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Spatium, issue 5, September 1949

Page 12

SPATIUM                   FICTION
      THE CLOCK WATCHER
                       By Ron Stone
   "All right, Doc. Put 'em up!"
   "Wha-what does this mean? Who are you? What do you want?"
   "Yer Perfessor Fooch, ain't yuh?:
   "Yes, but---."
   "Yer the guy that sends things backwards in time, ain't yuh, like I read in the papers?"
   "Well, yes, I've sent experimental animals back in time for very short periods, hours at the longest."
   "But yuh just built a machine that'll do it for longer with people, ain't yuh?"
   "Theoretically, it will, but I've never----------say, what do you mean by breaking into my laboratory like this with a-a gun? And who are you, anyway?"
   "Me?" The other gave a short laugh. "I'm Blackie Geltz. I gotta use yer machine. Y'see I stuck up a bank a few months ago; now I finds out the cops are wise and are after me for the job. I'm gonna use that machine of yours and go back and fix myself an air tight alibi."
   "No! You can't! I won't permit-----!"
   "Shaddap, I said! Hmm, this dial looks simple enough. Says for diffrunt lengths of time." He set the dial for two and one half months back. "Gonna give me a little lee-way. Hey! Is that the right setting, Doc?"
   "Yes, but---."
   "That's all I wanted to know." His automatic spat twice.
   "You------you shot-----uhhhnn." The professor slumped to the floor.
   "Thanks for the machine, Doc," laughed Geltz. "You won't be needing it where you're going anyhow."
   Carefully he stepped into the machine and pulled the switch on the inside. At first nothing happened. Then he heard humming. As he looked out he saw the professor arise. Then he saw another man that was himself with a gun in hand. The man that was Blackie Geltz then walked over to the machine and a pulled a switch. Then he saw two men, the professor and himself in an attidude of talking. Geltz thought it would be amusing to startle them, so he shouted. Nothing happened outside the machine, so Blackie pounded on its walls. There seemed to be an invisible barrier. He wasn't worried, though, because there was plenty of air in the machine. Enough he decided to last him the hours the trip must take. Suddenly he was startled. This wasn't working like the stories he'd read. There should be a grey formless blur of the days going past. Instead, the professor's clock was going was going at the same rate as his watch, but in reverse! He was going back in time, all right, but he was going at the rate of one second per second! Already the air seemed stale in his immagination. He knew he couldn't last the the two and one half months. Carefully he raised his gun to his temple and fired a shot. It was really too bad that Blackie had been too busy planning his bank holdup two and one half months ago to read the papers. Otherwise he might have learned about the dessicated corpse that had puzzled the police when they found it in the professor's laboratory.
_________________________
An Unheroic Adventure (cont.)

Darkmed 3 in a hurry!"
   "Roger ---- over and out." I turned to Brik.
   "Now what, we have 2 weeks to live." Brik was laughing his mysterious laugh.
   "Commy, I'm going to do you a favor. you can live you 3 score and 10, that radiation never touched us. Why do you think they installed the beam transit and the super power radio? Why the pro suites instead of the usual rations and mail? The suits we are wearing are not just double-pro, they were the latest thing, perfected just a little before we took off."
  So, Brik and I got bak to Earth. We didn't get much publicity for our trip, the last and greatest battle between us and the Krels being won. I didn't care though. I had a girl in Brooklyn, and I sure Brik had a girl-friend, too.
        (PAGE - ( 12 ) -

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SPATIUM FICTION THE CLOCK WATCHER By Ron Stone "All right, Doc. Put 'em up!" "Wha-what does this mean? Who are you? What do you want?" "Yer Perfessor Fooch, ain't yuh?: "Yes, but---." "Yer the guy that sends things backwards in time, ain't yuh, like I read in the papers?" "Well, yes, I've sent experimental animals back in time for very short periods, hours at the longest." "But yuh just built a machine that'll do it for longer with people, ain't yuh?" "Theoretically, it will, but I've never----------say, what do you mean by breaking into my laboratory like this with a-a gun? And who are you, anyway?" "Me?" The other gave a short laugh. "I'm Blackie Geltz. I gotta use yer machine. Y'see I stuck up a bank a few months ago; now I finds out the cops are wise and are after me for the job. I'm gonna use that machine of yours and go back and fix myself an air tight alibi." "No! You can't! I won't permit-----!" "Shaddap, I said! Hmm, this dial looks simple enough. Says for diffrunt lengths of time." He set the dial for two and one half months back. "Gonna give me a little lee-way. Hey! Is that the right setting, Doc?" "Yes, but---." "That's all I wanted to know." His automatic spat twice. "You------you shot-----uhhhnn." The professor slumped to the floor. "Thanks for the machine, Doc," laughed Geltz. "You won't be needing it where you're going anyhow." Carefully he stepped into the machine and pulled the switch on the inside. At first nothing happened. Then he heard humming. As he looked out he saw the professor arise. Then he saw another man that was himself with a gun in hand. The man that was Blackie Geltz then walked over to the machine and a pulled a switch. Then he saw two men, the professor and himself in an attidude of talking. Geltz thought it would be amusing to startle them, so he shouted. Nothing happened outside the machine, so Blackie pounded on its walls. There seemed to be an invisible barrier. He wasn't worried, though, because there was plenty of air in the machine. Enough he decided to last him the hours the trip must take. Suddenly he was startled. This wasn't working like the stories he'd read. There should be a grey formless blur of the days going past. Instead, the professor's clock was going was going at the same rate as his watch, but in reverse! He was going back in time, all right, but he was going at the rate of one second per second! Already the air seemed stale in his immagination. He knew he couldn't last the the two and one half months. Carefully he raised his gun to his temple and fired a shot. It was really too bad that Blackie had been too busy planning his bank holdup two and one half months ago to read the papers. Otherwise he might have learned about the dessicated corpse that had puzzled the police when they found it in the professor's laboratory. _________________________ An Unheroic Adventure (cont.) Darkmed 3 in a hurry!" "Roger ---- over and out." I turned to Brik. "Now what, we have 2 weeks to live." Brik was laughing his mysterious laugh. "Commy, I'm going to do you a favor. you can live you 3 score and 10, that radiation never touched us. Why do you think they installed the beam transit and the super power radio? Why the pro suites instead of the usual rations and mail? The suits we are wearing are not just double-pro, they were the latest thing, perfected just a little before we took off." So, Brik and I got bak to Earth. We didn't get much publicity for our trip, the last and greatest battle between us and the Krels being won. I didn't care though. I had a girl in Brooklyn, and I sure Brik had a girl-friend, too. (PAGE - ( 12 ) -