Reversion - A Novel Part 18

aOne moment,a protested Alice, doing something to Rosalindas eyes.

aWe canat keep the Secret Service waiting,a I warned. aThey have a plane for us.a aCanat we?a asked Alice sweetly. She flashed me a grin. aWeave always kept the government waiting.a But Rosalind was impressed. She rose to her feet, turned and put a hand on her attendantas shoulder. aThank you, Prissy. Youare sweet.a The strange womanas eyes were large. aThe Secret Service!a she breathed.

Rosalind stared at me and said with a similar tone, aA plane?a I thought a moment. aIn fact, Rosalind, you donat have to go with us. Itas just a I guess Iam old-fashioned. I hate to leave you alone in this, ah, den of iniquity.a I grinned at her sourly. aAlthough I suspect itas about the same as leaving Braer Rabbit in the briar patch.a Her face grew solemn. aI want to go with you and Alice, Tim.a aThen you shall. Follow me, ladies.a I didnat mean to include Prissy, but of course she brought up the rear. Jones looked from her to Rosalind, grinned darkly and asked in German this time, aShould I guess which is the correct one?a Alice chirped in English in her high voice, aFancy meeting you here, Mr. Jones.a He lost his smirk. aNo names, please.a aOh, excuse me,a she retorted. aI mean, Mr. Smith.a aLetas move it,a Jones sniffed. He raised his voice. aForm up! Weare leaving.a And down the stairs we went, a boy and two females in formal clothes, surrounded by suits.

As Jones had said, Clara was waiting in one of the cars. His men bundled me in the back with her. Apparently Alice and Rosalind must ride in another car. Jones himself plopped in beside my driver and away we went.

aHow was the party?a asked Clara, hugging me.

I shook my head. aDonat ask for my conclusions. I want to hear yours after youave seen the views. I a.s.sume you know whatas going on?a She opened her mouth to reply but Jones had overheard us. He said, aI think you already know, Tim.a I grinned sourly at him. aI know I talked too much coming home from Washington the last time. I was hoping you had forgot.a He grunted. aAre you kidding? You folks have quite a dossier at headquarters. The important thing is, the man hasnat forgotten.a aWell, Iave not been near a radio in several hours. Did the North Koreans invade?a In the light of oncoming traffic I saw him wink. aSorry, Tim. We are specifically ordered not to discuss anything but logistics with you.a The last time the government called, Clara provided the details, but now I didnat need her for that. Against the dark seatback before me my 24th Century computer produced a glowing response on my retinas when I keyed, Korean War, Initial Invasion.

I winked appreciatively at Clara. aJust about eleven hours ago, wasnat it?a Then I jumped to the wrong conclusion. aBut that was the 24th!a aTim,a she reminded me patiently, ayou may not be stating current fact.a aOh,a I muttered involuntarily. Of course this was a different universe from the one her records described.

She added, aAnd keep in mind that the Korean peninsula is 14 and a half hours ahead of Chicago.a The present timestamp was June 25, 1950, 1:32 a.m.

I heard Jones gasp. He had run out the arithmetic in his head. Apparently the universes donat differ very much. aEleven hours! Thatas exactly right. The first word came into our emba.s.sy in Seoul at 0500 local time, June 25th. How in h.e.l.l did you know that?a aRemember,a I said ironically: aonly logistics.a But after a moment I added, aWhy has Truman waited so late to bother us?a His voice was dry. aWe have troops there, you know. Maybe itas more accurate to say, aWe had.a n.o.body knows exactly whatas going on, nor the enemy strength or intention.a I announced brightly, aSeven a.s.sault divisions, plus one tank brigade and two infantry regiments. And they intend to unite the peninsula. They have Stalinas blessings.a aWh-what? Good G.o.d! How can you possibly know this?a I shrugged. aI might be wrong.a aBut you donat believe it. Step on it, Anderson! Iave gotta get to a phone.a We were in the lead car. As its speedometer climbed, I glanced back. The other cars were hanging close to our b.u.mper. At that late hour traffic was light. Even so we had a couple of close calls as we darted through red lights with horns blaring and headlights blinking up and down. Before long a couple of flashing red lights were added to our train.

We sailed past the airport entrance. It was the same Munic.i.p.al Airport except the sign now said OaHare. Did they change the name while I wasnat looking? The cops followed us, sirens blaring, while we made for the private field. I felt certain that official vehicles had been radio-equipped by 1950, the cops at least, but maybe not Secret Service field cars. Aha! These were probably rented just for this mission, which explained the lack of U. S. government tags that the cops would have noticed.

When we had parked close to the flight line, I considered screaming, aKidnap!a at the cops storming in behind us but realized it would only cause delay a" and might attract attention that we didnat want either.

This time they had a Connie waiting for us, two of its four engines idling. The Lockheed Constellation was arguably the prettiest and most graceful design of a large airplane ever produced, even dimly lit in the dark. With its super-long nose-wheel strut right at the front it always reminded me of a swan sipping from the tarmac a" or maybe a mosquito, if a mosquito could ever look so graceful. Anyway, we have obviously come up in the world!

Soon as we had boarded the plush cabin a" no bucket seats this time! a" the plane began to roll. An Air Force sergeant made sure we were buckled in, all four of us, me in the bosom of my family, plus Rosalind, looking at the sergeant with a predatory eye. The girls were a bit disheveled, an interesting contrast with their formal gowns. Jones had gone immediately forward, apparently to use the aircraft radio instead of a telephone.

Rosalind had lost her emerald tiara; I hoped it wasnat valuable. The girls were giggling at each other. Rosalind said, aDid you see his face in the streetlights? Did you actually get under his belt?a aYou know I did!a Alice declared in a fierce whisper. aThat wasnat his hand that came after me.a aYou only got there first because he was staring at me.a aBecause you had popped out a b.o.o.b!a I leaned partly across Alice to make sure Rosalind understood me over the revving engines. aAre you two still talking about Cleaveras party?a Alice laughed. aNo. About the ride to the airport.a I gaped. aYou two were feeling up a Secret Service man?a Alice smirked. aIall testify that a Secret Service c.o.c.k gets just as hard as an FBI c.o.c.k.a aSpeaking of that aa I turned away to Clara and pitched my voice for privacy. aIave got a problem.a She glanced around. A couple of suits were lounging across from us but the seats beside her were empty. She responded in a low voice, aI brought my large purse. It contains a pair of shorts for you.a aThatas very thoughtful, you sweetheart, but I have a worse problem than that. My aa aGo on.a How does a lad tell his mother that his d.i.c.k wonat soften? Clara was hardly my mother, but she had often acted in that capacity the last two years, my incestuous second mother. Finally I blurted it out. aIave still got a hard-on!a aStill?a She stared at me. Her eyes began to twinkle.

aDonat you dare laugh,a I ordered. aI suspect youare at the bottom of it.a aOh, I do always try to reach the bottom.a She coughed behind her hand.

aClara aa I warned.

Her expression grew serious. aI think this is the vice presidentas plane. Iam sure it has a bedroom.a If her eyes twinkled harder theyad jump out of her face!

I ground my teeth and turned away from her, but she leaned close, breath tickling my ear, and asked, aBy chance did Alice french-kiss you before you went into the party?a I thought back. aYeah. She kissed Rosalind too, to put us in the mood, donat you know! Not by chance, eh?a Claraas humor faded. aI introduced her to the aphrody program.a Of course Alice also contained a 24th Century computer, probably one better exercised than mine. aThe what program?a aAmong other things it generates powerful s.e.xual stimulants in the saliva.a I stared at her. aHoly s.h.i.t!a aNot that,a she responded, eyes twinkling again, athough it does affect other body fluids.a With quick fingers on my thighs I brought up the aphrody help file. Spit stimulants are apparently just one of a lot of things it can generate. Then I found the antidote. My d.i.c.k lost its starch quickly. Hmm. This could be very useful information!

I studied Clara. aIs s.e.x so important in the 24th Century?a aOf course. We were a" will be a" still striving to reach a viable population.a I shook my head. aClara, youare amazing. Iam slowly beginning to appreciate how much restraint you have exercised here.a aThank you. You are fast developing the same powers. Iam hoping that by now itas your old man who has control.a aMost of the time,a I agreed, abut perhaps we should worry a bit about Alice.a Clara laughed slightly, shaking her head. aNot Alice! She only does what the people around her, particularly the men, want.a aReally? What if some demented fool orders her to jump off a bridge a" and gives her a shove?a aSooner or later someone will try something like that, most likely this friend of Rosalindas whom you met tonight.a Clara chuckled wryly. aHe wonat care for the results.a aI hope youare right,a I said doubtfully. Yes, Cleaver was not a man noted for inhibitions.

Traffic in the sky was also light at this hour a" in 1950. At the end of a long taxi run, conversation became impossible as the four engines revved up deafeningly and we began the takeoff roll. I stretched out my legs a" first cla.s.s indeed! I was asleep before we reached cruising alt.i.tude.

Some time later I awoke to find Clara shaking my shoulder. aTim, perhaps you ought to check on the girls.a I sat up. One of the suits drowsed across from us. Otherwise our cabin, probably meant for newspapermen, was deserted. I stretched and asked, aHave they been gone long?a aThey went forward almost two hours ago, but the lavatory is toward the rear.a I released my seat belt and stood up, muttering facetiously, aI hope they havenat seduced the pilots too!a She blinked at me. aSurely you wouldnat be jealous after the last two years!a aJealous? Iad be afraid for our lives!a She laughed. aIs it the old man or an old woman? They have autopilots even in 1950.a I found a cabin, then a bedroom followed by another cabin, a galley and two more lavatories. Three naked men snored in the bedroom on a bed stained in various colors, all covers thrown to the floor. Turning over the pile, I found both girlsa gowns.

Other men sprawled, asleep and half-clothed, in the next cabin. The c.o.c.kpit door stood open. Dimly I saw a naked leg and foot, red painted toenails pointing toward me. As I approached the door, a bare-chested man lurched to his feet. He had been sitting in a jumpseat reserved for a stewardess on a normal airliner. Standing, his face was under the dim bulb. It was Jones.

aTim, you a you better not go in there.a His voice was thick. He clutched my arm.

aAre you drunk?a I demanded incredulously.

aI guess I am,a he mumbled, mouth working owlishly. aDidnat know women could do that! Huh! On second thought, maybe you had better go in there if weare ever gonna land thish thing.a He released me and fell back into the seat, banging his head on the c.o.c.kpit wall.

aTim aa I bent close. aWhat?a aYou know everything elshe. What can you do for a hard d.i.c.k?a aHang on.a Pa.s.sing the door, I came upon the usual bewildering array of switches and dials a" and two naked couples. The control chairs were slid all the way back. A naked man slumped in each with a naked girl seated facing him in his lap. The light was very dim, deriving mainly from the illuminated dials on the instrument panel, but it was enough to show the girls bodies moving slowly up and down. The smaller one raised her head.

aHiya, Tim,a said Alice. After a moment she added, aHow about that a" we missed you!a I spotted the compa.s.s, quivering on 100 degrees. That seemed about right as a heading for Washington. Our alt.i.tude was 11,000 feet and holding steady. Apparently they did indeed have an autopilot! I wondered briefly if Alice had even considered that point.

Hands on my thighs, I ordered up a ma.s.sive quant.i.ty of anaphrody, the antidote. With half a mouthful of spit I leaned down to Alice. aKiss me.a She raised her head. I caught it in my hands, plastered my mouth over hers and filled her up. She sputtered but I held our mouths together until she swallowed.

aTim! What was that?a she demanded.

aAnaphrody. Start making your own. You have to kiss nearly every man on this plane.a Our eyes locked. She understood me. The glow faded from her cheeks and shoulders. aTim, youave ruined it!a aRuined it, have I? Just how do you plan to explain this? Better yet, just how did you plan to land the plane?a She blinked. aOoops!a I pointed at the nearly somnolent man beneath her. They occupied the right-hand seat, so I guess he was the co-pilot. Not that it made much difference. aNow kiss him and get plenty of the stuff into him, you hear?a aHow will we explain this?a Her voice was strained. Her eyes stared in prescient horror.

aI can handle that part, maybe, if you get busy and cure this planeload of hard d.i.c.ks.a aOh, G.o.d. At least Rosalind can help!a aCan she? She didnat pop in the aphrody.a aYes, she did. Some. I made a mouthful for her.a aChrist!a I muttered in disgust. aAll right, get going. Iall fix Rosalind.a I worked up another wad, pulled Rosalindas face up to me and thrust it into her mouth. Her eyes opened wide. She grinned. aTimmy!a Suddenly she frowned. aThatas not j.i.s.m!a aBut donat spit it out!a I ordered. aSwallow.a aI already did, d.a.m.n it.a She shivered, eyes large as marbles, looking down at the man under her. aMy G.o.d! What am I doing?a aTrying to f.u.c.k every man in North America,a I explained dryly. aYou were in on Aliceas scheme. Well, itas over. Kiss this pilot and let him get on with flying the plane. You and Alice have got to wake up the rest of the men.a aOh. Okay, Timmy.a She leaned toward the other female. I spun out of the c.o.c.kpit and paused beside Jones to work up the third wad. He looked up wobbly.

Bending down, I said, aKith me.a He blinked and grinned. aYouare not that way, are you, Tim?a aNo, Iam not!a I gritted my teeth and took more care with the p.r.o.nunciation. aJust kiss me. Then weave got to talk.a He even opened his mouth for me. He made tasting motions and blinked at me as I backed away. I said, aSwallow it. Itall fix that hard d.i.c.k, among other things.a He swallowed with a desperate gulp. Odd, the things a hard d.i.c.k will prompt a man to do! As I waited the naked girls pushed past me. aHereash one,a said Rosalind with a mouthful.

aNot this one,a I corrected. I pointed to a guy snoring two seats down, head tilted back. aThat one over there will be easy.a aWh-whatas going on?a asked Jones, staring up at me and licking his lips.

I sat down in the facing pa.s.senger seat. aYour d.i.c.k any better?a aThan what? I never thought Iad be glad for it to shrink. Huh! I never thought Iad kiss a queer, either!a aYou havenat, if you mean me.a I added a lie. aI just got the antidote from the girls.a aThe what?a I took a deep breath and lied through my teeth. aSome stuff that Cleaver had. It makes women generate an aphrodisiac in their spit. And this one really works, as you know very well by now. But when the girls cool off, so does their spit. For a while it even works like an antidote. Thatas what I gave you. Thatas what the girls are giving your men right now.a If anything his eyes got even larger. aMy G.o.d! Whatas it called?a I laughed sourly. aThatas not the important part, Jones. You know Aliceas age, donat you?a He blinked. aI told my men several times that she was 13. Then Rosie kissed me and it ceased to matter.a aaRosie,a eh? Thatas because she popped the stuff into you. Rosalind is on the rag. Which one did you f.u.c.k, Jones?a He took a breath, shook his head vigorously and giggled. aIall tell you this: that stuff may be dynamite on d.i.c.ks but itas not worth a d.a.m.n as a truth serum.a aNo, but youare in charge and Aliceas body is crawling with spermatozoa. Youall never flush it all out of her. And if sheas not in this plane when it lands, your problems will be even worse than a charge of statutory rape.a His face had sobered. aWhat are you getting at?a aForgetfulness.a He bit his lip. aWhose?a aEverybodyas.a He stared at me. I could see the wheels turning.

aYouall have a talk with your men. Tell them whatever you think is advisable, especially Aliceas age. But tell them to clam up like a dummy on events in this plane. The pilots too, by the way. Tell them to note how uneventful the flight was, how perfectly routine, how the pa.s.sengers behaved like angels, asleep most of the way. And get somebody to throw out the sheets on that bed.a aWhat about the girls? What about you?a aThis was a perfectly uneventful flight,a I intoned. aWe all slept most of the way. We were tired and a little drunk from the party where you so rudely extracted us. Truman will expect us to complain about that.a aYeah.a aOne of your guys was still asleep in the back cabin. I suppose he missed all the fun that didnat happen.a aAtkins. Heas pushing retirement. What about him?a aDonat invite him to the meeting.a Jones took a deep breath and stood up, looking around. Several men in various stages of undress glanced sheepishly back at him. aChrist, where are my clothes?a I rose and dodged my way back to the bedroom. Several men were getting dressed. I told them Jones wanted to see them upfront. They groaned but departed half-clothed. I untangled the girlsa clothing from the bedsheets and pressed on into the rear cabin.

The naked girls, hovering over Clara, looked up expectantly and sighed in relief at sight of their clothing. I put finger to lips, pointing to the still sleeping suit, presumably Atkins. They dressed half-heartedly, dabbing at each otheras face with Claraas handkerchief, then fell into their seats, asleep almost instantly. Atkins snored on.

I sniffed the heavy odor of s.e.x arising from my companions and said to Clara, aWe need to make some arrangements. Do you know the girlsa dress sizes?a I committed them to memory and declared, aBack in a minute.a I came in on the tail end of Jonesa speech to his men, a.s.sembled with both pilots and the Air Force sergeant in the forward cabin. I didnat hear his explanation for the wholesale seduction, but apparently they all accepted it meekly, which surprised me somewhat. Had all of them poked little Alice?

When he finished and took a seat, I slipped in beside him. aWe need to do just a little more for this cover-up.a aThis what?a Didnat they call it that in 1950? aTo make this flight as routine as we said, get on the radio and find us a hotel room between the airport and the White House where we can take showers.a aOh. Okay.a aGot a notepad?a aHuh? Sure.a He whipped it out, along with a stubby pencil.

I told him the girlsa sizes. aAnd lay in a full change of clothes for them. You know their coloration.a aAt this hour?a he was aghast.

aWhat time will we land?a aSupposed to be about 0530.a aWill Truman be up at 6:30?a aNo. Heall want to see you about 0900. Your girls will have time to change if I can find them a room.a aIam sure the government has lots of rooms.a * * *

Clara had caused a suitcase to accompany us with complete changes for Alice and myself, but I was still glad I thought to have Jones order clothes for the girls because of course she had not antic.i.p.ated Rosalind. And Jones thought still further ahead. That resourceful cop managed to arrange hairdresser appointments for the girls at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday!

Rosalind criticized the new blouse and skirt, the former too sheer, she said, and the latter too short in this era of low hemlines, but she looked pretty good to me when we pulled up at the side door of a fairly large building in the city. It was just before 9:00 a.m. on a sunny morning that resounded with bird chirps, distant church bells and little else.

aWhatas this?a I asked Jones and pointed through the trees to the south. aThatas the White House over there.a aThis is Blair House.a aOh, yeah? Who lives here, the Russian amba.s.sador?a He grunted. aTake it easy, Tim. These days the president lives here. Whereave you been? They started redoing the White House interior in a48.a He pulled me aside as we got out of the car. aTim,a he said, eyes on ground, aIam about to turn you folks over to the day shift.a He took a deep breath and looked up. aI donat know what to say except thanks.a I slugged his arm lightly. aI think you did us the real favor when you got us safely home two years ago.a aMaybe.a He sighed. aI know youare tired. Maybe the man wonat keep you too long.a He straightened up and said to the suit standing before the door with his arms crossed behind his back, aThis is Timothy Kimball with the Edgeworth ladies and Miss Rosalind Cannell. Theyare clean.a For sure he was not referring to our hygiene! I wondered if Rosalind would correct his error in her t.i.tle, but she stood quietly if a bit wide of eye.

aVery well,a acknowledged the man, a mustachioed, bigger and beefier one than Jones, wearing a very crisp gray suit and maroon necktie with a Windsor knot instead of the more common four-in-hand. aMy name is Pontief and Iam pleased to meet you folks. Wonat you come in.a He opened the door, pa.s.sed inside and waited for us. aDo you need to stop for refreshment? No? Then follow me, please.a We walked down a short hall, footsteps echoing. He leaned close to me and lowered his voice. aWhoas the Cannell dame?a aDr. Rosalind Cannell, if you please. Sheas a member of my party.a He frowned. aPOTUS doesnat expect her.a I had to think a minute. They were using that acronym for President Of The United States in 1950? Yeah. Roosevelt started it. I explained, aThe circ.u.mstances of our departure, you know. Donat worry; sheall be an a.s.set.a aI hope so,a he agreed dourly. aAt least Jones vouched for her.a The Blair House! My internal computer reported that Truman had indeed lived here from 1948 to 1952 while the White House interior was gutted and restored. Looking deeper, I discovered that a nuclear explosion destroyed both buildings in 2038, during the attempted terransoming of D.C. Not any time soon. No, I didnat bother to look up that word.

Pontief nodded to the guard and knocked on a gilded door. A light blinked beside it. He turned the k.n.o.b and led us in. Truman in his rimless eyegla.s.ses sat behind the big desk with the famous sign, aThe Buck Stops Here.a He watched us cross the room. Two guys sat near him. They didnat get up either.

Pontief said, aMr. President, may I present Drs. Kimball, Edgeworth and Cannell, and Mrs. Edgeworth.a aWeave met,a said Truman, wearing his trademark white summer suit, amost of us.a He gestured. aGet them some chairs.a The guard had followed us in. He and Pontief hustled up padded straight chairs before the big desk and we sat. Pontief moved to stand against the wall. The guard departed and closed the door.

My review of this period while crossing the Potomac let me recognize the two men who flanked the president: Frank Pace, Secretary of the Army, and Gen. Omar Bradley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The generalas summer khakis were adorned with a chest full of fruit salad but only four stars in a line on each shoulder. Shouldnat he be wearing the cl.u.s.ters of five that meant aGeneral of the Army?a aYouave grown,a said the president, eyeing Alice and me, aand I donat see a bruise on your cheek this time, Tom.a I said, aItas Tim, Mr. President. Perhaps I learned a lesson.a His eyes cut to Rosalind. aAnd who is this pretty young lady? By elimination she must be Dr. Cannell.a Rosalind drew breath to respond, I guess, but when her bottom lip trembled, I answered for her, aRosalind Cannel, linguistics.a He c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. aFrom the reports of your last visit, I thought you were the linguist! Does she share your talents?a I had devoted some thought to this line of questioning. aI think she should be described as an apprentice.a aImplying that your special abilities are teachable? How interesting!a He flashed me a calculating expression. I didnat care for its implications but before I could do further damage he went on. aI wish we had time for a nice visit.a His grin now favored Alice. aIad like to see if you can do better with Mozart than I.a He sighed. aBut we donat have the time. You do know why youare here.a I nodded reluctantly. aYes, sir. Weare here because the Russians unblocked Berlin in May, 1949, right on schedule.a aOn your schedule a" along with the barrage balloons and the one collision. You called that tune exactly, Tim. How about calling this one?a He looked down at a paper on his desk. aI understand youave already provided the North Korean order of battle. Brad wants to ask you about that.a The general cleared his throat. aIam Omar Bradley.a aYes, sir,a I acknowledged, abut Iam surprised to see you with only four stars.a He blinked at me. aYou what?a Woops! My hands darted into my pockets.

The president chuckled. aItas in the senate, Brad. Donat pretend to be surprised.a The general groused, aJust that everyone knows about it.a Christ, he didnat get his last promotion until September! Here it was only June.

Truman tilted his head. aI a.s.sure you, not everyone knows! As I said, Tim and his ladies are very special.a I saw my opening. aThen youave told him how I know what I know.a The presidential lip curled. aIave told him what I know about what you know, which isnat much.a He leaned back in his chair. aI had a long phone conversation with J. Edgar an hour ago. You and your people have never admitted to our surmise. All we actually have are the claims of a Mexican boy who unfortunately died during interrogation. Tell me, Tim: how do you know?a I turned to scan Alice and Clara. They stared back. Alice said, aYouare in charge, Tim.a Anywhere else I wouldave grinned at that! I took a deep breath. aMr. President, is the how so important? Tonio told you how and your experts immediately rejected his explanation. Iall admit this: we have factual knowledge of the future, but only so long as it remains factual.a The president stared. His lip curled again. aBy afactuala you mean only so long as I do what you claim I did, is that right?a aExactly. If you depart from my foreknowledge in any significant way a" and frankly I donat see anything to stop you except this a" subsequent dependent events must obviously be different. For them my advice would become no more valuable than a Gen. Bradleyas a" probably a good deal less.a The office was silent except for an electric fan oscillating in the open window behind Truman. The general spoke first. aSeven divisions, a tank brigade and two infantry regiments. Where did you get this information, Tim?a aFrom an archive compiled after the war.a aThe war,a repeated Truman. aHow big a war?a aThatas up to you,a I said, athough only in part. North Korea has the Kremlinas blessing along with plenty of Soviet arms and ammunition.a aAre Russians with them?a asked the general.

aOnly a few officers and observers.a I shifted in my seat. aMr. President, excuse me, but I donat want to go into much detail. I donat want to increase the chance of aa When I hesitated, he filled in, aSome variance from the script? I understand, but we may have to press you. Tell me this: if I do everything my, ah, counterpart did according to you, how will it turn out?a aThe war continues, though at a lower level of hostilities, through your departure from office in 1953.a He blinked. aMore than three years altogether?a aSlightly less.a aMy G.o.d! Three years of war over South Korea? Who ever heard of the place?a I opened my mouth to provide an argument but he beat me to it. aWe have now contained the G.o.dd.a.m.n Russians in Europe, so theyare buasting out somewhere else. Thatas it, isnat it? Uncle Joe, the syphilitic b.a.s.t.a.r.d a" excuse me, ladies a" is playing chess with me, I see. Heas got his own bomb now and heas advanced a new p.a.w.n, thinking my queen is covered.a aWhich it is,a said Pace, the Secretary of the Army, sitting beside the general, his necktie and shirt collar loosened.

aIave got p.a.w.ns too a" and plenty of higher ranks. You notice that Stalin is not using his own troops.a aBut youall have to,a said the general, sitting a little straighter.

aWill I?a The president leaned forward, chin in hand. aBrad, do you recall that bit from the report of MacArthuras initial landing in j.a.pan, where an armed j.a.panese division lined both sides of the airport road with the soldiersa backs turned, facing away to protect him from any possible enemy?a aI remember the story.a aThose j.a.p veterans have had a five year rest. How long would it take to form them up, outfit them and throw them across the Sea of j.a.pan?a I believe Bradley was startled, at least. He stared at his supreme commander with wide eyes. aDo you think theyad fight for the destroyer of Hiroshima and Nagasaki instead of against you the moment you issued ammunition?a aHow long, Brad?a The general took a deep breath. aWell, I donat know. Supplies, uniforms a" would you put them in U. S. Army uniforms or merely use their new const.i.tution to wipe your a" ah a Retraining to accept command by American officers, at least at the regimental level a Iad guess six months at a minimum.a aToo long,a I said.

aWhy?a asked Truman.

aIf you wait for j.a.p troops, theyall have to be taught amphibious operations.a aMeaning the North Koreans would have thrown us into the sea?a aExactly.a aDid they do that, Tim?a aNo, sir. But you didnat use j.a.ps either.a ad.a.m.n!a The president sighed. aItas the perfect answer to the North Koreans. The j.a.ps would go through them like corn through a goose. Why didnat you warn me of this a year ago?a aThe answer is, because I knew youad do something different! I didnat think of using the j.a.panese, but itas just as well. The future j.a.pan would be a very strange and dangerous country, I think, if you resurrected its war-like att.i.tudes.a I grinned at him. aBut you did know about this in advance.a aWhat?a His eyes widened. aI categorically a"a aExcuse me,a I interrupted. aAntonio Amorosanto told you the exact date of the next American war in Asia.a He stared at me for a second, then pulled a file folder from his top desk drawer and flipped through it quickly. His eyes flew over the paper before rising to the general. aCome here, Brad. Look at this.a The man with the stars slipped behind the desk and stared down to the presidential finger. aJune 25, 1950,a he murmured, looking up at me. aThen itas true?a I nodded. aSo long as you gentlemen donat deviate from my script, as the president says.a Bradley resumed his seat. aAll right,a he said dryly. aWhat does your script call for?a aTelling MacArthur to move most of your occupation force from j.a.pan immediately. Youare right: the j.a.panese will find themselves very much in the American camp on this issue, so you wonat need the troops in j.a.pan. Set up lots of heavy artillery on the natural line of defense around Pusan. It will be your best short-term defensive weapon. And get a mandate from the UN. You need that, Mr. President, to quell the opposition to Americans entering battle without a declaration of war.a aThatas nuts!a declared Secretary Pace. aIf as you say the Russians are behind this, theyall veto anything about it in the security council.a aNot if you act fast and call an emergency meeting. Just now the Russians have pulled out in a snit because you refused to admit communist China. You have a window of about a day.a Pace frowned. aaWindow?a Oh, I see. He means a dayas grace.a Another d.a.m.ned anachronism!

The presidentas eyes lit. aAha! Uncle Joeas timing is off. Weall win this diplomatic skirmish, by G.o.d!a In the meantime Pontief had answered the door buzzer. He spoke from across the room. aExcuse me, Mr. President, but you wanted to be informed when the full cabinet was a.s.sembled. It is.a aThank you, Bill. Tell them Iall be there in about five minutes.a Truman shoved his chair back and got to his feet, gesturing to me. aTim, would you come with me briefly? Excuse us, folks.a He led me through a side door and closed it behind us. We stood in a cramped little office with a desk, telephone, recessed typewriter and secretarial chair, otherwise unoccupied.

aTim, whatas going to happen? Who wins this?a I took a very deep breath. aYou donat know how I hate to answer that.a His eyes narrowed. aIf itas because they whip our a.s.s, Iam convinced your duty is to help us avoid it.a I shook my head. aThey donat win, Mr. President. America achieves its announced objective: South Korea never goes communist. In time it develops an economy to rival j.a.pan. And though the war lasts almost as long as the American part of World War Two, the American death toll is very much lower.a aHow many, Tim?a I stopped with the words, 54,000, on the tip of my tongue. aIam sorry, sir. That I wonat say.a aBad as that?a aI repeat, a lot less than WW2.a aOver one d.i.n.ky little backwater!a He shook his head. aAh, well, we all know itas about a lot more than that.a He took a breath. aOne other thing, Tim.a He reached in his pocket and took out a telegram in misaligned capitals, typical of the teleprinter from which it had obviously been torn.

TO POTUS.

FROM UJ VIA EMBa.s.sY.

DATE 500625:1030Z.

MESSAGE BEGINS.

NK WILL HOLD ABOVE TAEJON WHEN KIMBALL AND EDGEWORTH DELIVERED TO EMBa.s.sY.

MESSSAGE ENDS.

XMT 500625:1102Z BY CZZ.

I looked up. aUj?a aUncle Joe.a He sniffed. aI thought you knew everything. Those were the designees on our informal telegrams during World War Two.a aOf course,a I agreed. I let my consternation show. aThen this actually came from the Soviet emba.s.sy?a aYes. It was delivered to Blair House by a Soviet courier about an hour ago.a He added dryly, aI think the Russians find it easier to believe in weird science than we do.a I returned the telegram with as solemn an expression as I could contrive. aWhat will you do about it?a aNothing. Double the FBI guard on your family.a I shook my head. aI donat like this for a different reason.a aWhich is?a aI canat believe this telegram existed in my old universe. Certainly it was never mentioned publicly. This means that events are already off the rails a little.a aPerhaps not, if we donat act on it, and we wonat.a He shoved it back into his pocket and returned us to the main office.

He gestured to the seated men. aCome along, boys. Letas tell the fellows our decision and let them show how on-the-ball they are. Pontief, get a crew to take Tim and his ladies home immediately. And Tim aa He glowered at me. aDonat stray too far from Chicago. Do you understand?a aYes, sir. One last item for you, if I may: when the time comes, ignore the advisers and deal with MacArthur as your instinct suggests.a He stared at me. Slowly a twinkle appeared in his eye. aI mostly do that anyway.a * * *

Rosalind stared into my eyes. aI want to talk to you three, especially you, Tim.a Her gaze was flinty.

We had just reached cruising alt.i.tude and the pilot had throttled back so that a low voiced conversation was possible between heads bent together. We were alone in the aft cabin of the same plane except for two suits sitting well apart from us. They had already pulled out their tray tables and a deck of cards.

aYouall have to wait in line,a retorted Alice. aI want to know what happened when he went next door with the president.a I tilted my head toward Clara. aSheall tell you.a Alice shook her head. aI donat want to wait till we get home. Is he going to do something off the wall, Tim?a aOff the what?a demanded Rosalind.

I shook my head. aNo, I believe heall behave. I didnat tell him anything new.a aThen whyad he call you in there?a aTo show me a telegram.a I sighed. aStalin offered to stop the North Koreans half way if Truman would deliver you and me to the Soviet emba.s.sy.a Her eyes grew large. Quickly I added, aTruman said head take no action on it.a aWonat he? How about next week? Even MacArthur was afraid the commies would take Pusan.a aBut at itas smallest the perimeter was miles from the city. Weall be all right. Except for one thing. You heard it.a aaDonat stray too far?aa aExactly. MacArthur doesnat land at Inchon until September. Truman may want us to approve when he hears the proposal for that.a Clara mused, aPerhaps you shouldave told him about it.a aYeah. Or that Stalin croaks in March of a53. I thought of all that after we left.a Alice demanded, aWhat good would it do to tell him about Stalin?a aI think Truman is a little bit afraid of good old aUncle Joe.a It would bolster his spirits, especially if I told him the Soviet system went steadily toiletwards after Stalinas death.a aaToiletwards?aa repeated Rosalind with a bemused expression.

aYouare forgetting Sputnik,a said Alice.

aNo, Iam not. Stalin had already approved it. Itas a use for those ripped-off German engineers that he can admit to the world.a aaRipped-off?aa muttered Rosalind.

After shaking my head I said, aSorry. Stalin confiscated half of Von Braunas staff in 1945.a aWhose staff?a That surprised me. Then I surprised me. Why should I expect a linguistician to know anything about rocketry before Sputnik?

She immediately asked me about it. aAnd whatas this spudding you forgot?a She visibly gritted her teeth. aI know my place in line around here: last! But itas time I asked you: who are you people anyway?a Alice hugged her. aYour friends and lovers, honey.a She pulled back, staring from Alice to me to Clara. aFrom the a f-future?a I looked at Clara. aWhatas your advice on this, my dear?a She returned my look with a twinkle. aWill you lie to her?a aNo,a I declared immediately. Then I sighed and turned to the young woman who was watching us with parted lips. aWhat do you really want to know, Rosalind?a She looked from one to the other and licked her lips. Slowly she shook her head. aI can put two and two together, too. You people are too different. Nothing that happens fazes you. And you donat obey any social convention unless it suits you. No little girl is as knowing and confident as you are, Alice, and aa She chuckled hollowly. aI told myself I seduced you, Timmy, but thatas a Howad you put it the other day? Thatas a crock. I meant to ask you. A crock of what?a as.h.i.t,a I told her. aSurely not another anachronism!a aMeaning that itas a lie, right? An aanachronism,a eh? Thatas another point. You talk strangely, a slang that no one else uses. And now even the president asks you whatas going to happen. Obviously he believes you know the future.a She took a deep breath. aWhich means you have to be from the future. On the ride from the airport I kept asking myself, what in the world have I stepped into now? Or maybe not in the world, huh?a When she only stared at me, I said, aIs that a question?a aNo!a She uttered the monosyllable with a strange, rising inflection and smiled tremulously. aI wonat ask any questions. I wonat rock the boat. Whatever you are and whatever youare doing, I want to be included.a Her eyes lit. aI love it! I didnat know life could be so exciting!a aItas likely to get worse,a I told her rather grimly. aWe donat intend to remain available for Truman.a aYou wonat?a She blinked. aWhy not?a aBecause heall eventually enslave us. Heall think he has to.a She seemed to hesitate. At last she asked, aAm I a am I in fact an apprentice?a I looked from Clara to Alice. It was the latter who answered. She pulled herself against the anxious girl. aYes, you are. Because we all love you, darling. When you return from your summer with your mother, Iall start teaching you about computers.a They fell, s...o...b..ring and mewling, into each otheras arms. I looked inquiringly at Clara, who remarked, aI noticed a long time ago that she has the right att.i.tude.a aLoose legs?a I asked.

aFor you.a Her expression was serene. aI can coexist with any woman who accepts you.a aAnd reward her with larger t.i.ts?a aThat was only to reduce the load on Alice.a aThe load!a I had to chuckle. aMy G.o.d, Clara, sometimes you truly are weird!a aI regard that as a compliment. Thank you.a I pulled her to me for a kiss. aIn fact, I just now realized, it is a compliment, the highest I can bestow.a aI know it. You are the center of the universe, Timmy.a aThatas odd. I wouldnat have thought it could have two.a

Chapter 14: Adults.

aHave you two tired of being kids yet?a We were lounging at breakfast: Clara, Alice and myself. Elaron had prepared omelets for us and now perched with his two helpers on the sink rim to hear our praise, long teeth exposed in his monkey grin. The praise was unstinting because the omelets, cooked Western style with green pepper, pimento, onion, ham and cheese, were delicious. I had noticed the capuchins liked them too. In fact Elaron was likely waiting for us to vacate the kitchen before calling in a dozen of his fellows to consume the next batch.

aWhatas the matter, Clara?a I asked, having decided that the two golden bites remaining on my plate were just too much. aAre you getting tired of shepherding teenagers?a aTeenagers!a she scoffed.

a15 and 13,a I reminded her.

She sniffed. a70 and 70 is more like it.a aDonat forget,a Alice cautioned, aI waited two years before following him.a aI included that. Let me rephrase my question. Are you two growing tired yet of small stature, relative weakness and little respect?a aYes!a declared Alice instantly. I looked around in surprise. Her eyes burned into mine.

aRosalind?a I asked.

She grimaced. aThe other night a guy suggested Rosalind should send her kid sister home.a I covered my mouth before turning back to Clara, whose own eyes were twinkling. But I had endured similar slights. I shook my head and sighed. aAbout another three years, wouldnat you say, Clara?a aI would say another three months.a aHuh?a a" from two wide-eyed faces at once.

The woman straightened up, expression suddenly serious. aIn regard to your plans for Fernworks, Tim: have you thought how much more difficult theyall be to implement from a body of 15 apparent years, with the help of a 13 year-old? Youall have to command men, take charge of multi-million dollar operations. A 25 year-old admitted genius might be conceded such authority, but never a teenager, not in 1950.a I stared at her.

She stared back, continuing, aI donat think you want to wait until youare 25.a aYour nan.o.biots aa I began, suddenly perceiving her objective.

aCan increase your height to two meters and give you the shoulders of a weight lifter, while adding deliberation to your movements. Look under Protoplasmic Supplementation.a I turned to a blank wall, fingers busy on my outer thighs. Dimly I heard Alice ask, aWhat about his c.o.c.k?a and the answer, aThatas up to him. Perhaps youad like to hear what it can do for you!a Alice mused, aI donat care to be tall as Rosalind, but her other things, now aa I quit listening to them. Soon I discovered that I didnat even need Clara, except perhaps to admire me. Through my built-in computer I could order almost any kind of change in my own body. I leaned over the table, chin in hand, staring at the wall. The opportunities were endless, I saw, from one example specification after the other. Turning the forefinger into a hard-nailed screwdriver was duck soup, requiring about two hours. Supplying a diamondoid coating just under the torso epidermis, tough enough to deflect bullets, would take a few weeks, mainly because the formation of diamond was slow when using processes not harmful to flesh. Increasing oneas ma.s.s to lengthen bones and to bulge muscles would take the longest because the material had to come from somewhere: that is, through the mouth. Youad have to gorge constantly if you were in a hurry.

As to the c.o.c.k, ha! Nothing but soft tissue in that organ. Want one a meter long? Possible a" but provide your own wheelbarrow to transport it. Want one of negative length: that is, a p.u.s.s.y? Possible, too, but only after a lot more thought!

What about Alice? Longer bones and more flesh required the same as for a man: eat like a starving wolf for a few months. In a womanas case the extra flesh was recommended just below the shoulders. And when adjusting bones donat forget to widen the pelvis for ease of childbirth in case youare a do-it-yourself type. Ugh!

Programs were offered for various protoplasmic objectives. Two meters, I remembered, were 6'7", a bit too tall. I asked for six feet, or 183 centimeters, and 77 kilograms, which is just under 170 pounds. Iad worry about adeliberate movementsa later.

Almost immediately I was hungry again. Those last golden bites vanished.

In the next two months Alice added about a year in apparent age for each week, as did I. She developed lovely, firm b.r.e.a.s.t.s early on and then concentrated on filling out her limbs. I admit I too initially focused on adult s.e.xual characteristics, and after two weeks I possessed a pendulous ball sac beneath a flaccid five inch c.o.c.k that stiffened to just under eight inches.

aIave decided against body hair,a she declared one evening when we showered together.

I had asked her about that, although not in complaint. She was then fully-grown physically but her face retained a childish cuteness. She had become a striking young woman with long, slender legs and generous hips.

aEvidently you have too,a she observed. aYou havenat added to the blond fuzz on your calves.a aAt least I have pubic hair,a I retorted, cupping her mature, bald l.a.b.i.a.

aYou could do without it, you know,a she responded. aI suppose youall grow a mustache too as another affectation.a aHow wonderful it is to have hair growth under conscious control! Iall bet the people of the 24th Century hardly notice it.a She nodded agreement. aBecause they wonat have our advantage of a lifetimeas shaving.a We had been examining each otheras bodies daily since the onset of our unnatural growth, measuring our height against a mark on a doorjamb just as we had when we were children the first time. And we were similarly impatient, although small increments were noticeable every day.

Because of its relative gradualness, our new growth did not dramatically enhance our s.e.xual performance with each other. We coupled with greater frequency, however, and I did begin to appreciate the novelty of f.u.c.king Aliceas larger body with its long legs that wrapped around me tightly at the moment of her climax.

aItas large enough,a she commented when I once proposed increasing the size of my c.o.c.k to ten inches. aYou donat want to be a freak like that Gregor, unless,a she added with a twinkle, ayou have a yen to savor yourself.a I had thought of such an experiment, of course, but I decided that, however intriguing, it was still masturbation, of which I had no need.