Thus it came finally about that Andrew and Stella Adams sat opposite each other, holding
hands tightly across a small table, staring into each other’s eyes and thinking at and with
each other in terms and symbols many of which cannot be put into words.
“But it has to be some development or other of Campbell’s Fourth Nume,” she insisted.
“It simply can’t be anything else.”
“True,” he agreed. “However, Campbell had only a glimmering of a few of the-facets?
Basics?-of that nume. So let’s go over the prime basics again-the takeoff points-the
spring-boards-to see if possible where our thinking has been at fault.”
“Very well. Fourth Nume, the-Level? Region? Realm?-of belief, of meaning, of ability to
manipulate and to understand-of understanding of and manipulation of the phenomena of
reality existing in the no-space-no-time continuum of . . .”
“A moment,” Adams broke in. “Non-space-non-time is preferable, I believe. And aren’t
those symbols contradictory and mutually exclusive?”
“By no means. In the totality of universes it is not only possible but necessary to
manipulate both the immaterial and the material aspects of energy without reference to
either time or space. Like this-” and her symbology went far beyond language.
“I see. My error. I was fouling it up. Shall we try again?”
“Not yet. We may find more. Non-space-non-time manipulation, then, and also n-s-n-t
attributes, phenomena, and being. Most important-the sine qua non-is the ultimate basic
sex. Prerequisite, a duplex pole of power; two very-strongly-linked and very powerful
poles, one masculine and one feminine…”
“A moment, Stella, I’ll have to challenge that nuance of thought. If we are dealing with
pure, raw, elemental force-as I think we are-we’ve been thinking too nicelynicey on that,
especially you. The thought should be, I’m pretty sure; neither masculine and feminine nor
manly and womanly but starkly male and just as starkly female.”
“You’re probably right, Andy . . . you are right. So I’ll think starkly female; as starkly so
as an alley cat in heat. Shall we .. . no, let’s finish checking the list.”
They finished checking, and neither could perceive any other sources of error in the
nuances of their thoughts. They tried it again, and this time it-whatever it was-clicked. Or
rather, the result was not a click, but a sonic boom. Both bodies went rigid for seconds;
then each drew a tremendously deep breath; as much from relaxation of tension as from
realization of accomplishment. Then, poring over a street map of Calcutta, they went
mentally to India; to the home of Mahatma Rajaras Molandru, who was one of the
greatest sages then alive and who was also a Fellow of the College of Study.
“Is it permitted, Mahatma, that we converse with you and learn?” the fused minds asked.
So calm, so serene was the Great Soul’s mind that he neither showed nor felt surprise,
even at this almost incredible full meeting of minds. “You are very welcome, friends
Andrew and Stella. You have now attained such heights, however, that I have little or
nothing to give you and much to receive from you.”
While the old Mahatma did get much more than he gave, the Adamses got enough new
knowledge from him so that when they left India they no longer needed maps. Their
linkage had a sureness and a dirigibility that not even the Destons were to match for
many years.
From India they went to China, where they had a long and somewhat profitable interview
with Li Hing Wong. Thence to Russia and Feodr Ilyowicz; where results were negligible.
“Andy, I never did like that man,” Stella said, when the short and unsatisfactory interview
was over. And on such contact as this I simply can’t stand him. Secretive-sly-he wouldn’t
really open up at all-all take and no give-that is not the way a good psiontist should act.”
“I noticed that; but the loss is really his. It made it impossible for us to give him anything .
. . but that attitude is perhaps natural enough-his whole heritage is one of secretiveness.
Where next, my dear?”
They went to Tibet and to the Gobi and to Wales and to Rome and to Central Africa and
to Egypt and to various other places where ancient, unpublished lore was to be found.
They sifted this lore and screened it; then, after having sent a detector web of thought
throughout the space and subspace of half the galaxy, they found and locked minds with
Carlyle and Barbara Deston.
“Do not be surprised, youngsters,” the Adams duplex began.
Huh?” Deston yelped. “Clear to hellangone out here? And in subspace besides?”
“Distance is no longer important. Neither is the nature of the environment. Moreover, we
are about to visit you in person.”
“Without a locus of familiarity? You can’t.”
“That is no longer necessary, either. Here we are.” Seated side by side on a love-seat
facing the Destons, the Adamses spoke the last three words aloud, in perfect unison.
Deston did not jump clear off of the davenport quite. “Out here into the middle of
subspace and we’re doing God-knows-how-many megaparsecs a minute relative to
anything? So you’ve mastered absolute trams-spatial perception?”
“By no means. We have, however, been able to enlarge significantly our hyper-sphere of
action. We have learned much.”
“That’s the understatement of the century. But before you try to teach us any such
advanced stuff as that, there’s something simple-that is, it should be simple that’s been
bothering me no end. You got a little time now, Doe?”
“Lots of it, Babe. Go ahead.”
“Okay. Well, since I never got beyond calculus, and not very advanced calc at that, I
don’t know any more about high math than a pig does about Sunday. But you and I both
know what we mean by plain, common, ordinary, every-day reality. We know what we
mean when we say that matter exists. Check, to here?”
“In the sense in which you are using the terms `reality’ and `matter’, yes.”
“Okay. Matter exists in plain, ordinary, three-dimensional space. Matter is composed of
atoms. Therefore atoms must exist and must have reality in three-dimensional space. So
why can’t any atomic physicist tri-di a working model of an atom? One that will work?
One that human eyes can watch work? So that the ordinary human mind can understand
how and why it works?”
“That’s rank over-simplification, my boy. Why, the very concept of subatomic phenomena
and of subspace is so.. .”
“I know it is. That’s exactly what I’m bitching about. Basically, nature is simple, and yet
you Big Brains can’t handle it except by inventing mathematics so horribly complex that it
has no relationship at all to reality. You can’t understand it yourselves. You don’t-at least
I’m pretty sure you don’t-really understand-like I understand that chair there, I mean-time
or subspace or space or anything else that’s really fundamental. So do you mind if I stick
my amateur neck ‘way out and make a rank amateur’s guess as to why and why not?”
“I’m listening, Babe, with my mind as well as my ears.”
Barbara grinned suddenly. “Out of the mouths of babes -one Babe in this case-et
cetera,” she said.
“Okay, little squirt, that’ll be enough out of you. Doc, I think there’s one, and probably
more than one, fundamental basic principle that nobody knows anything about yet. And
that when you find them, and work out their laws, everything will snap into place so that
even such a dumbster as I am will be able to see what the real score is. So you think I’m
a squirrel food, don’t you?”
“By no means. Many have had similar thoughts. . . .” “I know that, too, but now we jump
clear off the far end. Do you read science fiction?”
“Of course.”
“You’re familiar, then, with the triangle of electromagnetics, electro-gravitics, and
magneto-gravitics. That’s just a wild stab, of course, but one gets you a hundred that
there’s something, somewhere, that will tie everything up together-subspace, hunches,
telekinetics, witches, and all that stuff.”
Adams leaned forward eagerly. “Have you done any work on it?”
“Who, me? What with?” Deston laughed, but there was no trace of levity in the sound.
“What would I be using for a brain? That’s your department, Doc.”
Adams smiled and started to say something, but broke off in the middle of a word. His
smile vanished. He sat immobile, eyes unfocussed, for minute after minute. He sat there
for so long that Deston, afraid to move, began to think that he had suffered some kind of
a seizure.
Finally, however, Adams came out of his trance. He and Stella got up as one and,
without a word, turned to leave the room.
“Hey!” Deston protested. “Wait up, Doc! What gives?” Adams licked his lips. “I can’t tell
you, Babe. I’d be the laughing-stock of the scientific world-especially since I can’t
conceive of any possible instrumentation to test it.”
“After that, you’ve got to talk. So start.”