Collision with Chronos

“They’re walking backward,” said Heshke blankly.

And so indeed they were. The whole scene was like a motion picture thrown into reverse. “That’s because we’ve adopted the time sense normal to us,” Ascar explained, “but it’s not normal to them. Now watch what happens when I put our machine into reverse at the same rate – one second per second.”

Again he made an adjustment. They all watched through the windows while the scene rewound itself and went forward, the alien creatures walking naturally this time, with a rolling gait, their posture not quite as erect as that of a human being. “This is their normal time-sense,” Ascar told them, “the reverse of ours. Now do you get it? These creatures aren’t alien to Earth. They’re Terran. They evolved here, millions of years in our future. By the same token, we are in their future. The Earth has two completely different evolutionary developments on it, separated in time and associated with separate time-streams – time-streams moving in opposite directions. And they are on a collision course.”

The shock that affected Heshke and the Lieutenant, once they understood this news, lasted some time. They stared for long moments without speaking.

“But the Earth Mother,” the Titan stuttered.

Ascar gave a harsh laugh. “Earth Mother!” He made the words sound like a curse.

Heshke turned to Ascar and gestured with his thumb through the window. “Aren’t we too exposed? What if they see us?”

“They can’t see us. We’re not synched on their present moment; we’re pacing a few minutes behind it.”

“Collision!” gasped the Titan. “It’s inconceivable! What will happen, Ascar?”

Ascar laughed again, this time horribly and savagely. “Can’t you envisage it? The converging time processes are now only four hundred years apart, and already we’ve become aware of one another. Each will make massive preparations to destroy the other.” His eyes shone, as though he were privy to some dreadful vision. “And while the time-waves are yet centuries apart an indescribable war of annihilation will be in progress. Each civilisation, on seeing the constructions of the other rising magically in its midst, on seeing them become newer with each passing year, will grow more and more fearful. Both sides will find themselves trying to manipulate the same materials from different points in time! But everything will be in vain – for what will happen when the two time-streams actually collide? Can anything survive such a shock? Annihilation, that’s what will happen. Annihilation, followed by the cessation of all time. …”

With an effort the Titan broke free from the spell of Ascar’s words. He drew himself erect.

“There’s no time to lose: the High Command must be made aware of the situation immediately.”

“Yes, that’s where our duty lies.” Ascar was trembling with nervous reaction. He drew back from the pilot’s seat, leaving his gun where it was, and wiped his brow with a shaky hand. “Take over, Lieutenant.”

The Titan seated himself at the control panels and made calibrations. He appeared to have recovered his composure completely and spoke with authoritative self-righteousness.

“It has to be admitted that you’ve rendered mankind a service, Citizen Ascar. Nevertheless when we return to Absolute Present you will be charged with disobeying orders and with murdering a Titan officer.”

“Leave him alone, for God’s sake,” Heshke pleaded worriedly. “Can’t you see he’s insane?”

“Yes, insane,” muttered Ascar. “Who wouldn’t be … five years alone in that place. Who wouldn’t be? The strain … knowing I was the only man on Earth who could solve the problem … who could give humanity the secret of time travel … I wasn’t sure I could do it. The enemy had an advantage over us. We had to take away that advantage or perish … now we’re going to perish anyway.”

The fuzzy hum of the time traveller rose in volume as the machine picked up power and glided away from its position to go surging pastward. Heshke settled down for the journey, reassured by seeing the tall Titan once more at the controls and by Ascar’s apparent lapse into inactivity.

For about an hour they journeyed in silence. Heshke began to doze, but was awakened by a hoarse cry from the pilot, accompanied by a sickening lurch. The pilot was taking evasive action.

Heshke observed that the Absolute Present register was again flickering. The pilot cleared the windows to transparency to reveal the shape of a pursuing enemy time machine. Ascar shouted incoherently; at the same time they sustained a shuddering shock and seemed to go into a kind of spin.

Heshke became dizzy. When his head cleared the cabin was motionless, but leaning crazily, and a large hole had been torn in its side. Behind them the drive-unit gave out a ragged, injured buzz.

Somehow it came as a surprise to Heshke to find that the alien time traveller had been armed.

“Damn!” moaned Ascar. “Damn!”