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<v Speaker 1>Two Timer by Frederick Brown. One experiment the first time machine.

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<v Speaker 1>Gentleman Professor Johnson proudly informed his two colleagues. True, it

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<v Speaker 1>is a small scale experimental model. It will operate only

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<v Speaker 1>on objects weighing less than three pounds five ounces and

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<v Speaker 1>for distances into the past and future of twelve minutes

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<v Speaker 1>or less. But it works. The small scale model looked

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<v Speaker 1>like a small scale, a postage scale, except for two dials.

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<v Speaker 1>In the part under the platform. Professor Johnson held up

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<v Speaker 1>a small metal cube. Our experimental object, he said, is

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<v Speaker 1>a brass cube weighing one pound two point three ounces. First,

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<v Speaker 1>I shall send it five minutes into the future. He

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<v Speaker 1>leaned forward and set one of the dials on the

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<v Speaker 1>time machine. Look at your watches, he said. They looked

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<v Speaker 1>at their watches. Professor Johnson placed the cue ube gently

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<v Speaker 1>on the machine's platform. It vanished five minutes later to

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<v Speaker 1>the second it reappeared. Professor Johnson picked it up. Now

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<v Speaker 1>five minutes into the past. He set the other dial.

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<v Speaker 1>Holding the cube in his hand, he looked at his watch.

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<v Speaker 1>It is six minutes before three o'clock. I shall now

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<v Speaker 1>activate the mechanism by placing the cube on the platform.

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<v Speaker 1>At exactly three o'clock. Therefore, the cube should, at five

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<v Speaker 1>minutes before three vanish from my hand and appear on

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<v Speaker 1>the platform five minutes before I place it there. How

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<v Speaker 1>can you place it there, then asked one of his colleagues.

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<v Speaker 1>It will, as my hand approaches, vanish from the platform

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<v Speaker 1>and appear in my hand to be placed there three o'clock. Notice, please,

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<v Speaker 1>The cube vanished from his hand. It appeared on the

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<v Speaker 1>platform of the time machine. See five minutes before I

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<v Speaker 1>shall place it there? It is there. His other colleague

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<v Speaker 1>frowned at the cube, but he said, what if, now

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<v Speaker 1>that it has already appeared five minutes before you place

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<v Speaker 1>it there, you should change your mind about doing so

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<v Speaker 1>and not place it there at three o'clock. Wouldn't there

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<v Speaker 1>be a paradox of some sort involved an interesting idea?

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<v Speaker 1>Professor Johnson said, I had not thought of it, and

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<v Speaker 1>it will be interesting to try. Very well. I shall not.

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<v Speaker 1>There was no paradox at all. The cube remained, but

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<v Speaker 1>the entire rest of the universe, professors and all vanished.

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<v Speaker 1>Two sentry. He was wet and muddy, and hungry and cold,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was fifty thousand light years from home. A

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<v Speaker 1>strange blue sun gave light, and the gravity twice what

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<v Speaker 1>he was used to, made every movement difficult. But in

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<v Speaker 1>tens of thousands of years, this part of war hadn't changed.

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<v Speaker 1>The Flyboys were fine with their sleek spaceships and their

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<v Speaker 1>fancied weapons. When the chips are down, though, it was

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<v Speaker 1>still the foot soldier, the infantry that had to take

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<v Speaker 1>the ground and hold it foot by bloody foot, like

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<v Speaker 1>this damned planet of a star. He'd never heard of

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<v Speaker 1>until they'd landed him here, and now it was sacred

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<v Speaker 1>ground because the Aliens were there too. The Aliens the

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<v Speaker 1>only other intelligent race in the galaxy, cruel, hideous and

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<v Speaker 1>repulsive monsters. Contact had been made with them near the

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<v Speaker 1>center of the galaxy after the slow but difficult colonization

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<v Speaker 1>of a dozen thousand planets, and it had been war

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<v Speaker 1>at sight. They'd shot without even trying to negotiate or

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<v Speaker 1>to make peace. Now, planet by bitter planet, it was

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<v Speaker 1>being fought out. He was wet and muddy and hungry

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<v Speaker 1>and cold, and the day was raw, with a high

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<v Speaker 1>wind that hurt his eyes. But the Aliens were trying

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<v Speaker 1>to infiltrate, and every sentry post was vital He stayed alert,

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<v Speaker 1>gun ready, fifty thousand light years from home, fighting on

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<v Speaker 1>a strange world, and wondering if he'd ever lived to

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<v Speaker 1>see home again. And then he saw one of them

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<v Speaker 1>crawling toward him. He drew a bead and fired. The

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<v Speaker 1>alien made that strange, horrible sound they all make, then

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<v Speaker 1>it lay still. He shuddered at the sound in sight

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<v Speaker 1>of the alien lying there. One ought to be able

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<v Speaker 1>to get used to them after a while, but he'd

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<v Speaker 1>never been able to such repulsive creatures. They were with

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<v Speaker 1>only two arms and two legs, ghastly white skins and

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<v Speaker 1>no scales, and of two timer by Frederick Brown