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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..6d51d48 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66330 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66330) diff --git a/old/66330-0.txt b/old/66330-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a5d65e8..0000000 --- a/old/66330-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3735 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Tyrants of Time, by Milton Lesser - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Tyrants of Time - -Author: Milton Lesser - -Release Date: September 17, 2021 [eBook #66330] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TYRANTS OF TIME *** - - - - - TYRANTS OF TIME - - By Milton Lesser - - Do dictators rise to power by accident? What - if their ascendency is planned throughout history - by men of the future who play with time as if it - were a toy. And what if 1955 is their key year.... - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy - March 1954 - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Something buzzed in Tedor Barwan's right ear, driving the throbbing hum -of the Eradrome momentarily away. In the sea of sound the rasp of the -radio receiver buried in Tedor's mastoid bone was still unmistakable, -and it alarmed him. He tongued the transmitter in his palate and said, -"This is Barwan. Go ahead." - -There was nothing but the noise of the Eradrome, the shouts of the -hawkers of a dozen centuries, the constant droning of the tourists -garbed in costumes of fifty generations, the couriers noisily arranging -guided family tours, the school teachers shepherding their squealing -charges primly but still unable to hide their own eagerness. Tedor -repeated, "Go ahead. Go ahead!" He'd dialed for a closed connection -between himself and Fornswitthe previously; thus it was Fornswitthe -who had tried to contact him. - -Why? - -"Tedor--help!" The voice hissed in his ear once, then was silent. It -was Fornswitthe, all right. Silent now. - -Tedor took long strides toward the slidefloor. The Eradrome was so -crowded that he couldn't break into a run. He was bone-weary from too -much work and had come to the Eradrome for a few hours of relaxation, -leaving Fornswitthe alone to start their report on the 20th century. -The report was dynamite. - -Tedor jostled his way along on the slidefloor, not content with its -slow pace. The great green-tinted bubble of the Eradrome soared five -hundred feet into the air and burrowed twice that depth into the -ground. Tedor was on one of the lower levels and knew it would take -some time before he could reach the surface level. - -"Busman's holiday, Barwan?" - -Tedor whirled sharply before boarding the next ramp. He recognized the -plump, thick-jowled face but could not tag it with a name. - -"Something like that," Tedor admitted and kept walking. - -"Never get enough of time-traveling, eh?" - -"Umm." - -"In your blood, I suppose. Listen, Barwan. I'm doing a solidiofilm on -Time Agents. Would you mind if I hung around and--" - -The name came to him then. Dorlup, a film writer. "I'm in a hurry," -Tedor said, thinking of Fornswitthe's desperate call. - -Dorlup puffed after him. "A little exercise will do me good. Ha-ha. Not -as slim as I used to be. What would you say to five thousand century -notes for the exclusive rights to your next assignment?" - -Tedor was interested in spite of himself. He was moving at top speed -through the crowds and if Dorlup could keep up with him, they'd talk. -"I thought the whole idea of solidiofilms was to keep clear of time -travel," Tedor said. - -Dorlup puffed like a blowfish out of water, lighting a big cigar. "Used -to be that way. But time's become the universal solvent. Business, -pleasure, anything--all else is a dull routine. If the solidios don't -turn to time, they'll go out of business in a couple of years." - -"I'd like to help you, but the law requires secrecy. Besides, I'm in a -hurry." - -"I can keep up with you." - -"Who told you I was here?" - -"Coincidence." - -"My foot." - -"Well, Fornswitthe told me." - -"What!" - -"Fornswitthe, your assistant." - - * * * * * - -Tedor paused on the slidefloor and Dorlup, his weight yielding -considerable momentum, collided with him. Tedor grabbed the fat man's -tunic and yanked him up on his toes. "All right, how did you find -Fornswitthe?" - -"I--I have my contacts. By Heaven, what's so important about that? -You're hurting me, Tedor. You're causing a scene." - -"I want to know." - -"And I won't tell you." - -"All right." Tedor let him go. "Get away from me. Go on, beat it." - -A disgruntled Dorlup edged over toward the other side of the -slidefloor, but Tedor called him back. "No, wait a minute. Who else -knew where Fornswitthe could be found?" - -"A lot of people. Secretaries. Directors. My producer. My comings and -goings are no secret, Barwan. I merely told my associates I was going -to visit Fornswitthe today and--" - -"Today!" - -"A little while ago." - -"My comings and goings _are_ secret," Tedor said bitterly, hurrying -again along the slidefloor. "So are Fornswitthe's." - -"I'll make a note of that," Dorlup promised. - -"Haven't you done enough already? Someone on your staff talked. You -talked. Either or both. Fornswitthe's in trouble. I hope you're -satisfied, Dorlup." - -"You're being melodramatic. I happen to know your territory is the 20th -century; perhaps that's responsible for the way you talk. Couldn't be -better for my purposes, you know. The Age of Atoms and Intrigue. Can't -you see it now, in lights, glaring across a million solidio screens? -_Atoms and Intrigue, The Life and Adventures of Tedor Barwan, Time -Agent._ How about ten thousand? Wait, don't answer. What do you know -about the year 1955?" - -Tedor didn't even turn to look at him. He elbowed his way through the -crowd. - -"You know, man. You must know." Dorlup huffed and puffed but managed -to hold a running conversation, mostly a monologue. "The mystery year, -with a capital 'M' if I ever saw one. It's in your territory. If we -can crack that particular barrier and do a solidio on 1955, we'd make -a fortune. I'll split it with you. We could call it '1955!' Simple. -Stark. To the point...." - -"Just what makes you think the 20th century is my territory?" - -"Oh, experienced agents like you can't ever be tricked into talking, -but younger men--" - -Tedor clenched his fists, then calmed himself with an effort. "Because -you had to visit Fornswitthe, he may be dead now." - -"Really! It wasn't too hard to find his apartment, though why you -Agents change your location every week is beyond me." - -"Forget it," Tedor said. They had finally reached the last ramp, where -pedestrian traffic was thinner. With Dorlup still shouting below him, -Tedor began to sprint. He bowled over a middle-aged man but did not -stop to apologize. Then he reached the surface of the green-tinted -bubble and the starlight outside. He hailed a copter cab, gave the -pilot Fornswitthe's current suburban address and was whisked aloft into -the crowded local lanes. - - * * * * * - -He found Fornswitthe dying on the floor of his study, a hole draining -the life from his chest. - -The lights were on, the windows opened, a brisk night breeze blowing -the curtains into the room. Fornswitthe opened glassy eyes and tried to -say something. - -He was so young. So ridiculously young to be an Agent--even an -Apprentice. A dying Agent, now, twenty-two years old. - -Tedor propped a pillow under Fornswitthe's head, tried to staunch -the flow of blood although he knew it was useless. Mechanically, -he activated the transmitter buried in his palate, called Agent -headquarters for help. - -On the desk, a spool sat oddly askew in Fornswitthe's thinkwriter. -Tedor switched it on, listened. - -"In 1955. Tedor believes the year a crucial one because...." - -A fresh spool, barely started, and as useless to Tedor as it had been -to Fornswitthe's assailants. There were no other spools. - -Tedor heard a rustling behind him, close at hand. He started to turn -when something plummeted down heavily and exploded against the side -of his head. He staggered, began to fall. He knew he was fainting, -struggling against the waves of vertigo long enough to turn completely -around. - -A woman stood there. She held what was left of a shattered vase in her -hand, preparing to strike again. Tedor tried to reach her and managed a -futile wave of his hand which told her clearly a second blow was hardly -necessary. - -As Tedor fell, the woman's face etched itself into his memory. It spun -into giddy unconsciousness with him and his last thought was that he -would never forget it. - - * * * * * - -Mulid Ruscar wore a modern robe over his quaint 18th century sleeping -gown. His sandals could have been ancient Greek. The cigarette he -smoked probably originated in the 20th century, clearly the smokingest -of all centuries. His sleepy scowl had a way of ignoring the centuries. - -"Tedor, so it's you. I thought you'd started your report." - -Ruscar, a tall, dignified man who fifteen years before might have been -a solidio idol, snapped on the overhead lights. "You look tired, Tedor. -I know when my men need a rest." - -"Fornswitthe's dead," Tedor said, then told Ruscar what had happened. -"So," he finished, "I came to, called the police and rushed straight -here." - -"Let me see your head." - -"It's all right," said Tedor, revealing the blood-matted hair. "What do -you know of a solidio writer name of Dorlup?" - -"Friend of a friend. One of those things where you have to be nice. -Don't tell me he had something to do with this?" - -Tedor shrugged. "Coincidence maybe. I don't know. He admitted visiting -Fornswitthe earlier. He's immensely interested in 1955." - -"As you say, coincidence." - -"That's hardly likely. Especially since Dorlup made it his business to -know Fornswitthe's whereabouts. That's the part that hurts, Ruscar. -If I hadn't decided to take the evening off, I'd have been helping -Fornswitthe prepare the report." - -"How far did he get?" - -"Impossible to say. I found one spool, others probably were stolen." - -Ruscar led Tedor to a chair, told him to sit down. Soon Ruscar had -clamped an electrode to the side of Tedor's head, plugging the wire -which led from it into the wall. "Let's concentrate on this girl you -found in Fornswitthe's place." - -Tedor nodded, found it ridiculously easy. Moments later, a sheet of -paper popped out of a slot in the wall. Ruscar retrieved it, stared at -the sketch of a beautiful face. "She looks familiar," he said, and slid -the drawing into a second slot. - -He offered Tedor a cigarette, and together they waited. In five -minutes, a buzzer purred, a section of a wall in front of them was -bathed in light. On it appeared the twice life-size solidio of a woman. - -"That's her!" Tedor cried, and read the legend under the picture. -_Laniq Hadrien, age 25, height 5'6", weight 125, v. s. 36-24-36, hair -blond, eyes blue. Wanted: 5th century B.C., 8th, 13th, 16th, 20th A.D. -Time tinkering: pilfered fifteen valuable works of art, motive unknown._ - -"I knew she looked familiar," said Ruscar after the picture had faded. -"She's the daughter of a Domique Hadrien who created quite a furor a -few years back with a theory about dictatorship. Maybe you remember it." - -Tedor shook his head. - -"Hadrien claimed one man or group of men in our time was behind all -the great dictatorships throughout human history. Sort of--well, a -monopoly on despotism. He maintained the position for years, getting -cantankerous when no one in our office would believe him." - -"What finally happened to him?" - -"Disappeared. Last seen in the middle of your stamping ground, Tedor, -but before your time. The 20th century." - -"1955?" Tedor suggested. - -"Possibly. Although I can't see a connection between that and -Hadrien's pet theory." - -"What about the theory, anyway?" - - * * * * * - -"We checked into it, of course. That's our job, Tedor. We prevent time -tinkering. A monopoly on despotism would be tinkering on the grand -scale. For a couple of years it was a top priority job. We were never -able to find out anything, so the old chief finally figured the whole -thing was in Hadrien's imagination. A few years later I took over, and -soon after that Hadrien disappeared. - -"But you can bet we conducted a thorough investigation. You know what I -think of tinkering, Tedor." - -Tedor knew. Ruscar held his post as Chief of the Time Agents largely -because of it. - -"There is no crime worse than time-tinkering. We are a people depending -on time. Ours is a civilization which exists in time. Many of our -workers actually commute daily to past ages. Others live and work in -the past entirely, paying their taxes and visiting here occasionally. -We depend on the past for virtually all of our natural resources. Think -for a moment, Tedor--" - -It was Ruscar's favorite subject. Tedor had heard it before, but he -found himself listening nevertheless, for Ruscar tackled this business -of time-tinkering with sincerity. - -"Think for a moment what would happen if the past ages became aware of -us. What would you do if you learned a group of men five thousand years -unborn were stealing mineral wealth from under your nose, conducting -tours through your backyard, exploiting you and your century for the -far future?" - -"I wouldn't like it." - -"Exactly. So, the cardinal rule of time-travel is this: don't get -caught at it. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Never let it be known -you come from another time. And the second rule is an adjunct of the -first: conduct yourself in such a manner as to alter the flow of time -only sufficiently to obtain whatever is required from the particular -century. Hence the crime of time-tinkering. - -"There's another reason for it, of course. Suppose history was changed. -Suppose, for example, someone killed your great-great-grandfather -before he had the chance to sire your grandfather. What would happen?" - -Tedor smiled. "You couldn't be talking to Agent G-20. I wouldn't exist." - -"Precisely. You want this girl, this Laniq Hadrien, for personal -reasons. She killed Fornswitthe. I want her for another reason. She -is guilty of the one crime our culture cannot tolerate. She will be -captured, Tedor. I'll assign a century agent to the job." - -"No," said Tedor. - -"Eh? What do you mean, no?" - -"I want Laniq Hadrien. She's mine." If he lived forever he would never -forget her face last night in Fornswitthe's place, with Fornswitthe -dying on the floor. "I feel responsible, Ruscar. Forget the regulations -this one time." - -"Regulations clearly say the century agent is responsible for his own -hundred years. Six to ten for a century, depending on its importance. -Apprentices for each one. Like you, all the agents did intensive work -in their own hundred years, learning the culture, mores, traditions. -You'd be at a terrible disadvantage if we let you go galavanting all -over time looking for the woman." - -"I could always call on the century agents if I needed them," Tedor -insisted. "They all have plenty of work as it is, and I'm due for a -vacation. All right. Let me take the vacation my way. I want to look -for Laniq Hadrien. If I can do the job alone, that would be a big help -to the other agents." - -"True." - -"You have nothing to lose. Laniq was a fugitive before; she's a -fugitive now. The fact that she's a murderer doesn't particularly -interest you. Time tinkering is our line. But it interests me for -personal reasons: I feel responsible for my Apprentice's death." - -"That's reasonable." - -Ruscar was weakening, Tedor could sense it. "You have nothing to lose, -everything to gain. If I can find Laniq Hadrien while on vacation, no -man hours were lost. You're always talking about how few man-hours we -have." - -Ruscar laughed softly. "You win, Tedor. I won't send out a general -alarm. I won't put any century agents on Laniq Hadrien--until your -vacation ends. You have one month." - -"I'll find her," Tedor promised. - -"Don't be so grim about it. Quite possibly Laniq represents far more -than herself. If her father disappeared in the mid-20th century, -perhaps he does know something about 1955. Maybe Laniq does, too. I -don't want you killing her." - -"She's a murderer, not me. I'll get her for you, Ruscar." - -Leaving Ruscar's apartment, Tedor rummaged through his pockets for a -pack of cigarettes. Agenting in the 20th century had left him with the -smoking habit--which made him think of Dorlup and his big cigars. What -did Dorlup know about Laniq Hadrien? - -Why was Dorlup so interested in 1955, the year time-travel shunned like -the plague. Not out of direct choice: after all its advance billing, -1955 would draw a horde of curiosity seekers if nothing else. But -for some reason, no time-traveler could penetrate the year. It was -the one profound, inexplicable mystery of time-traveling, and coming -at the peak of the 20th century cold war, it left a lot of questions -unanswered. It presented two mysteries then. First, why couldn't time -machinery operate there? Second, what had happened in that crucial -year? Tedor wondered what Laniq Hadrien knew about it. - - * * * * * - -When Tedor reached the far end of the pavilion, the crowds thinned to -a trickle of people, most of whom were employed in the Eradrome. He -entered a hallway and found a door marked with the words: _Executive -Director, by appointment only_. - -A pert receptionist looked up at him. "Yes, sir?" - -"I'd like to see the Director." - -"You have an appointment?" - -"No." - -"Then--" - -"Here." Tedor reached into his pocket and withdrew his credentials. - -The receptionist's face lit up. "You're an Agent! Did you know I've -been working in the Eradrome five years and you're the first agent I've -ever seen? I was beginning to think they didn't really exist. I'll tell -the Director you're here, Mr. Barwan." - -Moments later, Tedor was ushered into a plush office which borrowed -its furnishings from half a dozen civilizations. Most of the furniture -was what the 20th century called Swedish modern, but the carpeting was -authentic 10th century Persian, the drapes came from someplace in the -Orient about five hundred years later, the pictures on the wall were -replicas of drawings found in caves in southern France. The net result -was garish but impressive. - -Behind the birch desk sat a man of about forty, well-groomed, graying -at the temples. - -"Good afternoon, Mr. Barwan. Cigar?" - -"Twentieth century, I see." - -"It's one of the most popular eras," the Director said. - -"I'd like you to check on this woman for me," Tedor said hoping the -Director would excuse his abrupt departure from the customary social -banter. "It's urgent." Tedor gave the Director a picture of Laniq -Hadrien and added, "We have reason to believe she's gone into time." - -"Why, this is Laniq Hadrien! Certainly you know her father, Domique -Hadrien...." - -"Yes. His theory of a monopolist of despotism has given our department -some wild goose chase headaches." - -The Director nodded, pressed a buzzer on his desk. A young man entered -the office a moment later, receiving the picture and a few terse -words before departing. "It shouldn't take long," the Director told -Tedor. "Did you also know that the Hadriens, father and daughter, are -non-temps?" - -"No. I didn't." - -"Yes, non-temps." - -The non-temps, Tedor knew, were a growing cult which insisted -time-travel was an evil both from the point of view of the ages visited -and of the age _doing_ the visiting. They had gathered considerable -data to prove their point, and although Tedor never looked into it -thoroughly, some said they put up a convincing though completely -impractical argument. - -"We've got our hands full with Hadrien and his followers, just as you -have," said the Director. "You can't argue with their figures, but -sometimes figures don't tell the entire story. Ten years ago, the -non-temps will tell you, the population of Earth was one billion, -far smaller than it was in the past because of a sensible policy of -eugenics. Today the population is somewhat short of a billion, they -say, and the census verifies it. - -"Ten years ago, they continue, a quarter of a million people commuted -into time daily to work in the various ages, sleeping here but working -and vacationing else-when. Today the figure has grown to three quarters -of a _billion_, and it's still increasing. - -"And seventy-five million people have vanished into the past. They -simply preferred the past ages and broke all relations with the -present. But that's the problem of you Agents, not us." - -"Don't I know it!" Tedor said. - -"The non-temps say this is a dangerous trend. They further maintain -it is our own fault. We provide no real culture of our own, no sense -of belonging. We gear everything to the past ages, converting our own -world to a sort of administration center and nothing more. We work in -the past, receive our raw materials in the past; our art forms more and -more are concerned with other times, other places. We do nothing to -encourage living in our own century." - - * * * * * - -Tedor frowned. "In a way, it's hard to argue with that." - -"Precisely. They're leaving out one important fact, however: ours is -a civilization which exists not along the usual spatial lines but -a civilization which exists in time. That is a whole new concept, -Tedor--something unique in the history of the world. If, for example, -our ancestors had found life and conditions capable of supporting life -on the planets of this solar system, we doubtless would have spread -out to the planets and so geared our culture in that direction. No -one would have complained. But the planets are sterile, and while we -could mine them for minerals, the transportation cost is prohibitive. -Instead, we have turned in an entirely new--and unexpected--direction. - -"If you searched every inch of the Earth today from Baffin Island to -the Antarctic continent, you would find no natural deposits of coal and -oil. Silver is almost gone. Gold has vanished. The list is much larger, -but you get the idea. With space travel fruitless, time alone can keep -mankind going. If that is an evil, then so is the act of the first -caveman who crawled from his cave to discover fire. - -"Naturally, one doesn't steer civilization in a completely new -direction and achieve perfection overnight. Perhaps we are attacking -the problem incorrectly. The non-temps think so." - -"Do you?" Tedor demanded. - -The Director's eyes studied his. "That doesn't enter into it. We -are interested in the non-temps because they would do away with the -Eradrome and everything it stands for. This so-called monopolist of -despotism is your problem. Ah, here we are." - -The young man had returned with a small card in his hand. The Director -read it and frowned. "I don't know how much good this information will -be, Mr. Barwan. It seems Laniq Hadrien went into prehistoric times, -exact destination uncertain." - -"Alone?" Tedor asked. - -"As far as we can tell, alone." - -Tedor stood up. "Thanks a lot. At least I've got a lead." - -"Good luck." - -They shook hands and Tedor retraced his steps through the pavilion. He -was already thinking in terms of the preparations for departure his -trip would necessitate, but he couldn't get his mind off Fornswitthe's -murder. Somewhere, some_when_, an unseen puppeteer held all the -strings, playing them craftily but keeping the curtain of his little -stage tightly closed. Little stage? Tedor shrugged, remembering Domique -Hadrien's wild contention. Perhaps all of time waited beyond its dark -footlights. - - * * * * * - -Fat Dorlup the solidio writer drank in local color like a starving cat -laps up milk. - -The time was 1954, the date Easter Sunday, the place, Fifth Avenue in -New York, largest city in one of the two most powerful national states -of the day. - -Crowds jostled Dorlup. No one seemed to have anyplace to go, Dorlup -least of all. The twentieth century suit he wore was tight and -ill-fitting; he was almost afraid a too-sudden move might burst his -posterior from its tight confines. That's what you get for rushing, -Dorlup thought irritably. But the Century Agent had frightened him. -Damn those Agents with their high-handed ways. Dorlup was used to -dealing with people, not martinets. He had extended the hand of -friendship, even of financial gain, to Barwan, but it had been rejected -coldly, unequivocally. - -The Twentieth Century Corporation was another possibility, although -Barwan would certainly offer a solidio audience more glamour. Well, -when the city returned to normal tomorrow, Dorlup would offer the -Corporation his proposition, though he realized sadly they would never -be satisfied with the five thousand century notes he had offered the -Agent. - -"Hey, Dorlup! Oh you, Dorlup!" - -The fat solidio writer whirled at the sound of the woman's voice, then -groaned. Beti Sparr, a starlet who had been featured tragically (not -in the story but in the gross profit which was nil, Dorlup thought -bitterly) pushed her way through the crowd toward him. Beti wore a -costume of the day and wore it well. She had blond hair and looks and a -figure. If only she could act, thought Dorlup. - -"Whatever are you doing here, Dorlup? My but you look silly in that -suit." Beti entwined her arm in his. - -"I'm doing research for a new solidio." - -"Oh, but that's wonderful. I'm on vacation, you know, but I could learn -the part while I'm here and--" - -"My dear," said Dorlup icily, "I haven't considered casting yet. The -solidio is just an idea in my head, and it will be a long time before -I--" - -"I can wait. Did you notice how positively garish the costumes are, how -completely absorbed in their own importance the people seem?" - -Beti had spoken in perfect hypnosleep-induced English, and Dorlup said: -"Quiet! Do you want them to hear you?" - -"Oh, but they won't under_stand_. They won't understand anything. -So--so archaic. I'm hungry, Dorlup." - -"I'm not." He tried to move away, but the crowd pressed in all around -them and Beti still had her arm entwined in his. - -"I've always wanted to try one of those automatic cafeterias. Shall we?" - -Dorlup wanted passionately to say no, but Beti was already steering him -toward the facade of one of the buildings. - -"Sparr is rather remarkable," someone in the crowd said to someone -else. "Whatever Dorlup is up to, she'll find out. But whoever would -have suspected Dorlup is connected with the Century Agents, eh?" - -"You can say that again. Leave it to Sparr, though." - -Beti Sparr steered Dorlup into the automatic cafeteria, chattering and -whispering in his ear. - -Elsewhere in the state of New York, one of the forty-eight United -States in the year 1954, a policeman on motorcycle chased a motorist, -flagged him down and gave him a summons although in truth he had -not violated the speed limit. This was his third such summons in a -period of eighteen months, and under state law his driver's license -would be revoked. He complained long and loud but to no avail. -Actually, his life had been saved, for three months hence he was to -be involved in a fatal automobile accident. The summons which revoked -his license also revoked the need for his obituary. He never knew -this, but the policeman did. The policeman--not a policeman at all -in the accepted twentieth century meaning of the word--was guilty of -an act of time-tinkering. The man was an artist, though, a promising -sculptor, and would in the next few years--if he lived--make a valuable -contribution to twentieth century culture. - -Thousands of miles away in a many-centuries-old tumble of gaunt, grim -buildings called the Kremlin in a city named Moscow, capitol of Russia, -the other great power in the twentieth century, a massive man with -sallow, pallid face and a ponderous gait paced back and forth waiting -for the state scientists to summon him. This was the half-Tartar, -Georgi Malenkov, crushed by the weight of empire on his incapable -shoulders. And when the scientists called, Malenkov plodded fearfully -into a huge, windowless room where great, unfamiliar machinery -throbbed strangely. What he encountered there was also a case of -time-tinkering--but of an entirely different nature. - -Malenkov stared in frightened fascination at the contents of a bell-jar -suspended from the ceiling and bathed in white, vaguely violet -radiation. - -A voice, metallic, far away, wavering, said: "Ahh, Georgi." - -And Malenkov, heir to the mantle of Stalin and ruler of all the Russian -people and their hundreds of millions of satellite subjects fell on his -knees and cried, "It speaks! It speaks!" - -Many hundreds of miles distant, in an unimportant place called -Afghanistan, Domique Hadrien waited impatiently and with growing alarm -for word from his daughter. He had chosen Afghanistan precisely for -its unimportance. Although he knew Laniq was a capable girl, their -adversaries were shrewd, merciless men possessed of a megalomania which -would readily lead to acts of violence. Domique Hadrien decided to wait -one day longer and then send his most experienced time-traveler after -Laniq. - - * * * * * - -The trail led to Ur of the Chaldees, to ancient Sumeria, to Babylonia, -the cradle of civilization. Always Tedor arrived too late, always the -angry little pip darting about on his chronoscreen indicated Laniq -Hadrien was one step ahead of him. - -But it was not until he left Second Dynasty Egypt that he noticed -another pip on the screen. He was following Laniq, but so was someone -else. Another saucer-shaped craft plied the time streams in their -wake, making all the stops they made, starting up again when they -did. Experimentally, Tedor thrust his own conveyor forward in time -until he'd passed the girl and left her decades behind him. The second -conveyor became a frenzied pip on the screen, plummeting through the -years with him. - -The second conveyor did not follow Laniq Hadrien. It followed Tedor. -He considered it and got nowhere. It failed to make sense. In the -first place, privately owned time-craft were rare, belonging only -to the few rich people who could afford them, to members of Laniq -Hadrien's organization or to Time Agents. The century coaches carried -most traffic through time, and no century coach would go off the -well-traveled trails to follow Tedor. - -One of the Hadrien woman's people? Perhaps, but he wouldn't have -immediately accelerated through time to chase Tedor, not if he were -trailing the woman for protection. A rich man on a pleasure jaunt? -Hardly likely. Certainly not another Time Agent! Tedor scowled and -turned his attention back to the girl. Laniq was landing. - -Quickly, Tedor checked the time-charts, plugged in a hypnosleep spool, -fastened the electrodes to his temples, drugged himself, and within -an hour learned thoroughly the Attic Greek spoken by the denizens of -the Fifth Century who had rubbed shoulders in the Agora with Socrates, -Alcibiades and Pericles, five hundred years before Christ was born and -some generations before Attica and its Athens were to feel the grim -tread of the Macedonian phalanxes then of the Roman legions. Tedor ran -the microfilm projector, found the pictures he sought, fed them into -the slot of the matter duplicator and soon donned the mantle and tunic, -the sandals and head band of an Athenian gentleman. - -He stepped outside into a grove of plane trees, found Laniq Hadrien's -craft a hundred yards away but saw nothing of the third conveyor. -Shrugging, he set out upon the road to Athens, wondering how many -minutes he was behind the girl. Other citizens walked the road with -Tedor, some chatting aimlessly with him, others strolling by in polite -silence because he had selected the garment of a high-ranking citizen -and they were beneath his station. - -The slave at the gate, an immense bronze man, skin and hair slick with -olive oil, looked up from where he'd been resting his chin on the haft -of his spear when Tedor asked, "Did you see an unescorted woman come -through this gate?" - -"Yes sir." The voice was deep, metallic of timbre. "A lone woman is -unusual on these avenues, as you of course know." Women were second -class citizens in Athens, remaining in their homes except on rare -intervals and never venturing out alone unless they were so old and so -ugly no men would care to look at them. "Further," the slave went on, -"this girl carried a strange black box which she pointed at me. I heard -a clicking sound and wondered what kind of magic might dwell within it." - -"You have nothing to fear," Tedor assured him. So Laniq Hadrien was -taking pictures. "Which way did the woman go?" - -"She asked the direction of the Agora. Again, most peculiar, as who -does not know the location of the marketplace in Athens?" - - * * * * * - -Tedor thanked him and set off at a fast pace down one of the mean -streets radiating from the gate. He reached the Agora merely by -following the crowds and wended his way through the crowded marketplace -with the shouts of the fish, bread, wine and honey-mongers on all -sides of him. - -The tradesmen jockeyed their pushcarts around for more advantageous -positions; the slaves ran nimbly about the Agora on nameless errands; -the gentlemen of leisure, garbed in embroidered tunics and mantles of -white, red, purple and black, sauntered without hurry under the shade -of the adjacent _stoas_, servants following behind them or preceding -them like schools of pilot fish. - -It was a hot day, the bright sun scorching everything and engendering -an odor in the fish-carts which made the fish-mongers decidedly -unpopular. Twice Tedor spotted Laniq ahead of him in tunic and mantle -but with her hair free, snapping pictures with her camera, but each -time the crowds swirled in ahead of him and he lost her. - -The third time he shouted her name and she ran. He took off after -her and tripped over something, stumbling against a fish-cart and -overturning it. The vendor was an ugly old man with warts all over -his face and a raspy voice. He threw a steady torrent of invective at -Tedor, and in all these generations the meanings hadn't changed even if -the sounds had. Tedor kept running, for he lacked Athenian money to pay -the fish vendor. But by then he had lost Laniq Hadrien once more. - -Her trail led him through all the stalls of the Agora but he did not -see her again. He began to realize it would be foolish to remain in -Athens any longer for fear he might lose her entirely when he became -aware someone was following him. The man maintained two dozen paces -distance between them. The man hurried when he hurried, slowed when he -did. Tedor stopped, then turned swiftly and sprinted toward the mantled -figure. - -"All right," he said, gathering up a fistful of the mantle and holding -the man. "Why were you following me?" - -"I don't know what you're talking about. It's a free city." - -"For citizens, it is," said Tedor harshly. "Whose son are you?" To say -whose son you were was the equivalent of telling a man your name, since -surnames were as yet unknown in Athens. Tedor suspected his follower, -like Laniq and himself, did not belong in Athens. - -He admired the man's poise. A vague suggestion of uneasiness crept over -his eyes like a film, then he smiled and said, "I am Posicles, son of -Posicles." - -The slight pause was enough, however. "Get this straight," Tedor told -him. "You'll deny any understanding of what I'm saying, but listen to -me; I'm leaving Athens, I'm leaving Greece, I'm leaving this century. I -don't want you following me. Is that clear?" - -"Clearly, the Mysteries have befuddled your mind, my friend." - -"If I see you again anyplace else I'm going to kill you. You live now -only because I'm not altogether certain. Is _that_ clear?" - -"It is clear you are possessed." - -Yes, the man had poise. Abruptly, Tedor struck him back-handed across -the face and listened to him curse. It was an old trick, but like most -old tricks, it worked. The man cursed fluently in Tedor's own language. - -"Well, well, well," Tedor said. The man bolted and ran. - -Tedor retraced his steps toward the gate, hoping he'd return to the -grove of plane trees ahead of Laniq Hadrien. - - * * * * * - -By the light of a crescent moon, Laniq found her conveyor, entered it, -switched on a night light she knew would be swallowed by the darkness -outside. - -Stripping the mantle from her body, she walked to a cabinet and found -her own clothing--shorts and blouse and sandals. Dropping her Grecian -tunic to the floor she stood naked for a moment then climbed into her -shorts. - -Someone cleared his throat. - -Laniq jumped as if she had been struck, plunged the room into darkness -and remained absolutely silent. The room--the main cabin of the -conveyor--measured twelve by twelve feet. There were cabinets, files, -boxes, furniture. Ample place to hide. And someone--a man--was hiding -there. A Grecian would have been frightened by the conveyor in all -probability. Then had she been followed? - -"Put on a light," a voice said. - -Laniq gritted her teeth. She had no weapon, but even if she did, a wild -shot might damage the conveyor's controls. "I'm not dressed," she told -the darkness meaninglessly. - -"Put the light on and get into the center of the room where I can see -you. I'm carrying an atomic pistol and I won't hesitate to use it. I -have another conveyor, you don't. If yours is damaged I won't care. I'm -going to count to three." - -Laniq found her blouse and began fumbling with the zipper. - -"One." - -Laniq got the blouse over her shoulder. - -"Two." - -Struggling to close the zipper now, Laniq groped for the light, -found it, switched it on. She clambered into the center of the room, -stumbling over something and falling flat. She sat up, groggy, unable -to fasten the zipper and feeling every inch a helpless woman fighting -against a cunning, ruthless foe in the time-stream. - -"That's better." - -Laniq looked around, saw no one. She finally managed to fasten the -zipper. She sat there, staring. "Well, where are you?" - -Silence. - -She was on the point of getting up and looking around despite the -warning, when the conveyor door opened. She stared, mouth agape. A man -entered the conveyor, nodded curtly at her and said, "Stay put." He -waved an atomic pistol for emphasis, and since he had just come from -outside and no anachronistic weapons were permitted outside conveyors, -he was either a Century Agent or one of the monopolist's men. - -Either way, Laniq was raging. He had fooled her with an obvious trick. -Not wanting to be taken by surprise himself, he had merely planted an -amplifier in her conveyor, waited till she entered, then addressed her -from the safety of his own craft. He hadn't entered her conveyor until -he was reasonably certain she would listen to him. - -"Where are we going?" Laniq demanded as he set the controls, his back -to her. - -"Home to our own time," he said, and turned to face her. - - * * * * * - -With despair, she recognized the man she had struck in the dead Agent's -apartment. - -"Wait. Please." Laniq pleaded. - -"What for? I've come over twenty-thousand years looking for you. I -swore to find you ever since the night you killed my apprentice." - -"Then you _are_ an Agent." - -"What did you think I was, Miss Hadrien?" - -"Well, we were advised Fornswitthe and a man named Barwan had returned -from the twentieth century with a report that would help our cause. -Since there was a chance it would uncover this monopolist my father has -been talking about--uh, you know my father?" - -"I know all about him." - -"Anyway, we were watching Fornswitthe's place. It was left unguarded -for not more than an hour, but that was enough. I returned in time to -see you standing over Fornswitthe's body and ... say! If you're not one -of them, if you _are_ an Agent, you must be Barwan." - -Tedor nodded, continued adjusting the controls. - -"Wait, Barwan. If you came twenty-thousand years, then give me ten -minutes." - -"You didn't give Fornswitthe any kind of a chance," Tedor said -bitterly. - -"I thought _you_ killed him!" she insisted. "But tell me, what did you -find in the twentieth century?" - -"That's none of your business." - -"It is my business. If the Agents are going to sit by and let the -biggest case of time-tinkering go on right in front of their noses, -it's got to be someone's business. I take it you know my father's -theory. All the most powerful dictators through history have not worked -alone. Someone in our own time--we don't know who--has been helping -them. If he could control the most powerful rulers in history, he -could control the entire time-stream from the dawn of civilization -to our own age. Labor, raw material, armies--all the world would be -under his control. You found something in the twentieth century which -substantiates that." - -"Maybe," said Tedor. - -"Maybe nothing. You found the Russians were getting outside aid--from -our century." - -"Even if I did--all right, I did--1955 is still the crucial year. I'm -no different from anyone else. I can't enter 1955." - -"Not in a time-conveyor, you can't. But you could set yourself down in -the latter part of '54 and simply wait for '55 to roll around." - -Tedor gasped audibly. "I never thought of that! No one did." - -"My father did. He's there now. Listen to me, Barwan! There's so much -going on that you Century Agents either know nothing about or do -nothing about." - -"What do you mean by that?" - -"Clearly, this monopolist is a big-shot in our own day, with plenty of -power." - -"Dorlup?" - -"I never heard of him." - -"Solidio writer, but never mind. And this talk won't get you anywhere. -You're going back with me." - -"I didn't think it would. But I want to show you a few things." Laniq -stood up, crossed the floor to him even though he waved the atomic -pistol in warning. "Oh, put that thing away. If the fact that you're -armed and I'm not stands between free world and slave world, you might -as well go ahead and shoot me if it will make you happy." - - * * * * * - -Laniq came so close Tedor could have reached out and touched her. The -zipper on her blouse had been closed hastily half-way, revealing white -throat and curving breasts. - -"Give me the pistol," Laniq said. - -Tedor looked at her, snorted in disbelief. But he put the weapon in -his pocket and told her, "Go ahead and talk." - -Laniq grasped his shoulder impulsively. "Barwan, you've got to listen! -We can make a quick tour through time, just hitting the high spots. -I can show you things; I can show you a man from our own time behind -every important dictator in history. We've beaten them all along the -line, so you don't have to worry about it. Except for the twentieth -century. It's a crucial age, Barwan, and we're not winning. The whole -course of future history might be changed if we don't. - -"That's crazy. Future history already _is_." - -"I'm surprised at you. Why do you Agents make all that fuss about -time-tinkering? There's no telling what might happen if history is -changed--it's never gotten out of hand yet. But change its flow in the -mid-twentieth century and we could be in for a mess of trouble. Maybe -there's an alternate time-stream, perhaps we'll be thrust into it. I -don't know--and neither do you." - -What she said was perfectly true. Mulid Ruscar had always been very -strong on that point. _Don't wait to find out_, he always said. - -"Okay," Tedor told her. "All right, you win. We'll take this tour -of yours. But remember this: I still think you know more about -Fornswitthe's death than you're telling me. If you try to get away, -I'll kill you. On the other hand, if you prove your point I have a -month at my disposal. I can help you." - -Laniq grinned happily. "I could kiss you, Barwan. Here, let me at those -controls." - -Tedor stepped aside and waited with mounting impatience while she -set the time-conveyor for their first stop. Would Ruscar approve? He -doubted it. Still, he was on vacation and he sensed a ring of sincerity -in what Laniq had told him. He wondered how much her breathless beauty -had to do with his decision, then found himself snorting again. He'd -never lacked women, not as a Century Agent. But they'd always come to -him, whining his name, begging almost. Laniq he would have to go and -fetch. - -And then Tedor felt the familiar sensation as the conveyor purred off -into the time-stream. - - * * * * * - -"Turn of the century," said Laniq when they had stopped. "Eighth and -ninth centuries A. D. Did you ever hear of Charlemagne?" - -"Of course," Tedor nodded. "Ruler of the Franks, later of Germany, -Italy; first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire." - -"He needed help," Laniq said. "Come." - -Tedor followed her outside into a murky summer night. The torch-lights -of an ancient city pulsed and throbbed off to their left. - -"His capital, Aix-la-Chapelle," said Laniq. "Charlemagne got help from -the monopolist, Barwan. Fortunately, when Charles the Great died his -Paladins couldn't hold the Empire together. Despite Papal acceptance, -the Holy Roman Empire was a paper kingdom after Charlemagne." - -Outside Tours proper, Charlemagne had set up a tent city in which the -elite of his Army bivouacked. Clusters of tents dotted the plain, -cook-fires cast eerie light, sentries prowled and plodded sleepily. -Tedor heard loud talking in the old dialect of the Franks. Hypnosleep -had yielded a new language to him again in a matter of minutes. - -They crept up behind a sentry, were on the point of passing him when -Laniq stumbled. The sentry whirled, spear poised, but Tedor ducked -under it in the darkness and used the edge of his hand against the -sentry's Adam's apple. It was dirty fighting, but necessary. The sentry -went down silently and Tedor grabbed the spear before it could clatter. - -"Stay here," he told Laniq. He had materialized for himself the -clothing of a Frank warrior. With it and his spear he strode boldly to -Charlemagne's own tent, relieving the sentry who paced outside it, then -a few moments later relieving the guard inside. - -"I don't know you," the man grumbled. - -"I'm new," said Tedor. "German. Go to sleep." - -Charlemagne was a tall, slender man fully six and a half feet in -height, with white hair and a long white beard. He paced back and forth -anxiously, great hands folded behind his richly robed back. - -"The road to Rome is not open," he said to someone irritably, as if he -had said if before but the man refused to take no for an answer. - -"Not yet, it isn't," his guest answered suavely. He was a younger man, -clean-shaven like Tedor. "I can open it for you. Empire awaits you, -Charles; don't turn away from it." - -"I still do not even know who you are." - -"Nor will you--ever." - -"What do you want if you help me attain this Empire?" - -"Assistance. Troops if we demand them. Labor conscripted in your border -countries. Certain minerals." - -"Not gold?" - -"Not gold." - -Tedor stood his watch not a dozen feet from them at the entrance to -the tent. The stranger might be from the future, although Tedor had -seen nothing to prove it. He activated the transmitter embedded in his -palate with his tongue, whispered almost inaudibly, "You are not alone." - -Charlemagne had not heard him. The stranger could not have heard, -either, unless he had a receiver in his ear. The stranger jumped as if -stung. "Where are you?" Tedor heard in his ear, then watched as the -stranger made a great show of clearing his throat. - -"You are sure?" Charlemagne was saying. "No gold?" - -Tedor never heard the answer. He fled back the way he had come, found -Laniq crouching near one of the cook-fires. - -"You might have escaped," he said. - -"Did you see?" - -"I saw. I knew you wouldn't try anything. I'm ready for another visit, -Laniq." - -Then was there indeed a monopolist? Ruscar had scoffed at the idea. -Domique Hadrien had gone into hiding. The twentieth century, Laniq -had said. But if Hadrien knew what he was talking about, Tedor must -find more evidence and return with it to Ruscar. Once Ruscar had said -something about tinkering on the grand scale. This made all other -tinkering seem meaningless by comparison, and Tedor shuddered when he -thought of the consequences it might have for the future. Laniq claimed -they had beaten it in every age but Tedor's own stamping grounds, the -twentieth century, but he knew that century alone could be more than -sufficient, for it was one of the great turning points in history. Was -that why Dorlup was interested? - -"Come on," said Laniq. - - * * * * * - -"The dialect you learned," she told him later, "is Yakka Mongol. This -is the thirteenth century, Barwan. We are in the Gobi desert. You know -of Genghis Kahn?" - -"Of course. A mongol leader who conquered all of Asia--his own Gobi, -India, China. He moved on into Europe, too, sweeping the Russian, -Polish and Hungarian Armies to defeat. He probably conquered more of -the world than any other single man." - -They stood on a high, wind-swept plateau with vast reaches of -glistening white sand all around them. Legions of wind-driven dunes -marched endlessly to the horizon, but a mile or so to the east -reed-bordered ponds ruled over a verdantly green oasis. Surrounding the -oasis was Genghis Kahn's city of yurts--the dwellings borrowing some of -the features of the tent and some of the American aborigine tepees. - -Dung-fires tainted the air with an unpleasant pungency. Strangely, -Tedor discovered, there were no guards, no sentries. - -"Their sentries have outposts on the desert," Laniq explained. "If a -large body of horsemen arrives, they will see it in plenty of time. As -for the lone traveler, he could be nothing but a friend. An enemy would -not live long in this place." - -They advanced on the oasis, the unfamiliar yakskin clothing itching -Tedor's skin, the stain which converted him to a Mongol in appearance -smarting in his eyes. Before long the black felt yurts were not ahead -of them but all around them and they walked, completely uncontested, to -the very door of Genghis Kahn's own yurt, the standard of the nine yak -tails billowing above it in the stiff wind. - -The Kha Khan, the Emperor of Mankind, the Power of God on Earth, the -Master of Thrones and Crowns, the Mighty Manslayer--Genghis Kahn -squatted, Oriental fashion, by his dung fire. With him were two men, -the first old and bent, a scraggly white beard falling to his ornate -belt. The second was younger and--Tedor may have imagined it--he seemed -to be squirming and scratching in the yakskin clothing. - -"He can work magic," the ancient man declared. "I have seen him blast -rocks, Oh Kahn. I have seen him make fire from a simple tube. Heed -wisely his words, Oh Kahn." - -Genghis Kahn wore long, plaited, greased red hair. His coarse, -wind-beaten features worked themselves into a scowl. "He speaks -fantasies," said the Kahn. - -"Not fantasy," the third man at the fire said, sniffing distastefully, -Tedor thought, at the dung-fumes. "Truth. I say this: Genghis Kahn can -one day master all the world, from the Land of Morning Calm to the city -called Vienna." - -"Of Vienna I have never heard." - -"One day you will," the younger man promised, "but sure, bold strokes -are essential. The Shah of Persia would stop you. You balk at crossing -his frontiers. You would return to Karakorum and rest." - -"Yes. My capital is a beautiful city, and I _would_ rest." - -"You must never rest, not with all mankind ready to fall at your feet! -The Shah of Persia anticipates border actions, clashes, sorties, -patrols. Fool him. Strike with your entire army at the gateway city. -It is far to the south of here, in a warmer land, but it is the gateway -to the West for your people, Oh Kahn." - -"Who is he?" Tedor whispered. - -"Working for the monopolist, from our own time. Here in this age they -call him Chepe Noyon and he is one of the Kahn's two greatest generals. -Shh." - -"I will lead your army, Oh Kahn. I, Chepe will lead it, and if I fall -you may have me flayed." - -"He can work magic," said the shaman. - -"He had better," the Kahn declared dryly. "For we march from here to -Karakorum to resupply our Army and from Karakorum we will take the -southern route across the mountains to Tibet to the West. We will hit -Bokhara in the spring." - -"The Kahn is wise," said Chepe Noyon, still scratching at his yakskin -garments. - -"Let's get out of here," Tedor whispered. - -But the shaman looked up, said; "And who are those two, that man and -woman?" - -Genghis Kahn shrugged imperial shoulders. Chepe shook his head. - -"Then I say they are an evil omen." - -"Ho!" roared Genghis Kahn, evidently more superstitious than history -had suspected. "Detain them!" - - * * * * * - -Yakka warriors converged on them. Tedor grabbed Laniq's hand and -started running, fanning his atomic pistol's fire all around them. -He caught a glimpse of Chepe Noyon's face, astonishment stamping the -features, and then he forgot everything but the fact that they had to -run--and hard--over the shifting, seething sand. - -The desert was strewn with corpses, but the warriors kept coming, -for life was cheap on the Gobi. Presently they showed sufficient -imagination to keep well back out of range of the atomic pistol, -however, and when Tedor and Laniq reached the time-conveyor they were -alone. - -They tumbled inside, Laniq running to the controls and Tedor bolting -the door. Tedor would never forget Chepe Noyon's face as they departed. -He did not have to say _you are not alone_. Clearly Chepe knew it. - -"Enough!" Tedor cried. "I believe you." His head was whirling, but -if the girl said her people had beaten the monopolist in all but the -twentieth century, he wanted to go there at once. - -She smiled at him. "No. I want to really convince you." - -They watched Tamerlane's abortive attempt to repeat Genghis Kahn's -Asiatic Conquest. They stood by while a man from the far future gave -England's Cromwell the necessary encouragement for his _coup d'etat_. -("Cromwell's head will roll anyway," Laniq said cheerfully.) The pages -of history came alive again when Napoleon cavorted for them at Elba, -convinced by a man who appeared mysteriously out of nowhere to break -the chains of his exile and try his hand once more at world empire. -("Thank God for Wellington.") They watched Kerensky's provisional -government fall in the days of the Russian Revolution, paving the way -for Communist dictatorship. But Kerensky was betrayed from within, and -not by a Russian but a man from the future. ("We don't know about this -one yet, Barwan.") And not the Germans in a secret railroad train, but -men from the future in a time-conveyor, spirited Lenin back from Russia -in time to assume the mantle of empire and so pave the way for Stalin -and Malenkov. - -"I want to show you one thing more before we head for the year 1954," -Laniq told Tedor, whose head by now was swimming with a vast new--and -sinister--concept of history. "Did you ever hear of Adolph Hitler?" - - * * * * * - -The city was Munich in the early 1920's, narrow cobbled streets all -a-clatter with horses and wagons and learning the new sound of the -gasoline automobile and the swaying electric trolley. Munich, Germany, -city of commerce, transportation hub noisy with the sounds of arrival -and departure, its byways crowded with small homburgs, bicycles, -checkered caps. The Munich of the Beer Halls and great steins of hearty -German beer and singing and raucous laughter. But also the Munich of -unrest, distrust, intense intellectual turmoil, and the Munich which, -not many months later, was to be the scene of the abortive _putsch_ in -a beer cellar which started a slight little man with stray-locked dark -hair on his path toward world conquest. - -They sat in a beer hall, Laniq and Tedor, and at a table near them sat -a man, young but with eyes which to Tedor were at once the most fiery, -most intense and oldest he had even seen. He was a man, Tedor guessed, -who would never know a tranquil moment in his life; cold, friendless, -fidgety, smouldering with nameless resentments. - -"That's Hitler," Laniq said unnecessarily. "It is why we have come -here." - -They had spent three hours in the beer cellar so often frequented by -Hitler, a second-rate poster artist, ex-Army corporal and smouldering -revolutionary. - -A man came to the table and joined Hitler, not half a dozen feet from -where Laniq and Tedor sat with their beer. As the one was stamped -with his personality as clearly as ever a man could be, so the other -was poker-faced non-descript, neither German nor non-German, feverish -agitator nor tranquil pacifist. - -"You have come," said Hitler, easily loud enough for Tedor to hear. "It -is good. I have spent the entire day thinking of what you have told me. -It is like a storm bursting inside of me, a happy torment, as if it -holds the seeds of a strife which can make everything clear, lucidly -clear for Germany and the world, their destiny, one the master the -other the follower. You will one day be a great man." - -"Not I, Adolph. You harbor the inherent qualities for greatness." - -"I know," said Hitler, and made it sound the most natural thing in the -world. "I was born for greatness, I will be great. But you have earned -it with your perception, your understanding, with your ability to point -out objectively what I could not see for my raging emotions." - -"It is only common sense, Adolph. You had the idea; clearly, the idea -was in you. A year, two years, it would have materialized. I merely -acted like a catalyst." - -"To the East," said Hitler in a dreamy voice, all the while his eyes -burned furiously, "is the Bolshevik, the Red Scourge, the hated, feared -enemy of mankind. To the West is the Democratic world, the England of -many centuries, the France of polite ways and laughable indecisions, -the young America, still trying its wings. - -"Which is the enemy of the people? I will tell you which. It is as you -have said. The Red, the Communist Bolshevik is the enemy of the people. -Tell them, 'See, the Red is coming!' and they will run, to arms, -defending their homes and what they love as if it were Ragnarok itself. -Good. We will tell them that. - -"And which is the enemy of Hitler, the real enemy of Hitler who--as you -say--was born to lead Germany, the Third Reich, to world glory? It is -not the Red Bolshevik, no. It is the West, with its standard of living, -its broad, idealistic aims which while incapable of bearing fruit -are nevertheless infinitely attractive; the West with its showcase -democracy, the West with its guaranteed personal liberties for morons -and sub-morons, the West which yearns after the individual to the -neglect of the state and so makes all individuals everywhere yearn so -too. - -"I will fire my people with hatred for the Red when hatred for the Jew -has weakened because one day we will exterminate the Jew. The one is -a legitimate hatred, the other a fancied one--but with the fires once -stoked, the hatred will burn brightly. When it turns, as assuredly it -will, to still a third and now unthinkable hatred, frenzy will ride -high the crest of a wave--and the legions of the Third Reich will turn -suddenly and devastatingly on the West, which today the German people -cannot hate but which will one day bear the brunt of their hatred and -power and rage because I, Hitler, tell them so." - -"I am glad I could bring this to the surface in you so much sooner than -it otherwise might have appeared," said the non-descript man. - -"_You_ are glad? _You?_" Tears streamed down Hitler's face, yet he -laughed. "Think how I feel. I, Hitler. A man today, a God tomorrow, -because you showed me the way. Name your price, request your reward; -when the world is mine the half you want shall be yours." - -"I want only what is best for Germany and its people," said the man. - -"What he means," Laniq whispered to Tedor, "is he wants what is best -for the monopolist. Naturally he's one of our own people. Fortunately -for the world, he drove this point home too strongly. Hitler will move, -and soon, making a wild, incredible bid for power. When it aborts, he -will bide his time for another decade, giving the free world additional -time to prepare." - -"Why don't we wait for him outside, take him, and see what we can -learn?" Tedor demanded. - -"Risk everything on that when we know Hitler will fail? This man -probably doesn't know the monopolist, anyway. He is a shadow figure, -a ghost. None of them knows his identity, at least that has been my -experience." - -"Still--" - -"Still nothing. The twentieth century's middle years are the -significant ones. Let all else ride if we must, for it is there the -monopolist will either succeed or fail with plans that will make the -dreams of a dozen Hitlers seem something less than child's play." - -"Okay, Laniq. You win. But remember this; once we get to my stamping -grounds, I'm going to take over. Brief me if you want to, but I have -the contacts. Besides, I came hell-bent into the time-stream looking -for you and now I find apparently all my ideas need readjusting. I'll -be able to think a lot better with some affirmative action under my -belt." - -"Very well. What do we do first?" - -"Well, now--" - -"We seek out my father in Afghanistan, naturally. He can do the -briefing you suggest. After that...." - -"After that I take over," Tedor growled, then smiled. "Come on." - - * * * * * - -"My father's followers needed an out-of-the-way place like this," Laniq -explained as the time-conveyor dropped out of the time-stream and -cruised along above the desert. "We're building a spaceship, you see." - -"A spaceship? What for? There is nothing worth while on the planets, -nothing worth the trouble to mine it." - -"My fault, Tedor. I should have said a starship. If necessary, we'll go -to the stars. Oh, we can do it, although the trip will take generations -and only a few hundred people will find room. We won't do it unless the -monopolist forces us. If he gains the dictatorial control of time he's -seeking, we'll have no choice. We're collecting trophies, artifacts -of man's culture, just in case. We'll gladly put them in a museum or -return them if the monopolist fails." Laniq turned to the port, gazed -down on the desert sweeping by. Suddenly; "Tedor!" - -Tedor stood beside her and stared down. There had been a village of -tents below them. There now were the remains of tents in a well-watered -oasis--but no village. - -Fires smouldered below them. Charred wreckage lay strewn about the -rolling dunes and jumbled rock on either side of the oasis. A great -silver hull--the body of an incomplete starship, Tedor knew, lay on its -side, a dying animal, huge rents and gashes disfiguring it like ugly, -bloodless scars. - -"Tedor--Tedor--I'm afraid!" - -Tedor took the conveyor down, landing it adjacent to the wrecked -starship. He climbed out first, helped Laniq alight. Dazed, clasping -and unclasping her hands, she walked about the oasis. In some of the -burned tents dishes were set on crude tables. Personal equipment was -everywhere, on the floors, on the charred plastoid beds, in hastily -emptied lockers. Most of the fires had burned themselves out, but smoke -still curled lazily into the dry, hot air of the desert. - -"They came, Tedor. They destroyed--everything." - -Tedor stood mutely, uncomfortably, not knowing what to say. Everything -he thought about Laniq had changed so drastically in the space of a -few hours and now he wanted to help her, but could do nothing. - -"Miss Hadrien. Miss Hadrien!" - -They whirled together, saw a dark head poke itself out from behind one -end of the spaceship, large burnoose very white over the brown skin. It -was a boy of perhaps fourteen. He was trembling, his lips puckered. He -sobbed. "Oh, Miss Hadrien...." - -Laniq went to him, patted his shoulder. "Mahmud, there now. It must -have been awful, I know. There, Mahmud." - -With someone to comfort him, Mahmud cried all the more. He wailed -loudly, letting the tears gush down his cheeks, abandoning his body to -wracking sobs. - -Tedor who spoke Persian and understood it, realized the boy would go -right on crying and Laniq comforting him and so not finding time to cry -herself. And so he said, "Mahmud, tell me what happened. Tell me where -Miss Hadrien's people are." - -Mahmud sniffled, blinked his eyes, plucked a handful of gummy dates -from the folds of his burnoose. He munched, sniffled again. "Dead," he -sobbed. "They are all dead, almost." - -Laniq sobbed too, clutching little Mahmud's shoulder more firmly. -"Dead?" she cried. "Dead? Where?" - -"Maybe not all, Miss Hadrien. Those that could, fled--taking the dead -with them. It happened not long ago when three round craft came down -from the sky and burned everything. They struck without warning. My -people fled." - -"You are very brave, Mahmud," Laniq declared. "What--happened to my -father?" - -"The Hadrien Sir was badly hurt, Miss. Of that much I am sure. They -carried him with much moaning and bleeding into their craft, your -people did, and went to the West. 'Laniq' he kept mumbling. He looked -at me while they carried him and said 'Laniq! you tell Laniq we went to -Nevada. She'll know where. Tell Laniq we went to Nevada, but tell no -one else.' That is what he said and I, Mahmud, remember every word." - -"Thank you, Mahmud. And what about you?" - -Mahmud smiled for the first time. "Oh, presently I will return among -my people who fled in the face of all this terror from the sky. But it -will not be the same." - -"It will be the same," said Laniq. "They are your people." - -"I say it will not be the same, but thank you, Miss. I will go among my -people with my great sadness and remember yours forever." - -"If I thought you would be happy, I would take you with me." - -"Miss--" Mahmud looked at her hopefully. - -"No, Mahmud. You won't understand this, not yet. But they are your -people, your home and your world. You could not pick up the threads of -a new life and a new way of life without sorrow. Your people did what -anyone else would have done, including _my_ people. They had their own -homes to protect; they could not throw their lives away vainly in my -people's defense." - -Mahmud smiled again, then turned to go. "I was hoping you would say -that, Miss Hadrien." He trotted off with head high and shoulders -squared. - -"He'll be all right, I think," Laniq said. "We'd better get to Nevada, -Tedor." - -Together they ran for the time-conveyor. It hurt her not to, but Laniq -never looked back at the devastated community. - - * * * * * - -"Seventeen, red," fat Dorlup proclaimed to the croupier in a Reno -gambling joint. - -The wheel spun, the ball clicked, rattled, jumped with it. - -"Seventeen, red," declared the croupier in an awed voice as he raked -a tall stack of chips toward the one Dorlup had placed in the red -seventeen. Dorlup gathered the stack in with his pudgy arms and -deposited it carelessly in the growing mountain of chips nearby. - -"You're wonderful," the honey-blond solidio actress told him, squeezing -his arm to add emphasis. - -There was no shaking Beti, not since that day, months ago, when she had -steered Dorlup into the Automat in New York. Since then he had been -across the country three times, and she with him. He had gained a lot -of source material for his solidio, and it amused him after a few days -when he realized Beti was spying on him for someone. He didn't care, -since he had nothing in particular to hide. And, anyway, there were -certain joys of which Beti was truly the mistress, despite the vacuum -which seemed to exist inside her skull. - -"You _are_ wonderful," Beti said again. - -Dorlup patted her hand without real affection. "Everyone in here thinks -I have a system. _The_ system to beat the game, I might add. There is -only one system. I know that system. Roulette wouldn't have a chance -where we come from." - -"It all rides on eight, black," Dorlup told the croupier. - -"All?" The man's polish had cracked. - -"All." - -"Eight black," the croupier intoned a moment later. The crowd ooh'ed -and aah'ed. - -"Well," said Dorlup, and gathered in the chips again. - -"Mr. Dorlup?" someone at his shoulder asked. - -"Yes, I am Dorlup. What do you want?" - -"Come with me." - -"What for?" - -"Don't make a scene, Mr. Dorlup," the man said in a soft voice. Then in -a language which Dorlup had not heard for six months: "It is important -that I talk with you." - -Dorlup's eyes bulged. "You're an Agent?" - -"Come with me, please." - -Dorlup told Beti to play with his chips, then followed the man from the -gambling room into the bar. - -"Scotch," said Dorlup with a smile. "Might as well be your treat, eh?" - -"Two scotches, then," said the man. "You're in serious trouble, Dorlup." - -"Is that so?" - -"Quite. For a long time the Century Agents have played down stories -about a time-tinkerer who had broken more rules than all the tinkerers -before him. He was called the monopolist of despotism, although -frankly the Agents neither invented nor particularly cared for the -term. We played down the stories but we hardly doubted them. As I said, -you are in trouble, Dorlup. You are under arrest." - -"This is fantastic. What's the charge?" - -"Time tinkering, of course. You are the monopolist, Dorlup." - -"What? WHAT?" - -"You are the monopolist." - -Beti played with Dorlup's chips until not one remained in front of her. -The croupier was his old self again, calm, detached, indifferent. She -looked all around the club for Dorlup but couldn't find him. - -No doubt the stranger had been an Agent. Beti hardly understood all -that had happened in the last few months. First they told her to spy -on Dorlup and she had--gladly, since she had done other small jobs for -them in the past and the pay was good. _I'm not as dumb as he thinks_, -she thought with a smile. And then, then they had told her to lie in -her reports. She had lied cheerfully, at their direction. But why did -they need to spy if she spied and found nothing, then reported all -sorts of things? She shrugged her shapely shoulders. They had their -reasons. - -They also had Dorlup, she concluded. Then her job was finished. - -She had a drink, listened to a sultry-voiced girl render the latest -popular song, and went outside into the cool night air. A sleek car -roared to a quick stop in front of her. The back door opened. "Get in," -someone said in the darkness. - -She hesitated. Hands reached out, tugged at her, pulled her. She was -too surprised to try fighting them off, but they were big, strong hands -and it would have been futile anyway. She was deposited on the back -seat of the car, between two men. The one on her right she had never -seen before. She had seen pictures of the one on her left, the handsome -man who was approaching middle age so attractively. - -He was Mulid Ruscar, Chief of the Century Agents. - - * * * * * - -"Where's my father?" Laniq demanded. - -"I'll take you to him." The man led them down a street lined with -prefabricated, Quonset-like houses. People smiled at Laniq, but -wanly--and most of the houses were deserted. - -An old man shook his head sadly, said, "There was great carnage in -Afghanistan. We don't know how it happened; we can only guess. Someone -was followed, despite all our efforts." - -They walked on, came at last to one of the prefabricated dwellings -which seemed no different from all the others. It was late autumn, -1954, but here in southern Nevada, warm winds swept uncomfortably -through the dusty street. - -A short, stocky man met them at the door. "You'll have to be quiet," he -said. - -"Dr. Jangor, how is my father?" - -"Badly hurt, I'm afraid. He'll live, but we had to amputate his right -leg above the knee. Come in, child." - -Tedor followed Laniq awkwardly inside. - -"He's in there," the doctor said, pointing to a closed door. - -"I'd better wait outside," Tedor told Laniq. - -"No, I want you with me." - -Shrugging, Tedor followed her within the room. His head propped on -pillows, a man lay in the single bed. He was neither awake, nor asleep, -but in that half-way state, semi-conscious, dreamy, yet extremely lucid. - -"He's been doped against the pain," said Dr. Jangor, and closed the -door behind him. - -"Dad," Laniq called softly. - -The head on the pillow stirred. Sweat beaded the skin, ran into the -eyes and made them squint. - -"Dad, it's Laniq." - -The lips hardly moved, but Tedor heard: "La-niq? Laniq, you've come -back." - -She knelt by the bed, let her hand rest on her father's feverish brow. -"It's all right now, Dad. Everything's going to be all right." - -"They destroyed the starship, Laniq. Completely. We--don't have that -way out any longer. We've got to beat the monopolist in Russia. -It's his last chance." Domique Hadrien spoke without heat, with no -emotion at all. The words spilled from his lips one after the other, -tonelessly. "We have beaten him all along the line, without even -knowing his identity. But he has the best chance in Russia and knows it. - -"We approach 1955, the crucial year. I said it was the monopolist's -last chance. Well, it is ours as well. If he wins in Russia, if he goes -on to unite the whole 20th century world as a Russian slave state, then -he's on his way toward ultimate conquest of all time. Think of the -power at his disposal: an Army to be drawn from two and a half billion -people. We must stop him. - -"Who is with you, Laniq?" - -"A friend," Laniq assured him. "You can talk." - -"I--I know what we have to do. A one-legged man, recuperating, isn't -good for much. Someone must go to Russia and--" - -"I can go," Tedor said. "I have contacts there. Century Agents." - -"I'll go with you," Laniq told him. - -"You'll stay right here." - -"Yes? What would you do in Russia?" - -"Well--" - -"Do you have a plan?" - -"Of course not--yet. But I could see what's happening--" - - * * * * * - -Domique Hadrien seemed more clearly awake, more alert. "Nonsense, young -man. When it comes to intrigue, Laniq is as capable as a man. Further, -she knows what we've been planning all along." - -"What's that?" - -"If you're familiar with their recent history, you'll recall that -their former dictator, Stalin, died early last year. The new premier, -Malenkov, is a man to his people, where Stalin was a god. With their -effective propaganda-indoctrination machines, I don't doubt Malenkov -will one day also be regarded almost as a deity--if we give them time. -That's what the monopolist wants, naturally. It's a necessary part -of his plans. But Chenkov, the new Army Chief is backed by a strong -military clique which would like him and not Malenkov to assume the -mantle of godhood. As for the people, they were willing to take what -Stalin dished out because Stalin was their god; but Malenkov is not -only a man but a hated half-Tartar, and the people grumble whenever -they have to tighten their belts another notch. - -"So, Malenkov will one day have godhood. That was their original plan, -but there is another development paralleling it. Wild claims have -come out of Russia, rumors, whispered talk--all saying that Stalin, -miraculously, is living again. It's sheer imagination, I suspect. It's -an attempt to pan a make-believe Stalin off on the people in case -Malenkov falls on his face while playing God." - -"Then we go to Moscow," said Tedor, "as Russians, of course. We must -discredit Malenkov where possible, disprove the Stalin re-birth -theory--" - -"And incite the people to revolt," Laniq finished for him. - -"Well," said Tedor, and smiled. - -"It isn't as difficult as it looks, although I think I'd rather go -hunting for lions with my bare hands. You see, I've been to Russia -before, several times, and for the same reason. I have a fictitious -identity there, which I assume on arrival. I've managed to snag a few -top men as--uh, admirers. That includes Vladimir Chenkov, by the way." - -"Sounds better already. You stay with your father," said Tedor, "for a -while. I'm taking a trip up to New York to get some information from -our Century Agent there. Then I'll return, pick up one female intriguer -out here in Nevada, and we'll be on our way. Take care of yourselves." -And Tedor left. - -"Nice chap," Hadrien told his daughter. - -She smiled at him. "You know something Dad? I'm just beginning to -realize that. Very nice." - - * * * * * - -The office was on the twenty-third floor of a big office building in -mid-town New York, room 2307. It came with all the standard equipment, -desks, filing cabinets, chairs, phones, an attractive secretary. - -"I'd like to see Mr. Sertant," Tedor told the secretary, who was -leafing through one magazine with half a dozen others waiting their -turn. - -"Isn't a very busy office," she told him flushing slightly. - -"I didn't think it would be." - -"You know Mr. Sertant?" - -"We're old friends," Tedor assured her. It wasn't the truth, for he'd -never met Sertant, although he had heard of the Agent. - -"Then can you do me a favor, Mister?" - -"Maybe." - -"What does he do? I mean, what's Mr. Sertant's business? The way he -snoops around people sometimes, you'd think he was a private detective. -You know, like Mike Hammer?" - -"You might call him that." - -"I just wanted to know if I could tell my friends I'm working for a -private detective or what, but Mr. Sertant doesn't ever tell me what he -does. I just sit here in case anyone comes. Who shall I say is calling, -sir?" - -"Mr. Barwan. Tedor Barwan." - -"Umm." The girl said nothing, but she scowled while trying to write -Tedor's name on a pad. - -"T-e-d-o-r B-a-r-w-a-n," he spelled it out for her. - -"Are you Turkish, Mr. Barwan? It sounds maybe like it's Turkish." - -"No." - -"Mr. Sertant has a funny name, too. Sertant. Excuse me please, Mister." - -"That's all right." - -"I'd better tell Mr. Sertant you are here." She flicked the intercom, -and Tedor could hear a buzzer dimly in the inner office. "Mr. Sertant? -There's a Mr. Tedor Barwan to see you.... Yes, sir.... You go right on -in, Mr. Barwan." - - * * * * * - -Tedor thanked her, pushed through the gate, opened the door to -Sertant's office, closed it behind him. Sertant got up from his desk, -an Agent somewhat younger than Tedor, with red hair and very fair, -almost livid skin. - -"Your identification please, Barwan." - -Tedor gave his papers to Sertant. - -"Excellent. It's quite a coincidence you dropped in, Barwan. We've been -looking for you." - -"Really?" - -"It will save us a lot of work." - -Tedor was about to ask why, but Sertant began answering the question -before he had the opportunity to ask it. Sertant reached into a draw of -his desk, his hand emerging swiftly and with clear purpose, grasping a -20th century automatic pistol with comfortable familiarity and pointing -it at Tedor. - -"Sit down, Barwan." - -Tedor sat. - -"You're under arrest." - -"This is crazy," Tedor snorted. "What for? By what authority? I think I -outrank you as an Agent, anyway." - -"I don't doubt you do." - -"Then you can't arrest me." - -"This gun says I can. I also have orders which say I can." With his -free hand Sertant groped about the top of his desk, never letting his -eye leave Tedor. Presently he found a sheet of paper tucked under his -blotter, passed it across the desk-top. - -Tedor scanned it quickly, and with mounting incredulity. It proclaimed: - - _HEADQUARTERS - CENTURY AGENTS - OFFICE OF THE CHIEF_ - - _To all Agents, all centuries: Important. Century Agent C-20 Tedor - Barwan--now on vacation, whenabouts unknown--is to be detained on - sight for possible connection with or knowledge of serious case of - time tinkering. Signed. Mulid Ruscar, Chief._ - -"It's Ruscar's signature," said Tedor, "but I still say you can't hold -me." - -"This gun says I can," Sertant repeated. "I'm sorry, Barwan, but -those are my orders. I hardly know anything about it myself, although -something seems to be popping right here in this century." - -Tedor began to think of getting away. It was something to think about, -but not at the moment, for Sertant seemed on the point of telling him -something which might be of value. - -"Ruscar is here, right here in Twenty. It appears whatever is happening -is sufficiently important to demand his presence." - -"Well, then, what's happening?" - -"My friend, that is what Ruscar will want to ask you. Actually, -I don't know. So I'll simply have to detain you until Ruscar gets -here--which could be soon. It could also be several weeks." - -Tedor did not like the idea of an indefinite wait. He eyed Sertant -speculatively wondered just how much experience the young Agent had -with the obsolete pistol--how much he had, in fact with violence of any -sort. - -Tedor calculated the distance between them. Six feet, with Sertant -sitting comfortably behind the desk, elbow propped on its surface, -gun in hand; Tedor standing in front of the desk, shifting his weight -uncomfortably from one foot to the other. - -The desk? Tedor considered. It wasn't too heavy, but it also did not -give him much of a hand-hold. If he could duck, grasp it firmly, spill -it over on top of Sertant.... - -Sertant settled the problem himself. He stood up, came around the side -of the desk and stopped near Tedor. "I really should put this antique -weapon away," he admitted. "After all, we Agents can trust one another, -and Ruscar probably wants you only for information on something." - -Tedor shrugged, beginning to feel like a heel, but realizing it was -necessary. "Then why don't you?" - - * * * * * - -Sertant looked at the gun uncertainly, but continued holding it, the -muzzle pointed half at Tedor and half at the floor. "You are going to -be a headache," he said. "Obviously, I can't lock you in any of the -20th century jails. The natives would want reasons and I don't have the -authority, anyway." - -"Then why don't you let me go--provided I promise to remain in the 20th -century until I see Ruscar?" Tedor realized he could cheerfully make -such a promise and keep it, for if they uncovered and defeated the -monopolist in Russia, Ruscar assuredly would want to hear of it. - -Sertant shook his head. "Since Ruscar issued this directive for you -personally, I have to detain you." - -At that moment, Sertant's office-intercom buzzed. Sertant leaned across -the desk, his eyes still on Tedor, and flicked a switch. Tedor heard -the secretary's voice. - -"Mr. Sertant, I'd like to see you about something." - -"What?" Sertant demanded irritably. - -"Your correspondence to Mr. Hoblan in Cairo." - -Hoblan's name was familiar to Tedor. C-20, middle-east, as he recalled. - -"Umm, yes. That can't wait. Come on in, Miss Peterson." - -The door soon opened. Sertant averted his eyes from Tedor for an -instant, looked at Miss Peterson. - -Tedor leaped at him. The gun roared deafeningly, brought a cascade of -plaster down from the ceiling. Miss Peterson screamed. - -Then Tedor was grappling with Sertant, forcing him back over the edge -of the desk, and twisting the hand that held the gun. Miss Peterson -disappeared, on her way to notify the local police in all probability. - -Tedor twisted savagely, heard something snap. Sertant cursed; the gun -clattered to the desk-top, then to the floor, but Sertant's hand was at -Tedor's throat, choking him. Abruptly Tedor relaxed, permitting Sertant -to straighten away from the desk. Tedor swung his right hand in a short -clubbing blow which chopped at Sertant's chin. It broke Sertant's -choking hold, opened Sertant's guard so Tedor could pound two swift -blows at his stomach. - -Sertant doubled over, got thrust upright again by a hard left cross -which loosened his teeth and sent two of them flying from his mouth -with a spray of blood. Sertant gurgled, covered head with hands and -slumped on the desk. - -Tedor left the office, tidying his clothing. In the outer room he -passed a near-hysterical Miss Peterson, who had just returned the phone -to its cradle. - -"Better get him some water," Tedor told her. "Cold water. And tell him -I'm sorry. Tell him I'm an Agent, doing an Agent's job and nothing, not -even Ruscar, can delay it. Tell him Ruscar can find me in Moscow if he -really wants me." - -"M-moscow?" - -"Moscow." Tedor closed the door behind him. - - * * * * * - -Dorlup was sweating. Naturally, he had nothing to hide; he had done -nothing which could call the Agents down on him. "I don't know what -you're talking about," he repeated for the fifth time. - -"We'll see about that. We have a sworn statement by this solidio -actress--" - -"Beti? That's insane. Beti's been with me for months, I admit that; but -my behavior has always been within the limits of the law. Why man, the -natives accept me as one of their own." - -"That's what you say." - -"Yes it is. I challenge you to prove otherwise." - -"We already have. The actress' testimony is enough to condemn you." - -"I demand that my legal advocate be notified." - -"He will, when you're returned to the future for trial." - -The door to the small room opened. Tall, slender, self-assured, Mulid -Ruscar entered with another man. - -"It's done," the other man said. - -"We have her statement," said Ruscar. "You can send this one back any -time--and just a minute! Something's coming over your teletype. This -primitive communications...." - -The man who had been questioning Dorlup walked to a bulky piece of -machinery which was clicking excitedly in a corner of the room. He -peered in through the metal case, read: - - HEADQUARTERS EASTERN UNITED STATES DISTRICT COLON URGENT EXCLAMATION - POINT IS RUSCAR PRESENT QUESTION PLEASE HAVE HIM CONTACT ME - IMMEDIATELY REGARDING TEDOR BARWAN PERIOD BARWAN WAS HERE BUT - MANAGED TO ESCAPE CMM TRICKING AND OVERPOWERING ME PERIOD BARWAN - ASSERTED INTENTIONS OF VISITING MOSCOW USSR CMM PURPOSE OF VISIT - UNKNOWN PERIOD PLEASE NOTIFY PERIOD JELDON SERTANT C TWENTY NEUSA - CMM NEW YORK NY END - -"Barwan's slipped through our fingers again," the man said bitterly. - -Ruscar frowned at him. "Actually, you're jumping to conclusions -concerning Tedor. He's a good man, one of the best Agents we've got." - -"That's just it, Chief. That's exactly it. He's been so well -indoctrinated in Agenting, he'll never play along with us." - -"No. Who do you think it was who indoctrinated Tedor? I did. I believed -that way myself, you know. If I changed my mind, perhaps I can change -Tedor's. I'd certainly like to, because we can use Tedor. - -"Well, you can take this Dorlup thing from here. The girl has had an -unfortunate accident. She's dead. But we have her statement, and it -should hold up in a court of law." - -"Dead!" Dorlup cried, not understanding what was going on. - -"Take him out of here," Ruscar said, and someone removed Dorlup from -the room. - -"Now, then," Ruscar continued. "Return to our century with him. Press -charges. Make an astonishing revelation, as it were. We doubted the -existence of a monopolist of despotism, but we're not infallible. We -were wrong. Dorlup is the monopolist, and we have proof." - -"Poor Dorlup." - -"One of those things. We needed a scapegoat, because too many people -were beginning to demand action regarding Domique Hadrien's claims. Too -bad we couldn't stick it on Hadrien himself; that would be taking care -of two things at once. - -"About Barwan, tell Sertant to forget it. If Barwan's on his way to -Moscow, then we can only assume he's thrown in completely with Domique -Hadrien and his followers. That doesn't mean it's irrevocable, for I'm -going to Moscow myself. I'd like to have Barwan with us, as you know. -If not--well, no one man is indispensable." - -In the next room, meanwhile, Dorlup was fuming. His whole orientation -toward what had happened had been drastically altered in the last few -moments. It was not a mistake, hardly a mistake at all. - -A plot? - -A plot, decidedly. Dorlup was being used as--what was the 20th century -term he had picked up?--as a fall guy. He'd have none of it. Not -Dorlup. At first he hardly knew how to straighten it out, but if Ruscar -wouldn't help--he had counted on Ruscar and now it seemed Ruscar was -behind everything--then Dorlup had only one place to turn. He smiled -grimly. After what had happened at the Eradrome, he never thought he'd -go to Tedor Barwan for anything. - -The guard kept one eye on Dorlup, and at the same time tried to listen, -through a partially opened door to the conservation in the next -room. Dorlup picked up a chair when he was convinced all the guard's -attentions were centered on the other room. He swung the chair like a -four-stemmed club, shattering it over the guard's head. Feet pounded in -the next room, but Dorlup was on his way out. - -Shots barked in the darkness, and once a parabeam zipped past Dorlup. -But he kept on running and he found a car at the head of the driveway. -Not only were the keys in the ignition, the engine was idling. Dorlup -sprung inside for all his massive bulk and had gunned the automobile -out toward the main highway before another car started in pursuit. - -Heading for the road to Reno and his time-conveyor, Dorlup wondered -how he could approach Tedor Barwan in Moscow--if, indeed Tedor was -on his way there. Well, Dorlup knew a man in the Spasso House, the -American Embassy fronting on Red Square. He was an expatriate -time-traveler who had decided to remain in the 20th century as one of -its citizens--something growing more common every day. Perhaps he could -help Dorlup.... - -_If_ he ever got to his time-conveyor, let alone Moscow. - -Headlights blazed in his rear-view mirror. He pressed his right foot -down on the accelerator, as far as it would go. The lights did not -fade, nor did they grow brighter. - - * * * * * - -"It can't really be him," Georgi Malenkov told the Comrade Doctor in -obvious distaste. - -"I assure you, Comrade Premier it is he." - -Malenkov walked ponderously to a bar in the corner, poured himself two -ounces of vodka and drank them straight. His suite was far within the -walls of the Kremlin, so deep and so well hidden, in fact that not -fifty people in all of Moscow knew its location. For Stalin this had -not been necessary, Malenkov thought uncomfortably. His suite had been -secret, true enough--but thousands of people had known its location. -With Malenkov it was different. He could trust no one--no one. He never -knew a man could feel so completely alone, so helpless at night and -afraid to sleep. Every time he saw Vladimir Chenkov's lean, gaunt face -he went almost sick with fear. - -Chenkov, grim, deadly Chief of Staff of the Red Army, who had arisen -from Ural obscurity to power only this year--Chenkov coveted what he -did. - -Not Chenkov alone. Everyone. Why, he couldn't even trust his -servants--two men and a woman who never saw the light of day, never -ventured from his suite in the Kremlin. - -He was not Stalin, not the Iron Man, not the half-deity. He was -Malenkov, the man, the fat half-Tartar--and afraid. He had thought at -first that in a matter of months he could cement his position securely -enough to venture forth without fear. But here it was, more than a year -and a half since he had taken office and he had still to drive along -the private highway and use his private dacha to the south for a few -days of relaxation. - -Fortified with the vodka, Malenkov scowled at the Comrade Doctor. -"I won't ask you to explain--such explanations are beyond me. You -say it is he. Very well, but hear this: if you are lying, if you are -wrong--lying or not--your life shall be forfeit." - -The Comrade Doctor shrugged. "I spoke the truth." - -Everyone was against him, Malenkov sulked. Everyone. Now even a ghost. -"How long will he live--uh, he _is_ living?" - -"The answer to the second question, Comrade Premier, is yes. He is -alive, although the manner of life is decidedly unusual. As for the -first question, does the Premier want a truthful answer?" - -"I insist upon it," said Malenkov, who now desired more vodka, but -thought it a matter of impropriety to return to the bar and so call -the Comrade Doctor's attention to the fact that he drank heavily. Such -things had a way of getting out and causing trouble. Perhaps Chenkov -would know some way to use it as a weapon. - -"Then, I do not know. I can promise nothing. He is alive now--in a very -special sort of way. How long he will live I cannot predict. He might -die in a minute, an hour, a year--he might live, if properly cared for, -for an eternity. He--" - -The phone buzzed. Malenkov shuddered, jumped. It had sounded so loud. -He must have them mute the phones. - -"This is the Comrade Premier," he said. - -"Comrade Zhubin, the bio-chemist, Comrade Premier." - -Zhubin. Malenkov's heart pounded. "Go ahead, Zhubin." - -"He is calling for you." - -"Already?" Malenkov was hoarse, found it difficult to swallow. "How -long has he been calling for me?" - -"Several minutes. He is laughing as if something is quite funny." - -Malenkov said he would be right there, returned the phone to its -hook. He shuddered again. The thought of the thing in its small round -glass case was terrible. Should he tell the people? Already rumors -were afoot. Who couldn't he trust? The Comrade Doctor. Shuddering was -becoming habitual. He _had_ to trust the Comrade Doctor, or die of -fright every time he got the sniffles. The Comrade bio-chemist, Zhubin? -But Zhubin had the thing in the glass case and might be considered the -second most important man in the Communist hierarchy. - -Then who was first? - -Malenkov? - -The thing in the glass case? - -Shuddering Malenkov bid the Comrade Doctor make himself comfortable. -He excused himself, entered the hall and started walking. Who was -first? He suddenly remembered something. Malenkov was not first, nor -was the thing in the case. Someone else--someone none of the Russians -knew anything about, except for Malenkov, and Stalin before him, and -perhaps one or two others. - -But Mulid Ruscar, the quiet man impossibly (and yet it was so) from the -future, preferred to remain in the background. - -After all, hadn't the thing in the glass case been Ruscar's idea? - - * * * * * - -"But of course, Vladimir, my dear--of course I missed you! Could it be -otherwise, ever?" - -Laniq sat curled on a chair, talking into the telephone. Her -transformation had been amazing, thought Tedor. Not many hours before, -they had set their conveyor down a score of miles south of Moscow, in -a heavily wooded area. Dressed like city folk and equipped with all -the counterfeit documents they needed, they had confiscated an auto -(Laniq's forged paper placed them high in the Communist nobility) and -motored to Moscow. - -There they entered the apartment Laniq maintained, Laniq excused -herself, left Tedor in the living room with some good vodka, and went -into the bedroom to change her clothing. - -Tedor had to whistle when she returned. - -The gown clung to her body, dazzling white, patterned with gems, -slashed boldly from throat to waist revealing Laniq's shapely breasts -as much as it concealed them, revealing and concealing in a breathless -rhythm as she moved about. The skirt also was slit on one side to -mid-thigh. - -"I'm going to call Chenkov and have dinner with him," Laniq had said. -"Find out what's going on." - -For answer, Tedor took her in his arms and kissed her. It was one of -those things, a sudden impulse which he regretted in the first split -second. Regret turned to delight. Laniq seemed surprised, tried to pull -away, but all at once her lips melted under his, her arms were flung -about his neck, her body thrust against him. - -"Laniq," he had murmured. "Laniq, I--" - -"Shh!" And they were kissing again. - -"Laniq--it's crazy, wild, impossible. We hardly know each other, we.... -I came into time looking for you wanting to kill you!" - -"We have been through all of civilization together. I know you for five -thousand years. Umm-mm, don't stop, Tedor." - -And he hadn't, not for a long time. She burned like fire and she cooled -like a clear mountain lake on a hot summer day and Tedor had whispered -in the dark, "I love you, Laniq." - -"Tedor! I love you. Tell me again." - -"I love you." - -And afterwards, he had prepared drinks and they toasted the future and -discussed plans and then Laniq had gone to the telephone and called -Chenkov. - -"I have to see you, Vladimir. I missed you every minute." Tedor stood -nearby; she kissed the tip of his nose. - -Tedor was so close he heard the voice faintly over the receiver. "I'm -busy, but I'll put it aside. Dinner and then my dacha for the night, -darling Anna." - -That was Laniq's name here in Russia, Anna Myinkov. As Anna Myinkov she -had on previous visits captivated the hearts of Chenkov and others. -Only fat Georgi Malenkov, she had told Tedor, had been impossibly -aloof. Of course, the extent of her captivation was information. She -could learn what was happening, but Tedor somehow would have to put it -to use. - -"I'll pick you up in an hour, Anna." - -"An hour, then," and Laniq cut the connection, turning into Tedor's -arms. - -Tedor scowled. "Just what--happens at his dacha?" - -Laniq laughed softly. "Silly Tedor, we're not married yet." But her -eyes were twinkling. - -"What happens?" - -"You leave that to me, but I can tell you this: if I gave Chenkov what -he could get, and gladly, from any Russian beauty, he'd tire of me." - -"Just what do you do?" - -Laniq practiced some exaggerated bumps and grinds like those Tedor -had often seen in the Eradrome. "Enough, but not too much. Listen, -Tedor--you'd better be on your way in a few minutes. What happens if -Chenkov finds you here?" - -Grumbling, Tedor picked up his fur-lined coat and Russian pile-cap. -"There's a man at the Spasso House," he told her. "Someone who decided -he liked the twentieth century better than our own, counterfeited a -birth certificate, deposited it in an American department of health -some thirty years ago and took up citizenship there. He went into state -department work and is here in Moscow now. - -"You get what information you can from Chenkov. I'll see my friend. -We'll compare notes and decide what to do. Laniq--I want you to--well, -be careful, that's all." - -"Well ..." Laniq smiled at him. - -"I'm not joking. Maybe that gown kind of hurried what I felt all along, -but it was coming, Laniq. I loved you from the beginning but didn't -know it. Laniq, be careful." - -"You can come back and sleep here tonight if you want. I'll see you in -the morning. And you know I'll be careful, Tedor. Now that I've found -you I want to keep you--and I want to stay healthy enough to appreciate -what I've got." - -The phone rang. - -"Hello, this is Anna Myinkov. Yes? Oh, yes, Vladimir. My, but that was -fast. Of course." Laniq hung up, shoved Tedor toward the door. "Get out -of here, quick! Chenkov's suite of rooms when he's not in the Kremlin -or his dacha is in a hotel down the street. He's early. He's on his way -up right now. Scram!" - -Tedor kissed her quickly, stalked out into the hall and waited for the -elevator. A middle-aged man got off--wearing the uniform of a Red Army -marshal, carrying a large bouquet of flowers. - -"You should have doffed your hat," the female elevator operator -admonished Tedor as they started down. "That was Marshal Chenkov." - -"Don't I know it," said Tedor. - - * * * * * - -"Barwan! This is a surprise. Come in, come in." - -The Spasso House, the American Embassy adjacent to Red Square, was a -gaunt, grim structure. Frawdin Chlon--Harry Marsden now--was a man of -about Tedor's age, but shorter, fair of skin and hair and quite calm -and self-possessed in an American business suit. - -"We were about to close for the day, Barwan. But this is a surprise." - -"How are you, Frawdin--no, I guess it had better be Harry." - -"You're telling me! Fine, thank you. It's quite a coincidence, because -I had another visitor earlier today. He says he knows you and wanted to -see you, but I had no idea you were in Moscow." - -"Who was that?" - -"A solidio writer, name of Dorlup." - -"Dorlup?" Tedor frowned. - -"He claims to be in some kind of trouble and says he has a story to -tell which would make your hair stand on end." - -"He has a habit of doing that. Do you have his address?" - -Marsden nodded, then asked: "What brings you here?" - -"It's a long story, and since you are working for the American -government now, I don't think I'd better tell you. Not that anything -I plan doing will hurt America--far from it. But you know about -time-travel and the way we have to do everything in secret. All I want -is some information, anyway. What's the current international state of -affairs?" - -"I wish I knew, Tedor. Frankly, I'm worried. The Russians have massed -three million troops on their European border, another million to the -east, north of the Yellow Sea. Their big planes, capable of delivering -anything including atomic weapons a third of the way around the world, -are lined up on a 'round-the-clock stand-by basis at half a dozen -airfields; there's talk they'll be used soon. Everything seems to hinge -on something happening in the Kremlin right now. There's talk, wild -rumors, but nothing official." - -"What are the rumors about?" - -"You'll think this is silly, but they're from usually reliable sources. -They claim Stalin has come back to life." - -"What!" - -"That's right. Stalin has come back, sort of like a totalitarian -Communist Messiah. All people have a culture-hero who's supposed to -come back in times of trouble and lead his nation to glory. Even -though Stalin's been gone only a year and a half, he's the Russian -culture-hero. If somehow they can rig up a setup--the men in the -Kremlin, I mean--which convinces the people he has come back and wants -war, there's no telling what Russia might do." - -"But does the Kremlin want war?" - -Marsden shrugged. "It might be necessary to keep power. The people -don't like their government, although they tolerated it under Stalin -because he managed to convince them he was something of a deity. But -if the government can turn the people to an exterior trouble, namely a -world war, the government would stay in power. It depends on what these -rumors are all about." - -"And don't you know?" - -"No." - -"Okay, Harry. Thanks. Listen, don't tell Dorlup I was here if he should -call you. I'll get in touch with him when I have a chance." - -Marsden gave Tedor an address where Dorlup could be reached, told him -they'd have to have lunch together some time, then led him to the door. - - * * * * * - -Vladimir Chenkov's dacha--his big estate at the far end of the -private highway some thirty-odd miles south of Moscow--almost had -the proportions of a palace. It was big all over, with huge rooms, -high ceilings, half a dozen fireplaces, two grand pianos, ponderous, -overstuffed furniture and eight private bedrooms, each easily large -enough to accommodate four people although each contained only one -oversized bed. - -"You're a strange girl, Anna," said Chenkov, sitting with her on -bearskins near the fireplace and trying to maneuver in such a way that -when she grew tired her head would naturally fall into his lap. - -"Oh, I like you--yes. Don't misunderstand. But at times you are -so--cold." - -"You're married, Vladimir, and sometimes I think of your wife and think -of how I would feel under similar circumstances." - -"That is all?" - -"Well--" - -"Then listen to me, Anna. What is a wife? A man has a wife because -it is conventional, like a country says it is striving for peace -when often it must have war to keep from flying apart. I can get you -anything, anything. I could treat you like no wife ever was treated. -Here, you like this dacha? Say the word and it is yours." - -Servants came with vodka, champagne, paper-thin slices of sturgeon, -caviar. Chenkov nibbled at the sturgeon while Laniq had some caviar and -champagne. Chenkov began drinking vodka and hardly paused until, Laniq -realized, he was high enough to be uninhibited, yet not sufficiently -high to be a boor. It was the gentlemanly thing in Russian nobility, -Laniq knew. - -"Do you not even feel inclined to kiss me tonight, my Anna?" - -Laniq offered her lips without heat, got them bruised by Chenkov's -teeth. - -"Then at least dance for me, Anna." - -She had danced for him before, here in this very dacha, at the same -fireplace. But now it was different, now she could not feel the same -emotional indifference and so whet Chenkov's appetite sufficiently for -him to start talking. - -Laniq got up and did a tentative pirouette. - -"Come now." - -Laniq danced slowly, spinning and dipping and feeling terribly sorry -for herself. But the firelight was warm and the champagne, and the -whole room seemed to go out of focus except for Chenkov's hungry eyes, -which became enormous--and in Laniq's own time the dance was something -to be done because you loved doing it, and except for Chenkov's eyes -she might dance with abandon and enjoy herself. - -_Tedor_, she thought. _Tedor...._ - - * * * * * - -If she closed her own eyes she thought, almost, she was dancing for him -and not for Chenkov. The slit skirt swirled around her flashing thighs; -the bodice, slashed from throat to waist, clung and fell away, clung -and fell away. - -She danced not for Chenkov but for Tedor--and then not for Tedor but -for all the people in the world who might live in freedom if Chenkov's -tongue loosened. But the hands which reached up for her legs and pulled -her down were Chenkov's. - -"Tell me," she said breathlessly while Chenkov tried to paw her and she -scampered away to fill a large glass with vodka for him and a small one -with champagne for herself. "Tell me, are you as important a man as I -hear?" - -"My dear Anna! You're jesting." - -"No I mean it. I'm only a country girl, really I am, and I'd--" - -"You? A country bumpkin. That's good, that's splendid. Well, then I -will tell you. I am number two man in all the realm, and...." - -Laniq pouted. - -"Don't cry. Don't. I will, one day be number one man, I know it. You -may rest assured of that. I could show you things, so many things which -would make your beautiful hair stand on end." - -"Then show me!" - -"Very well--I shall, my Anna." - -"Show me how you can do anything, anything you want in all of Moscow." - -"And in the Kremlin, too," Chenkov said thickly. "Yes, in the Kremlin. -Tomorrow morning I will take you to see something you never dreamed of. -Tomorrow morning...." He kissed her wetly, too far gone with vodka. - -"Tomorrow morning then. I'm sleepy." And Laniq stood up, brushed his -fumbling hands away from her, climbed the stairs to the second floor, -retreated to a bedroom and bolted the door behind her. Chenkov was soon -stomping up the stairs and banging insistently at the door. - -"Tomorrow," Laniq whispered, and repeated it when Chenkov protested. "I -said tomorrow." - -"But Anna--" - -"You show me what you can do. After all, I don't want to be a -fly-by-night mistress of this dacha. Good night, Vladimir." - -"Good night, then. Tomorrow morning--and tomorrow night." - - * * * * * - -They always tried to bring Chenkov in on everything. _They_ -actually had more power than people on the outside could imagine, -Malenkov thought petulantly. They numbered only two-score but -they were his cabinet of ministers and sub-ministers and it -seemed--ridiculously--that he had to answer to them for everything. -"But why don't we forget about Vladimir?" Malenkov pleaded, "who must -certainly be kept busy with his Army work?" - -"Vladimir will come. Stalin would have wanted it that way." - -Stalin, in truth, had asked for Chenkov as well as Malenkov. Stalin. -Malenkov trembled when he thought of it. That was not Stalin--that was -nobody. A thing, not a person. It spoke even with a mechanical voice. -Stalin--the Old Stalin--never answered to a cabinet of ministers and -sub-ministers. As for the new Stalin, the strange horrible thing which -the bio-chemist, Zhubin, insisted was Stalin, there was no telling what -he would want or demand. Malenkov wished passionately he could get his -hands around Zhubin's scrawny neck and choke the life from him. This -was all Zhubin's fault. - -Not really, for Mulid Ruscar couldn't be discounted. Why did everything -happen this way? Why did men from the future even insist on poking -their noses into his, Malenkov's business? But why was any of this -Ruscar's affair, anyway? Ruscar seemed to hold the whip-hand. Ruscar -told them what to do, and they did it. Ruscar knew political intrigue -as well as a Chenkov, bio-chemistry as well as a Zhubin--for was it not -Ruscar who had helped, paved the way, in fact, for Zhubin to construct -the monster masquerading as a resurrected Stalin? As if a hideous, -naked thing in a glass cage could be a man of flesh and blood and think -like a man. - -"Hurry, Comrade Premier. Ruscar is waiting and Stalin with him." - -Ruscar--and Stalin. But Ruscar had not been born yet, and would not be, -for thousands of years. Stalin? Stalin was dead. - -"I do not feel well," said Malenkov. "Summon the Comrade Doctor." - -"I am here, Comrade Premier. I will go with you to the meeting. A -slight sedative will perhaps--" - -"No! Get that thing away from me!" Malenkov recoiled in terror from the -needle which the Comrade Doctor had extended. "I am all right." - -Was the Comrade Doctor in the employ of Chenkov to poison him? Was he -in the employ of Ruscar for some nameless purpose? Or of Zhubin, the -bio-chemist, to transform Malenkov also into a pink thing floating in -ghastly fluid in a little glass container? - -Almost blubbering as he walked toward the laboratory, Malenkov could -feel the weight of Communist Empire, crushing him like a worm to the -floor. - -"I've never been in the Kremlin," Laniq told Chenkov as they hurried -along the silent hallways within the walled fortress. She had seen the -towers, the minarets, the gaunt walls only briefly from the outside, -and then Chenkov had spirited her within the place, although clearly a -Red Army guard would have protested had he been anyone but the Chief of -Staff. - -"I can take you anywhere you want." Chenkov promised, walking beside -her, his arm tucked in hers, resembling neither the whip-lash leader -of the Army, which he was, nor the romantic lover, which he hoped to -be--but rather the obscure military figure who had climbed to glory -over the purge-slain bodies of his comrades. He would one day look the -part of the field marshal, Laniq thought; at the moment he was trying -to convince himself as well as Anna Myinkov of the brightness of his -star in the communist firmament. - -They reached a heavy metal door flanked by two guards. "Marshal -Chenkov!" cried one, and they both saluted with their rifles. The door -opened, they went inside. - - * * * * * - -Laniq saw a huge room, a laboratory it seemed--all white porcelain -and gleaming chrome. At the far end a group of men clustered about an -object which seemed suspended in air and bathed in radiance of gold and -amber. The object was cylindrical and rather small, transparent with a -pinkish mass floating inside. - -Laniq almost screamed. The thing in the glass container was a human -brain. - -Chenkov grasped her arm more tightly. "They won't like it when they -find I brought you here." He smiled. "They'll probably insist you -remain within the Kremlin--with me." - -A big, nervous man with flabby jowls and the palest face Laniq had ever -seen turned to face them. - -"Vladimir," he said, "you're late." - -It was Georgi Malenkov. - -Chenkov shrugged. "I am here." - -"And your friend?" - -"She is that, a friend." - -"You shouldn't have brought her. What do you think this is, a circus?" - -"It's a private affair. She's harmless." - -"I'll summon the guards and have her removed." - -"Yes? To whom do you think the guards owe their first allegiance?" - -A white-smocked figure turned to look at the newcomers. "Please, -Comrades. Let's have none of this squabbling. Stalin wants to talk with -us." - -"We'll settle this later," grumbled Malenkov. - -"There is nothing to settle," said Chenkov, standing his ground. - -Malenkov growled, but looked again at the brain floating in its case. -The white-smocked figure adjusted some dials on a table nearby. On -the wall behind the glass enclosed brain, a microphone-speaker blared -metallically: - -"Are they both here? Malenkov and Chenkov, both of them?" - -"Yes," said Zhubin. "Yes, Comrade Stalin. They are here." - -"You now know that I live," said the brain. "It is a strange new life -I have, but I can think--perhaps more clearly than would otherwise be -possible, for I have no body to encumber me. Before I go on, do you -have any questions?" - -Malenkov blinked his fat-enveloped eyes. Chenkov stared. - -"Very well. The day my body died, a quick operation removed the brain -and preserved it. Comrade Zhubin--working under the direction of a man -you've only seen once or twice--transferred the brain, my brain exactly -as it was in life so that when I speak you will know it is Stalin, the -Man of Iron, talking, into this case. I have since conferred with the -man who made the operation possible, the man who can do great things -for Mother Russia, and because talking tires me in some strange way and -he knows the situation more completely at this time than I do, I want -you to listen to him as if it were I, Stalin, talking." - -There was a silence. The half dozen figures still stood around the -brain case, but one of them turned slowly around to look at all the -earnest faces. His eyes raked Laniq. "A woman?" he said, incredulously, -and his eyes wandered, then darted back. "Laniq Hadrien!" he cried. -"Who brought this woman here? Fools! Speak!" - -"It was Chenkov," fat Malenkov said spitefully. - -"Is that true?" the man demanded. - -Chenkov nodded defiantly. "So what?" - -"So what? So this, you idiot! That girl is a representative of our most -dangerous enemy." - -"The United States?" wailed Malenkov. - -"Far worse than the United States." - -Laniq sprinted for the doorway at the other end of the room, heard the -voice call from behind her: "Guards! Stop that woman!" - -The speaker was Mulid Ruscar. - - * * * * * - -When Laniq failed to return Tedor began to worry. It suddenly occurred -to him that he might be able to reach Mulid Ruscar for help. True, -Ruscar had sent out an order for his arrest, but directives could be -mis-read, transferred incorrectly. Perhaps Ruscar merely needed him -urgently. Perhaps Ruscar had realized he would be flitting through the -ages and nothing short of arrest would detain him long enough for them -to get together. Tedor used his tongue to flick on the tiny transmitter -embedded in his palate, then said: - -"This is Tedor Barwan calling Mulid Ruscar. Barwan calling Ruscar." - -He waited not more than half a minute when the answering voice -whispered in his ear. "Tedor, where are you?" - -"In Moscow, Chief. I'm sorry I couldn't wait in New York. I have news -for you. It's about Laniq Hadrien." - -"Laniq? Oh, of course. Laniq Hadrien eh? Where are you?" - -Tedor gave Ruscar his address. - -"Fine, Tedor. I'll send someone over to fetch you. Stay right there." - -"All right, chief." And Tedor cut the connection. Ruscar had a way -about him for getting to the bottom of intrigue. Tedor felt better -already. - -A moment later, the doorbell rang. Ruscar's man? Impossible. - -Tedor opened the door and admitted a nervous Dorlup. - -"Barwan, thank heaven I found you. Harry Marsden gave me your address." - -Tedor watched guardedly as Dorlup entered the room, sat down on a big -chair. "Have you people got any closer to finding the time-tyrant?" - -Tedor shook his head. - -"Let me ask you another question. At the very beginning of all this you -were going to write a report. What was it about?" - -"The 20th century, of course. I was going to say it seemed that the -most aggressive, war-like state here, Russia, was receiving aid from -our own time. Fornswitthe started to write it." - -"That's what I thought." Dorlup mopped his forehead, although it -was comfortably warm in the apartment. "And someone killed him and -stole it. You thought I was the only one who could have known where -Fornswitthe was living. But someone else knew. Mulid Ruscar knew." - -"Of course Ruscar knew," Tedor declared irritably. "That doesn't mean -anything. Ruscar is fighting everything the monopolist stands for." - -"We'll get back to that. It might interest you to know I'm a fugitive. -I escaped from Ruscar in the United States when Ruscar accused me of -being the time-tyrant." - -"I've wondered the same thing myself. But somehow you don't fill the -role." - -"He has enough phony evidence to make it stick, Barwan. You see, -certain people were creating too much of a fuss about the monopolist. -It was crimping Ruscar's plans. He figured if he could convict a -scapegoat the furor would die down, at least for a while. I was his -scapegoat." - -Tedor frowned while he poured them both drinks. "It just doesn't make -sense. Ruscar all his life has stood for everything the monopolist was -trying to tear down. - -"Which is exactly why no one ever suspected him." - -"I think you're crazy, or lying, or wrong--but we'll find out soon -enough. Ruscar knows I'm in Moscow. He's sending someone over, as a -matter of fact." - -"If Ruscar is sending someone to find you we've got to get out of -here!" Dorlup gasped. - -"Calm down. We'll do no such thing. We'll wait for Ruscar's man and see -what this is all about." - -"_You'll_ wait, you mean--if you are stupid enough to aid in your own -execution. I'm getting out of here." Dorlup climbed to his feet, but -Tedor pushed him back into his chair. - -"You're waiting with me, Dorlup. I'd like to find out once and for all -just where you fit into all this." - -"Barwan, I came to you in good faith! Give me a chance! Ruscar has -enough rigged evidence to have me gassed." - -"Sit still and wait." - -Dorlup emptied his glass of vodka, reached over to the table and -tremblingly poured another. - -Seconds later the doorbell rang. - - * * * * * - -He was tall, broad of shoulder, wore a snap-brim hat and a concealed -weapon which nevertheless bulged on his hip. He showed his credentials. -"I am from Army Intelligence," he announced. "The Chief of Staff's -Office instructed me personally to escort you to a meeting with a -Comrade Ruscar." - -"Chief of Staff," said Dorlup. "That would be Chenkov himself. You're a -big fish, Barwan." - -Tedor wondered if there could be any truth in all that Dorlup had said. -Looking at Dorlup now, he realized the man bordered on hysteria, and -even if he were indeed well-meaning, he could still have misinterpreted -everything. Unlikely--but no less likely than the accusations Dorlup -had made against Mulid Ruscar. Perhaps the Intelligence Agent could -inadvertently shed light on the entire situation. - -Tedor yawned. "I am tired. I think I have changed my mind. Yes, I'd -rather sleep. You tell the Chief of Staff to tell Ruscar I won't see -him today, after all." - -"But Comrade, I was sent to get you." - -"Fine, you're a good man. I'm sending you back without me. Care for a -drink before you leave?" - -"Thank you, no. I never drink on duty. Comrade, listen; the Chief of -Staff would hate to tell Comrade Ruscar that you have changed your -mind. I know this for a fact, Comrade." - -"Are you trying to say I haven't much choice? I go with you voluntarily -or get taken?" - -The Intelligence Agent shrugged. "I never said it and you are putting -it crudely, even coarsely. But the general assumption is correct." - -Still smiling, Tedor reached for the bottle of vodka which stood on a -table near the door. The Intelligence Agent stood with one foot inside -the apartment, one outside, waiting. - -"Go to hell," said Tedor. - -The Intelligence Agent reached quickly for his gun. Tedor swung the -vodka bottle in a short, savage arc at the right side of the man's face -while he fumbled in his pocket for the weapon. The bottle struck his -jawbone, shattered. He screamed and fell, his face a red smear. - -Tedor dragged him inside the apartment and shut the door. "Maybe you -know what you're talking about, Dorlup. Are you willing to help me -prove it?" - -"I guess so. Yes, of course!" - -Tedor reached into the fallen Intelligence Agent's pocket, found his -wallet, his identification card with a picture and his gun. "We'll need -this," he said. "Come on." - -Laniq's commandeered auto was still parked at the curb downstairs, -a crowd of urchins admiring it. "Climb in," Tedor told Dorlup, then -walked to a display board down the street, found a poster with -Malenkov's picture, quickly removed it and ran for the car. "We're dead -ducks if my time-conveyor isn't where I left it," he said. "If it's -there, we may have a chance." - - * * * * * - -And half an hour later: - -"So we're in your conveyor. Now what?" - -"Sit down," said Tedor. "We've got to hurry." - -"But this is the matter duplicator." - -Tedor nodded. Each conveyor was equipped with one of the devices--which -could print perfect counterfeit money, create clothing, artificial -hair, skin tissue, anything to render a visit to past ages as foolproof -as possible. - -"Whatever you want to copy is ordinarily stored on microfilm," Tedor -explained. "But this thing can copy anything." - -"I know, but what do you want me--" - -Tedor thrust the picture of Malenkov into the receiver. "Easy, Dorlup. -You're about the right size. Just sit still. You're going to be Georgi -Malenkov, Premier of all the Russians." - -Five minutes later, Tedor looked at Malenkov rising from the chair. -"It's perfect," he said. - -"I don't understand." - -"You can write solidios, Dorlup; you'd better be able to _act_ as well. -You're going to be Malenkov." - -Tedor sat down himself, placed the Intelligence Agent's ID picture into -the duplicator. "I'll be your personal bodyguard," he said--and he was, -moments later. - -"They've got a friend of mine somewhere," said Tedor. "If Chenkov takes -orders from Malenkov, we're going to find out where. We're also going -to find out what Ruscar has up his sleeve, provided you're right about -him." - -"I'm right." - -"We'll see. But if you were lying, Dorlup--if you were, I'll kill you -myself." - -Dorlup blanched. "We don't have to worry about that." - -"All right. According to his ID card, this man was Fyodor Archevski. -I'm Fyodor Archevski, your guard." - -And then they were speeding in Laniq's auto back to Moscow--and the -Kremlin. - - * * * * * - -"Where do you think you are going? Oh, Comrade Premier. Comrade -Malenkov--I am sorry." - -Dorlup nodded brusquely at the guard. They drove through the Kremlin -gates and up a ramp. - -"Do you know your way around this place?" Dorlup demanded. - -"No." - -Tedor stopped the car. They climbed out, watched as a uniformed figure -darted out from a doorway, leaped into the auto, drove it away after -saluting them. - -Another figure came forward. "May I be of help, Comrade Premier?" - -"The Premier wishes an immediate audience with Comrade Chenkov," Tedor -told the soldier. "Not in his private quarters but in the nearest -available study. Lead us to it and have someone fetch Chenkov. Quickly." - -The guard took them up another ramp, through a doorway, down a hall. He -led them into a spacious sitting room, soon had the fireplace burning -brightly. "I'll get the Marshal myself," he said, and departed. - -Tedor looked around, discovered a draped alcove at one end of the room. -Peering inside he saw a dressing table and a mirror. "I'll be in here," -he said. "Remember, the first thing you want to find out from Chenkov -is this: where's Laniq? Her name's Anna Myinkov, and Chenkov knows -her, probably saw her yesterday and possibly more recently than that. -Afterwards, if Chenkov wants to tell you anything in addition, that'll -be fine." - -A few moments later, Chenkov stalked angrily into the study. "See here, -Georgi! I saw you not half an hour ago in your quarters and now you -bring me here. What is it?" - -Dorlup cleared his throat. "I wanted some information." - -"You sound strange." - -"Cold coming on, I think. Vladimir, tell me--what happened to the girl? -You know, Anna Myinkov?" - -"Why should you be interested in her? Anyway, you _know_ what happened. -Don't tell me the living brain of Stalin frightened you so much you -didn't even see what was going on?" - -"Y-yes. That was it, Vladimir." - -Chenkov snorted. "And the mantle of powers is yours. Well, Ruscar said -Anna was from some enemy force and since she was his enemy she was -also ours. I had a hard time explaining my way out of that one, but -Ruscar must have realized I hold enough power here to give him trouble -if he tries to give me some. He probably has Anna in the Lubianka -Prison and I intend to do something about it, although why you should -be interested, I don't know." - -Dorlup was a doleful-looking Malenkov, but the features were -identical--the tiny eyes, high forehead, thick jowls, petulant lips. -Hiding in the dressing alcove, Tedor wondered how long the ruse would -hold. - -"I was just curious, that's all." - -"It seems to me other things should be on your mind. I'm the Chief of -Staff, so it's not my problem. But with Ruscar and Stalin--" - -"Stalin? I--" - -"Stalin's brain, Georgi. His brain. Ruscar resurrected it, not I. If -the war goes badly--it shouldn't, but if it does--the people will have -a resurrected Stalin to turn to for faith, and hope. It was a stroke -of genius, I think. But right now you and Molotov should be conferring -with the military leaders, getting things ready, planning...." - -"It's arranged," Dorlup said evasively. "It's all arranged." - -"So quickly? That's preposterous. You don't start a vast war-machine -functioning in mere hours. We're planning on quick victory with a -sudden, devastating atomic attack on the United States." - -"I--know." - -"I know you know, Georgi. You hardly seem concerned. Even Comrade -Zhubin pointed out how nervous you seemed today, and Zhubin usually -minds his own business. You seem even worse now." - - * * * * * - -Dorlup nodded, clearly struggling for words and a way to prolong the -conversation. "I--I'm not myself," he said, mopping his brow. - -"Well," said Chenkov, irritably, "is that all you wanted me for?" - -Dorlup stood there, fidgeting. Chenkov snorted, began to leave the room. - -"Just one moment, Comrade Marshal." It was Tedor, who had emerged from -behind the drapery. - -"Eh? By Lenin, what are _you_ doing here Archevski? Am I going crazy? I -thought I sent you to find this, uh--Barwan." - -"You did, Comrade Marshal, but--" - -"But I told him not to," said Dorlup. - -"You? What for? Ruscar wanted him brought at once." - -"I know that," said Dorlup. - -"But the Comrade Premier told me not to go, anyway. Then Comrade -Premier further told me that Ruscar had concluded his usefulness after -we had Stalin's resurrected brain. The Comrade Premier--" - -"Let him talk for himself, Archevski! And I'll see you later for -disobeying my orders." - -"No you won't." - -"He's in my employ now," Dorlup told Chenkov. "What he was saying is -this: why do we need Ruscar? Let Ruscar go back where he came from. We -can handle everything ourselves." - -"Georgi, you don't mean it." - -"I mean it." - -"Then you are _not_ yourself! You had better see a doctor. Why, only -the day before yesterday we spoke with Ruscar about what all this -could mean. Defeating the United States we could conquer the earth, -of course. But what is the Earth here and now, this year, when with -Ruscar's help we can have all Earth, through all the centuries, for all -time?" - -"What makes you think we can trust this Ruscar?" - -"That's fantastic. Everything is arranged. Perhaps later, much -later--after we have consolidated our position in time, then we can -think of doing without Ruscar's help. But not now." - -"Well--" said Dorlup, at a loss for words. - -The door opened. It was Georgi Malenkov who stood there. - - * * * * * - -"Vladimir, I was told I could find you here in conference with someone, -they didn't know who. They--Vladimir!" Malenkov looked at Dorlup. His -small eyes bulged. - -Chenkov's mouth dropped open. "This is impossible!" - -"Vladimir, please. Please. I see it now. I see it all--" Malenkov -had grown pale staring at his duplicate. "You have this double. -You and Ruscar. You plan to do away with me and keep a figurehead -instead. Vladimir, please, I can listen to reason. I can make my rule -a partnership, a triumvirate if you wish." Malenkov was blubbering. -"I could smell it in the air, this plot, this intrigue, this--I knew -something was afoot. Something I didn't know what. All hands were -turned against me, all--" - -Tedor ran to the door, closed it, locked it. - -"Vladimir, I beg of you--" - -"Oh, shut up! I don't know any more about this than you do. You are -Malenkov, I know that now. The other man looks like you but doesn't -talk like you." - -Tedor took Archevski's gun from his own pocket. "You try to figure it -out," he said. He gave the gun to Dorlup, who stood watch over Russia's -two top leaders. - -Tedor ran to the drapes which hid the dressing alcove, tore them down, -ripped them into strips. He bound Chenkov first, hand and foot. - -"You realize you haven't a chance, whatever game you're playing," -Chenkov said. - -Tedor bound Malenkov, then fastened them together, sitting on the -floor, back to back. If one of them struggled with his bonds he would -strangle the other, for Tedor had tied their necks together. - -"Give me the gun, Dorlup," he said, taking the pistol. "I haven't time. -I can't play with you. I want you to answer one question and I'm going -to give you ten seconds to start talking. If you don't, I'll kill you." - -Chenkov squirmed, making Malenkov gasp and choke. Chenkov subsided. -"What's your question?" - -"I want to know the location of your storage areas for atomic weapons." - -"N-never!" Malenkov gasped, his voice breaking. - -Tedor started counting. "One, two, three, four, five--" - -"Wait!" This was Chenkov. "There's no need making a martyr of yourself, -Georgi. You tell me, what good would the information do them? They'll -never get a chance to use it." - -"Y-yes. Don't move, Vladimir. You're choking me. I see what you mean. -Very well, this is the information. We have three atomic storehouses, -one in the Urals at--" - -The information memorized, Tedor forced a gag of drapery material into -Chenkov's mouth and one into Malenkov's. With Dorlup he left the study. - -"But why did they give us the information so readily?" the solidio -writer demanded. - -"That's simple. Evidently, they've already removed their atomic weapons -from the storage areas, possibly to airfields. They aren't familiar -enough with time-travel, though. We'll simply go back a dozen hours and -blast those three locations. If Russia doesn't have atomic power for -a sneak attack, she won't be able to attack at all. First stop is the -Lubianka prison, however." - -They found Lubianka Street after getting a vehicle from the Kremlin -motor pool, the motor officer's eyes bulged when Malenkov and his -personal body guard came down for the car themselves. They rushed -inside the prison, where the warden demanded, stuttering: - -"Is--is this an inspection, C-comrades? We are r-ready at any t-time, -of course, and honored, even, but sometimes, once in a while, you see--" - -"Forget it," Tedor cut him short. "You have a woman prisoner, Anna -Myinkov? Bring her to us, quickly." - -"At once." - -The warden was gone less than ten minutes, returning with a muscular, -sexless female jailor who prodded Laniq ahead of her. Laniq stared at -them dully, without hope. - -"Thank you," said Tedor to the warden. "We'll take her." - -Dorlup-Malenkov smiled and the warden bowed out. In the street, Laniq's -spirit had returned. "Don't tell me Malenkov himself is going to be -around for the execution?" - -They didn't say anything. Tedor wanted to be in the car before they -revealed themselves to her. - -"You'll have to catch me first!" cried Laniq. Tedor had been holding -her loosely by the arm and she suddenly tried to pull away. When his -grip tightened, she turned on him furiously, raking his face with her -nails, kicking, biting butting with her head. - -Tedor pinned her arms to her sides while she cried in rage. "Cut it -out, Laniq. I'm Tedor. Tedor!" - -"Te-dor? Tedor? Oh, Tedor...." Laniq fainted in his arms. - -They drove south with her to the time-conveyor. - - * * * * * - -They were twelve hours into the past, materializing abruptly on the -field of the first atomic area. - -Soldiers rushed the conveyor, but when the door opened and Malenkov -stood revealed in the entrance, they saluted smartly. "Bring your -commanding officer," said Dorlup, and when the man came--a full -Marshal--Dorlup ordered three of the most powerful atomic bombs for the -conveyor. - -They were brought on flatcars, jerry-rigged to the conveyor's bottom at -Tedor's direction, with a crude releasing device. - -"This is--is somewhat irregular," said the Marshal. - -Dorlup said nothing, looked at him scornfully. - -"I am sorry, Comrade Premier." - -"You should be." - -They closed themselves within the conveyor, set the first of their -atomic bombs for ten seconds, retreated thirty seconds into the past -and took off. - -In forty seconds they had climbed to thirty thousand feet. Intense -light engulfed the conveyor as it sped away, followed almost at once -by a shock wave which buffetted them helplessly about the cabin of -the conveyor. Below them and now far to their left, a great atomic -mushroom billowed into the sky, then slowed, rising serenely on a brown -and violet pillar. - -"Let's hit the next one," said Tedor and they did so. - -The third storage area was far out beyond the Ural Mountains and to -the North, in the remote Siberian wilderness of the great Eurasian -land-mass. They retreated back into time far enough to account for -the two hours it took them to rocket from the Urals to Siberia, then -circled over the storage areas while searchlights probed the sky for -them like groping fingers. - -"That way," Tedor explained, "all the plants will blow up -simultaneously, with no chance for one to warn another." - -They circled, and Dorlup said, "I'm bringing her down." - -"Just a minute." It was Laniq, sitting near the telio. "Someone's -calling." A face flashed into view on the screen--Ruscar. - -"Let me speak to Barwan," he said. "You have a few seconds to decide -whether you want to live or die." - -"Take the conveyor back up," Tedor told Dorlup, and went to the telio. -Ruscar looked far from happy. - -"Tedor, you still have a chance. I've been following you in time, ever -since we found out what happened to Malenkov and Chenkov. You can't -stop me now, Tedor. Everything is ready and there are enough atom and -hydrogen bombs here at this one base to do the job." - -Tedor was looking at Ruscar for the first time since his dual life had -been revealed. Enemy of time-tyrants on the one hand, tyrant who wanted -all the world and all of time under his control on the other. - -"Throw in with me, Tedor! I'll forget what you've done. We need men -like you." - -Tedor shook his head. "It would take me years to tell you what I think -of you, so I won't even try. The answer is no." - -"My conveyor is five miles to the south, Tedor. We're going to blow you -out of the sky unless you--" - -Tedor snapped the telio off, went to the controls and replaced Dorlup -at them. - -"Can he do it?" Laniq wanted to know. - -Through the port, they watched the other conveyor streak into view. -Suddenly there was a rattling noise and a furious hissing as Ruscar -opened up with rockets and machine guns. Cursing, Tedor clutched at the -controls and their conveyor plummeted towards the earth. - -"We're not armed," Dorlup wailed. "He can destroy us at his leisure." - -"Maybe." Tedor brought them down to within a few hundred feet of the -ground, Ruscar right behind them. The lack of anti-aircraft fire meant -Ruscar had ordered the ground batteries out of action, since they might -just as easily have hit him. - -Ruscar's craft opened up again. A rocket ripped into the hull of their -conveyor and exploded, flipping it in a quick 360 degree turn and -flinging Tedor from the controls. - -He climbed groggily to hands and knees, dragged himself back to the -pilot chair. Laniq was stretched out on the floor, moaning. Dorlup sat -dazed in a corner. But by the time Tedor sat at the instrument panel -again, Laniq was on her feet groggily at his side. - -"Bad?" she said. - -"We're helpless, unless we can out-maneuver him." - -They dived again. Tedor brought them out of it at the last moment, -plunging them half a minute into the past. Ruscar had stayed with them -all the way. - -"All I need is time to release the bomb and get away, but he's -sticking." - -Machine gun bullets ripped in through their hull, unarmed since the -conveyor was not intended for aerial battle. Tedor forced the craft -into a steep climb, then brought it down again in the same maneuver. -But Ruscar fled into the past with him and he could not destroy the -storage area and Ruscar's conveyor without also killing himself, Laniq -and Dorlup in the process. - -Ruscar was fast converting their conveyor into a sieve and Tedor -realized it would be only moments before he damaged their engine and -forced them to crash. They climbed once more, dove again. Laniq looked -at Tedor, tears in her eyes. They had come so close to victory.... - -Tedor punched the controls rapidly. The conveyor rocked, absorbed -another rocket hit, shuddered. Then for an instant, it was floating -calmly in undisturbed air. - -Tedor released the bomb and sent the ship skyward. - -"What did you do?" Laniq cried. - -"Ruscar figured I'd leap into the past again. I didn't. I tried the -future, because it was our only chance. Just fifty seconds, but by the -time Ruscar realizes his mistake, I hope...." - -They looked down below them, saw a tiny dot which was Ruscar's ship -materialize. Then it was blotted out, along with the storage area, by -a flash of light, a roar, a seething, rocking, thundering tempest-- - -Ruscar's conveyor, the storage area, the barren tundra below them--all -were replaced by a huge, mushroom-topped pillar of kaleidoscoping -destruction.... - - * * * * * - -Much later, in southwestern United States: - -"My father is going to be all right, Tedor. And have you seen the -headlines?" - -"Yes." He smiled at her. "There were three mysterious atomic -explosions, almost simultaneous, in the USSR. Malenkov and Chenkov have -become extremely conciliatory." - -"The people of the world will never know what happened." - -"Neither will Ruscar. He'd closed the year 1955, intending to move into -it in the normal time-stream, sure it would be the crucial year. He -died in 1954." - -"Then, everything is fine--except for all those trophies I have, -Tedor. We could set up a museum, I suppose." - -"What for? Those trophies are more valuable where they came from. I -can't think of a better way to spend the first few weeks of our married -life than to return them. Sort of a honeymoon in time." And Tedor took -her in his arms. - -She pulled away from him. "Just a minute, Tedor Barwan! I'm not going -to kiss anyone until he removes that disguise." - -Tedor smiled at her, turned to Dorlup. "You'd better do the same thing, -Comrade Malenkov, unless you want the people around here to lynch you." - -"I sure will," Dorlup said. "Wait till you see the solidio I'm going to -write, though. We'll call it 1954. What a story!" - -"Oh, no," groaned Tedor. - -But Laniq kissed him and Tedor forgot everything else.... - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TYRANTS OF 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. 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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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: Tyrants of Time</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Milton Lesser</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: September 17, 2021 [eBook #66330]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TYRANTS OF TIME ***</div> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<div class="figcenter x-ebookmaker-drop"> - <img src="images/illusc.jpg" alt=""/> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h1>TYRANTS OF TIME</h1> - -<h2>By Milton Lesser</h2> - -<p>Do dictators rise to power by accident? What<br /> -if their ascendency is planned throughout history<br /> -by men of the future who play with time as if it<br /> -were a toy. And what if 1955 is their key year....</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy<br /> -March 1954<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>Something buzzed in Tedor Barwan's right ear, driving the throbbing hum -of the Eradrome momentarily away. In the sea of sound the rasp of the -radio receiver buried in Tedor's mastoid bone was still unmistakable, -and it alarmed him. He tongued the transmitter in his palate and said, -"This is Barwan. Go ahead."</p> - -<p>There was nothing but the noise of the Eradrome, the shouts of the -hawkers of a dozen centuries, the constant droning of the tourists -garbed in costumes of fifty generations, the couriers noisily arranging -guided family tours, the school teachers shepherding their squealing -charges primly but still unable to hide their own eagerness. Tedor -repeated, "Go ahead. Go ahead!" He'd dialed for a closed connection -between himself and Fornswitthe previously; thus it was Fornswitthe -who had tried to contact him.</p> - -<p>Why?</p> - -<p>"Tedor—help!" The voice hissed in his ear once, then was silent. It -was Fornswitthe, all right. Silent now.</p> - -<p>Tedor took long strides toward the slidefloor. The Eradrome was so -crowded that he couldn't break into a run. He was bone-weary from too -much work and had come to the Eradrome for a few hours of relaxation, -leaving Fornswitthe alone to start their report on the 20th century. -The report was dynamite.</p> - -<p>Tedor jostled his way along on the slidefloor, not content with its -slow pace. The great green-tinted bubble of the Eradrome soared five -hundred feet into the air and burrowed twice that depth into the -ground. Tedor was on one of the lower levels and knew it would take -some time before he could reach the surface level.</p> - -<p>"Busman's holiday, Barwan?"</p> - -<p>Tedor whirled sharply before boarding the next ramp. He recognized the -plump, thick-jowled face but could not tag it with a name.</p> - -<p>"Something like that," Tedor admitted and kept walking.</p> - -<p>"Never get enough of time-traveling, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Umm."</p> - -<p>"In your blood, I suppose. Listen, Barwan. I'm doing a solidiofilm on -Time Agents. Would you mind if I hung around and—"</p> - -<p>The name came to him then. Dorlup, a film writer. "I'm in a hurry," -Tedor said, thinking of Fornswitthe's desperate call.</p> - -<p>Dorlup puffed after him. "A little exercise will do me good. Ha-ha. Not -as slim as I used to be. What would you say to five thousand century -notes for the exclusive rights to your next assignment?"</p> - -<p>Tedor was interested in spite of himself. He was moving at top speed -through the crowds and if Dorlup could keep up with him, they'd talk. -"I thought the whole idea of solidiofilms was to keep clear of time -travel," Tedor said.</p> - -<p>Dorlup puffed like a blowfish out of water, lighting a big cigar. "Used -to be that way. But time's become the universal solvent. Business, -pleasure, anything—all else is a dull routine. If the solidios don't -turn to time, they'll go out of business in a couple of years."</p> - -<p>"I'd like to help you, but the law requires secrecy. Besides, I'm in a -hurry."</p> - -<p>"I can keep up with you."</p> - -<p>"Who told you I was here?"</p> - -<p>"Coincidence."</p> - -<p>"My foot."</p> - -<p>"Well, Fornswitthe told me."</p> - -<p>"What!"</p> - -<p>"Fornswitthe, your assistant."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tedor paused on the slidefloor and Dorlup, his weight yielding -considerable momentum, collided with him. Tedor grabbed the fat man's -tunic and yanked him up on his toes. "All right, how did you find -Fornswitthe?"</p> - -<p>"I—I have my contacts. By Heaven, what's so important about that? -You're hurting me, Tedor. You're causing a scene."</p> - -<p>"I want to know."</p> - -<p>"And I won't tell you."</p> - -<p>"All right." Tedor let him go. "Get away from me. Go on, beat it."</p> - -<p>A disgruntled Dorlup edged over toward the other side of the -slidefloor, but Tedor called him back. "No, wait a minute. Who else -knew where Fornswitthe could be found?"</p> - -<p>"A lot of people. Secretaries. Directors. My producer. My comings and -goings are no secret, Barwan. I merely told my associates I was going -to visit Fornswitthe today and—"</p> - -<p>"Today!"</p> - -<p>"A little while ago."</p> - -<p>"My comings and goings <i>are</i> secret," Tedor said bitterly, hurrying -again along the slidefloor. "So are Fornswitthe's."</p> - -<p>"I'll make a note of that," Dorlup promised.</p> - -<p>"Haven't you done enough already? Someone on your staff talked. You -talked. Either or both. Fornswitthe's in trouble. I hope you're -satisfied, Dorlup."</p> - -<p>"You're being melodramatic. I happen to know your territory is the 20th -century; perhaps that's responsible for the way you talk. Couldn't be -better for my purposes, you know. The Age of Atoms and Intrigue. Can't -you see it now, in lights, glaring across a million solidio screens? -<i>Atoms and Intrigue, The Life and Adventures of Tedor Barwan, Time -Agent.</i> How about ten thousand? Wait, don't answer. What do you know -about the year 1955?"</p> - -<p>Tedor didn't even turn to look at him. He elbowed his way through the -crowd.</p> - -<p>"You know, man. You must know." Dorlup huffed and puffed but managed -to hold a running conversation, mostly a monologue. "The mystery year, -with a capital 'M' if I ever saw one. It's in your territory. If we -can crack that particular barrier and do a solidio on 1955, we'd make -a fortune. I'll split it with you. We could call it '1955!' Simple. -Stark. To the point...."</p> - -<p>"Just what makes you think the 20th century is my territory?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, experienced agents like you can't ever be tricked into talking, -but younger men—"</p> - -<p>Tedor clenched his fists, then calmed himself with an effort. "Because -you had to visit Fornswitthe, he may be dead now."</p> - -<p>"Really! It wasn't too hard to find his apartment, though why you -Agents change your location every week is beyond me."</p> - -<p>"Forget it," Tedor said. They had finally reached the last ramp, where -pedestrian traffic was thinner. With Dorlup still shouting below him, -Tedor began to sprint. He bowled over a middle-aged man but did not -stop to apologize. Then he reached the surface of the green-tinted -bubble and the starlight outside. He hailed a copter cab, gave the -pilot Fornswitthe's current suburban address and was whisked aloft into -the crowded local lanes.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He found Fornswitthe dying on the floor of his study, a hole draining -the life from his chest.</p> - -<p>The lights were on, the windows opened, a brisk night breeze blowing -the curtains into the room. Fornswitthe opened glassy eyes and tried to -say something.</p> - -<p>He was so young. So ridiculously young to be an Agent—even an -Apprentice. A dying Agent, now, twenty-two years old.</p> - -<p>Tedor propped a pillow under Fornswitthe's head, tried to staunch -the flow of blood although he knew it was useless. Mechanically, -he activated the transmitter buried in his palate, called Agent -headquarters for help.</p> - -<p>On the desk, a spool sat oddly askew in Fornswitthe's thinkwriter. -Tedor switched it on, listened.</p> - -<p>"In 1955. Tedor believes the year a crucial one because...."</p> - -<p>A fresh spool, barely started, and as useless to Tedor as it had been -to Fornswitthe's assailants. There were no other spools.</p> - -<p>Tedor heard a rustling behind him, close at hand. He started to turn -when something plummeted down heavily and exploded against the side -of his head. He staggered, began to fall. He knew he was fainting, -struggling against the waves of vertigo long enough to turn completely -around.</p> - -<p>A woman stood there. She held what was left of a shattered vase in her -hand, preparing to strike again. Tedor tried to reach her and managed a -futile wave of his hand which told her clearly a second blow was hardly -necessary.</p> - -<p>As Tedor fell, the woman's face etched itself into his memory. It spun -into giddy unconsciousness with him and his last thought was that he -would never forget it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mulid Ruscar wore a modern robe over his quaint 18th century sleeping -gown. His sandals could have been ancient Greek. The cigarette he -smoked probably originated in the 20th century, clearly the smokingest -of all centuries. His sleepy scowl had a way of ignoring the centuries.</p> - -<p>"Tedor, so it's you. I thought you'd started your report."</p> - -<p>Ruscar, a tall, dignified man who fifteen years before might have been -a solidio idol, snapped on the overhead lights. "You look tired, Tedor. -I know when my men need a rest."</p> - -<p>"Fornswitthe's dead," Tedor said, then told Ruscar what had happened. -"So," he finished, "I came to, called the police and rushed straight -here."</p> - -<p>"Let me see your head."</p> - -<p>"It's all right," said Tedor, revealing the blood-matted hair. "What do -you know of a solidio writer name of Dorlup?"</p> - -<p>"Friend of a friend. One of those things where you have to be nice. -Don't tell me he had something to do with this?"</p> - -<p>Tedor shrugged. "Coincidence maybe. I don't know. He admitted visiting -Fornswitthe earlier. He's immensely interested in 1955."</p> - -<p>"As you say, coincidence."</p> - -<p>"That's hardly likely. Especially since Dorlup made it his business to -know Fornswitthe's whereabouts. That's the part that hurts, Ruscar. -If I hadn't decided to take the evening off, I'd have been helping -Fornswitthe prepare the report."</p> - -<p>"How far did he get?"</p> - -<p>"Impossible to say. I found one spool, others probably were stolen."</p> - -<p>Ruscar led Tedor to a chair, told him to sit down. Soon Ruscar had -clamped an electrode to the side of Tedor's head, plugging the wire -which led from it into the wall. "Let's concentrate on this girl you -found in Fornswitthe's place."</p> - -<p>Tedor nodded, found it ridiculously easy. Moments later, a sheet of -paper popped out of a slot in the wall. Ruscar retrieved it, stared at -the sketch of a beautiful face. "She looks familiar," he said, and slid -the drawing into a second slot.</p> - -<p>He offered Tedor a cigarette, and together they waited. In five -minutes, a buzzer purred, a section of a wall in front of them was -bathed in light. On it appeared the twice life-size solidio of a woman.</p> - -<p>"That's her!" Tedor cried, and read the legend under the picture. -<i>Laniq Hadrien, age 25, height 5'6", weight 125, v. s. 36-24-36, hair -blond, eyes blue. Wanted: 5th century B.C., 8th, 13th, 16th, 20th A.D. -Time tinkering: pilfered fifteen valuable works of art, motive unknown.</i></p> - -<p>"I knew she looked familiar," said Ruscar after the picture had faded. -"She's the daughter of a Domique Hadrien who created quite a furor a -few years back with a theory about dictatorship. Maybe you remember it."</p> - -<p>Tedor shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Hadrien claimed one man or group of men in our time was behind all -the great dictatorships throughout human history. Sort of—well, a -monopoly on despotism. He maintained the position for years, getting -cantankerous when no one in our office would believe him."</p> - -<p>"What finally happened to him?"</p> - -<p>"Disappeared. Last seen in the middle of your stamping ground, Tedor, -but before your time. The 20th century."</p> - -<p>"1955?" Tedor suggested.</p> - -<p>"Possibly. Although I can't see a connection between that and -Hadrien's pet theory."</p> - -<p>"What about the theory, anyway?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"We checked into it, of course. That's our job, Tedor. We prevent time -tinkering. A monopoly on despotism would be tinkering on the grand -scale. For a couple of years it was a top priority job. We were never -able to find out anything, so the old chief finally figured the whole -thing was in Hadrien's imagination. A few years later I took over, and -soon after that Hadrien disappeared.</p> - -<p>"But you can bet we conducted a thorough investigation. You know what I -think of tinkering, Tedor."</p> - -<p>Tedor knew. Ruscar held his post as Chief of the Time Agents largely -because of it.</p> - -<p>"There is no crime worse than time-tinkering. We are a people depending -on time. Ours is a civilization which exists in time. Many of our -workers actually commute daily to past ages. Others live and work in -the past entirely, paying their taxes and visiting here occasionally. -We depend on the past for virtually all of our natural resources. Think -for a moment, Tedor—"</p> - -<p>It was Ruscar's favorite subject. Tedor had heard it before, but he -found himself listening nevertheless, for Ruscar tackled this business -of time-tinkering with sincerity.</p> - -<p>"Think for a moment what would happen if the past ages became aware of -us. What would you do if you learned a group of men five thousand years -unborn were stealing mineral wealth from under your nose, conducting -tours through your backyard, exploiting you and your century for the -far future?"</p> - -<p>"I wouldn't like it."</p> - -<p>"Exactly. So, the cardinal rule of time-travel is this: don't get -caught at it. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Never let it be known -you come from another time. And the second rule is an adjunct of the -first: conduct yourself in such a manner as to alter the flow of time -only sufficiently to obtain whatever is required from the particular -century. Hence the crime of time-tinkering.</p> - -<p>"There's another reason for it, of course. Suppose history was changed. -Suppose, for example, someone killed your great-great-grandfather -before he had the chance to sire your grandfather. What would happen?"</p> - -<p>Tedor smiled. "You couldn't be talking to Agent G-20. I wouldn't exist."</p> - -<p>"Precisely. You want this girl, this Laniq Hadrien, for personal -reasons. She killed Fornswitthe. I want her for another reason. She -is guilty of the one crime our culture cannot tolerate. She will be -captured, Tedor. I'll assign a century agent to the job."</p> - -<p>"No," said Tedor.</p> - -<p>"Eh? What do you mean, no?"</p> - -<p>"I want Laniq Hadrien. She's mine." If he lived forever he would never -forget her face last night in Fornswitthe's place, with Fornswitthe -dying on the floor. "I feel responsible, Ruscar. Forget the regulations -this one time."</p> - -<p>"Regulations clearly say the century agent is responsible for his own -hundred years. Six to ten for a century, depending on its importance. -Apprentices for each one. Like you, all the agents did intensive work -in their own hundred years, learning the culture, mores, traditions. -You'd be at a terrible disadvantage if we let you go galavanting all -over time looking for the woman."</p> - -<p>"I could always call on the century agents if I needed them," Tedor -insisted. "They all have plenty of work as it is, and I'm due for a -vacation. All right. Let me take the vacation my way. I want to look -for Laniq Hadrien. If I can do the job alone, that would be a big help -to the other agents."</p> - -<p>"True."</p> - -<p>"You have nothing to lose. Laniq was a fugitive before; she's a -fugitive now. The fact that she's a murderer doesn't particularly -interest you. Time tinkering is our line. But it interests me for -personal reasons: I feel responsible for my Apprentice's death."</p> - -<p>"That's reasonable."</p> - -<p>Ruscar was weakening, Tedor could sense it. "You have nothing to lose, -everything to gain. If I can find Laniq Hadrien while on vacation, no -man hours were lost. You're always talking about how few man-hours we -have."</p> - -<p>Ruscar laughed softly. "You win, Tedor. I won't send out a general -alarm. I won't put any century agents on Laniq Hadrien—until your -vacation ends. You have one month."</p> - -<p>"I'll find her," Tedor promised.</p> - -<p>"Don't be so grim about it. Quite possibly Laniq represents far more -than herself. If her father disappeared in the mid-20th century, -perhaps he does know something about 1955. Maybe Laniq does, too. I -don't want you killing her."</p> - -<p>"She's a murderer, not me. I'll get her for you, Ruscar."</p> - -<p>Leaving Ruscar's apartment, Tedor rummaged through his pockets for a -pack of cigarettes. Agenting in the 20th century had left him with the -smoking habit—which made him think of Dorlup and his big cigars. What -did Dorlup know about Laniq Hadrien?</p> - -<p>Why was Dorlup so interested in 1955, the year time-travel shunned like -the plague. Not out of direct choice: after all its advance billing, -1955 would draw a horde of curiosity seekers if nothing else. But -for some reason, no time-traveler could penetrate the year. It was -the one profound, inexplicable mystery of time-traveling, and coming -at the peak of the 20th century cold war, it left a lot of questions -unanswered. It presented two mysteries then. First, why couldn't time -machinery operate there? Second, what had happened in that crucial -year? Tedor wondered what Laniq Hadrien knew about it.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Tedor reached the far end of the pavilion, the crowds thinned to -a trickle of people, most of whom were employed in the Eradrome. He -entered a hallway and found a door marked with the words: <i>Executive -Director, by appointment only</i>.</p> - -<p>A pert receptionist looked up at him. "Yes, sir?"</p> - -<p>"I'd like to see the Director."</p> - -<p>"You have an appointment?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Then—"</p> - -<p>"Here." Tedor reached into his pocket and withdrew his credentials.</p> - -<p>The receptionist's face lit up. "You're an Agent! Did you know I've -been working in the Eradrome five years and you're the first agent I've -ever seen? I was beginning to think they didn't really exist. I'll tell -the Director you're here, Mr. Barwan."</p> - -<p>Moments later, Tedor was ushered into a plush office which borrowed -its furnishings from half a dozen civilizations. Most of the furniture -was what the 20th century called Swedish modern, but the carpeting was -authentic 10th century Persian, the drapes came from someplace in the -Orient about five hundred years later, the pictures on the wall were -replicas of drawings found in caves in southern France. The net result -was garish but impressive.</p> - -<p>Behind the birch desk sat a man of about forty, well-groomed, graying -at the temples.</p> - -<p>"Good afternoon, Mr. Barwan. Cigar?"</p> - -<p>"Twentieth century, I see."</p> - -<p>"It's one of the most popular eras," the Director said.</p> - -<p>"I'd like you to check on this woman for me," Tedor said hoping the -Director would excuse his abrupt departure from the customary social -banter. "It's urgent." Tedor gave the Director a picture of Laniq -Hadrien and added, "We have reason to believe she's gone into time."</p> - -<p>"Why, this is Laniq Hadrien! Certainly you know her father, Domique -Hadrien...."</p> - -<p>"Yes. His theory of a monopolist of despotism has given our department -some wild goose chase headaches."</p> - -<p>The Director nodded, pressed a buzzer on his desk. A young man entered -the office a moment later, receiving the picture and a few terse -words before departing. "It shouldn't take long," the Director told -Tedor. "Did you also know that the Hadriens, father and daughter, are -non-temps?"</p> - -<p>"No. I didn't."</p> - -<p>"Yes, non-temps."</p> - -<p>The non-temps, Tedor knew, were a growing cult which insisted -time-travel was an evil both from the point of view of the ages visited -and of the age <i>doing</i> the visiting. They had gathered considerable -data to prove their point, and although Tedor never looked into it -thoroughly, some said they put up a convincing though completely -impractical argument.</p> - -<p>"We've got our hands full with Hadrien and his followers, just as you -have," said the Director. "You can't argue with their figures, but -sometimes figures don't tell the entire story. Ten years ago, the -non-temps will tell you, the population of Earth was one billion, -far smaller than it was in the past because of a sensible policy of -eugenics. Today the population is somewhat short of a billion, they -say, and the census verifies it.</p> - -<p>"Ten years ago, they continue, a quarter of a million people commuted -into time daily to work in the various ages, sleeping here but working -and vacationing else-when. Today the figure has grown to three quarters -of a <i>billion</i>, and it's still increasing.</p> - -<p>"And seventy-five million people have vanished into the past. They -simply preferred the past ages and broke all relations with the -present. But that's the problem of you Agents, not us."</p> - -<p>"Don't I know it!" Tedor said.</p> - -<p>"The non-temps say this is a dangerous trend. They further maintain -it is our own fault. We provide no real culture of our own, no sense -of belonging. We gear everything to the past ages, converting our own -world to a sort of administration center and nothing more. We work in -the past, receive our raw materials in the past; our art forms more and -more are concerned with other times, other places. We do nothing to -encourage living in our own century."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tedor frowned. "In a way, it's hard to argue with that."</p> - -<p>"Precisely. They're leaving out one important fact, however: ours is -a civilization which exists not along the usual spatial lines but -a civilization which exists in time. That is a whole new concept, -Tedor—something unique in the history of the world. If, for example, -our ancestors had found life and conditions capable of supporting life -on the planets of this solar system, we doubtless would have spread -out to the planets and so geared our culture in that direction. No -one would have complained. But the planets are sterile, and while we -could mine them for minerals, the transportation cost is prohibitive. -Instead, we have turned in an entirely new—and unexpected—direction.</p> - -<p>"If you searched every inch of the Earth today from Baffin Island to -the Antarctic continent, you would find no natural deposits of coal and -oil. Silver is almost gone. Gold has vanished. The list is much larger, -but you get the idea. With space travel fruitless, time alone can keep -mankind going. If that is an evil, then so is the act of the first -caveman who crawled from his cave to discover fire.</p> - -<p>"Naturally, one doesn't steer civilization in a completely new -direction and achieve perfection overnight. Perhaps we are attacking -the problem incorrectly. The non-temps think so."</p> - -<p>"Do you?" Tedor demanded.</p> - -<p>The Director's eyes studied his. "That doesn't enter into it. We -are interested in the non-temps because they would do away with the -Eradrome and everything it stands for. This so-called monopolist of -despotism is your problem. Ah, here we are."</p> - -<p>The young man had returned with a small card in his hand. The Director -read it and frowned. "I don't know how much good this information will -be, Mr. Barwan. It seems Laniq Hadrien went into prehistoric times, -exact destination uncertain."</p> - -<p>"Alone?" Tedor asked.</p> - -<p>"As far as we can tell, alone."</p> - -<p>Tedor stood up. "Thanks a lot. At least I've got a lead."</p> - -<p>"Good luck."</p> - -<p>They shook hands and Tedor retraced his steps through the pavilion. He -was already thinking in terms of the preparations for departure his -trip would necessitate, but he couldn't get his mind off Fornswitthe's -murder. Somewhere, some<i>when</i>, an unseen puppeteer held all the -strings, playing them craftily but keeping the curtain of his little -stage tightly closed. Little stage? Tedor shrugged, remembering Domique -Hadrien's wild contention. Perhaps all of time waited beyond its dark -footlights.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Fat Dorlup the solidio writer drank in local color like a starving cat -laps up milk.</p> - -<p>The time was 1954, the date Easter Sunday, the place, Fifth Avenue in -New York, largest city in one of the two most powerful national states -of the day.</p> - -<p>Crowds jostled Dorlup. No one seemed to have anyplace to go, Dorlup -least of all. The twentieth century suit he wore was tight and -ill-fitting; he was almost afraid a too-sudden move might burst his -posterior from its tight confines. That's what you get for rushing, -Dorlup thought irritably. But the Century Agent had frightened him. -Damn those Agents with their high-handed ways. Dorlup was used to -dealing with people, not martinets. He had extended the hand of -friendship, even of financial gain, to Barwan, but it had been rejected -coldly, unequivocally.</p> - -<p>The Twentieth Century Corporation was another possibility, although -Barwan would certainly offer a solidio audience more glamour. Well, -when the city returned to normal tomorrow, Dorlup would offer the -Corporation his proposition, though he realized sadly they would never -be satisfied with the five thousand century notes he had offered the -Agent.</p> - -<p>"Hey, Dorlup! Oh you, Dorlup!"</p> - -<p>The fat solidio writer whirled at the sound of the woman's voice, then -groaned. Beti Sparr, a starlet who had been featured tragically (not -in the story but in the gross profit which was nil, Dorlup thought -bitterly) pushed her way through the crowd toward him. Beti wore a -costume of the day and wore it well. She had blond hair and looks and a -figure. If only she could act, thought Dorlup.</p> - -<p>"Whatever are you doing here, Dorlup? My but you look silly in that -suit." Beti entwined her arm in his.</p> - -<p>"I'm doing research for a new solidio."</p> - -<p>"Oh, but that's wonderful. I'm on vacation, you know, but I could learn -the part while I'm here and—"</p> - -<p>"My dear," said Dorlup icily, "I haven't considered casting yet. The -solidio is just an idea in my head, and it will be a long time before -I—"</p> - -<p>"I can wait. Did you notice how positively garish the costumes are, how -completely absorbed in their own importance the people seem?"</p> - -<p>Beti had spoken in perfect hypnosleep-induced English, and Dorlup said: -"Quiet! Do you want them to hear you?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, but they won't under<i>stand</i>. They won't understand anything. -So—so archaic. I'm hungry, Dorlup."</p> - -<p>"I'm not." He tried to move away, but the crowd pressed in all around -them and Beti still had her arm entwined in his.</p> - -<p>"I've always wanted to try one of those automatic cafeterias. Shall we?"</p> - -<p>Dorlup wanted passionately to say no, but Beti was already steering him -toward the facade of one of the buildings.</p> - -<p>"Sparr is rather remarkable," someone in the crowd said to someone -else. "Whatever Dorlup is up to, she'll find out. But whoever would -have suspected Dorlup is connected with the Century Agents, eh?"</p> - -<p>"You can say that again. Leave it to Sparr, though."</p> - -<p>Beti Sparr steered Dorlup into the automatic cafeteria, chattering and -whispering in his ear.</p> - -<p>Elsewhere in the state of New York, one of the forty-eight United -States in the year 1954, a policeman on motorcycle chased a motorist, -flagged him down and gave him a summons although in truth he had -not violated the speed limit. This was his third such summons in a -period of eighteen months, and under state law his driver's license -would be revoked. He complained long and loud but to no avail. -Actually, his life had been saved, for three months hence he was to -be involved in a fatal automobile accident. The summons which revoked -his license also revoked the need for his obituary. He never knew -this, but the policeman did. The policeman—not a policeman at all -in the accepted twentieth century meaning of the word—was guilty of -an act of time-tinkering. The man was an artist, though, a promising -sculptor, and would in the next few years—if he lived—make a valuable -contribution to twentieth century culture.</p> - -<p>Thousands of miles away in a many-centuries-old tumble of gaunt, grim -buildings called the Kremlin in a city named Moscow, capitol of Russia, -the other great power in the twentieth century, a massive man with -sallow, pallid face and a ponderous gait paced back and forth waiting -for the state scientists to summon him. This was the half-Tartar, -Georgi Malenkov, crushed by the weight of empire on his incapable -shoulders. And when the scientists called, Malenkov plodded fearfully -into a huge, windowless room where great, unfamiliar machinery -throbbed strangely. What he encountered there was also a case of -time-tinkering—but of an entirely different nature.</p> - -<p>Malenkov stared in frightened fascination at the contents of a bell-jar -suspended from the ceiling and bathed in white, vaguely violet -radiation.</p> - -<p>A voice, metallic, far away, wavering, said: "Ahh, Georgi."</p> - -<p>And Malenkov, heir to the mantle of Stalin and ruler of all the Russian -people and their hundreds of millions of satellite subjects fell on his -knees and cried, "It speaks! It speaks!"</p> - -<p>Many hundreds of miles distant, in an unimportant place called -Afghanistan, Domique Hadrien waited impatiently and with growing alarm -for word from his daughter. He had chosen Afghanistan precisely for -its unimportance. Although he knew Laniq was a capable girl, their -adversaries were shrewd, merciless men possessed of a megalomania which -would readily lead to acts of violence. Domique Hadrien decided to wait -one day longer and then send his most experienced time-traveler after -Laniq.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The trail led to Ur of the Chaldees, to ancient Sumeria, to Babylonia, -the cradle of civilization. Always Tedor arrived too late, always the -angry little pip darting about on his chronoscreen indicated Laniq -Hadrien was one step ahead of him.</p> - -<p>But it was not until he left Second Dynasty Egypt that he noticed -another pip on the screen. He was following Laniq, but so was someone -else. Another saucer-shaped craft plied the time streams in their -wake, making all the stops they made, starting up again when they -did. Experimentally, Tedor thrust his own conveyor forward in time -until he'd passed the girl and left her decades behind him. The second -conveyor became a frenzied pip on the screen, plummeting through the -years with him.</p> - -<p>The second conveyor did not follow Laniq Hadrien. It followed Tedor. -He considered it and got nowhere. It failed to make sense. In the -first place, privately owned time-craft were rare, belonging only -to the few rich people who could afford them, to members of Laniq -Hadrien's organization or to Time Agents. The century coaches carried -most traffic through time, and no century coach would go off the -well-traveled trails to follow Tedor.</p> - -<p>One of the Hadrien woman's people? Perhaps, but he wouldn't have -immediately accelerated through time to chase Tedor, not if he were -trailing the woman for protection. A rich man on a pleasure jaunt? -Hardly likely. Certainly not another Time Agent! Tedor scowled and -turned his attention back to the girl. Laniq was landing.</p> - -<p>Quickly, Tedor checked the time-charts, plugged in a hypnosleep spool, -fastened the electrodes to his temples, drugged himself, and within -an hour learned thoroughly the Attic Greek spoken by the denizens of -the Fifth Century who had rubbed shoulders in the Agora with Socrates, -Alcibiades and Pericles, five hundred years before Christ was born and -some generations before Attica and its Athens were to feel the grim -tread of the Macedonian phalanxes then of the Roman legions. Tedor ran -the microfilm projector, found the pictures he sought, fed them into -the slot of the matter duplicator and soon donned the mantle and tunic, -the sandals and head band of an Athenian gentleman.</p> - -<p>He stepped outside into a grove of plane trees, found Laniq Hadrien's -craft a hundred yards away but saw nothing of the third conveyor. -Shrugging, he set out upon the road to Athens, wondering how many -minutes he was behind the girl. Other citizens walked the road with -Tedor, some chatting aimlessly with him, others strolling by in polite -silence because he had selected the garment of a high-ranking citizen -and they were beneath his station.</p> - -<p>The slave at the gate, an immense bronze man, skin and hair slick with -olive oil, looked up from where he'd been resting his chin on the haft -of his spear when Tedor asked, "Did you see an unescorted woman come -through this gate?"</p> - -<p>"Yes sir." The voice was deep, metallic of timbre. "A lone woman is -unusual on these avenues, as you of course know." Women were second -class citizens in Athens, remaining in their homes except on rare -intervals and never venturing out alone unless they were so old and so -ugly no men would care to look at them. "Further," the slave went on, -"this girl carried a strange black box which she pointed at me. I heard -a clicking sound and wondered what kind of magic might dwell within it."</p> - -<p>"You have nothing to fear," Tedor assured him. So Laniq Hadrien was -taking pictures. "Which way did the woman go?"</p> - -<p>"She asked the direction of the Agora. Again, most peculiar, as who -does not know the location of the marketplace in Athens?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tedor thanked him and set off at a fast pace down one of the mean -streets radiating from the gate. He reached the Agora merely by -following the crowds and wended his way through the crowded marketplace -with the shouts of the fish, bread, wine and honey-mongers on all -sides of him.</p> - -<p>The tradesmen jockeyed their pushcarts around for more advantageous -positions; the slaves ran nimbly about the Agora on nameless errands; -the gentlemen of leisure, garbed in embroidered tunics and mantles of -white, red, purple and black, sauntered without hurry under the shade -of the adjacent <i>stoas</i>, servants following behind them or preceding -them like schools of pilot fish.</p> - -<p>It was a hot day, the bright sun scorching everything and engendering -an odor in the fish-carts which made the fish-mongers decidedly -unpopular. Twice Tedor spotted Laniq ahead of him in tunic and mantle -but with her hair free, snapping pictures with her camera, but each -time the crowds swirled in ahead of him and he lost her.</p> - -<p>The third time he shouted her name and she ran. He took off after -her and tripped over something, stumbling against a fish-cart and -overturning it. The vendor was an ugly old man with warts all over -his face and a raspy voice. He threw a steady torrent of invective at -Tedor, and in all these generations the meanings hadn't changed even if -the sounds had. Tedor kept running, for he lacked Athenian money to pay -the fish vendor. But by then he had lost Laniq Hadrien once more.</p> - -<p>Her trail led him through all the stalls of the Agora but he did not -see her again. He began to realize it would be foolish to remain in -Athens any longer for fear he might lose her entirely when he became -aware someone was following him. The man maintained two dozen paces -distance between them. The man hurried when he hurried, slowed when he -did. Tedor stopped, then turned swiftly and sprinted toward the mantled -figure.</p> - -<p>"All right," he said, gathering up a fistful of the mantle and holding -the man. "Why were you following me?"</p> - -<p>"I don't know what you're talking about. It's a free city."</p> - -<p>"For citizens, it is," said Tedor harshly. "Whose son are you?" To say -whose son you were was the equivalent of telling a man your name, since -surnames were as yet unknown in Athens. Tedor suspected his follower, -like Laniq and himself, did not belong in Athens.</p> - -<p>He admired the man's poise. A vague suggestion of uneasiness crept over -his eyes like a film, then he smiled and said, "I am Posicles, son of -Posicles."</p> - -<p>The slight pause was enough, however. "Get this straight," Tedor told -him. "You'll deny any understanding of what I'm saying, but listen to -me; I'm leaving Athens, I'm leaving Greece, I'm leaving this century. I -don't want you following me. Is that clear?"</p> - -<p>"Clearly, the Mysteries have befuddled your mind, my friend."</p> - -<p>"If I see you again anyplace else I'm going to kill you. You live now -only because I'm not altogether certain. Is <i>that</i> clear?"</p> - -<p>"It is clear you are possessed."</p> - -<p>Yes, the man had poise. Abruptly, Tedor struck him back-handed across -the face and listened to him curse. It was an old trick, but like most -old tricks, it worked. The man cursed fluently in Tedor's own language.</p> - -<p>"Well, well, well," Tedor said. The man bolted and ran.</p> - -<p>Tedor retraced his steps toward the gate, hoping he'd return to the -grove of plane trees ahead of Laniq Hadrien.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>By the light of a crescent moon, Laniq found her conveyor, entered it, -switched on a night light she knew would be swallowed by the darkness -outside.</p> - -<p>Stripping the mantle from her body, she walked to a cabinet and found -her own clothing—shorts and blouse and sandals. Dropping her Grecian -tunic to the floor she stood naked for a moment then climbed into her -shorts.</p> - -<p>Someone cleared his throat.</p> - -<p>Laniq jumped as if she had been struck, plunged the room into darkness -and remained absolutely silent. The room—the main cabin of the -conveyor—measured twelve by twelve feet. There were cabinets, files, -boxes, furniture. Ample place to hide. And someone—a man—was hiding -there. A Grecian would have been frightened by the conveyor in all -probability. Then had she been followed?</p> - -<p>"Put on a light," a voice said.</p> - -<p>Laniq gritted her teeth. She had no weapon, but even if she did, a wild -shot might damage the conveyor's controls. "I'm not dressed," she told -the darkness meaninglessly.</p> - -<p>"Put the light on and get into the center of the room where I can see -you. I'm carrying an atomic pistol and I won't hesitate to use it. I -have another conveyor, you don't. If yours is damaged I won't care. I'm -going to count to three."</p> - -<p>Laniq found her blouse and began fumbling with the zipper.</p> - -<p>"One."</p> - -<p>Laniq got the blouse over her shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Two."</p> - -<p>Struggling to close the zipper now, Laniq groped for the light, -found it, switched it on. She clambered into the center of the room, -stumbling over something and falling flat. She sat up, groggy, unable -to fasten the zipper and feeling every inch a helpless woman fighting -against a cunning, ruthless foe in the time-stream.</p> - -<p>"That's better."</p> - -<p>Laniq looked around, saw no one. She finally managed to fasten the -zipper. She sat there, staring. "Well, where are you?"</p> - -<p>Silence.</p> - -<p>She was on the point of getting up and looking around despite the -warning, when the conveyor door opened. She stared, mouth agape. A man -entered the conveyor, nodded curtly at her and said, "Stay put." He -waved an atomic pistol for emphasis, and since he had just come from -outside and no anachronistic weapons were permitted outside conveyors, -he was either a Century Agent or one of the monopolist's men.</p> - -<p>Either way, Laniq was raging. He had fooled her with an obvious trick. -Not wanting to be taken by surprise himself, he had merely planted an -amplifier in her conveyor, waited till she entered, then addressed her -from the safety of his own craft. He hadn't entered her conveyor until -he was reasonably certain she would listen to him.</p> - -<p>"Where are we going?" Laniq demanded as he set the controls, his back -to her.</p> - -<p>"Home to our own time," he said, and turned to face her.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>With despair, she recognized the man she had struck in the dead Agent's -apartment.</p> - -<p>"Wait. Please." Laniq pleaded.</p> - -<p>"What for? I've come over twenty-thousand years looking for you. I -swore to find you ever since the night you killed my apprentice."</p> - -<p>"Then you <i>are</i> an Agent."</p> - -<p>"What did you think I was, Miss Hadrien?"</p> - -<p>"Well, we were advised Fornswitthe and a man named Barwan had returned -from the twentieth century with a report that would help our cause. -Since there was a chance it would uncover this monopolist my father has -been talking about—uh, you know my father?"</p> - -<p>"I know all about him."</p> - -<p>"Anyway, we were watching Fornswitthe's place. It was left unguarded -for not more than an hour, but that was enough. I returned in time to -see you standing over Fornswitthe's body and ... say! If you're not one -of them, if you <i>are</i> an Agent, you must be Barwan."</p> - -<p>Tedor nodded, continued adjusting the controls.</p> - -<p>"Wait, Barwan. If you came twenty-thousand years, then give me ten -minutes."</p> - -<p>"You didn't give Fornswitthe any kind of a chance," Tedor said -bitterly.</p> - -<p>"I thought <i>you</i> killed him!" she insisted. "But tell me, what did you -find in the twentieth century?"</p> - -<p>"That's none of your business."</p> - -<p>"It is my business. If the Agents are going to sit by and let the -biggest case of time-tinkering go on right in front of their noses, -it's got to be someone's business. I take it you know my father's -theory. All the most powerful dictators through history have not worked -alone. Someone in our own time—we don't know who—has been helping -them. If he could control the most powerful rulers in history, he -could control the entire time-stream from the dawn of civilization -to our own age. Labor, raw material, armies—all the world would be -under his control. You found something in the twentieth century which -substantiates that."</p> - -<p>"Maybe," said Tedor.</p> - -<p>"Maybe nothing. You found the Russians were getting outside aid—from -our century."</p> - -<p>"Even if I did—all right, I did—1955 is still the crucial year. I'm -no different from anyone else. I can't enter 1955."</p> - -<p>"Not in a time-conveyor, you can't. But you could set yourself down in -the latter part of '54 and simply wait for '55 to roll around."</p> - -<p>Tedor gasped audibly. "I never thought of that! No one did."</p> - -<p>"My father did. He's there now. Listen to me, Barwan! There's so much -going on that you Century Agents either know nothing about or do -nothing about."</p> - -<p>"What do you mean by that?"</p> - -<p>"Clearly, this monopolist is a big-shot in our own day, with plenty of -power."</p> - -<p>"Dorlup?"</p> - -<p>"I never heard of him."</p> - -<p>"Solidio writer, but never mind. And this talk won't get you anywhere. -You're going back with me."</p> - -<p>"I didn't think it would. But I want to show you a few things." Laniq -stood up, crossed the floor to him even though he waved the atomic -pistol in warning. "Oh, put that thing away. If the fact that you're -armed and I'm not stands between free world and slave world, you might -as well go ahead and shoot me if it will make you happy."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Laniq came so close Tedor could have reached out and touched her. The -zipper on her blouse had been closed hastily half-way, revealing white -throat and curving breasts.</p> - -<p>"Give me the pistol," Laniq said.</p> - -<p>Tedor looked at her, snorted in disbelief. But he put the weapon in -his pocket and told her, "Go ahead and talk."</p> - -<p>Laniq grasped his shoulder impulsively. "Barwan, you've got to listen! -We can make a quick tour through time, just hitting the high spots. -I can show you things; I can show you a man from our own time behind -every important dictator in history. We've beaten them all along the -line, so you don't have to worry about it. Except for the twentieth -century. It's a crucial age, Barwan, and we're not winning. The whole -course of future history might be changed if we don't.</p> - -<p>"That's crazy. Future history already <i>is</i>."</p> - -<p>"I'm surprised at you. Why do you Agents make all that fuss about -time-tinkering? There's no telling what might happen if history is -changed—it's never gotten out of hand yet. But change its flow in the -mid-twentieth century and we could be in for a mess of trouble. Maybe -there's an alternate time-stream, perhaps we'll be thrust into it. I -don't know—and neither do you."</p> - -<p>What she said was perfectly true. Mulid Ruscar had always been very -strong on that point. <i>Don't wait to find out</i>, he always said.</p> - -<p>"Okay," Tedor told her. "All right, you win. We'll take this tour -of yours. But remember this: I still think you know more about -Fornswitthe's death than you're telling me. If you try to get away, -I'll kill you. On the other hand, if you prove your point I have a -month at my disposal. I can help you."</p> - -<p>Laniq grinned happily. "I could kiss you, Barwan. Here, let me at those -controls."</p> - -<p>Tedor stepped aside and waited with mounting impatience while she -set the time-conveyor for their first stop. Would Ruscar approve? He -doubted it. Still, he was on vacation and he sensed a ring of sincerity -in what Laniq had told him. He wondered how much her breathless beauty -had to do with his decision, then found himself snorting again. He'd -never lacked women, not as a Century Agent. But they'd always come to -him, whining his name, begging almost. Laniq he would have to go and -fetch.</p> - -<p>And then Tedor felt the familiar sensation as the conveyor purred off -into the time-stream.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Turn of the century," said Laniq when they had stopped. "Eighth and -ninth centuries A. D. Did you ever hear of Charlemagne?"</p> - -<p>"Of course," Tedor nodded. "Ruler of the Franks, later of Germany, -Italy; first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire."</p> - -<p>"He needed help," Laniq said. "Come."</p> - -<p>Tedor followed her outside into a murky summer night. The torch-lights -of an ancient city pulsed and throbbed off to their left.</p> - -<p>"His capital, Aix-la-Chapelle," said Laniq. "Charlemagne got help from -the monopolist, Barwan. Fortunately, when Charles the Great died his -Paladins couldn't hold the Empire together. Despite Papal acceptance, -the Holy Roman Empire was a paper kingdom after Charlemagne."</p> - -<p>Outside Tours proper, Charlemagne had set up a tent city in which the -elite of his Army bivouacked. Clusters of tents dotted the plain, -cook-fires cast eerie light, sentries prowled and plodded sleepily. -Tedor heard loud talking in the old dialect of the Franks. Hypnosleep -had yielded a new language to him again in a matter of minutes.</p> - -<p>They crept up behind a sentry, were on the point of passing him when -Laniq stumbled. The sentry whirled, spear poised, but Tedor ducked -under it in the darkness and used the edge of his hand against the -sentry's Adam's apple. It was dirty fighting, but necessary. The sentry -went down silently and Tedor grabbed the spear before it could clatter.</p> - -<p>"Stay here," he told Laniq. He had materialized for himself the -clothing of a Frank warrior. With it and his spear he strode boldly to -Charlemagne's own tent, relieving the sentry who paced outside it, then -a few moments later relieving the guard inside.</p> - -<p>"I don't know you," the man grumbled.</p> - -<p>"I'm new," said Tedor. "German. Go to sleep."</p> - -<p>Charlemagne was a tall, slender man fully six and a half feet in -height, with white hair and a long white beard. He paced back and forth -anxiously, great hands folded behind his richly robed back.</p> - -<p>"The road to Rome is not open," he said to someone irritably, as if he -had said if before but the man refused to take no for an answer.</p> - -<p>"Not yet, it isn't," his guest answered suavely. He was a younger man, -clean-shaven like Tedor. "I can open it for you. Empire awaits you, -Charles; don't turn away from it."</p> - -<p>"I still do not even know who you are."</p> - -<p>"Nor will you—ever."</p> - -<p>"What do you want if you help me attain this Empire?"</p> - -<p>"Assistance. Troops if we demand them. Labor conscripted in your border -countries. Certain minerals."</p> - -<p>"Not gold?"</p> - -<p>"Not gold."</p> - -<p>Tedor stood his watch not a dozen feet from them at the entrance to -the tent. The stranger might be from the future, although Tedor had -seen nothing to prove it. He activated the transmitter embedded in his -palate with his tongue, whispered almost inaudibly, "You are not alone."</p> - -<p>Charlemagne had not heard him. The stranger could not have heard, -either, unless he had a receiver in his ear. The stranger jumped as if -stung. "Where are you?" Tedor heard in his ear, then watched as the -stranger made a great show of clearing his throat.</p> - -<p>"You are sure?" Charlemagne was saying. "No gold?"</p> - -<p>Tedor never heard the answer. He fled back the way he had come, found -Laniq crouching near one of the cook-fires.</p> - -<p>"You might have escaped," he said.</p> - -<p>"Did you see?"</p> - -<p>"I saw. I knew you wouldn't try anything. I'm ready for another visit, -Laniq."</p> - -<p>Then was there indeed a monopolist? Ruscar had scoffed at the idea. -Domique Hadrien had gone into hiding. The twentieth century, Laniq -had said. But if Hadrien knew what he was talking about, Tedor must -find more evidence and return with it to Ruscar. Once Ruscar had said -something about tinkering on the grand scale. This made all other -tinkering seem meaningless by comparison, and Tedor shuddered when he -thought of the consequences it might have for the future. Laniq claimed -they had beaten it in every age but Tedor's own stamping grounds, the -twentieth century, but he knew that century alone could be more than -sufficient, for it was one of the great turning points in history. Was -that why Dorlup was interested?</p> - -<p>"Come on," said Laniq.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"The dialect you learned," she told him later, "is Yakka Mongol. This -is the thirteenth century, Barwan. We are in the Gobi desert. You know -of Genghis Kahn?"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>"Of course. A mongol leader who conquered all of Asia—his own Gobi, -India, China. He moved on into Europe, too, sweeping the Russian, -Polish and Hungarian Armies to defeat. He probably conquered more of -the world than any other single man."</p> - -<p>They stood on a high, wind-swept plateau with vast reaches of -glistening white sand all around them. Legions of wind-driven dunes -marched endlessly to the horizon, but a mile or so to the east -reed-bordered ponds ruled over a verdantly green oasis. Surrounding the -oasis was Genghis Kahn's city of yurts—the dwellings borrowing some of -the features of the tent and some of the American aborigine tepees.</p> - -<p>Dung-fires tainted the air with an unpleasant pungency. Strangely, -Tedor discovered, there were no guards, no sentries.</p> - -<p>"Their sentries have outposts on the desert," Laniq explained. "If a -large body of horsemen arrives, they will see it in plenty of time. As -for the lone traveler, he could be nothing but a friend. An enemy would -not live long in this place."</p> - -<p>They advanced on the oasis, the unfamiliar yakskin clothing itching -Tedor's skin, the stain which converted him to a Mongol in appearance -smarting in his eyes. Before long the black felt yurts were not ahead -of them but all around them and they walked, completely uncontested, to -the very door of Genghis Kahn's own yurt, the standard of the nine yak -tails billowing above it in the stiff wind.</p> - -<p>The Kha Khan, the Emperor of Mankind, the Power of God on Earth, the -Master of Thrones and Crowns, the Mighty Manslayer—Genghis Kahn -squatted, Oriental fashion, by his dung fire. With him were two men, -the first old and bent, a scraggly white beard falling to his ornate -belt. The second was younger and—Tedor may have imagined it—he seemed -to be squirming and scratching in the yakskin clothing.</p> - -<p>"He can work magic," the ancient man declared. "I have seen him blast -rocks, Oh Kahn. I have seen him make fire from a simple tube. Heed -wisely his words, Oh Kahn."</p> - -<p>Genghis Kahn wore long, plaited, greased red hair. His coarse, -wind-beaten features worked themselves into a scowl. "He speaks -fantasies," said the Kahn.</p> - -<p>"Not fantasy," the third man at the fire said, sniffing distastefully, -Tedor thought, at the dung-fumes. "Truth. I say this: Genghis Kahn can -one day master all the world, from the Land of Morning Calm to the city -called Vienna."</p> - -<p>"Of Vienna I have never heard."</p> - -<p>"One day you will," the younger man promised, "but sure, bold strokes -are essential. The Shah of Persia would stop you. You balk at crossing -his frontiers. You would return to Karakorum and rest."</p> - -<p>"Yes. My capital is a beautiful city, and I <i>would</i> rest."</p> - -<p>"You must never rest, not with all mankind ready to fall at your feet! -The Shah of Persia anticipates border actions, clashes, sorties, -patrols. Fool him. Strike with your entire army at the gateway city. -It is far to the south of here, in a warmer land, but it is the gateway -to the West for your people, Oh Kahn."</p> - -<p>"Who is he?" Tedor whispered.</p> - -<p>"Working for the monopolist, from our own time. Here in this age they -call him Chepe Noyon and he is one of the Kahn's two greatest generals. -Shh."</p> - -<p>"I will lead your army, Oh Kahn. I, Chepe will lead it, and if I fall -you may have me flayed."</p> - -<p>"He can work magic," said the shaman.</p> - -<p>"He had better," the Kahn declared dryly. "For we march from here to -Karakorum to resupply our Army and from Karakorum we will take the -southern route across the mountains to Tibet to the West. We will hit -Bokhara in the spring."</p> - -<p>"The Kahn is wise," said Chepe Noyon, still scratching at his yakskin -garments.</p> - -<p>"Let's get out of here," Tedor whispered.</p> - -<p>But the shaman looked up, said; "And who are those two, that man and -woman?"</p> - -<p>Genghis Kahn shrugged imperial shoulders. Chepe shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Then I say they are an evil omen."</p> - -<p>"Ho!" roared Genghis Kahn, evidently more superstitious than history -had suspected. "Detain them!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Yakka warriors converged on them. Tedor grabbed Laniq's hand and -started running, fanning his atomic pistol's fire all around them. -He caught a glimpse of Chepe Noyon's face, astonishment stamping the -features, and then he forgot everything but the fact that they had to -run—and hard—over the shifting, seething sand.</p> - -<p>The desert was strewn with corpses, but the warriors kept coming, -for life was cheap on the Gobi. Presently they showed sufficient -imagination to keep well back out of range of the atomic pistol, -however, and when Tedor and Laniq reached the time-conveyor they were -alone.</p> - -<p>They tumbled inside, Laniq running to the controls and Tedor bolting -the door. Tedor would never forget Chepe Noyon's face as they departed. -He did not have to say <i>you are not alone</i>. Clearly Chepe knew it.</p> - -<p>"Enough!" Tedor cried. "I believe you." His head was whirling, but -if the girl said her people had beaten the monopolist in all but the -twentieth century, he wanted to go there at once.</p> - -<p>She smiled at him. "No. I want to really convince you."</p> - -<p>They watched Tamerlane's abortive attempt to repeat Genghis Kahn's -Asiatic Conquest. They stood by while a man from the far future gave -England's Cromwell the necessary encouragement for his <i>coup d'etat</i>. -("Cromwell's head will roll anyway," Laniq said cheerfully.) The pages -of history came alive again when Napoleon cavorted for them at Elba, -convinced by a man who appeared mysteriously out of nowhere to break -the chains of his exile and try his hand once more at world empire. -("Thank God for Wellington.") They watched Kerensky's provisional -government fall in the days of the Russian Revolution, paving the way -for Communist dictatorship. But Kerensky was betrayed from within, and -not by a Russian but a man from the future. ("We don't know about this -one yet, Barwan.") And not the Germans in a secret railroad train, but -men from the future in a time-conveyor, spirited Lenin back from Russia -in time to assume the mantle of empire and so pave the way for Stalin -and Malenkov.</p> - -<p>"I want to show you one thing more before we head for the year 1954," -Laniq told Tedor, whose head by now was swimming with a vast new—and -sinister—concept of history. "Did you ever hear of Adolph Hitler?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The city was Munich in the early 1920's, narrow cobbled streets all -a-clatter with horses and wagons and learning the new sound of the -gasoline automobile and the swaying electric trolley. Munich, Germany, -city of commerce, transportation hub noisy with the sounds of arrival -and departure, its byways crowded with small homburgs, bicycles, -checkered caps. The Munich of the Beer Halls and great steins of hearty -German beer and singing and raucous laughter. But also the Munich of -unrest, distrust, intense intellectual turmoil, and the Munich which, -not many months later, was to be the scene of the abortive <i>putsch</i> in -a beer cellar which started a slight little man with stray-locked dark -hair on his path toward world conquest.</p> - -<p>They sat in a beer hall, Laniq and Tedor, and at a table near them sat -a man, young but with eyes which to Tedor were at once the most fiery, -most intense and oldest he had even seen. He was a man, Tedor guessed, -who would never know a tranquil moment in his life; cold, friendless, -fidgety, smouldering with nameless resentments.</p> - -<p>"That's Hitler," Laniq said unnecessarily. "It is why we have come -here."</p> - -<p>They had spent three hours in the beer cellar so often frequented by -Hitler, a second-rate poster artist, ex-Army corporal and smouldering -revolutionary.</p> - -<p>A man came to the table and joined Hitler, not half a dozen feet from -where Laniq and Tedor sat with their beer. As the one was stamped -with his personality as clearly as ever a man could be, so the other -was poker-faced non-descript, neither German nor non-German, feverish -agitator nor tranquil pacifist.</p> - -<p>"You have come," said Hitler, easily loud enough for Tedor to hear. "It -is good. I have spent the entire day thinking of what you have told me. -It is like a storm bursting inside of me, a happy torment, as if it -holds the seeds of a strife which can make everything clear, lucidly -clear for Germany and the world, their destiny, one the master the -other the follower. You will one day be a great man."</p> - -<p>"Not I, Adolph. You harbor the inherent qualities for greatness."</p> - -<p>"I know," said Hitler, and made it sound the most natural thing in the -world. "I was born for greatness, I will be great. But you have earned -it with your perception, your understanding, with your ability to point -out objectively what I could not see for my raging emotions."</p> - -<p>"It is only common sense, Adolph. You had the idea; clearly, the idea -was in you. A year, two years, it would have materialized. I merely -acted like a catalyst."</p> - -<p>"To the East," said Hitler in a dreamy voice, all the while his eyes -burned furiously, "is the Bolshevik, the Red Scourge, the hated, feared -enemy of mankind. To the West is the Democratic world, the England of -many centuries, the France of polite ways and laughable indecisions, -the young America, still trying its wings.</p> - -<p>"Which is the enemy of the people? I will tell you which. It is as you -have said. The Red, the Communist Bolshevik is the enemy of the people. -Tell them, 'See, the Red is coming!' and they will run, to arms, -defending their homes and what they love as if it were Ragnarok itself. -Good. We will tell them that.</p> - -<p>"And which is the enemy of Hitler, the real enemy of Hitler who—as you -say—was born to lead Germany, the Third Reich, to world glory? It is -not the Red Bolshevik, no. It is the West, with its standard of living, -its broad, idealistic aims which while incapable of bearing fruit -are nevertheless infinitely attractive; the West with its showcase -democracy, the West with its guaranteed personal liberties for morons -and sub-morons, the West which yearns after the individual to the -neglect of the state and so makes all individuals everywhere yearn so -too.</p> - -<p>"I will fire my people with hatred for the Red when hatred for the Jew -has weakened because one day we will exterminate the Jew. The one is -a legitimate hatred, the other a fancied one—but with the fires once -stoked, the hatred will burn brightly. When it turns, as assuredly it -will, to still a third and now unthinkable hatred, frenzy will ride -high the crest of a wave—and the legions of the Third Reich will turn -suddenly and devastatingly on the West, which today the German people -cannot hate but which will one day bear the brunt of their hatred and -power and rage because I, Hitler, tell them so."</p> - -<p>"I am glad I could bring this to the surface in you so much sooner than -it otherwise might have appeared," said the non-descript man.</p> - -<p>"<i>You</i> are glad? <i>You?</i>" Tears streamed down Hitler's face, yet he -laughed. "Think how I feel. I, Hitler. A man today, a God tomorrow, -because you showed me the way. Name your price, request your reward; -when the world is mine the half you want shall be yours."</p> - -<p>"I want only what is best for Germany and its people," said the man.</p> - -<p>"What he means," Laniq whispered to Tedor, "is he wants what is best -for the monopolist. Naturally he's one of our own people. Fortunately -for the world, he drove this point home too strongly. Hitler will move, -and soon, making a wild, incredible bid for power. When it aborts, he -will bide his time for another decade, giving the free world additional -time to prepare."</p> - -<p>"Why don't we wait for him outside, take him, and see what we can -learn?" Tedor demanded.</p> - -<p>"Risk everything on that when we know Hitler will fail? This man -probably doesn't know the monopolist, anyway. He is a shadow figure, -a ghost. None of them knows his identity, at least that has been my -experience."</p> - -<p>"Still—"</p> - -<p>"Still nothing. The twentieth century's middle years are the -significant ones. Let all else ride if we must, for it is there the -monopolist will either succeed or fail with plans that will make the -dreams of a dozen Hitlers seem something less than child's play."</p> - -<p>"Okay, Laniq. You win. But remember this; once we get to my stamping -grounds, I'm going to take over. Brief me if you want to, but I have -the contacts. Besides, I came hell-bent into the time-stream looking -for you and now I find apparently all my ideas need readjusting. I'll -be able to think a lot better with some affirmative action under my -belt."</p> - -<p>"Very well. What do we do first?"</p> - -<p>"Well, now—"</p> - -<p>"We seek out my father in Afghanistan, naturally. He can do the -briefing you suggest. After that...."</p> - -<p>"After that I take over," Tedor growled, then smiled. "Come on."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"My father's followers needed an out-of-the-way place like this," Laniq -explained as the time-conveyor dropped out of the time-stream and -cruised along above the desert. "We're building a spaceship, you see."</p> - -<p>"A spaceship? What for? There is nothing worth while on the planets, -nothing worth the trouble to mine it."</p> - -<p>"My fault, Tedor. I should have said a starship. If necessary, we'll go -to the stars. Oh, we can do it, although the trip will take generations -and only a few hundred people will find room. We won't do it unless the -monopolist forces us. If he gains the dictatorial control of time he's -seeking, we'll have no choice. We're collecting trophies, artifacts -of man's culture, just in case. We'll gladly put them in a museum or -return them if the monopolist fails." Laniq turned to the port, gazed -down on the desert sweeping by. Suddenly; "Tedor!"</p> - -<p>Tedor stood beside her and stared down. There had been a village of -tents below them. There now were the remains of tents in a well-watered -oasis—but no village.</p> - -<p>Fires smouldered below them. Charred wreckage lay strewn about the -rolling dunes and jumbled rock on either side of the oasis. A great -silver hull—the body of an incomplete starship, Tedor knew, lay on its -side, a dying animal, huge rents and gashes disfiguring it like ugly, -bloodless scars.</p> - -<p>"Tedor—Tedor—I'm afraid!"</p> - -<p>Tedor took the conveyor down, landing it adjacent to the wrecked -starship. He climbed out first, helped Laniq alight. Dazed, clasping -and unclasping her hands, she walked about the oasis. In some of the -burned tents dishes were set on crude tables. Personal equipment was -everywhere, on the floors, on the charred plastoid beds, in hastily -emptied lockers. Most of the fires had burned themselves out, but smoke -still curled lazily into the dry, hot air of the desert.</p> - -<p>"They came, Tedor. They destroyed—everything."</p> - -<p>Tedor stood mutely, uncomfortably, not knowing what to say. Everything -he thought about Laniq had changed so drastically in the space of a -few hours and now he wanted to help her, but could do nothing.</p> - -<p>"Miss Hadrien. Miss Hadrien!"</p> - -<p>They whirled together, saw a dark head poke itself out from behind one -end of the spaceship, large burnoose very white over the brown skin. It -was a boy of perhaps fourteen. He was trembling, his lips puckered. He -sobbed. "Oh, Miss Hadrien...."</p> - -<p>Laniq went to him, patted his shoulder. "Mahmud, there now. It must -have been awful, I know. There, Mahmud."</p> - -<p>With someone to comfort him, Mahmud cried all the more. He wailed -loudly, letting the tears gush down his cheeks, abandoning his body to -wracking sobs.</p> - -<p>Tedor who spoke Persian and understood it, realized the boy would go -right on crying and Laniq comforting him and so not finding time to cry -herself. And so he said, "Mahmud, tell me what happened. Tell me where -Miss Hadrien's people are."</p> - -<p>Mahmud sniffled, blinked his eyes, plucked a handful of gummy dates -from the folds of his burnoose. He munched, sniffled again. "Dead," he -sobbed. "They are all dead, almost."</p> - -<p>Laniq sobbed too, clutching little Mahmud's shoulder more firmly. -"Dead?" she cried. "Dead? Where?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe not all, Miss Hadrien. Those that could, fled—taking the dead -with them. It happened not long ago when three round craft came down -from the sky and burned everything. They struck without warning. My -people fled."</p> - -<p>"You are very brave, Mahmud," Laniq declared. "What—happened to my -father?"</p> - -<p>"The Hadrien Sir was badly hurt, Miss. Of that much I am sure. They -carried him with much moaning and bleeding into their craft, your -people did, and went to the West. 'Laniq' he kept mumbling. He looked -at me while they carried him and said 'Laniq! you tell Laniq we went to -Nevada. She'll know where. Tell Laniq we went to Nevada, but tell no -one else.' That is what he said and I, Mahmud, remember every word."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, Mahmud. And what about you?"</p> - -<p>Mahmud smiled for the first time. "Oh, presently I will return among -my people who fled in the face of all this terror from the sky. But it -will not be the same."</p> - -<p>"It will be the same," said Laniq. "They are your people."</p> - -<p>"I say it will not be the same, but thank you, Miss. I will go among my -people with my great sadness and remember yours forever."</p> - -<p>"If I thought you would be happy, I would take you with me."</p> - -<p>"Miss—" Mahmud looked at her hopefully.</p> - -<p>"No, Mahmud. You won't understand this, not yet. But they are your -people, your home and your world. You could not pick up the threads of -a new life and a new way of life without sorrow. Your people did what -anyone else would have done, including <i>my</i> people. They had their own -homes to protect; they could not throw their lives away vainly in my -people's defense."</p> - -<p>Mahmud smiled again, then turned to go. "I was hoping you would say -that, Miss Hadrien." He trotted off with head high and shoulders -squared.</p> - -<p>"He'll be all right, I think," Laniq said. "We'd better get to Nevada, -Tedor."</p> - -<p>Together they ran for the time-conveyor. It hurt her not to, but Laniq -never looked back at the devastated community.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Seventeen, red," fat Dorlup proclaimed to the croupier in a Reno -gambling joint.</p> - -<p>The wheel spun, the ball clicked, rattled, jumped with it.</p> - -<p>"Seventeen, red," declared the croupier in an awed voice as he raked -a tall stack of chips toward the one Dorlup had placed in the red -seventeen. Dorlup gathered the stack in with his pudgy arms and -deposited it carelessly in the growing mountain of chips nearby.</p> - -<p>"You're wonderful," the honey-blond solidio actress told him, squeezing -his arm to add emphasis.</p> - -<p>There was no shaking Beti, not since that day, months ago, when she had -steered Dorlup into the Automat in New York. Since then he had been -across the country three times, and she with him. He had gained a lot -of source material for his solidio, and it amused him after a few days -when he realized Beti was spying on him for someone. He didn't care, -since he had nothing in particular to hide. And, anyway, there were -certain joys of which Beti was truly the mistress, despite the vacuum -which seemed to exist inside her skull.</p> - -<p>"You <i>are</i> wonderful," Beti said again.</p> - -<p>Dorlup patted her hand without real affection. "Everyone in here thinks -I have a system. <i>The</i> system to beat the game, I might add. There is -only one system. I know that system. Roulette wouldn't have a chance -where we come from."</p> - -<p>"It all rides on eight, black," Dorlup told the croupier.</p> - -<p>"All?" The man's polish had cracked.</p> - -<p>"All."</p> - -<p>"Eight black," the croupier intoned a moment later. The crowd ooh'ed -and aah'ed.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Dorlup, and gathered in the chips again.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Dorlup?" someone at his shoulder asked.</p> - -<p>"Yes, I am Dorlup. What do you want?"</p> - -<p>"Come with me."</p> - -<p>"What for?"</p> - -<p>"Don't make a scene, Mr. Dorlup," the man said in a soft voice. Then in -a language which Dorlup had not heard for six months: "It is important -that I talk with you."</p> - -<p>Dorlup's eyes bulged. "You're an Agent?"</p> - -<p>"Come with me, please."</p> - -<p>Dorlup told Beti to play with his chips, then followed the man from the -gambling room into the bar.</p> - -<p>"Scotch," said Dorlup with a smile. "Might as well be your treat, eh?"</p> - -<p>"Two scotches, then," said the man. "You're in serious trouble, Dorlup."</p> - -<p>"Is that so?"</p> - -<p>"Quite. For a long time the Century Agents have played down stories -about a time-tinkerer who had broken more rules than all the tinkerers -before him. He was called the monopolist of despotism, although -frankly the Agents neither invented nor particularly cared for the -term. We played down the stories but we hardly doubted them. As I said, -you are in trouble, Dorlup. You are under arrest."</p> - -<p>"This is fantastic. What's the charge?"</p> - -<p>"Time tinkering, of course. You are the monopolist, Dorlup."</p> - -<p>"What? WHAT?"</p> - -<p>"You are the monopolist."</p> - -<p>Beti played with Dorlup's chips until not one remained in front of her. -The croupier was his old self again, calm, detached, indifferent. She -looked all around the club for Dorlup but couldn't find him.</p> - -<p>No doubt the stranger had been an Agent. Beti hardly understood all -that had happened in the last few months. First they told her to spy -on Dorlup and she had—gladly, since she had done other small jobs for -them in the past and the pay was good. <i>I'm not as dumb as he thinks</i>, -she thought with a smile. And then, then they had told her to lie in -her reports. She had lied cheerfully, at their direction. But why did -they need to spy if she spied and found nothing, then reported all -sorts of things? She shrugged her shapely shoulders. They had their -reasons.</p> - -<p>They also had Dorlup, she concluded. Then her job was finished.</p> - -<p>She had a drink, listened to a sultry-voiced girl render the latest -popular song, and went outside into the cool night air. A sleek car -roared to a quick stop in front of her. The back door opened. "Get in," -someone said in the darkness.</p> - -<p>She hesitated. Hands reached out, tugged at her, pulled her. She was -too surprised to try fighting them off, but they were big, strong hands -and it would have been futile anyway. She was deposited on the back -seat of the car, between two men. The one on her right she had never -seen before. She had seen pictures of the one on her left, the handsome -man who was approaching middle age so attractively.</p> - -<p>He was Mulid Ruscar, Chief of the Century Agents.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Where's my father?" Laniq demanded.</p> - -<p>"I'll take you to him." The man led them down a street lined with -prefabricated, Quonset-like houses. People smiled at Laniq, but -wanly—and most of the houses were deserted.</p> - -<p>An old man shook his head sadly, said, "There was great carnage in -Afghanistan. We don't know how it happened; we can only guess. Someone -was followed, despite all our efforts."</p> - -<p>They walked on, came at last to one of the prefabricated dwellings -which seemed no different from all the others. It was late autumn, -1954, but here in southern Nevada, warm winds swept uncomfortably -through the dusty street.</p> - -<p>A short, stocky man met them at the door. "You'll have to be quiet," he -said.</p> - -<p>"Dr. Jangor, how is my father?"</p> - -<p>"Badly hurt, I'm afraid. He'll live, but we had to amputate his right -leg above the knee. Come in, child."</p> - -<p>Tedor followed Laniq awkwardly inside.</p> - -<p>"He's in there," the doctor said, pointing to a closed door.</p> - -<p>"I'd better wait outside," Tedor told Laniq.</p> - -<p>"No, I want you with me."</p> - -<p>Shrugging, Tedor followed her within the room. His head propped on -pillows, a man lay in the single bed. He was neither awake, nor asleep, -but in that half-way state, semi-conscious, dreamy, yet extremely lucid.</p> - -<p>"He's been doped against the pain," said Dr. Jangor, and closed the -door behind him.</p> - -<p>"Dad," Laniq called softly.</p> - -<p>The head on the pillow stirred. Sweat beaded the skin, ran into the -eyes and made them squint.</p> - -<p>"Dad, it's Laniq."</p> - -<p>The lips hardly moved, but Tedor heard: "La-niq? Laniq, you've come -back."</p> - -<p>She knelt by the bed, let her hand rest on her father's feverish brow. -"It's all right now, Dad. Everything's going to be all right."</p> - -<p>"They destroyed the starship, Laniq. Completely. We—don't have that -way out any longer. We've got to beat the monopolist in Russia. -It's his last chance." Domique Hadrien spoke without heat, with no -emotion at all. The words spilled from his lips one after the other, -tonelessly. "We have beaten him all along the line, without even -knowing his identity. But he has the best chance in Russia and knows it.</p> - -<p>"We approach 1955, the crucial year. I said it was the monopolist's -last chance. Well, it is ours as well. If he wins in Russia, if he goes -on to unite the whole 20th century world as a Russian slave state, then -he's on his way toward ultimate conquest of all time. Think of the -power at his disposal: an Army to be drawn from two and a half billion -people. We must stop him.</p> - -<p>"Who is with you, Laniq?"</p> - -<p>"A friend," Laniq assured him. "You can talk."</p> - -<p>"I—I know what we have to do. A one-legged man, recuperating, isn't -good for much. Someone must go to Russia and—"</p> - -<p>"I can go," Tedor said. "I have contacts there. Century Agents."</p> - -<p>"I'll go with you," Laniq told him.</p> - -<p>"You'll stay right here."</p> - -<p>"Yes? What would you do in Russia?"</p> - -<p>"Well—"</p> - -<p>"Do you have a plan?"</p> - -<p>"Of course not—yet. But I could see what's happening—"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Domique Hadrien seemed more clearly awake, more alert. "Nonsense, young -man. When it comes to intrigue, Laniq is as capable as a man. Further, -she knows what we've been planning all along."</p> - -<p>"What's that?"</p> - -<p>"If you're familiar with their recent history, you'll recall that -their former dictator, Stalin, died early last year. The new premier, -Malenkov, is a man to his people, where Stalin was a god. With their -effective propaganda-indoctrination machines, I don't doubt Malenkov -will one day also be regarded almost as a deity—if we give them time. -That's what the monopolist wants, naturally. It's a necessary part -of his plans. But Chenkov, the new Army Chief is backed by a strong -military clique which would like him and not Malenkov to assume the -mantle of godhood. As for the people, they were willing to take what -Stalin dished out because Stalin was their god; but Malenkov is not -only a man but a hated half-Tartar, and the people grumble whenever -they have to tighten their belts another notch.</p> - -<p>"So, Malenkov will one day have godhood. That was their original plan, -but there is another development paralleling it. Wild claims have -come out of Russia, rumors, whispered talk—all saying that Stalin, -miraculously, is living again. It's sheer imagination, I suspect. It's -an attempt to pan a make-believe Stalin off on the people in case -Malenkov falls on his face while playing God."</p> - -<p>"Then we go to Moscow," said Tedor, "as Russians, of course. We must -discredit Malenkov where possible, disprove the Stalin re-birth -theory—"</p> - -<p>"And incite the people to revolt," Laniq finished for him.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Tedor, and smiled.</p> - -<p>"It isn't as difficult as it looks, although I think I'd rather go -hunting for lions with my bare hands. You see, I've been to Russia -before, several times, and for the same reason. I have a fictitious -identity there, which I assume on arrival. I've managed to snag a few -top men as—uh, admirers. That includes Vladimir Chenkov, by the way."</p> - -<p>"Sounds better already. You stay with your father," said Tedor, "for a -while. I'm taking a trip up to New York to get some information from -our Century Agent there. Then I'll return, pick up one female intriguer -out here in Nevada, and we'll be on our way. Take care of yourselves." -And Tedor left.</p> - -<p>"Nice chap," Hadrien told his daughter.</p> - -<p>She smiled at him. "You know something Dad? I'm just beginning to -realize that. Very nice."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The office was on the twenty-third floor of a big office building in -mid-town New York, room 2307. It came with all the standard equipment, -desks, filing cabinets, chairs, phones, an attractive secretary.</p> - -<p>"I'd like to see Mr. Sertant," Tedor told the secretary, who was -leafing through one magazine with half a dozen others waiting their -turn.</p> - -<p>"Isn't a very busy office," she told him flushing slightly.</p> - -<p>"I didn't think it would be."</p> - -<p>"You know Mr. Sertant?"</p> - -<p>"We're old friends," Tedor assured her. It wasn't the truth, for he'd -never met Sertant, although he had heard of the Agent.</p> - -<p>"Then can you do me a favor, Mister?"</p> - -<p>"Maybe."</p> - -<p>"What does he do? I mean, what's Mr. Sertant's business? The way he -snoops around people sometimes, you'd think he was a private detective. -You know, like Mike Hammer?"</p> - -<p>"You might call him that."</p> - -<p>"I just wanted to know if I could tell my friends I'm working for a -private detective or what, but Mr. Sertant doesn't ever tell me what he -does. I just sit here in case anyone comes. Who shall I say is calling, -sir?"</p> - -<p>"Mr. Barwan. Tedor Barwan."</p> - -<p>"Umm." The girl said nothing, but she scowled while trying to write -Tedor's name on a pad.</p> - -<p>"T-e-d-o-r B-a-r-w-a-n," he spelled it out for her.</p> - -<p>"Are you Turkish, Mr. Barwan? It sounds maybe like it's Turkish."</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Sertant has a funny name, too. Sertant. Excuse me please, Mister."</p> - -<p>"That's all right."</p> - -<p>"I'd better tell Mr. Sertant you are here." She flicked the intercom, -and Tedor could hear a buzzer dimly in the inner office. "Mr. Sertant? -There's a Mr. Tedor Barwan to see you.... Yes, sir.... You go right on -in, Mr. Barwan."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Tedor thanked her, pushed through the gate, opened the door to -Sertant's office, closed it behind him. Sertant got up from his desk, -an Agent somewhat younger than Tedor, with red hair and very fair, -almost livid skin.</p> - -<p>"Your identification please, Barwan."</p> - -<p>Tedor gave his papers to Sertant.</p> - -<p>"Excellent. It's quite a coincidence you dropped in, Barwan. We've been -looking for you."</p> - -<p>"Really?"</p> - -<p>"It will save us a lot of work."</p> - -<p>Tedor was about to ask why, but Sertant began answering the question -before he had the opportunity to ask it. Sertant reached into a draw of -his desk, his hand emerging swiftly and with clear purpose, grasping a -20th century automatic pistol with comfortable familiarity and pointing -it at Tedor.</p> - -<p>"Sit down, Barwan."</p> - -<p>Tedor sat.</p> - -<p>"You're under arrest."</p> - -<p>"This is crazy," Tedor snorted. "What for? By what authority? I think I -outrank you as an Agent, anyway."</p> - -<p>"I don't doubt you do."</p> - -<p>"Then you can't arrest me."</p> - -<p>"This gun says I can. I also have orders which say I can." With his -free hand Sertant groped about the top of his desk, never letting his -eye leave Tedor. Presently he found a sheet of paper tucked under his -blotter, passed it across the desk-top.</p> - -<p>Tedor scanned it quickly, and with mounting incredulity. It proclaimed:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="ph1"><i>HEADQUARTERS<br /> -CENTURY AGENTS<br /> -OFFICE OF THE CHIEF</i></p> - -<p><i>To all Agents, all centuries: Important. Century Agent C-20 Tedor -Barwan—now on vacation, whenabouts unknown—is to be detained on sight -for possible connection with or knowledge of serious case of time -tinkering. Signed. Mulid Ruscar, Chief.</i></p></div> - -<p>"It's Ruscar's signature," said Tedor, "but I still say you can't hold -me."</p> - -<p>"This gun says I can," Sertant repeated. "I'm sorry, Barwan, but -those are my orders. I hardly know anything about it myself, although -something seems to be popping right here in this century."</p> - -<p>Tedor began to think of getting away. It was something to think about, -but not at the moment, for Sertant seemed on the point of telling him -something which might be of value.</p> - -<p>"Ruscar is here, right here in Twenty. It appears whatever is happening -is sufficiently important to demand his presence."</p> - -<p>"Well, then, what's happening?"</p> - -<p>"My friend, that is what Ruscar will want to ask you. Actually, -I don't know. So I'll simply have to detain you until Ruscar gets -here—which could be soon. It could also be several weeks."</p> - -<p>Tedor did not like the idea of an indefinite wait. He eyed Sertant -speculatively wondered just how much experience the young Agent had -with the obsolete pistol—how much he had, in fact with violence of any -sort.</p> - -<p>Tedor calculated the distance between them. Six feet, with Sertant -sitting comfortably behind the desk, elbow propped on its surface, -gun in hand; Tedor standing in front of the desk, shifting his weight -uncomfortably from one foot to the other.</p> - -<p>The desk? Tedor considered. It wasn't too heavy, but it also did not -give him much of a hand-hold. If he could duck, grasp it firmly, spill -it over on top of Sertant....</p> - -<p>Sertant settled the problem himself. He stood up, came around the side -of the desk and stopped near Tedor. "I really should put this antique -weapon away," he admitted. "After all, we Agents can trust one another, -and Ruscar probably wants you only for information on something."</p> - -<p>Tedor shrugged, beginning to feel like a heel, but realizing it was -necessary. "Then why don't you?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Sertant looked at the gun uncertainly, but continued holding it, the -muzzle pointed half at Tedor and half at the floor. "You are going to -be a headache," he said. "Obviously, I can't lock you in any of the -20th century jails. The natives would want reasons and I don't have the -authority, anyway."</p> - -<p>"Then why don't you let me go—provided I promise to remain in the 20th -century until I see Ruscar?" Tedor realized he could cheerfully make -such a promise and keep it, for if they uncovered and defeated the -monopolist in Russia, Ruscar assuredly would want to hear of it.</p> - -<p>Sertant shook his head. "Since Ruscar issued this directive for you -personally, I have to detain you."</p> - -<p>At that moment, Sertant's office-intercom buzzed. Sertant leaned across -the desk, his eyes still on Tedor, and flicked a switch. Tedor heard -the secretary's voice.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Sertant, I'd like to see you about something."</p> - -<p>"What?" Sertant demanded irritably.</p> - -<p>"Your correspondence to Mr. Hoblan in Cairo."</p> - -<p>Hoblan's name was familiar to Tedor. C-20, middle-east, as he recalled.</p> - -<p>"Umm, yes. That can't wait. Come on in, Miss Peterson."</p> - -<p>The door soon opened. Sertant averted his eyes from Tedor for an -instant, looked at Miss Peterson.</p> - -<p>Tedor leaped at him. The gun roared deafeningly, brought a cascade of -plaster down from the ceiling. Miss Peterson screamed.</p> - -<p>Then Tedor was grappling with Sertant, forcing him back over the edge -of the desk, and twisting the hand that held the gun. Miss Peterson -disappeared, on her way to notify the local police in all probability.</p> - -<p>Tedor twisted savagely, heard something snap. Sertant cursed; the gun -clattered to the desk-top, then to the floor, but Sertant's hand was at -Tedor's throat, choking him. Abruptly Tedor relaxed, permitting Sertant -to straighten away from the desk. Tedor swung his right hand in a short -clubbing blow which chopped at Sertant's chin. It broke Sertant's -choking hold, opened Sertant's guard so Tedor could pound two swift -blows at his stomach.</p> - -<p>Sertant doubled over, got thrust upright again by a hard left cross -which loosened his teeth and sent two of them flying from his mouth -with a spray of blood. Sertant gurgled, covered head with hands and -slumped on the desk.</p> - -<p>Tedor left the office, tidying his clothing. In the outer room he -passed a near-hysterical Miss Peterson, who had just returned the phone -to its cradle.</p> - -<p>"Better get him some water," Tedor told her. "Cold water. And tell him -I'm sorry. Tell him I'm an Agent, doing an Agent's job and nothing, not -even Ruscar, can delay it. Tell him Ruscar can find me in Moscow if he -really wants me."</p> - -<p>"M-moscow?"</p> - -<p>"Moscow." Tedor closed the door behind him.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dorlup was sweating. Naturally, he had nothing to hide; he had done -nothing which could call the Agents down on him. "I don't know what -you're talking about," he repeated for the fifth time.</p> - -<p>"We'll see about that. We have a sworn statement by this solidio -actress—"</p> - -<p>"Beti? That's insane. Beti's been with me for months, I admit that; but -my behavior has always been within the limits of the law. Why man, the -natives accept me as one of their own."</p> - -<p>"That's what you say."</p> - -<p>"Yes it is. I challenge you to prove otherwise."</p> - -<p>"We already have. The actress' testimony is enough to condemn you."</p> - -<p>"I demand that my legal advocate be notified."</p> - -<p>"He will, when you're returned to the future for trial."</p> - -<p>The door to the small room opened. Tall, slender, self-assured, Mulid -Ruscar entered with another man.</p> - -<p>"It's done," the other man said.</p> - -<p>"We have her statement," said Ruscar. "You can send this one back any -time—and just a minute! Something's coming over your teletype. This -primitive communications...."</p> - -<p>The man who had been questioning Dorlup walked to a bulky piece of -machinery which was clicking excitedly in a corner of the room. He -peered in through the metal case, read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p>HEADQUARTERS EASTERN UNITED STATES DISTRICT COLON URGENT EXCLAMATION -POINT IS RUSCAR PRESENT QUESTION PLEASE HAVE HIM CONTACT ME -IMMEDIATELY REGARDING TEDOR BARWAN PERIOD BARWAN WAS HERE BUT MANAGED -TO ESCAPE CMM TRICKING AND OVERPOWERING ME PERIOD BARWAN ASSERTED -INTENTIONS OF VISITING MOSCOW USSR CMM PURPOSE OF VISIT UNKNOWN PERIOD -PLEASE NOTIFY PERIOD JELDON SERTANT C TWENTY NEUSA CMM NEW YORK NY END</p></div> - -<p>"Barwan's slipped through our fingers again," the man said bitterly.</p> - -<p>Ruscar frowned at him. "Actually, you're jumping to conclusions -concerning Tedor. He's a good man, one of the best Agents we've got."</p> - -<p>"That's just it, Chief. That's exactly it. He's been so well -indoctrinated in Agenting, he'll never play along with us."</p> - -<p>"No. Who do you think it was who indoctrinated Tedor? I did. I believed -that way myself, you know. If I changed my mind, perhaps I can change -Tedor's. I'd certainly like to, because we can use Tedor.</p> - -<p>"Well, you can take this Dorlup thing from here. The girl has had an -unfortunate accident. She's dead. But we have her statement, and it -should hold up in a court of law."</p> - -<p>"Dead!" Dorlup cried, not understanding what was going on.</p> - -<p>"Take him out of here," Ruscar said, and someone removed Dorlup from -the room.</p> - -<p>"Now, then," Ruscar continued. "Return to our century with him. Press -charges. Make an astonishing revelation, as it were. We doubted the -existence of a monopolist of despotism, but we're not infallible. We -were wrong. Dorlup is the monopolist, and we have proof."</p> - -<p>"Poor Dorlup."</p> - -<p>"One of those things. We needed a scapegoat, because too many people -were beginning to demand action regarding Domique Hadrien's claims. Too -bad we couldn't stick it on Hadrien himself; that would be taking care -of two things at once.</p> - -<p>"About Barwan, tell Sertant to forget it. If Barwan's on his way to -Moscow, then we can only assume he's thrown in completely with Domique -Hadrien and his followers. That doesn't mean it's irrevocable, for I'm -going to Moscow myself. I'd like to have Barwan with us, as you know. -If not—well, no one man is indispensable."</p> - -<p>In the next room, meanwhile, Dorlup was fuming. His whole orientation -toward what had happened had been drastically altered in the last few -moments. It was not a mistake, hardly a mistake at all.</p> - -<p>A plot?</p> - -<p>A plot, decidedly. Dorlup was being used as—what was the 20th century -term he had picked up?—as a fall guy. He'd have none of it. Not -Dorlup. At first he hardly knew how to straighten it out, but if Ruscar -wouldn't help—he had counted on Ruscar and now it seemed Ruscar was -behind everything—then Dorlup had only one place to turn. He smiled -grimly. After what had happened at the Eradrome, he never thought he'd -go to Tedor Barwan for anything.</p> - -<p>The guard kept one eye on Dorlup, and at the same time tried to listen, -through a partially opened door to the conservation in the next -room. Dorlup picked up a chair when he was convinced all the guard's -attentions were centered on the other room. He swung the chair like a -four-stemmed club, shattering it over the guard's head. Feet pounded in -the next room, but Dorlup was on his way out.</p> - -<p>Shots barked in the darkness, and once a parabeam zipped past Dorlup. -But he kept on running and he found a car at the head of the driveway. -Not only were the keys in the ignition, the engine was idling. Dorlup -sprung inside for all his massive bulk and had gunned the automobile -out toward the main highway before another car started in pursuit.</p> - -<p>Heading for the road to Reno and his time-conveyor, Dorlup wondered -how he could approach Tedor Barwan in Moscow—if, indeed Tedor was -on his way there. Well, Dorlup knew a man in the Spasso House, the -American Embassy fronting on Red Square. He was an expatriate -time-traveler who had decided to remain in the 20th century as one of -its citizens—something growing more common every day. Perhaps he could -help Dorlup....</p> - -<p><i>If</i> he ever got to his time-conveyor, let alone Moscow.</p> - -<p>Headlights blazed in his rear-view mirror. He pressed his right foot -down on the accelerator, as far as it would go. The lights did not -fade, nor did they grow brighter.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"It can't really be him," Georgi Malenkov told the Comrade Doctor in -obvious distaste.</p> - -<p>"I assure you, Comrade Premier it is he."</p> - -<p>Malenkov walked ponderously to a bar in the corner, poured himself two -ounces of vodka and drank them straight. His suite was far within the -walls of the Kremlin, so deep and so well hidden, in fact that not -fifty people in all of Moscow knew its location. For Stalin this had -not been necessary, Malenkov thought uncomfortably. His suite had been -secret, true enough—but thousands of people had known its location. -With Malenkov it was different. He could trust no one—no one. He never -knew a man could feel so completely alone, so helpless at night and -afraid to sleep. Every time he saw Vladimir Chenkov's lean, gaunt face -he went almost sick with fear.</p> - -<p>Chenkov, grim, deadly Chief of Staff of the Red Army, who had arisen -from Ural obscurity to power only this year—Chenkov coveted what he -did.</p> - -<p>Not Chenkov alone. Everyone. Why, he couldn't even trust his -servants—two men and a woman who never saw the light of day, never -ventured from his suite in the Kremlin.</p> - -<p>He was not Stalin, not the Iron Man, not the half-deity. He was -Malenkov, the man, the fat half-Tartar—and afraid. He had thought at -first that in a matter of months he could cement his position securely -enough to venture forth without fear. But here it was, more than a year -and a half since he had taken office and he had still to drive along -the private highway and use his private dacha to the south for a few -days of relaxation.</p> - -<p>Fortified with the vodka, Malenkov scowled at the Comrade Doctor. -"I won't ask you to explain—such explanations are beyond me. You -say it is he. Very well, but hear this: if you are lying, if you are -wrong—lying or not—your life shall be forfeit."</p> - -<p>The Comrade Doctor shrugged. "I spoke the truth."</p> - -<p>Everyone was against him, Malenkov sulked. Everyone. Now even a ghost. -"How long will he live—uh, he <i>is</i> living?"</p> - -<p>"The answer to the second question, Comrade Premier, is yes. He is -alive, although the manner of life is decidedly unusual. As for the -first question, does the Premier want a truthful answer?"</p> - -<p>"I insist upon it," said Malenkov, who now desired more vodka, but -thought it a matter of impropriety to return to the bar and so call -the Comrade Doctor's attention to the fact that he drank heavily. Such -things had a way of getting out and causing trouble. Perhaps Chenkov -would know some way to use it as a weapon.</p> - -<p>"Then, I do not know. I can promise nothing. He is alive now—in a very -special sort of way. How long he will live I cannot predict. He might -die in a minute, an hour, a year—he might live, if properly cared for, -for an eternity. He—"</p> - -<p>The phone buzzed. Malenkov shuddered, jumped. It had sounded so loud. -He must have them mute the phones.</p> - -<p>"This is the Comrade Premier," he said.</p> - -<p>"Comrade Zhubin, the bio-chemist, Comrade Premier."</p> - -<p>Zhubin. Malenkov's heart pounded. "Go ahead, Zhubin."</p> - -<p>"He is calling for you."</p> - -<p>"Already?" Malenkov was hoarse, found it difficult to swallow. "How -long has he been calling for me?"</p> - -<p>"Several minutes. He is laughing as if something is quite funny."</p> - -<p>Malenkov said he would be right there, returned the phone to its -hook. He shuddered again. The thought of the thing in its small round -glass case was terrible. Should he tell the people? Already rumors -were afoot. Who couldn't he trust? The Comrade Doctor. Shuddering was -becoming habitual. He <i>had</i> to trust the Comrade Doctor, or die of -fright every time he got the sniffles. The Comrade bio-chemist, Zhubin? -But Zhubin had the thing in the glass case and might be considered the -second most important man in the Communist hierarchy.</p> - -<p>Then who was first?</p> - -<p>Malenkov?</p> - -<p>The thing in the glass case?</p> - -<p>Shuddering Malenkov bid the Comrade Doctor make himself comfortable. -He excused himself, entered the hall and started walking. Who was -first? He suddenly remembered something. Malenkov was not first, nor -was the thing in the case. Someone else—someone none of the Russians -knew anything about, except for Malenkov, and Stalin before him, and -perhaps one or two others.</p> - -<p>But Mulid Ruscar, the quiet man impossibly (and yet it was so) from the -future, preferred to remain in the background.</p> - -<p>After all, hadn't the thing in the glass case been Ruscar's idea?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"But of course, Vladimir, my dear—of course I missed you! Could it be -otherwise, ever?"</p> - -<p>Laniq sat curled on a chair, talking into the telephone. Her -transformation had been amazing, thought Tedor. Not many hours before, -they had set their conveyor down a score of miles south of Moscow, in -a heavily wooded area. Dressed like city folk and equipped with all -the counterfeit documents they needed, they had confiscated an auto -(Laniq's forged paper placed them high in the Communist nobility) and -motored to Moscow.</p> - -<p>There they entered the apartment Laniq maintained, Laniq excused -herself, left Tedor in the living room with some good vodka, and went -into the bedroom to change her clothing.</p> - -<p>Tedor had to whistle when she returned.</p> - -<p>The gown clung to her body, dazzling white, patterned with gems, -slashed boldly from throat to waist revealing Laniq's shapely breasts -as much as it concealed them, revealing and concealing in a breathless -rhythm as she moved about. The skirt also was slit on one side to -mid-thigh.</p> - -<p>"I'm going to call Chenkov and have dinner with him," Laniq had said. -"Find out what's going on."</p> - -<p>For answer, Tedor took her in his arms and kissed her. It was one of -those things, a sudden impulse which he regretted in the first split -second. Regret turned to delight. Laniq seemed surprised, tried to pull -away, but all at once her lips melted under his, her arms were flung -about his neck, her body thrust against him.</p> - -<p>"Laniq," he had murmured. "Laniq, I—"</p> - -<p>"Shh!" And they were kissing again.</p> - -<p>"Laniq—it's crazy, wild, impossible. We hardly know each other, we.... -I came into time looking for you wanting to kill you!"</p> - -<p>"We have been through all of civilization together. I know you for five -thousand years. Umm-mm, don't stop, Tedor."</p> - -<p>And he hadn't, not for a long time. She burned like fire and she cooled -like a clear mountain lake on a hot summer day and Tedor had whispered -in the dark, "I love you, Laniq."</p> - -<p>"Tedor! I love you. Tell me again."</p> - -<p>"I love you."</p> - -<p>And afterwards, he had prepared drinks and they toasted the future and -discussed plans and then Laniq had gone to the telephone and called -Chenkov.</p> - -<p>"I have to see you, Vladimir. I missed you every minute." Tedor stood -nearby; she kissed the tip of his nose.</p> - -<p>Tedor was so close he heard the voice faintly over the receiver. "I'm -busy, but I'll put it aside. Dinner and then my dacha for the night, -darling Anna."</p> - -<p>That was Laniq's name here in Russia, Anna Myinkov. As Anna Myinkov she -had on previous visits captivated the hearts of Chenkov and others. -Only fat Georgi Malenkov, she had told Tedor, had been impossibly -aloof. Of course, the extent of her captivation was information. She -could learn what was happening, but Tedor somehow would have to put it -to use.</p> - -<p>"I'll pick you up in an hour, Anna."</p> - -<p>"An hour, then," and Laniq cut the connection, turning into Tedor's -arms.</p> - -<p>Tedor scowled. "Just what—happens at his dacha?"</p> - -<p>Laniq laughed softly. "Silly Tedor, we're not married yet." But her -eyes were twinkling.</p> - -<p>"What happens?"</p> - -<p>"You leave that to me, but I can tell you this: if I gave Chenkov what -he could get, and gladly, from any Russian beauty, he'd tire of me."</p> - -<p>"Just what do you do?"</p> - -<p>Laniq practiced some exaggerated bumps and grinds like those Tedor -had often seen in the Eradrome. "Enough, but not too much. Listen, -Tedor—you'd better be on your way in a few minutes. What happens if -Chenkov finds you here?"</p> - -<p>Grumbling, Tedor picked up his fur-lined coat and Russian pile-cap. -"There's a man at the Spasso House," he told her. "Someone who decided -he liked the twentieth century better than our own, counterfeited a -birth certificate, deposited it in an American department of health -some thirty years ago and took up citizenship there. He went into state -department work and is here in Moscow now.</p> - -<p>"You get what information you can from Chenkov. I'll see my friend. -We'll compare notes and decide what to do. Laniq—I want you to—well, -be careful, that's all."</p> - -<p>"Well ..." Laniq smiled at him.</p> - -<p>"I'm not joking. Maybe that gown kind of hurried what I felt all along, -but it was coming, Laniq. I loved you from the beginning but didn't -know it. Laniq, be careful."</p> - -<p>"You can come back and sleep here tonight if you want. I'll see you in -the morning. And you know I'll be careful, Tedor. Now that I've found -you I want to keep you—and I want to stay healthy enough to appreciate -what I've got."</p> - -<p>The phone rang.</p> - -<p>"Hello, this is Anna Myinkov. Yes? Oh, yes, Vladimir. My, but that was -fast. Of course." Laniq hung up, shoved Tedor toward the door. "Get out -of here, quick! Chenkov's suite of rooms when he's not in the Kremlin -or his dacha is in a hotel down the street. He's early. He's on his way -up right now. Scram!"</p> - -<p>Tedor kissed her quickly, stalked out into the hall and waited for the -elevator. A middle-aged man got off—wearing the uniform of a Red Army -marshal, carrying a large bouquet of flowers.</p> - -<p>"You should have doffed your hat," the female elevator operator -admonished Tedor as they started down. "That was Marshal Chenkov."</p> - -<p>"Don't I know it," said Tedor.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Barwan! This is a surprise. Come in, come in."</p> - -<p>The Spasso House, the American Embassy adjacent to Red Square, was a -gaunt, grim structure. Frawdin Chlon—Harry Marsden now—was a man of -about Tedor's age, but shorter, fair of skin and hair and quite calm -and self-possessed in an American business suit.</p> - -<p>"We were about to close for the day, Barwan. But this is a surprise."</p> - -<p>"How are you, Frawdin—no, I guess it had better be Harry."</p> - -<p>"You're telling me! Fine, thank you. It's quite a coincidence, because -I had another visitor earlier today. He says he knows you and wanted to -see you, but I had no idea you were in Moscow."</p> - -<p>"Who was that?"</p> - -<p>"A solidio writer, name of Dorlup."</p> - -<p>"Dorlup?" Tedor frowned.</p> - -<p>"He claims to be in some kind of trouble and says he has a story to -tell which would make your hair stand on end."</p> - -<p>"He has a habit of doing that. Do you have his address?"</p> - -<p>Marsden nodded, then asked: "What brings you here?"</p> - -<p>"It's a long story, and since you are working for the American -government now, I don't think I'd better tell you. Not that anything -I plan doing will hurt America—far from it. But you know about -time-travel and the way we have to do everything in secret. All I want -is some information, anyway. What's the current international state of -affairs?"</p> - -<p>"I wish I knew, Tedor. Frankly, I'm worried. The Russians have massed -three million troops on their European border, another million to the -east, north of the Yellow Sea. Their big planes, capable of delivering -anything including atomic weapons a third of the way around the world, -are lined up on a 'round-the-clock stand-by basis at half a dozen -airfields; there's talk they'll be used soon. Everything seems to hinge -on something happening in the Kremlin right now. There's talk, wild -rumors, but nothing official."</p> - -<p>"What are the rumors about?"</p> - -<p>"You'll think this is silly, but they're from usually reliable sources. -They claim Stalin has come back to life."</p> - -<p>"What!"</p> - -<p>"That's right. Stalin has come back, sort of like a totalitarian -Communist Messiah. All people have a culture-hero who's supposed to -come back in times of trouble and lead his nation to glory. Even -though Stalin's been gone only a year and a half, he's the Russian -culture-hero. If somehow they can rig up a setup—the men in the -Kremlin, I mean—which convinces the people he has come back and wants -war, there's no telling what Russia might do."</p> - -<p>"But does the Kremlin want war?"</p> - -<p>Marsden shrugged. "It might be necessary to keep power. The people -don't like their government, although they tolerated it under Stalin -because he managed to convince them he was something of a deity. But -if the government can turn the people to an exterior trouble, namely a -world war, the government would stay in power. It depends on what these -rumors are all about."</p> - -<p>"And don't you know?"</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>"Okay, Harry. Thanks. Listen, don't tell Dorlup I was here if he should -call you. I'll get in touch with him when I have a chance."</p> - -<p>Marsden gave Tedor an address where Dorlup could be reached, told him -they'd have to have lunch together some time, then led him to the door.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Vladimir Chenkov's dacha—his big estate at the far end of the -private highway some thirty-odd miles south of Moscow—almost had -the proportions of a palace. It was big all over, with huge rooms, -high ceilings, half a dozen fireplaces, two grand pianos, ponderous, -overstuffed furniture and eight private bedrooms, each easily large -enough to accommodate four people although each contained only one -oversized bed.</p> - -<p>"You're a strange girl, Anna," said Chenkov, sitting with her on -bearskins near the fireplace and trying to maneuver in such a way that -when she grew tired her head would naturally fall into his lap.</p> - -<p>"Oh, I like you—yes. Don't misunderstand. But at times you are -so—cold."</p> - -<p>"You're married, Vladimir, and sometimes I think of your wife and think -of how I would feel under similar circumstances."</p> - -<p>"That is all?"</p> - -<p>"Well—"</p> - -<p>"Then listen to me, Anna. What is a wife? A man has a wife because -it is conventional, like a country says it is striving for peace -when often it must have war to keep from flying apart. I can get you -anything, anything. I could treat you like no wife ever was treated. -Here, you like this dacha? Say the word and it is yours."</p> - -<p>Servants came with vodka, champagne, paper-thin slices of sturgeon, -caviar. Chenkov nibbled at the sturgeon while Laniq had some caviar and -champagne. Chenkov began drinking vodka and hardly paused until, Laniq -realized, he was high enough to be uninhibited, yet not sufficiently -high to be a boor. It was the gentlemanly thing in Russian nobility, -Laniq knew.</p> - -<p>"Do you not even feel inclined to kiss me tonight, my Anna?"</p> - -<p>Laniq offered her lips without heat, got them bruised by Chenkov's -teeth.</p> - -<p>"Then at least dance for me, Anna."</p> - -<p>She had danced for him before, here in this very dacha, at the same -fireplace. But now it was different, now she could not feel the same -emotional indifference and so whet Chenkov's appetite sufficiently for -him to start talking.</p> - -<p>Laniq got up and did a tentative pirouette.</p> - -<p>"Come now."</p> - -<p>Laniq danced slowly, spinning and dipping and feeling terribly sorry -for herself. But the firelight was warm and the champagne, and the -whole room seemed to go out of focus except for Chenkov's hungry eyes, -which became enormous—and in Laniq's own time the dance was something -to be done because you loved doing it, and except for Chenkov's eyes -she might dance with abandon and enjoy herself.</p> - -<p><i>Tedor</i>, she thought. <i>Tedor....</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>If she closed her own eyes she thought, almost, she was dancing for him -and not for Chenkov. The slit skirt swirled around her flashing thighs; -the bodice, slashed from throat to waist, clung and fell away, clung -and fell away.</p> - -<p>She danced not for Chenkov but for Tedor—and then not for Tedor but -for all the people in the world who might live in freedom if Chenkov's -tongue loosened. But the hands which reached up for her legs and pulled -her down were Chenkov's.</p> - -<p>"Tell me," she said breathlessly while Chenkov tried to paw her and she -scampered away to fill a large glass with vodka for him and a small one -with champagne for herself. "Tell me, are you as important a man as I -hear?"</p> - -<p>"My dear Anna! You're jesting."</p> - -<p>"No I mean it. I'm only a country girl, really I am, and I'd—"</p> - -<p>"You? A country bumpkin. That's good, that's splendid. Well, then I -will tell you. I am number two man in all the realm, and...."</p> - -<p>Laniq pouted.</p> - -<p>"Don't cry. Don't. I will, one day be number one man, I know it. You -may rest assured of that. I could show you things, so many things which -would make your beautiful hair stand on end."</p> - -<p>"Then show me!"</p> - -<p>"Very well—I shall, my Anna."</p> - -<p>"Show me how you can do anything, anything you want in all of Moscow."</p> - -<p>"And in the Kremlin, too," Chenkov said thickly. "Yes, in the Kremlin. -Tomorrow morning I will take you to see something you never dreamed of. -Tomorrow morning...." He kissed her wetly, too far gone with vodka.</p> - -<p>"Tomorrow morning then. I'm sleepy." And Laniq stood up, brushed his -fumbling hands away from her, climbed the stairs to the second floor, -retreated to a bedroom and bolted the door behind her. Chenkov was soon -stomping up the stairs and banging insistently at the door.</p> - -<p>"Tomorrow," Laniq whispered, and repeated it when Chenkov protested. "I -said tomorrow."</p> - -<p>"But Anna—"</p> - -<p>"You show me what you can do. After all, I don't want to be a -fly-by-night mistress of this dacha. Good night, Vladimir."</p> - -<p>"Good night, then. Tomorrow morning—and tomorrow night."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They always tried to bring Chenkov in on everything. <i>They</i> -actually had more power than people on the outside could imagine, -Malenkov thought petulantly. They numbered only two-score but -they were his cabinet of ministers and sub-ministers and it -seemed—ridiculously—that he had to answer to them for everything. -"But why don't we forget about Vladimir?" Malenkov pleaded, "who must -certainly be kept busy with his Army work?"</p> - -<p>"Vladimir will come. Stalin would have wanted it that way."</p> - -<p>Stalin, in truth, had asked for Chenkov as well as Malenkov. Stalin. -Malenkov trembled when he thought of it. That was not Stalin—that was -nobody. A thing, not a person. It spoke even with a mechanical voice. -Stalin—the Old Stalin—never answered to a cabinet of ministers and -sub-ministers. As for the new Stalin, the strange horrible thing which -the bio-chemist, Zhubin, insisted was Stalin, there was no telling what -he would want or demand. Malenkov wished passionately he could get his -hands around Zhubin's scrawny neck and choke the life from him. This -was all Zhubin's fault.</p> - -<p>Not really, for Mulid Ruscar couldn't be discounted. Why did everything -happen this way? Why did men from the future even insist on poking -their noses into his, Malenkov's business? But why was any of this -Ruscar's affair, anyway? Ruscar seemed to hold the whip-hand. Ruscar -told them what to do, and they did it. Ruscar knew political intrigue -as well as a Chenkov, bio-chemistry as well as a Zhubin—for was it not -Ruscar who had helped, paved the way, in fact, for Zhubin to construct -the monster masquerading as a resurrected Stalin? As if a hideous, -naked thing in a glass cage could be a man of flesh and blood and think -like a man.</p> - -<p>"Hurry, Comrade Premier. Ruscar is waiting and Stalin with him."</p> - -<p>Ruscar—and Stalin. But Ruscar had not been born yet, and would not be, -for thousands of years. Stalin? Stalin was dead.</p> - -<p>"I do not feel well," said Malenkov. "Summon the Comrade Doctor."</p> - -<p>"I am here, Comrade Premier. I will go with you to the meeting. A -slight sedative will perhaps—"</p> - -<p>"No! Get that thing away from me!" Malenkov recoiled in terror from the -needle which the Comrade Doctor had extended. "I am all right."</p> - -<p>Was the Comrade Doctor in the employ of Chenkov to poison him? Was he -in the employ of Ruscar for some nameless purpose? Or of Zhubin, the -bio-chemist, to transform Malenkov also into a pink thing floating in -ghastly fluid in a little glass container?</p> - -<p>Almost blubbering as he walked toward the laboratory, Malenkov could -feel the weight of Communist Empire, crushing him like a worm to the -floor.</p> - -<p>"I've never been in the Kremlin," Laniq told Chenkov as they hurried -along the silent hallways within the walled fortress. She had seen the -towers, the minarets, the gaunt walls only briefly from the outside, -and then Chenkov had spirited her within the place, although clearly a -Red Army guard would have protested had he been anyone but the Chief of -Staff.</p> - -<p>"I can take you anywhere you want." Chenkov promised, walking beside -her, his arm tucked in hers, resembling neither the whip-lash leader -of the Army, which he was, nor the romantic lover, which he hoped to -be—but rather the obscure military figure who had climbed to glory -over the purge-slain bodies of his comrades. He would one day look the -part of the field marshal, Laniq thought; at the moment he was trying -to convince himself as well as Anna Myinkov of the brightness of his -star in the communist firmament.</p> - -<p>They reached a heavy metal door flanked by two guards. "Marshal -Chenkov!" cried one, and they both saluted with their rifles. The door -opened, they went inside.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Laniq saw a huge room, a laboratory it seemed—all white porcelain -and gleaming chrome. At the far end a group of men clustered about an -object which seemed suspended in air and bathed in radiance of gold and -amber. The object was cylindrical and rather small, transparent with a -pinkish mass floating inside.</p> - -<p>Laniq almost screamed. The thing in the glass container was a human -brain.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Chenkov grasped her arm more tightly. "They won't like it when they -find I brought you here." He smiled. "They'll probably insist you -remain within the Kremlin—with me."</p> - -<p>A big, nervous man with flabby jowls and the palest face Laniq had ever -seen turned to face them.</p> - -<p>"Vladimir," he said, "you're late."</p> - -<p>It was Georgi Malenkov.</p> - -<p>Chenkov shrugged. "I am here."</p> - -<p>"And your friend?"</p> - -<p>"She is that, a friend."</p> - -<p>"You shouldn't have brought her. What do you think this is, a circus?"</p> - -<p>"It's a private affair. She's harmless."</p> - -<p>"I'll summon the guards and have her removed."</p> - -<p>"Yes? To whom do you think the guards owe their first allegiance?"</p> - -<p>A white-smocked figure turned to look at the newcomers. "Please, -Comrades. Let's have none of this squabbling. Stalin wants to talk with -us."</p> - -<p>"We'll settle this later," grumbled Malenkov.</p> - -<p>"There is nothing to settle," said Chenkov, standing his ground.</p> - -<p>Malenkov growled, but looked again at the brain floating in its case. -The white-smocked figure adjusted some dials on a table nearby. On -the wall behind the glass enclosed brain, a microphone-speaker blared -metallically:</p> - -<p>"Are they both here? Malenkov and Chenkov, both of them?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Zhubin. "Yes, Comrade Stalin. They are here."</p> - -<p>"You now know that I live," said the brain. "It is a strange new life -I have, but I can think—perhaps more clearly than would otherwise be -possible, for I have no body to encumber me. Before I go on, do you -have any questions?"</p> - -<p>Malenkov blinked his fat-enveloped eyes. Chenkov stared.</p> - -<p>"Very well. The day my body died, a quick operation removed the brain -and preserved it. Comrade Zhubin—working under the direction of a man -you've only seen once or twice—transferred the brain, my brain exactly -as it was in life so that when I speak you will know it is Stalin, the -Man of Iron, talking, into this case. I have since conferred with the -man who made the operation possible, the man who can do great things -for Mother Russia, and because talking tires me in some strange way and -he knows the situation more completely at this time than I do, I want -you to listen to him as if it were I, Stalin, talking."</p> - -<p>There was a silence. The half dozen figures still stood around the -brain case, but one of them turned slowly around to look at all the -earnest faces. His eyes raked Laniq. "A woman?" he said, incredulously, -and his eyes wandered, then darted back. "Laniq Hadrien!" he cried. -"Who brought this woman here? Fools! Speak!"</p> - -<p>"It was Chenkov," fat Malenkov said spitefully.</p> - -<p>"Is that true?" the man demanded.</p> - -<p>Chenkov nodded defiantly. "So what?"</p> - -<p>"So what? So this, you idiot! That girl is a representative of our most -dangerous enemy."</p> - -<p>"The United States?" wailed Malenkov.</p> - -<p>"Far worse than the United States."</p> - -<p>Laniq sprinted for the doorway at the other end of the room, heard the -voice call from behind her: "Guards! Stop that woman!"</p> - -<p>The speaker was Mulid Ruscar.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>When Laniq failed to return Tedor began to worry. It suddenly occurred -to him that he might be able to reach Mulid Ruscar for help. True, -Ruscar had sent out an order for his arrest, but directives could be -mis-read, transferred incorrectly. Perhaps Ruscar merely needed him -urgently. Perhaps Ruscar had realized he would be flitting through the -ages and nothing short of arrest would detain him long enough for them -to get together. Tedor used his tongue to flick on the tiny transmitter -embedded in his palate, then said:</p> - -<p>"This is Tedor Barwan calling Mulid Ruscar. Barwan calling Ruscar."</p> - -<p>He waited not more than half a minute when the answering voice -whispered in his ear. "Tedor, where are you?"</p> - -<p>"In Moscow, Chief. I'm sorry I couldn't wait in New York. I have news -for you. It's about Laniq Hadrien."</p> - -<p>"Laniq? Oh, of course. Laniq Hadrien eh? Where are you?"</p> - -<p>Tedor gave Ruscar his address.</p> - -<p>"Fine, Tedor. I'll send someone over to fetch you. Stay right there."</p> - -<p>"All right, chief." And Tedor cut the connection. Ruscar had a way -about him for getting to the bottom of intrigue. Tedor felt better -already.</p> - -<p>A moment later, the doorbell rang. Ruscar's man? Impossible.</p> - -<p>Tedor opened the door and admitted a nervous Dorlup.</p> - -<p>"Barwan, thank heaven I found you. Harry Marsden gave me your address."</p> - -<p>Tedor watched guardedly as Dorlup entered the room, sat down on a big -chair. "Have you people got any closer to finding the time-tyrant?"</p> - -<p>Tedor shook his head.</p> - -<p>"Let me ask you another question. At the very beginning of all this you -were going to write a report. What was it about?"</p> - -<p>"The 20th century, of course. I was going to say it seemed that the -most aggressive, war-like state here, Russia, was receiving aid from -our own time. Fornswitthe started to write it."</p> - -<p>"That's what I thought." Dorlup mopped his forehead, although it -was comfortably warm in the apartment. "And someone killed him and -stole it. You thought I was the only one who could have known where -Fornswitthe was living. But someone else knew. Mulid Ruscar knew."</p> - -<p>"Of course Ruscar knew," Tedor declared irritably. "That doesn't mean -anything. Ruscar is fighting everything the monopolist stands for."</p> - -<p>"We'll get back to that. It might interest you to know I'm a fugitive. -I escaped from Ruscar in the United States when Ruscar accused me of -being the time-tyrant."</p> - -<p>"I've wondered the same thing myself. But somehow you don't fill the -role."</p> - -<p>"He has enough phony evidence to make it stick, Barwan. You see, -certain people were creating too much of a fuss about the monopolist. -It was crimping Ruscar's plans. He figured if he could convict a -scapegoat the furor would die down, at least for a while. I was his -scapegoat."</p> - -<p>Tedor frowned while he poured them both drinks. "It just doesn't make -sense. Ruscar all his life has stood for everything the monopolist was -trying to tear down.</p> - -<p>"Which is exactly why no one ever suspected him."</p> - -<p>"I think you're crazy, or lying, or wrong—but we'll find out soon -enough. Ruscar knows I'm in Moscow. He's sending someone over, as a -matter of fact."</p> - -<p>"If Ruscar is sending someone to find you we've got to get out of -here!" Dorlup gasped.</p> - -<p>"Calm down. We'll do no such thing. We'll wait for Ruscar's man and see -what this is all about."</p> - -<p>"<i>You'll</i> wait, you mean—if you are stupid enough to aid in your own -execution. I'm getting out of here." Dorlup climbed to his feet, but -Tedor pushed him back into his chair.</p> - -<p>"You're waiting with me, Dorlup. I'd like to find out once and for all -just where you fit into all this."</p> - -<p>"Barwan, I came to you in good faith! Give me a chance! Ruscar has -enough rigged evidence to have me gassed."</p> - -<p>"Sit still and wait."</p> - -<p>Dorlup emptied his glass of vodka, reached over to the table and -tremblingly poured another.</p> - -<p>Seconds later the doorbell rang.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He was tall, broad of shoulder, wore a snap-brim hat and a concealed -weapon which nevertheless bulged on his hip. He showed his credentials. -"I am from Army Intelligence," he announced. "The Chief of Staff's -Office instructed me personally to escort you to a meeting with a -Comrade Ruscar."</p> - -<p>"Chief of Staff," said Dorlup. "That would be Chenkov himself. You're a -big fish, Barwan."</p> - -<p>Tedor wondered if there could be any truth in all that Dorlup had said. -Looking at Dorlup now, he realized the man bordered on hysteria, and -even if he were indeed well-meaning, he could still have misinterpreted -everything. Unlikely—but no less likely than the accusations Dorlup -had made against Mulid Ruscar. Perhaps the Intelligence Agent could -inadvertently shed light on the entire situation.</p> - -<p>Tedor yawned. "I am tired. I think I have changed my mind. Yes, I'd -rather sleep. You tell the Chief of Staff to tell Ruscar I won't see -him today, after all."</p> - -<p>"But Comrade, I was sent to get you."</p> - -<p>"Fine, you're a good man. I'm sending you back without me. Care for a -drink before you leave?"</p> - -<p>"Thank you, no. I never drink on duty. Comrade, listen; the Chief of -Staff would hate to tell Comrade Ruscar that you have changed your -mind. I know this for a fact, Comrade."</p> - -<p>"Are you trying to say I haven't much choice? I go with you voluntarily -or get taken?"</p> - -<p>The Intelligence Agent shrugged. "I never said it and you are putting -it crudely, even coarsely. But the general assumption is correct."</p> - -<p>Still smiling, Tedor reached for the bottle of vodka which stood on a -table near the door. The Intelligence Agent stood with one foot inside -the apartment, one outside, waiting.</p> - -<p>"Go to hell," said Tedor.</p> - -<p>The Intelligence Agent reached quickly for his gun. Tedor swung the -vodka bottle in a short, savage arc at the right side of the man's face -while he fumbled in his pocket for the weapon. The bottle struck his -jawbone, shattered. He screamed and fell, his face a red smear.</p> - -<p>Tedor dragged him inside the apartment and shut the door. "Maybe you -know what you're talking about, Dorlup. Are you willing to help me -prove it?"</p> - -<p>"I guess so. Yes, of course!"</p> - -<p>Tedor reached into the fallen Intelligence Agent's pocket, found his -wallet, his identification card with a picture and his gun. "We'll need -this," he said. "Come on."</p> - -<p>Laniq's commandeered auto was still parked at the curb downstairs, -a crowd of urchins admiring it. "Climb in," Tedor told Dorlup, then -walked to a display board down the street, found a poster with -Malenkov's picture, quickly removed it and ran for the car. "We're dead -ducks if my time-conveyor isn't where I left it," he said. "If it's -there, we may have a chance."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>And half an hour later:</p> - -<p>"So we're in your conveyor. Now what?"</p> - -<p>"Sit down," said Tedor. "We've got to hurry."</p> - -<p>"But this is the matter duplicator."</p> - -<p>Tedor nodded. Each conveyor was equipped with one of the devices—which -could print perfect counterfeit money, create clothing, artificial -hair, skin tissue, anything to render a visit to past ages as foolproof -as possible.</p> - -<p>"Whatever you want to copy is ordinarily stored on microfilm," Tedor -explained. "But this thing can copy anything."</p> - -<p>"I know, but what do you want me—"</p> - -<p>Tedor thrust the picture of Malenkov into the receiver. "Easy, Dorlup. -You're about the right size. Just sit still. You're going to be Georgi -Malenkov, Premier of all the Russians."</p> - -<p>Five minutes later, Tedor looked at Malenkov rising from the chair. -"It's perfect," he said.</p> - -<p>"I don't understand."</p> - -<p>"You can write solidios, Dorlup; you'd better be able to <i>act</i> as well. -You're going to be Malenkov."</p> - -<p>Tedor sat down himself, placed the Intelligence Agent's ID picture into -the duplicator. "I'll be your personal bodyguard," he said—and he was, -moments later.</p> - -<p>"They've got a friend of mine somewhere," said Tedor. "If Chenkov takes -orders from Malenkov, we're going to find out where. We're also going -to find out what Ruscar has up his sleeve, provided you're right about -him."</p> - -<p>"I'm right."</p> - -<p>"We'll see. But if you were lying, Dorlup—if you were, I'll kill you -myself."</p> - -<p>Dorlup blanched. "We don't have to worry about that."</p> - -<p>"All right. According to his ID card, this man was Fyodor Archevski. -I'm Fyodor Archevski, your guard."</p> - -<p>And then they were speeding in Laniq's auto back to Moscow—and the -Kremlin.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Where do you think you are going? Oh, Comrade Premier. Comrade -Malenkov—I am sorry."</p> - -<p>Dorlup nodded brusquely at the guard. They drove through the Kremlin -gates and up a ramp.</p> - -<p>"Do you know your way around this place?" Dorlup demanded.</p> - -<p>"No."</p> - -<p>Tedor stopped the car. They climbed out, watched as a uniformed figure -darted out from a doorway, leaped into the auto, drove it away after -saluting them.</p> - -<p>Another figure came forward. "May I be of help, Comrade Premier?"</p> - -<p>"The Premier wishes an immediate audience with Comrade Chenkov," Tedor -told the soldier. "Not in his private quarters but in the nearest -available study. Lead us to it and have someone fetch Chenkov. Quickly."</p> - -<p>The guard took them up another ramp, through a doorway, down a hall. He -led them into a spacious sitting room, soon had the fireplace burning -brightly. "I'll get the Marshal myself," he said, and departed.</p> - -<p>Tedor looked around, discovered a draped alcove at one end of the room. -Peering inside he saw a dressing table and a mirror. "I'll be in here," -he said. "Remember, the first thing you want to find out from Chenkov -is this: where's Laniq? Her name's Anna Myinkov, and Chenkov knows -her, probably saw her yesterday and possibly more recently than that. -Afterwards, if Chenkov wants to tell you anything in addition, that'll -be fine."</p> - -<p>A few moments later, Chenkov stalked angrily into the study. "See here, -Georgi! I saw you not half an hour ago in your quarters and now you -bring me here. What is it?"</p> - -<p>Dorlup cleared his throat. "I wanted some information."</p> - -<p>"You sound strange."</p> - -<p>"Cold coming on, I think. Vladimir, tell me—what happened to the girl? -You know, Anna Myinkov?"</p> - -<p>"Why should you be interested in her? Anyway, you <i>know</i> what happened. -Don't tell me the living brain of Stalin frightened you so much you -didn't even see what was going on?"</p> - -<p>"Y-yes. That was it, Vladimir."</p> - -<p>Chenkov snorted. "And the mantle of powers is yours. Well, Ruscar said -Anna was from some enemy force and since she was his enemy she was -also ours. I had a hard time explaining my way out of that one, but -Ruscar must have realized I hold enough power here to give him trouble -if he tries to give me some. He probably has Anna in the Lubianka -Prison and I intend to do something about it, although why you should -be interested, I don't know."</p> - -<p>Dorlup was a doleful-looking Malenkov, but the features were -identical—the tiny eyes, high forehead, thick jowls, petulant lips. -Hiding in the dressing alcove, Tedor wondered how long the ruse would -hold.</p> - -<p>"I was just curious, that's all."</p> - -<p>"It seems to me other things should be on your mind. I'm the Chief of -Staff, so it's not my problem. But with Ruscar and Stalin—"</p> - -<p>"Stalin? I—"</p> - -<p>"Stalin's brain, Georgi. His brain. Ruscar resurrected it, not I. If -the war goes badly—it shouldn't, but if it does—the people will have -a resurrected Stalin to turn to for faith, and hope. It was a stroke -of genius, I think. But right now you and Molotov should be conferring -with the military leaders, getting things ready, planning...."</p> - -<p>"It's arranged," Dorlup said evasively. "It's all arranged."</p> - -<p>"So quickly? That's preposterous. You don't start a vast war-machine -functioning in mere hours. We're planning on quick victory with a -sudden, devastating atomic attack on the United States."</p> - -<p>"I—know."</p> - -<p>"I know you know, Georgi. You hardly seem concerned. Even Comrade -Zhubin pointed out how nervous you seemed today, and Zhubin usually -minds his own business. You seem even worse now."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Dorlup nodded, clearly struggling for words and a way to prolong the -conversation. "I—I'm not myself," he said, mopping his brow.</p> - -<p>"Well," said Chenkov, irritably, "is that all you wanted me for?"</p> - -<p>Dorlup stood there, fidgeting. Chenkov snorted, began to leave the room.</p> - -<p>"Just one moment, Comrade Marshal." It was Tedor, who had emerged from -behind the drapery.</p> - -<p>"Eh? By Lenin, what are <i>you</i> doing here Archevski? Am I going crazy? I -thought I sent you to find this, uh—Barwan."</p> - -<p>"You did, Comrade Marshal, but—"</p> - -<p>"But I told him not to," said Dorlup.</p> - -<p>"You? What for? Ruscar wanted him brought at once."</p> - -<p>"I know that," said Dorlup.</p> - -<p>"But the Comrade Premier told me not to go, anyway. Then Comrade -Premier further told me that Ruscar had concluded his usefulness after -we had Stalin's resurrected brain. The Comrade Premier—"</p> - -<p>"Let him talk for himself, Archevski! And I'll see you later for -disobeying my orders."</p> - -<p>"No you won't."</p> - -<p>"He's in my employ now," Dorlup told Chenkov. "What he was saying is -this: why do we need Ruscar? Let Ruscar go back where he came from. We -can handle everything ourselves."</p> - -<p>"Georgi, you don't mean it."</p> - -<p>"I mean it."</p> - -<p>"Then you are <i>not</i> yourself! You had better see a doctor. Why, only -the day before yesterday we spoke with Ruscar about what all this -could mean. Defeating the United States we could conquer the earth, -of course. But what is the Earth here and now, this year, when with -Ruscar's help we can have all Earth, through all the centuries, for all -time?"</p> - -<p>"What makes you think we can trust this Ruscar?"</p> - -<p>"That's fantastic. Everything is arranged. Perhaps later, much -later—after we have consolidated our position in time, then we can -think of doing without Ruscar's help. But not now."</p> - -<p>"Well—" said Dorlup, at a loss for words.</p> - -<p>The door opened. It was Georgi Malenkov who stood there.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>"Vladimir, I was told I could find you here in conference with someone, -they didn't know who. They—Vladimir!" Malenkov looked at Dorlup. His -small eyes bulged.</p> - -<p>Chenkov's mouth dropped open. "This is impossible!"</p> - -<p>"Vladimir, please. Please. I see it now. I see it all—" Malenkov -had grown pale staring at his duplicate. "You have this double. -You and Ruscar. You plan to do away with me and keep a figurehead -instead. Vladimir, please, I can listen to reason. I can make my rule -a partnership, a triumvirate if you wish." Malenkov was blubbering. -"I could smell it in the air, this plot, this intrigue, this—I knew -something was afoot. Something I didn't know what. All hands were -turned against me, all—"</p> - -<p>Tedor ran to the door, closed it, locked it.</p> - -<p>"Vladimir, I beg of you—"</p> - -<p>"Oh, shut up! I don't know any more about this than you do. You are -Malenkov, I know that now. The other man looks like you but doesn't -talk like you."</p> - -<p>Tedor took Archevski's gun from his own pocket. "You try to figure it -out," he said. He gave the gun to Dorlup, who stood watch over Russia's -two top leaders.</p> - -<p>Tedor ran to the drapes which hid the dressing alcove, tore them down, -ripped them into strips. He bound Chenkov first, hand and foot.</p> - -<p>"You realize you haven't a chance, whatever game you're playing," -Chenkov said.</p> - -<p>Tedor bound Malenkov, then fastened them together, sitting on the -floor, back to back. If one of them struggled with his bonds he would -strangle the other, for Tedor had tied their necks together.</p> - -<p>"Give me the gun, Dorlup," he said, taking the pistol. "I haven't time. -I can't play with you. I want you to answer one question and I'm going -to give you ten seconds to start talking. If you don't, I'll kill you."</p> - -<p>Chenkov squirmed, making Malenkov gasp and choke. Chenkov subsided. -"What's your question?"</p> - -<p>"I want to know the location of your storage areas for atomic weapons."</p> - -<p>"N-never!" Malenkov gasped, his voice breaking.</p> - -<p>Tedor started counting. "One, two, three, four, five—"</p> - -<p>"Wait!" This was Chenkov. "There's no need making a martyr of yourself, -Georgi. You tell me, what good would the information do them? They'll -never get a chance to use it."</p> - -<p>"Y-yes. Don't move, Vladimir. You're choking me. I see what you mean. -Very well, this is the information. We have three atomic storehouses, -one in the Urals at—"</p> - -<p>The information memorized, Tedor forced a gag of drapery material into -Chenkov's mouth and one into Malenkov's. With Dorlup he left the study.</p> - -<p>"But why did they give us the information so readily?" the solidio -writer demanded.</p> - -<p>"That's simple. Evidently, they've already removed their atomic weapons -from the storage areas, possibly to airfields. They aren't familiar -enough with time-travel, though. We'll simply go back a dozen hours and -blast those three locations. If Russia doesn't have atomic power for -a sneak attack, she won't be able to attack at all. First stop is the -Lubianka prison, however."</p> - -<p>They found Lubianka Street after getting a vehicle from the Kremlin -motor pool, the motor officer's eyes bulged when Malenkov and his -personal body guard came down for the car themselves. They rushed -inside the prison, where the warden demanded, stuttering:</p> - -<p>"Is—is this an inspection, C-comrades? We are r-ready at any t-time, -of course, and honored, even, but sometimes, once in a while, you see—"</p> - -<p>"Forget it," Tedor cut him short. "You have a woman prisoner, Anna -Myinkov? Bring her to us, quickly."</p> - -<p>"At once."</p> - -<p>The warden was gone less than ten minutes, returning with a muscular, -sexless female jailor who prodded Laniq ahead of her. Laniq stared at -them dully, without hope.</p> - -<p>"Thank you," said Tedor to the warden. "We'll take her."</p> - -<p>Dorlup-Malenkov smiled and the warden bowed out. In the street, Laniq's -spirit had returned. "Don't tell me Malenkov himself is going to be -around for the execution?"</p> - -<p>They didn't say anything. Tedor wanted to be in the car before they -revealed themselves to her.</p> - -<p>"You'll have to catch me first!" cried Laniq. Tedor had been holding -her loosely by the arm and she suddenly tried to pull away. When his -grip tightened, she turned on him furiously, raking his face with her -nails, kicking, biting butting with her head.</p> - -<p>Tedor pinned her arms to her sides while she cried in rage. "Cut it -out, Laniq. I'm Tedor. Tedor!"</p> - -<p>"Te-dor? Tedor? Oh, Tedor...." Laniq fainted in his arms.</p> - -<p>They drove south with her to the time-conveyor.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>They were twelve hours into the past, materializing abruptly on the -field of the first atomic area.</p> - -<p>Soldiers rushed the conveyor, but when the door opened and Malenkov -stood revealed in the entrance, they saluted smartly. "Bring your -commanding officer," said Dorlup, and when the man came—a full -Marshal—Dorlup ordered three of the most powerful atomic bombs for the -conveyor.</p> - -<p>They were brought on flatcars, jerry-rigged to the conveyor's bottom at -Tedor's direction, with a crude releasing device.</p> - -<p>"This is—is somewhat irregular," said the Marshal.</p> - -<p>Dorlup said nothing, looked at him scornfully.</p> - -<p>"I am sorry, Comrade Premier."</p> - -<p>"You should be."</p> - -<p>They closed themselves within the conveyor, set the first of their -atomic bombs for ten seconds, retreated thirty seconds into the past -and took off.</p> - -<p>In forty seconds they had climbed to thirty thousand feet. Intense -light engulfed the conveyor as it sped away, followed almost at once -by a shock wave which buffetted them helplessly about the cabin of -the conveyor. Below them and now far to their left, a great atomic -mushroom billowed into the sky, then slowed, rising serenely on a brown -and violet pillar.</p> - -<p>"Let's hit the next one," said Tedor and they did so.</p> - -<p>The third storage area was far out beyond the Ural Mountains and to -the North, in the remote Siberian wilderness of the great Eurasian -land-mass. They retreated back into time far enough to account for -the two hours it took them to rocket from the Urals to Siberia, then -circled over the storage areas while searchlights probed the sky for -them like groping fingers.</p> - -<p>"That way," Tedor explained, "all the plants will blow up -simultaneously, with no chance for one to warn another."</p> - -<p>They circled, and Dorlup said, "I'm bringing her down."</p> - -<p>"Just a minute." It was Laniq, sitting near the telio. "Someone's -calling." A face flashed into view on the screen—Ruscar.</p> - -<p>"Let me speak to Barwan," he said. "You have a few seconds to decide -whether you want to live or die."</p> - -<p>"Take the conveyor back up," Tedor told Dorlup, and went to the telio. -Ruscar looked far from happy.</p> - -<p>"Tedor, you still have a chance. I've been following you in time, ever -since we found out what happened to Malenkov and Chenkov. You can't -stop me now, Tedor. Everything is ready and there are enough atom and -hydrogen bombs here at this one base to do the job."</p> - -<p>Tedor was looking at Ruscar for the first time since his dual life had -been revealed. Enemy of time-tyrants on the one hand, tyrant who wanted -all the world and all of time under his control on the other.</p> - -<p>"Throw in with me, Tedor! I'll forget what you've done. We need men -like you."</p> - -<p>Tedor shook his head. "It would take me years to tell you what I think -of you, so I won't even try. The answer is no."</p> - -<p>"My conveyor is five miles to the south, Tedor. We're going to blow you -out of the sky unless you—"</p> - -<p>Tedor snapped the telio off, went to the controls and replaced Dorlup -at them.</p> - -<p>"Can he do it?" Laniq wanted to know.</p> - -<p>Through the port, they watched the other conveyor streak into view. -Suddenly there was a rattling noise and a furious hissing as Ruscar -opened up with rockets and machine guns. Cursing, Tedor clutched at the -controls and their conveyor plummeted towards the earth.</p> - -<p>"We're not armed," Dorlup wailed. "He can destroy us at his leisure."</p> - -<p>"Maybe." Tedor brought them down to within a few hundred feet of the -ground, Ruscar right behind them. The lack of anti-aircraft fire meant -Ruscar had ordered the ground batteries out of action, since they might -just as easily have hit him.</p> - -<p>Ruscar's craft opened up again. A rocket ripped into the hull of their -conveyor and exploded, flipping it in a quick 360 degree turn and -flinging Tedor from the controls.</p> - -<p>He climbed groggily to hands and knees, dragged himself back to the -pilot chair. Laniq was stretched out on the floor, moaning. Dorlup sat -dazed in a corner. But by the time Tedor sat at the instrument panel -again, Laniq was on her feet groggily at his side.</p> - -<p>"Bad?" she said.</p> - -<p>"We're helpless, unless we can out-maneuver him."</p> - -<p>They dived again. Tedor brought them out of it at the last moment, -plunging them half a minute into the past. Ruscar had stayed with them -all the way.</p> - -<p>"All I need is time to release the bomb and get away, but he's -sticking."</p> - -<p>Machine gun bullets ripped in through their hull, unarmed since the -conveyor was not intended for aerial battle. Tedor forced the craft -into a steep climb, then brought it down again in the same maneuver. -But Ruscar fled into the past with him and he could not destroy the -storage area and Ruscar's conveyor without also killing himself, Laniq -and Dorlup in the process.</p> - -<p>Ruscar was fast converting their conveyor into a sieve and Tedor -realized it would be only moments before he damaged their engine and -forced them to crash. They climbed once more, dove again. Laniq looked -at Tedor, tears in her eyes. They had come so close to victory....</p> - -<p>Tedor punched the controls rapidly. The conveyor rocked, absorbed -another rocket hit, shuddered. Then for an instant, it was floating -calmly in undisturbed air.</p> - -<p>Tedor released the bomb and sent the ship skyward.</p> - -<p>"What did you do?" Laniq cried.</p> - -<p>"Ruscar figured I'd leap into the past again. I didn't. I tried the -future, because it was our only chance. Just fifty seconds, but by the -time Ruscar realizes his mistake, I hope...."</p> - -<p>They looked down below them, saw a tiny dot which was Ruscar's ship -materialize. Then it was blotted out, along with the storage area, by -a flash of light, a roar, a seething, rocking, thundering tempest—</p> - -<p>Ruscar's conveyor, the storage area, the barren tundra below them—all -were replaced by a huge, mushroom-topped pillar of kaleidoscoping -destruction....</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Much later, in southwestern United States:</p> - -<p>"My father is going to be all right, Tedor. And have you seen the -headlines?"</p> - -<p>"Yes." He smiled at her. "There were three mysterious atomic -explosions, almost simultaneous, in the USSR. Malenkov and Chenkov have -become extremely conciliatory."</p> - -<p>"The people of the world will never know what happened."</p> - -<p>"Neither will Ruscar. He'd closed the year 1955, intending to move into -it in the normal time-stream, sure it would be the crucial year. He -died in 1954."</p> - -<p>"Then, everything is fine—except for all those trophies I have, -Tedor. We could set up a museum, I suppose."</p> - -<p>"What for? Those trophies are more valuable where they came from. I -can't think of a better way to spend the first few weeks of our married -life than to return them. Sort of a honeymoon in time." And Tedor took -her in his arms.</p> - -<p>She pulled away from him. "Just a minute, Tedor Barwan! I'm not going -to kiss anyone until he removes that disguise."</p> - -<p>Tedor smiled at her, turned to Dorlup. "You'd better do the same thing, -Comrade Malenkov, unless you want the people around here to lynch you."</p> - -<p>"I sure will," Dorlup said. "Wait till you see the solidio I'm going to -write, though. We'll call it 1954. What a story!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no," groaned Tedor.</p> - -<p>But Laniq kissed him and Tedor forgot everything else....</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TYRANTS OF 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ -concept and trademark. 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