as he read through the -printed matter that accompanied it. - -"I wonder what their racket is," he mused. Then, because his typewriter -was conveniently at hand, he carefully tore out the coupon and inserted -it in the machine. The spacing of the typewriter didn't fit the dotted -lines on the coupon, of course, but he didn't bother to correct it. -He addressed an envelope, laid it with other mail to be posted, and -promptly forgot all about it. Since he was a methodical man, it was -entrusted to the U.S. mail early the next morning, together with his -other letters. - -Three identical forms accompanied the booklet which POSAT sent in -response to the three inquiries. The booklet gave no more information -than had the original advertisement, but with considerable more -volubility. It promised the recipient the secrets of the Cosmos and the -key that would unlock the hidden knowledge within himself--if he would -merely fill out the enclosed form. - -Bill Evans, the unemployed pharmacist, let the paper lie unanswered for -several days. To be quite honest, he was disappointed. Although he had -mentally disclaimed all belief in anything that POSAT might offer, he -had watched the return mails with anticipation. His own resources were -almost at an end, and he had reached the point where intervention by -something supernatural, or at least superhuman, seemed the only hope. - -He had hoped, unreasonably, that POSAT had an answer. But time lay -heavily upon him, and he used it one evening to write the requested -information--about his employment (ha!), his religious beliefs, his -reason for inquiring about POSAT, his financial situation. Without -quite knowing that he did so, he communicated in his terse answers some -of his desperation and sense of futility. - -Miss Arnable was delighted with the opportunity for autobiographical -composition. It required five extra sheets of paper to convey all the -information that she wished to give--all about her poor, dear father -who had been a missionary to China, and the kinship that she felt -toward the mystic cults of the East, her belief that her cats were -reincarnations of her loved ones (which, she stated, derived from a -religion of the Persians; or was it the Egyptians?) and in her complete -and absolute acceptance of everything that POSAT had stated in their -booklet. And what would the dues be? She wished to join immediately. -Fortunately, dear father had left her in a comfortable financial -situation. - -To Donald Alford, the booklet seemed to confirm his suspicion that -POSAT was a racket of some sort. Why else would they be interested in -his employment or financial position? It also served to increase his -curiosity. - -"What do you suppose they're driving at?" he asked his wife Betty, -handing her the booklet and questionnaire. - -"I don't really know what to say," she answered, squinting a little as -she usually did when puzzled. "I know one thing, though, and that's -that you won't stop until you find out!" - -"The scientific attitude," he acknowledged with a grin. - -"Why don't you fill out this questionnaire incognito, though?" she -suggested. "Pretend that we're wealthy and see if they try to get our -money. Do they have anything yet except your name and address?" - -Don was shocked. "If I send this back to them, it will have to be with -correct answers!" - -"The scientific attitude again," Betty sighed. "Don't you ever let your -imagination run away with the facts a bit? What are you going to give -for your reasons for asking about POSAT?" - -"Curiosity," he replied, and, pulling his fountain pen from his vest -pocket, he wrote exactly that, in small, neat script. - -It was unfortunate for his curiosity that Don could not see the -contents of the three envelopes that were mailed from the offices of -POSAT the following week. For this time they differed. - -Bill Evans was once again disappointed. The pamphlet that was enclosed -gave what apparently meant to be final answers to life's problems. They -were couched in vaguely metaphysical terms and offered absolutely no -help to him. - -His disappointment was tempered, however, by the knowledge that he -had unexpectedly found a job. Or, rather, it had fallen into his lap. -When he had thought that every avenue of employment had been tried, a -position had been offered him in a wholesale pharmacy in the older -industrial part of the city. It was not a particularly attractive place -to work, located as it was next to a large warehouse, but to him it was -hope for the future. - -It amused him to discover that the offices of POSAT were located on the -other side of the same warehouse, at the end of a blind alley. Blind -alley indeed! He felt vaguely ashamed for having placed any confidence -in them. - -Miss Arnable was thrilled to discover that her envelope contained not -only several pamphlets, (she scanned the titles rapidly and found that -one of them concerned the sacred cats of ancient Egypt), but that it -contained also a small pin with the symbol of POSAT wrought in gold and -black enamel. The covering letter said that she had been accepted as an -active member of POSAT and that the dues were five dollars per month; -please remit by return mail. She wrote a check immediately, and settled -contentedly into a chair to peruse the article on sacred cats. - -After a while she began to read aloud so that her own cats could enjoy -it, too. - -Don Alford would not have been surprised if his envelope had shown -contents similar to the ones that the others received. The folded -sheets of paper that he pulled forth, however, made him stiffen with -sharp surprise. - -"Come here a minute, Betty," he called, spreading them out carefully on -the dining room table. "What do you make of these?" - -She came, dish cloth in hand, and thoughtfully examined them, one by -one. "Multiple choice questions! It looks like a psychological test of -some sort." - -"This isn't the kind of thing I expected them to send me," worried -Don. "Look at the type of thing they ask. 'If you had discovered -a new and virulent poison that could be compounded from common -household ingredients, would you (1) publish the information in a -daily newspaper, (2) manufacture it secretly and sell it as rodent -exterminator, (3) give the information to the armed forces for use -as a secret weapon, or (4) withhold the information entirely as too -dangerous to be passed on?'" - -"Could they be a spy ring?" asked Betty. "Subversive agents? Anxious to -find out your scientific secrets like that classified stuff that you're -so careful of when you bring it home from the lab?" - -Don scanned the papers quickly. "There's nothing here that looks like -an attempt to get information. Besides, I've told them nothing about -my work except that I do research in physics. They don't even know -what company I work for. If this is a psychological test, it measures -attitudes, nothing else. Why should they want to know my attitudes?" - -"Do you suppose that POSAT is really what it claims to be--a secret -society--and that they actually screen their applicants?" - -He smiled wryly. "Wouldn't it be interesting if I didn't make the grade -after starting out to expose their racket?" - -He pulled out his pen and sat down to the task of resolving the -dilemmas before him. - -His next communication from POSAT came to his business address and, -paradoxically, was more personal than its forerunners. - - Dear Doctor Alford: - - We have examined with interest the information that you have sent - to us. We are happy to inform you that, thus far, you have - satisfied the requirements for membership in the Perpetual Order - of Seekers After Truth. Before accepting new members into this - ancient and honorable secret society, we find it desirable that - they have a personal interview with the Grand Chairman of POSAT. - - Accordingly, you are cordially invited to an audience with our - Grand Chairman on Tuesday, July 10, at 2:30 P.M. Please let us - know if this arrangement is acceptable to you. If not, we will - attempt to make another appointment for you. - -The time specified for the appointment was hardly a convenient one -for Don. At 2:30 P.M. on most Tuesdays, he would be at work in the -laboratory. And while his employers made no complaint if he took his -research problems home with him and worried over them half the night, -they were not equally enthusiastic when he used working hours for -pursuing unrelated interests. Moreover, the headquarters of POSAT was -in a town almost a hundred miles distant. Could he afford to take a -whole day off for chasing will-o-wisps? - -It hardly seemed worth the trouble. He wondered if Betty would be -disappointed if he dropped the whole matter. Since the letter had been -sent to the laboratory instead of his home, he couldn't consult her -about it without telephoning. - -_Since the letter had been sent to the laboratory instead of his home!_ -But it was impossible! - -He searched feverishly through his pile of daily mail for the -envelope in which the letter had come. The address stared up at him, -unmistakably and fearfully legible. The name of his company. The number -of the room he worked in. In short, the address that he had never given -them! - -"Get hold of yourself," he commanded his frightened mind. "There's some -perfectly logical, easy explanation for this. They looked it up in the -directory of the Institute of Physics. Or in the alumni directory of -the university. Or--or--" - -But the more he thought about it, the more sinister it seemed. His -laboratory address was available, but why should POSAT take the trouble -of looking it up? Some prudent impulse had led him to withhold that -particular bit of information, yet now, for some reason of their own, -POSAT had unearthed the information. - -His wife's words echoed in his mind, "Could they be a spy ring? -Subversive agents?" - -Don shook his head as though to clear away the confusion. His -conservative habit of thought made him reject that explanation as too -melodramatic. - -At least one decision was easier to reach because of his doubts. Now he -knew he had to keep his appointment with the Grand Chairman of POSAT. - -He scribbled a memo to the department office stating that he would not -be at work on Tuesday. - - * * * * * - -At first Don Alford had some trouble locating the POSAT headquarters. -It seemed to him that the block in which the street number would fall -was occupied entirely by a huge sprawling warehouse, of concrete -construction, and almost entirely windowless. It was recessed from the -street in several places to make room for the small, shabby buildings -of a wholesale pharmacy, a printer's plant, an upholstering shop, and -was also indented by alleys lined with loading platforms. - -It was at the back of one of the alleys that he finally found a door -marked with the now familiar emblem of POSAT. - -He opened the frosted glass door with a feeling of misgiving, and faced -a dark flight of stairs leading to the upper floor. Somewhere above him -a buzzer sounded, evidently indicating his arrival. He picked his way -up through the murky stairwell. - -The reception room was hardly a cheerful place, with its battered desk -facing the view of the empty alley, and a film of dust obscuring the -pattern of the gray-looking wallpaper and worn rug. But the light of -the summer afternoon filtering through the window scattered the gloom -somewhat, enough to help Don doubt that he would find the menace here -that he had come to expect. - -The girl addressing envelopes at the desk looked very ordinary. _Not -the Mata-Hari type_, thought Don, with an inward chuckle at his own -suspicions. He handed her the letter. - -She smiled. "We've been expecting you, Dr. Alford. If you'll just step -into the next room--" - -She opened a door opposite the stairwell, and Don stepped through it. - -The sight of the luxurious room before him struck his eyes with the -shock of a dentist's drill, so great was the contrast between it and -the shabby reception room. For a moment Don had difficulty breathing. -The rug--Don had seen one like it before, but it had been in a museum. -The paintings on the walls, ornately framed in gilt carving, were -surely old masters--of the Renaissance period, he guessed. Although he -recognized none of the pictures, he felt that he could almost name the -artists. That glowing one near the corner would probably be a Titian. -Or was it Tintorretto? He regretted for a moment the lost opportunities -of his college days, when he had passed up Art History in favor of -Operational Circuit Analysis. - -The girl opened a filing cabinet, the front of which was set flush with -the wall, and, selecting a folder from it, disappeared through another -door. - -Don sprang to examine the picture near the corner. It was hung at eye -level--that is, at the eye level of the average person. Don had to bend -over a bit to see it properly. He searched for a signature. Apparently -there was none. But did artists sign their pictures back in those -days? He wished he knew more about such things. - -Each of the paintings was individually lighted by a fluorescent tube -held on brackets directly above it. As Don straightened up from his -scrutiny of the picture, he inadvertently hit his head against the -light. The tube, dislodged from its brackets, fell to the rug with a -muffled thud. - -_Now I've done it!_ thought Don with dismay. But at least the tube -hadn't shattered. - -In fact--it was still glowing brightly! His eyes registered the fact, -even while his mind refused to believe it. He raised his eyes to the -brackets. They were simple pieces of solid hardware designed to support -the tube. - -There were no wires! - -Don picked up the slender, glowing cylinder and held it between -trembling fingers. Although it was delivering as much light as a two -or three hundred watt bulb, it was cool to the touch. He examined it -minutely. There was no possibility of concealed batteries. - -The thumping of his heart was caused not by the fact that he had never -seen a similar tube before, but because he had. He had never held -one in his hands, though. The ones which his company had produced as -experimental models had been unsuccessful at converting all of the -radioactivity into light, and had, of necessity, been heavily shielded. - -Right now, two of his colleagues back in the laboratory would still -be searching for the right combination of fluorescent material -and radioactive salts with which to make the simple, efficient, -self-contained lighting unit that he was holding in his hand at this -moment! - -_But this is impossible!_ he thought. _We're the only company that's -working on this, and it's secret. There can't be any in actual -production!_ - -And even if one had actually been successfully produced, how would it -have fallen into the possession of POSAT, an Ancient Secret Society, -The Perpetual Order of Seekers After Truth? - -The conviction grew in Don's mind that here was something much deeper -and more sinister than he would be able to cope with. He should have -asked for help, should have stated his suspicions to the police or the -F.B.I. Even now-- - -With sudden decision, he thrust the lighting tube into his pocket and -stepped swiftly to the outer door. He grasped the knob and shook it -impatiently when it stuck and refused to turn. He yanked at it. His -impatience changed to panic. It was locked! - -A soft sound behind him made him whirl about. The secretary had -entered again through the inner door. She glanced at the vacant light -bracket, then significantly at his bulging pocket. Her gaze was still -as bland and innocent as when he had entered, but to Don she no longer -seemed ordinary. Her very calmness in the face of his odd actions was -distressingly ominous. - -"Our Grand Chairman will see you now," she said in a quiet voice. - -Don realized that he was half crouched in the position of an animal -expecting attack. He straightened up with what dignity he could manage -to find. - -She opened the inner door again and Don followed her into what he -supposed to be the office of the Grand Chairman of POSAT. - -Instead he found himself on a balcony along the side of a vast room, -which must have been the interior of the warehouse that he had noted -outside. The girl motioned him toward the far end of the balcony, where -a frosted glass door marked the office of the Grand Chairman. - -But Don could not will his legs to move. His heart beat at the sight of -the room below him. It was a laboratory, but a laboratory the like of -which he had never seen before. Most of the equipment was unfamiliar -to him. Whatever he did recognize was of a different design than he had -ever used, and there was something about it that convinced him that -this was more advanced. The men who bent busily over their instruments -did not raise their eyes to the figures on the balcony. - -"Good Lord!" Don gasped. "That's an atomic reactor down there!" There -could be no doubt about it, even though he could see it only obscurely -through the bluish-green plastic shielding it. - -His thoughts were so clamorous that he hardly realized that he had -spoken aloud, or that the door at the end of the balcony had opened. - -He was only dimly aware of the approaching footsteps as he speculated -wildly on the nature of the shielding material. What could be so dense -that only an inch would provide adequate shielding and yet remain -semitransparent? - -His scientist's mind applauded the genius who had developed it, even as -the alarming conviction grew that he wouldn't--couldn't--be allowed to -leave here any more. Surely no man would be allowed to leave this place -alive to tell the fantastic story to the world! - -"Hello, Don," said a quiet voice beside him. "It's good to see you -again." - -"Dr. Crandon!" he heard his own voice reply. "_You're_ the Grand -Chairman of POSAT?" - -He felt betrayed and sick at heart. The very voice with which -Crandon had spoken conjured up visions of quiet lecture halls and -his own youthful excitement at the masterful and orderly disclosure -of scientific facts. To find him here in this mad and treacherous -place--didn't anything make sense any longer? - -"I think we have rather abused you, Don," Dr. Crandon continued. His -voice sounded so gentle that Don found it hard to think there was any -evil in it. "I can see that you are suspicious of us, and--yes--afraid." - - * * * * * - -Don stared at the scene below him. After his initial glance to confirm -his identification of Crandon, Don could not bear to look at him. - -Crandon's voice suddenly hardened, became abrupt. "You're partly right -about us, of course. I hate to think how many laws this organization -has broken. Don't condemn us yet, though. You'll be a member yourself -before the day is over." - -Don was shocked by such confidence in his corruptibility. - -"What do you use?" he asked bitterly. "Drugs? Hypnosis?" - -Crandon sighed. "I forgot how little you know, Don. I have a long -story to tell you. You'll find it hard to believe at first. But try to -trust me. Try to believe me, as you once did. When I say that much of -what POSAT does is illegal, I do not mean immoral. We're probably the -most moral organization in the world. Get over the idea that you have -stumbled into a den of thieves." - -Crandon paused as though searching for words with which to continue. - -"Did you notice the paintings in the waiting room as you entered?" - -Don nodded, too bewildered to speak. - -"They were donated by the founder of our Organization. They were part -of his personal collection--which, incidentally, he bought from the -artists themselves. He also designed the atomic reactor we use for -power here in the laboratory." - -"Then the pictures are modern," said Don, aware that his mouth was -hanging open foolishly. "I thought one was a Titian--" - -"It is," said Crandon. "We have several original Titians, although I -really don't know too much about them." - -"But how could a man alive _today_ buy paintings from an artist of the -Renaissance?" - -"He is not alive today. POSAT is actually what our advertisements -claim--an _ancient_ secret society. Our founder has been dead for over -four centuries." - -"But you said that he designed your atomic reactor." - -"Yes. This particular one has been in use for only twenty years, -however." - -Don's confusion was complete. Crandon looked at him kindly. "Let's -start at the beginning," he said, and Don was back again in the -classroom with the deep voice of Professor Crandon unfolding the -pages of knowledge in clear and logical manner. "Four hundred years -ago, in the time of the Italian Renaissance, a man lived who was a -super-genius. His was the kind of incredible mentality that appears not -in every generation, or even every century, but once in thousands of -years. - -"Probably the man who invented what we call the phonetic alphabet was -one like him. That man lived seven thousand years ago in Mesopotamia, -and his discovery was so original, so far from the natural course -of man's thinking, that not once in the intervening seven thousand -years has that device been rediscovered. It still exists only in the -civilizations to which it has been passed on directly. - -"The super-genius who was our founder was not a semanticist. He was -a physical scientist and mathematician. Starting with the meager -heritage that existed in these fields in his time, he began tackling -physical puzzles one by one. Sitting in his study, using as his -principal tool his own great mind, he invented calculus, developed the -quantum theory of light, moved on to electromagnetic radiation and what -we call Maxwell's equations--although, of course, he antedated Maxwell -by centuries--developed the special and general theories of relativity, -the tool of wave mechanics, and finally, toward the end of his life, he -mathematically derived the packing fraction that describes the binding -energy of nuclei--" - -"But it can't be done," Don objected. "It's an observed phenomenon. It -hasn't been derived." Every conservative instinct that he possessed -cried out against this impossible fantasy. And yet--there sat the -reactor, sheathed in its strange shield. Crandon watched the direction -of Don's glance. - -"Yes, the reactor," said Crandon. "He built one like it. It confirmed -his theories. His calculations showed him something else too. He saw -the destructive potentialities of an atomic explosion. He himself could -not have built an atomic bomb; he didn't have the facilities. But his -knowledge would have enabled other men to do so. He looked about -him. He saw a political setup of warring principalities, rival states, -intrigue, and squabbles over political power. Giving the men of his -time atomic energy would have been like handing a baby a firecracker -with a lighted fuse. - -"What should he have done? Let his secrets die with him? He -didn't think so. No one else in his age could have _derived_ the -knowledge that he did. But it was an age of brilliant men. Leonardo. -Michelangelo. There were men capable of _learning_ his science, even as -men can learn it today. He gathered some of them together and founded -this society. It served two purposes. It perpetuated his discoveries -and at the same time it maintained the greatest secrecy about them. He -urged that the secrets be kept until the time when men could use them -safely. The other purpose was to make that time come about as soon as -possible." - -Crandon looked at Don's unbelieving face. "How can I make you see that -it is the truth? Think of the eons that man or manlike creatures have -walked the Earth. Think what a small fraction of that time is four -hundred years. Is it so strange that atomic energy was discovered a -little early, by this displacement in time that is so tiny after all?" - -"But by one man," Don argued. - -Crandon shrugged. "Compared with him, Don, you and I are stupid men. -So are the scientists who slowly plodded down the same road he had -come, stumbling first on one truth and then the succeeding one. We know -that inventions and discoveries do not occur at random. Each is based -on the one that preceded it. We are all aware of the phenomenon of -simultaneous invention. The path to truth is a straight one. It is only -our own stupidity that makes it seem slow and tortuous. - -"He merely followed the straight path," Crandon finished simply. - - * * * * * - -Don's incredulity thawed a little. It was not entirely beyond the realm -of possibility. - -But if it were true! A vast panorama of possible achievements spread -before him. - -"Four hundred years!" he murmured with awe. "You've had four hundred -years head-start on the rest of the world! What wonders you must have -uncovered in that time!" - -"Our technical achievements may disappoint you," warned Crandon. -"Oh, they're way beyond anything that you are familiar with. You've -undoubtedly noticed the shielding material on the reactor. That's a -fairly recent development of our metallurgical department. There are -other things in the laboratory that I can't even explain to you until -you have caught up on the technical basis for understanding them. - -"Our emphasis has not been on physical sciences, however, except as -they contribute to our central project. We want to change civilization -so that it can use physical science without disaster." - -For a moment Don had been fired with enthusiasm. But at these words his -heart sank. - -"Then you've failed," he said bitterly. "In spite of centuries of -advance warning, you've failed to change the rest of us enough to -prevent us from trying to blow ourselves off the Earth. Here we are, -still snarling and snapping at our neighbors' throats--and we've caught -up with you. We have the atomic bomb. What's POSAT been doing all that -time? Or have you found that human nature really can't be changed?" - -"Come with me," said Crandon. - -He led the way along the narrow balcony to another door, then down a -steep flight of stairs. He opened a door at the bottom, and Don saw -what must have been the world's largest computing machine. - -"This is our answer," said Crandon. "Oh, rather, it's the tool by which -we find our answer. For two centuries we have been working on the -newest of the sciences--that of human motivation. Soon we will be ready -to put some of our new knowledge to work. But you are right in one -respect, we are working now against time. We must hurry if we are to -save our civilization. That's why you are here. We have work for you to -do. Will you join us, Don?" - -"But why the hocus-pocus?" asked Don. "Why do you hide behind such a -weird front as POSAT? Why do you advertise in magazines and invite just -anyone to join? Why didn't you approach me directly, if you have work -for me to do? And if you really have the answers to our problems, why -haven't you gathered together all the scientists in the world to work -on this project--before it's too late?" - -Crandon took a sighing breath. "How I wish that we could do just that! -But you forget that one of the prime purposes of our organization is -to maintain the secrecy of our discoveries until they can be safely -disclosed. We must be absolutely certain that anyone who enters this -building will have joined POSAT before he leaves. What if we approached -the wrong scientist? Centuries of accomplishment might be wasted if -they attempted either to reveal it or to exploit it! - -"Do you recall the questionnaires that you answered before you were -invited here? We fed the answers to this machine and, as a result, we -know more about how you will react in any given situation than you do -yourself. Even if you should fail to join us, our secrets would be -safe with you. Of course, we miss a few of the scientists who might -be perfect material for our organization. You'd be surprised, though, -at how clever our advertisements are at attracting exactly the men we -want. With the help of our new science, we have baited our ads well, -and we know how to maintain interest. Curiosity is, to the men we want, -a powerful motivator." - -"But what about the others?" asked Don. "There must be hundreds of -applicants who would be of no use to you at all." - -"Oh, yes," replied Crandon. "There are the mild religious fanatics. We -enroll them as members and keep them interested by sending pamphlets in -line with their interests. We even let them contribute to our upkeep, -if they seem to want to. They never get beyond the reception room if -they come to call on us. But they are additional people through whom we -can act when the time finally comes. - -"There are also the desperate people who try POSAT as a last -resort--lost ones who can't find their direction in life. For them we -put into practice some of our newly won knowledge. We rehabilitate -them--anonymously, of course. Even find jobs or patch up homes. It's -good practice for us. - -"I think I've answered most of your questions, Don. But you haven't -answered mine. Will you join us?" - -Don looked solemnly at the orderly array of the computer before him. -He had one more question. - -"Will it really work? Can it actually tell you how to motivate the -stubborn, quarrelsome, opinionated people one finds on this Earth?" - -Crandon smiled. "You're here, aren't you?" - -Don nodded, his tense features relaxing. - -"Enroll me as a member," he said. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's What is Posat?, by Phyllis Sterling Smith - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHAT IS POSAT? *** - -***** This file should be named 51336.txt or 51336.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/3/3/51336/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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