Professor Lightning beamed, and his eyes glittered brighter and
brighter. "Limb regeneration," he said, and his voice was as soft and
quiet as if he'd been talking about the most beautiful woman in the
world. "Limb regeneration."
* * * * *
Charley waited a long minute before he admitted to himself that he
didn't have the faintest idea what the professor was talking about.
"What?" he said at last.
Professor Lightning shook his head slightly. "Charley," he said softly,
"you're an Armless Wonder. That's right, isn't it?"
"Sure it is, professor," Charley said. "You know that. I was born that
way. Made a pretty good thing out of it, too."
"Well," Professor Lightning said, "you don't have to be one. Can you
realize that?"
Charley nodded slowly. "Sure I don't," he said. "Only it's pretty good
money, you know? And there's no sense in sitting around back home and
feeling sorry for myself, is there? I mean, this way I can make money
and have a job and--"
"No," Professor Lightning said emphatically.
Charley blinked. "No?" he said.
Professor Lightning shook his head, meaningfully. "Charley, my boy," he
said, "I don't mean that you should go home and mope. But think about
this: suppose you had your arms? Suppose you had two arms, just like
everybody else."
"Why think about anything like that?" Charley said. "I mean, I am what I
am. That's the way things are. Right?"
"Wrong," Professor Lightning said. "I can give you arms, Charley. I can
make you normal. Just like everybody else."
"Well," Charley said. After a few seconds he said: "Gee." Then he said:
"You're kidding me, professor."
"I'm perfectly serious," Professor Lightning said.
"But--"
"Let me show you," Professor Lightning said. He stood up and went to the
flap of the tent. "Come with me," he said, and Charley got up, dumbly,
and followed him out into the cool darkness outside.
Later, Charley couldn't remember all that Professor Lightning had showed
him or told him. There were some strange-looking animals called
salamanders; Professor Lightning had cut their tails off and they'd
grown new tails. That, he said, happened in nature. But he had gone a
step farther. He had isolated the particular factor that made such
regrowth possible.
Charley remembered something about a molecular lattice, but it didn't
make any sense to him, and was only a puzzle. But the professor told him
all about the technique, in a very earnest and scientific voice that was
convincing to listen to, and showed him mice that he'd cut the tails off
of, and the mice had brand-new tails, and even feet in one or two cases.
There were a whole lot of small animals in cages, all together in back
of the professor's tent, and Charley looked at all of them. The
professor had a flashlight, and everything was very clear and bright.
When the demonstration was over, Charley had no doubts at all. It was
obvious to him that the professor could do just what he said he could
do: grow limbs on things. Charley scratched his head with his left foot,
nervously.
"That's why I came to you," the professor said. "I need a human
being--just to show the scientific world that my technique works on
human beings. And I've worked with you for a number of years now,
Charley."
"Five," Charley said. "Five since you came with Wrout."
"I like you," the professor said. "I want to make you the first, the
very first, person to be helped by my technique."
Charley shifted his feet. "You mean you want to give me arms," he said.
"That's right," the professor said.
"No," Charley said.
* * * * *
Professor Lightning nodded. "Now, then," he said. "We'll get right to
work on ... Charley, my boy, what did you say?"
Charley licked his lips. "I said no," he said.
Professor Lightning waited a long minute. "You mean you don't believe
me," he said at last. "You think I'm some sort of a crackpot."
"Not at all," Charley said politely. "I guess if you say you can do this
... well, I see all the animals, and everything, and I guess you can do
it. That's O.K."
"But you're doubtful," Professor Lightning said.
Charley shook his head. "No," he said. "You can do it, all right. I
guess I'm sure of that, professor."
[Illustration]
"Then," the professor said, in a tenser voice, "you think it might be
dangerous. You think you might be hurt, or that things might not work
out right, or--"
"Gee," Charley said, "I never thought of anything like that, professor.
I know you wouldn't want to hurt me."
"I certainly wouldn't," Professor Lightning said. "I want to help you. I
want to make you normal. Like everybody else."
"Sure," Charley said uncomfortably.
"Then you'll do it," Professor Lightning said. "I knew you would,
Charley. It's a great opportunity. And I offered it to you because
you--"
"Gee, I know," Charley said, feeling more uncomfortable than ever. "And
don't think I don't appreciate it. But look at it my way, professor." He
paused. "Suppose I had two arms--just like everybody else, the way you
tell me. What would happen to me?"
"Happen?" Professor Lightning blinked. "Why, Charley ... why, you could
do anything you liked. Anything. You'd have the same opportunities as
anybody else. You could be ... well, my boy, you could be anything."
"Could I?" Charley said. "Excuse me for talking about this, professor,
but I've had a lot of time to think about it. And it's all sort of new
to you. I mean, you weren't born the way I was, and so you just don't
understand it."