Page 50 - Tales Apocalyptic and Dystopian

Into the Tempifuge

noticeable effect on the known future. You can be a face in the
crowd, a mouth in the trough, a witness never called to testify.
Pitfalls may await you; you could accidentally stumble into a situation
of importance which your presence would affect. If that happens,
you could die instantly, struck down by a bolt of lightning, a heart
attack, a runaway vehicle. Again, you must depend on your
accumulated historical knowledge to avoid such circumstances.”
Underwood nodded absently, his mind already wandering to the
prospects before him. The colonel helped him change into a costume
of the period; the fabrics and dyes, the originals of which had
become unavailable, were close enough to fool the casual observer.
Then John Smith unlocked the door and the four men walked into
the room containing the Tempifuge. After giving instructions for the
disposition of his property, Barry Underwood entered the time
machine. Dr. Delirian manipulated its controls, and the historian was
abruptly replaced by an equivalent mass of sand and gravel.
“He’s behind a hill just outside Shivalingam’s town,” said Delirian.
He pushed a button and the ancient soil was instantly sterilized by a
beam of light. “Now let’s open the Package.”
The three men advanced through another series of security doors
to a small chamber. The time capsule sat on a table, a squat cylinder
cushioned and strapped to an anchor pad. An inscription in Old
American on its lid stated “Do not open until 2240: will explode if
tampered with.”
Colonel Cruz and John Smith stood back while Dr. Delirian
donned protective gear and sliced off the lid with a beamblade.
Nothing happened; the Package had been defused by Underwood.
John Smith rushed forward. “Well? Are the plans in there?”
Delirian reached into the capsule and retrieved a single sheet of
yellowed paper. He handed it to Smith.
“Out with it, man!” shouted the Colonel. “What does it say?”
Smith shook his head. “We did not know enough about the past,”
he said. “Our ignorance of it was necessary in order to make this
attempt at all, but that same ignorance left us at the mercy of a
million influences we could not allow for. Listen to this:”
“‘My dear Mr. Smith, Dr. Delirian, and Colonel Cruz: I have been
kind enough to spare you the effects of the incendiary device Dr.
Shivalingam had planted in this container. I have also found it within

49