New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Science fiction; Time travel -- Fiction
Into this, his world, Turber had suddenly thrust himself, abducting
Nanette; capturing, perhaps killing me. What could Alan do about it?
Suppose they located the Time-world to which Turber had gone? Alan
could go there--with this girl Lea to help him and San to guard the
tower. Hopeless adventure! He had one small weapon, his revolver. And a
frail girl for companion. There seemed no one else from whom he could
get help. No one in this Time-world of Lea's.
His mind roved the possibility of getting help elsewhere. His own world
of 1945? Who could he get there to do more than smile incredulously at
his fantastic tale? He envisaged all the other centuries. But to go to
any one of them for help--for weapons and men--was hardly practical.
He would be a stranger; he would fall into a strange civilization with
only this same incredible story to aid him. He would be imprisoned
perhaps--or, at best, be disregarded as a lunatic.
Lea had faced all this. She had tried it in 1945. It was not feasible.
Alan saw now that he would have to depend upon himself. The tower
would transport him. The rest lay with himself, his own wits. He felt
that very probably I was dead. He would rescue Nanette from Turber's
clutches if he could. For the rest--this oath of vengeance sworn by
Lea and her brother against Turber--Alan gritted his teeth; and as
he thought of Nanette's gentle beauty and Turber's grinning, satanic
visage, he swore to himself a similar oath. He would kill Turber if he
could!
"This way," said Powl. "Stoop down--you are so tall for our door
openings."
It was a low-vaulted room, dimly illumined. A laboratory crowded with
strangely fashioned apparatus. Powl made no attempt at explanation of
his devices. Nor was Alan interested, except in one--the Time-vision
which might disclose Nanette.
"My assistant," said Powl. "He is called Lentz--he speaks a little of
your ancient language."
A man of about thirty rose from a seat before one of the instruments.
He offered his hand. Powl added to Alan:
"You may speak openly before Lentz. He is my trusted helper--the only
person besides ourselves who knows the secrets of my Time-vision and of
the tower."
He was an undersized, heavy-set fellow, garbed in a short robe like
San's. His black hair was clipped close on a bullet head. He wore
goggles which now were pushed up on his forehead.
"I speak very little," he said as he shook hands. "I am ready if it is
you have the cloak."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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