The Complete Serials

by Clifford D. Simak

  While a steady stream of the visitors line up to use the facility, BENTLEY becomes convinced that if this is a publicity stunt it’s a dilly, phones the story in to his editor, TOM MANNING, and starts to take pictures.

  MANNING notifies STEVE WILSON, White House press secretary, as radio reports come in of other “time tunnels” opening all across the nation and people pouring out of them at a rate of approximately a million persons per hour. PRESIDENT SAMUEL HENDERSON assigns the army to handle the situation, as word comes in that the phenomenon has become worldwide—in some of Earth’s poverty areas the tunnels pour out tonnages of grain as well as people.

  MA YNARD GALE and daughter arrive at White House conference, tell HENDERSON they are refugees, from an alien invasion of Earth five hundred years in the future, ask that heavy artillery be placed into position to fire instantly into any tunnel, regardless of refugees, should the aliens attempt to come through. The aliens are characterized by tremendous physical prowess, instant reproduction and equally instant evolutionary adaptability to any new situation, no matter how intricate.

  The refugees plan to continue their flight 25 million years farther back in time to the Miocene, ask to trade their scientific and technological skills and knowledge for help in building new time tunnels to enable them to do so. They also want tools and equipment to help them start over in prehistory, invite their hosts to join them. About two billion refugees are expected.

  As the present mobilizes to cope with its instant—if temporary—population explosion some aliens do break through, spreading terror. The President declares a national emergency.

  29. Once the men were seated around the table in the conference room, Dr. Samuel Ives opened the discussion.

  “This meeting,” he said, “despite the solemnity of the occasion that brings us together in the dead of night, marks what for all of us of the present must be an exciting event. Throughout our professional lives most of us have at times puzzled over the fundamental nature of time’s irreversibility. A couple of us, myself and Dr. Asbury Brooks, have spent a great deal of effort in its study. I am of the opinion that Dr. Brooks will not take it badly if I say we have made little, if any, progress. While the lay person viewing time as a philosophical rather than a physical concept—may question the validity of our efforts the fact remains that the physical laws with which all of us work are embedded in this somewhat mysterious function we call time. We must ask ourselves, if we are completely to understand the concepts we employ, both in our daily lives and our continuing investigations into many areas of science, what may be the physical interrelationships underlying the expansion of the universe, information theory and the thermodynamic, electromagnetic, biological and statistical arrows of time. In the description of any physical phenomenon the time variable is a parameter at the most elementary level. We have wondered if such a thing as universal time exists—or are we dealing only with a feature of boundary conditions? There are some of us who think that the latter may be true—that the time factor was perhaps rather randomly set at the moment of the beginning of the universe and that this concept has governed our thinking ever since. And all of us are aware that our concepts of time must be overwhelmingly prejudiced by intuitive notions and that this may be one of the factors that have made it so difficult for us to understand and formulate any real theories about the subject.” He looked across the table at the three men from the future. “I must beg your indulgence for this sort of introduction to our discussion—remarks that, in view of what you have learned, may sound somewhat silly. But I did think it important to set our own studies into some sort of perspective. Now that I have said this much, I think that it is your turn to talk. I assure you that all of us will listen most attentively. Which one of you would like to begin?”

  Hardwicke and Cummings looked at one another questioningly. Finally Hardwicke said, “Perhaps I might as well. I must express the deep appreciation all of us feel at your willingness to meet with us at this unusual hour, And I am afraid that we are about to disappoint you, for I must tell you that we know very little more about the fundamental nature of time than you do. We have asked ourselves some of the same questions you have asked and have found no real answers.”

  “But you can travel in time,” said Brooks. “That would argue that you must know something of it. You must have at least a basic understanding—”

  “What we found,” said Hardwicke, “is that we are not the only universe. There are at least two universes coexisting within the same space, but universes so fundamentally different from one another that neither ordinarily would be aware of the other. At the moment I will not go into the manner in which this other universe was detected or what we know of it. It is not, however, a contraterrene universe, so there is, so far as we know, no danger from it. I might add that the first hint of its existence came from a study of the strangeness of certain particles. The particles themselves are a part of our universe, but in some instances they may react to certain not entirely understood conditions in the other. We now have postulated two totally different universes—the other made up of particles and interactions that have little to do with ours. Interactions occur on so small a scale that only blind, dumb luck could bring them to one’s notice.

  “Fortunately our researchers experienced that kind of luck. And it was mostly luck, too, that revealed to us something else about the second universe. I often wonder if luck itself should be the subject of a study with a view to a better determination of its parameters. As I said, we found out one other thing about the other universe—a simple but devastating discovery. We learned that the arrow of time in the second universe flows in exactly the opposite direction to the one it travels in ours. While undoubtedly in that universe it was moving from the universe’s past toward its future—in relation to our universe it was traveling from our future toward our past.”

  “One thing puzzles me,” said Ives. “You were dealing with a very complex matter and yet in twenty years or so—”

  “It is not as remarkable as you think,” said Cummings. “We launched a crash project, certainly, to achieve our means of coming here, but by then we were in possession of the knowledge Dr. Hardwicke has just outlined. On your old time track the second universe was discovered somewhat less than a hundred years from now. It had been investigated for almost four centuries before we finally put the-time arrow of the second universe to work. As a matter of fact, much significant work had been done on the possibility of using the opposite time direction of the second universe as a time-travel medium. All we had to do was give the investigation a final push. I think the method we finally devised might have been worked out earlier—even before the invasion by the aliens—if there had been any reason for doing so. But, aside from scientific curiosity, we had little motive. Under ordinary circumstances there’s not much attraction to time travel—if you can move in only one direction and there’s no possibility of returning.

  “By the time we decided,” said Hardwicke, “that the only way we could survive was to travel back into time, much of the real work already had been done. Throughout the history of scientific inquiry a certain segment of the population has always questioned the validity of pure research. What is the good of it? How is it going to help us? What can we use it for? I think our situation is a perfect example of the value of basic research. The work that had been done on the second universe and its time flow had been pure research, an expenditure of effort and funds that seemed to offer no chance at all of either benefit or return. And yet, as things tarried out, it did have a return. It offered the human race a chance to save itself.”

  “As I understand it, said Brooks, “what you have done is make use of the opposite time flow of the other universe to bring you here. Somehow or other your time tunnels trap the opposite flow. You step into the reverse stream in your own present time and step out of it in ours. But to do this you must manage to speed up the time flow tremendously and be able to control it.”

  Hardwicke said,
“The hard part of the job was the implementation theories that had already been worked out. Still, the end result turned out to be unbelievably simple to achieve.”

  “You think it is in the range of our present technology.”

  “We are sure of it,” said Hardwicke. “That is why we chose your particular period. We had to select a target that held men who would understand and accept our theories—and other men who could build the necessary equipment. We also needed to reach a time whose intellectual and moral climate was such that there would be a willingness to provide us the help we needed. We also had to find a period with an economy productive enough to supply us with the implements and tools we would need to start life anew in the Miocene. Perhaps we are being unfair to hope for so much from you. We have one justification. If we had not come back to you the race of man would have ended some five hundred years from now. As it is, you have been shifted to a new time track, a phenomenon we can take time later to discuss, if you wish. For there now is a chance, although no certainty, that you can continue into a future that holds no alien invasion.”

  “Dr. Osborne, said Ives, “has so far taken no part in this discussion. Is there something you might like to add?”

  Osborne shook his head. “All this is beyond my competence, gentlemen. I’m not a physicist, but a geologist with leanings toward paleontology. I’m simply along for the ride. Later, if some of you want to discuss the Miocene, which is our eventual destination—that is something I could talk about.”

  Brooks said, “I would be interested in hearing you right now. It’s been proposed that some of the present population of the Earth go back into the Miocene with you. The idea might appeal to the more venturesome among us. Would you be willing to tell us what you think we might find in the Miocene?”

  “I would be glad to. You must understand, of course, that we are dealing in suppositions, although we can be fairly sure of some facts. The main reason we picked the Miocene is that grass first appeared upon the Earth then—grazing animals seem to have increased rapidly in the early part of the epoch. The climate later became somewhat more arid, although by our calculations there still would have been plenty of rainfall for agriculture. Many of the huge forest tracts gave way to grassy plains, supporting herds of herbivores. Evidence has been found of oreodonts, sheep-sized animals that may have been remote relatives of the camels. There would have been camels, too, although far smaller than the ones you know today. We could expect to find small horses, the size of ponies. We might see a number of rhinos. Some time during the Miocene, probably in its early days, elephants migrated to North America over the Bering land bridge. They would have been four-tuskers, smaller than today’s elephants. One of the more dangerous animals would have been the giant pig, big as oxen and with skulls that measured four feet long—ugly customers to meet. With so many herbivores running in herds on the prairies, the Miocene could be expected to have its full quota of carnivores, both canines and felines—probably the ancestors of the sabertooths.

  That’s only a quick rundown. There is much more. The point is that we believe the Miocene was a time of rather rapid evolutionary development, with the fauna expanding into new genera and species—the changes characterized overall, perhaps, by a tendency of animals to increase in size. There might be a number of holdovers from the Oligocene, even from the Eocene. I suppose some of the mammals might be dangerous. There could be poisonous snakes and insects—I’m not entirely sure of that. As a matter of fact, we have little evidence along those lines.”

  “In your estimation, however,” said Brooks, “modern man could survive in the Miocene.”

  “We are sure he could. He could live off the land until he got started. There would be plenty of game, nuts, berries, fruit, roots. Fishing should be good. We’re not as sure about the climate as we’d like to be, but there is some evidence that it would be more equable than now. The summers probably would be as warm, the winters not so cold. You understand this can’t be guaranteed.”

  “I understand that, said Brooks, “but in any case—you’re set on going?”

  “We have,” said Osborne, “very little choice.”

  30. Steve Wilson came back into the pressroom. The desk lamp was still lit, painting a circle of light in the darkened room. The teletypes muttered against the wall. Almost three o’clock, he realized. He’d have to get some sleep. Even with the best of luck he had four hours or so before he had to be on the job again.

  As he approached the desk Alice Gale rose from a chair set in the room’s shadows. She still wore her white robe. He wondered if it was all the clothing she had. The people from the future had carried little luggage.

  “Mr. Wilson,” she said, “we have been waiting for you, hoping that you would come here. My father wants to talk with you. Will you see him?”

  “Certainly, said Wilson. “Good morning, Mr. Gale.”

  Gale came out of the darkness and laid his attache case on the desk top.

  “I am somewhat embarrassed,” he said. “I find myself in a position that could be awkward. I wonder if you would listen to me and tell me how to go about what I want to do. You seem to be a man who knows his way around.”

  Wilson, moving to the desk, stiffened. The whole thing, he sensed, as Gale had said, had an awkwardness about it. He sensed he was going to be placed in a difficult position. He waited.

  “We are well aware,” said Gale, “that our coming from the future has placed a terrible burden upon the governments and the peoples of the world. We did what little we could. In areas where we knew there would be food shortages we arranged the delivery of wheat and other foodstuffs. We stand ready to supply any labor that will be required, for we represent a large and idle labor force. But the building of the tunnels and the supplying to us of the tools we will need in the Miocene will represent a vast expenditure of funds—”

  He reached down into the circle of light on the desk top, unlatched the case, opened it. It was packed with small leather bags. Lifting one of these, he pulled it open and poured out a shower of cut stones that flashed and glittered in the light.

  “Diamonds,” he said.

  Wilson gulped. “But why?” he whispered. “Why diamonds? And why bring them to me?”

  “These stones provided the only way we could bring anything of value in small enough volume to be conveniently transported. We know that if they were dumped on the exchanges all at once they would ruin much of your economy. But if they were fed into the market a few at a time, surreptitiously, they would have little effect. This is especially true if their existence can be kept secret. We have been very careful that there be no duplications—that no paradoxes are involved with their presence here. It would have been possible to have brought from the future many of the famous gems that now exist and are well known. We have not done this. All the stones in this case were found and cut in your future.”

  “Put them back,” said Wilson, horrified. “Good God, man, can you imagine what might happen if it became known what was in that case? Billions of dollars—”

  “Yes, many billions,” Gale said calmly, “at the going prices in this age. They are worth much more here than they were in our time.”

  Unhurriedly he picked up the stones, put them back into the bag, fitted the bag back into the case, closed and latched it.

  “I wish,” said Wilson, “you hadn’t told me about this.”

  “But we had to,” Alice said. “Don’t you see? You are the only one we know—the only person we can trust. We knew we could safely tell you—and that you could tell us what we should do.” Wilson struggled to put some calmness into his words. “Let’s all sit down,” he said, “and talk this over. And let’s not speak too loudly. I don’t think there is anyone around, but someone could walk in.”

  They went back beyond the circle of light, pulled three chairs together and sat down.

  “Now suppose you tell me,” Wilson said, “what you’re really driving at.”

  “We had thought,” s
aid Gale, “that the proceeds from these stones, wisely marketed, could compensate in part for some of the actual costs your helping us entails. Not one government, not one people, but all the governments and all the peoples of the Earth are involved.”

  “In that case—”

  “I anticipate your question. Why were the stones not divided and offered to the separate governments? There are two reasons this was not done. We want to keep the number of those who know of these stones to a minimum. Next, there are few governments we can trust—actually some of us felt the United Nations should be the organization entrusted with the gems. But frankly, we have little confidence in the U.N. Next I was supposed to hand the stones to your President. I decided against this when I realized how many problems he had weighing on his mind and how often he was forced to depend on the judgments of many other people.”

  “I know one thing,” said Wilson. “You can’t keep on carrying this case around with you. You have to be placed under security until it has been put into some safe place. Fort Knox, probably, if the government is willing to accept it.”

  “You mean, Mr. Wilson, that I’ll have to be placed under guard? I’m not sure I like that.

  “Christ, I don’t know,” said Wilson. “I don’t even know where to begin.

  He reached for the phone and dialed. “Jane, you still on duty? Do you know—has the President retired?”