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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Second Voice, by Mann Rubin
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Second Voice, by Mann Rubin
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Second Voice
+
+Author: Mann Rubin
+
+Release Date: September 5, 2009 [EBook #29910]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SECOND VOICE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="bk1"><p><i><small>We proudly enter a new name in the science-fiction sweepstakes. This is
+Mr. Rubin's initial appearance in the field. His literary efforts to date
+add up quite handsomely, we think. <span class="smcap">QUOTE.</span> I have sold to the TV show,
+<span class="smcap">TALES OF TOMORROW</span> and two literary quarterlies have published my fiction.
+Last year I won the Stephen Vincent Ben&eacute;t Award for my one-act plays
+produced at Stanford University. <span class="smcap">UNQUOTE.</span> The reading pleasure is yours.</small></i></p></div>
+
+<div class="bk2"><h1><b>the<br />
+second<br />
+voice</b></h1>
+
+<h2><small><i>by ... Mann Rubin</i></small></h2>
+
+<p class="pr1"><big><b>Spud, world-famous dummy, talks
+to Mars with surprising results.</b></big></p></div>
+
+<p class="cap"><span class="scap">Crawford completed</span> the rehearsal
+in less than an hour. He
+listened to the orchestra run
+through its selections, okayed the
+song the guest vocalist had
+chosen, then finished up with a
+long dialogue between Spud and
+himself. When it was over he
+checked timing with the program
+director, made a few script
+changes and conferred briefly with
+a Special Service Officer about
+the number of troops the auditorium
+could hold. Everything
+was running smoothly. It was
+going to be a neat, action-packed
+show.</p>
+
+<p>Backstage he looked at his
+watch. He had almost two hours
+before the regular show began and
+he was restless. Two hours at
+Harlow Field could seem like two
+years. Guards and restrictions
+all over the place.</p>
+
+<p>Harlow Field was the largest
+experimental base in the world, a
+veritable garden of atoms, the
+proving grounds for every secret
+weapon ever imagined. The
+security and the tight regulations
+gave Crawford the jitters on each
+of his visits.</p>
+
+<p>He smoked a cigarette and
+tried making small talk with some
+of the soldiers on backstage detail.
+He posed for a picture and
+gave an interview to a reporter
+from an army newspaper, then
+excused himself and went to his
+dressing room with Spud propped
+in the crook of his arm.</p>
+
+<p>He was used to it now; the
+applause, the audiences, the pictures,
+the autographs, the fuss.
+Everywhere the response was the
+same. They had either seen him
+in the movies or on television or
+in the nightclubs, where he first
+broke in his act. Now they wanted
+to establish an identity with him,
+to touch the merchandise, to stand
+close so that they could write
+home about the visiting celebrity.
+Crawford was a realist. It was all
+part of being a name.</p>
+
+<p>It had taken him just five years
+to make the big time. Five years
+of road shows, coast-to-coast
+tours, one-night stands and a
+dummy named Spud to make him
+the hottest ventriloquist in the
+business. His act was tight, well-paced
+and popular. He had a
+weekly radio show, a television
+program and a seven-year contract
+with a major Hollywood
+studio. He was riding high.</p>
+
+<p>Still he hadn't forgotten the
+soldiers. Two months each year
+he took time off to travel the
+USO circuit. His agent tore his
+hair, reminding him of the
+financial losses, but the USO had
+given him his first break so he
+had always answered their call.
+He liked enthusiastic audiences
+and the cheering of laugh-hungry
+men made him happy. Entertainment
+was his business and he
+enjoyed exhibiting his talent. The
+wider the audience the better he
+liked it.</p>
+
+<p>His dressing room was located
+back of the auditorium. He closed
+the door behind him, put Spud on
+a chair and began getting out of
+his rehearsal clothes. He lit a
+cigarette and looked at himself
+in the mirror. He was tired and
+needed a shave. In the last week
+the pace had been fast. The USO
+tour still had a few days to run,
+but he was looking forward to its
+end. A vacation, the luxury of
+relaxation would all be his then.</p>
+
+<p>He opened a drawer of the
+dressing table and pulled out a
+bottle of Scotch. There were two
+hours to be killed before the
+show. He drank a shot and
+thought about it. A shower, a
+shave, a good dinner and a walk
+around the base would consume
+the time. After the show he would
+drive back to town and check in
+at a hotel for a good night's sleep.</p>
+
+<p>He was putting the bottle back
+in the drawer when a knock
+sounded on the door. He said
+"Come in," thinking it was one
+of the cast and didn't turn around.
+He heard the door open, glanced
+into the mirror and glimpsed
+Colonel Meadows, the Commanding
+Officer of Harlow Field, and
+a man in civilian clothes he didn't
+recognize. He turned around,
+reached for a bathrobe.</p>
+
+<p>"Don't mind us, Robbie," said
+the Colonel. "Just dropped by to
+say hello." He was a small,
+plump man and his face was always
+red and perspiring. Crawford
+knew him slightly from the
+other two times he had played
+Harlow Field, but this was the
+first time the Colonel had ever
+paid him a backstage visit.</p>
+
+<p>"Got a fan here who wants to
+meet you," continued the Colonel.
+"Shake hands with Dr. Paul Shalt,
+one of our base scientists. He and
+I just caught your rehearsal. Fine,
+very fine."</p>
+
+<p>The doctor's name struck a
+chord and Crawford dug deep
+until it focused. Dr. Paul Shalt
+was a physicist working with the
+army. He specialized in the development
+of radar, was the chief
+developer of the electrical detonator
+used in atomic bombs.</p>
+
+<p>"I enjoyed your performance
+very much," said Dr. Shalt. "Your
+voice is extraordinary." He had
+a smooth, angular face, black
+hair and black, penetrating eyes.
+"Amazing range."</p>
+
+<p>"Thanks," said Crawford.</p>
+
+<p>"And the clearness of tone is
+phenomenal," said Dr. Shalt.
+"Has it always been like that?"</p>
+
+<p>Crawford nodded. "When I
+was a kid it embarrassed me, my
+voice," he said, smiling. "A trick
+voice, everybody called it. But
+it's a definite asset to a practitioner
+of the art of ventriloquism."</p>
+
+<p>"You should have seen Dr.
+Shalt while you were on stage,"
+said Colonel Meadows, beaming
+at him. "He was running all over
+the auditorium testing your voice
+with one of his gadgets."</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>Crawford grinned. "I didn't
+realize I moved my audience so."</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Shalt laughed. "What
+Colonel Meadows says is true.
+I'm <i>very</i> interested in your vocal
+range. While you rehearsed I
+tested the quality and sound of
+your tone." He stopped, looked
+around the room until he discovered
+Spud where Crawford
+had put him on the chair. He
+walked over to the dummy and
+touched the wooden head with his
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Actually it's a <i>second voice</i>,
+that sound and vibration you use
+for Spud. It's perfect, perfect for
+what I need, that second voice."</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Shalt put the dummy back
+in the position he had found him
+in, reached into his pocket and
+brought out a small glass-enclosed
+instrument which he held in front
+of him.</p>
+
+<p>"Do you know what this is?"
+he asked, approaching the dressing
+table.</p>
+
+<p>"Never saw it before," Crawford
+said, examining the gadget.
+A small arrow flickered nervously
+within a glass cage.</p>
+
+<p>"It's called a Voice Oscillator,"
+explained Dr. Shalt. "It's sensitive
+to the slightest tonal inflection.
+We use it to measure the
+pitch and volume of a human
+voice."</p>
+
+<p>"What's all this got to do with
+me?" Crawford asked.</p>
+
+<p>"This&mdash;we want to use the
+voice of Spud for an experiment.
+A very important experiment.
+With your permission, we'd like
+to do it immediately."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm afraid that's impossible,"
+said Crawford. "I have a show
+in about&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"Our equipment is all set up,"
+interrupted the doctor. "The
+entire test will take forty-five
+minutes. We'll have you back in
+no time."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford frowned. He was
+tired and he'd looked forward to
+relaxing a while before the show.
+"Couldn't we make it some other
+time," he said.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>The Colonel spoke then. "Robbie,
+do you remember reading
+four years ago that our radar
+system was able to beam signals
+to the moon and have them returned?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sure," said Crawford. "It got
+a big play in all the newspapers."</p>
+
+<p>"Well, our scientists are now
+ready to conduct a similar experiment,"
+said Colonel Meadows.
+"This time to Mars."</p>
+
+<p>"To Mars!" repeated Crawford,
+wondering what it had to do with
+him.</p>
+
+<p>"Only this time we plan to send
+a <i>voice</i>, a human voice that can
+travel through interstellar space,"
+said Dr. Shalt.</p>
+
+<p>"But that's impossible!" Crawford
+exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p>"With the average voice, yes,"
+said Dr. Shalt. "Cosmic disturbances
+would drown out a normal
+voice amplified a thousand times
+beyond its regular frequency. But
+a voice in a higher octave&mdash;like
+your second voice ... Well, we
+believe there's a certain resonant
+intonation which can be curved
+and regulated in any direction,
+in the voice you use for your
+dummy."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford nodded.</p>
+
+<p>"Spud's voice contains that
+quality," continued Dr. Shalt. "I
+believe it can reach Mars and
+bounce back. I'm asking you to
+be the first man ever to throw his
+voice to another planet."</p>
+
+<p>There was quiet for a moment
+when he finished. Crawford's
+cigarette had gone out and he
+relit it. The smoke steadied him.
+Outside, in the auditorium the
+orchestra had begun to rehearse
+again.</p>
+
+<p>"Where's the station set-up?"
+asked Crawford finally.</p>
+
+<p>"It's right here on the field,
+Robbie," Colonel Meadows said
+quickly. "We've had it under
+wraps for the last eight months.
+It'll be a tremendous thing if it
+works."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford dragged on his
+cigarette a last time and stamped
+it out. He walked over to Spud,
+lifted the dummy into position in
+the crook of his arm.</p>
+
+<p>"What do you say, Crawford?"
+asked Dr. Shalt. There was a note
+of urgency in his voice.</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know," said Crawford
+slowly. "My crazy voice is my
+bread and butter. Can't you use
+somebody else? Somebody whose
+voice isn't his life?"</p>
+
+<p>"We've wasted weeks testing
+every man on this field," said Dr.
+Shalt solemnly. "The average
+voice becomes static as soon as
+it gets past Earth's atmosphere.
+But your voice can break through.
+I've studied every vibration, every
+quiver of it. It bends and flexes
+with each cosmic pressure. You
+<i>must</i> let us try."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford looked at Colonel
+Meadows.</p>
+
+<p>"Robbie, I promise you there's
+no danger involved," the Colonel
+said. "There's been a great deal
+of time and effort put into this
+project and we'd like to see it
+work. This week Mars and Earth
+are the closest they'll be for the
+next three years, so it must be
+done <i>now</i>. It's your duty to help
+in this important project."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford nodded. The matter
+of patriotism and duty had not
+occurred to him. "Of course,
+Colonel, I'll be glad to help."</p>
+
+<p>He looked down at the dummy.
+"What do you say, Spud? Want
+to be the first voice to reach
+Mars?"</p>
+
+<p>"Sounds crazy," came the high,
+squeaking reply. "But it ought to
+put us in the history books."
+Spud's glass eyes shifted to the
+other two men in the room and
+one lid winked. "Calling Mars!
+This is Spud O'Malley, old quiver
+voice himself, coming in for a
+landing."</p>
+
+<p>"Good! You'll do it," said Dr.
+Shalt excitedly. "And if we succeed
+the publicity will be worldwide."</p>
+
+<p>"Sure," said Crawford. "An
+actor likes publicity. But are you
+sure my voice won't be strained?"</p>
+
+<p>"I'm sure," Dr. Shalt said.
+"You'll be talking into a microphone
+in the same tone you use
+for a broadcast. Nothing more."</p>
+
+<p>"How long will it take?" asked
+Crawford.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Shalt checked his watch.
+"Fifteen minutes for the voice to
+reach Mars and fifteen minutes
+for its return." He took out a
+black notebook from his jacket
+pocket and began to outline the
+plan while Colonel Meadows put
+through a call to the laboratory.</p>
+
+<p>Spud's voice was to be relayed
+directly to a giant amplifying unit
+which would project it into space.
+Those regulating the voice in the
+control room would hear nothing
+but vibrations because of the high
+frequency it would immediately
+attain while passing through. Only
+on its return from Mars would
+Spud's voice become audible on
+Earth. It sounded fantastic but
+Dr. Shalt spoke of it as if it were
+a certainty and Crawford knew he
+was recognized as a great scientist.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later Colonel
+Meadows hung up the phone.
+He said excitedly, "Everything's
+set. All the equipment is ready
+and there's a command car waiting
+outside."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford caught a quick
+glimpse of himself in the mirror.
+No shower, no shave, no quiet
+dinner, no walk; all that would
+have to come later. He'd been
+hooked. "I'm ready any time you
+are," he said. He folded Spud
+in his arms and followed the two
+men to the door.</p>
+
+<p>They did not speak much in
+the car. The laboratory was on
+the Northern rim of the field, a
+ten-minute drive from the auditorium.
+Approaching the building,
+Crawford noticed the high
+radar towers and the steel fences
+surrounding its frame. They rode
+past three different guard posts
+and numerous military policemen
+before the car halted at the main
+entrance.</p>
+
+<p>Immediately they were ushered
+into a small broadcasting studio
+which was soundproofed and
+closed off by a heavy metal door.
+This was Dr. Shalt's home
+grounds and he took charge.</p>
+
+<p>A microphone had been set up
+and Dr. Shalt had Crawford test
+Spud's voice while a technician
+in the control booth measured it
+acoustically. After an exact tone
+had been determined for the amplification
+unit, Dr. Shalt briefed
+him on some details, patted him
+on the back and disappeared into
+the control booth followed by
+Colonel Meadows.</p>
+
+<p>Crawford lit another cigarette
+and smoked nervously while he
+awaited the go-ahead signal.
+There was a dry tightness in his
+throat and he concentrated on
+relaxing his tension.</p>
+
+<p>High on the studio wall a large
+clock hacked away at the seconds,
+and behind the glass fa&ccedil;ade of the
+control booth he could see Dr.
+Shalt and his assistant manipulating
+dials on an intricate panel. It
+was almost three minutes before
+he heard another sound beside the
+creak of his own impatient footsteps.
+Then Dr. Shalt's voice
+came on the feed-back, the
+speaker system connecting the
+studio with the booth.</p>
+
+<p>"Crawford, talk into the mike
+when we flash you the sign. Keep
+talking for a minute. And remember&mdash;it's
+just another broadcast.
+Good luck."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford nodded, deposited
+the cigarette in an ashtray. He
+moved into position and slid his
+fingers along the inner wires of
+Spud's back until they fitted into
+place. Spud's head came alive.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Shalt brought his right hand
+down in a long, sweeping motion.
+A bright red bulb above the control
+booth winked into life. Robbie
+Crawford went into his act.</p>
+
+<p>Inside the booth Dr. Shalt,
+Colonel Meadows and a technician
+watched Crawford performing
+in pantomime and listened to
+the strange vibrations emanating
+from the speaker. They could distinguish
+no understandable sound
+for the amplifier had lifted the
+voice beyond human hearing as it
+released it to the stratosphere.
+They sat quietly, content to wait
+for the voice to return from its
+long, lonely journey.</p>
+
+<p>Crawford spoke until he saw
+Dr. Shalt signal for a conclusion.
+A moment later the red bulb
+blinked out and the broadcast
+was ended. Crawford felt cold
+and his hands were perspiring
+freely. He saw the beaming face
+of Colonel Meadows motioning
+him to come inside the booth. He
+wiped his face, and coughed to
+relieve the tension in his throat.</p>
+
+<p>The Colonel was the first to
+greet him as he entered the booth,
+and his handshake was enthusiastic
+and firm. Dr. Shalt remained
+bent over one of the instrument
+boards rotating a dial, but looked
+up and nodded excitedly.</p>
+
+<p>"It will be another ten minutes,"
+he said. "Sit down. I've sent out
+for some supper."</p>
+
+<p>"How did it go?" Crawford
+asked.</p>
+
+<p>"Good! Good! By now it's half
+way to its destination."</p>
+
+<p>An orderly came in with a tray
+of sandwiches and coffee and for
+the next few minutes they ate and
+Dr. Shalt described the intricacies
+of the operation. The technician
+stayed glued to the receiver, earphones
+resting lightly across his
+head.</p>
+
+<p>After ten minutes Dr. Shalt
+stood up and looked at his watch.
+"It's time," he said. "Turn up the
+resonator." He moved closer to
+the receiving set as the others
+gathered around him. The low
+hum of the monitor signal became
+louder as the technician
+switched on a new lever. The
+static emerging from the speaker
+thickened, obliterating all other
+noises. Another two minutes
+went by....</p>
+
+<p>Crawford watched it all, aware
+of the tension and anxiety on each
+face, feeling the throbbing excitement
+himself. So they stood,
+tensely expectant, awaiting the
+return of his voice....</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the technician whispered,
+"I've got it! It's coming! I
+hear it returning!" He swung
+around, offering his earphones to
+Dr. Shalt, who grabbed for them
+hurriedly. The scientist raised
+the cups to his ear and waited.
+The room fell into deeper silence.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, yes, it's the voice! Turn
+up the resonator to full volume!
+We've got it! The voice is completing
+the circuit!" Dr. Shalt said
+tensely.</p>
+
+<p>The technician turned another
+dial as far as it would go. The
+sound of the static rose to a roar.
+Then abruptly the static broke,
+died out and a strange new sound
+came in. It was Spud! Spud's
+voice creeping back from a trip
+to Mars, thirty-five million miles
+away!</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Hello.... This is the voice of
+Spud O'Malley. I speak to you
+from Harlow Field in the United
+States of America. My voice is
+being sent to you by a newly invented
+Amplification Unit developed
+by Dr. Paul Shalt at this
+experimental base. This is the
+first time such an operation has
+ever been tried. We extend our
+heartiest greetings, our deepest
+felicitations ...</i>"</p>
+
+<p>It went on, the high, squeaking
+voice, friendly, humorous, alive;
+sending back to them the words
+that Crawford had spoken into
+the microphone a few minutes
+before.</p>
+
+<p>Crawford studied the faces of
+the other men. They had worked
+and planned a long time for this
+single moment, the realization of
+a long pursued dream. Colonel
+Meadows was rubbing his hands
+together gleefully. The voice was
+reaching its climax. Success was
+assured. History had been made!</p>
+
+<p>There was a little silence as
+Spud finished speaking. The technician
+reached across leisurely
+to shut off the resonator.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly the voice started
+again. The technician's hand
+froze in mid-air. The same high,
+squeaking tone, the same inflections,
+the same pitch. But
+this time it was commanding, authoritative.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>This is Mars. We have received
+your voice. We know of
+you, know your language. We
+want you to know that we do not
+like intruders. We want no contact
+with you. Seek us out no
+more. The voice was received
+clearly. It fits our frequency well.
+We will keep it so that no more
+communication from you is possible.
+Let this be a warning. Stay
+away! We do not want you!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>The voice stopped and there
+was silence again. Then Colonel
+Meadows chuckled. "Very clever,
+Crawford! You really startled me
+for a moment."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Dr. Shalt, smiling.
+"So you made a little joke at the
+end. Very clever."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford's back was to them
+as he stared at the loudspeaker.
+His face was contorted in a surprised
+grimace and the flesh was
+suddenly white and lifeless. He
+turned to face them, his body
+rigid and his mouth trembling as
+he whispered:</p>
+
+<p>"That voice&mdash;that last voice&mdash;it
+wasn't mine! <i>That wasn't me
+speaking!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Shalt laughed. "Superb
+actor. A great performance, Mr.
+Crawford. We are most grateful
+to you."</p>
+
+<p>"Robbie's a born comedian,"
+added Colonel Meadows, his eyes
+sparkling with the humor of the
+situation. "Never misses a chance
+to clown."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't you understand&mdash;<i>it
+wasn't my voice</i>!" screamed Crawford.
+He looked from one man
+to another, his eyes pleading for
+belief. "The second part was not
+mine!"</p>
+
+<p>They stared at him, their smiles
+fading.</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Meadows said, "What
+do you mean, Robbie?"</p>
+
+<p>"Didn't you hear when I spoke?
+I never said those last things.
+Didn't you hear what I said?"</p>
+
+<p>The technician answered him.
+"We didn't hear a thing, Mr.
+Crawford. The amplification was
+too high. It was nothing but
+mumbling when it passed through
+this room." He looked at Dr.
+Shalt for confirmation.</p>
+
+<p>"I explained that to you myself,"
+said the doctor. "You could
+have recited the Gettysburg Address
+and we'd never have known
+until it returned."</p>
+
+<p>Crawford stared down at the
+limp form of Spud hanging across
+his arm. He ran a hand across
+his eyes, dropped the dummy
+onto the desk. Turning back to
+Dr. Shalt, he began to speak in a
+taut, controlled voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Dr. Shalt, I swear to you that
+was not my voice at the end. I
+finished with a goodbye. The
+voice that spoke after that moment
+of silence was somebody
+else's voice. It's up to you to find
+out whose."</p>
+
+<p>"Don't be absurd," said Dr.
+Shalt, irritably. "That was <i>your</i>
+voice, <i>your</i> pitch. The voice of
+your dummy, Spud." He wasn't
+going to be taken in by any
+warped sense of humor. Robbie
+Crawford was the best ventriloquist
+in America. He was also
+noted for his practical jokes. "An
+experiment of this magnitude
+shouldn't be treated so lightly,"
+he added acidly.</p>
+
+<p>"You've got to believe me!"
+screamed Crawford. His voice was
+choked and his pale face was
+glistening with perspiration. "It
+was someone else, imitating my
+ventriloquist voice! I swear it was
+not me!"</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Meadows sat down
+abruptly. The technician ran
+from the booth and returned a
+moment later with a glass of
+water. Colonel Meadows motioned
+for him to give it to Crawford.</p>
+
+<p>The ventriloquist gulped down
+the water, then went over and sat
+down beside the Colonel.</p>
+
+<p>"Look," he said quietly. "I'm
+not joking and I'm not out of my
+head. It was a shock to hear a
+voice so like my own, to hear it
+threaten us, to know that it's traveling
+from another world. It's
+like hearing an echo that shouldn't
+be."</p>
+
+<p>The Colonel exchanged a puzzled
+look with Dr. Shalt. After a
+moment the doctor reached down
+and picked the dummy up and
+brought it to Crawford.</p>
+
+<p>"Crawford, listen to me." His
+voice was gentle, sympathetic.
+"Perhaps you've been working
+too hard. These USO trips, the
+rehearsal, the excitement of the
+last hour. Maybe you forgot what
+you said, or said more than you
+recall."</p>
+
+<p>"I remember everything I said,"
+Crawford said quietly. "I stopped
+when you gave me the signal.
+That voice came after I stopped.
+Can't you check&mdash;?"</p>
+
+<p>A phone in the back of the
+control booth rang sharply and
+Colonel Meadows answered it.
+He spoke for a few moments,
+then hung up. "That was the
+stage manager calling from the
+main auditorium. You've got ten
+minutes before the show. How do
+you feel?"</p>
+
+<p>Crawford blinked in surprise.
+He had almost forgotten the program.
+He tried to rise, found his
+legs trembling.</p>
+
+<p>"He's in no condition to put
+on a show," said Dr. Shalt. "Better
+postpone it."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no, I'm okay," protested
+Crawford, walking around the
+small floor, exercising his hands.
+"It's my show. They're waiting
+for me. Let's get going."</p>
+
+<p>In the car, during the ride to
+the auditorium, he did not speak.
+He sat with Spud resting snugly
+against his chest, drumming his
+fingers on an arm rest while
+Colonel Meadows and Dr. Shalt
+talked, tried to convince him of
+the invalidity in his reasoning.
+There was a simple explanation
+for the voice; either he had forgotten
+part of his speech or maybe
+some amateur radio ham had
+somehow managed to pick up
+their signal and was playing a
+joke. He was too intelligent a
+man to be frightened by such
+coincidence. They spoke to him
+reassuringly all during the ride.
+At the stage door he thanked
+them, then went inside the auditorium
+to give his performance.</p>
+
+<p>The ovation that greeted him
+was tremendous. The orchestra
+played his theme and an army announcer
+introduced him as the
+Number One ventriloquist in the
+world. He walked out slowly
+from the wing, waving and grinning
+at the audience with Spud
+sitting erect on his arm.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers roared and
+whistled as Spud's head spun,
+drooped and tilted in the opening
+routine that he was famous for.
+Crawford stopped in the middle
+of the stage, rested his foot on a
+chair that had been provided, sat
+Spud on his knee. The applause
+dwindled gradually and the other
+members of the cast moved into
+their positions. The army announcer
+walked forward to engage
+Crawford in conversation&mdash;to
+feed him questions that would
+be answered in Spud's high,
+squeaky voice.</p>
+
+<p>"Hi, Robbie, Spud," said the
+announcer. "What took you so
+long getting here?"</p>
+
+<p>It was Spud's answer. All eyes
+focused on the dummy's face as
+it bent forward and its mouth
+opened slowly. A wooden hand
+moved up and scratched a wooden
+head. But only a gurgle came out
+of the open mouth!</p>
+
+<p>The announcer looked at
+Crawford, motioned him to speed
+up. "Speak up, Spud. Can't hear
+a word you're saying. No time
+to be bashful."</p>
+
+<p>Again the dummy's mouth
+opened, the head bobbed and the
+eyes blinked. The gurgle became
+a half-strangled gasp. It whined
+unsteadily a few moments then
+broke off completely. The cast
+in the wings began to stir nervously.
+Crawford was obviously
+straining. A vein throbbed in the
+center of his forehead and his
+lips were tight over his teeth.</p>
+
+<p>"Stage fright," he said in an
+aside to the audience. Turning
+his head aside, he coughed and
+cleared his throat and pretended
+to whisper with Spud. "Speak
+up, Pal. This is what we rehearsed
+for."</p>
+
+<p>The mouth of the dummy
+flapped up and down without
+cadence. The soldiers snickered,
+squirmed restlessly. A sound
+started, a low, plaintive wail that
+broke into a dirge and finally into
+a wild shriek from Crawford's
+lips. He screamed and kicked
+over the chair his foot was
+balanced on. The dummy toppled
+to the floor.</p>
+
+<p>"I can't! I can't! My voice is
+gone!" He was screaming and
+clutching at his throat, trying to
+loosen his collar. The curtains
+closed behind him as soldiers
+leaped to their feet all over the
+auditorium.</p>
+
+<p>He screamed, "I've lost my
+second voice! They took it from
+me! The Martians stole my
+voice!"</p>
+
+<p>The announcer grabbed his
+arms then and tried to lead him
+from the stage. Crawford shoved
+him away.</p>
+
+<p>"They took it," cried Crawford.
+"No matter what they tell
+you, the Martians took Spud's
+voice. It fitted their frequency.
+They'll use it to reach Earth! I
+can't get it back!"</p>
+
+<p>Colonel Meadows and several
+MPs who were stationed in the
+wings came out and dragged him
+from the platform.</p>
+
+<p>The G.I. audience remained
+silent a moment longer, then
+broke into loud, nervous rumbling.
+Seconds later Colonel
+Meadows returned to the microphone
+and held up his hand until
+the confusion died down. He
+explained briefly about Dr. Shalt's
+experiment and how Crawford
+had been asked to participate.
+He told how a human voice had
+been sent to Mars for the first
+time and how Crawford had
+suffered a temporary shock on
+hearing his voice return from this
+journey.</p>
+
+<p>He assured the audience that
+Crawford would receive the best
+medical care and would probably
+be back performing at the field
+in a few short weeks. He asked
+the soldiers to remain in their
+seats and let the show continue
+out of respect for a great performer.</p>
+
+<p>The orchestra began the refrain
+of a popular song and the
+guest vocalist appeared wearing
+a white strapless evening gown.
+She blew warm, friendly kisses to
+the soldiers. The response she
+received was a healthy one.</p>
+
+<p>And the show went on....</p>
+
+<div class="trn"><div class="figt"><a href="images/001-2.jpg"><img src="images/001-1.jpg" width="140" height="200" alt="" title="" /></a></div>
+
+<p><b><big>Transcriber's Note:</big></b></p>
+
+<p>This etext was produced from <i>Fantastic Universe</i> March 1954.
+Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
+copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
+typographical errors have been corrected without note.</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Second Voice, by Mann Rubin
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author	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 02:48:27 -0700
committer	Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org>	2025-10-15 02:48:27 -0700
commit	ed168edea2b731cad090c1138fac610ba3b6bb11 (patch)
tree	8466fa96567c037e1c339cb8b85ebce9b9cdb292 /29910-h