_Transfer Arranged_
The automatic computer in the laboratory of atomic physics at the New
Mexico University on Earth Three was a vast thing that encompassed many
acres of wiring, tubes and memory-storage circuits.
It had been working silently--save for an occasional click--for an
hour, which was a pointed commentary on the depth of the problem
presented to it, since its usual time of operation was startling in its
brevity. It was, without a doubt, the great-great-grandfather of all
automatic computers and even it was forced to mull over the problem.
Leader Kingston and Harry Maddox lounged before the massive control
board, smoking and watching Virginia and Bronson on a small
remote-presentation kinescope.
Finally the machine emitted a series of typewriter-like clicks and a
sheet of paper emerged from the slot. It bore a complex equation that
Maddox took and pored over.
Kingston waited quietly, for he knew that Maddox was far more capable
than he at interpreting the equations. Any interference would interrupt
Maddox, ruin his train of thought and require more time in the long run.
Finally Maddox looked up and smiled.
"It seems so," he said.
"There is no definite proof?" demanded Kingston.
"Time and the future are both based upon the laws of probability,"
replied Maddox. "That these three worlds do exist side by side by side
in time is certain--that they might have existed at any time before
they did start was a matter of probability. Anything is probable, you
know. That we live is a most certain probability, yet that we will
continue to live is less certain."
"You're talking in circles," snapped Kingston. "Get to the point!"
"Sorry, I must sound vague. You see, Leader, I've been thinking about
this for some time and therefore I am inclined to think over the
well-worn thought-trails swiftly and in considerable elision. However,
according to this equation, the fact is this. The spatial continuum is
strained by the unnatural presence of three congruent pathways through
the present time.
"As we know, only the most probable of these will continue to exist.
That--unfortunately--is Earth One. The Alamogordo experiment on Earth
One was the most probable, of course. Obviously Earth Two is destined
to die soon, leaving but Earths One and Three.
"But," continued Maddox thoughtfully, "we have posed the problem and
the machine here reasons that we are correct."
"Then we need not undergo all the strife in order to survive!"
"Obviously not. Once the pathways through time are no longer strained
by multiple existences the strain will cease. In other words, once
we--Earth Three--are the only true survivor the strain will cease and
there will be no fear of our demise."
"Then all we need do is to eliminate One and Two--and then," Kingston
grinned, "Earth Three becomes the only one?"
"Three becomes One," nodded Maddox. "Now--"
"Now we figure out a means of destroying Earth One utterly."
"Simple," said Maddox. "All we need do is to rotate a bit of the core
of the Alamogordo Blow-up from Earth Two to Earth One."
"Might be less simple than we think," said Kingston. "Remember that the
fission train in the earth itself is indigenous to Earth Two. Since it
did not happen on Earth One is there any reason to suppose that the
earth of Earth One will support an atomic fire?"
* * * * *
Maddox shook his head. "When the bomb was tried--I nearly said 'went
off' but it didn't here--the temporal strain broke into three paths,"
said Maddox. "The three important possibilities took place--obviously
because there was a huge question as to which of the three
possibilities would emerge as the successful outcome of the affair."
"I'm no believer in the Great Destiny," said Kingston.
"Nor am I," said Maddox. "Yet it is true that the most fit do survive.
Obviously, Earth Two and its atomic fire is far from the most fit.
Earth One has dropped into a lulled luxury-loving place where the
serious facets of life are ignored. They are unprepared to enter any
form of strife to survive. We--Earth Three--have developed ourselves
and our science greatly and in any strife we are best fitted to
survive!"
"All right, it sounds logical," snapped Kingston. "But how do we prove
it without arousing suspicion?"
"We can rotate a bit of the core of the Earth Two atomic fire to this
earth," said Maddox. "Once we establish the atomically-inflammable
qualities of Earth Three, we can safely assume that Earth One will
be the same. Remember," said Maddox with a grin, "on Earth Three the
Alamogordo Bomb was a dud--it didn't even fire!"
"And then what?" sneered Kingston. "It seems to me that your suggestion
is the beginning of the end."
"Not at all. Once we establish the possibility beyond a doubt, we can
so very easily rotate the hunk of atomic fire back into Earth Two
again."
Kingston thought for a moment. Then he nodded. "We must move lightning
fast," he said sharply. "Because I will hazard a bet that Earth Two
considered the idea of getting rid of their atomic fire by sending it
through the space resonator. And rejected it because their own Earth
Two was badly treated by the original fire. After all, there's no use
in staying with a partly ruined, semi-radioactive Earth Two when Earth
One, complete and unharmed, lies like a ripe apple for them to pluck."
Maddox nodded. "It will have to be quick," he said. "For either one of
them is quite capable of turning the stuff this way once they suspect."
Kingston turned to the kinescope screen and scowled at Virginia and
Bronson.
"There," he said, "are two of the four or five people who have within
their grasp the truth of the matter--and they are the two who have
sufficient imagination to reason it out!"
"And once she kills him that will leave only her!"
Maddox nodded idly and began to set up equipment, saying, "No time like
the present."
"For what?"
"I'm interested in knowing whether the atomic fire will burn Earth
Three as well as Earth Two."
Kingston shrugged. "Y'know," he said quietly, "if it does ruin Earth
Three nothing says that you and I can't pass over ourselves anyway."
Maddox smiled. "Indubitably," he agreed dryly. It was quite obvious
that Leader Kingston had given him nothing new in ideas.
* * * * *
Unlike the slow space resonator of Earth Two, the ones used on Earth
Three went with lightning swiftness. They were smaller, more efficient,
showed a deeper grasp of the art and the principles involved. Maddox
picked his collection of equipment up and headed for the door.
"What are you going to use for a focal volume?" demanded Kingston. "You
have no focal point."
"Won't need one," smiled Maddox. "That's a true atomic flame. As in the
sun there will be minute traces of all elements contained therein and
all we need is a trace. For like the sun, Earth Two's atomic flame is
both building up and tearing down all elements possible. Come on--I'll
prove my point."
For a brief time, Harry Maddox drove like a maniac through the air in
his atom-powered speedster. Leaving behind it the whistling scream of
its supersonic passage from Albuquerque to Alamogordo, the fleet craft
made the passage in minutes. At the site of the original, Maddox landed.
There on the desert was the steel tower that had held the Alamogordo
Bomb before its trial. On Earth One there was but a shallow depression
of broken green--glazed sand. On Earth Two there burned a pillar of
atomic fire for miles in radius from this very spot. Here Maddox set up
his space resonator.
Then, sensibly, he urged Kingston back into the speedster and raced
away, ten, fifteen miles. Then in his speedster Maddox pressed a button.
Behind them on the desert a burst of intolerable light, like a million
suns compressed into a minute sphere, cast its instantaneous glare
across the face of the earth. Like an expanding hemisphere of pure
sun-flame, it dinned against the very substance of space and hurled its
terrible energy outward.
Thunder came then and the still-intolerably bright explosion flashed
in multicolored bursts as the shock wave started to rise. Up and up
and up into the stratosphere rose the towering ice-cap to roll into a
cauliflower shape.
And then up through this bursting-white cloud there darted another
pillar of sheer flame-energy, to rise above the first and to go on up
into the very upper reaches of the atmosphere.
Standing aghast, Kingston and Maddox watched the scene with horror.
Minutes passed before they could speak, and then it was with bitter
fear.
Maddox pointed to the ground below the towering pillar of cooling hell.
There was a sunlike flame there, burning more brightly by the second.
The ground rumbled faintly and, upon the ground at their feet, two
shadows were cast which added to the complete unearthliness of the
scene.
"Now?" demanded Kingston.
"Not now," growled Maddox angrily. "Our equipment was utterly destroyed
in that blast."
"Then we lost?"
"No. All we need do is to return and prepare a radio-controlled
speedster to carry another space resonator into the near-scene. Then we
can send that pillar of hell back where it came from."
"Think you'll have any trouble?" worried Kingston.
"Nope," said Maddox. "I've been thinking about this for some time. We
can do it!"
"Then how are we going to transfer a good bit of that flame to Earth
One?"
"I won't mind going over," said Maddox. "I'll see to it that Earth One
gets a goodly dose. In fact, I think it might be a good idea to set
up a relay system to bring bits of it through and send to other parts
of the earth at one time. We can set atomic fires all over Earth One
within a matter of seconds."
"Might restart several on Earth Two also," suggested Kingston. "Nothing
like speeding things up a bit."
Maddox nodded, but there was a worried frown on his face. "There's
one thing I don't relish," he said. "So far as we know, the only bit
of radioisotopic phosphor containing the resonant element lies in the
laboratory of Ed Bronson on Earth One."
"That's your only doorway?"
"To Earth One, yes."
"Then--"
"Then we return to our vantage point and watch. Sooner or later they
will leave that set-up unguarded and we can get through to place other
focal elements at a safer place on Earth One."
"Well," smiled Kingston, "once Virginia Carlson gets rid of Ed Bronson
they must sooner or later leave that place unguarded and we can break
in. Let's go and wait."
"And also prepare the drone to return that pillar of hell back to Earth
Two," said Maddox with a bit of mild concern.