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diff --git a/old/68161-0.txt b/old/68161-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 26b9110..0000000 --- a/old/68161-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1652 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Trouble Times Two, by George O. Smith - -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: Trouble Times Two - -Author: George O. Smith - -Release Date: May 24, 2022 [eBook #68161] - -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 TROUBLE TIMES TWO *** - - - - - - Trouble Times Two - - By GEORGE O. SMITH - - Illustrated by Raymond - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction December 1945. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Thomas Lionel Ph.D., M.M. bounded out of bed with a cheerful bit of -off-tune song. He glanced at the calendar and then the clock and he -grinned because life was just too good to be true. - -Everything was according to plan. He'd won his first battle. Up to -now it had been touch and go; at last he had established his right -to co-occupy the mind along with the engineer. No longer could the -engineer claim that he was an expensive detriment. He had forced -the engineer into agreeing that his offering, though not directly -productive, was a causative factor in the development of success. Then -to top it all, he retained enough technology to be a necessary item. He -must be permitted to remain if only for a source of information. - -The engineer's trap had been excellent. But the trap had turned and -caught the engineer. Those reams of data on the poltergeist effect had -been the basis for an entirely new science that only a real physicist -could appreciate--and no engineer could hope to thread his way through -them without a research physicist's assistance. - -He stood over the chessboard in the living room for a few minutes. -The engineer was not making any great moves. Therefore the physicist -thought that he might best consolidate his position. He castled to the -queen's side, burying his king behind a bulwark of defenses that would -defy a master chess player to penetrate in less than ten or fifteen -moves. - -During breakfast, he perused a thin volume of recent publication. He -did not entirely agree with the theories presented; after all, the book -had been written for the express purpose of getting reader's viewpoints -and Thomas knew it. In fact, the book was not too interesting to Thomas -but he knew that the engineer would fume, fret, and howl at the idea -of having a well-thumbed volume of "_Theory of Multi-Resonant Wave -Guides_" in the library. - -Thomas wouldn't look at the engineer's volume, laying on the table -opposite. It was too un-physical. It was un-erudite. It was "_Basic -Theory in Micro-Wave Transmission_" and the edges of the pages were -loaded with application formulas, diagrams, and working sketches. - -He was near the end of breakfast when the glint of reflected sunshine -arrowed through the window and caught his eye. He looked, and wondered -who was landing on his lawn in a helicopter. - -Then he did a double take. - -"Helicopter" stemmed from Greek, the "helix" or screw plus the "opter" -a machine. This contrivance did not. It was not operated with air -screws. - -It looked like a three-wheeled coupé. It looked like the industrial -designer's dream of the Plan For Tomorrow, excepting those three -wheels. The Plan For Tomorrow should, by all rights, have four wheels. -And, if the thing is going to fly, it should have some sort of overhead -vanes, or wings, or engines, or jets, or even a skyhook. But there it -was, coming down as light as a feather to make a neat landing on the -back lawn. - -By the time the door was open, and the passenger stepped to the ground, -Thomas was standing before the little sky car, looking somewhat dazed -at the name: - - POLTERGEIST - -"Like a dream," said the driver of the sky car. - -"It should," said Thomas, covering his ignorance with monosyllabic -agreement. - -"Handles well, too. I think we could stand a bit more positivity of -control, though." - -"I'll look into it." - -"I wish you would. We've got the jump on the whole world with this. -We'd like to keep it. But the thing doesn't answer to the wheel too -solidly." - -"Uh-huh." - -"The chief engineer said, 'Jim, take that crate over to Lionel and see -if he will beef up the control force a bit.' So here I am." - -"O.K., Jim," said Thomas, offering a prayer for the name that had been -given unwittingly. The engineer must have been a busy boy! "How are you -going to get back?" - -Jim looked up into the sky. "Jerry is following in the pilot model. -He'll pick me up and we'll go on back thataway." - -Jim nodded skyward, and Thomas looked at the growing speck that must -have been the pilot model. - -Thomas forgot about the pilot model. What he wanted to know was the -whereabouts of the five tons of equipment that had been an integral -part of this idea. He looked at the model. He wondered whether the -engineer had installed the whole thing, stepping up the power and using -the main part of the power to support the equipment. That did not seem -possible. Any failure would cause the little sky car to collapse of its -own dead weight. Besides there was not enough room in the little crate -to pack all that equipment-tonnage. - -The engineer had achieved the impossible. He had done away with the -main part while retaining the effect. - -The pilot model landed. It was not the finished job of the prototype. -The cabin was squarely functional and the landing wheels were not -faired into the hull. The rear end, instead of tapering gently into a -narrow paraboloid of revolution, was a truncated four-sided pyramid. - -Jerry did not emerge. He merely tossed the door open and shouted: "Come -on--we ain't got all day!" - -Thomas nodded. "I'll call you when I get it fixed." - -_Call who?_ the physicist wondered, and then forgot about it. He wanted -desperately to dig into the sky car. He wanted to find out where the -engineer had packed five tons of equipment. He wanted to see what made -the wheels go around. No doubt the thing could be returned to its -owners without calling in the police. The thing was probably recorded -in the precisely kept engineering notebook of the physicist's alter ego. - - * * * * * - -The pilot model was not completely out of sight before Thomas had -the power cowls off, and the whole model stripped of its servicing -doors. They had done an excellent job of design; the sky car without -its servicing panels was but a skeleton frame, with every line, every -connection, and every control rod open for easy servicing. - -And it was then and there that the physicist understood what the -engineer had been doing. - -Instead of the low-voltage high-current supply lines, with their -attendant heavy busbars, thin pipes ran about the sky car. Seamless -aluminum tubing carried the energizing current. Or, rather the space -inside of the tubing carried it. At the generator end, a ten megawatt -microwave generator supplied high power at ultra high frequency. At the -terminus, rectifiers brought the ultra high frequency down to direct -current for operation of the force-field generators. - -Thomas nodded. It was not the final tenth of one percent job. It -was not direct current. The diagravitic force was not constant. It -operated only seven tenths of the time, and was turned off and on -fifteen or twenty million million times per second. Nothing short of -high-definition test equipment would ever tell the difference, however. - -Gone were the massive electromagnetic deflection field coils. In their -place was a set of seventy kilovolt electrostatic plates. - -Missing entirely were the variable-speed motor generators. In their -place was a simple crystalline formation under permanent magnetic -stress. "Artificial radio-activated crystals," muttered Thomas. "Good -for a couple of years." - -But the feed lines. _The feed lines._ The current carrying ability -of space itself--not the metallic conductor--did the trick. Using -the ultra high frequency bands, the busbars had been replaced with -cylindrical wave guides. The depth of penetration was measured in -microns at those frequencies--and as long as the guides were properly -designed, they offered little loss in power. The current went down the -wave guides by virtue of the magnetic fields created throughout the -guides--magnetic fields generated in the space inside of the tubular -guides. - -The generator itself was one of the new crystal microwave generators -and the rectifiers at the receiving end were of the same ilk. - -And the five tons of equipment had vanished in a puff of tubular -guides, electrostatic plates, and intermittent operation. - -Thomas hit a snag for a moment. The engineer had answered -his challenge. So he'd come up with the answer to the -five-ton-per-fifty-pound answer--and had gone further. Thomas knew -that there was no apparent limit to the maximum power or lift. It -merely set a fifty pound minimum--actually it was 49.87 pounds by -measurement--under which limit no amount of tinkering would produce the -effect. - -He smiled. There must be something beyond. After all, small stones -moved quietly in natural poltergeist manifestation; they would be able -to reproduce that eventually. But for now, the engineer was willing to -accept the limitation whereas the physicist would not. - -He knew now. And he'd leave the sky car until the engineer returned. -Let _him_ beef up the control force. It was _his_ baby. - -Thomas put the panels back on the sky car and stood off to admire it. -It was a neat job, just what the public wanted. The urge to get in and -drive was a most compelling one, and Thomas succumbed. He sat for a -moment, inspecting the dashboard until he had the pattern well set. -Then he snapped on the power, took the wheel and pulled back gently. -The sky car lifted its nose slightly, and as Thomas pressed the foot -pedal, it took off on a side-line straight into the sky. He leveled -off at a thousand feet and he did some scurrying back and forth in -midair. It did handle a little sloppy but not enough to make the -physicist uncomfortable. Yet it wouldn't stand any hedge-hopping or -bridge-undercutting without a prayer on the part of the driver. Butter -the controls a bit and you could thread a needle with it on the first -try. - -Yes, the engineer had done it again--all of which made Thomas chuckle. -A bit more of this and the engineer would have such an income that he'd -no longer worry himself into engineering. Then-- - -Thomas turned the sky car and drove across the city toward Dr. -Hamilton's place. He landed on the psychiatrist's lawn and startled the -doctor out of a week's growth. - -"I've won," he told the doctor. - -"Good," laughed Hamilton. "Mind if I ask which you are today--and how -do you know you've won?" - -"I'm Thomas Lionel, Ph.D. And the engineer has worked himself out of a -job." - -"Interesting. But how?" - -"He dropped me a mess of cockeyed data, remember? Well, I unraveled -it into a most interesting field of science. From it I handed him a -slab full of theories and experiments that are just inefficient enough -to make him fume. He's come up with several things that make money in -vatfuls." - -"That, I know and understand. Go on." - -"Remember, I am his ideal personality, I am a physicist, a type of -person he has always wanted to be. He couldn't be a physicist because -of financial reasons and so he went into the engineering field to -bolster up his bank account. That was eminently practical. But now -that the worry about the bankroll is over, he can turn to theoretical -physics and physical research. That's me--and I've won!" - -"Suppose he, himself, takes the gradual retreat from engineering into -physical research?" - -"Um--I don't think he's capable of it. He's been too well conditioned." - -"Might well be," admitted the doctor. "Well, as I said before, I'm just -a referee. Both of you are well adjusted and good, worthy additions to -society. Either one of you that wins will be a credit to civilization." - -"You're a great help," laughed Thomas. "But I don't mind. This is my -round, and it's my game. He's licked himself." - -"I'll tell him that when I see him," said Dr. Hamilton. "But there is -one thing that I must know. I want to know what makes that little -tungsten box work." - -"I cast the tungsten in--" - -"I don't care how you made it," said Hamilton flatly, "unless it has a -definite bearing on how it works." - -"I made it of tungsten because the engineer would rip it apart if it -weren't too tough," grinned Thomas. "Being of tungsten it doesn't -matter how it works excepting it would have been more efficient if I'd -made it of silver." - -"Look, Thomas, stay on the subject. I want to know what's with the -works." - -Lionel laughed. "What's so important?" - -"Look, man, I'm a psychiatrist. The functioning of the human mind is -my baby. Or," he added bitterly, "it should be. But, darn it, all we -can do is to surmise, theorize, hope and pray. We don't know what makes -schizophrenics, or manic-depressives or any of the other mental quirks. -We aren't even certain why some people are well liked while others, of -almost identical get-together are heartily disliked. But you've come up -with a little dingus that causes a switch-over from one personality to -another merely by pushing a button. Find out why and we psychiatrists -may some day get to first base in psychoanalysis." - -"Um--I suppose a real pathophone would be a help." - -"Pathophone is a good word," smiled the psychiatrist, "but to dig -into a warped mind without having the erroneous impressions and false -evaluation clouding the only entry ... we'd be able to clear up almost -any mental condition. Now, how does it work?" - -"I am not prepared to say. I was seeking experimental data on -the 'epicenter' of the poltergeist phenomena--the poltergeist -usually manifests in the vicinity of or because of some central -influence--usually a person who is unaware of his potentiality. At any -rate, I was setting up a series of local magnetic and electrostatic -fields and then trying the micro-microwave spectrum for response. I -was running up through the region between long heat radiation and -micro-micro radio waves when--blooey!--I was the engineer. I switched -back eventually and consolidated my findings into that little tungsten -box." - -"I want the dope on it." - -"I'll give it to you," nodded Thomas. "As soon as I make some final -measurements and consolidate my data." - -"Fine. Mind telling me what causes the poltergeist?" - - * * * * * - -"As best I can. The present concept of space is that space itself is -under internal strain. Force vectors in cancellation prevail, resulting -in a stable continuum. Space is warped by electrostatic effects, -magnetic effects, and gravitic effects. These local effects do not -create a discontinuity in the space strain, and therefore no eruption -takes place. Now enters the epicenter. Radiation from his mind or brain -in thinking goes out and starts a very minor sympathetic oscillation -in the warps and strains of space. If these strains are in the right -vectorial situation, the minor oscillation builds up the response -amplitude--" - -"That doesn't make sense," objected the doctor. "Mental radiation must -be weak. How can it induce high power?" - -"It can't. But if you know radio at all, you'll recall that a high 'Q' -circuit will develop very high voltages across the terminals with a -very small driving voltage. Well, this is analogous to the epicenter -effect. The epicenter wave causes instability in the space strains -because the brain wave is not a natural phenomena of space. Then--like -two sticks end to end under compression, it takes very little sidewise -thrust to make the compression-force collapse, forcing the sticks out -at right angles. Follow?" - -"But where did this energy or force come from?" puzzled Hamilton. -"Isn't that a violation of the Law of Conservation of Energy?" - -"Not at all. The law is still valid. It does state that you cannot -get more out of anything than is put into it. The guesswork comes -in deciding how the energy got there. Coal, for instance, is just a -black stone. It has potential energy which was put into it by the eons -of solar energy shining on the carboniferous forests. A stone has -potential energy for falling. Where did it get it? It may have been -carried up the hill; it may have been dropped from space--put out there -by the cosmic eruption that caused Creation. Or it may have been on the -edge of a gully and the potential drop made by the stream eroding the -ground out from under it." - -"How about atomic power?" - -"You mean, how did the power get locked in the atom?" - -"Yes." - -"The power in the atom was put there by the universe's atom factories. -Sol, and the other suns," explained Hamilton. - -"But where did the earth--?" - -"Creation," murmured Thomas. "Who knows? I don't. Every time somebody -comes up with a perfect answer, someone else comes up with perfect data -that proves that the answer couldn't be _anything_ that anybody has -ever used before. - -"The atom factory is the Solar Phoenix. You start with hydrogen and -carbon. The solar heat is such that they combine atomically to an -unstable isotope of nitrogen which immediately becomes a stable isotope -of nitrogen. More hydrogen gets in, making it unstable oxygen and so -forth. Oxygen breaks down, releasing energy, helium, and, what do you -know, carbon again, which begins to take on hydrogen again, and here -we go again. But the thing is uncontrolled hell on wheels. Things go -wrong due to the variances of pressure and temperature, and the oxygen -doesn't always break down into helium and carbon. It takes offshoots -and sidetracks. It'll add hydrogen and become fluorine, for instance, -which then adds more and becomes something else, some of which trails -off like the branches of a tree and do not break down into recurrent -reactions. Hence the other atoms." - -"I'll read about it and get the real picture. Know a good book?" - -Thomas scratched his chin. "If you can find a copy of 'The Days of -Creation,' by Willy Ley, the first part of the book has a description -of the Solar Phoenix." - -"Well, good enough," said Dr. Hamilton. "But just bear one thing in -mind. You think you've beaten the engineer. Your basic trouble is just -that the engineer is you, too. He has your ability and your knowledge -and your experience upon which to work. He is no fool, and you can take -that as a back-handed compliment if you want to. He is just as capable -an engineer as you are a physicist. He thinks in different channels, I -will admit. But, Thomas, remember that his extra-channellar thinking is -done with the same thinking equipment as yours is, and it is no less -efficient because of being divergent from your own thought-track. Your -battle was won too easily to be conclusive." - -"What do you expect?" - -"I wouldn't know. I'm no scientist in physics." Hamilton held up a hand -as Thomas started to protest. "I use 'scientist' despite your dislike -of the word only because there is no term that describes both of the -attributes of practical engineer and research physicist. Frankly, I'm -hoping for an eventual coalition, but I fear not." - -"Why view no-coalition with distaste?" demanded Thomas. - -"Because both personalities offer much to the world, to science in -general, and to the body that houses both of them." - -"I heartily dislike all aspects of practical engineering," stated -Thomas flatly. "To be everlastingly forced to retrace your own -steps, again and again and again, working out the most insignificant -details--bah!" - -"The engineer has another viewpoint." - -"I know. But the engineer in this case is here only because of his own -necessity--which he himself has removed. I am the real entity; I am the -desire of the engineer. I am what he wants to be. _I am what he will -become!_" - - * * * * * - -"Good morning, Frank." - -"Morning, Miss Elaine. Mr. Lionel isn't here." - -"He'll be back?" asked the girl. - -"Oh yes. He went over to see Dr. Hamilton." - -"Oh. Frank, the usual question?" - -"This morning he is Thomas Lionel, Ph.D., M.M." - -"Oh." - -"He went to bed Tom Lionel, Consulting Engineer." - -"I wonder if he remembers," smiled Elaine. - -The _Poltergeist_ landed on the lawn. It was silent, but a flash of -sunshine caught the sleek side and attracted Elaine's attention. - -"Hi," she called as she emerged from the house. - -"Howdy," he answered. "What brings you out?" - -"Never ask a girl a question like that," she laughed. "You'll never get -the right answer." - -"Why?" - -"If she says 'you' it's either a lie or she's the kind of girl your -mother tried to protect you from. If she says anything else, it's -either a lie or she's the kind of girl your mother tried to protect you -from." - -"A man can't win," snorted Thomas. - -"Does a man really want to win?" - -"Nope," admitted Thomas. "I won't ask questions, Elaine. I'll just be -glad you came." - -"I'm glad you're glad." - -Elaine flirted with him shamelessly, and then turned toward the -laboratory building. He followed, and they kept up a running fire of -light talk all the way. - -"The first thing I have to do is to see what the engineer was doing -last," remarked Thomas as he opened the laboratory door. - -"You are a strange fellow," smiled Elaine. "You respect each other's -possessions and beliefs, though you argue madly through impersonal -mediums. Still writing nasty letters?" - -"Uh-huh. And playing chess." - -"What's he been doing?" asked Elaine innocently. - -"Don't really know. Aside from some experiments on the poltergeist -effect--reducing them to practice--I wouldn't know. I doubt that he's -been doing much else. I do happen to know that he's deeply interested -in the epicenter effect. He may find the key to it, too." - -The laboratory was about as he remembered it. There were some changes. -A few of the pieces of equipment were moved; some of them were -converted; and a couple of them had been built in to other, larger -pieces. All of the workmanship was clean and shining. - -The cyclospectrograph had been worked on with a vengeance. It had lost -its haywire appearance. The D plates were all neatly machined and -the high frequency plumbing was all rearranged into mathematical and -technical symmetry. The hours-use counter showed constant operation -for several days solid, which interested the physicist. - -"He's found a use for it," he grinned at Elaine. - -"He finds a use for most everything," she said. "He's a pretty sharp -man." - -"Thanks," grinned Thomas, recalling what the psychiatrist had said -regarding the mutual efficiency of the mind in Thomas Lionel's body. - -"Wonder what this crystal is," muttered Thomas. - -"Looks like a natural quartz." - -"Might be--though I doubt it." - -"Can you find out?" - -"Eventually. If it is interesting, I will. What bothers me mostly, -though," said Thomas thoughtfully, "are two things. One of them is that -open drum of gooey tar. The other one is that vat of used motor oil." - -"The oil I understand. But what is the tarlike goo?" - -"I forget its name. It is one of the natural asphalt family and it -ranks high--along with chewing gum--among those substances in which I -would least like to bathe." - -"Um. I detect a tone of distaste," laughed Elaine. "Here's another -little tricky gadget. Looks sort of like your tungsten box." - -"Oh?" asked Thomas. - -"Yes ... say, Tommy, what's an epicenter?" - -"Ah ... why?" asked the physicist, his attention on the -cyclospectrograph. - -"This box has a little sign on it. It says: 'Be an epicenter' and some -other stuff." - -"The epicenter is the main feature around which the phenomena -revolves," explained Thomas idly. - -"Oh." - - * * * * * - -Elaine fondled the little box. Her forefinger touched the button, felt -its smoothness. In her mind was knowledge of the dire effects caused by -tyros who push strange buttons. Certainly there was no curiosity deep -enough to override her own good sense. But subconsciously the natural -impulse to touch wet paint, to kick the package on the sidewalk, came -to the fore and Elaine stood there, looking the box over with her -forefinger set against the button. - -"'Be an epicenter'," she repeated. - -It registered. Like a swift montage, events past, present and future -sped through Thomas Lionel's mind. He went from the basic idea to the -foregone conclusion in three lightning-quick steps. - -"_NO!_" he yelled. - -But it was too late. - -And through his mind there passed a vision that made him swallow. -Elaine--dressed in a simple frock of printed silk, garnished from -the top of her beautifully coiffed hair to the bottoms of her -exquisitely shod feet in an awful mixture of used crankcase oil and a -tar-asphaltum-- - -In vain he tried to cross the twenty feet that separated him from the -girl. In vain he tried to get there, to snatch that devilish box from -her hand, to grab it and hurl it far enough away so that the effect -wouldn't even cause a bad splash. - -The idea of seeing her all gooed up. That made him shout hoarsely. - -It shouldn't happen to a dog-- - -And then it hit him. He was fully fifteen feet from the girl and -her little instrument. A half-hour's observational time went into -milliseconds in Thomas Lionel's mind as he watched the open drum of -asphaltum compound rise out of the open top in a parabolic arc. It -arched high, just missing the ceiling, and passing in an ogee curve to -miss a stanchion. Forward it came, to curve downward upon his own bare -head. - -Simultaneously, he was drenched from behind by the arching column of -oil from the vat behind him. - -In twin, converging arches, Thomas was inundated and thoroughly soaked -from head to toe with a whirling mixture of oil and tar. - -He cleared his eyes with squeegeeing fingers. Elaine, holding in her -laughter with effort, showed him the box. - -Above the button it said: - - BE AN EPICENTER! - - Control that mysterious power. Exert the - forces of hidden nature in your behalf! - - PRESS HERE! - -"He's found it," croaked Thomas. "He's found it!" - -"And you're a mess." - -"That I am," said Thomas shaking off some of the gluck that was -trickling down his arm. "That I am." - -"Don't you mind?" - -"I have my own revenge. My own, particular means of revenge. I'm sorry, -Elaine. I must now leave you. The engineer has had his fun--now, my -sweet, he may have the compensating task of cleaning up!" - -Thomas turned and found the little tungsten box with its label: BE AN -ENGINEER! and pressed the button. - - * * * * * - -Tom Lionel, Consulting Engineer, removed his finger from the button, -and turned to see Elaine. - -"Was it funny?" he asked. - -"Very much so," she laughed. - -"Who pushed it?" - -"I did." - -"Too bad. I'd rather he got it by his own machinations." - -"He tried to stop me--" - -"Uh-huh. Maybe it's better the way it is," Tom laughed in spite of -the load of uncomfort he was carrying. He wiped some of the oil and -tar mixture from his face and continued. "The instantaneous feeling of -horror at the idea of seeing you glucked over with this mess must have -given him some shock. No doubt he thought that whatever would happen -would happen to the holder of the epicenter locator." - -"Now what are you going to do?" - -"Me?" - -"Yes. You're going to clean up, aren't you?" - -"Not me." - -"How are you going to ... to--?" - -"Cause his return?" - -"Yes." - -Tom considered. "I guess I'm licked. He'll just use this box of his." - -"Can't you undo it?" - -"Nope. It's just too tough. I'd go to work on the insides with acid -if I could get inside of it. The outside is possible, but I haven't -enough acid to react with the whole darned box. But I'm going to get -something. Well, I'm going inside and take myself a shower. Wait--I'll -be back." - - * * * * * - -An hour later, Tom Lionel emerged from the bathroom. Frank, the -houseboy went in with a humorous shake of the head. He'd seen the -embryonic mess and knew what there was to do. - -"Now what?" asked Elaine. - -"Well, you see, the thing is slightly out of hand," exclaimed Tom. "I -started this thing because my physicist friend got out of line and -shot the entire bankroll on a pile of scientific flapdoodle." He took a -cigarette case from his pocket that glinted and iridesced as he opened -it. "I've been able to use nearly everything," he grinned, "including -the ruling engine," he waved the grating-ruled cigarette case at the -girl. "Marten shelled out about ten thousand bucks for the secret of -the finish on this case. He's ruling jewelry now and it is the largest -thing since the discovery of diamond-faceting. I'm also getting a five -percent royalty on every grating-ruled piece that's made. It ain't hay. - -"Anyway, it backfired on me because I presented him with something -that offered him, not frustration, but instead, he proceeded to -make something of it that no sensible engineer could ignore. And," -he continued ruefully, "it did two more drastic things. One, it -made his continued influence necessary. There are too many things -that he knows to dispense with his type of thinking. Number two, my -success in reducing his discoveries to practice has resulted in the -generation of a good income. That has been the basis of our argument. -He's impractical to the extreme, but as long as the body is fed, -both materially and intellectually, so what? So instead of finding -myself the winner, I'm actually fighting for my own existence." Tom -went bitter. "A fine thing. To be forced to fight for one's existence -because of factors that emanate from his own success." - -Elaine put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be bitter," she said -softly. "I ... I'll miss you--" - -"Oh, don't worry," he told her in a strained voice. "I don't intend -to give up." He cradled her face between his hands and looked her -straight in the eyes. "If, as, and when, I--though the concept is -purely hypothetical--might possibly lose--mind, I have no intention -of losing since I intend to win unconditionally and maintaining the -present status is intolerable--the other guy will have been in such a -mad battle that he'll be forced into accepting some practical tenets as -a factor. Then he'll be more like me." - -"This may hurt," she said seriously, "but you are not as different as -you might think." - -"He hates the thought of practicality." - -"And yet," said Elaine, "if all were engineers who would take time to -seek out the little-known facts?" - -"And," snorted Tom, "if all were physicists, we would still be hanging -from trees, tossing coconuts at one another whilst a few bright -dawn-men were contemplating the possibilities of using fire--but, of -course, doing nothing about it. After all, once the physicist has -considered all the angles, he's through. He doesn't give a howling -hoot whether what he's considered is practical--after all, it _is_ -interesting and that's all he cares about." - -"But--" - -"Since the physicist's thinking is actually based upon past proof--made -by practical engineers--the contemplation of fire would be as far as -they'd get. For there would be no engineer to ever use it to show its -practical possibilities! That's based on my horribly hypothetical world -where all were physicists and none were engineers." - -"Who invented the bow and arrow?" asked Elaine. - -"Ab, Ug, or Unguh. He, she, or it was an experimenter. Y'see, Elaine, -at one time there were neither engineers nor physicists. Alexander -Graham Bell was not--in our present day sense--a physicist nor was -Morse, or Edison or Lodge. Nor were they engineers. Somewhere since -then the line has been divided. In them days they were basement -geniuses. But now," he said bitterly, "there is one set of people who -think up cockeyed things and another set that figures out what to do -with them." - -"Y'know," smiled Elaine, "I think that getting together would be the -finest thing that ever happened to you and the physicist." - -Tom backed up three steps. "Look," he snapped, "I've heard a lot. I can -stand for a lot. But that's something that I can't even consider." - -"Both of you offer so much to--" - -"Yeah," he sneered, "and we're both solid citizens! Hooey." - - * * * * * - -Tom stalked over to the chessboard and looked down. "Overconfidence is -a dangerous thing," he said with a smile. He moved a bishop halfway -across the board. "There," he said with a satisfied air, "that should -be obscure enough to fool anybody, even Lasker." - -"Who's Lasker?" asked the girl. - -"One of the chess masters."' - -"Oh." - -"Now," he said, "I'm going to ask you a favor." - -"Yes." - -He grinned. "It might be quite personal." - -"In which case I'd ask you a favor, too." - -"What kind?" - -"That depends on the nature of the original request. What's yours?" - -"I'd like you to write a few letters for me." - -"In which case there'll be no counterproposition." - -For three solid hours, Elaine sat at the typewriter. At the end of that -time, Tom smiled, patted her on the top of the head and said: "You've -been a good girl, kiddo." - -"Thanks," she mumbled. "But there are things about your physicist that -I do admire. He never makes his women work." - -"Impractical lad," laughed Tom. - -"Impractical, but fun." - -"Bah. You, too, huh?" - -"Well fun is--" - -"Impractical." - -"When you find time to be impractical," said Elaine, rising, "you may -invite me over long enough to find out just exactly how practical an -impractical batch of fun can be. Practically, I am an impractical asset -with indispensable attributes." She arched one eyebrow at him and -leered in a ladylike fashion. "You'll find out," she told him. - -"Dinner?" he suggested. - -"That I cook? Ah-ahhh." She touched his cheek lightly and then said: "I -gotta go. I'm late as it is. Sorry, Tommy. But that's how it stands. -Take it easy--and I'll be seein' you." - -Tom Lionel, Consulting Engineer, saw her away, and then returned to his -desk full of work. He sorted papers, did some computations, manipulated -some theory, and then sat still, thinking out his plan. - -His evening was full. He experimented in the laboratory until the wee -small hours, and then spent another two hours contemplating, with -relish, the results. He finished by writing another letter, taking a -last look at the chessboard, and then retired with a final look at the -calendar. - - * * * * * - -Thomas Lionel, Ph.D., M.M., awoke with a feeling of self-satisfaction. -The world was his onion and he knew it. There was nothing to detract -from his success. After all, every time he returned it was because the -engineer had been frustrated. The same thing had happened again. - -He breakfasted lazily, reading the mail and the notes made by the -engineer. The notes satisfied him. He added some notations and made -some calculations himself that would further frustrate the engineer -when again possession of the body changed minds. He noted with relish -that the bank account was growing by leaps and bounds--a backfired -result of the engineer's own machinations. - -How long it would be before the engineer was completely vanished he -did not know, but it would not be too long. - -A few more developments of the poltergeist effect, another series of -new sciences--with their attendant publicity, sales, and, of course, -royalty and licensing fees--and the engineer would find nothing in -his life worth living for. He then would turn, bending his naturally -curious mind to the more obscure realm of physics. - -In other words, the mind of Tom Lionel would become congruent with -the mind of Thomas Lionel. Tom Lionel would vanish. Thomas Lionel, -the ultimate desire of the engineer's mind would take control and the -period of schizophrenia would end. - -It was more than just logical. The consulting engineer wanted to be a -physicist. Now that all barriers were removed, he would. - -The hearty dislike of physicists that characterized the mind of the -engineer was sheer jealousy; psychological block; that factor of the -mind which, when denied a desire, hates all others who successfully -achieve it. - -Aesop called it "Sour Grapes." - -He noted the calendar for the day. He nodded. He was to see a group of -physicists from one of the government bureaus. That would be O.K. Later -in the afternoon there was a conference between a group of production -superintendents who were about to start producing items using the -poltergeist effect. He made a notation to investigate the epicenter -effect and see what could be generated out of it. - -The latter was interesting, and presented a problem. - -He arose from the breakfast table and sought the chessboard. He -laughed quietly and advanced a knight to cover his opponent's bishop. -That was in accordance with a well-known theory of chess. If, after -several moves, no apparent pattern is manifest, attack with a minor -piece--or even capture or exchange minor pieces. The plan of attack may -be obscure to you, but the chances are that a bold counterattack or -exchange of minor pieces will disrupt the attack. - -Well, all was well. - -His plans? They were simple enough. He would carry on. He would do more -research, and confound the engineer whenever next he returned. It was -as simple as that. - - * * * * * - -"The poltergeist effect," said Thomas, facing the group of government -physicists, "is still in the field of research and development--and -wide open on all sides. Much is still unknown about it, in spite of the -fact," he added distastefully, "that certain aspects of it have already -been put to work. - -"You are all familiar with the initial theories, though I shall touch -upon them briefly here again. The spatial strains, when under the -influence of solar gravity, lunar gravity, and terrestrial gravity -all in proper vectorial relationship, add to the spatial strains -caused by the magnetic fields of the three main bodies mentioned. The -electrostatic fields in the terrestrial atmosphere--the same which -cause lightning in another manifestation--also add to the spatial -strain. These are all natural phenomena. - -"The radiation of a thinking brain, gentlemen, is not a natural -phenomena--not a natural characteristic warp in space," he corrected -with a slight smile. "It causes a vibration in the region of the -end-hysteresis loop of space itself when space is saturated to that -threshold by the natural warps and strains. It exerts a triggering -action that releases a more powerful nonphysical radiation, which in -turn releases the space strain that causes--things--to move. Also this -final buckling of the space strain releases a component of the initial -wave which again exerts the triggering action. The proposition is -self-sustaining as long as the gravitic, magnetic, and electrostatic -effects are such as to maintain the saturation of space at the -hysteresis-loop level. - -"However," continued Thomas, "it has been discovered that these -potentials are not only released, but are dirigible, under the complex -force-fields generated by the equipment so far developed. Some effects -are akin to gravitic effects--the real nature of which none of us can -state, or even guess." - -"Your statements border on the fantastic," smiled the head visitor, -Lowell Johnstown. "Were it not for the fact that your statements have -been accompanied by experimental proof, we would be forced to discount -them as the ravings of an insane mind. However, your paper before the -American Physical Society plus your experimental data--which we all -have duplicated--gives proof. The nullification of gravity--" - -"Not nullification," insisted Thomas. "I do not claim nullification. -The effect is a development of diagravitic force." - -"The difference--?" - -"Does exist. The generation of a counter-force may, in some cases be -considered nullification. But nullification does not describe all -aspects of counter-force. I prefer to use the counter-force definition, -since vectorial components may be generated in the object under -observation. These forces have no relation to the force of gravity -acting upon the object, other than can be similarly observed in the -free flight of a projectile, where both the forward motion and the -gravitic attraction cause summation of forces into a parabolic path." - -"I'll accept your remarks. But we are here to discuss the epicenter -effect." - -"The epicenter is a generator of the radiation which causes release -of the potentials indigenous to all material bodies. This radiation -is of a complex nature. It requires both physical, electrostatic, -electromagnetic generators to produce the radiation that triggers the -poltergeist potential. - -"Incidentally, gentlemen, this may be why some people always seem to be -getting into accidents. I believe that we have the true answer to the -'Accident-Prone' within our grasp." - -"How does this manifest in experimental work?" asked Johnstown. - -"By crystallographic generation of the force-fields coupled with -the radiation of the brain in question. The effect is probably more -pronounced with a man whose prevalence toward poltergeist effects and -accident prone-ness is higher than normal. I am seeking such a man now. -By further filtering through crystals the random release of poltergeist -energy is directed and controlled so that a desired object may be moved -almost at will." - -"This equipment--can we hope to get it in practical size?" - -Thomas considered and then said with a touch of disinterest: "It is -possible. No doubt the practical viewpoint will appeal to many." - -"To sum up your statements," interjected Johnstown, "we have an effect -that will cause the movement of any desired object by the use of -nonmaterial supporting and actuating means." - -"Right. And one other interesting effect. The generation of direct -current electricity is also possible in the same manner. I might even -add," he concluded with a smile, "that manifestation of any physical -effect is possible." - -Johnstown packed the pages of data in his briefcase. "You have unlocked -a veritable universe of basic study," he said. "You should feel -gratified. We'll keep in touch with you, Lionel. And, we'll return -once we have had a chance to digest this information. Also, we'll -furnish you with whatever observations we make." - -Thomas watched them leave. He smiled. Adding to the discomfiture of the -engineer at really having nothing left to work for--the bank account -being filled daily--he was tossing his discoveries to the world of -physicists, and other engineers and scientists would take over, more -than likely leaving the engineer foundering in a sea of uncertainty. - - * * * * * - -The group of production superintendents entered and seated themselves. -Their spokesman, Charles Norden said: "We are here because of -certain difficulties we are having in making your effect operate -satisfactorily." - -"I can, of course, assist you," smiled Thomas, affably. - -"Good," answered Norden. "Here is the first difficulty." He pulled from -his case a sheaf of blueprints, and he spread them out across the desk. -"Our design department claims that the arrangement of knobs on the -panel is inconvenient. A suggested change is to put them like this." - -Franklen, who was one of Norden's associates objected: "That means -you'll have to shunt the snivvy over here. That lengthens the leads and -cause instability." - -"But we can reinstate the stability by running the leads through a -dingink." - -"That won't help. Shielding the leads only adds distributed capacity." - -"It works. Only one percent loss in efficiency and better stability, -believe it or not." - -"Well," said Norden, "I'll leave it up to Lionel, here. What do you -think?" - -"I'll have to consider it," answered Lionel. - -"You understand that it is important," urged Norden. - -"But why?" - -"Why?" exploded Norden. "Great Scott! Look Lionel, the arrangements of -these knobs are such that the operator must cross the calibration-scale -with his hand while adjusting the output. That means that he must -either assume a cramped position or he must adjust, observe, adjust, -observe, and so on, taking the adjustment of output by increments -instead of a stepless arrival at the precise value." - -"Um." - -"Look, Lionel, we aren't toying with the job of lifting a standard -weight. We are hoisting three hundred tons of semirigid structure that -mustn't be joggled too much." - -"I see. Well under the circumstances I'll take quick action and give -you the answer within twenty-four hours." - -"We can't have it immediately?" - -"I'm afraid not. I must make some tests before I can pass judgment on -the matter." - -"We are more or less forced to accept your time-limit," said Norden -glumly. "Please understand that time is essential because every -minute that our production line is down costs the company about twenty -dollars." - -"I'll get your answer in twenty-four hours," Thomas faced another man. -"And your trouble?" - -He was Mawson, of Technical Manufacturing, Inc. - -"You specify this part," indicating another set of blueprints, "as pure -copper. Anything else do?" - -"It carries high frequency. Copper is best--unless you could get -silver. If that is--" - -"Look we're making production and hope to hit fifteen thousand -completed assemblies per day. That piece would weigh about two pounds. -Silver is out." - -"What's the matter with copper?" asked Lionel. - -"It cuts like cheddar cheese, gums up the tools, and is generally not -good for close tolerance work." - -"The first one was all right." - -"Listen," said Mawson, "you carved the first one out by hand and I'll -bet it took you four or five hours. We're going to 'run 'em on an -automatic screw machine at the rate of ten per minute." - -"So?" - -"I want to use free cutting brass." - -"You'll lose conductivity--" - -"The rig will be only seven percent less efficient. Tests--" - -"Your tests may be right. But seven percent loss is pretty bad," -grumbled Thomas. "I'd say no." - -"Then I'm going to ask you to name a substitute. What alloy would -suffice? I want a free cutting alloy that'll come off of the tools -clean." - - * * * * * - -Will White spoke up at this point. "We've got a bit of regeneration in -our driver system," he said. - -"That's easy. Have one of your engineers remove it." - -"Can't. Anything they do to remove regeneration also destroys the -driver's efficiency." - -"Efficiency," said Thomas, "is the inverse function of the frequency -of drive divided by the number of full-phase poles in the genedyne. -Expressed by the quadratic equation in which A equals the number of -full-phase poles--" - -"But we can't get rid of the regeneration!" exploded White. - -"Look, that driver is as simple as ABC. It has and will be a standard -assembly for seven generations past and forward. Now don't tell me--" - -"I'm telling you that we're burning up our test stands left and right. -How long can you take a forty percent regeneration in a hundred -kilowatt genedyne?" - -"Well, not long," admitted Thomas. "You understand the principles -involved?" - -"Not entirely." - -"I'll explain. The force-fields created by the full-phase poles under -the power output from the driver create a nonelectromagnetic field -radiation. The intensity of this field is a function of the driver -output, derived tertially through the pole system. Now the development -of the field radiation creates a space hysteresis that--" - -"Look," snapped White, "I don't give a care about field theory. It -doesn't apply in my job. I merely want to know what to do about the -regeneration." - -"How can you work without understanding the theory?" asked Thomas with -a sneer. - -"How can a musician play a pipe organ without a course in first year -physics?" shouted White. "Just tell me what to do!" - -"Tell 'em to retune the driver to another band." - -"They aren't certain that the pick-up loop is itself tuned or not." - -"It is." - -"Then that means tuning the entire feeder line." - -"Naturally." - -"But the feeder line is a silver plated die casting." - -"Change the dies," said Thomas. - -"May we charge you for them?" asked White, sweetly. "And also for -scrapping the three hundred and seventy thousand parts we have cast -already?" - -"Why get so far ahead?" - -"Look, Thomas Lionel, we did it because it was cheaper not to tie up -the die-caster's shop in weekly driblets rather than get the whole -order in a lump. Now--what do we do about regeneration?" - -"Anybody can clear up regeneration," snapped Lionel. - -"Good--you show us how. That's what we're retaining you for. Your -developments and whatever technical assistance is required." - -Thomas Lionel looked up, and scanned each face at the big table. "From -left to right, can you state your problems?" he asked. - -"Plating specs on the genedyne." - -"Problem in suspension during process." - -"Can plus or minus fifteen percent electrical components be used in -place of ten percents?" - -"We still require the alignment procedure." - -Thomas held up a hand. "O.K., fellows. Submit your problems in writing -and I'll furnish the answers in twenty-four hours." - -Norden bobbed his head in agreement. "I fear that I shall call for -cancellation of contract and the forfeit sum if your answers are not -forthcoming." - -Thomas nodded silently. The forfeit--if this whole gang bopped their -contracts back he'd lose his shirt. - -He watched them file out. And his eyes dropped from their stare out of -the window to the pile of questions on the desk. A pile of production -problems! - -Sheer, unadulterated hell. - -Well, he might as well call the engineer and let him handle this. -It was one of the things that the engineer got a kick out of. As a -physicist, this was not his job--and as an intelligent physicist, he -did know how to get things done. Everything for its own use; if he -didn't know, he knew where to find out. - - * * * * * - -Thomas went out to the laboratory and faced his tungsten box. A twinge -of wonder flashed through his mind. It bothered him. - -_Was this an admission of partial defeat?_ - -Not at all. This was good sense. Call in the engineer to clear up this -mess, since his income and well-being depended upon it. Once these -contracts were clear and closed--well, time enough! - -He pressed the button. - -And Thomas Lionel, Ph.D., M.M., pressed it again. - -And again-- - -And again. - -And then took a suspicious glance at the oxy-hydrogen torch on the -table. A growing fear hit him. Tungsten wouldn't budge under an -acetylene torch. Acids were not too effective, and plain, old-fashioned -cutting tools were sheer foolishness. But heat the block white hot and -hit it with an oxygen lance-- - -Thomas looked on the back side. - -Uh-huh. The engineer had enjoyed himself. The back side of his -little tungsten wave generator had been poked full of ragged holes; -cut in ribbons with the oxygen lance, and generally made messy. The -wave-guides and channels were all un-terminated and laid open. Pushing -the button wouldn't do a thing. - -It definitely would not call the engineer. - -He had twenty-four hours to solve the production people's problems. - -And Thomas Lionel understood. The engineer had his own little trap. No -doubt the engineer would go fishing if called, and only the physicist -was really interested in fighting this thing out to the bitter end. -The engineer, losing already, had only a bank account to throw away -by not working. And the engineer could get another one soon enough if -permitted to do so. - -Twenty-four hours. - -Thomas headed in toward the house to get his notebook and his -engineering notes. He'd have to take over the engineer's job, no -matter how distasteful. - -Out of one corner of his eye he saw the chessboard and he stopped -short. It had been the odd angle that gave the trap away but his moving -of the knight had opened a line right down into his own defenses. On -the next move there would be a severe attack against his queen, and -in saving that, he'd lose the bishop. If he sacrificed the queen, he -was as good as lost. In fact, it was checkmate no matter how long he -fought; no matter what he did, it was only a question of three moves -minimum or seven moves maximum. - -Well, might as well give up. This game was gone and there was no use in -fighting a losing battle--whipping a dead cat-- - -He opened the drawer and removed the little sign normally used to -terminate a game without going through the formality of a checkmate. - -But the sign had been augmented. 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