He sighed as he heard the outside door slam behind her. She had been a fascinating experiment. Little by little, he had tested her, discovered those irritants which were best calculated to make her react. Broken dinner engagements, forgotten birthdays, public insults, lies, deceptions, intrigues—each had played its part in her final nervous disintegration. But toward the end, the game had proved boring.
So, he had devised Ohm, and now he was left in solitude to explore the infinite possibilities represented by his electric pet.
Light was Ohm's food. He craved it as humans crave food, drink, companionship. Craig had built a special home for his creature—a brilliantly lighted hutch where it could creep to recharge the batteries which gave it movement and power.
Looking down at his pet, Craig felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of possession. Ohm was perfect. His shiny steel shell glistened in the bright laboratory light. Under that shell were three wheels and two battery-powered motors—one for creeping and one for steering. A delicate brain and nervous system fashioned of condensers and relays would motivate Ohm.
Craig was surprised to note that his hands were trembling slightly as he made the final connections. The scene with Sheila had perhaps made more of an impression than he had thought; and then, too, this was his big moment ... the moment toward which he had worked for months.
Connections completed, he struggled to lift Ohm to the floor. Though Ohm was relatively small—he stood just hip-high and was perhaps three-and-a-half feet long—he was surprisingly heavy.
Craig Stevens stepped back and waited. If his calculations were correct, Ohm would now begin his search for light. He would move about the lab ... guided by his photo-electric eye ... seeking the gratification which only strong light could give.
Absolute silence held the laboratory. Had he been wrong? Had he miscalculated? He stared at the unmoving creature. He willed it to move. He would not be defied by this mass of steel and wire. Move, he commanded it. Move!
Slowly, with a slight jerking motion, Ohm began to move forward. Like an animal that has been sleeping and is still groggy with dreams, it moved—hesitated—then moved again.