Hostess by X Minus One

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Hostess" by X Minus One

Podcast Information

• Title: Relic Radio Sci-Fi (Old Time Radio)
• Host/Author: RelicRadio.com
• Episode: Hostess by X Minus One
• Release Date: November 18, 2024

Overview

"Hostess" is a gripping science fiction narrative presented by Relic Radio's adaptation of the classic X Minus One series. This episode delves into themes of extraterrestrial interaction, biological anomalies, and the fragility of human relationships under extraordinary circumstances. Set against the backdrop of interstellar research and governmental secrecy, the story unfolds in a household where the arrival of an alien visitor unravels deep-seated tensions and hidden agendas.

---

Characters

• Rose Smollett: A dedicated and curious wife, keen on facilitating extraterrestrial research.
• Drake Smollett: Rose's husband, a member of the World Security Board with a mysterious background.
• Dr. Hark Tolan: An alien scientist from Hawkins Planet, tasked with researching Earth's unique biological phenomena.

---

Plot Overview

The narrative begins with Rose excitedly bringing home Dr. Hark Tolan, an extraterrestrial scientist from Hawkins Planet, for a private stay intended to advance medical research ("[02:07] Rose Smollett: We're going to have him here."). Despite Drake's initial reservations about accommodating an alien in their home, Rose convinces him of the potential scientific benefits, emphasizing the rarity of such opportunities ("[03:20] Rose Smollett: Because if he stays here for any length of time, I can study him real closely.").

As dinner progresses, tensions surface between Drake and Dr. Tolan. Drake expresses skepticism about the alien's benign nature, particularly concerning Dr. Tolan's reliance on cyanide for survival, highlighting the biological incompatibilities between humans and Hawkins Planet inhabitants ("[03:54] Drake Smollett: The Hawkinsight breathes cyanide. We'll just adapt ourselves to that, I suppose.").

The conversation shifts to Dr. Tolan's research on "inhibition death," a mysterious disease plaguing other intelligent races but supposedly immune to Earthmen. Dr. Tolan proposes a groundbreaking theory linking Earthmen's unique biology to their immunity, suggesting a parasitic sixth intelligence may be responsible ("[20:34] Dr. Hark Tolan: The inhibition death is entirely a disease of the mind."). This revelation ignites suspicion in Drake, leading him to confront Dr. Tolan aggressively to uncover the truth ("[19:57] Drake Smollett: What are your theories concerning the inhibition death?").

The climax unfolds as Drake, armed with a gun, forces Dr. Tolan to divulge his theories under the threat of cyanide deprivation. Dr. Tolan reveals that a parasitic intelligence infects Earthmen, facilitating mutual survival but at the cost of unrestrained growth—akin to human cancer—linking it to the disappearance of young men through the Missing Persons Bureau ("[21:27] Dr. Hark Tolan: Have you not surmised that the sixth intelligence is a native of Earth?").

In a dramatic twist, Drake exposes his complicity in the extraterrestrial agenda, explaining that humanity has evolved into a symbiotic relationship with the parasite, making eradication impossible without catastrophic consequences ("[25:23] Drake Smollett: We have no choice.").

The episode concludes with Rose grappling with the betrayal and the unsettling truth of her husband's allegiance, leaving listeners to ponder the implications of human-alien symbiosis and the ethical dimensions of such an arrangement.

---

Key Discussions and Insights

1. Extraterrestrial Biology and Adaptation:

   • Dr. Tolan's need for cyanide and his extraterrestrial physiology highlight the challenges of interspecies coexistence. His explanation of cyanide's role in his metabolism underscores the biological diversity across intelligent species ("[07:35] Dr. Hark Tolan: I hope you are not considering possible danger.").

2. Inhibition Death and Earth’s Unique Immunity:

   • The concept of inhibition death serves as a narrative device to explore Earth's unique biological immunity compared to other intelligent races. Dr. Tolan's theory suggests that Earthmen's immunity is tied to a parasitic intelligence, offering a fresh perspective on disease and evolution ("[20:34] Dr. Hark Tolan: The inhibition death is entirely a disease of the mind.").

3. Symbiosis vs. Parasitism:

   • Drake's revelation about the symbiotic relationship humanity shares with the parasitic intelligence challenges traditional notions of parasitism. This relationship, necessitated by mutual survival, raises questions about free will and the extent of control exerted by the parasite ("[25:23] Drake Smollett: We are together for all eternity.").

4. Government Secrecy and Ethical Dilemmas:

   • Drake's role within the World Security Board and his decision to suppress the truth point to themes of governmental secrecy and ethical compromises in the face of interstellar threats. The withholding of critical information from the public reflects real-world concerns about transparency and authority.

5. Human Relationships Under Strain:

   • The strain between Rose and Drake, exacerbated by the presence of Dr. Tolan, mirrors the broader societal tensions introduced by extraterrestrial interactions. The personal betrayal Rose experiences underscores the profound impact such encounters can have on individual relationships.

---

Notable Quotes

• Rose Smollett: "Because if he stays here for any length of time, I can study him real closely." — (02:14)
  Highlights Rose's scientific curiosity and willingness to bridge human-alien understanding.

• Dr. Hark Tolan: "The inhibition death is entirely a disease of the mind." — (20:34)
  Introduces the central scientific mystery driving the narrative.

• Drake Smollett: "We cannot kill them all." — (25:16)
  Reflects the moral complexities and inescapable realities faced by humanity.

• Dr. Hark Tolan: "There is no such thing as missing persons on our planet; we're always aware of each other's exact location." — (12:24)
  Contrasts Earth’s social structures with those of Hawkins Planet, emphasizing human uniqueness.

• Rose Smollett: "I finally learned why Drake had married me." — (25:10)
  Conveys Rose's realization of her husband's true allegiance and the depth of his involvement.

---

Conclusion

"Hostess" by X Minus One masterfully intertwines elements of classic science fiction with contemporary themes of trust, identity, and the ethical dimensions of interspecies relationships. Through its complex characters and thought-provoking plot, the episode challenges listeners to contemplate the consequences of humanity's interactions with alien intelligences and the foundational aspects of what makes us uniquely human.

Recommendations

Listeners who appreciate intricate science fiction narratives that explore psychological and societal themes will find "Hostess" particularly compelling. Its blend of suspense, intellectual inquiry, and emotional depth makes it a standout episode in the Relic Radio Sci-Fi collection.

Transcript

[Rose Smollett]

Relic Radio.

[Fred Collins]

This is Relic Radio. Sci Fi Old Time Radio Science fiction stories from relicradio.com.

[Drake Smollett]

Countdown for Blast Off. X/5. 4, 3, 2. X minus 1.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Fire.

[Narrator]

From the far horizons of the unknown come tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future, adventures in which you'll live in a million could be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science fiction magazine presents -1 tonight Hostess by Isaac Asimov.

[Rose Smollett]

I was so happy about it when I came home almost triumphant. I dashed in the front door, peeled off my gloves, threw my hat on the side table and tossed my coat over the back of a chair.

[Drake Smollett]

You missed supper, Drake.

[Rose Smollett]

We're going to have him here.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Who here?

[Drake Smollett]

What are you talking about?

[Rose Smollett]

The doctor from Hawkins planet. Didn't you realize that was what today's conference was about?

[Drake Smollett]

When you say the doctor from Hawkins planet, you mean the Hawkins site you've got at the institute?

[Rose Smollett]

Well, of course. Who else could I possibly mean?

[Drake Smollett]

May I ask what the devil you mean by saying we'll have him here?

[Rose Smollett]

Darling, the Hawkinsight would like to stay at a private house. Somewhere where he won't be bothered with official ceremony, where he'll be able to proceed more according to his own likes and dislikes. I find it quite understandable.

[Drake Smollett]

Whenever you start using formal sentences, I know you're hiding extreme irritation.

[Rose Smollett]

Well, you don't seem to be trying to hide it at all. What's the matter?

[Drake Smollett]

Look, I don't see where we've got room for extraterrestrial visitors.

[Rose Smollett]

Are you serious? He can stay in the spare room. Honestly, Drake, all we have to do is show a certain amount of adaptability.

[Drake Smollett]

Sure, just a little adaptability. The Hawkinside breathes cyanide. We'll just adapt ourselves to that, I suppose.

[Rose Smollett]

Carry cyanide in a little cylinder. You won't even notice it.

[Drake Smollett]

What else is there about them?

[Rose Smollett]

I won't notice nothing else. They're perfectly harmless. They're even vegetarians.

[Drake Smollett]

But what about us? Do we eat meat ourselves, or will that make us look like cannibals to him? I won't live on solids to suit him.

[Rose Smollett]

I warn you, Drake, it means very much to me.

[Drake Smollett]

Why?

[Rose Smollett]

Because if he stays here for any length of time, I can study him real closely. Very little work has been done on the biology and psychology of the individual Hawkins site, or of any of the extraterrestrial intelligences. Surely you must see the opportunity. He stays here. We speak to him, watch him, observe his habits.

[Drake Smollett]

Look, look, I've Spoken to men who are in charge of security groups watching various Hawkinsight missions on Earth. The missions stay in the rooms assigned to them. They don't leave for anything but the most important official business. They have nothing to do with Earth men. It's quite obvious that they. They're as revolted by us as I personally am by them.

[Rose Smollett]

Drake, he's a doctor. He's coming here for medical research. And I'll grant you that he probably doesn't enjoy staying with human beings and will probably find us perfectly horrible. But he must stay just the same.

[Drake Smollett]

All right, all right. Have it your own way. Sure you don't want any coffee?

[Rose Smollett]

No. Drake, you're not angry about this, are you?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

No.

[Drake Smollett]

No, I'm not angry.

[Rose Smollett]

Most of my friends had been surprised when I married Drake because they couldn't understand my marrying a policeman. I explained he wasn't simply a policeman. He was a member of the World Security Board. But most of the staff at the Institute thought it rather odd that I hadn't married a biologist, or at least an anthropologist, even a chemist, but certainly not a policeman. I was waiting for Drake with some apprehension that evening as I sat in the living room. Hark Tollen, the Hawkins site, was standing quietly in the middle of the room. He was not sitting, since he was not anatomically constructed to sit. He stood on two sets of limbs placed close, close together, while a third pair, entirely different in their construction, was suspended from a region that would have been the upper chest in the human being. His skin was hard, glistening and ridged. His face wore a distant resemblance to something alienly Bull. Vine.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Mrs. Smollett, you must forgive my English. Construction of my mouth, combined with the absence of incisors and canine teeth, is an obstacle to clear spleen.

[Rose Smollett]

I think. You speak very well.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Thank you.

[Rose Smollett]

My husband will be home soon, and then we'll eat.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Your husband?

[Rose Smollett]

Yes. You know Mr. Smollett.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Male, of course. You must forgive me, Mr. Smollett. Perhaps the greatest source of confusion among the five known races of the galaxy lies in the differences among them in regard to their sex life.

[Fred Collins]

They.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

The social institutions that grow around it.

[Rose Smollett]

I understand that the concept of husband.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

And wife, for instance, exists only on Earth. I can achieve a sort of intellectual understanding of what that means. Never an emotional one.

[Rose Smollett]

Dr. Tolan, I've consulted the Institute in preparing a menu, and I trust you'll find nothing in it that will upset you. Drake? Drake, is that you?

[Drake Smollett]

Yeah.

[Rose Smollett]

I'm in the living room, dear.

[Drake Smollett]

I suppose he's all delivered. Completely.

[Rose Smollett]

Drake, this is Dr. Hark, Tolan of Hawkins Planet. Dr. Tolan, my husband.

[Drake Smollett]

Good evening, Dr. Tolan.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Mr. Smollett.

[Drake Smollett]

Would you care for a drink?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I'm not particularly thirsty.

[Rose Smollett]

On Earth, there is a custom of drinking liquids which has been fortified with ethyl alcohol. We find it stimulating.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Oh, yes. Prayed then that I must decline. Ethyl alcohol would interfere most unpleasantly with my metabolism.

[Drake Smollett]

Well, so it does to Earth men, too. But I understand, Dr. Thorn, would you object to my drinking?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Of course not.

[Drake Smollett]

Good. I need one. A stiff one.

[Rose Smollett]

He stood at the table. I tried not to look at him as he ate. His wide, lipless mouth split his face alarmingly as he ingested food. And in chewing, his large jaws moved from side to side. There was evidence of his ungulate ancestry. I found myself wondering whether he would chew his cud later. And then I was afraid that Drake would get the same idea and leave the table and discuss. But he was taking everything quite calmly.

[Drake Smollett]

I imagine, Dr. Tolan, that the cylinder at your side holds cyanide.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Quite so.

[Drake Smollett]

Pure cyanide.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I hope you are not considering possible danger. I know the gas is highly poisonous to you, and I do not need a great deal. None of it emerges except when I actually suck at the tube, which is fixed at the corner of my mouth.

[Drake Smollett]

I see. And you really must have the gas to live.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Are you not the biologist, Mr. Smollett?

[Drake Smollett]

No, Dr. Tolan. Merely a minor government official. My wife's friends call me a policeman. Tell me what happens if you don't breathe cyanide. You just go like that?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Not quite. The absence of it would be equivalent to slow strangulation. It's also very painful, difficult to treat. I've done some research on the problem.

[Drake Smollett]

I find it difficult to keep thinking of you as a doctor.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I understand what you mean. I find it difficult to think of you as a policeman.

[Drake Smollett]

I gather that you're not here on a pleasure trip.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

No, then. To study this square planet you call Earth.

[Drake Smollett]

Where in what way?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

It is always amazing to me to find how little you Earth men understand your own characteristics. There are five intelligent races in the galaxy. Over and over, it is you Earth men, more than any of the others, who are unique. Your people are the only ones which find hydrogen cyanide poisonous. Yours is the only form of intelligent life which is carnivorous. Yours is the only form of life which has not developed from the grazing animal. And most interesting of all, yours is the only form of intelligent life known which stops growing upon reaching maturity.

[Drake Smollett]

Well, you don't look very large, Dr. Tolan, I should say that you're an inch taller than I, which would make you six foot two. Are you young, or are you just small? On Hawkins Planet, neither.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

We grow at a diminishing rate with the years, so that at my age, it would take 15 years to grow an additional inch. But we never entirely stop. And, of course, as a consequence, we never entirely die.

[Drake Smollett]

Did you hear that, Rose?

[Rose Smollett]

I never knew that before.

[Drake Smollett]

You mean people on Hawkins planet are immortal?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

No people are truly immortal. Few of us live more than several centuries of your time. Still, it is unpleasant. To think that death may come involuntarily is something which to us is extremely horrible.

[Drake Smollett]

Oh, we're quite used to it.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

You Earth men live with the thought. We do not. This is why we are disturbed to find that the incidence of inhibition death has been increasing in recent years.

[Drake Smollett]

What is this inhibition death?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

A pathological cessation of growth. It's a wasting disease. A tragic one. Absolutely incurable. Is fatal within a year. What causes it, Mr. Smollett, we know nothing about the cause of the disease.

[Drake Smollett]

Well, then why did you come to Earth to study it?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Because, again, Earth men are unique. They are the only intelligent beings who are immune. The inhibition death affects all other races. While Earth men are immune. Somewhere in the biochemistry of the Earthite there is the secret of that immunity. How interesting it would be to find it.

[Drake Smollett]

Well, now, look here. You can't say that Earth men are immune. From where I sit, it looks as if the incidence is 100%. All Earth men stop growing and all Earth men die. We've all got the inhibition death.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Earth men live up to 70 years after the cessation of growth. That is not death as we know it. Your equivalent disease is rather one of unrestrained growth. Cancer, you call it.

[Rose Smollett]

Drake was being pleasant to Dr. Tolan. I wasn't sure whether it was for my sake or for his own. Drake has never gone out of his way to please me. Sometimes when I'm gloomy, I look at him across the table and ask myself, why did he marry me? And suddenly, after dinner in the living room, Dr. Tolan asked a question which surprised me.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

You are a policeman, Mr. Smart?

[Drake Smollett]

Yes.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I wonder, could you show me through one of the police departments on your planet?

[Drake Smollett]

Well, I don't belong to a police department in exactly the way you imagine. However, I have some contacts in the New York City Department.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Would I be able to visit the Missing Persons Bureau?

[Drake Smollett]

Why are you interested in Missing Persons Bureau?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Because there again, you are unique. There's no such thing As a missing person on our planet we're always aware of each other's exact location, no matter where on the planet we might be.

[Rose Smollett]

Can you feel such awareness even now, on Earth?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

You mean across space? No, I'm afraid not. But you see the importance of the matter. All the uniqueness of Earth should be linked. If the lack of this sense can be explained, perhaps the immunity to inhibition death can be also. Tell me truthfully, Mr. Smollett, if Mrs. Smollett were to leave this room and enter another without your having seen her do so, would you really not be aware of her location?

[Drake Smollett]

I really would not.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Please do not be offended by the fact that I find it revolting as well.

[Rose Smollett]

Break. Break.

[Drake Smollett]

Yes, I'm awake.

[Rose Smollett]

Why were you talking about the inhibition death? Seductive Tolan?

[Drake Smollett]

I'm taking an interest in your work, Rose. You've always wanted me to take an interest.

[Rose Smollett]

I'd rather you weren't sarcastic.

[Drake Smollett]

Rose, I'm tired. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

[Rose Smollett]

No, right now.

[Drake Smollett]

I want no questions from you and no interference. You do your job and I'll do mine.

[Rose Smollett]

The nature of my job is open and known.

[Drake Smollett]

The nature of my job isn't by definition. But I'll tell you this. Our six legged friend is here in this house for some definite reason. You weren't picked as biologist in charge for any random reason. Two days ago he'd been inquiring about me at the commission. That's my job and I won't discuss it with you any further. Do you understand?

[Rose Smollett]

No. But I won't question you if you don't want me to.

[Drake Smollett]

All right. Go to sleep.

[Rose Smollett]

I lay stiffly on my back and the minutes passed. In the quarter hours I was trying to fit the pieces together. One picture remained clear in my mind. It hovered over me mockingly. At the end of the evening, the Hawkinsight had turned to me just before he left the room.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Good night, Mrs. Smith. You're a most charming hostess.

[Rose Smollett]

I wanted to giggle. Then how could he call me a charming hostess? To him I must have been a horror. A monstrosity with too few limbs and too narrow a face. But then I saw Drake. He turned white. For one instant his eyes had burned with something that looked like terror. I'd never before known Drake to show fear of anything. The picture of that instant of pure panic remained with me until all my thoughts finally sagged into the oblivion of sleep. I remember one question that nagged at me through the haze. Why did he marry me?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I found your missing Persons bureau interesting in that the large majority of missing persons are males.

[Rose Smollett]

Oh, well, that's not mysterious, Dr. Tolan. You simply didn't realize the economic setup we have on Earth.

[Drake Smollett]

My wife is an example of the minority of women who are capable of making their own way in the world.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Would you call the Missing Persons Bureau of New York? A fair sampling of such cases in the planet at large?

[Drake Smollett]

Yes, I should think so.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Is there then an economic explanation for the fact that since interstellar travel has been developed, the percentage of young males among the missing is more pronounced than ever?

[Drake Smollett]

That's even less of a mystery than the other. Nowadays, a runaway can hop the nearest space freighter. They're always looking for crewmen, no questions asked.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Almost always young men in their first year of marriage.

[Rose Smollett]

Well, that's just the time. A man's troubles seem the greatest. If he survives the first year, there's usually no need to disappear at all.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Would it offend you if I disconnected for a period of time?

[Drake Smollett]

Disconnected?

[Rose Smollett]

It's like sleep. I hope you haven't had too exhausting a day.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

It's just that I've been absorbing so many new and unusual concepts that I feel a desire for a little disconnection.

[Rose Smollett]

Drake, we've been sitting here for 10 minutes. Aren't you going to speak to me?

[Drake Smollett]

About what?

[Rose Smollett]

Last night you said you'd speak to me tomorrow. Well, I'm ready now.

[Drake Smollett]

I thought it was agreed that you wouldn't question me about my business in this matter.

[Rose Smollett]

I think it's too late for that. I know too much about your business by now.

[Drake Smollett]

What? What do you mean?

[Rose Smollett]

Drake, let go of my arm.

[Drake Smollett]

What are you talking about?

[Rose Smollett]

Dr. Tolan thinks that Earth is spreading the inhibition death purposely. That's it, isn't it?

[Drake Smollett]

Where did you get that idea?

[Rose Smollett]

It's true, isn't it?

[Drake Smollett]

I want to know exactly why you say that. Don't play games with me, Rose. This is the case.

[Rose Smollett]

Why don't you ask Dr. Tolan, now standing worker in the field? I looked over his papers this afternoon.

[Drake Smollett]

And what are his theories about the origin of the disease? Try to remember, Rose.

[Rose Smollett]

I. I think he blames Earth, but I think he admits they know nothing about how the disease is spread.

[Drake Smollett]

I'll find out about this right now.

[Rose Smollett]

Like, what are you going to do? What's that?

[Drake Smollett]

It's my gun. I'm going to ask him a few questions.

[Rose Smollett]

He ran out of the bedroom, down the corridor towards Dr. Tolan's room. I ran after him, caught him just as he entered the door. Hawkinsite was standing there motionless, his eyes unfocused his four standing limbs sprawled out in four directions as far as they would go.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Now keep quiet.

[Drake Smollett]

He'll gradually become aware of me. Get out of here.

[Rose Smollett]

No. Drake, what are you doing?

[Drake Smollett]

Quiet.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

There. You see?

[Drake Smollett]

The skin on his face is beginning to quiver. That's about all, Dr. Tolan. Don't throw in connection with any of the limbs. Your sense organs and the voice box will be quite enough.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Why do you invade my disconnection chamber? And why are you armed? What do you want?

[Drake Smollett]

The answer to certain questions with a.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Gun in your hand. Sorry, Mr. Smollett, that the duties toward a guest are so badly understood on Earth.

[Drake Smollett]

You're no guest of mine, Dr. Tolan. You entered my home under false pretenses.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

You had better shoot. We'll save time.

[Drake Smollett]

You are convinced that you'll answer no questions. Now, that in itself is suspicious. It seems that you consider certain answers to be more important than your life.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I consider the principle of courtesy to be very important. You, as an Earth man, may not understand.

[Drake Smollett]

Perhaps not. But I can understand one thing. Your cyanide cylinder. Suppose I pull it out of your mouth? Rose. Hold your breath until I close the valve.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

There.

[Drake Smollett]

All right. Tolan, you realize what will happen to you if you don't answer the questions I'm going to ask you? Cyanide lack. It would be a most uncomfortable death. I'm only an Earthman. I can't appreciate its true horrors. But you can, can't you?

[Rose Smollett]

Drake, give him the cylinder. Give it back to him.

[Drake Smollett]

You have about one hour, I think, until the effects are irreversible. Talk quickly, Dr. Tolman. You'll have your cyanide cylinder back.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

What are your questions?

[Drake Smollett]

What are your theories concerning the inhibition death? Why did you really come to Earth? What is your interest in the Missing Persons Bureau?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

For years, I have been investigating the cell structure of my patients suffering from inhibition death. I've been forced to use the utmost secrecy since the methods I used were frowned on by my people. Your society would have similar feelings against human vivisection, for instance. For this reason, I could not present the results I obtained to my fellow physicians until I'd verified my theories here on Earth.

[Drake Smollett]

And what are they?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

The inhibition death is entirely a disease of the mind.

[Rose Smollett]

You mean it's psychosomatic?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

No, Ms. Smollett, it is not psychosomatic. It is a true disease of the mind. A mental infection. My patients had double minds. Beyond and beneath the one that obviously belonged to them. There was evidence of another one, an alien mind. In short, there are not Only five intelligences in the galaxy but six. And the sixth is parasitic.

[Rose Smollett]

This is impossible. You must be mistaken, Doctor.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

No, I'm not mistaken. One can imagine such a parasite through the course of millions of years, perhaps losing all portions of its physical being. It will become nothing but pure mind, living in some mental fashion we cannot conceive of on the minds of others. Particularly on the minds of Earth men.

[Rose Smollett]

Why particularly Earth men?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Have you not surmised that the sixth intelligence is a native of Earth? Mankind, from the beginning, has lived with it, has adapted to it, is unconscious of it. It is why the higher species of terrestrial animals, including man, do not grow after maturity and eventually die. And it is what is called natural death. It is the result of this universal parasitic infestation, where Earth men could survive the infection for decades with little harm. We others die a quick death within a year. Give me back my cylinder. You have your answer.

[Drake Smollett]

What about the Missing Persons Bureau?

[Rose Smollett]

Drake. Look at his eyes. Give it back to him.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

As we are not well adapted to the intelligence that infests man, neither is it well adapted to us. It can live on us, but it cannot reproduce with ourselves alone. Is the source of its life the inhibition death is therefore not directly contagious among our people.

[Rose Smollett]

What are you implying, Dr. Tolan?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

The Earthman remains the prime host for the parasite. And an Earthman may infect one of us if he remains among us. But the parasite, once it is located in an intelligence of the outer worlds, must somehow return to an Earthman if it expects to reproduce. We are infected and reinfected as the parasites return to Earth and come back to us via the mind of Earth men who travel through space and the missing persons are the intermediate hosts, the masculine terrestrial mind seems better suited for their purpose. But once reproduction has been taken care of the infested male or leaves by spaceship for the outer worlds, he disappears.

[Rose Smollett]

This is impossible. What you say implies that the parasite mind can control the actions of its host. That can't be, or we would have noticed their presence here on Earth.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

The control may be very subtle. May, moreover, be exerted only during the period of active reproduction. I simply point to your Missing Persons Bureau. Why do the young men disappear? I'm quite ill now. Cyanide lack. And I cannot speak much longer.

[Drake Smollett]

And you alone, of all your people, have any knowledge of this theory of yours?

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I alone. You will give me back my cyanide cylinder now. I have become quite weak.

[Drake Smollett]

Sure.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Sure.

[Drake Smollett]

Dr. Tolan.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Rose.

[Drake Smollett]

Rose, come out of here. Come on, now.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

Come on, Daddy.

[Drake Smollett]

Outside. Quiet. Rose, quiet. I told you to have nothing to do with this.

[Rose Smollett]

Let me go.

[Dr. Hark Tolan]

I want to go away.

[Rose Smollett]

I want to go away.

[Drake Smollett]

Why? Because of something it was my job to do? You heard what that creature was saying. You suppose I could allow him to return to his world and spread those lies? They'd believe him. What do you think would happen then? They would have to kill us all to stop that disease.

[Rose Smollett]

What he said wasn't a lie. It was true.

[Drake Smollett]

Oh, come on now, you're hysterical. You need sleep.

[Rose Smollett]

I know what he said was true because the Security Commission knows all about the same theory and knows it's true.

[Drake Smollett]

Why do you say a thing like that?

[Rose Smollett]

Because you let it slip yourself.

[Drake Smollett]

Now, now, sit down. Sit down. Well, so I gave myself away, didn't I? When you turn.

[Rose Smollett]

Turned white. When Hark Toland referred to me as a charming hostess. Hostess has a double meaning, Drake. A host is one who harbors a parasite.

[Drake Smollett]

I had no idea I was so transparent. Look, Rose, I've done my best to keep you out of this.

[Rose Smollett]

The truth can't be held down forever. Somebody else will find out. You can't kill them all.

[Drake Smollett]

We know that, too. We have no choice.

[Rose Smollett]

Why? Why can't we combine with the other intelligences and wipe out the parasite?

[Drake Smollett]

No, no, you. You don't understand. Art Tollen was right. Man and his prehistoric ancestors have been living with this parasitic intelligence for uncounted ages. We've not only become adapted to it, we've become dependent on it. It is no longer a case of parasitism. It's a case of mutual cooperation. You biologists have a name for it.

[Rose Smollett]

What are you talking about? Symbiosis?

[Drake Smollett]

Yes, exactly. We have a disease of our own, remember? It is a reverse disease, one of unrestrained growth. We've mentioned it already, as a contrast to inhibition death. It's all very well to say that if we could remove the parasite, we would have eternal growth in life. But it's impossible for us. If for any reason the parasitic intelligence, as Hark Tollen calls it, does leave the human body, or if its relationship to the human mind is in any way impaired, growth does take place, but not in an orderly fashion. We call the growth cancer. And there you have it. There's no way of getting rid of the parasite. We're together for all eternity. To get rid of their inhibition death, extraterrestrials must first wipe out all vertebrate life on Earth. There was no other solution for them, so we must keep knowledge of it from them. Now, do you Understand?

[Rose Smollett]

He got the body out of the apartment. I sat there numbly. He lied to me. Cancer could not be a disease. That was an expression of lost ability for normal growth. Cancer attacked you children while they were still growing. It could even attack embryonic tissue. Cancer had nothing to do with the presence or absence of normal growth. Its absence would not cause cancer. Drake lied. No one would believe me. The young men who disappeared were usually in the first year of their marriage. Whatever the process of reproduction of the parasite intelligence was, it must involve close association with another parasite. The type of close and continuous association. As in the case of newly married couples, the parasite could control actions. I'd report them both Drake Smollett and Hark Tollen to the Missing Persons Bureau. But they'd never find them. For they'd be out in space. I wanted to weep, but I couldn't. I was dry eyed and it was painful. Painful. I'd looked for the answers to so many questions and I'd found them all. I even found the answer to the question I thought had no bearing on the subject. I finally learned why Drake had married me.

[Narrator]

You have just heard X minus 1 presented by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. Your announcer, Fred Collins. X minus one was an NBC Radio Network production.

[Fred Collins]

That's the show for this week, but don't forget there are thousands more like it at relicradio.com horror, strange tales, science F fiction, crime. All available for free. If you'd like to donate to Relic Radio and help keep it all free, you can do that through the website as well. Visit donate. Relicradio.com to find out more and to see the special downloadable sets that are available. My thanks to those who have donated and thanks for listening today. Talk to you again next week.