Free Hidden Variables by Charles Sheffield Page B

face.
    "Here he comes," she said abruptly.
    There was a stir of movement from the body's left arm. It rose a couple of inches from the table, twitching the powerful sinews of the wrist and hand.
    "Reduce the feedback." The man leaned over the table, peering down at the fluttering eyelids. "Who are you?"
    There was a sigh, a grunt, the experimental run of air over the vocal chords. "Ah—Ah'm—Bayle." The voice was thick and choking, a mouthing through an unfamiliar throat and lips. "I'm Bayle. I'm Bayle Richards." The eyes opened suddenly, an unfocussed and startling blue.
    " Got it. By God, I've got it." John Cramer flashed a fierce look of triumph at the woman and straightened up from the table. "I wondered if we ever would." He laughed. "We don't need the stimulants now. Turn to a sedative—he'll need sleep in a few minutes. Let's see how well it took, then we'll end it for today."
    He leaned again over the table. "Bayle Richards. Do you remember me? I'm John Cramer. Remember? John Cramer?"
    The blue eyes rolled slowly, struggling to find a focus. After a few seconds they fixed on Cramer's face.
    "John Cramer. Uh, I think so. Don't know what happened. John Cramer." He moved his arm and made a weak effort to sit up. "Think I remember. Not sure."
    The eyes focussed more sharply, filled with alarm. "What happened to me? What's wrong with me?"
    "Not a thing." Cramer was smiling broadly, nodding to the woman."Bayle, you're going to be better than you ever were in all your life. You'll feel dizzy for a while. Do you have any pain?"
    "My mouth, and my chest . . . stiff. What you do to me? Was I in an accident?"
    "No. Bayle, you're fine. Don't you remember? This was mostly your idea."
    The woman turned her head quickly at that. "John. That's not what he—"
    "Shut up, Lana." He waved her to silence with an abrupt chop of his hand and returned his attention to the man. "Bayle, I'll tell you all about this later. Now you ought to get some rest. Just lie there quietly, and we'll get this plumbing off you."
    As the sedatives began to take effect, Bayle Richard's eyes closed again. Cramer began to strip the electrodes and the monitoring sensors off the naked body, his fingers working rapidly and accurately.
    "John." The woman stood up from the control console and moved to the table. "Don't you think you ought to slow down? I thought we were going to watch the monitors for a couple of hours, see if it was all normal. Suppose we get a new problem?"
    "No chance of it." Cramer's voice was exultant. "Lana, don't try and tell me my business. This is a success, I feel it in my bones. Did you see any sign of instability on those monitors? Let's get him in full control, then we can start the second transfer." He laughed again. "We'll pull in those memories as soon as we can hook him up. Twenty-two thousand years, the carbon dating says. He'll tell a story, once we get him started."
    His gaze moved over the figure on the table, revelling in the firm, unblemished skin and the smooth muscles. "Look at that body. Bayle, you never had it so good! Wait until he sees himself in a mirror."
    Lana Cramer was automatically beginning to strip off the sensors and uncouple the I-Vs. Her placid face was still troubled.
    "John, do you think you're being fair to him? We still haven't explained what caused the trouble in the primary transfer— suppose that produces a complication when we try and connect with the memories?"
    Cramer continued his systematic treatment of Bayle Richards, his manner confident and casual. He did not look up at her.
    "Don't you worry about that, Lana. Thinking isn't your department. A week from now, we'll know more about Cro-Magnon man than anyone has ever known. Bayle Richards should have known the risks when he got into this. If he didn't, the more fool he is."
    * * *
    The image flashed up on the big screen, an accurate color reproduction. Cramer adjusted the focus.
    "There, Bayle. That used to be you. Now you can see what a good