Science-Fiction Adventures in Dimension, page 40
“That will be just the beginning of it, won’t it?”
“Yes. When they’re accustomed to paying, we’ll ask more from them. Of course, now that we have the portal, it will be easy to keep the countries stirred up, on the verge of war. It isn’t a policy with which I am in sympathy, but our own cause must be considered first. Military secrets developed by one country will be sold to another. For copper. Later on, for other supplies. For technicians to train our people in what they must know.”
“You’ll force us to fight back.”
“No, there will be no war between us. Your methods developed for Basic Assurances will give us too much power.”
“You’ll bleed us to death,” Linden warned. “We haven’t the population to supply yours with all its needs. Mass production will mean nothing against the terrible consumption rate of your people.”
“Not bleed you, Linden. We’ll milk you. It will all work out quite well.”
“We’ll run from you, Phlan. We won’t be earthbound much longer. If we have to take all of our people to the other planets to get away from you, we’ll do that. You won’t be able to stop us.”
“We wouldn’t try to stop you, Linden. You’ll find the new relations will be almost on the same basis as with Basic Assurances. We will provide a service for your people, and you will give us what we need. Our wisest leaders have discussed it thoroughly and found it morally right.”
Linden saw no hope there. They would be able to justify all they did, to themselves. If they were in need, they would create a situation in which they could be of service.
“You won’t try to stop us from going to the planets? Not even if we all go?”
“No, not even if you all could go. Not even if it meant your getting away from us entirely. But it’s no difference, actually, to us, whether you live on this island or another.”
~ * ~
“It clicked, then,” Linden told Badick. “I always wondered what Phlan meant by referring to earth and other planets as islands. That’s all they are to the Phlen, islands set down in the midst of their world. Their world must take in all the solar system—and perhaps beyond—dotted with islands of another dimension that are the planets.”
Badick nodded. “That’s what I’ve suspected. They don’t live on a space that’s comparable to earth’s position. Their world lies between the planets. If we could lay copper lattice tracks in their world, we could walk from here to Venus.”
“Fort said something like that.”
Linden frowned, reached for The Book of the Damned. He thumbed pages for a minute. “If one could break away from the traditions of the geographers, one might walk and walk and come to Mars, and then find Mars continuous with Jupiter?”
Badick smiled grimly. “I don’t think he was talking about the same thing. Though the Phlen-world would explain a lot of the things that puzzled Fort. However, walking wouldn’t be required, of course, nor even copper lattices. Remember how it was when we were in the Phlen-world? You just wished to move, and you did move.”
“Yes. They’ve got us. Right where we put ourselves, too. Where’s Jane?”
“She left while you were going into the portal. She was rather tired.”
“I know.” Linden picked up the telephone, dialed a number. “Dr. Stevens, please. . . . Steve, this is George Linden. . . . Fine. . . . How’s Jane doing? . . . No, Steve, don’t give it to me like that. . . . Tell me. ... Oh! ... Yes. . . . All right, Steve. Thanks.” He dropped the phone back to its cradle. He looked older and tired.
“What did Steve say, George?”
“Same thing. She’s getting worse and there’s nothing to do. Have you checked Reynolds lately?”
“Yes. This morning. He came to me, as a matter of fact. The ICM came up with an answer.”
“The answer.” Hope showed now in Linden’s face.
“An answer. He had a complete set of equations, and I sent them on to Harkness for analysis.”
“But what did they mean?”
Badick shrugged. “Not too much, to me. My mathematics doesn’t go far enough. I gathered that if there is an earth time as we know it, and if there is a Phlen-world time, there should be a Minor.” “That’s all we need, then. The equations should show us how to get there.”
Badick smiled ruefully. “Yes, they should. But that’s assuming that the other two factors exist in actuality.”
“You know they do!”
“Yes, we know they do. If the mathematics bears us out, it will be a cinch.”
Linden rubbed his knuckles against the side of his head. “Ungh! We know that you and I exist. We assume that Basic Assurances exists. If we can prove that Basic Assurances doesn’t exist, then you and I don’t exist. Is that the same reasoning?”
“No, but it’s the same line. We’ll have to wait and see what Harkness says.”
“Is he pushing it?”
“Sure. He promised a reply this afternoon.”
“O.K. I’ll sit and twiddle my thumbs.”
“No. You’ll set up a crew to work Basic Assurances from the fringes of the Phlen-world and Inbetween. Here’s the modulation pattern Harkness worked out for the squad cars. You know what it means: the men won’t actually be either in Inbetween or Phlen-world. Impress it on them that they’ve got to keep the modulators going at all times except when they’re grappling.
“Get work going, then shut off the Phlen grapplers.”
“All right, Will.”
“We’re going to have to put out a lot of cash to start operating, but we’ll make some money around here for a change. This’ll be the first time everything hasn’t been going to the Phlen.”
“And Phlan?”
“Chop him off. There’s nothing else we can do. We have to come first, now.”
“About time.”
“Maybe. Reynolds has all the tab cards. He ought to be able to sort them and run them off in an hour. Take this list of squad components and have him sort them, too. Better get several of the girls to help telephoning men as soon as Reynolds can get the list.”
“Sure.”
~ * ~
Linden was back at five. He took one look at Badick.
“You’ve been up to something.”
“Lots of things. Harkness came by. Minor exists, all right. He’s standing over a couple of technicians, converting the stand-by portal.”
Linden sat down, feeling suddenly limp and tired.
“It’ll work, then?”
“Harkness isn’t saying that. He hardly spoke to me; you know how he is. The way he acted, I think he’s pretty sure it will do what we want.”
“That’s a relief. What else ? You’ve got something inside.”
“Yes. But how did you make out?”
“First squad went through. I sent Hammond with them through the big portal. They’ve got everything from sewing kits to fire-fighting equipment. Hammond can get them used to things. The extra men I sent with them can be seeded into the other squads as they form.”
“All right. Better cut the grapplers.”
“I did. The Phlen can’t get through without the government portal.”
“Good. They’ve got some other worries from now on.”
“You did it, then?”
“Yes. I keep telling myself I didn’t have any choice. I still feel like a mass executioner.”
“It might not work.” Linden looked at Badick, looked away quickly at the sight of the now gray face.
“I don’t know.” His voice was weary and there was the sound of defeat in it. “I don’t know. A little, I hope it won’t work. Mostly, I hope it will. We’ve got to win, and win fast.”
“Yes. It should work. I think your reasoning was good.”
It was a moment before Badick said anything. “It was your idea as much as mine.”
“No, it wasn’t, Will. Remember—” Linden stopped, looked at Badick. “I see. Someone will get the credit.”
“It isn’t that, George.”
“The devil it isn’t. You’re thinking of giving me the credit. Same old cat’s-paw.”
“I don’t want the credit.”
“Do you think I do? There have been worse wanton destroyers in history than the Vandals, but they got stuck with the name. Governor Gerry gave his name to ‘gerrymander.’ Captain Boycott gave his name to a cause. Thomas Bowdler contributed to ‘bowdlerize.’ Charles Lynch and the lynch law. Quisling and—”
“All right, George.”
“All right, nothing. Mankind will have other examples of this in the next thousand and ten thousand years. I don’t want ‘lindenize’ to become part of the language: a word synonymous with destruction of intelligent races by using inferior races as—”
“I know. Cat’s-paws.”
“Yes. ‘Badickize’ them if you wish, but leave me out of it.”
“All right, George. Sooner or later it will come out. We’ll have to think of something before then.”
“We’ll think of something. I’m going over to the stand-by portal. Coming?”
“No. I’ve had enough for the day. I’m going home.”
“Right.”
~ * ~
It was two in the morning before the last wire was changed, the last new tube socket in place.
Harkness wiped more oil into his face, grinned at Linden.
“All set. We’ll try it tomorrow.”
“Hey! What’s wrong with now?”
“Who’s going in ? I’m not. I can’t ask these men”—he waved at the technicians—”to.”
“I’m going. You knew that.”
Harkness grinned again. “Go to it, son. She’s all yours.”
“It’ll work?”
“Should. If you bang your head on the wall, then the portal isn’t working.”
“I’ll go slow.”
Linden started through, walking slowly, keeping his eyes on the plaster wall behind the portal. If it worked, he’d never reach the wall.
He felt the wrench, sharper than when he went through the portal to Inbetween. He felt the floor give way beneath him, the jar, and the buckling of the knees as he dropped several feet to solid footing once more.
He looked ahead of him. Here was no mist of Inbetween or Phlen-world. This was much like the earth he knew. The sky was blue above him, the grass green beneath his feet, and trees—
He felt the rough pull on his shoulder, started to turn. Then he realized he was caught tight in a harness. He struggled against it briefly, then felt himself pulled up.
There was a wrench, then he was pulled again. He stumbled back. Someone caught and steadied him, turned him around, and started removing the harness.
Harkness. Linden blinked, looked around the room. The technicians were gone. He saw Badick close to him, Hammond farther away, and Reynolds in the background, holding a handful of the inevitable tab cards.
“I was coming back, boys, really I was. What’s the idea?”
“How long were you there, George?” Harkness had the harness off him, was leaning forward eagerly. “How long did it seem?”
“I just got there. Three or four seconds, perhaps. Five at the most. Why?”
Harkness grinned happily. “It took us a week to get you out of there. It was my fault. I just stood there for a while, like a fool, waiting for you to come back. Then I realized that if the portal had put you in Minor, we’d have to pull you out, or wait the rest of our lives while you turned around to start back.”
“A week— It seemed just those few seconds.”
“We had to build a scanner to locate you, then a grappler and a harness to get at you. Then we had a tough time fishing. The grappler slowed down to nothing once it hit Minor time. We had to maneuver the harness for three days to slip it over you. Now I know what a Basic Assurances’ rescue squad goes through.”
“The harness came so fast I couldn’t fight it.”
“All right. You’ve got your Minor.”
Linden was just realizing it. He turned to Hammond. “Get hold of Jane and have her come down.”
Hammond winked. “She’s on her way, George.”
“Good. We’ll shove her in first. Then others. I’ve got the plans worked out. I can go in when she does and—”
“No, George.”
Linden swung toward Badick. “What do you mean?”
“No one goes in like that. No one except people like Jane and those who’ll be needed to help them.”
Linden stared at Badick, not saying anything.
“Sorry, George. But think it over. You go in because you want to be with Jane. Then her mother and father want to be near her. Maybe her sister. Then maybe her sister’s boy friend. Then maybe his family. It’ll be that way with everybody. Send one person like Jane in, and a dozen perfectly well people will drag along.”
“All right. The land can support them. It’s like earth, and—”
“We saw it through the scanner. It looks better than earth. If everyone goes there, where will the advantage be ?
“We have to make full use of the time differences. Jane, and others who need medical attention beyond present knowledge, can go there. They’ll be almost in suspended animation, as far as earth is concerned. On earth we’ll go about our daily tasks. Gradually, research will produce knowledge that will help those in Minor.”
“But— You’re right, of course. But I can die of old age while Jane is spending a short while, to her, in Minor.”
“Yes— So you’ll push research that will cure her, won’t you?”
“More than that. I’ll start a research center in Phlen-world. A few days, weeks, earth time, and—” Linden stopped abruptly and then looked at Badick questioningly.
Badick nodded. “Hammond knows of a few things that have happened while you were in Minor. Phlan went through to Washington. Right through the barrier into Warner’s office. Just about scared the old boy to death.
“Phlan pulled him into Inbetween and talked turkey. Warner bought in, but hasn’t released any information. Apparently he’s going to get the money out of some special appropriation. . . . Hammond says our Chief Executive got a really nasty shock out of Phlan.”
Linden grinned. “O.K. Maybe I’m even with him. The things I had to sit and take from the old—Jane!” He hurried forward and took her hand as she came in the door.
“Jane, I want to put you through this portal for a few minutes. Other people will be along pretty soon to keep you company. They’ll bring food and supplies—”
“But George . . . George!”
Linden kissed her briefly on the cheek, steered her through the portal, watched her disappear.
“I forgot to warn her about the drop. Well, it isn’t bad. We can take a month before sending what I promised, and she’ll still be standing there, blinking her eyes.”
Badick caught his eye, motioned with his head.
The two men left the room together, heading for their office.
“How is it?”
“Good, George. Basic Assurances is rolling smoothly. We’ve started expanding, and I’m considering some branch offices. I’m hiring as fast as I can find suitable people.”
“All right. How about the Phlen?”
“We haven’t been able to get hold of Phlan. We developed some scanners, but they’re useless against the time rate. All we get is mist. I think Phlan is some place in Inbetween. You could probably reach him.”
“I’ll try.”
They reached the office, went in, and swung the bookcase back.
~ * ~
Linden peered through the rosy mist, searching, not remembering. Then he closed his eyes, letting his sense of perception reach out, sharpen, call through the haze.
He became aware of Phlan’s approach and thought it was with more haste than was usual.
“Linden. Why did you come?”
“To exchange thoughts.”
“It is well, Linden. I have been wishing for you.”
“I am here.”
“We have decided to send a colony to your world, Linden, to live and learn and observe.”
