Page 41 - Demo

Natch!27shell, in a decidedly antiseptic room. It was the first time thatGene was able to internalize how decidedly different this spacewas from the Stump Room. %u201cWe must be in the th side of things,%u201dhe surmised.%u201cThe room felt very %u2018laboratorious%u2019,%u201d he would later say to Jeanover drinks. %u201cEverything was stark, spotless hard surfaces, noclutter, no loose ends, nothing to catch your pants or sweater on.Everything in precise, air tight containers and locked cabinets.%u201dHe pulled at his sleeve for emphasis. %u201cEverything was blue, white,or silver, even the light. It felt like being inside an aquarium.%u201d%u201cAnd what about the bat mobile?%u201d Jean asked, leaning forwardwith curiosity.%u201cThe base of this ivory-colored chair was bolted to a tile floor.A dinner plate-sized disc at the top of the egg appeared to besending electrical signals to a nearby computer. The signalstraveled through a network of interlocking, overlapping,interconnected pathways. They reminded me of the illustrationsof the Homp neural net we studied in school.%u201d Jean nodded inunderstanding.%u201cWhat does it do?%u201d Jean asked and Gene traveled back to thesame question he had asked of Gad.%u201cIt allows us to answer that simplest of questions, %u2018What is itlike to be a bat?%u2019%u201d The look on Gene%u2019s face told Gad that, like mostinterns, he didn%u2019t have a clue. %u201cIn simple terms, it%u2019s a kind oftransport device, except, instead of transporting your physicalbody, it transports your consciousness.%u201d%u201cTransports it where?%u201d Gene asked, not even bothering to tryto fathom how such a feat might be accomplished.%u201cWherever we choose to send it,%u201d Gad responded in matter offact fashion. He let that thought plant itself in Gene%u2019s mind beforecontinuing. Gene, struggling to comprehend, couldn%u2019t help butnotice the expression on Gad%u2019s face%u2014a look that could only bedescribed as predatory. He once again heard the tinkling of thechalk, only this time he imagined the sound to be the gearsturning in Gad%u2019s scheming mind. Finally, Gad continued.