The Tenth Planet by Edmund Cooper Page B

clothes for a brain in a tank. It did.” He was still staring at the ceiling.
    “Soon you will be well enough to meet people, to explore the Five Cities,” she said brightly. “It must be wonderful to live normally again, to breathe and eat and—”
    Again he cut her short. “Dr. de Skun, what happened to the previous tenant?”
    “The previous tenant? Who are you talking about, captain?”
    Idris tapped his head. “The guy who used to live between these ears. Have we simply exchanged apartments? Is he now stuck in my tank, trying to figure out what it is all about? Or did you just scoop him out of his skull and drop him in the trash can?” He laughed. “I have a more than passing interest. I understand we are closely related.”
    Manfrius de Skun sighed. “He is not in your tank, nor is he in the trash can. We are not murderers. As I have already told you, the brain in your cloned body was not allowed to mature or to achieve integrated self-consciousness.”
    “So, the poor bastard was still-born. But he is my brother. So you will understand that I am mildly curious as to his present whereabouts.”
    Again Dr. de Skun sighed. “You should not anthropomorphize. We are discussing not a personality but a brain that was never alive beyond the stimulation of its motor activities … However, it has been preserved in suspended animation.”
    “Liquid helium?”
    “Yes, liquid helium.”
    “Why preserve it if it was never alive?”
    “Captain Hamilton, there are several valid reasons why we should wish to preserve this brain. It is of immense historical, scientific and social value. The entire project, I believe, marks a turning point in our history and in our entire social structure.” He smiled. “At this time, you are probably the most important person on the planet.”
    “I am glad you are preserving what is left of my brother,” said Idris evenly. “Sometime, perhaps, you will be able to give him another body and lift him out of the mental twilight you had to keep him in.”
    “That is certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility,” said Manfrius de Skun confidently.
    “But then the process is infinite,” went on Idris. “No matter how many times you pull the rabbit out of the hat, you are left with one brain minus a body.”
    Dr. de Skun was confused. “What does this mean—the rabbit out of the hat?”
    “Sorry. An ancient metaphor. Traditionally, the classic trick for
a conjuror—an illusionist—of Earth was to produce a living rabbit, a small furry quadruped, from a top hat.” He saw the look of blankness on Manfrius de Skun’s face and tried to explain further. “A top hat is—was—a kind of formal covering for the head. It was made of stiff cloth and looked like an inverted cooking pan with a wide brim and no handle.”
    “So?” Dr. de Skun still did not understand. “What is the significance of this furry terrestrial quadruped when we are discussing the question of cloned bodies?”
    “Forget it. The meaning will become apparent in the course of time.” Suddenly, Idris felt alive, very much alive. He felt like making use of the body that had been given him by Minervan science. He swung himself out of the bunk and faced Dr. de Skun and Zylonia. “Meanwhile, I am going to explore this world into which you have resurrected me.”
    “I do not think it is wise,” said Dr. de Skun. “At themoment, I do not think it is wise. Be patient. You have only just recovered from the transfer.”
    “Dr. de Skun, I have been waiting a long time. And I have run out of patience. Until you gave me this body, I depended on you totally. Now, I am relatively independent. I am in a position to make decisions.”
    “For the time being,” said Manfrius de Skun, “I recommend—I forbid you to leave this room. We must be sure that you are fully recovered from the transplant before you enter the next phase.”
    Idris laughed. “Dr. de Skun, you are not now in a position to dictate. You presumed to