"A thousand years?" Chandler's mind fumbled with the thought. "What's
this all about?"
The tall man snapped a series of switches off. "You ask the same
question every time."
"_Every_ time?"
"We've sent you back three times now." The tall man traded his lab
coat for a tunic. "Once you tried to X-bomb the Bering Strait Dam, but
the crust shifted, wiping out the whole population. On the second time
pass, you tried to tilt the Earth on its axis, but it was thrown out of
orbit and plunged into the sun. This time--you still have your memories
of that."
"Makes you wonder about fate," the short man said.
"But what am I?" Chandler sat up with an effort.
"You," explained the short man, "are a mind developed here in a Venus
laboratory and sustained in a host body. You see, we can't send solid
matter back in time, only waves moving at the speed of light. So we
send your mind matrix to meld with Chandler's."
"But why?"
"To help him save the Earth," the tall man said. "When it was destroyed
originally, small colonies of us were stranded on inhospitable planets.
We're still trying to crawl out of the decline that set in. But if we
can send you back and save the Earth--well, you will remain with Paul
Chandler. And we--?" He walked to a bank of controls near the door and
put his hand on one. "Who knows? None of this will have happened. We
might not even exist."
"Now," said the short man, joining the taller one, "we will have to
wipe out all memories for you and tomorrow we will start programming
you for another try. Maybe this time we'll try moving the Earth's orbit
closer to the sun."
"Wipe out my memories?"
"Of course. We want you to function with a clear mind. Besides, it's
kinder to you."
"I see." The mind named Chandler looked at the two men. "But please
leave me with my memories just for tonight."
The tall man turned off the light. "You always ask that and we always
do."