A ripple of mirth swept the class. The woman flushed a dull red. Her
violet eyes blazed hate at the Historian. The Historian smiled with
the cold assurance of a great race examining a primitive savage.
He knew that this was an old story to her. That she had been well
educated. There was a great deal of cruelty in these supermen.
Historian Z11 took it out on the Last Woman.
The sun was sinking, long black shadows crept across the floor.
Suddenly an orange beacon blazed far across the city. Night was coming
and this mighty city was preparing to continue its work. Only the Last
Woman felt depressed. The night suggested death and the Last Woman was
the only one on that Planet who was fore-doomed to die without a single
helping hand. Her brain would not be transferred.
The class turned to go. It was almost time for their class in Matrix
Calculus. A single Martian lingered looking at the woman.
"Anachronism!" he hissed.
Martians were like that.
The woman rose wearily from her couch. The robot had come for her. The
little metal car driven by atomic energy awaited. The woman entered
and was whisked away. The night wind whistled through the deserted
building. The last rays of the dying sun fell full on a statue in one
corner of the building. It was a statue of Niobe--a relic of ancient
Greece. The statue seemed to be weeping. Was she weeping for the Last
Woman? No one could tell.
* * * * *
The patrol ship IPPP56 was returning to earth with Explorer X12 who had
been wrecked on the asteroid Ceres for six earth months. The Commander
V15 was well pleased. He had searched for months for the Explorer X12.
Several months ago a black derelict came hurtling through space along
his patrol route. On examination the derelict had turned out to be
the missing explorer's space ship. A great meteor had torn completely
through the stern wrecking the atomic motors and letting his precious
atmosphere out into space.
There was no sign of his crew of Martians. After carefully plotting the
course of the derelict it was found that it had come from the asteroid
belt. So the patrol ship had set out in hopes of solving the mystery.
Twelve days before a flickering violet beam had been observed on Ceres.
On investigation the lost explorer had been picked up. They had lived
on the raw products of the giant fern vegetation of that planetoid. But
this is not a chronicle of the hardships that they had gone through. It
is sufficient to note that they were rescued.
Explorer X12 stood before a quartz window looking out at the blackness
of space. A few stars shone like diamond dust on black velvet. The
Commander entered the room and touched the explorer on the shoulder.
"Quite a change from the barren sky of Ceres, eh!" he said quietly.
"You were very lucky in preserving a violet light. You have had an
interesting adventure. The Scientists of the Council will be interested
in your story."
The explorer shrank back, his eyes wide open in fear, and his face pale.
"No!" he cried.
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know. You know of course that I ran out of Elixir."
"What! Man do you realize that your body has become accustomed to it.
What will the result be? Here, take a shot now."
Sudden fear shook the explorer in a palsy.
"I tried to. The first injection made me very sick. My body won't stand
it. I tell you I won't. I won't."
The Commander spoke slowly. "Come, you must brace up. Without Elixir
you will become an atavist. The first since the beginning of the
empire. The Council will condemn you to death. Do you want to become a
savage?"
The Explorer shuddered. Beads of perspiration broke out on his forehead.
"I can't now," he mumbled.
"Very well, but if you do not come out of this attack of protoplasmic
insanity I will have to report you to the Council." So saying this he
turned and left the room.
The space ship plunged on.
The Last Woman was before the Council--that body of the solar
system's greatest Scientists. Earthmen, Venusians, Martians, all
were represented here. At the head was the greatest brain on the
planet--Metal Man 89. He was the sole representative of that machine
civilization. The Council was tired of the Last Woman's attempt to take
a hand in interplanetary affairs. They had just warned her that if she
persisted the sentence of death would be passed on her.
Proudly she stood and looked the Council over, but it was the look of
a hunted beast. They were her superiors in every way and she knew it.
Slowly she turned and passed from the Council Chamber. As she left
Explorer X12 came in. Both stopped. What was this that stirred in the
breasts of both. Could it be that for the first time in over nineteen
thousand years love flamed? The explorer sucked in his breath. He was a
young man and still inhabited the body he was born with. The Last Woman
smiled and passed on.
* * * * *
The Council gave the explorer over to the Scientists to cure within
six months. He was temporarily classed as an atavist and a great deal
of interest was shown in his peculiar case. Why the man had actually
developed emotions. How primeval!
The Last Woman looked into the long mirror in her private rooms that
night and smiled. She was a beautiful woman from the viewpoint of
twenty thousand years ago. Well formed with golden hair, violet eyes,
cream complexion and with the grace of a gazelle. Suddenly she laughed,
for the first time in her life she had an interest in life and the
world. She was in love. If Psychologist M09 had seen her he would have
immediately diagnosed it that way. Why should I go against his opinion.
He should know, having delved deep into the nervous reactions of the
lower animals and the simians. A light footfall fell on her ears. She
turned with an exclamation for no one was allowed in her rooms. Only
the robots and they did not count. The explorer stood in the doorway
and held out his arms. The Last Woman needed no second invitation.
"It is death to be found here. You must go at once," the Last Woman
whispered hurriedly.
"It is death anyway. I have gone back to the past. I have spent the
evening in studying the old books in the library that described love
and life. I love you. I can't help it. What can I do?" The man's voice
was broken and his giant frame shook as with an ague.
"I thought you were under observation in the Medical Ward?"
"Yes, but I slipped out."
A gong rang loudly. The man gave a guilty start and started for the
door.
"Look for me tomorrow night." His last agonized whisper floated back
and he was gone.
The next day passed quickly. The Last Woman seemed to live in a dream
world. But as soon as she opened her eyes the spell was broken. A
shudder of horror shook her frame when she contemplated the gigantic
civilization she was trying to outwit. Part of the day she was in
the laboratory of Comparative Anatomy. Here her body was contrasted
with the females of the simians. Disgust claimed her as she heard the
Professor point out similarities between her beautiful form and the
shaggy anthropoids.
Explorer X12 worked feverishly in the great library catalog turning
card after card, searching, unceasingly searching. There was a chance
of winning to freedom since he had heard that morning of the completed
exploring vessels that were to take off for Alpha Centauri. Would he
never find it? Ah! Here it was, "Methods of Life, Psychology, and Mores
of the Primitive Savages Inhabiting Earth Prior to the Scientific
Empire." The reference was to the great mass of books, most of which
were worthless, in the building reserved for the pre-scientific period.
The worst fears of Psychologist M06 were being realized--the explorer
was going primitive. Already a hunted look had come into his eyes,
his attitude suggested stealth, and he trembled as he searched among
the millions of books that were indexed in the library. Selecting
several of the most pertinent books in regard to existence in a
primitive environment without all the modern appliances of the Science
Civilization, Explorer X12 left the building. But what was that? A Man!
Only Psychologist M06 who shook his head at the unreasoning attitude of
the explorer.
A flaming sun sank behind the tall buildings of the most wonderful
civilization the solar system had ever developed. Long purple shadows
chased one another along the pavement, an orange beacon rose from the
southern part of the city, while a man slunk furtively toward the
gigantic building that housed the Last Woman.
The Last Woman[1] watched the door in eager expectancy, for had not
Explorer X12 said that he would return? Ah! There were his footsteps.
The next moment she was in his arms sobbing with relief--for she was
just a woman although highly civilized. The man was incoherent with joy
and whispered rapidly.
[Footnote 1: Those who read this manuscript will wonder why the
Last Woman did not have a number. There was no place in the Science
Civilization for a woman. She was called simply the Last Woman.]
"There is a chance that we can get away. Do you remember the expedition
that was to start to Alpha Centauri? The cruisers have been completed
and all equipment has been placed aboard. We can slip away in one of
the cruisers. They are the fastest ships in the solar system."
"Where could we go--there is no place in the solar system we can
hide. Don't you see that if we escape it is a blow at the Science
Civilization? There have been no mistakes or failures since the
beginning nineteen thousand years ago. That is why the Earthmen rule.
Where could we go?" The woman's attitude suggested dejection.
"They are going to Alpha Centauri, we will go to Polaris many light
years away."
"We will grow old and die before we get there. We cannot renew our
bodies or transfer our brains." And the woman began to sob.