[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

roaring static and white video noise.
" paradoxes of time travel," Pilgrim's voice was saying, "caused in large part
by"
crash, whirr

"may prevent your seeing or hearing this message in its entirety.
Therefore I attempt to be creatively redundant. We here at this end, Jerry,
can only hope and pray that you will find this message, and that enough of the
content is going to come through to enable you to"
whizee fizzle

zapp
!
Long seconds passed. When the picture came back again, Pilgrim's head was in a
different attitude.
" and one time only," Pilgrim's voice resumed in mid-sentence.
"Then this message will self-destruct. " His swarthy face frowned.
"Let me emphasize once more, Jerry, that your only chance of being able to
return to your own time, and finding your own history intact when you do so,
lies in preventing the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln."
"What?"
Pilgrim's image proceeded imperturbably. "Within a few days of your own
arrival in the world of eighteen sixty-five, the President is shot to death
by "
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruiswi...spaar/Fred%20Saberhage
n%20-%20After%20the%20Fact.html (81 of 258)22-2-2006 0:47:57
Saberhagen, Fred - After the Fact
Again there was interruption, audio static accompanied by visual effects that
momentarily reduced the picture to unintelligible noise.
The effects of video distortion in three dimensions were especially chaotic.
After several seconds, the interference was gone as suddenly as it had come.
" have until the fourteenth of April, Jeremiah, at Ford's Theater in
Washington. Unless "
blast, crackle
.
And, yet again, static had cut off the flow of information. But in another
moment Pilgrim was back again, coming through as loud and clear as ever.
" chosen you for this mission because of this almost unique ability which you
possess. Without this power to avoid some of the effects of paradox, your
mission would be truly hopeless. With it, we can hope that you have at least a
Page 38
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
fighting chance of success."
"A fighting chance!" Jerry was raging in a whisper at the image.
"Are you crazy? What are you talking about? Are you ?"
" you must be at the side of the President, within two meters to have a high
probability of success. Within three meters, to have any chance at all. And
you must be there in the moment just before the assassin's bullet smashes into
Lincoln's brain. Your total window of opportunity will be approximately three
seconds long. During that three-second period, just before the bullet strikes,
I repeat, you must activate the beacon."
"Activate the what?" Jerry murmured unconsciously. His own face contorted in a
scowl, he was frozen in absolute attention on the message. Pilgrim had
indicated hadn't he? that it was going to self-destruct.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruiswi...spaar/Fred%20Saberhage
n%20-%20After%20the%20Fact.html (82 of 258)22-2-2006 0:47:57
Saberhagen, Fred - After the Fact
Meanwhile Pilgrim's hands had come up into sight on the small screen. The view
closed in on them. They were holding a watch that looked very much like the
one Jerry was holding, except that the timepiece in the image possessed a real
face and hands.
The closeup held, while Pilgrim's off-screen voice continued: "The hands must
first be set, thus, at exactly twelve." His fingers demonstrated, opening the
glass face of the watch and moving the hands directly. "Then the stem must be
pulled out, to the first stop.
This is the first stage of activation, and I repeat it will in effect give you
the advantage in speed of movement that you will need."
"Repeat? You never "
"Then, at the precise moment, just as the assassin pulls the trigger of his
weapon, pull the stem to the second stop. This will activate the beacon."
"
What beacon?"
"That's all. Until you need it on the fourteenth, this device will seem to be
an ordinary timepiece. Need I emphasize that you must not lose it? You can
wind it, by omitting to set the hands at twelve, pulling the stem out and
turning it in the normal way."
Now the image of the watch disappeared from the small screen, which was filled
by Pilgrim's face. He said, with emphasis: "Once more: The activation of the
beacon must be accomplished only during the proper three-second interval
. Pull the stem out to the second stop a second too late, and you will strand
yourself permanently in the nineteenth century. Pulling it a second too soon
will doubtless have the same effect, with the added drawback of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

  • zanotowane.pl
  • doc.pisz.pl
  • pdf.pisz.pl
  • szkla.opx.pl

    •