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diff --git a/old/68418-0.txt b/old/68418-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 178ffc8..0000000 --- a/old/68418-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1595 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Problem in solid, 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: Problem in solid - -Author: George O. Smith - -Release Date: June 28, 2022 [eBook #68418] - -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 PROBLEM IN SOLID *** - - - - - - PROBLEM IN SOLID - - BY GEORGE O. SMITH - - Illustrated by Orban - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Astounding Science-Fiction, October 1947. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Martin Hammer should have been prepared for anything. As the world's -foremost producer of motion pictures, he should have taken any -situation from earthquake to fatherhood without a qualm or a turned -eyebrow. But Hammer had not seen everything--yet. - -A noise presented itself at Hammer's office door. Not the noise of -knocking or tapping, nor even the racket made by attempts to breach -the portal with a heavy blunt instrument. It was more like the sound -of a dentist's drill working on wood, or perhaps one of those light -burring tools, or maybe even a light scroll saw. - -Then, with all the assurance in the world, a man's hand came through -the door, the fingers clenched about an imaginary doorknob. The hand -swung an imaginary door aside and as it moved, the wood of the real -door fell to the floor in a pile of finely-ground sawdust. - -Once the imaginary door was thrust aside, the rest of the intruder -entered, leaving the exact outline of his silhouette in the door. - -He smiled affably and said, "I trust I'm not intruding!" - -He was still holding the imaginary door open with his right hand. As -he finished speaking, he stepped forward a step, turned, pulled the -imaginary door shut a few inches, transferred it to take the inside -knob in his left hand, and then stepping carefully forward, he thrust -the imaginary door closed, his hand clenched around the imaginary knob. -The act ended as his hand entered the real doorknob and there was the -high-pitch whine of metal against metal like cutting a tin can with a -bandsaw. - -The intruder turned, walked across the office, and stood there in front -of Martin Hammer. From a pocket he look a cigarette and a match and lit -up, blowing a cloud of fragrant smoke into the air. - -"I am delighted to meet you," he said. - -At which point, Martin Hammer blew up. - -He had been patient. He had been astounded. He had been sitting there -with his chin getting lower and lower and lower as this ... this -character walked through his door with all the assurance in the world. -Then the bird had the affrontery to behave as though he had not invaded -Hammer's office; had not ruined a fine oak door; and as though Hammer -should have been glad to see him. - -What added fuel to Hammer's explosion was the fact that the intruder -seemed absolutely unaware of the ruination of the door. - -"What the--" yelled Hammer. He leaped to his feet, ran around his desk, -and faced the intruder angrily for only an instant. - -Hammer launched himself at the intruder with intent to do bodily harm, -mayhem, and perhaps a little bit of second-degree murder that might be -juried into justifiable homicide. - -He did not connect. The stranger disappeared at that instant, and -Hammer's well directed blow fell upon thin air. Hammer, finding no -resistance before him, fell flat on his face, which mashed the cigar -into his mouth and burned a hole in his fine Persian carpet. He turned -over and sat up, spitting out bits of tobacco mixed with equal parts of -very bad language. Blankly he ran his hand through the spot where the -stranger had been. - -"Now," he said in puzzlement, "what in the name of--" - -"May I apologize?" came a voice at the door. Hammer whirled and saw the -intruder again, standing there with a rather dumfounded expression on -his face. - -Hammer grunted. At least he is now cognizant of his ruin-production, -he thought. This was true. The intruder no longer had that fatuous -expression that ignored the damage. - -"Apologize?" exploded Hammer. - -The intruder stepped through the ruined door. "I got the focus wrong," -he said, "otherwise the image could have--" - -"Image?" yelled Hammer. - -The stranger nodded. "Image," he said. "Look, Hammer, you don't really -think that I actually walked through that door, across your office -floor, and then disappeared into thin air, do you?" - -"Well ... and who are you?" - -"My name is Tim Woodart. I'm an engineer." - -"Look," said Hammer shakily, "I'd like to know what's been going on. As -a producer of motion pictures, I am beginning to see the glimmerings of -a fine idea. I sort of resent the destruction you've created, but it -certainly carried off its point." - -"I'll bring in the gear, too," said Woodart. "If you don't mind." - -Hammer nodded. Whatever it was, Martin Hammer had just had his door -broken in by the first of all true three-dimensional photography! - - * * * * * - -Harry Foster stood on a lonely stage and smiled at some mythical point -in the mid distance. Dramatically he pointed, and as he pointed, across -his face there came a change over his features. Normally handsome, -Harry Foster's "bad" face was thrice as bad for the distortion into -hatred. It was excellent acting. - -The man beside the camera nodded. It was not only excellent acting but -it was rather emotionally troublesome to be confronted by a living, -breathing image of yourself. You, watching you do something that you -had done previously. - -Harry Foster's hand stole up alongside of the cutoff button and he -thrust it down viciously. - -The scene stopped instantly and disappeared. - -Foster, remaining beside the camera, swore. He rereeled manually a few -yards and restarted the camera. He caught a previous scene's ending: a -beautiful woman smiling shyly at another man. The scene's ending was -brief, to a flash-over of Harry Foster standing in the center of the -stage, and going through the same motions of smiling offstage, with the -features changing from smile to scowl of hate. - -Again Foster's hand flipped the switch and the image of Foster -disappeared as did the settings on the stage. - -Foster swore again. "There must be some way--How does he do this -anyway?" - -Foster opened the cabinet-like side of the solid camera and looked at -the circuits. They were enigma to Foster, but there was some logic to -it--there must be. You create an image and then wipe it away to make -place for the next image--just as in common cinema. But in normal -cinema it is possible to halt the film and project a still. That's what -Harry Foster wanted-- - -He pulled a single tube from one circuit and snapped the camera on. The -stage was blank. He replaced the tube and tried another tube removed -by some distance from the first. He started the camera, and the stage -flashed into being once and then went blank again. There was a tiny -flash from the bottom panel of the machine and Foster looked down to -see the indicator of a blown fuse. - -Foster nodded. Obvious. To stop the wipe-away would mean that the next -frame would be placed on top of the first. A double exposure would -not work in the solids. Not without repealing that law of nature that -states that two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time. - -What he had to do was to stop the projector at the same time he stopped -the wipe-away. Tim Woodart had fixed the machine so that the wipe-away -completed the scene after stopping the works. Just a matter of safety. - -Foster puzzled over the machine and restarted it again. He waited until -the image of Harry Foster stared off stage and then he grabbed two -tubes and jerked them out simultaneously. - -The projector stopped; the scene remained. The image of Harry Foster -stood there dumbly. Then it turned vaguely and looked at the camera and -the man beside it. - -"Hello, hero," sneered Foster. - -The image blinked. "I've wondered what might happen," said the spurious -Foster. - -"Yes," chuckled the real Foster, "we have, haven't we?" - -"I--," started the image, but he stopped and looked wildly around. -"What do you want?" - -"You know." - -"I'll not do it! You ... we ... ah ... well, it's no go." - -The real Harry Foster sat down in the director's chair. "I've had more -time to plan," he said. "You're just an image--" - -Foster snarled back, "Not now I'm not. I'm just as real as you are!" - -"I'm the original; you came out of that camera." - -"Someone is going to have a time proving it," replied the image Foster. - -"Yeah," drawled the real Foster, "that's what I'm counting on!" - -From within his coat, Foster took a revolver. Holding it on his image, -Foster replaced the tube and watched the scene resume, with a third -Foster going through its paces. He snapped off the camera and the set -disappeared, leaving the bare stage. He wiped his fingerprints from the -place and then nudged the image Foster with the revolver. - -"Out," he snapped, pointing with the gun barrel. - -They went--in a death march. - -A half hour later, the real Foster handed his image a drink. "Drink -deeply," he said sarcastically. "You needn't be afraid to die--you -never lived, you know." - -The image Foster shook his head. "I've been alive as you have!" - -The real Foster lifted his revolver and snarled: "We can put a stop -to that!" He fired thrice and each shot slammed into Foster's stomach -driving the man back against the wall. He crumpled, finally. - -Then Harry Foster took a look around the living room of his apartment, -shrugged, and left, tossing the pistol into a corner. - - * * * * * - -Lieutenant Miller looked down at the corpse. "Someone sure hated him," -he said. - -The man in the business suit nodded. "They had reason to," he said. -He was Jacobson of the F.B.I. "Too bad. I'd rather he were legally -punished." - -"Me, too." - -"What about his wife?" - -"She's in the next room. Which reminds me--" - -Lieutenant Miller went to the door and looked in quietly. "Look, -fellows, just establish her. Don't bother grilling her." - -Sergeant Mullaney looked up in surprise. Miller nodded. "This is one -case I'm not going to kill myself solving," he said. "I just want to be -certain that the murderer of Harry Foster isn't as obvious as a stone -pillar on the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Is Mrs. Foster clear?" - -Mullaney nodded. "Spending the whole evening with a friend." - -"Friend corroborate it?" - -Mrs. Foster smiled wanly. "She will if asked," she said. - -Miller nodded. "My only regret, Mrs. Foster, is that his insurance will -just about cover his embezzlements. The rest--" - -"I wouldn't touch it--or him--with a ten-foot pole," she blazed. - -Jacobson met Miller at the door. "He got around," he said. "Blackmail, -embezzlement, and outright larceny. There's been talk of drug-peddling -and white slave traffic. Why or how the bird managed to be such a -thorough stinker and still maintain his position here I'll never tell -you." - -Miller looked at the coroner, who was just polishing up his job. Miller -said, "Whoever did it did Foster a favor. Between you and me, we'd have -had him between nutcrackers in another week." - -Jacobson nodded. "Couldn't have been suicide?" - -Miller shook his head. "After filling himself that full of lead, he was -too dead to toss that gun. Furthermore, he was shot from greater than -arm's distance. No," said Miller, "someone 'done him in' and should -possibly be commended. Plain case of: 'Too bad, thank God!'" - - * * * * * - -Martha Evers watched her image on the stage in the studio theater. -Beside her was Martin Hammer who was watching the performance with -interest. Martha was watching with wonder; Hammer had seen this thing -at work before and was more concerned with the technical portions of -the opus than the wonder of watching a life-sized, living, breathing, -talking image perform. - -On the other side of Martha Evers was Tim Woodart, who was just -watching. He was more or less out of a job since professional -photographers had taken over the job of making the performance. - -"But how is it done?" she asked him. - -"Same like any other of its kind," smiled Tim. - -"But there isn't any other." - -"Television is, sort of," he said. "Anyway, there is a three-way scan -taking in the volume to be reproduced. Each atom in the original -has its own characteristic charge and mass: this charge and mass is -registered. When the reproducer replaces the real people with the -image, the same scan forms real atoms where the real atom was in the -original. The follow-up scan wipes the atom clear to make room for the -next frame." - -"How about this building atoms?" puzzled the girl. "Doesn't that make -for radioactivity?" - -"Uh-huh," he said, "but the radioactivity is really energy that we use -to operate the machine." - -The scene on the stage switched to a close-up of Martha and the -picture's villain, one Jack Vanders whose leer was known across the -continent. - -The woman on the other side of Tim Woodart stood up and called "Cut -it!" in a low contralto. - -The stage cleared in a twinkle and the lights went up. - -Martin Hammer leaned across the seats and spoke to the standing woman. -"What's wrong, Mrs. Foster?" - -"That won't do," she said. "Bad shot!" - -Hammer thought for a moment. "There's nothing wrong with a close-up," -he said. "It's done daily." - -Jenny Foster smiled. "Yes," she agreed, "the screen fills up from top -to bottom with the face, and the eyes look softly into the camera lens -as the girl murmurs, 'I love you' and it is effective because in the -two-dimensional cinema, the trick of looking into the camera lens makes -it appear as though the girl were gazing softly into your own eyes--no -matter where you are in the theater. But this is solid, Hammer. When -the gal looks at you, I can tell that she's looking at you from here." - -"So?" - -"So I'm resentful of the guy who has the preferred seat," she said. - -Martin Hammer smiled. "You can't have all the seats in the theater -within a two-foot circle," he said. "But there must be some way to lick -it." - -"You'll remember what I had to say?" she asked. - -Hammer nodded. "We'll work on it," he said. "Like all other media, -solid performances require their own techniques. But until we locate -the techniques, people will take to solids for their novelty." - -They all sat down. Mrs. Foster turned to Tim Woodart and asked him how -it was done. - -"You mean the whole thing?" - -"No, the job of making enlargements." - -"Easy," he said. "We just have a repeat-scan that repeats the same -atom in between true signals. Same like cramming a whole twelve-story -building on a busy street. We cut out certain patterns--sometimes every -other signal, sometimes every third, sometimes four out of five are -eliminated in the recording. The number cut is a definite statement of -the 'times-size' of the reproduction." - -"Sounds simple when you say it fast," she smiled. - -"I'll tell you about it later--?" he suggested. - -"I'd like that." - -He was too silent for a moment, and Jenny Foster knew it. "Tim," she -said, "if you're worrying about the ... the--" - -"Well," he admitted slowly, "I was. Not that I care, but you--?" - -She smiled bitterly. "It's often said that no one knows another person -until you've lived with them for some time. It was between our first -meeting and three years after I married Harry Foster that I was his -wife. That was when I found out about him. I--" - -"Look," said Tim, worriedly, "there's been something worrying me ever -since we took these shots yesterday. Now I know what it is. Let's get -out of here and I'll buy you a drink." - -"_Shhhhhh!_" insisted Hammer. - -"Stop it," returned Woodart. - -"Make notes," said Hammer. "I want to see these rushes to the close." - -"But--" - -"But nothing. Tell me later." - -"Let's go," said Tim plaintively. - -"It'll only be a minute. What are you worrying about?" - -Tim looked at the stage. This was a comic shot. In it, the head of -the butler filled the stage and looked out at the audience through -half-closed eyes. A middle distance shot previously had shown the -butler taking a sniff of pepper, this was the aftermath-- - -"No!" yelled Woodart. - -He was too late. His yell was covered by the explosive sneeze. A -hurricane of wind blasted at the tiny theater. A window went out in -back, and Martin Hammer's toupee left for Kansas. - -As the echoes died, Tim Woodart said, "That's what I meant." - -Hammer blinked. "I'd hate to pull an Alfred Hitchcock and have a .45 -pointed at the audience--close-up." - -Back of him, the photographer looked at the stage and made a quick -estimate. "That," he said, "would hurl a nine-foot slug of lead at the -audience!" - -Tim Woodart left quietly. - - * * * * * - -Tim Woodart led Jenny Foster to a small table and ordered Martinis. -Jenny smiled at him and said: "Tell me how you came to invent this -thing?" - -"Easy," he grinned. "I'm an avid reader of science-fiction and there -was a yarn in one of the leading magazines some time ago that dealt -with a matter transmitter. Written by a crackpot electronics engineer -by the name of George O. Smith. He was rather explicit in a vague sort -of way, but it gave me the initial idea, and here we are with it!" - -She laughed. "Is this character going to get any royalty?" - -"Oh," said Tim Woodart expansively, "I offered him some, but he -refused, saying that his idea was nothing but a fiction idea and that -any bright engineer would know how to send matter by radio." - -"Oh." - -"Besides, he's in Philadelphia, now, and the men in the white coats -wouldn't let him write with anything but a blunt crayon." - -"Well, could you send things by wire with it?" - -Tim smiled, "Not at present," he said. "There isn't a transmission -line with a broad enough band-pass to accept the signal frequencies -necessary." - -"Now," said Jenny, taking a sip of her Martini, "you're getting in way -over my head." - -Tim Woodart pulled out pencil and paper, but Jenny stopped him by -laying a gentle hand on his. "Don't," she said plaintively. "I don't -even know what happens when I snap on the light switch, let alone -understanding transmission lines." - -Uncertainly he replaced the pencil and paper in his pocket. Then he -laughed. "Shall we dance?" - -"That," she told him, "I understand." - -They danced--and they danced well together. And while they were getting -better acquainted, a hundred miles to the south a man was stopped by a -motorcycle policeman for traveling too fast. - -"Name?" snapped the policeman. - -"Harold Farman." - -"Driver's license?" - -"Why ... er ... I--" - -"No license?" - -"Well, it's here. But--" - -The policeman nodded. "Gimme," he snapped. - -Harry Foster cursed himself for forgetting. For even trying to run -under an assumed name without changing every bit of evidence. But the -policeman looked rather rough, and Harry handed over the license. - -"This says 'Harry Foster'," grunted the cop. - -"I'm Harry Foster." - -"That wasn't the name you gave me," said the cop pointedly. - -"Look, officer, I'm about to meet a young lady--we're meeting at the -Border to marry in Mexico. Her father objects, and he's influential -enough to send out word that I'm to be picked up on some pretext and -held. That's why." - -The officer nodded sensibly. "Sounds reasonable," he said, "and -logical, and just about as silly as the usual guy who tried to elope." - -"Well--thanks, officer. And may I bet you fifty that today is Sunday?" - -"Today's Tuesday," replied the officer. - -"My goodness," said Foster in surprise. "I lose, don't I?" He handed -the officer a folded fifty. The officer took it and smiled dryly. - -"You lose," he told Foster, "because so far as I know, there's a -Lieutenant Miller of the Los Angeles police that has a dragnet out for -Harry Foster--the motion picture hero!" - -"Now look--" - -"I've looked," said the cop, "and you're it. Will you come quietly or -will you come horizontal?" - -Harry Foster laughed. "I'm not _that_ Harry Foster," he said. - -"No?" - -"No." - -"And how am I going to tell?" - -"Call Miller. I happen to know that the moving picture star died not -more than a few days ago." - -"That," said the policeman, closing his book, "is something that we can -check but quickly. You'll come along while we check it, though." - -"I'll come," said Foster cheerfully. - -He went. The policeman called. Miller gave him the right answer, that -the wanted man, Harry Foster, had been buried within the week. No, -there was no mistake. The dead man's identity had been established to -the satisfaction of every interested agency. The F.B.I. and the local -police had seen to it that the dental work checked, fingerprints, -everything including visual identification by friends, enemies, wife, -and business associates. - -Harry Foster left a short time later with an internal grin. He--was -dead. Ergo--he could not be punished! - -He laughed wildly as he resumed his driving, but his driving was less -wild. There was a thoughtful quality about it. - -At the Mexican Border, Harry Foster stopped for rest and while resting -he read the newspaper. It carried the usual run of gossip columns, and -in one of them Harry Foster saw--and read with growing interest: - - The widow of Harry Foster, whose body was found on the evening - before the authorities were to have closed in on his nefarious - activities, is finding solace in the company of Tim Woodart, who - is the inventor of Hammer Productions' new play technique. No one - would deny Jenny Foster her right to happiness, and we'll cheer - her on-- - -Foster crumpled the paper craftily. Woodart was about ready to start -banking checks in six or seven figures, and-- - -Harry Foster left the restaurant and headed back toward Hollywood. - - * * * * * - -The locomotive thundered across the stage at a forty-five degree -angle, filling the theater with a wave of heat and a puff of smoke and -steam. Then it was past and gone, and its string of cars rumbled out -of "offstage" to the right rear to the "offstage" at the left-front -corner. It slowed and stopped, and the porter and passengers emerged; -the principal players of the scene appeared and went through their -action. - -"Now that," said Hammer, pleased, "is a right good scene." - -"Y'know," smiled Jenny Foster, "people are going to be so surprised to -see the real thing come roaring across the stage that they're going to -forget a couple of rather irrelevant items like having their heroine's -head nineteen feet in diameter." - -"Yeah," drawled Hammer, "and tell the crook to shave closer. A close-up -of Jack Vanders looks like a pincushion with telephone poles shoved in. -Didn't know hair could be so big!" - -"What bothers me," smiled Martha Evers, "is where I drink that -Manhattan in the close-up. Darned drink must be all of twenty-three -gallons." - -"That isn't the main trouble with that scene," objected Vanders -cheerfully. His saturnine face was only for selling purposes; a more -pleasant villain was seldom to be found. "What bothers everybody is -that you can smell the odor of that drink, it's so big. Half of the -would-be sots in the audience are going to be as dry as the Sahara by -the time Evers gets it down." - -Martha laughed, "Hammer is a great one for realism," she said, "but -I hope he doesn't insist on a real slug of cyanide in the poisoning -scene. I hate to think of twenty gallons of cyanide!" - -"No doubt," laughed Hammer. "But what we ought to do is to have Woodart -fix up some way of stopping that thing during close-up. We could start -with a normal Martini and end up with fifty gallons." - -Woodart shook his head. "Cost twenty times as much liquor itself," he -said with a good-natured smile. "You see, the energy that keeps this -thing in balance comes from the wipe-out of the previous scene. Stop it -that way and your light bill heads for the ceiling." - -"O.K.--it was just an idea." - -Vanders faced the group. "Look," he said. "I'm a professional villain, -and all villains are supposed to want something for nothing and finding -out that it can't be did." - -Woodart agreed. - -Then the scene changed to an overhead shot of Cincinnati. Taken by -helicopter, the scene was an angle shot down across Fountain Square -towards the river. In the cinema such shots do not seem bizarre, but in -solid, the street with its teeming cars and pedestrians was tilted at -an angle: the angle between street and camera remained as it was, and -the camera, of course, became the projector which was in the back of -the theater. - -The "eye" zoomed down and the street grew in size until the fountain -that gave the Square its name was in plain view. It seemed incongruous -that the water in the fountain came out at an odd angle to gravity and -fell back at another odd angle, yet this was not a running reproduction -of Fountain Square but a swift series of instantaneous reproductions -and the droplets of water like everything else was replaced in whatever -relative position it was, regardless of the facts of true gravity. - -The scene tilted flat, finally, and traveled along the street on the -level until the principal character was approached, whereupon the -action began. The camera followed Jack Vanders into a bar where he met -Martha Evers and ordered the Manhattan that was to become Gargantuan in -size-- - - * * * * * - -Jenny Foster put her face up for a good night kiss, and then shoved her -apartment door open as Tim turned to leave. Inside, the living room -light was on, and Jenny instantly called Tim back. - -"Someone," she said, pointing to the lights. - -"O.K." he said, entering before her. Sprawled in Jenny's easy-chair -was-- - -"Foster!" - -"Who--me?" asked Foster in surprise. "Foster's dead." - -"Can it," snapped Woodart. "And talk!" - -"Or else?" drawled Foster indolently. - -"Or else," snarled Woodart. - -"Or else what?" - -Tim went to the telephone and dialed the number of the police force. - -"Don't bother," said Harry Foster. "I'm ... Foster, that is, is dead." - -Tim replaced the telephone. "What's the gag?" he demanded. - -"I," said Foster hollowly, "am a ghost returned to plague mine -unfaithful wife." - -"The hereafter is going to have a moaning ghost with a shanty on its -eye," said Woodart ominously. "Unfaithful wife my foot. If ever she--" - -"Now that's been the big bone of contention," smiled Foster. "Foster -gave her no grounds, and she was too good to give me any. And Foster -gave her none because it is still impossible to have a wife testify -against her husband." - -"Very sly of you." - -"Of Foster." - -"You're Foster!" - -"Me? No. Foster's dead." - -Jenny gave a weak cry of despair. "What do you want?" she asked. - -"How much have you got?" asked Foster pointedly. - -"Blackmail," snarled Woodart. - -"Why no. Not at all." - -"You name it." - -"It need have no name. You see, Woodart, I've learned that I no -longer need the protection of the legality that prevents a wife from -testifying against her husband. Her husband is dead." - -"So?" - -"Well, it isn't blackmail to perform a service for someone." - -"Meaning?" - -"Divorce comes high," explained Foster pointedly. - -"After which--if done--you could continue to ask for more," said -Woodart angrily. "You could threaten to prove that you were paid to get -the divorce, a mere matter of blackening the character of a woman whose -only error was being blind enough to take a second look at you." - -"Your ingenious mind is too complex," said Foster quietly. - -"May I point out that if you are dead, you are dead, and therefore--" - -Foster laughed nastily. "Legally and physically, Harry Foster died -and was buried. Legally there is nothing that could possibly prevent -you from marrying her if you wanted to. But you see, Woodart, my wife -is a completely moral woman, to say nothing of ethical. Though it is -legal, there is still the gnawing doubt in her that she is compounding -a felony--bigamy." - -Jenny made a plaintive gesture, "I'll wait until he asks me--" - -But she was not heard. Tim Woodart snorted. "So you think they'll be -hesitant about punishing a dead man?" - -"What do you think?" - -Woodart strode forward and took Foster by the lapels of his coat, -gathered them into one hand, and lifted the crook out of the easy-chair -with an angry shake. "Then they can't book me for assault and battery -upon the person of a corpse," he gritted. His free hand came back and -forth across Foster's face, driving the heel's head from side to side. -Then Woodart shoved him back, letting go of the lapels and using that -hand to bury itself to the wrist in Foster's midsection. As Foster -folded forward, Tim straightened him up with an upward chop to the jaw. - -Foster crumpled, and Woodart lifted him by the collar and dragged him -to the door, hurling him into the hallway. Foster turned, wiping blood -from his face, and spat like an angry cat. - -"That'll cost you, punk," he snarled. - -Woodart laughed. - -"Laugh," leered Foster. "You can't bring suit for divorce against a -dead man, either!" - - * * * * * - -Harry Foster opened the door to his apartment and nodded quite -genially. "Come in, gentlemen," he said overpolitely. - -State attorney Jones was less cordial, and Lieutenant Miller was harsh. - -"You're Harry Foster." - -"I am. Strange coincidence, isn't it?" - -"Coincidence my--" - -"Be careful," warned Foster. "You wouldn't want to insult a citizen, -would you? It might go hard with you." - -"You're Harry Foster." - -"I am." - -"Then who was the man that was buried?" - -"That is the coincidence," said Foster sorrowfully. "He was another -Harry Foster. I understand that he was a rascal and definitely needed -killing." - -"Where were you when that deed was done?" - -"Me? Look, sir, am I under suspicion?" - -"Could be." - -"Then produce your warrant! I shall take no guff from you nor any of -your ilk." - -"Take it easy," said Jones. "An innocent man has nothing to fear." - -"An innocent man," said Foster, "has plenty to fear. Scheming -politicians and courts who like to see convictions. Also there is the -protection of the Constitution of the United States that grants me the -right to do as I please so long as I am lawful about it." - -"It also grants us the right to protect other people," said Lieutenant -Miller. "As for a warrant, we have a search warrant--plus the fact that -we know that murder was done in this apartment not more than two weeks -ago." - -"You're in," said Foster. "And you may leave as soon as you can. I'll -not detain you." - -"You know," said State attorney Jones, "this man answers the -description of the man who is wanted for any number of assorted crimes -from forgery to grand larceny. In every way he fills the bill. I think -we will arrest you, Mr. Foster." - -"You'll be sorry. This is false arrest." - -"Indeed. In this country, all arrests are false arrests because it is -a statement of intent that all men are innocent until proven guilty by -a court of justice! Ergo, we take you into custody whether innocent -or guilty and we will permit the judgment of the court to decide your -status. Coming quietly--or would you prefer to resist arrest?" - -Lieutenant Miller looked eager. "Please resist," he said clenching his -fist. - -"Unclench it," snapped Foster. "You touch me and I'll prove that you -wantonly and brutally attacked an innocent victim without provocation." - -"I've provocation enough," snarled Miller. "My sister--" - -"Your sister suffered deeply at the hands of this blackguard Harry -Foster," said Foster oilily. "But because he resembled me and wore my -name is no logical nor lawful reason for identifying your hatred of him -against me. That is a psychopathic failing, Lieutenant Miller." - -"I'd like to make a pathological mess out of you," snapped Miller. - -"Mr. Jones, you will remember that threat," said Foster. "As State -attorney, it is your duty to protect the innocent." - -Jones closed his lips over hard teeth and said nothing. He would have -enjoyed the job of protecting Foster against a hungry hyena. - -Foster went with them, but his manner was not that of a dangerous -criminal who had been apprehended. It was that of a man who knows all -the answers. - - * * * * * - -"The defendant, Harry Foster, is charged with Murder in the First -Degree," said State attorney Jones. "This is a strange case, gentlemen -of the jury. It is without precedent, and, therefore, your action will -establish a precedent. I charge you to consider not only the case at -hand and to try it with the utmost regard to justice, but to remember, -as you are considering the evidence to be presented, that this is but -the first of many cases that will certainly follow. I--" - -"I object! The defendant is on trial, not the Judicial System of the -United States!" shouted Defense attorney Cranshaw. - -Judge Carver said, "The objection is sustained. Strike that from the -record." - -Jones turned to the Court. "Your Honor, I request that my statements -about the establishment of precedent be retained." - -Carver nodded. "It is true that this case will establish a precedent. -Yet the trial at hand is the only thing of importance." - -"I accept," replied Jones, and returned to the jury. - -"I will attempt to show that the defendant did produce a living -duplicate of himself after which he killed the duplicate. I call for my -first witness the inventor of the device, Timothy Woodart." - -Tim came to the stand and was sworn. There was considerable questioning -to establish the qualifications of the witness, during which Cranshaw -said to Foster: "This will be a thin case, Foster. Yet, if we can -establish a reasonable doubt, the result will be an acquittal." - -"Thin nothing," laughed Foster. "Just tie 'em up as I told you!" - -"All right," replied Cranshaw uncertainly. "But it will be like arguing -on one side for part of the time and then switching sides in the -middle." - -"What do you care so long as we win?" - -"I don't," grinned Cranshaw. "Listen--Woodart is starting to give -pertinent testimony." - -"Mr. Woodart," asked Jones, "is it possible for your device to be -stopped at such a time as to leave a complete set?" - -"Yes," said Woodart. - -"And you've known this all along?" - -"Naturally. I invented it." - -"Then the device is essentially a duplicating device?" - -Woodart nodded. "It is, but like all such devices, it requires power. -The laws of conservation of matter and energy make it impractical to -produce a myriad of devices from a recording." - -"And why is the device practical for the production of panoramic -entertainment?" - -"The initial power is expended in producing the first replica of the -original scene," said Woodart, "after which, the scene is obliterated, -which returns the power to the equipment for the construction of the -next frame. Aside from the conversion losses and basic inefficiencies, -the thing is then self-supporting." - -"In other words, if it takes a kilowatt to establish one frame, that -kilowatt is returned to the equipment?" - -"Yes," said Woodart, "though the power is more on the order of a -hundred thousand kilowatts." - -"As the main party involved with the equipment, it is your duty to see -that it is kept in operating condition?" - -"Yes." - -"Then tell us, Mr. Woodart, at any time since the device was initiated -has there been any expenditure of great power that was unaccounted for?" - -"There was." - -"And your analysis?" - -"On the night of May 18th the power demand meter showed the expenditure -of seventy thousand kilowatts. It is my opinion that--" - -"I object! That is an opinion, not a fact!" exploded Cranshaw. - -Jones smiled. "Counsel will admit that it is the opinion of a very -qualified man." - -"I want it understood that this testimony is but an opinion!" - -"Objection noted," said Judge Carver. "Proceed, Mr. Jones." - -Jones nodded at Woodart. Woodart continued-- - -"My opinion is that during the night, someone established a single -frame of the opus we were working on. Once this single frame was -established, the person removed from the set one object, after which -he wiped the stage clean, returning that to the equipment as power but -without the object which accounts for seventy thousand kilowatts of -energy." - -"Mr. Woodart, is there any correlation between this power and the -Einstein Formula?" - -"No. The matter is not made--manufactured. It is converted. The energy -represents the power required to carry the matter from a storage place -to the stage. It is somewhat like lifting a weight to a certain height. -There is no correlation between the foot-pounds of energy expended in -such and the mass-energy of the stone. However, in lifting a stone, -the energy expended in lift will be returned when the stone is let -down--excepting that part which is removed from the total while the -stone is held in midair." - -"Then it might be difficult for you to determine just what was removed -from the set?" - -"It might be," said Woodart, looking hard at Harry Foster. - -"That is all, Mr. Woodart." To the jury, Jones said: "I think you will -find that the testimony just given will prove that duplication is -possible. My next witness will show just who was duplicated. I now call -Lieutenant Miller to the stand." - - * * * * * - -"Lieutenant Miller, when you came to the apartment of Harry Foster, -what did you find?" - -"I found Harry Foster, dead of gunshot wounds." - -"And what else?" - -"A revolver." - -"And?" - -"The revolver was in a far corner of the room," said Miller. "The dead -man could not have used it upon himself for numerous reasons, even -though the only fingerprints on the weapon were unmistakably those -of Harry Foster. One reason is the distance between the body and the -weapon; the wounds produced instant death. Another reason is that -the dead man's right hand was in his coat pocket--clenched around a -duplicate of the revolver." - -"You can establish the authenticity of this?" - -"Both weapons had the same serial number. Both bore the same scars from -use. Both weapons produced the same landmarks upon test bullets. Yet at -that time only one weapon had been fired; the one tossed in the corner." - -"Your Honor, I enter as Exhibit A these weapons, duplicates of one -another. They are definite proof that duplication of objects did take -place." - -"Evidence accepted." - -"It will be noted that the serial number on these guns is registered in -the name of Harry Foster. I will suggest no indictment at this time for -the criminal act of having two weapons with the same serial number but -I do suggest that it be remembered." - -He turned to Miller and said, "That is all." - -Cranshaw arose to cross-question. "Mr. Miller," he asked, "is there any -way of telling which of those guns is the original and which is the -duplicate. I assume that they are not _both_ duplicates." - -"Only the marking on the weapon that was fired after the killing." - -"But, Lieutenant Miller, this is not conclusive. Which weapon was used -to kill the dead man--the original or the duplicate?" - -"I object. That is irrelevant, immaterial, and incompetent!" - -Cranshaw smiled deeply. "It is all three, Counsel. I want to know at -this time who was the killer and who was the duplicate?" - -Miller shook his head. "Only he can answer that." - -"That is all," smiled Cranshaw. - -Jones called the defendant to the stand. "Mr. Foster, did you or did -you not make a duplicate of yourself?" - -"Objection. The question is an obvious attempt to incriminate the -witness!" - -"Sustained!" - -"I merely wish to establish the identity of the witness." - -"Then do it without asking him leading questions." - -Jones faced Cranshaw angrily. "How can I?" he stormed angrily. "His -name, his measurements, his fingerprints, his ... everything is -identical to that of the slain." - -"Inconveniently coincidental," smiled Cranshaw. - -"Mr. Foster," said Jones quietly, "upon the night of May 18th, was -there a duplicate human being made?" - -Foster nodded in a superior fashion. - -"And are you the duplicate or the--" - -"Objection!" - -"Sustained!" - -"That is all, Mr. Foster," replied Jones angrily. He turned to the jury -and smiled. "My points are simple but clear," he said. "Circumstantial -evidence it may be, but a more profound interlock of such evidence is -seldom found. One: There was a duplicate made. Two, a man was killed -by a weapon belonging to Harry Foster, in Harry Foster's apartment, -and all evidence fails to show the occupancy of any other human being. -Three, the defendant admits that there was duplication made but makes -attempt to confuse the Court by denying to answer whether he is -original or duplicate! This is an admission that he was the duplicate -made--or that he was the original. No denial is made of this. Since -it is impossible by any ordinary means to distinguish one Harry -Foster--defendant--from the other Harry Foster--victim--a sentence of -death is indicated for Harry Foster, the defendant, since the killing -conveniently made the only distinction." - -Cranshaw arose with a stretch and a smile. "First," he said sincerely, -"I want to clear my client of other charges against him. Your Honor, -and Counsel for the Prosecution, will you admit as evidence the -statements made by relatives, and other competent authorities to the -effect that the dead man was the Harry Foster who was wanted for crimes -of various nature?" - -"I object!" exploded Jones. "If any duplication was made, then the -duplicate is equally guilty!" - -"All right," said Cranshaw. "Let it pass." He faced the jury with a -persecuted air. "Anything to make life difficult," he laughed. - -"Now," he said, "may I enter as evidence the suit that the slain man -was wearing? It is--or was--identical to that which my client is -wearing now. At the present time," he said with a smile, "the client's -suit is a little more worn, though in better condition due to the holes -in this one. Now, for my first witness I call Dr. Lewis." - - * * * * * - -"Dr. Lewis, have you ever considered the being of a duplicate?" - -"Not until recently," smiled the doctor. - -"You are a competent psychiatrist. Can you tell us the -responsibility-quotient of a man kept in a state of suspended -animation until he was thirty-three years old?" - -"He would have little or no sense of responsibility at all." - -"Would you say then that a duplicate of any human being was responsible -for the acts of the original?" - -"I would hate to ponder the question," replied the psychiatrist. "It -would depend entirely upon the degree of duplication. Yet it seems to -run against the grain to make a duplicate responsible for the acts of -the original when up to this time the duplicate had no true identity." - -"You assume the duplicate would have an identity?" - -"If the duplicate is capable of original thought, he has." - -"Yet, Dr. Lewis, what comprises identity?" - -"The ego is a rather deep subject," replied the doctor thoughtfully. -"The question 'What is this that am I?' is one pondered for many -thousands of years. It is still without answer--though it is generally -accepted that a man is what he is because of his lifetime of -experiences." - -"Will you expand upon that, doctor?" - -The doctor nodded. "A new-born babe has little true identity or -individuality. That is because his only experience is almost congruent -with all other new-born babes. As he lives, his experiences will differ -because of environment and heredity from others--in the case of twins -this is true despite the idea that the environment and heredity is -identical. It is not. The environment of Twin A includes the life of -Twin B, and vice versa. Therefore each twin must evolve a different -identity. As a man grows and enjoys experience, each factor changes his -personality in some way major or minor, and he emerges a true identity, -which, however, is different in some minor way from day to day as his -experiences accumulate." - -"Then at the instant of duplication, the two persons have approximately -the same identity?" - -"Yes save for the single fact that one has just been in the process -of formation whilst the other was in the process of being recorded. I -assume that the two processes are not identical." - -"Then," said Cranshaw, facing the jury, "may I point out that no -identity was really removed from the face of this earth by this -so-called killing. But one birth certificate was issued for Harry -Foster. But one Harry Foster lived and grew and became the Harry Foster -that many people knew as a motion picture star. A duplicate Harry -Foster was made, and then eliminated. Harry Foster was killed--and yet -Harry Foster remains! If the law states a life for a life, we have it -in the person of the living Harry Foster! He--killed himself." - -Cranshaw smiled indulgently. "There are laws concerning suicide," he -said. "These laws make suicide a felony. Because of this there have -been many jokes made about the penalty for suicide, but there is -good reason for such laws. You see, Gentlemen of the Jury, it is not -necessary to wait until the burglar emerges from the bank with his -coat pockets bulging to arrest him. You may apprehend him while he is -drilling his way into the bank for the crime of Attempting To Compound -A Felony. An attempt at suicide is, then, an attempt to compound -a felony and the would-be suicide may be apprehended for his own -protection. Since the penalties for attempted suicide usually consist -of compelling the miscreant to undergo psychiatric treatment to remove -the obvious mental unrest that gave him the will to self-destruction, -I suggest that my client be given the same treatment for the crime of -suicide." - -He sat down. "Now," he said with a smile, "that should hang that jury -higher than a kite. What is the penalty for successful suicide? Not -execution--" - -"Shut up," snapped Foster. - - * * * * * - -The jury returned after many hours, and the foreman arose. "Your Honor, -we have deliberated this case and find that our decision requires -explanation. Suicide we reason, is self-murder. Since suicide requires -a certain amount of planning and contemplation, we find the defendant -guilty on all charges including Murder in the First Degree!" - -The roar of the spectators covered up the judge's words, but Harry -Foster heard him pronounce the fatal words. - -Tim Woodart turned the key in Jenny Foster's apartment, shoved the door -open and stood aside to let her enter. Once in the dim living room, she -turned and buried her head in Tim's shoulder. - -He held her close and stroked her head with one hand. Over her head -he saw the clock on the wall, it registered midnight. "Easy," he said -softly. "It's all--over." - -She nodded, too filled with emotion and relief to speak. - -Then as the sweep-hand crept past the instant of midnight, a sardonic -voice came from the easy-chair. - -"A very pretty scene." - -Jenny whirled, her face white. "Harry!" she said with a quavering voice. - -As Tim faced Foster he asked Jenny to call Lieutenant Miller. - -Foster laughed again. "Call him," he jeered. "And remember that the Law -of the Land makes it impossible for me to be placed in double jeopardy!" - -"What's been done before can be done again," said Tim. - -"Uh-huh," laughed Foster. "But not punishment. The Law, yer know. - -"You see," jeered Foster, "knowing that I am going on and on and on, I -merely had Cranshaw make another duplicate of me. Now no one can touch -me!" - -Jenny turned from the telephone and Tim put an arm about her and led -her from the apartment. He left the door open-- - -"There he is," said Tim, outside. "And you know what he has in mind." - -Harry Foster nodded, took out his revolver, and charged in. The quiet -apartment was filled with the sudden racket of gunfire, quickly there; -quickly stopped. - -"Let Miller clean up," said Tim harshly. - -"But--?" - -"They're equally fast and they're equally forewarned. Tough guy--it -took four of him to get rid of him." - - - THE END - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PROBLEM IN SOLID *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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