NormalizeHEADmain

1 files changed, 0 insertions, 1146 deletions

diff --git a/old/66714-0.txt b/old/66714-0.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index a25d672..0000000
--- a/old/66714-0.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,1146 +0,0 @@
-The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Cosmic Snare, by Milton Lesser
-
-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
-will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
-using this eBook.
-
-Title: The Cosmic Snare
-
-Author: Milton Lesser
-
-Release Date: November 12, 2021 [eBook #66714]
-
-Language: English
-
-Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed
-             Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
-
-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COSMIC SNARE ***
-
-
-
-
-
-                           THE COSMIC SNARE
-
-                           By Milton Lesser
-
-               Sub-space was a vast nothingness used for
-            instantaneous travel between stellar worlds. It
-            was uncharted, and--Liddell knew--a death trap!
-
-           [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
-              Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy
-                             February 1956
-         Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
-         the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
-
-
-Liddell stared expectantly at the blank screen of the transfer unit. It
-had been blank ever since he had arrived with his wife at the doorway,
-enigmatically, mysteriously, sometimes frighteningly blank.
-
-"See anything?" Linda asked. Liddell's wife of one month was a tall but
-trimly built girl in the uniform of the Transfer Service. She leaned
-anxiously over Liddell's shoulder now as he peered at the dazzling
-white screen.
-
-"Not yet," he said, licking his lips. "It was just a hunch, anyway."
-
-"What was just a hunch, darling?"
-
-"That we'd see anything now."
-
-"But you said--"
-
-"I know what I said, Linda. That we'd had enough time to get used to
-this transfer station. That we'd read all the instructions and advice
-left by our predecessor. That we'd--"
-
-"Then where's our first customer?" Linda demanded with a pout.
-
-Liddell grinned and craned his neck to peck a kiss at his young wife's
-cheek. "Don't tell me you're lonely already!" he gasped, feigning
-amazement.
-
-"No, but--"
-
-Suddenly, the lines of Liddell's gaunt face went serious. "The
-lighthouse keepers of last century had nothing on us," he said.
-
-Linda nodded. "They were practically in the middle of things by
-comparison. That's one thing I can't exactly get straight, sweetheart.
-Exactly where we are, I mean."
-
-Liddell shrugged and offered an expansive gesture which was meant to
-take in the round globe of their living quarters and the transfer unit.
-"We're nowhere," he said. "Or we're everywhere. It depends on what
-sub-space school you belong to. You see, sub-space is either utterly
-nowhere, existing _below_ the normal endless but finite, self-contained
-space-time continuity or else it is potentially everywhere, existing
-just below the warp and woof of space-time on a thousand thousand
-worlds...."
-
-"Never mind, Lidd," Linda grinned. "Once you get started on something
-like that, you'd keep a gal up all night."
-
-"Sleepy?"
-
-"A little. That is, as you would say, if there was such a thing as
-night here. But there's nothing outside the globe, nothing but that
-featureless grayness. It doesn't even swirl. If it just swirled a
-little, like smoke, that would be something. But it doesn't even do
-that."
-
-"Sub-space," Liddell offered. "Absolute nothingness. It's funny, you
-always picture nothingness as being black. But it's not. It's gray.
-Plain, featureless, changeless gray."
-
-"Brother!" Linda said. "Can I ever see why they only take husband-wife
-teams in the Transfer Service."
-
-"I'll bite. Why?"
-
-"Because a man alone could go off his rocker thinking the things you
-think. He needs a girl around."
-
-"Does he?" Liddell asked, then waited until Linda had begun to pout
-before he whirled around and took her in his arms, his back to the
-blank transfer screen.
-
-"Lidd," Linda said. "Ah, Lidd...." But all at once she stiffened in
-his arms. He could feel her hands against his chest, trying to thrust
-him away. Her mouth was open but she couldn't speak. With one hand she
-managed to point.
-
-At the surface of the transfer screen.
-
-"We're going to have company," Linda finally said.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-Linda was in the galley, whipping up a quick meal. Aside from its
-complete necessity in making the switch-over from normal space to
-sub-space and back again, that was one of the functions of the transfer
-unit. Since many of the outworld colonies still depended entirely on
-food concentrates and vitashots, a final home-cooked meal would be much
-appreciated by the traveler through sub-space.
-
-"Scared?" Liddell called over his shoulder.
-
-"You mean that they won't like my food?"
-
-"No, I mean with our first customer?"
-
-"I'm too busy with southern fried chicken to be scared."
-
-"Funny, isn't it?" Liddell mused. "Fifty years ago if you asked a
-science writer to whip you up a piece about sub-space what would he
-have said?"
-
-"Oh, something about a silver-hulled space liner shimmering into normal
-space."
-
-Liddell nodded. "Well, they had the shimmering part right, anyway. But
-it wouldn't have been a space ship."
-
-"It wouldn't have been a space ship," Linda agreed.
-
-"Because there's no necessity to breathe or to carry out any of the
-normal biological functions in sub-space. There isn't any heat in
-sub-space and there isn't any cold. There is only nothingness and
-nothingness can have absolutely no effect on an organism. In short--"
-
-"In short my fried chicken is going to burn if I keep listening to
-you."
-
-"--no spaceships. Just people. Shimmering in and out and spanning the
-chasm of light years instantly."
-
-"Have you any data on our visitors yet?"
-
-"Not visitors. Just one. One traveler."
-
-"What does the screen say, Lidd?"
-
-Liddell read what was there before him for the third time. "Single man.
-Luna outbound."
-
-"Destination?"
-
-"It doesn't say. Weight, one ninety. The--"
-
-"But we don't collect his fare, so why the business about his weight?"
-
-"Didn't you read the instructions, hon? Because it's forwarded from
-here, just like we'll forward Mister Smith to his destination."
-
-"Smith? That's his name?"
-
-"John Smith," Liddell said.
-
-"I don't believe it. I never thought there actually was anybody named
-John Smith anywhere, anytime."
-
-"We," said Liddell, "have a John Smith."
-
-"_Darn_ this deep well cooker! It isn't hot enough yet to put a good
-crust on--"
-
-"A fine time to talk about cooking," Liddell shouted, hoping his voice
-would carry back into the galley over the click-clacking racket of
-the sub-space communicator. "Hey here's more from the Luna outbound
-station," he added as the transfer screen pulsed and flashed again.
-
-"Such as what?"
-
-"It's still blurry. Here it comes now."
-
-"Well?"
-
-"Hey, what the hell is this!" Liddell cried abruptly.
-
-"Such language."
-
-"It's still blurry. It's flashing on and off, red on and then off to
-white blank, red on again and off to white blank."
-
-"While you were studying the manuals, need I remind you I was trying
-to learn how to cook for an interstellar clientele? What does the
-flashing red signal mean?"
-
-"It means danger," Liddell said. "It means something's wrong and Luna
-out doesn't have time to tell us what. I don't want to scare you, but
-better drop your pots and pans and truck something up from the arsenal.
-I've got to stay by the screen."
-
-There was a clatter as Linda called, "He doesn't want to scare me, the
-man says. What is it, creatures from outer space or something?"
-
-"Very funny," Liddell said in a voice which clearly indicated he did
-not think it was particularly funny at all.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-There was nothing on the screen now but the flashing red and white
-signal. The complete fragility of their position struck Liddell all at
-once. The transfer station was a steelite globe a sixteenth of a mile
-in diameter. It contained the sub-space transfer machinery, complete
-living quarters for Liddell and his wife and the private and public
-rooms of a small-sized hotel, as well as repair machinery, an arsenal
-and a library of the ten thousand six hundred and seventeen possible
-destinations for an outbound sub-space traveler.
-
-If there was trouble, Liddell thought, any kind of serious trouble--he
-and Linda could do almost nothing about it. And if ever--for some
-reason the nightmare thought came to him unbidden--if ever they were
-set adrift from the transfer station, adrift in the featureless
-less-than vacuum of sub-space, as had happened once or twice before
-in the brief history of the service, they would float in a changeless
-insanity-ridden void forever, their bodily functions suspended
-indefinitely, only their minds working, fighting the sheer horror of
-nothingness....
-
-"Here's the gun," Linda said. "Did you know you were covered with
-sweat, Lidd?"
-
-"I was just thinking." He took the blaster and stuck it awkwardly in
-his belt. He felt suddenly foolish. The trouble could have been any
-number of things; it didn't necessarily mean gun trouble. He was on the
-point of removing the big clumsy weapon from his belt when the screen
-flashed again.
-
-"He's coming now," Linda said.
-
-He was coming, all right. The screen flashed green for arrival. It
-was seven feet high and three feet across, that screen, and whoever
-materialized at the station would materialize in the screen itself.
-
-"What about the danger signal?" Linda asked.
-
-"They always follow it up with a verbal message," Liddell explained.
-"It usually only takes a few minutes. It--"
-
-"Here he comes!" Linda cried.
-
-Something was shimmering in the screen, pulsing, struggling to bridge
-the yawning chasm between the space which was not and the universe
-which was. It gradually took the shape of a man floating in an
-unexpectedly fetus-like position.
-
-"Lidd," Linda said. "We're getting over the sub-typer."
-
-"A message?" Liddell asked, only a small part of his mind concentrating
-on what Linda had said. The rest of his being was riveted on the
-transfer screen as the figure there floated closer, still shadowy, but
-the shadow darkening, solidifying, bridging....
-
-"I'll read it to you as it comes. URGENT LUNA OUTWARD TO SUB-SPACE WAY
-STATION. JOHN SMITH ... that's strange. It's stopping."
-
-"It has to stop. Sub-space can take only a certain number of verbal
-units at a time. Give it a couple of seconds."
-
-"How's our John Smith?"
-
-"Still shimmering, but getting more solid all the time."
-
-"Here it comes again.... IS ESCAPED LUNA PRISON CONDEMNED KILLER JASON
-SHORT.... Oh God, Lidd!"
-
-There wasn't a station or budding colony in the galaxy which hadn't
-heard of Jason Short. His kind was a rarity in the twenty-first
-century, the strangely mal-adjusted, warped, sneering, conscienceless
-professional killer. Before his capture, Short had hired out to
-governments, to private firms, to individuals if they had sufficient
-capital--as a killer. On capture he had been condemned to death at the
-luna penal colony but the sentence had been delayed and postponed for
-several years--all the while Jason Short's notoriety growing--because
-sociologists and psychologists had insisted on studying Short
-exhaustively to see if they could prevent a recurrence of his mental
-sickness.
-
-And now all this, Liddell thought numbingly, had backfired. Now Jason
-Short had somehow managed to escape--
-
-Was materializing here, a cold, ruthless killer.
-
-Liddell clawed at the blaster at his belt and brought it up and clear
-at the precise moment that Jason Short materialized fully in the screen.
-
-There was time for one wild shot, the raw energy searing into
-sub-space through the screen. Then Jason Short became a solid, bulky
-but swift-moving figure. He lunged at Liddell and they grappled for
-possession of the blaster. Linda screamed, but she might have been
-a hundred parsecs away in sub-space. For all his enormous size and
-heavily-muscled body, Jason Short moved with surprising swiftness. He
-used his right forearm like a club, smashing it against Liddell's jaw,
-stunning him. Liddell went down and Short came down on top of him and
-the two of them rolled over and over away from the screen, their wildly
-thrashing arms and legs bringing Linda down on top of them.
-
-All at once, Short rolled clear of Liddell. Struggling for breath,
-Liddell climbed to his feet, bringing the blaster to bear on the killer
-triumphantly.
-
-"Hold it!" Short cried.
-
-"Oh, Lidd, Lidd ... do what you have to do!" Linda said.
-
-But Liddell let the blaster fall to the floor.
-
-For standing in front of him, waiting insolently, Jason Short had
-circled his arm about Linda's neck and was holding her in front of him
-as a shield. In his free hand, Short held a knife, the point barely
-touching the edge of Linda's ribcage.
-
-"Why," said Short in a pleasant voice, "don't we talk about where
-you're going to send me?"
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-Later Jason Short said, "I see they flashed a danger signal from Luna
-out. How do I know you won't do the same?" Short was a big man with
-immense shoulders and heavy limbs but the fluid, graceful movements of
-the born athlete. Only his eyes, in an otherwise pleasant face, looked
-brutal. Liddell had never seen a killer's eyes before, but did not have
-to be told that Short's were killer's eyes.
-
-"You don't," Liddell said. "You don't know at all."
-
-"O.K. pal. Have it your way. I guess I made a mistake at Luna out. I
-guess I should have killed them. Do you think it matters to me? Do you
-think it could possibly matter how many I kill now?"
-
-Liddell said nothing. Short licked his lips and studied Liddell's
-blaster, which he had retrieved while still holding Linda as a shield.
-
-"Are you going to kill us?" Linda said.
-
-"Lady, I'm not even thinking about it."
-
-"You're not--"
-
-"Yet. The important thing is--where am I going? Is there some way I can
-go off from here without you knowing where? Or without these machines
-of yours recording it?"
-
-"The machines record nothing," Liddell said. "It's all up to us."
-
-"Then all I have to do is kill you, and there'll be no way for them to
-trace me? Is that what you're saying, you sap?"
-
-"That's what I'm saying," Liddell admitted. Linda gave him a startled
-look but said nothing.
-
-"There must be a catch to it somewhere," Short protested. He almost
-sounded indignant.
-
-"There's a catch," Liddell said.
-
-"Give."
-
-"These stations. It's why they're manned. Don't you think the whole job
-could be done mechanically?"
-
-"Yes, but--"
-
-"But it's not, Mr. Short. Because there are too many variables. Because
-sub-space is still unpredictable and the thinking machine has not yet
-been built which can handle more than a few unpredictables."
-
-"What are you getting at?"
-
-"Just this, Mr. Short. You can kill us if you want to. You can choose
-your destination, wait while I plot it out on the de-materializer and
-possibly verify it for yourself if you know anything about sub-space."
-
-"I don't know anything at all about sub-space," Short admitted.
-
-"But," Liddell went on, "you'd be gambling and gambling badly with
-the unpredictability factor. One sub-space transfer out of two,
-according to statistics, is not routine. Oh, not essentially dangerous
-as long as there's someone at the transfer unit station to correct
-any inconsistencies in transfer as they arise. But if there's no one,
-you'll float in sub-space forever, not going hungry, not going thirsty,
-not growing older, but slowly going crazy with changelessness...."
-
-"So, I can't kill you."
-
-"Suit yourself."
-
-"We'll get to that later," Short said. "Now, about where I can go: you
-got any ideas?"
-
-"There are ten thousand and some worlds connected by these sub-space
-units, Mr. Short. What type of world did you have in mind?"
-
-"Not a new one or a small one. I'd stick out like a sore thumb. I want
-one plenty far from Earth but still not a brand new, uncrowded colony.
-I want a far colony but an established one."
-
-"Deneb Twelve," Liddell said in a very businesslike voice. "You
-couldn't possibly do better than Deneb Twelve. At the last census it
-had a population of over a hundred million, but it's more than six
-hundred light years from Earth, the twelfth planet of a system in
-which seven, nine, ten, eleven, twelve and fourteen are inhabited or
-habitable...."
-
-"All right, all right. Cut all the details. How do I know you're
-telling the truth about Deneb Twelve?"
-
-"You don't but you can always check it in our library."
-
-"If you say I can check it, then I don't have to. I believe you. But
-unfortunately, I know nothing about sub-space."
-
-Liddell shrugged.
-
-"But you're not going to trick me," Short said.
-
-"I didn't say I would."
-
-"I'm saying _I know_ you're not."
-
-Again Liddell shrugged.
-
-"You want to know why?"
-
-"I'm listening," Liddell said.
-
-"Because I'm going to take your wife with me, that's why. When we land
-on Deneb Twelve, I'll let her go."
-
-"You can't take her," Liddell said.
-
-"Can't I? Want to get started now, Liddell?" Short asked, waving the
-blaster. "I'm ready to get started, if you are."
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-Liddell stared mutely at his wife. Linda's face was drawn and white and
-for several moments no one spoke. Then Linda said:
-
-"You'd better do whatever he says, Lidd."
-
-"You know something?" Short said, laughing. "You'd better."
-
-Without a word, Liddell stalked toward the de-materializer.
-
-"Sooner or later they're going to catch you, Short," Liddell said an
-hour later. "Why don't you give yourself up now and get it over with."
-
-"Don't make me laugh. Would you give yourself up? I'm a condemned
-killer, pal. Sure, maybe they'll catch me on Deneb or someplace, but
-every day I stay alive is an extra day of reprieve for me, and don't
-think I don't know it. Now, are you ready with that de-materializer or
-whatever the hell you call it?"
-
-Liddell nodded and Short said, "Then let's go."
-
-Liddell sat at the plotting table without moving. For a moment he
-stared defiantly at Short, but the escaped killer got up and placed
-a hand impersonally on Linda's shoulder. He closed the fingers and
-Linda's face went chalk-white. He looked at Liddell, challenging him
-with his eyes.
-
-"Better do what he says, Lidd," Linda told her husband.
-
-Liddell sat there and didn't answer. Linda turned to Short and said,
-"Let me talk to him for a minute."
-
-Short shrugged and released her. She came over to Liddell and bent
-close to him and said, "Listen to me, darling. Do everything he says."
-
-"He's not going to take you with him," Liddell said fiercely.
-
-"You've plotted his sub-space pattern. He could take a chance and kill
-us both and try the transfer mechanism himself. You forget, he has
-absolutely nothing to lose."
-
-"Don't you see the way he looked at you? He's not hiding it. He wants
-you, Linda. If we let him take you to Deneb Twelve, he can lose himself
-there. With you. It would take the law officers of a frontier world
-like Deneb Twelve months to find you. I can't let him do it."
-
-"I'll be all right, believe me."
-
-"Linda, listen to me. I know you're saying that because you don't want
-Short to do anything violent here--to both of us. But there's another
-way."
-
-"I know. To refuse. To let him go alone--and probably kill us first."
-
-"No," Liddell whispered while Short watched them from across the room,
-unable to hear the words they spoke. "There _is_ another way. Do you
-trust me, Linda?"
-
-"You know you don't have to ask a question like that. I trust you,
-Lidd. I trust you with my life."
-
-"Then listen. I'm going to send you. I don't want to say any more. I
-don't think he can hear us from where he's sitting but let's not chance
-it."
-
-"But you said if he took me to Deneb--"
-
-"I'll send you," said Liddell grimly, his voice fading until Linda
-could barely hear it. "But not to Deneb. Trust me, darling."
-
-"I trust you."
-
-"And we don't have to worry about law officers. I'll come for you."
-
-"But where--"
-
-"Hey, you two," Short yelled suddenly. "That's enough of that. I said I
-was ready to get started!" He crossed the room in half a dozen powerful
-strides and grasped Linda's arm. Liddell had time to kiss his wife
-briefly, quickly, then watched as she went to the transfer screen with
-Jason Short.
-
-"You sure you won't try any tricks?" Short asked.
-
-Instead of answering Liddell said, "Do you think I'm crazy? You have my
-wife, haven't you?"
-
-Short laughed and said nothing. With Linda, he climbed the three steps
-up to the transfer screen. "I still can't get used to the idea," he
-admitted. "We stand here, in this screen like this. You press a few
-buttons, and what happens? We go sailing off into sub-space and the
-next thing we know we're materializing on Deneb Twelve. It's like
-magic."
-
-"It's coldly scientific," Liddell assured him. "Sub-space is as real
-as the normal space-time continuum, as extensive. As a matter of fact,
-they're co-extensive. They exist together, side by side, but the laws
-of finite speed, the laws which say you would need all the mass in the
-universe to travel at the speed of light do not apply in sub-space.
-Travel is incredibly fast, almost instantaneous between any two
-points--without the need of acceleration."
-
-"I didn't ask for a lecture," Short said. "Just you send us where we
-want to go."
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-Linda offered Liddell a wan smile. The smile said, better than any
-words: you're spouting science, the science you love, even at a time
-like this--and you know something! I love you for it, I love you all
-the more for it....
-
-Now Short and Linda stood within the frame of the transfer screen.
-Wordless, Liddell took the data on weight and space-shift which he had
-plotted at the plotting table and brought it to the simple bank of
-controls below the transfer screen. Automatically he began to plot in
-the course by punching half a dozen tabs on one side of the control
-board. He was aware of Short standing above him, within the frame of
-the screen, scowling, one hand on Linda's shoulder and one holding
-Liddell's own blaster--aware of the almost serene smile of trust on
-Linda's face.
-
-It was better, Liddell knew all at once, far better that he hadn't had
-the time to tell her. For then her trust would have been shattered by
-fear....
-
-"Well, what are we waiting for?" Short wanted to know.
-
-"I'm ready now," Liddell told him.
-
-"Say so long to the old man," Short told Linda.
-
-"I--I trust you, darling," Linda said. "I love you."
-
-"Now you know," Short chortled. "There's a touching scene. But let's
-drop the curtain and get on with it!" he added with a broad grin.
-Short was enjoying himself. Liddell knew. Every moment he had was a
-moment of freedom he hadn't expected. He would be very dangerous as a
-consequence. Whatever he did, he knew he had nothing to lose. He had to
-be stopped.
-
-And Liddell was the only one who could stop him.
-
-Savagely, Liddell threw home the controls. For a split second, nothing
-happened. Then, slowly, Linda and Jason Short began to shimmer.
-Watching them like that, it was eerie. Liddell knew the theory well
-enough, but this was the first actual transfer he had ever attempted.
-And Linda was part of it--
-
-The two figures in the screen above him--the woman he loved and the man
-who had come abruptly to shatter their lives--became no more tenuous
-than smoke. They seemed to swirl and shift like smoke, to grow thinner,
-as if a wind had come following blowing....
-
-Short's voice echoed strangely from the now almost shapeless fog in the
-transfer screen. "Deneb," his voice wailed ghostlike. "Deneb, here we
-come!"
-
-Then the screen was empty. Liddell released the controls and stared
-for a moment at the blank whiteness. He got up and went to the
-communications board, where he tapped a code message to central
-sub-space station. The message said:
-
-_This is Liddell at sub-space B-11. Received your message and your John
-Smith. Trouble. Station suspended until further notice. Send no one
-through as there will be no one to receive them._
-
-The message sent, Liddell replotted the transfer unit, double-checking
-his previous findings. He then set the controls on automatic and
-climbed the steps to the screen. He did not bother going to the arsenal
-for a weapon. Where he was going weapons would be useless, he thought.
-Where he was going, no man had ever gone before.
-
-Well, two people had--but two only. And he had sent them.
-
-He was going after Linda and Jason Short.
-
-He took one more look at the mistake he had purposely plotted into the
-transfer pattern. The mistake which meant that Linda and her captor
-would never arrive on Deneb Twelve.
-
-Or anywhere....
-
-The mistake which left Jason Short and Liddell's wife stranded in
-sub-space, in the nothingness continuum somewhere between the normal
-space-time of station B-11 and Deneb Twelve.
-
-It was, Liddell told himself for the tenth time, the only thing he
-could have done. Trap Short. Trap Linda with him, yes, but at least
-he could go after them. At least he knew exactly where they were. In
-sub-space. At the exact point he had plotted on the control board.
-Waiting. Waiting forever if somehow he missed them when he sent himself
-through. Waiting in timeless, spaceless, airless, temperature-less
-sub-space. Waiting. They would not miss oxygen. All their bodily
-functions were suspended. Waiting--possibly to drift forever until
-their minds were shattered in the awful blank immensity.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-A chill possessed Liddell as the automatic machinery suddenly made him
-shimmer. From his viewpoint within the screen, it looked as if the room
-and the controls and the screen were themselves shimmering.
-
-He blinked. And opened his eyes.
-
-And stared out on a featureless gray infinity.
-
-On sub-space.
-
-"Linda!" he called. He hadn't meant to shout. He knew there was no air,
-no medium to carry his voice.
-
-But he heard it--loud, clear.
-
-"Linda!" he shouted again. It was his own voice booming out across
-the gray void. It was not his imagination. Then was science somehow
-wrong about sub-space? He didn't think so. But it couldn't possibly
-be an audible projection of his voice. It had to be something else.
-Telepathy? It was something like that, he decided. An audible telepathy
-in a world which didn't obey the natural laws which governed our own
-universe.
-
-"We're over here, Lidd!" Linda's voice came to him. It was followed at
-once by a scream and Short's shout:
-
-"Shut your trap if you know what's good for you."
-
-Liddell swam. The motion came to him unbidden but he felt himself
-moving through the gray nothingness. He could see nothing except his
-own arms as he made the swimming motions and moved. Swimming through
-nothingness? But there was no medium to push against. Another physical
-law, a law of our universe, Liddell knew which went by the boards in
-sub-pace.
-
-"I'm coming, Linda."
-
-"He's got your blaster. He's ... I can see you now, Lidd."
-
-There was a roar and a flash up ahead. Something streaked at Liddell
-through the gray void. Instinctively, he moved aside. It was a beam of
-raw energy from the blaster and he wondered what would have happened if
-it had struck him.
-
-He gasped in surprise.
-
-The blaster beam did not fade. It hovered near him. Wondering, he
-touched it. It was a jagged bolt ten feet long and felt solid as a
-shaft of steel. Another natural law, Liddell thought. Snafu here.
-Because the energy beam of the blaster had been transformed instantly
-into matter. Shrugging, Liddell grasped the beam--which although
-it seemed as solid as steel had utterly no weight. With it he swam
-through the changeless gray murk.
-
-All at once he could see them up ahead, Short and Linda, floating
-there, two tiny figures a few hundred yards in front of him. Short's
-blaster roared again--and the roaring was still another violation of
-natural law. Another beam streaked out and flashed by Liddell. Again it
-solidified. Ignoring it, Liddell swam forward with the first beam. He
-began to feel like Zeus wielding a thunderbolt.
-
-He waited until he was quite close to Short and Linda, until Short
-fired the blaster once more. Then he hurled his thunderbolt.
-
-Short howled with rage and darted away, triggering the blaster
-again. But this time Liddell was on him before he could take careful
-aim. Dimly, Liddell was aware of Linda hovering near, touching the
-thunderbolt gingerly.
-
-Then all his attention was centered on Jason Short. They were fighting
-for their lives, fighting tooth and nail, where fighting or any
-physical activity should have been impossible. But what did the edicts
-of science matter when Short slammed a hard left hook against Liddell's
-jaw, staggering him spilling him backward through the gray murk?
-
-Short followed up his advantage and lunged after Liddell, straddling
-him weightlessly as they floated off, finding his throat with strong
-fingers, applying pressure.
-
-       *       *       *       *       *
-
-He drove Short off him with two left jabs, snapping the bigger man's
-head back. Short was like a bulldog, though.
-
-Slowly, the fingers around Liddell's throat released their pressure.
-In a world with no air and where no air was necessary, the choking
-pressure hadn't damaged Liddell, but his throat ached from constriction
-alone. He drove Short off him now with lefts and rights to the head.
-They were weightless, but they hurt. He couldn't explain it, no more
-than he could explain the sudden trans-mutation of the blaster's
-energy beam to solid matter. It was one of the unknown natural laws of
-sub-space, that was all.
-
-Presently, he was aware that Short no longer fought but hung there in
-sub-space with his arms slack. He drove a few more left hooks and right
-crosses into the face floating so near his own, then swam back and
-clear.
-
-Short hung there, suspended.
-
-"But how," Linda gasped, "how did you ever--"
-
-"Automatic control. I came after you."
-
-"How will we ever get back?"
-
-Liddell looked at his wrist-chrono. "In fifteen minutes, the automatic
-control picks us up and brings us back. Are you all right?"
-
-"He didn't hurt me. He didn't have time."
-
-They waited there in sub-space in each other's arms. When, fifteen
-minutes later, they began to shimmer, Liddell grabbed the unconscious
-Short's hand and the three of them shimmered together into normal space.
-
-Liddell went to the arsenal and secured Short with arm and leg irons.
-By the time he called through to Luna outbound with his explanatory
-message, the escaped killer had regained consciousness but maintained a
-grim silence.
-
-"You know," Liddell told his wife, "one thing good's going to come of
-this. I mean, besides recapturing Short."
-
-"Such as what?"
-
-"Such as science always regarded sub-space only as a medium of
-transfer. But with some of its unusual properties, I'll bet a few
-first-rate resorts can be built out there."
-
-"You--you're crazy," Linda said, but smiled.
-
-"And what's more--"
-
-"Let me finish for you, darling. What's more, if they're going to build
-any resorts out there, you're the man to build them. Right?"
-
-"Right," said Liddell, before he kissed her.
-
-*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COSMIC SNARE ***
-
-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 an eBook, except by following
-the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
-of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
-copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
-easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
-of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
-Gutenberg eBooks 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 other than 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 will 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 website
-(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 the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager 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 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 website
-and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
-
-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
-Literary Archive Foundation
-
-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without
-widespread 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 website which has the main PG search
-facility: www.gutenberg.org
-
-This website 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.