Fetching Lisa Marino’s X ray from the laser scanner, Philips put it up on a viewer. He began to feel a little alarmed when he didn’t see the variations the printout suggested. Maybe their new method of dealing with densities, which had been the stumbling block from the beginning, was not any good after all. Philips activated his alternator and X rays flashed by on the screen until he found Lisa Marino’s angiogram study. He stopped the alternator and took off one of her earlier lateral skull films. Putting it up next to the operative X ray, he again looked for density variations as described in the printout. To his disappointment the X ray looked normal.
The door to his office opened and Denise Sanger walked in. Philips smiled but then went back to what he was doing. Folding a sheet of paper in half, he cut out a tiny piece. When he opened the paper, there was a small hole in the center.
“So,” Denise said, putting her arms around him for a hug, “I see you’ve been busy in here making cutouts.”
“Science advances in strange and wondrous ways,” said Philips. “A lot has happened since I saw you this morning. Michaels delivered our first skull-reading unit. Here’s the first printout.”
While Denise read it, Philips placed the sheet of paper with the hole in it against Lisa Marino’s X ray on the viewer. What the paper did was eliminate all the other complicated aspects of the X ray film except the small section visible through the hole. Martin studied the tiny area very carefully. Taking the paper away he asked Denise if she could see anything abnormal. She couldn’t. When he put the paper back she still couldn’t, until he pointed to some minute white flecks oriented linearly. Taking the paper away, they could both see it now that their eyes were expecting it.
“What do you think it is?” asked Denise, while she examined the film very closely.
“I haven’t the slightest idea.” Philips walked over to the input output console and prepared the small computer to accept Lisa Marino’s earlier film. He hoped the program would see the same density variation. The laser scanner gobbled up the film with the same relish it had displayed earlier. “But it disturbs me,” added Philips. He stepped back to the input/output unit as it chattered into activity.
“Why?” asked Denise, her face illuminated by the pale light from the X ray viewer. “I think this report is fantastic.”
“It is,” agreed Philips. “That’s the point. It suggests that the program can read X rays better than its creator. I never saw those density variations. Reminds me of the Frankenstein stories.” Suddenly Martin laughed.
“Now what’s so funny?” asked Denise.
“Michaels! Apparently this thing is programmed so that each time I give it an X ray it tells me to relax while it works. The first time it said have a cup of coffee. This time it says to get a bite to eat.”
“Sounds like a good suggestion to me,” said Denise. “What about that romantic rendezvous you promised in the coffee shop? I don’t have much time; I’ve got to get back to the CAT scanner.”
“I can’t leave right now,” said Philips in an apologetic voice. He knew he’d suggested lunch and he didn’t want to disappoint her. “I’m really excited about this thing.”
“Okay,” said Denise. “But I’m going to grab a sandwich. Can I bring you back something?”
“No thanks,” said Philips. He noticed the output printer was coming alive.
“I’m really glad that your research is going so well,” she said at the door. “I know how important it is for you.” Then she was gone.
As soon as the output printer stopped, Philips pulled out the sheet. Like the first one, the report was very complete, and to Philips’ delight, the computer again described the density variation and recommended more X rays from different angles as well as another CAT scan.
Throwing his head back, Philips whooped with excitement, pounding the counter top as if it were a kettledrum. A few of Lisa Marino’s X rays slipped out from under the retaining clips and fell from the viewer screen. As Philips turned and bent down to pick them up, he spotted Helen Walker. She was standing by the door, watching him as if he were crazy.