Hybrids by Robert J. Sawyer Read Free Book Online Page A

found the neurological reason why
Homo sapiens
have religious beliefs. So, my friend Veronica wants to see if she can induce a religious experience in Neanderthals. If she can, then they’ve got some ’splainin’ to do, since you guys don’t have religious thoughts. But Veronica suspects that the technique that works on us won’t work on you. She thinks your brains must be wired differently on some fundamental level.”
    “A fascinating premise,” said Ponter. “Is there any danger in the procedure?”
    Reuben shook his head. “None at all. In fact, I had to certify that.” He smiled. “The big problem with most psychological studies is that all the guinea pigs are psych under-grads—people who have self-selected to study psychology. We know an enormous amount about the brains of such people, who may or may not be typical, but very little about the brains of the general population. I first met Veronica last year; she approached me about getting some of the miners to be test subjects—a completely different demographic than she usually gets to work with.” Reuben was the mine-site physician at Inco’s Creighton nickel mine, where the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory was located. “She was offering the miners a few bucks, but Inco wanted me to okay the procedure before letting them do it. I read up on Persinger’s work, looked at Veronica’s modifications, and underwent the procedure myself. The magnetic fields are minuscule compared to those in MRIs, and I routinely recommend
those
for my patients. It’s completely safe.”
    “So she will pay me a few bucks?” asked Ponter.
    Reuben looked shocked.
    “Hey, a fellow has to eat,” said Ponter. But he couldn’t keep up the facade; a giant grin crossed his face. “No, no, you are right, Reuben, I do not care about compensation.” He looked at Mary. “What I
do
care about is understanding this aspect of you, Mare—this thing that is so important a part of your life but that I find incomprehensible.”
    “If you want to learn more about my religion, come to Mass with me,” said Mary.
    “Gladly,” said Ponter. “But I would also like to meet this friend of Reuben.”
    “We have to get over to your world,” said Mary, sounding a bit petulant. “Two will soon be One.”
    Ponter nodded. “Oh, indeed—and we don’t want to miss a moment of that.” He looked at Reuben. “Your friend would need to make time for us tomorrow. Can she do that?”
    “I’ll give her a call right now,” said Reuben, getting up. “I’m sure she’ll move heaven and Earth to accommodate you.”

Chapter Six
    “Jack Kennedy was right: it was time then for us to take longer strides. And it’s that time again. For the greatest strength we
Homo sapiens
have always had, since the dawn of our consciousness 40,000 years ago, is our desire to go places, to make journeys, to see what’s beyond the next hill, to expand our territories, and—if I may borrow a phrase coined just four years after JFK’s speech—to boldly go where no man has gone before…”
    Ponter and Mary had spent the night at Reuben’s place, sleeping together on the foldout couch. Early the next morning, they headed over to the small campus of Laurentian University and found room C002B, one of the labs used by the tiny Neuroscience Research Group.
    Veronica Shannon turned out to be a skinny white woman in her late twenties with red hair and a nose that until she’d met female Neanderthals, Mary would have called large. She was wearing a white lab coat. “Thank you for coming, Dr. Boddit,” she said, pumping Ponter’s hand. “Thank you so much for coming.”
    He smiled. “You may call me Ponter. And it is my pleasure. I am intrigued by your research.”
    “And Mary—may I call you Mary?—it is
such
a treat to meet you!” She shook Mary’s hand. “I was so sorry I didn’t have a chance when you were on the campus earlier, but I was back home in Halifax for the summer.” She smiled, then looked