Forward the Foundation Chapter 23

5Dad, give tongue to Raych with some concern, you vista tired.I d ar say, state Hari Seldon, I get hold tired. exactly how be you?Raych was forty-four now and his hair was bugger offning to show a bout of gray, alone his mustache remained thick and dark and actu eachy(prenominal) Dahlite in appearance. Seldon windered if he touched it up with dye, tout ensemble it would nominate been the wrong thing to ask.Seldon said, Are you through with your lecturing for a while?For a while. non for long. And Im glad to be home and bring down the baby and Manella and Wanda-and you, Dad.Thank you. But I turn over word for you, Raych. No more lecturing. Im going to need you here.Raych frowned. What for? On two different occasions he had been displace to carry out delicate missions, but those were back during the days of the Joranumite menace. As far as he k pertly, things were quiet now, especially with the overthrow of the junta and the reestablishment of a pale Emperor.Its Wa nda, said Seldon.Wanda? Whats wrong with Wanda?Nothings wrong with her, but were going to oblige to work out a complete genome for her-and for you and Manella as well-and eventually for the new baby.For Bellis, in any case? Whats going on?Seldon hesitated. Raych, you know that your m a nonher(prenominal) and I always musical theme there was something lovable most you, something that inspired affection and trust.I know you thought so. You said so often enough when you were move to get me to do something difficult. But Ill be honest with you. I n ever felt it.No, you won over me and and Dors. (He had such perplexity saying the name, even though four years had passed since her destruction.) You won over Rashelle of Wye. You won over Jo-Jo Joranum. You won over Manella. How do you account for all that?In insureigence and charm, said Raych, grinning.Have you thought you might have been in touch with their-our-minds?No, Ive never thought that. And now that you mention it, I call u p its ridiculous. With all due respect, Dad, of course.What if I told you that Wanda deliberatems to have read Yugos mind during a moment of crisis?Coincidence or imagination, I should say.Raych, I knew someone once who could cut through peoples minds as easily as you and I handle conversation.Who was that?I trampt speak of him. Take my word for it, though.Well- said Raych dubiously.Ive been at the Gal beic Library, checking on such matters. in that location is a curious story, to the highest degree twenty thousand years old and therefore back to the brumous origins of hyperspatial travel. Its about a young woman, not much more than Wandas age, who could communicate with an entire planet that circled a sun called Nemesis.Surely a fairytale.Surely. And incomplete, at that. But the similarity with Wanda is astonishing.Raych said, Dad, what atomic number 18 you planning?Im not sure, Raych. I need to know the genome and I have to queue up others the like Wanda. I have a conce pt that youngsters argon born-not often but occasionally-with such mental abilities, but that, in brokerral, it merely gets them in trouble and they learn to mask it. And as they grow tip, their ability, their talent, is buried deep within their minds- phase of an unconscious act of self-preservation. Surely in the Empire or even just among Trantors forty account statemention, there must be more of that sort, like Wanda, and if I know the genome I hope, I bottom test those I cipher may be so.And what would you do with them if you found them, Dad?I have the notion that they are what I need for the further development of psychohistory.Raych said, And Wanda is the first of the type you know about and you intend to make a psychohistorian out of her?Perhaps.Like Yugo. Dad, noWhy no?Because I want her to grow up like a normal young lady and become a normal woman. I go away not have you sit her before the Prime Radiant and make her into a living monument to psychohistorical mathema tics.Seldon said, It may not come to that, Raych, but we must have her genome. You know that for thousands of years there have been suggestions that every serviceman being have his genome on file. Its only the expense thats kept it from becoming touchstone practice no one doubts the usefulness of it. Surely you see the advantages. If nothing else, we will know Wandas tendencies toward a variety of physiological dis blesss. If we had ever had Yugos genome, I am certain he would not now be dying. Surely we flowerpot go that far.Well, maybe, Dad, but no further. Im impulsive to bet that Manella is going to be a lot firmer on this than I am.Seldon said, Very well. But remember, no more lecture tours. I need you at home.Well see, Raych said and left.Seldon sat there in a quandary. Eto Demerzel, the one person he knew who could handle minds, would have know what to do. Dors, with her nonhuman knowledge, might have known what to do.For himself, he had a dim vision of a new psychohisto ry-but nothing more than that.6It was not an easy task to obtain a complete genome of Wanda. To begin with, the number of biophysicists equipped to handle the genome was small and those that existed were always busy.Nor was it possible for Seldon to discuss his needs openly, in order to interest the biophysicists. It was absolutely essential, Seldon felt, that the true reason for his interest in Wandas mental powers be kept mystifying from all the Galaxy.And if another difficulty was needed, it was the fact that the process was infernally expensive.Seldon shook his head and said to Mian Endelecki, the biophysicist he was now consulting, Why so expensive, Dr. Endelecki? I am not an expert in the field, but it is my diaphanous understanding that the process is completely computerized and that, once you have a scraping of skin cells, the genome can be completely built and analyzed in a matter of days.Thats true. But having a deoxyribonucleic acid tittle stretching out for billions o f nucleotides, with every purine and pyrimidine in its place, is the least of it the very least of it, prof Seldon. There is thusly the matter of studying each one and comparing it to some standard.Now, consider, in the first place, that although we have records of complete genomes, they represent a vanishingly small fraction of the number of genomes that exist, so that we dont really know how standard they are.Seldon asked, Why so few?A number of reasons. The expense, for one thing. Few people are willing to spend the credits on it unless they have strong reason to imply there is something wrong with their genome. And if they have no strong reason, they are reluctant to undergo analytic thinking for fear they will find something wrong. Now, then, are you sure you want your granddaughter genomed?Yes, I do. It is terribly important.Why? Does she show signs of a metabolic anomaly?No, she doesnt. rather the reverse-if I knew the antonym of anomaly. I consider her a most unusual per son and I want to know just what it is that makes her unusual.Unusual in what way?Mentally, but its impossible for me to go into details, since I dont entirely understand it. Maybe I will, once she is genomed.How old is she?Twelve. Shell soon be thirteen.In that case, Ill need leave from her parents.Seldon recogniseed his throat. That may be difficult to get. Im her grandfather. Wouldnt my permission be enough?For me, certainly. But, you know, were talking about the law. I dont wish to lose my license to practice.It was necessary for Seldon to approach Raych again. This, too, was difficult, as he protested once more that he and his wife, Manella, wanted Wanda to live a normal life of a normal girl. What if her genome did turn out to be abnormal? Would she be whisked away to be prodded and probed like a laboratory specimen? Would Hari, in his rabid devotion to his Psychohistory Project, press Wanda into a life of all work and no play, shutting her off from other young people her a ge? But Seldon was insistent.Trust me, Raych. I would never do anything to harm Wanda. But this must be done. I need to know Wandas genome. If it is as I suspect it is, we may be on the verge of altering the course of psychohistory, of the future of the Galaxy itselfAnd so Raych was persuaded and somehow he obtained Manellas consent, as well. And together, the three adults took Wanda to Dr. Endeleckis office.Mian Endelecki greeted them at the door. Her hair was a shining white, but her face showed no sign of age.She looked at the girl, who walked in with a look of curiosity on her face but with no signs of apprehension or fear. She then sour her gaze to the three adults who had accompanied Wanda.Dr. Endelecki said with a smile, Mother, father, and grandfather-am I right?Seldon answered, perfectly right.Raych looked hang-dog and Manella, her face a detailed swollen and her eyes a little red, looked tired.Wanda, began the doctor. That is your name, isnt it?Yes, maam, said Wanda in her clear voice.Im going to tell you exactly what Im going to do with you. Youre right-handed, I suppose.Yes, maam.Very well, then, Ill spray a little patch on your left forearm with an anesthetic. It will just feel like a chill out wind. Nothing else. Ill then scrape a little skin from you just a tiny bit. Therell be no pain, no blood, no mark afterward. When Im done, Ill spray a little disinfectant on it. The self-coloured thing will take just a few transactions. Does that sound all right to you?Sure, said Wanda, as she held out her arm.When it was over, Dr. Endelecki said, Ill put the scraping under the microscope, choose a decent cell, and put my computerized gene analyzer to work. It will mark off every last nucleotide, but there are billions of them. It will probably take the better part of a day. Its all automatic, of course, so I wont be sitting here watching it and theres no point in your doing so, either.Once the genome is prepared, it will take an even thirster quant ify to analyze it. If you want a complete job, it may take a couple of weeks. That is why its so expensive a procedure. The work is hard and long. Ill call you in when I have it. She turned away, as if she had dismissed the family, and busied herself with the gleaming apparatus on the table in front of her.Seldon said, If you come across anything unusual, will you get in touch with me instantly? I mean, dont wait for a complete analysis if you find something in the first hour. Dont make me wait.The chances of finding anything in the first hour are very slim, but I promise you, Professor Seldon that I will be in touch with you at once if it seems necessary.Manella snatched Wandas arm and led her off triumphantly. Raych followed, feet dragging. Seldon lingered and said, This is more important than you know, Dr. Endelecki.Dr. Endelecki nodded as she said, Whatever the reason, Professor, Ill do my best.Seldon left, his lips touch tightly together. Why he had thought that somehow the g enome would be worked out in five minutes and that a glance at it in another five minutes would give him an answer, he did not know. Now he would have to wait for weeks, without knowing what would be found.He ground his teeth. Would his newest brainchild, the Second Foundation, ever be established or was it an illusion that would remain always just out of reach?7Hari Seldon walked into Dr. Endeleckis office, a nervous smile on his face.He said, You said a couple of weeks, Doctor. Its been over a month mow.Dr. Endelecki nodded. Im sorry, Professor Seldon but you wanted everything exact and that is what I have tried to do.Well? The look of anxiety on Seldons face did not disappear. What did you find?A hundred or so sorry genes.What Defective genes. Are you serious, Doctor?Quite serious. Why not? There are no genomes without at least a hundred defective genes usually there are considerably more. Its not as bad as it sounds, you know.No, I dont know. Youre the expert, Doctor, not I.Dr. Endelecki sighed and stirred in her chair. You dont know anything about genetics, do you, Professor?No, I dont. A man cant know everything.Youre perfectly right. I know nothing about this-what do you call it?-this psychohistory of yours.Dr. Endelecki shrugged, then continued. If you wanted to explain anything about it, you would be forced to start from the beginning and I would probably not understand it even so. Now, as to genetics-Well?An imperfect gene usually pith nothing. There are imperfect genes-so imperfect and so crucial that they produce terrible disorders. These are very rare, though. Most imperfect genes simply dont work with absolute accuracy. Theyre like wheels that are slightly out of balance. A vehicle will move along, trembling a bit, but it will move along.Is that what Wanda has?Yes. More or less. After all, if all genes were perfect, we would all look precisely the same, we would all behave precisely the same. Its the difference in genes that makes for different people.But wont it get worse as we grow older?Yes. We all get worse as we grow older. I noticed you limping when you came in. Why is that?A touch of sciatica, muttered Seldon.Did you have it all your life?Of course not.Well, some of your genes have gotten worse with time and now you limp.And what will happen to Wanda with time?I dont know. I cant predict the future, Professor I believe that is your province. However, if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that nothing unusual will happen to Wanda-at least, genetically-except the gathering of old age.Seldon said, Are you sure?You have to take my word for it. You wanted to find out about Wandas genome and you ran the risk of discovering things perhaps it is better not to know. But I tell you that, in my opinion, I can see nothing terrible casualty to her.The imperfect genes-should we fix them? Can we fix them?No. In the first place, it would be very expensive. Secondly, the chances are that they would not stay fixed. And finally, people are against it.But why?Because theyre against science in general. You should know this as well as anyone, Professor. Im afraid the fleck is such, especially since Cleons death, that mysticism has been gaining ground. People dont believe in mending genes scientifically. They would rather cure things by the laying on of hands or by mumbo-jumbo of some sort or other. Frankly it is extremely difficult for me to continue with my job. Very little funding is coming in.Seldon nodded. actually I understand this situation all too well. Psychohistory explains it, but I honestly didnt think the situation was growing so bad so rapidly. Ive been too involved in my own work to see the difficulties all around me. He sighed. Ive been watching the Galactic Empire slowly fall apart for over thirty years now-and now that its beginning to collapse much more rapidly, I dont see how we can stop it in time.Are you trying to? Dr. Endelecki seemed amused.Yes, I am.Lots of luck. About your sciatica . You know, fifty years agone it could have been cured. Not now, though.Why not?Well, the devices used for it are gone the people who could have handled them are working on other things. Medicine is declining.Along with everything else, mused Seldon. But lets get back to Wanda. I feel she is a most unusual young woman with a brain that is different from most. What do her genes tell you about her brain?Dr. Endelecki leaned back in her chair. Professor Seldon do you know just how many genes are involved in brain puzzle out?No.Ill remind you that, of all the aspects of the human body, the brain function is the most intricate. In fact, as far as we know, there is nothing in the Universe as intricate as the human brain. So you wont be surprised when I tell you that there are thousands of genes that each play a role in brain function.Thousands?Exactly. And it is impossible to go through those genes and see anything specifically unusual. I will take your word for it, as far as Wanda is co ncerned. She is an unusual girl with an unusual brain, but I see nothing in her genes that can tell me anything about that brain-except, of course, that it is normal.Could you find other people whose genes for mental functioning are like Wandas, that have the same brain principle?I doubt it very much. Even if another brain were much like hers, there would facilitate be enormous differences in the genes. No use looking for similarities. Tell me, Professor, just what is it about Wanda that makes you think her brain is so unusual?Seldon shook his head. Im sorry. Its not something I can discuss.In that case, I am certain that I can find out nothing for you. How did you discover that there was something unusual about her brain-this thing you cant discuss?Accident, muttered Seldon. Sheer accident.In that case, youre going to have to find other brains like hers-also by accident. Nothing else can be done.Silence settled over both of them. Finally Seldon said, Is there anything else you ca n tell me?Im afraid not. Except that Ill send you my bill.Seldon rose with an effort. His sciatica hurt him badly. Well then, thank you, Doctor. Send the bill and Ill pay it.Hari Seldon left the doctors office, wondering just what he would do next.