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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0e4aa83 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68197 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68197) diff --git a/old/68197-0.txt b/old/68197-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2f9da48..0000000 --- a/old/68197-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1174 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Blind Time, 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: Blind Time - -Author: George O. Smith - -Release Date: May 29, 2022 [eBook #68197] - -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 BLIND TIME *** - - - - - - BLIND TIME - - By George O. Smith - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1946. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -The man behind the large, polished desk nodded as Peter Wright entered. -"Wright," he said, "the Oak Tool Works will require an adjuster. You're -new in this office, but I've been given to understand that you have -experience, are willing, intelligent, and observing. The Oak Tool Works -has a special contract, and it is always taken care of by Mr. Delinge -who happens to be having a vacation in an unaccessible spot. Therefore, -you will pinch-hit for him." - -"I understand." - -The president of Interplanetary Industrial Insurance nodded. - -"Good," he said. "You are to be at their Charles Street plant at eight -o'clock tonight. They are to have an accident then." - -Peter Wright nodded. He turned to go, his head mulling over the myriad -of questions used by the average insurance adjuster. The questions -designed to uncover any possible fraud. Those designed to place the -full blame of the mishap, to ascertain whether it were covered by the -existing contract, to determine the exact and precise time of the -accident-- - -"What?" he yelled, turning back to the executive. - -The president of I.I.I. nodded wearily. - -"I heard you right?" asked Peter incredulously. - -Edwin Porter nodded. - -"But look, sir. An accident, by definition, is an unforeseen incident, -which by common usage has come to be accepted as misfortunate, -although the term 'accident' may correctly be applied to--" - -"Wright, after you have been to the Oak Tool Works, you will become -violently anti-semantic." - -"But look, sir. If this accident is forecast with certainty, why can't -it be averted?" - -"Because it has happened already." - -"But you said eight o'clock." - -"I did," said Porter. "And I mean it." - -"But ... but it is now about three-thirty in the afternoon. At eight -o'clock this evening there is to be an accident that has happened -already. The Oak Tool Works is in this same time-zone; they're running -on Central Standard Time, too. So far as I know, the Oak Tool Works is -not manufacturing time machines, are they?" - -Porter grinned despite his weariness. "No, Oak, is not manufacturing -time machines." - -"I am still in gross ignorance. If anybody is capable of truly -predicting the future on the basis of ten percent accuracy, he'd put -the insurance companies out of business--unless they hired him." - -"The future, in some senses, can be predicted," said Porter. - -"Only on a statistical basis," answered Wright. "The prediction that -tomorrow will arrive at precisely such and such an instant is a -prediction based upon the statistical experience gained by several -thousand years. So is the prediction of what will happen when sulphuric -acid and potassium nitrate are mixed. But an accident, sir, is -unpredictable by definition. Therefore he who can predict an accident -is a true prognosticator who needs no statistical experience to bolster -up his forecasting." - -"Wright, this argument gets nowhere. It, incidentally, is why Delinge -always handled the Oak contract. He knew, and there was never an -argument. No, I'll tell you no more, Wright. You'll be incredulous -anyway until you've seen it in person. Eventually, you'll understand." - -"I doubt it," replied Peter. "Seems to me that there are a couple of -very obvious factors. One, if an accident can be predicted, it can also -be avoided. Two, if such an accident is foreseen and nothing is done -about trying to avert it, then it is a matter of gross negligence and -the contract may be voided on those grounds." - -"With but one exception to your statements, I agree," said Porter. "The -accident that will take place at eight o'clock has already happened." - -"What you really mean is," said Peter Wright, more by way of question -than by statement, "is that the accident has occurred but will not -become evident until eight?" - -"I'd hate to try to explain it in a few words. Let us try by analogy. -A man atop of the mountain sees an avalanche start toward a railroad -track. The avalanche takes out the track, preventing a meeting between -two emissaries on a vital question. The vital question is not settled, -and two countries go to war. In the war, one country discovers a -means of nullifying gravity, which after the war is used to start -interplanetary travel. Several years after interplanetary travel -starts, the rare metals are discovered in plenty and the cost of -shipping is such that the monetary system fails and the system enters a -trying period of depression. Now, could you, a man suffering because of -the depression, go back and turn aside the avalanche?" - -"No, but I fail to see the connection." - -"There isn't any, really. In that case the depression was due to -a concatenation of events. In the case at the Oak Tool Works, the -accident per se has already happened, but it will happen at eight -o'clock. You, Peter Wright, will witness the accident that will happen -and make a suitable settlement." - -"Let's hire the prognosticator," suggested Wright. - -"The laboratory is working full time on a means of utilizing the -principle in our business. To date they are not successful. For me, -I hope they are never successful. I'll stick to the statistical -experience, since true prognostication depends upon some sort of -pre-destination, which if true makes a mockery of all effort." - -"All right," grumbled Peter Wright. "I'm going. What sort of accident -is ... will it be?" - -"Go prepared for anything from simple abrasion to loss of limb. I doubt -the possibility of death, but--" - -"I give up," groaned Wright. - -"Where's Delinge?" asked the man at the Oak Tool Works. - -"Vacationing on Mars, I believe." - -"No offense, young man. I'd prefer him only because he has experience -in this. I'll have to spend some time in explaining to you, as a -newcomer, just what really goes on." - -"What I'd like to know," said Wright, "is some means of averting these -predictable accidents." - -"We've tried. We've also failed." - -"Look, Mr. Simpkins, I'm of the legal profession. I am not too much of -a scientist, and I know about nothing regarding machinery--let alone -the kind of plant that makes tools that make tools. I took a course in -mech, of course, and forgot it as soon as I made my grade." - -"Do you know what a blind rivet is?" - -"Ah ... er ... one that can't be seen from both sides?" - -"Right. A sealed tank, for instance, usually has a manhole in it for -the bucker. The bucker holds a bucking tool against the rivet while the -riveter rams it over. Similarly, bolting structures together requires -that a counterthrust or torque be applied to the nut or bolt on the -other side. Unless the structure is equipped with tapped holes, which -are expensive and cannot be made with driller beams." - -"Driller beams?" - -"An outgrowth of the war laboratory. What used to be called a Buck -Rogers. Doesn't really disintegrate the metal, of course, but -dissipates the binding energy between molecules and lets the metal -float away in a molecular gas, driven by its own heat energy. The beams -are sharply defined as to diameter and depth of penetration; you can -set 'em to a thousandth, though it takes cut and try methods to do -it. We don't really drill or cut metal any more. We beam-drill it and -beam-cut it. It's possible to set a screw-cutting beam, but tapping a -three-quarter inch hole is not for any construction company." - -"I follow." - -"Well, in setting blind screws and blind rivets, we have a method -whereby the bucker need not crawl around on the inside. Actually, we -don't use a bucker any more. The riveter does it all from one side." - -"I've heard of blind rivets." - -"This is not a self-setting rivet," said Simpkins. "This is a real -rivet-set system. Wait, I'll show you one." - -Simpkins snapped on the inter-communicator. "Ben? Look, Ben, we've got -a new man from I.I.I. here who doesn't know the ropes. Can you bring up -a blindy?" - -"Sure, but it will be dangerous." - -"I'll have the signs posted." - -"O.K.," answered Ben. "I'll be up in a minute." - -"Look, have you got one that is about to reform?" - -"I would get that kind anyway. No sense in tying up the corridor." - -"O.K." - - * * * * * - -It was about a minute later, no more, when a knock came at the door. -Simpkins called for the knocker to enter. The door opened and a man in -overalls stuck his head in. There was a grin on his face and a smudge -of grease on his nose. "Can't, Joe," he said. "You didn't leave the -door open." - -"I couldn't be going to forget that?" - -Peter Wright swallowed. "Going to forget?" he gasped. - -"Ben," said Simpkins in a very tired tone, "through the door glass, -huh? Let's show this man what we're up against." - -"Right." - -Simpkins snapped the communicator. "Tony? Get a new glass for my office -ready." - -"How soon?" - -"Within the hour." - -"Right. I'll have it cut and waiting." - -Peter shook his head, and then watched Ben enter with the riveting -tool. He looked at it, and Ben, with a grin, held it up in front of -Peter's nose. - -There was a regular air ram with handle. That was standard. But the -second air ram hitched in opposition alongside of the standard job was -new. It projected out, its business end projecting in a caliper arc -beyond the standard ram, and returning to buck the standard ram. With -this tool, one man could both ram the rivet and buck it with the same -tool, and, since both hammer and anvil were driven, the effort was in -opposition mechanically, and no great effort would be required of the -operator. - -But the thing that stopped Peter Wright cold was the ... the-- - -The missing link! - -Several inches of the caliper were missing. - -Ben nodded. - -Peter reached forward gingerly and passed his fingers through the -space. He felt of the ends. They were microscopically smooth, true -planes of cleavage. The far end, that acted as anvil for the main ram -was solid and immobile despite being separated from the framework by -six inches of--nothing. - -"You see," said Ben, "we need only a small port in the item we're -building. For instance--" and Ben opened the closet door a crack, slid -the far end inside, and then closed the door. He shoved forward and -rapped the door panel with the main ram. Then pulled back and-- - -Rapped the inside of the door panel with the hidden end. - -"If we were riveting, now, we could slip in our rivet and pull the -trigger. Follow?" - -"I follow, but where's the missing piece? What holds it that way?" - -"The missing piece is coming," said Ben, retrieving his instrument and -sitting down. - -"I ... ah--" started Joe Simpkins, and then taking Peter Wright's arm -in a viselike grip, pointed dramatically to his office door. "The -wind," he gasped. - - * * * * * - -Wright shook his head. It was far too much for him. He was strictly out -of his element, and struggling madly to keep up. The door, he saw, was -swinging shut, propelled by the wind. He recalled what they had said -at the portal upon entry, something about the door should be open. With -a shout and a leap, Peter raced for the door. - -It slammed, and Peter grabbed for the knob. - -Then the glass erupted in his face; in shards it fell to the floor, -and a metal piece came soaring through the air, through the glass, and -circled the room. Peter's jaw was slack as he watched it flying about -with no apparent plan. It poised for a minute before his chair, where -Ben had held up the blindy riveter for his inspection. In Peter's -imagination, he saw himself sitting there, passing his ghostly fingers -through the spot where that piece of steel now hung immobile. It headed -for the closet, and Ben, watching, opened the door wide. The piece slid -in, moved this way and that, rapped forward against nothing and then -rapped backwards toward the room--against nothing, and then floated -rapidly toward the riveter itself. - -With precision it approached the riveter. It came to rest easily, -slipping into place with no shock, and the cleavage lines disappeared. -The blindy was complete again. - -"See?" said Simpkins. - -"Yeah," gulped Peter, weakly. - -Laconically, a workman entered, cleaned up the glass on the floor, and -started to replace the shattered panel. - -"I see--but I don't really believe it," said Peter, flopping into his -chair. - -The two men laughed uproariously. - -Ben sat down and Simpkins started. "You see, the time field," he said -by way of explanation. "I haven't the vaguest notion of how it works -or why. I admit it. But what does happen is that during the workday, -the missing sections of all blindy tools are stored in the tool room. -At the end of the day, their respective tools are returned to the tool -room where they restore completely. About seven to eight o'clock, the -midsections emerge from the tool room and go through the motions made -by the entire tool, eventually following their ah ... owners ... back -to the tool room where they join. At this point, those tools required -for use on the following day are placed in the temporal treater, and -treated for whatever period of action is required." - -"If it takes four hours for work, they're treated for four hours," put -in Ben. - -"And once the day's work is finished, the work itself must be moved, -since where the tool fits across a barrier, now the missing piece -occupies that same space. If it does not find room, the man handling -the tool several hours before will not be able to set his tool." - -"Which was why I couldn't enter with the riveter," added Ben. - -"It acts quite normally," said Simpkins, though with some doubt. "You -couldn't bring the thing through a barrier if no time-difference -exists. Actually, there is a temporal offset in the thing. It may pass -through the same space as another time, but not at the same time." - -"And you can't lick it," said Ben solemnly. "I purposely left the -door open. But if I had really left the door open, I'd have had no -resistance in the first place--I found no trouble in hooking it over -the closet door--because when the mislink appeared, I opened the door -for it. It does help, sometimes," grinned the shop foreman, "because we -can tell when a piece of work is not going to be moved. Then it impedes -the work." - -"How do you know whether the impedance caused by not moving the work -is responsible for the work not having been moved?" asked Simpkins, -wonderingly. - -"I don't mind being on either horn of a dilemma," said Ben. "But I've -yet to see the dilemma that I'd ride both horns simultaneously on." - -"Um, a bad animal, the dilemma," laughed Simpkins. "Well, Wright, I -trust the demonstration was successful?" - -"Successfully confusing," admitted the insurance adjuster. "I gather -that the injured party got in the way of a missing link?" - -"Whoever it will be was in the way of a mislink from a box-car crane." - -"Bad, huh?" - -"Could be--we'll know in a while." - - * * * * * - -Ben lit a cigarette and said: "The box-car crane is a gadget made -possible by the temporal treating. Prior to its use they put heavy -machinery into the box car by running to the door on a crane and then -they dropped it on a dolly and slid and levered it inside and in -place. Now they have a crane with a mislink between the pulley block -and the grab hook. They hook it on, lift it up, and slide it inside -the car, suspended on the mislink that permits the roof of the car to -intervene." - -"And the victim fell afoul of one of these?" - -Ben nodded. - -"You're absolutely certain?" - -"Of course not," he said. "A number of things might have caused the -trouble. This one is a boom-type crane. The mislinks are in the booms, -and when it was swinging back from dropping a case inside, it hit -something." - -"Something? Can this be identified?" - -"With a minor interference, we can feel it," said Simpkins. "With a -mislink screwdriver, we can feel the interference. If it is hard, we -know that someone has--or will drop something in the way." - -"And if it is soft, and moves, you can estimate it to be animal," added -Ben. - -"Can't you probe with a feeler of some sort?" - -"We do--and did. There was a body on the ground after the accident." - -"No identification possible?" - -"None. Probing with a rod in the dark makes identification difficult. -We've tried to make some sort of study, such as wearing a magnetic -badge with a key-impression on its face--the magnetic to locate and -the key to identify, but frankly," and Simpkins frowned deeply, "it's -psychologically dangerous. The accident can not be averted. After all, -it has happened. And we tried it once, and the man who was hurt--well, -knowing he was to be hurt, he went into a mental funk far worse than -the accident." - -"Why didn't you send him home or have him guarded over carefully?" - -"We tried, kept him guarded closely. Aside from putting him in -an air-tight case, we did about everything. When the accident -occurred--well, he and his guards went to watch the first time that the -thing could be fooled. - -"It happened, all right," said Simpkins. "First, another man caught a -mislink on his shoulder, which laid him out slightly. That, we thought, -was it! And if it was, the time-factor was all screwed up. But we -all ran forward to measure, and as we did, our man got clipped with -another. The first accident had gone unnoticed by the operator." - -"How can you tell that such an accident will happen?" asked Peter. -"Seems to me that a hundred tons of crane might not notice a few pounds -of human in its way." - -"We erect guard-wires that register. That is for one reason only. We -use it to summon the medicos and the hospital ambulance, and prepare -for action. That's about all we can do." - -"I wonder if you could take a picture of such?" suggested Peter. - -"Huh?" - -"Take a picture with a camera controlled by the operator--you know, -temporal treat the camera, film, and all but the range finder and the -shutter release." - -"Look, fellow, that would take a picture of the accident as it happens, -all right. It's also done. Makes excellent records. But as for -pre-accident stuff, know what happens?" - -"No, of course not." - -"Well," smiled Ben, "you'll see. Anyway, the camera comes roaring -out, is poised in midair, and is snapped. The timing isn't too good, -however. Well, you'll see the camera come out and snap around the place -when the accident happens. Remember this is not time travel, and you -can't go forward and take a picture and then come back." - -"For what good it does, we can tell about when a piece of goods will -move by leaning a long-time mislink against it and waiting for it to -fall." - -"Does electricity cross the gap?" - -"Nope. Only force and motion. The television idea isn't good either, -young man." - -"Um, how did you know?" asked Peter. - -"We go through this regular. You're not the first that has been trying -to avert accidents." - -"You understand that I represent I.I.I.?" - -"Yes," said Simpkins. "As such, it is your responsibility to do as much -as possible to save your company money. That is your job." - -"Right. I still say that there is some means of averting the accident, -somehow." - - * * * * * - -"Well, Ben, we've always claimed that we'd tried everything. But they -didn't try the electric light until Edison got the idea, and the -airplane was a new science when they went to work on it. Young man," -said Simpkins, to Peter Wright, "you are a young man with a bright mind -for legal intricacies. It usually makes little difference so long as -the mind is capable of handling the intricacies, just what the mind was -specialized in. You are a fresh mind and we've all seen fresh minds -enter and lick a problem that stuck the original men for months. You -think you can lick it?" - -"I don't know. It just seems to me that there must be some way." - -"Don't forget," said Ben, "that this is not much different from a -regular problem. In construction, I mean. We have accidents where a man -is hit by a flying grab hook that is not in any way temporal treated. -Common accidents. The real problem, Peter, is to stop accidents. Not to -try to avert them after they have happened." - -"But this one--" - -"So far as the temporal treatment goes, is--or has happened." - -"Could you temporal treat the stuff so the mislinks pass through first?" - -"Sure," laughed Ben. "Not practical. They have no forewarning then. -They just go where the tools will go when used. We can't tell when one -of the men will try to grind a mislink chisel. As it is, we can clear -the area where the tools have been." - -"Just remember that this is fact: For a one-hour mislink, we treat the -tools for one hour. They are then ready for use for one hour. At the -end of that time, the mislinks start to follow, and follow for one -hour, at which time the temporal difference decreases on a fourth power -curve, and the mislink catches up with the tool and falls back into -place." - -"Uh-huh. Well, I'm new at it, gentlemen, but it is my guess that this -accident you anticipate need not happen." - -"You forget," corrected Ben. "It's happened." - -"Then where's the body?" demanded Peter Wright. - -"It ... ah--" - -"Has it really happened?" - -"It will with certainty." - -"Thus proving the utter futility of all effort?" - -"Ah--" - -"See?" laughed Peter. - - * * * * * - -They left the office and proceeded into the factory. Here, where -things should have been humming, all was at a standstill. Men sat -on the benches and smoked nervously. They looked into one another's -eyes with that "Will it be me?" stare, and they worried visibly. An -electrician who tinkered hourly with lethal voltages as his day's work -sat and chewed his fingernails. A machinist, sitting on the bedplate -of a forming press large enough to stamp out an automobile body around -the place where he sat, was biting his lips and looking out through -the opened door to the shipping platform. Men outside were working -feverishly, however. - -"Why?" asked Peter. - -"They want to get done. They must get done so that the engine can -remove the car where the accident will happen." - -"Where is this scene?" asked Peter. - -It was out on the loading platform. A mislink crane shunted large cases -from the platform, swung around in an arc, and the missing section -passed through the door and the crane ran down the length of the car, -dropping the case at the far end. The mislink crane returned, the far -end reappeared, and another case was hooked to the boom. The operation -was repeated. The cases were fitted in the box car with neatness and -dispatch. The pile of cases diminished, and the box car was sealed as -the crane went to work on the next car in line. It took time, though, -to fill each car, and the men working out here sweated visibly, partly -in fear and partly from the hurried work. - -They had little time to stare into one another's faces and wonder which -of them would be taking the brunt of the accident. As time wore along, -the siren of the ambulance arriving caused some nervousness. The doctor -and his corps of nurses came slowly forward, inquired as to the scene, -and proceeded to lay out a fairly well equipped emergency operating -set-up. - -"I'm beginning to feel the morbidity of this," said Peter. "The doctor, -the ambulance, the insurance agent. We're like a bunch of vultures -awaiting the faltering step of the desert wanderer." - -"A bunch of undertakers waiting for the accident to happen," said Ben. -"No, I'm not calloused. I'm scared slightly green. I can't take it -unless I joke about it. It's the uncertain certainty--the wondering -just which one of us gets caught in the certain accident." - -"It seems uncanny to talk about the certainty of accident," said Peter. - -"The training at I.I.I. would instill a bit of the perfection of -the statistical method in you," nodded Simpkins. "By the time your -statistical bureau gets all done checking the chances of a new account, -no one would bet against it. I.I.I. also puts the kiss of death on, -too. Just try to hire men for a plant that can't be insured by your -outfit. They'll ask a thousand credits a day." - -"What time is this affair going to happen?" asked Peter. - -"Not too long. They're about finished. Then they inert everything as -usual and we'll all retreat to the inside wall and wonder." - -"Why not all go home?" - -"You can't win," said Ben solemnly. "We did all go home once." - -"And the accident happened anyway?" - -"Certainly. A thief broke in and it clipped him. Just don't forget that -this isn't a probability, it's certain. And the same mob-instinct that -makes people gather around an injured man will keep the entire gang -here, morbidly waiting to see who gets it in what way. There is that -element of wonder, too, you know. Every man in the place knows that -someone is going to get clipped with that crane. They're all cagey and -very careful. It will be an accident despite planning, and therefore -the unforeseen something will be out of the ordinary." - - * * * * * - -"Quite a problem, Peter," said Simpkins. - -"I see it is." - -"A lot of this veiling is sheer psychiatry. We've consulted the best -behavior specialists in the system. Keeping the fact secret is worse -than permitting free knowledge, according to them. But identifying the -victim is far worse than to have everybody in a slight tizzy." - -"Why?" - -"Well, when it happens, we have a victim that realizes that part of -the chance was his, and shock is not so great than it would be if no -warning took place in light of the management knowing all about it -beforehand. On the other hand, all the men who were not hurt get as -much uplift after it happens as their downswing of anticipation. On the -third hand--pardon the numbers, Peter--if the victim were positively -identified, the rest would be no better off, but the victim would be a -mental case from then on, and shock would set in prior to the accident. -Then we'd be likely to run up the casualty rate. Follow?" - -"It seems like a hard row to hoe." - -"Well, usually we keep people out of danger areas. We know where -they'll be, of course. It's these darned accidents that happen twice in -time." - -"Twice in time?" - -"Yes. The accident happens once invisibly, and once visibly. Once in -the future controlled by the present, and then as the future unfolds, -it is an accident happening in the present, controlled by the past. -It's blind time, and there is nothing we can do about it." - -"That fatalistic attitude again." - -"Well--" - -Ben interrupted. "They're stopping now." - -They turned to watch. The final box car was loaded and the engine drew -them away. The mislink crane returned for the final time and was stowed -on the platform. A hush fell over the crew, and the windows in the back -were filled with faces, watching. - -The silence was intense. Peter realized that practically every man was -holding his breath, and yet it would be at least a half hour before the -mislink began to follow the crane, and some time after that before the -mislink caught up to the scene of the accident. - -He let his breath out with a sigh, and mentioned the fact to Ben and -Simpkins. The foreman nodded and agreed, saying: "We know, but there -isn't one of us who won't try to hold his breath for the next two -hours." - -"Impractical," muttered Peter Wright. "There must be a way." - - * * * * * - -The mislink was a husky section in its own right. The crane boom was no -weakling. Thin rods, jointed on toggles, floated about ten inches from -the main "I" beam, just as long as the temporal treated section itself. -It made an eerie sight, this monstrous slab of solid metal, moving back -and forth with determination and purpose, _with no visible means of -support_. To add to the alien sight, the telltale rods maintained their -ten-inch separation with a metallic rigidity, though no connection was -visible to the main girder. - -On the loading deck were three painted circles. The inner one was a -four-inch stripe of brilliant red. The circle approximated the scene -of the accident. Outside of that by a considerable safety-factor was -an orange stripe, almost yellow. Another safety-factor distance away -the third stripe of green inclosed the area. As the mislink crossed the -green stripe, all eyes fastened on it. As it crossed the yellow-orange -stripe, the watchers tensed, and as the mislink crossed into the danger -section, there was a sudden, audible indrawing of breath, which was -held solid until the mislink passed across the red line on the way out. -The out-go of breath was definitely audible. - -The tension mounted. A large clock, set up for the case, swept around -and around toward the estimated zero hour. The watchers no longer -looked into one another's eyes and when eyes met inadvertently, they -both fell with a sickly smile that lacked courage. - -_Why were they there?_ Peter asked of himself, and he knew. They -were there because of morbid curiosity. The thing that made people -watch three-hundred-foot dives into a large washtub of water; people -watching a tightrope walker somersault on the wire above Niagara: -watching the high trapeze artists performing with no net. That one of -them was certain to be called into the act, the element of chance and -the element of danger, always a gamble, made them stay. With nothing -to win, they stayed to watch, which is a basic characteristic of human -nature. - -They were there because they were human! - -And when the accident came, the laws of the lines would be broken, -though everything in every man's power would be done to maintain the -safety. For the mislink would stop, after the accident, just as the -crane had been stopped automatically by the contact with the telltale -rods in their temporal extension of the crane itself. The green line, -across which no one must pass save the authorities; the yellow line -across which only the medical corps may cross, and the red line across -which only two men may cross and then only to take the victim to the -medical set-up on the dock. Men would rush forward, crossing the -lines, and the victim would be carried away with a trailing number of -watchers. Then, someone would have to forget the victim to keep the -rest of the men from getting in the way of the mislink as it resumed -operations. But, of course, no one else had been hit, so this, at -least, would be successful, and the men were very confident that no -matter what they did, they would not be hit. - -The minutes wore on interminably. Coffee came in great tanks, and -sandwiches in stacks. The men ate in gulps, swallowing great lumps of -unchewed food, and all courted indigestion. The strain was terrific as -the timing clock drew close to the minute. - -_Who--?_ - - * * * * * - -Then--came the zero minute. - -There was an intake of breath as the clock chimed once, to mark the -beginning of the period of probability. No man moved a muscle, yet all -muscles were tense with expectancy. Nervously, Ben felt in his pocket -and took out a cigarette, stuck it into his mouth, and fumbled for a -match. "Match?" he grumbled. - -Simpkins fumbled and shook his head. - -"Nope," he said, and his voice was loud and raw. - -Peter felt in his pocket and found a match. - -He lit one and held it over. His eyes were solid on the scene, he did -not want to miss it. - -"Look out!" someone cried in a strident voice. - -The mislink was approaching the circles again. - -Peter turned and faced the place squarely, casting an eye across the -men's faces. They were all set, and in every man's body were muscles -tensed against moving forward. - -_How_, asked Peter of his mind, _can they expect anything to happen -now? Every man is psychologically unable to move forward._ - -There came a stabbing pain, and Peter whirled with a wordless scream. -The shock was searing. Instantaneously, he whirled, hitting his -upflinging elbow against the wall. The obstruction in motion set him -off balance, and he automatically moved a foot to regain it. His foot -hit the foot of Ben, who was standing solidly, partly turned, his face -just changing from solid-set to one of surprise. - -The solid foot tripped Peter, and he fell forward. He flung the -still-burning match from his fingers as he put both hands forward -to break his fall. The loading deck came up to meet him, and his -forward-flung hands went down toward-- - -_The red line!_ - -There was a coruscating flare of stars, bars, and screaming color in -his mind, that contracted to a pinpoint and then expanded to infinity, -leaving only peaceful blackness. - -He returned to consciousness in the ambulance, but his return was -brief. He was conscious only long enough to hear: - -"Some day we'll lick it," said Ben. - -"Only when you lick the regular accident rate. The trouble is," -mused the medical attendant, "that people think there's something -about mislink accidents that is different. Like either predestiny or -something that makes you able to change the future. Fact of the matter -is, it is the _past_ that they're trying to change. Funny, to think of -this guy getting it." - -"Last one got it by a different set of factors," said Ben, "but you -can't stop an accident that's already happened." - -Peter Wright, adjuster for the solar system's greatest insurance -company, Interplanetary Industrial Insurance, went under. His mind was -whirling with a mixed desire to argue about temporal accidents, and the -certain knowledge that he was in no position to mention the avoidance -of same. - - - THE END. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLIND TIME *** - -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. 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Smith</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Blind Time</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: George O. Smith</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 29, 2022 [eBook #68197]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLIND TIME ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>BLIND TIME</h1> - -<h2>By George O. Smith</h2> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Astounding Science-Fiction, September 1946.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>The man behind the large, polished desk nodded as Peter Wright entered. -"Wright," he said, "the Oak Tool Works will require an adjuster. You're -new in this office, but I've been given to understand that you have -experience, are willing, intelligent, and observing. The Oak Tool Works -has a special contract, and it is always taken care of by Mr. Delinge -who happens to be having a vacation in an unaccessible spot. Therefore, -you will pinch-hit for him."</p> - -<p>"I understand."</p> - -<p>The president of Interplanetary Industrial Insurance nodded.</p> - -<p>"Good," he said. "You are to be at their Charles Street plant at eight -o'clock tonight. They are to have an accident then."</p> - -<p>Peter Wright nodded. He turned to go, his head mulling over the myriad -of questions used by the average insurance adjuster. The questions -designed to uncover any possible fraud. Those designed to place the -full blame of the mishap, to ascertain whether it were covered by the -existing contract, to determine the exact and precise time of the -accident—</p> - -<p>"What?" he yelled, turning back to the executive.</p> - -<p>The president of I.I.I. nodded wearily.</p> - -<p>"I heard you right?" asked Peter incredulously.</p> - -<p>Edwin Porter nodded.</p> - -<p>"But look, sir. An accident, by definition, is an unforeseen incident, -which by common usage has come to be accepted as misfortunate, -although the term 'accident' may correctly be applied to—"</p> - -<p>"Wright, after you have been to the Oak Tool Works, you will become -violently anti-semantic."</p> - -<p>"But look, sir. If this accident is forecast with certainty, why can't -it be averted?"</p> - -<p>"Because it has happened already."</p> - -<p>"But you said eight o'clock."</p> - -<p>"I did," said Porter. "And I mean it."</p> - -<p>"But ... but it is now about three-thirty in the afternoon. At eight -o'clock this evening there is to be an accident that has happened -already. The Oak Tool Works is in this same time-zone; they're running -on Central Standard Time, too. So far as I know, the Oak Tool Works is -not manufacturing time machines, are they?"</p> - -<p>Porter grinned despite his weariness. "No, Oak, is not manufacturing -time machines."</p> - -<p>"I am still in gross ignorance. If anybody is capable of truly -predicting the future on the basis of ten percent accuracy, he'd put -the insurance companies out of business—unless they hired him."</p> - -<p>"The future, in some senses, can be predicted," said Porter.</p> - -<p>"Only on a statistical basis," answered Wright. "The prediction that -tomorrow will arrive at precisely such and such an instant is a -prediction based upon the statistical experience gained by several -thousand years. So is the prediction of what will happen when sulphuric -acid and potassium nitrate are mixed. But an accident, sir, is -unpredictable by definition. Therefore he who can predict an accident -is a true prognosticator who needs no statistical experience to bolster -up his forecasting."</p> - -<p>"Wright, this argument gets nowhere. It, incidentally, is why Delinge -always handled the Oak contract. He knew, and there was never an -argument. No, I'll tell you no more, Wright. You'll be incredulous -anyway until you've seen it in person. Eventually, you'll understand."</p> - -<p>"I doubt it," replied Peter. "Seems to me that there are a couple of -very obvious factors. One, if an accident can be predicted, it can also -be avoided. Two, if such an accident is foreseen and nothing is done -about trying to avert it, then it is a matter of gross negligence and -the contract may be voided on those grounds."</p> - -<p>"With but one exception to your statements, I agree," said Porter. "The -accident that will take place at eight o'clock has already happened."</p> - -<p>"What you really mean is," said Peter Wright, more by way of question -than by statement, "is that the accident has occurred but will not -become evident until eight?"</p> - -<p>"I'd hate to try to explain it in a few words. Let us try by analogy. -A man atop of the mountain sees an avalanche start toward a railroad -track. The avalanche takes out the track, preventing a meeting between -two emissaries on a vital question. The vital question is not settled, -and two countries go to war. In the war, one country discovers a -means of nullifying gravity, which after the war is used to start -interplanetary travel. Several years after interplanetary travel -starts, the rare metals are discovered in plenty and the cost of -shipping is such that the monetary system fails and the system enters a -trying period of depression. Now, could you, a man suffering because of -the depression, go back and turn aside the avalanche?"</p> - -<p>"No, but I fail to see the connection."</p> - -<p>"There isn't any, really. In that case the depression was due to -a concatenation of events. In the case at the Oak Tool Works, the -accident per se has already happened, but it will happen at eight -o'clock. You, Peter Wright, will witness the accident that will happen -and make a suitable settlement."</p> - -<p>"Let's hire the prognosticator," suggested Wright.</p> - -<p>"The laboratory is working full time on a means of utilizing the -principle in our business. To date they are not successful. For me, -I hope they are never successful. I'll stick to the statistical -experience, since true prognostication depends upon some sort of -pre-destination, which if true makes a mockery of all effort."</p> - -<p>"All right," grumbled Peter Wright. "I'm going. What sort of accident -is ... will it be?"</p> - -<p>"Go prepared for anything from simple abrasion to loss of limb. I doubt -the possibility of death, but—"</p> - -<p>"I give up," groaned Wright.</p> - -<p>"Where's Delinge?" asked the man at the Oak Tool Works.</p> - -<p>"Vacationing on Mars, I believe."</p> - -<p>"No offense, young man. I'd prefer him only because he has experience -in this. I'll have to spend some time in explaining to you, as a -newcomer, just what really goes on."</p> - -<p>"What I'd like to know," said Wright, "is some means of averting these -predictable accidents."</p> - -<p>"We've tried. We've also failed."</p> - -<p>"Look, Mr. Simpkins, I'm of the legal profession. I am not too much of -a scientist, and I know about nothing regarding machinery—let alone -the kind of plant that makes tools that make tools. I took a course in -mech, of course, and forgot it as soon as I made my grade."</p> - -<p>"Do you know what a blind rivet is?"</p> - -<p>"Ah ... er ... one that can't be seen from both sides?"</p> - -<p>"Right. A sealed tank, for instance, usually has a manhole in it for -the bucker. The bucker holds a bucking tool against the rivet while the -riveter rams it over. Similarly, bolting structures together requires -that a counterthrust or torque be applied to the nut or bolt on the -other side. Unless the structure is equipped with tapped holes, which -are expensive and cannot be made with driller beams."</p> - -<p>"Driller beams?"</p> - -<p>"An outgrowth of the war laboratory. What used to be called a Buck -Rogers. Doesn't really disintegrate the metal, of course, but -dissipates the binding energy between molecules and lets the metal -float away in a molecular gas, driven by its own heat energy. The beams -are sharply defined as to diameter and depth of penetration; you can -set 'em to a thousandth, though it takes cut and try methods to do -it. We don't really drill or cut metal any more. We beam-drill it and -beam-cut it. It's possible to set a screw-cutting beam, but tapping a -three-quarter inch hole is not for any construction company."</p> - -<p>"I follow."</p> - -<p>"Well, in setting blind screws and blind rivets, we have a method -whereby the bucker need not crawl around on the inside. Actually, we -don't use a bucker any more. The riveter does it all from one side."</p> - -<p>"I've heard of blind rivets."</p> - -<p>"This is not a self-setting rivet," said Simpkins. "This is a real -rivet-set system. Wait, I'll show you one."</p> - -<p>Simpkins snapped on the inter-communicator. "Ben? Look, Ben, we've got -a new man from I.I.I. here who doesn't know the ropes. Can you bring up -a blindy?"</p> - -<p>"Sure, but it will be dangerous."</p> - -<p>"I'll have the signs posted."</p> - -<p>"O.K.," answered Ben. "I'll be up in a minute."</p> - -<p>"Look, have you got one that is about to reform?"</p> - -<p>"I would get that kind anyway. No sense in tying up the corridor."</p> - -<p>"O.K."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It was about a minute later, no more, when a knock came at the door. -Simpkins called for the knocker to enter. The door opened and a man in -overalls stuck his head in. There was a grin on his face and a smudge -of grease on his nose. "Can't, Joe," he said. "You didn't leave the -door open."</p> - -<p>"I couldn't be going to forget that?"</p> - -<p>Peter Wright swallowed. "Going to forget?" he gasped.</p> - -<p>"Ben," said Simpkins in a very tired tone, "through the door glass, -huh? Let's show this man what we're up against."</p> - -<p>"Right."</p> - -<p>Simpkins snapped the communicator. "Tony? Get a new glass for my office -ready."</p> - -<p>"How soon?"</p> - -<p>"Within the hour."</p> - -<p>"Right. I'll have it cut and waiting."</p> - -<p>Peter shook his head, and then watched Ben enter with the riveting -tool. He looked at it, and Ben, with a grin, held it up in front of -Peter's nose.</p> - -<p>There was a regular air ram with handle. That was standard. But the -second air ram hitched in opposition alongside of the standard job was -new. It projected out, its business end projecting in a caliper arc -beyond the standard ram, and returning to buck the standard ram. With -this tool, one man could both ram the rivet and buck it with the same -tool, and, since both hammer and anvil were driven, the effort was in -opposition mechanically, and no great effort would be required of the -operator.</p> - -<p>But the thing that stopped Peter Wright cold was the ... the—</p> - -<p>The missing link!</p> - -<p>Several inches of the caliper were missing.</p> - -<p>Ben nodded.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Peter reached forward gingerly and passed his fingers through the -space. He felt of the ends. They were microscopically smooth, true -planes of cleavage. The far end, that acted as anvil for the main ram -was solid and immobile despite being separated from the framework by -six inches of—nothing.</p> - -<p>"You see," said Ben, "we need only a small port in the item we're -building. For instance—" and Ben opened the closet door a crack, slid -the far end inside, and then closed the door. He shoved forward and -rapped the door panel with the main ram. Then pulled back and—</p> - -<p>Rapped the inside of the door panel with the hidden end.</p> - -<p>"If we were riveting, now, we could slip in our rivet and pull the -trigger. Follow?"</p> - -<p>"I follow, but where's the missing piece? What holds it that way?"</p> - -<p>"The missing piece is coming," said Ben, retrieving his instrument and -sitting down.</p> - -<p>"I ... ah—" started Joe Simpkins, and then taking Peter Wright's arm -in a viselike grip, pointed dramatically to his office door. "The -wind," he gasped.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Wright shook his head. It was far too much for him. He was strictly out -of his element, and struggling madly to keep up. The door, he saw, was -swinging shut, propelled by the wind. He recalled what they had said -at the portal upon entry, something about the door should be open. With -a shout and a leap, Peter raced for the door.</p> - -<p>It slammed, and Peter grabbed for the knob.</p> - -<p>Then the glass erupted in his face; in shards it fell to the floor, -and a metal piece came soaring through the air, through the glass, and -circled the room. Peter's jaw was slack as he watched it flying about -with no apparent plan. It poised for a minute before his chair, where -Ben had held up the blindy riveter for his inspection. In Peter's -imagination, he saw himself sitting there, passing his ghostly fingers -through the spot where that piece of steel now hung immobile. It headed -for the closet, and Ben, watching, opened the door wide. The piece slid -in, moved this way and that, rapped forward against nothing and then -rapped backwards toward the room—against nothing, and then floated -rapidly toward the riveter itself.</p> - -<p>With precision it approached the riveter. It came to rest easily, -slipping into place with no shock, and the cleavage lines disappeared. -The blindy was complete again.</p> - -<p>"See?" said Simpkins.</p> - -<p>"Yeah," gulped Peter, weakly.</p> - -<p>Laconically, a workman entered, cleaned up the glass on the floor, and -started to replace the shattered panel.</p> - -<p>"I see—but I don't really believe it," said Peter, flopping into his -chair.</p> - -<p>The two men laughed uproariously.</p> - -<p>Ben sat down and Simpkins started. "You see, the time field," he said -by way of explanation. "I haven't the vaguest notion of how it works -or why. I admit it. But what does happen is that during the workday, -the missing sections of all blindy tools are stored in the tool room. -At the end of the day, their respective tools are returned to the tool -room where they restore completely. About seven to eight o'clock, the -midsections emerge from the tool room and go through the motions made -by the entire tool, eventually following their ah ... owners ... back -to the tool room where they join. At this point, those tools required -for use on the following day are placed in the temporal treater, and -treated for whatever period of action is required."</p> - -<p>"If it takes four hours for work, they're treated for four hours," put -in Ben.</p> - -<p>"And once the day's work is finished, the work itself must be moved, -since where the tool fits across a barrier, now the missing piece -occupies that same space. If it does not find room, the man handling -the tool several hours before will not be able to set his tool."</p> - -<p>"Which was why I couldn't enter with the riveter," added Ben.</p> - -<p>"It acts quite normally," said Simpkins, though with some doubt. "You -couldn't bring the thing through a barrier if no time-difference -exists. Actually, there is a temporal offset in the thing. It may pass -through the same space as another time, but not at the same time."</p> - -<p>"And you can't lick it," said Ben solemnly. "I purposely left the -door open. But if I had really left the door open, I'd have had no -resistance in the first place—I found no trouble in hooking it over -the closet door—because when the mislink appeared, I opened the door -for it. It does help, sometimes," grinned the shop foreman, "because we -can tell when a piece of work is not going to be moved. Then it impedes -the work."</p> - -<p>"How do you know whether the impedance caused by not moving the work -is responsible for the work not having been moved?" asked Simpkins, -wonderingly.</p> - -<p>"I don't mind being on either horn of a dilemma," said Ben. "But I've -yet to see the dilemma that I'd ride both horns simultaneously on."</p> - -<p>"Um, a bad animal, the dilemma," laughed Simpkins. "Well, Wright, I -trust the demonstration was successful?"</p> - -<p>"Successfully confusing," admitted the insurance adjuster. "I gather -that the injured party got in the way of a missing link?"</p> - -<p>"Whoever it will be was in the way of a mislink from a box-car crane."</p> - -<p>"Bad, huh?"</p> - -<p>"Could be—we'll know in a while."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Ben lit a cigarette and said: "The box-car crane is a gadget made -possible by the temporal treating. Prior to its use they put heavy -machinery into the box car by running to the door on a crane and then -they dropped it on a dolly and slid and levered it inside and in -place. Now they have a crane with a mislink between the pulley block -and the grab hook. They hook it on, lift it up, and slide it inside -the car, suspended on the mislink that permits the roof of the car to -intervene."</p> - -<p>"And the victim fell afoul of one of these?"</p> - -<p>Ben nodded.</p> - -<p>"You're absolutely certain?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not," he said. "A number of things might have caused the -trouble. This one is a boom-type crane. The mislinks are in the booms, -and when it was swinging back from dropping a case inside, it hit -something."</p> - -<p>"Something? Can this be identified?"</p> - -<p>"With a minor interference, we can feel it," said Simpkins. "With a -mislink screwdriver, we can feel the interference. If it is hard, we -know that someone has—or will drop something in the way."</p> - -<p>"And if it is soft, and moves, you can estimate it to be animal," added -Ben.</p> - -<p>"Can't you probe with a feeler of some sort?"</p> - -<p>"We do—and did. There was a body on the ground after the accident."</p> - -<p>"No identification possible?"</p> - -<p>"None. Probing with a rod in the dark makes identification difficult. -We've tried to make some sort of study, such as wearing a magnetic -badge with a key-impression on its face—the magnetic to locate and -the key to identify, but frankly," and Simpkins frowned deeply, "it's -psychologically dangerous. The accident can not be averted. After all, -it has happened. And we tried it once, and the man who was hurt—well, -knowing he was to be hurt, he went into a mental funk far worse than -the accident."</p> - -<p>"Why didn't you send him home or have him guarded over carefully?"</p> - -<p>"We tried, kept him guarded closely. Aside from putting him in -an air-tight case, we did about everything. When the accident -occurred—well, he and his guards went to watch the first time that the -thing could be fooled.</p> - -<p>"It happened, all right," said Simpkins. "First, another man caught a -mislink on his shoulder, which laid him out slightly. That, we thought, -was it! And if it was, the time-factor was all screwed up. But we -all ran forward to measure, and as we did, our man got clipped with -another. The first accident had gone unnoticed by the operator."</p> - -<p>"How can you tell that such an accident will happen?" asked Peter. -"Seems to me that a hundred tons of crane might not notice a few pounds -of human in its way."</p> - -<p>"We erect guard-wires that register. That is for one reason only. We -use it to summon the medicos and the hospital ambulance, and prepare -for action. That's about all we can do."</p> - -<p>"I wonder if you could take a picture of such?" suggested Peter.</p> - -<p>"Huh?"</p> - -<p>"Take a picture with a camera controlled by the operator—you know, -temporal treat the camera, film, and all but the range finder and the -shutter release."</p> - -<p>"Look, fellow, that would take a picture of the accident as it happens, -all right. It's also done. Makes excellent records. But as for -pre-accident stuff, know what happens?"</p> - -<p>"No, of course not."</p> - -<p>"Well," smiled Ben, "you'll see. Anyway, the camera comes roaring -out, is poised in midair, and is snapped. The timing isn't too good, -however. Well, you'll see the camera come out and snap around the place -when the accident happens. Remember this is not time travel, and you -can't go forward and take a picture and then come back."</p> - -<p>"For what good it does, we can tell about when a piece of goods will -move by leaning a long-time mislink against it and waiting for it to -fall."</p> - -<p>"Does electricity cross the gap?"</p> - -<p>"Nope. Only force and motion. The television idea isn't good either, -young man."</p> - -<p>"Um, how did you know?" asked Peter.</p> - -<p>"We go through this regular. You're not the first that has been trying -to avert accidents."</p> - -<p>"You understand that I represent I.I.I.?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Simpkins. "As such, it is your responsibility to do as much -as possible to save your company money. That is your job."</p> - -<p>"Right. I still say that there is some means of averting the accident, -somehow."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Well, Ben, we've always claimed that we'd tried everything. But they -didn't try the electric light until Edison got the idea, and the -airplane was a new science when they went to work on it. Young man," -said Simpkins, to Peter Wright, "you are a young man with a bright mind -for legal intricacies. It usually makes little difference so long as -the mind is capable of handling the intricacies, just what the mind was -specialized in. You are a fresh mind and we've all seen fresh minds -enter and lick a problem that stuck the original men for months. You -think you can lick it?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know. It just seems to me that there must be some way."</p> - -<p>"Don't forget," said Ben, "that this is not much different from a -regular problem. In construction, I mean. We have accidents where a man -is hit by a flying grab hook that is not in any way temporal treated. -Common accidents. The real problem, Peter, is to stop accidents. Not to -try to avert them after they have happened."</p> - -<p>"But this one—"</p> - -<p>"So far as the temporal treatment goes, is—or has happened."</p> - -<p>"Could you temporal treat the stuff so the mislinks pass through first?"</p> - -<p>"Sure," laughed Ben. "Not practical. They have no forewarning then. -They just go where the tools will go when used. We can't tell when one -of the men will try to grind a mislink chisel. As it is, we can clear -the area where the tools have been."</p> - -<p>"Just remember that this is fact: For a one-hour mislink, we treat the -tools for one hour. They are then ready for use for one hour. At the -end of that time, the mislinks start to follow, and follow for one -hour, at which time the temporal difference decreases on a fourth power -curve, and the mislink catches up with the tool and falls back into -place."</p> - -<p>"Uh-huh. Well, I'm new at it, gentlemen, but it is my guess that this -accident you anticipate need not happen."</p> - -<p>"You forget," corrected Ben. "It's happened."</p> - -<p>"Then where's the body?" demanded Peter Wright.</p> - -<p>"It ... ah—"</p> - -<p>"Has it really happened?"</p> - -<p>"It will with certainty."</p> - -<p>"Thus proving the utter futility of all effort?"</p> - -<p>"Ah—"</p> - -<p>"See?" laughed Peter.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They left the office and proceeded into the factory. Here, where -things should have been humming, all was at a standstill. Men sat -on the benches and smoked nervously. They looked into one another's -eyes with that "Will it be me?" stare, and they worried visibly. An -electrician who tinkered hourly with lethal voltages as his day's work -sat and chewed his fingernails. A machinist, sitting on the bedplate -of a forming press large enough to stamp out an automobile body around -the place where he sat, was biting his lips and looking out through -the opened door to the shipping platform. Men outside were working -feverishly, however.</p> - -<p>"Why?" asked Peter.</p> - -<p>"They want to get done. They must get done so that the engine can -remove the car where the accident will happen."</p> - -<p>"Where is this scene?" asked Peter.</p> - -<p>It was out on the loading platform. A mislink crane shunted large cases -from the platform, swung around in an arc, and the missing section -passed through the door and the crane ran down the length of the car, -dropping the case at the far end. The mislink crane returned, the far -end reappeared, and another case was hooked to the boom. The operation -was repeated. The cases were fitted in the box car with neatness and -dispatch. The pile of cases diminished, and the box car was sealed as -the crane went to work on the next car in line. It took time, though, -to fill each car, and the men working out here sweated visibly, partly -in fear and partly from the hurried work.</p> - -<p>They had little time to stare into one another's faces and wonder which -of them would be taking the brunt of the accident. As time wore along, -the siren of the ambulance arriving caused some nervousness. The doctor -and his corps of nurses came slowly forward, inquired as to the scene, -and proceeded to lay out a fairly well equipped emergency operating -set-up.</p> - -<p>"I'm beginning to feel the morbidity of this," said Peter. "The doctor, -the ambulance, the insurance agent. We're like a bunch of vultures -awaiting the faltering step of the desert wanderer."</p> - -<p>"A bunch of undertakers waiting for the accident to happen," said Ben. -"No, I'm not calloused. I'm scared slightly green. I can't take it -unless I joke about it. It's the uncertain certainty—the wondering -just which one of us gets caught in the certain accident."</p> - -<p>"It seems uncanny to talk about the certainty of accident," said Peter.</p> - -<p>"The training at I.I.I. would instill a bit of the perfection of -the statistical method in you," nodded Simpkins. "By the time your -statistical bureau gets all done checking the chances of a new account, -no one would bet against it. I.I.I. also puts the kiss of death on, -too. Just try to hire men for a plant that can't be insured by your -outfit. They'll ask a thousand credits a day."</p> - -<p>"What time is this affair going to happen?" asked Peter.</p> - -<p>"Not too long. They're about finished. Then they inert everything as -usual and we'll all retreat to the inside wall and wonder."</p> - -<p>"Why not all go home?"</p> - -<p>"You can't win," said Ben solemnly. "We did all go home once."</p> - -<p>"And the accident happened anyway?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly. A thief broke in and it clipped him. Just don't forget that -this isn't a probability, it's certain. And the same mob-instinct that -makes people gather around an injured man will keep the entire gang -here, morbidly waiting to see who gets it in what way. There is that -element of wonder, too, you know. Every man in the place knows that -someone is going to get clipped with that crane. They're all cagey and -very careful. It will be an accident despite planning, and therefore -the unforeseen something will be out of the ordinary."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Quite a problem, Peter," said Simpkins.</p> - -<p>"I see it is."</p> - -<p>"A lot of this veiling is sheer psychiatry. We've consulted the best -behavior specialists in the system. Keeping the fact secret is worse -than permitting free knowledge, according to them. But identifying the -victim is far worse than to have everybody in a slight tizzy."</p> - -<p>"Why?"</p> - -<p>"Well, when it happens, we have a victim that realizes that part of -the chance was his, and shock is not so great than it would be if no -warning took place in light of the management knowing all about it -beforehand. On the other hand, all the men who were not hurt get as -much uplift after it happens as their downswing of anticipation. On the -third hand—pardon the numbers, Peter—if the victim were positively -identified, the rest would be no better off, but the victim would be a -mental case from then on, and shock would set in prior to the accident. -Then we'd be likely to run up the casualty rate. Follow?"</p> - -<p>"It seems like a hard row to hoe."</p> - -<p>"Well, usually we keep people out of danger areas. We know where -they'll be, of course. It's these darned accidents that happen twice in -time."</p> - -<p>"Twice in time?"</p> - -<p>"Yes. The accident happens once invisibly, and once visibly. Once in -the future controlled by the present, and then as the future unfolds, -it is an accident happening in the present, controlled by the past. -It's blind time, and there is nothing we can do about it."</p> - -<p>"That fatalistic attitude again."</p> - -<p>"Well—"</p> - -<p>Ben interrupted. "They're stopping now."</p> - -<p>They turned to watch. The final box car was loaded and the engine drew -them away. The mislink crane returned for the final time and was stowed -on the platform. A hush fell over the crew, and the windows in the back -were filled with faces, watching.</p> - -<p>The silence was intense. Peter realized that practically every man was -holding his breath, and yet it would be at least a half hour before the -mislink began to follow the crane, and some time after that before the -mislink caught up to the scene of the accident.</p> - -<p>He let his breath out with a sigh, and mentioned the fact to Ben and -Simpkins. The foreman nodded and agreed, saying: "We know, but there -isn't one of us who won't try to hold his breath for the next two -hours."</p> - -<p>"Impractical," muttered Peter Wright. "There must be a way."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The mislink was a husky section in its own right. The crane boom was no -weakling. Thin rods, jointed on toggles, floated about ten inches from -the main "I" beam, just as long as the temporal treated section itself. -It made an eerie sight, this monstrous slab of solid metal, moving back -and forth with determination and purpose, <i>with no visible means of -support</i>. To add to the alien sight, the telltale rods maintained their -ten-inch separation with a metallic rigidity, though no connection was -visible to the main girder.</p> - -<p>On the loading deck were three painted circles. The inner one was a -four-inch stripe of brilliant red. The circle approximated the scene -of the accident. Outside of that by a considerable safety-factor was -an orange stripe, almost yellow. Another safety-factor distance away -the third stripe of green inclosed the area. As the mislink crossed the -green stripe, all eyes fastened on it. As it crossed the yellow-orange -stripe, the watchers tensed, and as the mislink crossed into the danger -section, there was a sudden, audible indrawing of breath, which was -held solid until the mislink passed across the red line on the way out. -The out-go of breath was definitely audible.</p> - -<p>The tension mounted. A large clock, set up for the case, swept around -and around toward the estimated zero hour. The watchers no longer -looked into one another's eyes and when eyes met inadvertently, they -both fell with a sickly smile that lacked courage.</p> - -<p><i>Why were they there?</i> Peter asked of himself, and he knew. They -were there because of morbid curiosity. The thing that made people -watch three-hundred-foot dives into a large washtub of water; people -watching a tightrope walker somersault on the wire above Niagara: -watching the high trapeze artists performing with no net. That one of -them was certain to be called into the act, the element of chance and -the element of danger, always a gamble, made them stay. With nothing -to win, they stayed to watch, which is a basic characteristic of human -nature.</p> - -<p>They were there because they were human!</p> - -<p>And when the accident came, the laws of the lines would be broken, -though everything in every man's power would be done to maintain the -safety. For the mislink would stop, after the accident, just as the -crane had been stopped automatically by the contact with the telltale -rods in their temporal extension of the crane itself. The green line, -across which no one must pass save the authorities; the yellow line -across which only the medical corps may cross, and the red line across -which only two men may cross and then only to take the victim to the -medical set-up on the dock. Men would rush forward, crossing the -lines, and the victim would be carried away with a trailing number of -watchers. Then, someone would have to forget the victim to keep the -rest of the men from getting in the way of the mislink as it resumed -operations. But, of course, no one else had been hit, so this, at -least, would be successful, and the men were very confident that no -matter what they did, they would not be hit.</p> - -<p>The minutes wore on interminably. Coffee came in great tanks, and -sandwiches in stacks. The men ate in gulps, swallowing great lumps of -unchewed food, and all courted indigestion. The strain was terrific as -the timing clock drew close to the minute.</p> - -<p><i>Who—?</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Then—came the zero minute.</p> - -<p>There was an intake of breath as the clock chimed once, to mark the -beginning of the period of probability. No man moved a muscle, yet all -muscles were tense with expectancy. Nervously, Ben felt in his pocket -and took out a cigarette, stuck it into his mouth, and fumbled for a -match. "Match?" he grumbled.</p> - -<p>Simpkins fumbled and shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Nope," he said, and his voice was loud and raw.</p> - -<p>Peter felt in his pocket and found a match.</p> - -<p>He lit one and held it over. His eyes were solid on the scene, he did -not want to miss it.</p> - -<p>"Look out!" someone cried in a strident voice.</p> - -<p>The mislink was approaching the circles again.</p> - -<p>Peter turned and faced the place squarely, casting an eye across the -men's faces. They were all set, and in every man's body were muscles -tensed against moving forward.</p> - -<p><i>How</i>, asked Peter of his mind, <i>can they expect anything to happen -now? Every man is psychologically unable to move forward.</i></p> - -<p>There came a stabbing pain, and Peter whirled with a wordless scream. -The shock was searing. Instantaneously, he whirled, hitting his -upflinging elbow against the wall. The obstruction in motion set him -off balance, and he automatically moved a foot to regain it. His foot -hit the foot of Ben, who was standing solidly, partly turned, his face -just changing from solid-set to one of surprise.</p> - -<p>The solid foot tripped Peter, and he fell forward. He flung the -still-burning match from his fingers as he put both hands forward -to break his fall. The loading deck came up to meet him, and his -forward-flung hands went down toward—</p> - -<p><i>The red line!</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>There was a coruscating flare of stars, bars, and screaming color in -his mind, that contracted to a pinpoint and then expanded to infinity, -leaving only peaceful blackness.</p> - -<p>He returned to consciousness in the ambulance, but his return was -brief. He was conscious only long enough to hear:</p> - -<p>"Some day we'll lick it," said Ben.</p> - -<p>"Only when you lick the regular accident rate. The trouble is," -mused the medical attendant, "that people think there's something -about mislink accidents that is different. Like either predestiny or -something that makes you able to change the future. Fact of the matter -is, it is the <i>past</i> that they're trying to change. Funny, to think of -this guy getting it."</p> - -<p>"Last one got it by a different set of factors," said Ben, "but you -can't stop an accident that's already happened."</p> - -<p>Peter Wright, adjuster for the solar system's greatest insurance -company, Interplanetary Industrial Insurance, went under. His mind was -whirling with a mixed desire to argue about temporal accidents, and the -certain knowledge that he was in no position to mention the avoidance -of same.</p> - - -<p class="ph1">THE END.</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BLIND TIME ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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. 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