Authentic Science Fiction Monthly No. 41 — page 82: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BOOGIE MATRIX From the rectangular win- dow of the annex Kratt and Rondo looked into Room 25. The latter resembled a small dentist’s surgery, containing a high manceuvrable metal chair with head rest, in which Zora Varney was strapped, and a massive instrument console with switches and meters, which was in the pro- cess of being adjusted by a white-coated technician. Zora was dressed in a simple grey uniform—blouse—tunic and slacks—which made her look shapeless and characterless. Rondo pointed out various features of the installation to the Commander. “The machine is a kind of electronic encephalograph, which simply records the brain currents in certain parts of the scalp. We are mainly interested in the alpha rhythm. In the normal person, the alpha rhythm is most apparent when external stimuli are zero, or at minimum. Sense data usually cause a corres- ponding defiection in the trace, and sometimes the alpha rhythm is obliterated.” He crossed to a tall in- strument panel in the annex, 81 in the centre of which was a large blank video screen. “This is the visual display unit,” he explained. “The waveform of the alpha rhythm can be shown on this screen. Now a characteristic of synap- sin is that it greatly increases the synapse resistance of nerve and brain-cell junctions. As a result, sense-data have very little influence on the form of the basic trace—in fact, the alpha rhythm is most pro- nounced, clean and regular. This is to be expected, be- cause the associative processes of the brain are inhibited by the drug. Alpha rhythm is the sign of cerebral inactivity.” “I see,” said Kratt. The technician had strapped an electrode web on to Zora’s head, after which he operated controls on the en- cephalograph. Rondo adjusted the monitor until a green, undulating line appeared on the screen—a series of regu- larly disposed, sharp peaks glowing steadily on the re- cessed video panel. “There you have the basic alpha rhythm—Zora Var- ney’s brain waves,” he said. “What happens now?” comicbooks.con