diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50948-h.zip | bin | 201606 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50948-h/50948-h.htm | 1188 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50948-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 95896 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50948-h/images/illus.jpg | bin | 85332 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50948.txt | 1074 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/50948.zip | bin | 19386 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 2262 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..608b9e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #50948 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50948) diff --git a/old/50948-h.zip b/old/50948-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index e6e7af7..0000000 --- a/old/50948-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50948-h/50948-h.htm b/old/50948-h/50948-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index f945df4..0000000 --- a/old/50948-h/50948-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1188 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Of All Possible Worlds, by William Tenn. - </title> - - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Of All Possible Worlds, by William Tenn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Of All Possible Worlds - -Author: William Tenn - -Release Date: January 17, 2016 [EBook #50948] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="398" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> -<h1>Of All Possible Worlds</h1> - -<p>By WILLIAM TENN</p> - -<p>Illustrated by GAUGHAN</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Galaxy Science Fiction December 1956.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="ph3"><i>Changing the world is simple; the trick is<br /> -to do it before you have a chance to undo it!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>It was a good job and Max Alben knew whom he had to thank for it—his -great-grandfather.</p> - -<p>"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he muttered as he hurried into the -laboratory slightly ahead of the escorting technicians, all of them, -despite the excitement of the moment, remembering to bob their heads -deferentially at the half-dozen full-fleshed and hard-faced men -lolling on the couches that had been set up around the time machine.</p> - -<p>He shrugged rapidly out of his rags, as he had been instructed in the -anteroom, and stepped into the housing of the enormous mechanism. -This was the first time he had seen it, since he had been taught -how to operate it on a dummy model, and now he stared at the great -transparent coils and the susurrating energy bubble with much respect.</p> - -<p>This machine, the pride and the hope of 2089, was something almost -outside his powers of comprehension. But Max Alben knew how to run it, -and he knew, roughly, what it was supposed to accomplish. He knew also -that this was the first backward journey of any great duration and, -being scientifically unpredictable, might well be the death of him.</p> - -<p>"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he muttered again affectionately.</p> - -<p>If his great-grandfather had not volunteered for the earliest -time-travel experiments way back in the nineteen-seventies, back even -before the Blight, it would never have been discovered that he and his -seed possessed a great deal of immunity to extra-temporal blackout.</p> - -<p>And if that had not been discovered, the ruling powers of Earth, more -than a century later, would never have plucked Max Alben out of an -obscure civil-service job as a relief guard at the North American -Chicken Reservation to his present heroic and remunerative eminence. -He would still be patrolling the barbed wire that surrounded the three -white leghorn hens and two roosters—about one-sixth of the known -livestock wealth of the Western Hemisphere—thoroughly content with -the half-pail of dried apricots he received each and every payday.</p> - -<p>No, if his great-grandfather had not demonstrated long ago his unique -capacity for remaining conscious during time travel, Max Alben would -not now be shifting from foot to foot in a physics laboratory, -facing the black market kings of the world and awaiting their final -instructions with an uncertain and submissive grin.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Men like O'Hara, who controlled mushrooms, Levney, the blackberry -tycoon, Sorgasso, the packaged-worm monopolist—would black marketeers -of their tremendous stature so much as waste a glance on someone like -Alben ordinarily, let alone confer a lifetime pension on his wife and -five children of a full spoonful each of non-synthetic sugar a day?</p> - -<p>Even if he didn't come back, his family was provided for like almost no -other family on Earth. This was a damn good job and he was lucky.</p> - -<p>Alben noticed that Abd Sadha had risen from the straight chair at -the far side of the room and was approaching him with a sealed metal -cylinder in one hand.</p> - -<p>"We've decided to add a further precaution at the last moment," the old -man said. "That is, the scientists have suggested it and I have—er—I -have given my approval."</p> - -<p>The last remark was added with a slight questioning note as the -Secretary-General of the United Nations looked back rapidly at the -black market princes on the couches behind him. Since they stared back -stonily, but offered no objection, he coughed in relief and returned to -Alben.</p> - -<p>"I am sure, young man, that I don't have to go into the details of your -instructions once more. You enter the time machine and go back the -duration for which it has been preset, a hundred and thirteen years, to -the moment after the Guided Missile of 1976 was launched. It <i>is</i> 1976, -isn't it?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir," one of the technicians standing by the time machine said -respectfully. "The experiment with an atomic warhead guided missile -that resulted in the Blight was conducted on this site on April 18, -1976." He glanced proudly at the unemotional men on the couches, very -much like a small boy after completing a recitation before visiting -dignitaries from the Board of Education.</p> - -<p>"Just so." Abd Sadha nodded. "April 18, 1976. And on this site. You -see, young man, you will materialize at the very moment and on the -very spot where the remote-control station handling the missile -was—er—handling the missile. You will be in a superb position, a -superb position, to deflect the missile in its downward course and -alter human history for the better. Very much for the better. Yes."</p> - -<p>He paused, having evidently stumbled out of his thought sequence.</p> - -<p>"And he pulls the red switch toward him," Gomez, the dandelion-root -magnate, reminded him sharply, impatiently.</p> - -<p>"Ah, yes, the red switch. He pulls the little red switch toward him. -Thank you, Mr. Gomez, thank you very much, sir. He pulls the little -red switch on the green instrument panel toward him, thus preventing -the error that caused the missile to explode in the Brazilian jungle -and causing it, instead, to explode somewhere in the mid-Pacific, as -originally planned."</p> - -<p>The Secretary-General of the United Nations beamed. "Thus preventing -the Blight, making it nonexistent, as it were, producing a present-day -world in which the Blight never occurred. That is correct, is it not, -gentlemen?" he asked, turning anxiously again.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>None of the half-dozen men on couches deigned to answer him. And -Alben kept his eyes deferentially in their direction, too, as he had -throughout this period of last-minute instruction.</p> - -<p>He knew who ruled his world—these stolid, well-fed men in clean -garments with a minimum of patches, and where patches occurred, at -least they were the color of the surrounding cloth.</p> - -<p>Sadha might be Secretary-General of the United Nations, but that -was still a civil-service job, only a few social notches higher -than a chicken guard. His clothes were fully as ragged, fully as -multi-colored, as those that Alben had stepped out of. And the gnawing -in his stomach was no doubt almost as great.</p> - -<p>"You understand, do you not, young man, that if anything goes wrong," -Abd Sadha asked, his head nodding tremulously and anticipating the -answer, "if anything unexpected, unprepared-for, occurs, you are not to -continue with the experiment but return immediately?"</p> - -<p>"He understands everything he has to understand," Gomez told him. -"Let's get this thing moving."</p> - -<p>The old man smiled again. "Yes. Of course, Mr. Gomez." He came up to -where Alben stood in the entrance of the time machine and handed the -sealed metal cylinder to him. "This is the precaution the scientists -have just added. When you arrive at your destination, just before -materializing, you will release it into the surrounding temporal -medium. Our purpose here, as you no doubt—"</p> - -<p>Levney sat up on his couch and snapped his fingers peremptorily. "I -just heard Gomez tell you to get this thing moving, Sadha. And it isn't -moving. We're busy men. We've wasted enough time."</p> - -<p>"I was just trying to explain a crucial final fact," the -Secretary-General apologized. "A fact which may be highly—"</p> - -<p>"You've explained enough facts." Levney turned to the man inside the -time machine. "Hey, fella. You. <i>Move!</i>"</p> - -<p>Max Alben gulped and nodded violently. He darted to the rear of the -machine and turned the dial which activated it.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was a good job and Mac Albin knew whom he had to thank for it—his -great-grandfather.</p> - -<p>"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he laughed as he looked at the morose faces -of his two colleagues. Bob Skeat and Hugo Honek had done as much as he -to build the tiny time machine in the secret lab under the helicopter -garage, and they were fully as eager to go, but—unfortunately for -them—they were not descended from the right ancestor.</p> - -<p>Leisurely, he unzipped the richly embroidered garment that, as the -father of two children, he was privileged to wear, and wriggled into -the housing of the complex little mechanism. This was hardly the -first time he had seen it, since he'd been helping to build the device -from the moment Honek had nodded and risen from the drafting board, -and now he barely wasted a glance on the thumb-size translucent coils -growing out of the almost microscopic energy bubbles which powered them.</p> - -<p>This machine was the last hope, of 2089, even if the world of 2089, as -a whole, did not know of its existence and would try to prevent its -being put into operation. But it meant a lot more to Mac Albin than -merely saving a world. It meant an adventurous mission with the risk of -death.</p> - -<p>"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he laughed again happily.</p> - -<p>If his great-grandfather had not volunteered for the earliest -time-travel experiments way back in the nineteen-seventies, back even -before the Epidemic, it would never have been discovered that he and -his seed possessed a great deal of immunity to extra-temporal blackout.</p> - -<p>And if that had not been discovered, the Albins would not have become -physicists upon the passage of the United Nations law that everyone -on Earth—absolutely without exception—had to choose a branch of -research science in which to specialize. In the flabby, careful, -life-guarding world the Earth had become, Mac Albin would never have -been reluctantly selected by his two co-workers as the one to carry the -forbidden banner of dangerous experiment.</p> - -<p>No, if his great-grandfather had not demonstrated long ago his unique -capacity for remaining conscious during time travel, Mac Albin would -probably be a biologist today like almost everyone else on Earth, -laboriously working out dreary gene problems instead of embarking on -the greatest adventure Man had known to date.</p> - -<p>Even if he didn't come back, he had at last found a socially useful -escape from genetic responsibility to humanity in general and his own -family in particular. This was a damn good job and he was lucky.</p> - -<p>"Wait a minute, Mac," Skeat said and crossed to the other side of the -narrow laboratory.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Albin and Honek watched him stuff several sheets of paper into a small -metal box which he closed without locking.</p> - -<p>"You will take care of yourself, won't you, Mac?" Hugo Honek pleaded. -"Any time you feel like taking an unnecessary risk, remember that Bob -and I will have to stand trial if you don't come back. We might be -sentenced to complete loss of professional status and spend the rest of -our lives supervising robot factories."</p> - -<p>"Oh, it won't be that bad," Albin reassured him absent-mindedly from -where he lay contorted inside the time machine. He watched Skeat coming -toward him with the box.</p> - -<p>Honek shrugged his shoulders. "It might be a lot worse than even that -and you know it. The disappearance of a two-time father is going to -leave an awful big vacancy in the world. One-timers, like Bob and -me, are all over the place; if either of us dropped out of sight, it -wouldn't cause nearly as much uproar."</p> - -<p>"But Bob and you both tried to operate the machine," Albin reminded -him. "And you blacked out after a fifteen-second temporal displacement. -So I'm the only chance, the only way to stop the human race from -dwindling and dwindling till it hits absolute zero, like that fat old -Security Council seems willing for it to do."</p> - -<p>"Take it easy, Mac," Bob Skeat said as he handed the metal box to -Albin. "The Security Council is just trying to solve the problem in -their way, the conservative way: a worldwide concentration on genetics -research coupled with the maximum preservation of existing human lives, -especially those that have a high reproductive potential. We three -disagree with them; we've been skulking down here nights to solve it -<i>our</i> way, and ours is a radical approach and plenty risky. That's -the reason for the metal box—trying to cover one more explosive -possibility."</p> - -<p>Albin turned it around curiously. "How?"</p> - -<p>"I sat up all last night writing the manuscript that's inside it. Look, -Mac, when you go back to the Guided Missile Experiment of 1976 and -push that red switch away from you, a lot of other things are going to -happen than just deflecting the missile so that it will explode in the -Brazilian jungle instead of the Pacific Ocean."</p> - -<p>"Sure. I know. If it explodes in the jungle, the Epidemic doesn't -occur. No Shapiro's Mumps."</p> - -<p>Skeat jiggled his pudgy little face impatiently. "That's not what I -mean. The Epidemic doesn't occur, but something else does. A new world, -a different 2089, an alternate time sequence. It'll be a world in which -humanity has a better chance to survive, but it'll be one with problems -of its own. Maybe tough problems. Maybe the problems will be tough -enough so that they'll get the same idea we did and try to go back to -the same point in time to change them."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Albin laughed. "That's just looking for trouble."</p> - -<p>"Maybe it is, but that's my job. Hugo's the designer of the time -machine and you're the operator, but I'm the theoretical man in this -research team. It's my job to look for trouble. So, just in case, I -wrote a brief history of the world from the time the missile exploded -in the Pacific. It tells why ours is the worst possible of futures. -It's in that box."</p> - -<p>"What do I do with it—hand it to the guy from the alternate 2089?"</p> - -<p>The small fat man exasperatedly hit the side of the time machine with -a well-cushioned palm. "You know better. There won't be any alternate -2089 until you push that red switch on the green instrument panel. The -moment you do, our world, with all its slow slide to extinction, goes -out and its alternate goes on—just like two electric light bulbs on a -push-pull circuit. We and every single one of our artifacts, including -the time machine, disappear. The problem is how to keep that manuscript -from disappearing.</p> - -<p>"Well, all you do, if I have this figured right, is shove the metal -box containing the manuscript out into the surrounding temporal medium -a moment before you materialize to do your job. That temporal medium -in which you'll be traveling is something that exists independent of -and autonomous to all possible futures. It's my hunch that something -that's immersed in it will not be altered by a new time sequence."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Remind him to be careful, Bob," Honek rumbled. "He thinks he's Captain -Blood and this is his big chance to run away to sea and become a -swashbuckling pirate."</p> - -<p>Albin grimaced in annoyance. "I <i>am</i> excited by doing something -besides sitting in a safe little corner working out safe little -abstractions for the first time in my life. But I know that this is a -first experiment. Honestly, Hugo, I really have enough intelligence to -recognize that simple fact. I know that if anything unexpected pops up, -anything we didn't foresee, I'm supposed to come scuttling back and ask -for advice."</p> - -<p>"I hope you do," Bob Skeat sighed. "I hope you do know that. A -twentieth century poet once wrote something to the effect that the -world will end not with a bang, but a whimper. Well, our world is -ending with a whimper. Try to see that it doesn't end with a bang, -either."</p> - -<p>"That I'll promise you," Albin said a trifle disgustedly. "It'll end -with neither a bang <i>nor</i> a whimper. So long, Hugo. So long, Bob."</p> - -<p>He twisted around, reaching overhead for the lever which activated the -forces that drove the time machine.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was strange, Max Alben reflected, that this time travel business, -which knocked unconscious everyone who tried it, only made him feel -slightly dizzy. That was because he was descended from Giovanni Albeni, -he had been told. There must be some complicated scientific explanation -for it, he decided—and that would make it none of his business. Better -forget about it.</p> - -<p>All around the time machine, there was a heavy gray murk in which -objects were hinted at rather than stated definitely. It reminded him -of patrolling his beat at the North American Chicken Reservation in a -thick fog.</p> - -<p>According to his gauges, he was now in 1976. He cut speed until he hit -the last day of April, then cut speed again, drifting slowly backward -to the eighteenth, the day of the infamous Guided Missile Experiment. -Carefully, carefully, like a man handling a strange bomb made on a -strange planet, he watched the center gauge until the needle came to -rest against the thin etched line that indicated the exactly crucial -moment. Then he pulled the brake and stopped the machine dead.</p> - -<p>All he had to do now was materialize in the right spot, flash out and -pull the red switch toward him. Then his well-paid assignment would be -done.</p> - -<p>But....</p> - -<p>He stopped and scratched his dirt-matted hair. Wasn't there something -he was supposed to do a second before materialization? Yes, that -useless old windbag, Sadha, had given him a last instruction.</p> - -<p>He picked up the sealed metal cylinder, walked to the entrance of the -time machine and tossed it into the gray murk. A solid object floating -near the entrance caught his eye. He put his arm out—whew, it was -cold!—and pulled it inside.</p> - -<p>A small metal box. Funny. What was it doing out there? Curiously, -he opened it, hoping to find something valuable. Nothing but a few -sheets of paper, Alben noted disappointedly. He began to read them -slowly, very slowly, for the manuscript was full of a lot of long and -complicated words, like a letter from one bookworm scientist to another.</p> - -<p>The problems all began with the Guided Missile Experiment of 1976, -he read. There had been a number of such experiments, but it was -the one of 1976 that finally did the damage the biologists had been -warning about. The missile with its deadly warhead exploded in the -Pacific Ocean as planned, the physicists and the military men went -home to study their notes, and the world shivered once more over the -approaching war and tried to forget about it.</p> - -<p>But there was fallout, a radioactive rain several hundred miles to -the north, and a small fishing fleet got thoroughly soaked by it. -Fortunately, the radioactivity in the rain was sufficiently low to do -little obvious physical damage: All it did was cause a mutation in the -mumps virus that several of the men in the fleet were incubating at the -time, having caught it from the children of the fishing town, among -whom a minor epidemic was raging.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The fleet returned to its home town, which promptly came down with the -new kind of mumps. Dr. Llewellyn Shapiro, the only physician in town, -was the first man to note that, while the symptoms of this disease were -substantially milder than those of its unmutated parent, practically no -one was immune to it and its effects on human reproductivity were truly -terrible. Most people were completely sterilized by it. The rest were -rendered much less capable of fathering or bearing offspring.</p> - -<p>Shapiro's Mumps spread over the entire planet in the next few decades. -It leaped across every quarantine erected; for a long time, it -successfully defied all the vaccines and serums attempted against -it. Then, when a vaccine was finally perfected, humanity discovered -to its dismay that its generative powers had been permanently and -fundamentally impaired.</p> - -<p>Something had happened to the germ plasm. A large percentage of -individuals were born sterile, and, of those who were not, one child -was usually the most that could be expected, a two-child parent being -quite rare and a three-child parent almost unknown.</p> - -<p>Strict eugenic control was instituted by the Security Council of the -United Nations so that fertile men and women would not be wasted upon -non-fertile mates. Fertility was the most important avenue to social -status, and right after it came successful genetic research.</p> - -<p>Genetic research had the very best minds prodded into it; the lesser -ones went into the other sciences. Everyone on Earth was engaged in -some form of scientific research to some extent. Since the population -was now so limited in proportion to the great resources available, all -physical labor had long been done by robots. The government saw to it -that everybody had an ample supply of goods and, in return, asked only -that they experiment without any risk to their own lives—every human -being was now a much-prized, highly guarded rarity.</p> - -<p>There were less than a hundred thousand of them, well below the danger -point, it had been estimated, where a species might be wiped out by a -new calamity. Not that another calamity would be needed. Since the end -of the Epidemic, the birth rate had been moving further and further -behind the death rate. In another century....</p> - -<p>That was why a desperate and secret attempt to alter the past was being -made. This kind of world was evidently impossible.</p> - -<p>Max Alben finished the manuscript and sighed. What a wonderful world! -What a comfortable place to live!</p> - -<p>He walked to the rear dials and began the process of materializing at -the crucial moment on April 18, 1976.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was odd, Mac Albin reflected, that these temporal journeys, which -induced coma in everyone who tried it, only made him feel slightly -dizzy. That was because he was descended from Giovanni Albeni, he -knew. Maybe there was some genetic relationship with his above-average -fertility—might be a good idea to mention the idea to a biologist or -two when he returned. <i>If</i> he returned.</p> - -<p>All around the time machine, there was a soupy gray murk in which -objects were hinted at rather than stated definitely. It reminded him -of the problems of landing a helicopter in a thick fog when the robot -butler had not been told to turn on the ground lights.</p> - -<p>According to the insulated register, he was now in 1976. He lowered -speed until he registered April, then maneuvered slowly backward -through time to the eighteenth, the day of the infamous Guided Missile -Experiment. Carefully, carefully, like an obstetrician supervising -surgical robots at an unusually difficult birth, he watched the -register until it rolled to rest against the notch that indicated the -exactly crucial moment. Then he pushed a button and froze the machine -where it was.</p> - -<p>All he had to do now was materialize in the right spot, flash out and -push the red switch from him. Then his exciting adventure would be over.</p> - -<p>But....</p> - -<p>He paused and tapped at his sleek chin. He was supposed to do something -a second before materialization. Yes, that nervous theoretician, Bob -Skeat, had given him a last suggestion.</p> - -<p>He picked up the small metal box, twisted around to face the opening -of the time machine and dropped it into the gray murk. A solid object -floating near the opening attracted his attention. He shot his arm -out—it was <i>cold</i>, as cold as they had figured—and pulled the object -inside.</p> - -<p>A sealed metal cylinder. Strange. What was it doing out there? -Anxiously, he opened it, not daring to believe he'd find a document -inside. Yes, that was exactly what it was, he saw excitedly. He began -to read it rapidly, very rapidly, as if it were a newly published paper -on neutrinos. Besides, the manuscript was written with almost painful -simplicity, like a textbook composed by a stuffy pedagogue for the use -of morons.</p> - -<p>The problems all began with the Guided Missile Experiment of 1976, he -read. There had been a number of such experiments, but it was the one -of 1976 that finally did the damage the biologists had been warning -about. The missile with its deadly warhead exploded in the Brazilian -jungle through some absolutely unforgivable error in the remote-control -station, the officer in charge of the station was reprimanded and the -men under him court-martialed, and the Brazilian government was paid a -handsome compensation for the damage.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>But there had been more damage than anyone knew at the time. A plant -virus, similar to the tobacco mosaic, had mutated under the impact -of radioactivity. Five years later, it burst out of the jungle and -completely wiped out every last rice plant on Earth. Japan and a large -part of Asia became semi-deserts inhabited by a few struggling nomads.</p> - -<p>Then the virus adjusted to wheat and corn—and famine howled in every -street of the planet. All attempts by botanists to control the Blight -failed because of the swiftness of its onslaught. And after it had fed, -it hit again at a new plant and another and another.</p> - -<p>Most of the world's non-human mammals had been slaughtered for food -long before they could starve to death. Many insects, too, before they -became extinct at the loss of their edible plants, served to assuage -hunger to some small extent.</p> - -<p>But the nutritive potential of Earth was steadily diminishing in a -horrifying geometric progression. Recently, it had been observed, -plankton—the tiny organism on which most of the sea's ecology was -based—had started to disappear, and with its diminution, dead fish had -begun to pile up on the beaches.</p> - -<p>Mankind had lunged out desperately in all directions in an effort to -survive, but nothing had worked for any length of time. Even the other -planets of the Solar System, which had been reached and explored -at a tremendous cost in remaining resources, had yielded no edible -vegetation. Synthetics had failed to fill the prodigious gap.</p> - -<p>In the midst of the sharply increasing hunger, social controls had -pretty much dissolved. Pathetic attempts at rationing still continued, -but black markets became the only markets, and black marketeers the -barons of life. Starvation took the hindmost, and only the most agile -economically lived in comparative comfort. Law and order were had only -by those who could afford to pay for them and children of impoverished -families were sold on the open market for a bit of food.</p> - -<p>But the Blight was still adjusting to new plants and the food supply -kept shrinking. In another century....</p> - -<p>That was why the planet's powerful individuals had been persuaded to -pool their wealth in a desperate attempt to alter the past. This kind -of world was manifestly impossible.</p> - -<p>Mac Albin finished the document and sighed. What a magnificent world! -What an exciting place to live!</p> - -<p>He dropped his hand on the side levers and began the process of -materializing at the crucial moment on April 18, 1976.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As the equipment of the remote-control station began to take on a -blurred reality all around him, Max Alben felt a bit of fear at what -he was doing. The technicians, he remembered, the Secretary-General, -even the black market kings, had all warned him not to go ahead with -his instructions if anything unusual turned up. That was an awful lot -of power to disobey: he knew he should return with this new information -and let better minds work on it.</p> - -<p>They with their easy lives, what did they know what existence had been -like for such as he? Hunger, always hunger, scrabbling, servility, and -more hunger. Every time things got really tight, you and your wife -looking sideways at your kids and wondering which of them would bring -the best price. Buying security for them, as he was now, at the risk of -his life.</p> - -<p>But in this other world, this other 2089, there was a state that took -care of you and that treasured your children. A man like himself, with -<i>five</i> children—why, he'd be a big man, maybe the biggest man on -Earth! And he'd have robots to work for him and lots of food. Above -all, lots and lots of food.</p> - -<p>He'd even be a scientist—<i>everyone</i> was a scientist there, weren't -they?—and he'd have a big laboratory all to himself. This other world -had its troubles, but it was a lot nicer place than where he'd come -from. He wouldn't return. He'd go through with it.</p> - -<p>The fear left him and, for the first time in his life, Max Alben felt -the sensation of power.</p> - -<p>He materialized the time machine around the green instrument panel, -sweating a bit at the sight of the roomful of military figures, despite -the technicians' reassurances that all this would be happening too fast -to be visible. He saw the single red switch pointing upward on the -instrument panel. The switch that controlled the course of the missile. -Now! Now to make a halfway decent world!</p> - -<p>Max Alben pulled the little red switch toward him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>As the equipment of the remote-control station began to oscillate into -reality all around him, Mac Albin felt a bit of shame at what he was -doing. He'd promised Bob and Hugo to drop the experiment at any stage -if a new factor showed up. He knew he should go back with this new -information and have all three of them kick it around.</p> - -<p>But what would they be able to tell him, they with their blissful -adjustment to their thoroughly blueprinted lives? They, at least, had -been ordered to marry women they could live with; he'd drawn a female -with whom he was completely incompatible in any but a genetic sense. -Genetics! He was tired of genetics and the sanctity of human life, -tired to the tip of his uncalloused fingers, tired to the recesses -of his unused muscles. He was tired of having to undertake a simple -adventure like a thief in the night.</p> - -<p>But in this other world, this other 2089, someone like himself would -be a monarch of the black market, a suzerain of chaos, making his own -rules, taking his own women. So what if the weaklings, those unfit to -carry on the race, went to the wall? His kind wouldn't.</p> - -<p>He'd formed a pretty good idea of the kind of men who ruled that other -world, from the document in the sealed metal cylinder. The black -marketeers had not even read it. Why, the fools had obviously been -duped by the technicians into permitting the experiment; they had not -grasped the idea that an alternate time track would mean their own -non-existence.</p> - -<p>This other world had its troubles, but it was certainly a livelier -place than where he'd come from. It deserved a chance. Yes, that was -how he felt: his world was drowsily moribund; this alternate was -starving but managing to flail away at destiny. It <i>deserved</i> a chance.</p> - -<p>Albin decided that he was experiencing renunciation and felt proud.</p> - -<p>He materialized the time machine around the green instrument panel, -disregarding the roomful of military figures since he knew they could -not see him. The single red switch pointed downward on the instrument -panel. That was the gimmick that controlled the course of the missile. -Now! Now to make a halfway interesting world!</p> - -<p>Mac Albin pushed the little red switch from him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<p>Now! Now to make a halfway decent world!</p> - -<p>Max Alben pulled the little red switch toward him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<p>Now! Now to make a halfway interesting world!</p> - -<p>Mac Albin pushed the little red switch from him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<p>... pulled the little red switch toward him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<p>... pushed the little red switch from him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<p>... toward him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<p>... from him.</p> - -<p class="ph4"><i>flick!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="351" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Of All Possible Worlds, by William Tenn - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS *** - -***** This file should be named 50948-h.htm or 50948-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/4/50948/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/50948-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/50948-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 5dc680a..0000000 --- a/old/50948-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50948-h/images/illus.jpg b/old/50948-h/images/illus.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 062534c..0000000 --- a/old/50948-h/images/illus.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/50948.txt b/old/50948.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b733ecf..0000000 --- a/old/50948.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1074 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Of All Possible Worlds, by William Tenn - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Of All Possible Worlds - -Author: William Tenn - -Release Date: January 17, 2016 [EBook #50948] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Of All Possible Worlds - - By WILLIAM TENN - - Illustrated by GAUGHAN - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Galaxy Science Fiction December 1956. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - - - - Changing the world is simple; the trick is - to do it before you have a chance to undo it! - - -It was a good job and Max Alben knew whom he had to thank for it--his -great-grandfather. - -"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he muttered as he hurried into the -laboratory slightly ahead of the escorting technicians, all of them, -despite the excitement of the moment, remembering to bob their heads -deferentially at the half-dozen full-fleshed and hard-faced men -lolling on the couches that had been set up around the time machine. - -He shrugged rapidly out of his rags, as he had been instructed in the -anteroom, and stepped into the housing of the enormous mechanism. -This was the first time he had seen it, since he had been taught -how to operate it on a dummy model, and now he stared at the great -transparent coils and the susurrating energy bubble with much respect. - -This machine, the pride and the hope of 2089, was something almost -outside his powers of comprehension. But Max Alben knew how to run it, -and he knew, roughly, what it was supposed to accomplish. He knew also -that this was the first backward journey of any great duration and, -being scientifically unpredictable, might well be the death of him. - -"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he muttered again affectionately. - -If his great-grandfather had not volunteered for the earliest -time-travel experiments way back in the nineteen-seventies, back even -before the Blight, it would never have been discovered that he and his -seed possessed a great deal of immunity to extra-temporal blackout. - -And if that had not been discovered, the ruling powers of Earth, more -than a century later, would never have plucked Max Alben out of an -obscure civil-service job as a relief guard at the North American -Chicken Reservation to his present heroic and remunerative eminence. -He would still be patrolling the barbed wire that surrounded the three -white leghorn hens and two roosters--about one-sixth of the known -livestock wealth of the Western Hemisphere--thoroughly content with -the half-pail of dried apricots he received each and every payday. - -No, if his great-grandfather had not demonstrated long ago his unique -capacity for remaining conscious during time travel, Max Alben would -not now be shifting from foot to foot in a physics laboratory, -facing the black market kings of the world and awaiting their final -instructions with an uncertain and submissive grin. - - * * * * * - -Men like O'Hara, who controlled mushrooms, Levney, the blackberry -tycoon, Sorgasso, the packaged-worm monopolist--would black marketeers -of their tremendous stature so much as waste a glance on someone like -Alben ordinarily, let alone confer a lifetime pension on his wife and -five children of a full spoonful each of non-synthetic sugar a day? - -Even if he didn't come back, his family was provided for like almost no -other family on Earth. This was a damn good job and he was lucky. - -Alben noticed that Abd Sadha had risen from the straight chair at -the far side of the room and was approaching him with a sealed metal -cylinder in one hand. - -"We've decided to add a further precaution at the last moment," the old -man said. "That is, the scientists have suggested it and I have--er--I -have given my approval." - -The last remark was added with a slight questioning note as the -Secretary-General of the United Nations looked back rapidly at the -black market princes on the couches behind him. Since they stared back -stonily, but offered no objection, he coughed in relief and returned to -Alben. - -"I am sure, young man, that I don't have to go into the details of your -instructions once more. You enter the time machine and go back the -duration for which it has been preset, a hundred and thirteen years, to -the moment after the Guided Missile of 1976 was launched. It _is_ 1976, -isn't it?" he asked, suddenly uncertain. - -"Yes, sir," one of the technicians standing by the time machine said -respectfully. "The experiment with an atomic warhead guided missile -that resulted in the Blight was conducted on this site on April 18, -1976." He glanced proudly at the unemotional men on the couches, very -much like a small boy after completing a recitation before visiting -dignitaries from the Board of Education. - -"Just so." Abd Sadha nodded. "April 18, 1976. And on this site. You -see, young man, you will materialize at the very moment and on the -very spot where the remote-control station handling the missile -was--er--handling the missile. You will be in a superb position, a -superb position, to deflect the missile in its downward course and -alter human history for the better. Very much for the better. Yes." - -He paused, having evidently stumbled out of his thought sequence. - -"And he pulls the red switch toward him," Gomez, the dandelion-root -magnate, reminded him sharply, impatiently. - -"Ah, yes, the red switch. He pulls the little red switch toward him. -Thank you, Mr. Gomez, thank you very much, sir. He pulls the little -red switch on the green instrument panel toward him, thus preventing -the error that caused the missile to explode in the Brazilian jungle -and causing it, instead, to explode somewhere in the mid-Pacific, as -originally planned." - -The Secretary-General of the United Nations beamed. "Thus preventing -the Blight, making it nonexistent, as it were, producing a present-day -world in which the Blight never occurred. That is correct, is it not, -gentlemen?" he asked, turning anxiously again. - - * * * * * - -None of the half-dozen men on couches deigned to answer him. And -Alben kept his eyes deferentially in their direction, too, as he had -throughout this period of last-minute instruction. - -He knew who ruled his world--these stolid, well-fed men in clean -garments with a minimum of patches, and where patches occurred, at -least they were the color of the surrounding cloth. - -Sadha might be Secretary-General of the United Nations, but that -was still a civil-service job, only a few social notches higher -than a chicken guard. His clothes were fully as ragged, fully as -multi-colored, as those that Alben had stepped out of. And the gnawing -in his stomach was no doubt almost as great. - -"You understand, do you not, young man, that if anything goes wrong," -Abd Sadha asked, his head nodding tremulously and anticipating the -answer, "if anything unexpected, unprepared-for, occurs, you are not to -continue with the experiment but return immediately?" - -"He understands everything he has to understand," Gomez told him. -"Let's get this thing moving." - -The old man smiled again. "Yes. Of course, Mr. Gomez." He came up to -where Alben stood in the entrance of the time machine and handed the -sealed metal cylinder to him. "This is the precaution the scientists -have just added. When you arrive at your destination, just before -materializing, you will release it into the surrounding temporal -medium. Our purpose here, as you no doubt--" - -Levney sat up on his couch and snapped his fingers peremptorily. "I -just heard Gomez tell you to get this thing moving, Sadha. And it isn't -moving. We're busy men. We've wasted enough time." - -"I was just trying to explain a crucial final fact," the -Secretary-General apologized. "A fact which may be highly--" - -"You've explained enough facts." Levney turned to the man inside the -time machine. "Hey, fella. You. _Move!_" - -Max Alben gulped and nodded violently. He darted to the rear of the -machine and turned the dial which activated it. - - _flick!_ - - * * * * * - -It was a good job and Mac Albin knew whom he had to thank for it--his -great-grandfather. - -"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he laughed as he looked at the morose faces -of his two colleagues. Bob Skeat and Hugo Honek had done as much as he -to build the tiny time machine in the secret lab under the helicopter -garage, and they were fully as eager to go, but--unfortunately for -them--they were not descended from the right ancestor. - -Leisurely, he unzipped the richly embroidered garment that, as the -father of two children, he was privileged to wear, and wriggled into -the housing of the complex little mechanism. This was hardly the -first time he had seen it, since he'd been helping to build the device -from the moment Honek had nodded and risen from the drafting board, -and now he barely wasted a glance on the thumb-size translucent coils -growing out of the almost microscopic energy bubbles which powered them. - -This machine was the last hope, of 2089, even if the world of 2089, as -a whole, did not know of its existence and would try to prevent its -being put into operation. But it meant a lot more to Mac Albin than -merely saving a world. It meant an adventurous mission with the risk of -death. - -"Good old Giovanni Albeni," he laughed again happily. - -If his great-grandfather had not volunteered for the earliest -time-travel experiments way back in the nineteen-seventies, back even -before the Epidemic, it would never have been discovered that he and -his seed possessed a great deal of immunity to extra-temporal blackout. - -And if that had not been discovered, the Albins would not have become -physicists upon the passage of the United Nations law that everyone -on Earth--absolutely without exception--had to choose a branch of -research science in which to specialize. In the flabby, careful, -life-guarding world the Earth had become, Mac Albin would never have -been reluctantly selected by his two co-workers as the one to carry the -forbidden banner of dangerous experiment. - -No, if his great-grandfather had not demonstrated long ago his unique -capacity for remaining conscious during time travel, Mac Albin would -probably be a biologist today like almost everyone else on Earth, -laboriously working out dreary gene problems instead of embarking on -the greatest adventure Man had known to date. - -Even if he didn't come back, he had at last found a socially useful -escape from genetic responsibility to humanity in general and his own -family in particular. This was a damn good job and he was lucky. - -"Wait a minute, Mac," Skeat said and crossed to the other side of the -narrow laboratory. - - * * * * * - -Albin and Honek watched him stuff several sheets of paper into a small -metal box which he closed without locking. - -"You will take care of yourself, won't you, Mac?" Hugo Honek pleaded. -"Any time you feel like taking an unnecessary risk, remember that Bob -and I will have to stand trial if you don't come back. We might be -sentenced to complete loss of professional status and spend the rest of -our lives supervising robot factories." - -"Oh, it won't be that bad," Albin reassured him absent-mindedly from -where he lay contorted inside the time machine. He watched Skeat coming -toward him with the box. - -Honek shrugged his shoulders. "It might be a lot worse than even that -and you know it. The disappearance of a two-time father is going to -leave an awful big vacancy in the world. One-timers, like Bob and -me, are all over the place; if either of us dropped out of sight, it -wouldn't cause nearly as much uproar." - -"But Bob and you both tried to operate the machine," Albin reminded -him. "And you blacked out after a fifteen-second temporal displacement. -So I'm the only chance, the only way to stop the human race from -dwindling and dwindling till it hits absolute zero, like that fat old -Security Council seems willing for it to do." - -"Take it easy, Mac," Bob Skeat said as he handed the metal box to -Albin. "The Security Council is just trying to solve the problem in -their way, the conservative way: a worldwide concentration on genetics -research coupled with the maximum preservation of existing human lives, -especially those that have a high reproductive potential. We three -disagree with them; we've been skulking down here nights to solve it -_our_ way, and ours is a radical approach and plenty risky. That's -the reason for the metal box--trying to cover one more explosive -possibility." - -Albin turned it around curiously. "How?" - -"I sat up all last night writing the manuscript that's inside it. Look, -Mac, when you go back to the Guided Missile Experiment of 1976 and -push that red switch away from you, a lot of other things are going to -happen than just deflecting the missile so that it will explode in the -Brazilian jungle instead of the Pacific Ocean." - -"Sure. I know. If it explodes in the jungle, the Epidemic doesn't -occur. No Shapiro's Mumps." - -Skeat jiggled his pudgy little face impatiently. "That's not what I -mean. The Epidemic doesn't occur, but something else does. A new world, -a different 2089, an alternate time sequence. It'll be a world in which -humanity has a better chance to survive, but it'll be one with problems -of its own. Maybe tough problems. Maybe the problems will be tough -enough so that they'll get the same idea we did and try to go back to -the same point in time to change them." - - * * * * * - -Albin laughed. "That's just looking for trouble." - -"Maybe it is, but that's my job. Hugo's the designer of the time -machine and you're the operator, but I'm the theoretical man in this -research team. It's my job to look for trouble. So, just in case, I -wrote a brief history of the world from the time the missile exploded -in the Pacific. It tells why ours is the worst possible of futures. -It's in that box." - -"What do I do with it--hand it to the guy from the alternate 2089?" - -The small fat man exasperatedly hit the side of the time machine with -a well-cushioned palm. "You know better. There won't be any alternate -2089 until you push that red switch on the green instrument panel. The -moment you do, our world, with all its slow slide to extinction, goes -out and its alternate goes on--just like two electric light bulbs on a -push-pull circuit. We and every single one of our artifacts, including -the time machine, disappear. The problem is how to keep that manuscript -from disappearing. - -"Well, all you do, if I have this figured right, is shove the metal -box containing the manuscript out into the surrounding temporal medium -a moment before you materialize to do your job. That temporal medium -in which you'll be traveling is something that exists independent of -and autonomous to all possible futures. It's my hunch that something -that's immersed in it will not be altered by a new time sequence." - - * * * * * - -"Remind him to be careful, Bob," Honek rumbled. "He thinks he's Captain -Blood and this is his big chance to run away to sea and become a -swashbuckling pirate." - -Albin grimaced in annoyance. "I _am_ excited by doing something -besides sitting in a safe little corner working out safe little -abstractions for the first time in my life. But I know that this is a -first experiment. Honestly, Hugo, I really have enough intelligence to -recognize that simple fact. I know that if anything unexpected pops up, -anything we didn't foresee, I'm supposed to come scuttling back and ask -for advice." - -"I hope you do," Bob Skeat sighed. "I hope you do know that. A -twentieth century poet once wrote something to the effect that the -world will end not with a bang, but a whimper. Well, our world is -ending with a whimper. Try to see that it doesn't end with a bang, -either." - -"That I'll promise you," Albin said a trifle disgustedly. "It'll end -with neither a bang _nor_ a whimper. So long, Hugo. So long, Bob." - -He twisted around, reaching overhead for the lever which activated the -forces that drove the time machine. - - _flick!_ - - * * * * * - -It was strange, Max Alben reflected, that this time travel business, -which knocked unconscious everyone who tried it, only made him feel -slightly dizzy. That was because he was descended from Giovanni Albeni, -he had been told. There must be some complicated scientific explanation -for it, he decided--and that would make it none of his business. Better -forget about it. - -All around the time machine, there was a heavy gray murk in which -objects were hinted at rather than stated definitely. It reminded him -of patrolling his beat at the North American Chicken Reservation in a -thick fog. - -According to his gauges, he was now in 1976. He cut speed until he hit -the last day of April, then cut speed again, drifting slowly backward -to the eighteenth, the day of the infamous Guided Missile Experiment. -Carefully, carefully, like a man handling a strange bomb made on a -strange planet, he watched the center gauge until the needle came to -rest against the thin etched line that indicated the exactly crucial -moment. Then he pulled the brake and stopped the machine dead. - -All he had to do now was materialize in the right spot, flash out and -pull the red switch toward him. Then his well-paid assignment would be -done. - -But.... - -He stopped and scratched his dirt-matted hair. Wasn't there something -he was supposed to do a second before materialization? Yes, that -useless old windbag, Sadha, had given him a last instruction. - -He picked up the sealed metal cylinder, walked to the entrance of the -time machine and tossed it into the gray murk. A solid object floating -near the entrance caught his eye. He put his arm out--whew, it was -cold!--and pulled it inside. - -A small metal box. Funny. What was it doing out there? Curiously, -he opened it, hoping to find something valuable. Nothing but a few -sheets of paper, Alben noted disappointedly. He began to read them -slowly, very slowly, for the manuscript was full of a lot of long and -complicated words, like a letter from one bookworm scientist to another. - -The problems all began with the Guided Missile Experiment of 1976, -he read. There had been a number of such experiments, but it was -the one of 1976 that finally did the damage the biologists had been -warning about. The missile with its deadly warhead exploded in the -Pacific Ocean as planned, the physicists and the military men went -home to study their notes, and the world shivered once more over the -approaching war and tried to forget about it. - -But there was fallout, a radioactive rain several hundred miles to -the north, and a small fishing fleet got thoroughly soaked by it. -Fortunately, the radioactivity in the rain was sufficiently low to do -little obvious physical damage: All it did was cause a mutation in the -mumps virus that several of the men in the fleet were incubating at the -time, having caught it from the children of the fishing town, among -whom a minor epidemic was raging. - - * * * * * - -The fleet returned to its home town, which promptly came down with the -new kind of mumps. Dr. Llewellyn Shapiro, the only physician in town, -was the first man to note that, while the symptoms of this disease were -substantially milder than those of its unmutated parent, practically no -one was immune to it and its effects on human reproductivity were truly -terrible. Most people were completely sterilized by it. The rest were -rendered much less capable of fathering or bearing offspring. - -Shapiro's Mumps spread over the entire planet in the next few decades. -It leaped across every quarantine erected; for a long time, it -successfully defied all the vaccines and serums attempted against -it. Then, when a vaccine was finally perfected, humanity discovered -to its dismay that its generative powers had been permanently and -fundamentally impaired. - -Something had happened to the germ plasm. A large percentage of -individuals were born sterile, and, of those who were not, one child -was usually the most that could be expected, a two-child parent being -quite rare and a three-child parent almost unknown. - -Strict eugenic control was instituted by the Security Council of the -United Nations so that fertile men and women would not be wasted upon -non-fertile mates. Fertility was the most important avenue to social -status, and right after it came successful genetic research. - -Genetic research had the very best minds prodded into it; the lesser -ones went into the other sciences. Everyone on Earth was engaged in -some form of scientific research to some extent. Since the population -was now so limited in proportion to the great resources available, all -physical labor had long been done by robots. The government saw to it -that everybody had an ample supply of goods and, in return, asked only -that they experiment without any risk to their own lives--every human -being was now a much-prized, highly guarded rarity. - -There were less than a hundred thousand of them, well below the danger -point, it had been estimated, where a species might be wiped out by a -new calamity. Not that another calamity would be needed. Since the end -of the Epidemic, the birth rate had been moving further and further -behind the death rate. In another century.... - -That was why a desperate and secret attempt to alter the past was being -made. This kind of world was evidently impossible. - -Max Alben finished the manuscript and sighed. What a wonderful world! -What a comfortable place to live! - -He walked to the rear dials and began the process of materializing at -the crucial moment on April 18, 1976. - - _flick!_ - - * * * * * - -It was odd, Mac Albin reflected, that these temporal journeys, which -induced coma in everyone who tried it, only made him feel slightly -dizzy. That was because he was descended from Giovanni Albeni, he -knew. Maybe there was some genetic relationship with his above-average -fertility--might be a good idea to mention the idea to a biologist or -two when he returned. _If_ he returned. - -All around the time machine, there was a soupy gray murk in which -objects were hinted at rather than stated definitely. It reminded him -of the problems of landing a helicopter in a thick fog when the robot -butler had not been told to turn on the ground lights. - -According to the insulated register, he was now in 1976. He lowered -speed until he registered April, then maneuvered slowly backward -through time to the eighteenth, the day of the infamous Guided Missile -Experiment. Carefully, carefully, like an obstetrician supervising -surgical robots at an unusually difficult birth, he watched the -register until it rolled to rest against the notch that indicated the -exactly crucial moment. Then he pushed a button and froze the machine -where it was. - -All he had to do now was materialize in the right spot, flash out and -push the red switch from him. Then his exciting adventure would be over. - -But.... - -He paused and tapped at his sleek chin. He was supposed to do something -a second before materialization. Yes, that nervous theoretician, Bob -Skeat, had given him a last suggestion. - -He picked up the small metal box, twisted around to face the opening -of the time machine and dropped it into the gray murk. A solid object -floating near the opening attracted his attention. He shot his arm -out--it was _cold_, as cold as they had figured--and pulled the object -inside. - -A sealed metal cylinder. Strange. What was it doing out there? -Anxiously, he opened it, not daring to believe he'd find a document -inside. Yes, that was exactly what it was, he saw excitedly. He began -to read it rapidly, very rapidly, as if it were a newly published paper -on neutrinos. Besides, the manuscript was written with almost painful -simplicity, like a textbook composed by a stuffy pedagogue for the use -of morons. - -The problems all began with the Guided Missile Experiment of 1976, he -read. There had been a number of such experiments, but it was the one -of 1976 that finally did the damage the biologists had been warning -about. The missile with its deadly warhead exploded in the Brazilian -jungle through some absolutely unforgivable error in the remote-control -station, the officer in charge of the station was reprimanded and the -men under him court-martialed, and the Brazilian government was paid a -handsome compensation for the damage. - - * * * * * - -But there had been more damage than anyone knew at the time. A plant -virus, similar to the tobacco mosaic, had mutated under the impact -of radioactivity. Five years later, it burst out of the jungle and -completely wiped out every last rice plant on Earth. Japan and a large -part of Asia became semi-deserts inhabited by a few struggling nomads. - -Then the virus adjusted to wheat and corn--and famine howled in every -street of the planet. All attempts by botanists to control the Blight -failed because of the swiftness of its onslaught. And after it had fed, -it hit again at a new plant and another and another. - -Most of the world's non-human mammals had been slaughtered for food -long before they could starve to death. Many insects, too, before they -became extinct at the loss of their edible plants, served to assuage -hunger to some small extent. - -But the nutritive potential of Earth was steadily diminishing in a -horrifying geometric progression. Recently, it had been observed, -plankton--the tiny organism on which most of the sea's ecology was -based--had started to disappear, and with its diminution, dead fish had -begun to pile up on the beaches. - -Mankind had lunged out desperately in all directions in an effort to -survive, but nothing had worked for any length of time. Even the other -planets of the Solar System, which had been reached and explored -at a tremendous cost in remaining resources, had yielded no edible -vegetation. Synthetics had failed to fill the prodigious gap. - -In the midst of the sharply increasing hunger, social controls had -pretty much dissolved. Pathetic attempts at rationing still continued, -but black markets became the only markets, and black marketeers the -barons of life. Starvation took the hindmost, and only the most agile -economically lived in comparative comfort. Law and order were had only -by those who could afford to pay for them and children of impoverished -families were sold on the open market for a bit of food. - -But the Blight was still adjusting to new plants and the food supply -kept shrinking. In another century.... - -That was why the planet's powerful individuals had been persuaded to -pool their wealth in a desperate attempt to alter the past. This kind -of world was manifestly impossible. - -Mac Albin finished the document and sighed. What a magnificent world! -What an exciting place to live! - -He dropped his hand on the side levers and began the process of -materializing at the crucial moment on April 18, 1976. - - _flick!_ - - * * * * * - -As the equipment of the remote-control station began to take on a -blurred reality all around him, Max Alben felt a bit of fear at what -he was doing. The technicians, he remembered, the Secretary-General, -even the black market kings, had all warned him not to go ahead with -his instructions if anything unusual turned up. That was an awful lot -of power to disobey: he knew he should return with this new information -and let better minds work on it. - -They with their easy lives, what did they know what existence had been -like for such as he? Hunger, always hunger, scrabbling, servility, and -more hunger. Every time things got really tight, you and your wife -looking sideways at your kids and wondering which of them would bring -the best price. Buying security for them, as he was now, at the risk of -his life. - -But in this other world, this other 2089, there was a state that took -care of you and that treasured your children. A man like himself, with -_five_ children--why, he'd be a big man, maybe the biggest man on -Earth! And he'd have robots to work for him and lots of food. Above -all, lots and lots of food. - -He'd even be a scientist--_everyone_ was a scientist there, weren't -they?--and he'd have a big laboratory all to himself. This other world -had its troubles, but it was a lot nicer place than where he'd come -from. He wouldn't return. He'd go through with it. - -The fear left him and, for the first time in his life, Max Alben felt -the sensation of power. - -He materialized the time machine around the green instrument panel, -sweating a bit at the sight of the roomful of military figures, despite -the technicians' reassurances that all this would be happening too fast -to be visible. He saw the single red switch pointing upward on the -instrument panel. The switch that controlled the course of the missile. -Now! Now to make a halfway decent world! - -Max Alben pulled the little red switch toward him. - - _flick!_ - - * * * * * - -As the equipment of the remote-control station began to oscillate into -reality all around him, Mac Albin felt a bit of shame at what he was -doing. He'd promised Bob and Hugo to drop the experiment at any stage -if a new factor showed up. He knew he should go back with this new -information and have all three of them kick it around. - -But what would they be able to tell him, they with their blissful -adjustment to their thoroughly blueprinted lives? They, at least, had -been ordered to marry women they could live with; he'd drawn a female -with whom he was completely incompatible in any but a genetic sense. -Genetics! He was tired of genetics and the sanctity of human life, -tired to the tip of his uncalloused fingers, tired to the recesses -of his unused muscles. He was tired of having to undertake a simple -adventure like a thief in the night. - -But in this other world, this other 2089, someone like himself would -be a monarch of the black market, a suzerain of chaos, making his own -rules, taking his own women. So what if the weaklings, those unfit to -carry on the race, went to the wall? His kind wouldn't. - -He'd formed a pretty good idea of the kind of men who ruled that other -world, from the document in the sealed metal cylinder. The black -marketeers had not even read it. Why, the fools had obviously been -duped by the technicians into permitting the experiment; they had not -grasped the idea that an alternate time track would mean their own -non-existence. - -This other world had its troubles, but it was certainly a livelier -place than where he'd come from. It deserved a chance. Yes, that was -how he felt: his world was drowsily moribund; this alternate was -starving but managing to flail away at destiny. It _deserved_ a chance. - -Albin decided that he was experiencing renunciation and felt proud. - -He materialized the time machine around the green instrument panel, -disregarding the roomful of military figures since he knew they could -not see him. The single red switch pointed downward on the instrument -panel. That was the gimmick that controlled the course of the missile. -Now! Now to make a halfway interesting world! - -Mac Albin pushed the little red switch from him. - - _flick!_ - -Now! Now to make a halfway decent world! - -Max Alben pulled the little red switch toward him. - - _flick!_ - -Now! Now to make a halfway interesting world! - -Mac Albin pushed the little red switch from him. - - _flick!_ - -... pulled the little red switch toward him. - - _flick!_ - -... pushed the little red switch from him. - - _flick!_ - -... toward him. - - _flick!_ - -... from him. - - _flick!_ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Of All Possible Worlds, by William Tenn - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS *** - -***** This file should be named 50948.txt or 50948.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/0/9/4/50948/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/50948.zip b/old/50948.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 571fd99..0000000 --- a/old/50948.zip +++ /dev/null |
