Read Online Hazard by Gerald A Browne - Free Book Online Page B

presence, he asked about the brain waves, the alphas and betas he’d heard Kersh mention.
    â€œAlphas are the primary waves that occur when the mind and body are at rest,” Kersh told him.
    â€œEveryone has them?”
    â€œThe average brain transmits eight to thirteen alphas a second at a range of two to fifteen millionths of a volt. Each alpha pulsation lasts about ninety thousandths of a second.”
    Richland nodded as though he understood. “So where do the betas come in?”
    Kersh doubted that Richland was genuinely interested, but he also couldn’t just ignore the man. Unfortunately. “An abrupt change in brain-wave pattern takes place each time a person experiences any sensory stimulus or is required to make a mental effort of any sort. What happens is the alphas cease entirely and the betas take over.”
    â€œHow do you know one from the other?”
    â€œBetas are obviously different. They’re lower in voltage, have longer duration, and come at a faster rate, normally from eighteen to thirty per second. As soon as the brain accepts the stimulus or becomes used to it, the betas disappear and the alpha pattern returns.”
    â€œYou mean we’re always going back and forth like that?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œNo one knows for certain. There have been various theories but as yet no definite explanation.”
    â€œShows how little anybody knows.”
    â€œAbout the brain, yes,” Kersh admitted.
    That verified Richland’s opinion. He wasn’t the only one there who didn’t know what was going on.
    Kersh waited until he saw alphas now coming more consistently from Keven. Then, satisfied that she was settled enough, he spoke to her via the intercom. “Test the keyboard.”
    Keven had learned the keyboard by touch. She hit three of the keys.
    On a monitor screen in the lab appeared the letters Y – O – U . Also, predictably, the beta monitor showed temporary activity. Twenty-three cycles per second, normal voltage, average duration.
    â€œNow try the graph.”
    Keven’s fingers found and took up a thin, metal stylus. It felt cold to her touch, and she realized that her hands were moist from tension. She used the stylus like a pencil on the slightly grainy surface of the easel, careful that only the very tip of the stylus made contact. She drew the shape of a heart. No image appeared on the easel but its pressure-sensitized surface electronically relayed a clear outline of the image to a corresponding monitor in the lab.
    Richland saw the heart shape appear, scoffed to himself, and shifted impatiently.
    â€œWe’re ready,” Kersh said. He pressed a square button on the console, which caused the remote signal on Lowery’s clipboard to light green. By then the ketch was about four miles out on the sound. It came about sharply, reduced speed, and ran parallel with the Connecticut coast. The wind had picked up considerably and the tide was running strong. The ridges of the swells were white and spraying.
    Lowery motioned for Hazard to join him at midship. Lowery also tried for Whitley’s attention, but had to go forward to get him. Hazard noticed Whitley’s face and even his neck had lost color. The man appeared cold, but there was perspiration on his forehead and above his lips.
    With the wind and sea as they were, Lowery nearly had to shout when explaining to Whitley the controlled conditions under which the exercise would be conducted. Whitley merely gave a single emphatic nod every once in a while. Not really listening. His cigar had gone out but he still held it tight between his lips. Hazard imagined the end of the cigar soaking in Whitley’s mouth.
    Lowery opened the box of images to show Whitley how the four-by-five cards were always concealed. He demonstrated how the battery-powered box rotated the cards on a spindle, how it automatically selected and presented one card at random out