Free Button in the Fabric of Time by William Wayne Dicksion Page B

through the sculptured glass walls. After eating, we
stepped out the door and Jan-3 pressed a series of numbers. A keri
arrived almost immediately. This keri was smaller and cozier than
the others we had traveled in.
    “Since Roc-2 is waiting for us, we’ll travel
quickly,” Jan-3 said. “We can explore the city later.”
     
    * * * * *
     
    Chapter 12
     
    In only seconds, we stopped in a long, dome
that enclosed what looked like scientific tools and instruments
lining both sides of an isle extending hundreds of feet. I didn’t
recognize the equipment, but I recognized the atmosphere—it was a
research laboratory.
    Roc-2 appeared as if by magic. I was
beginning to understand that these people were able to appear from
behind invisible doors, but it was still a bit unnerving.
Recognizing my expression of surprise, Roc-2 smiled and said,
“You’ll get used to it.” Glancing first at Jan-3, then back at me,
he asked, “Did you sleep well?”
    I knew a loaded question when I heard one,
and not knowing the polite thing to do, I discreetly replied, “The
bed was comfortable, and I feel refreshed. How can I help you with
the button?”
    Jan-3 smiled, Roc-2 gave her a knowing look,
and then introduced me to the four men helping him. “We’ve examined
the button and know that it is heat-sealed, but we didn’t want to
open it until after you show us how you used it.”
    I explained how I had accidentally discovered
that the button would transport me to any desired location. All I
had to do was to visualize the place and rub the red portion. And
then I explained that by rubbing the blue or green sections, the
button would move me forward or backward in time, and then white
would return me to my original time and location.
    “It seems to me,” I explained, “that the
mechanism in the button is connected electronically to the thought
pattern of the user and responds to that thought.”
    Roc-2 listened closely, nodded, and said,
“We’ve determined with our X-rays that there are electronic devices
inside.” Handing the button to me he asked, “Could you show us how you used it?”
    Looking for a way to demonstrate, I saw that
the far end of the laboratory was about fifty meters away. I said,
“I’ll move to the far end of this enclosure and return.” I
visualized myself at the far end, and rubbed the red. They saw me
at the far end and waved. Then I rubbed the white, and instantly I
was back. Everyone was astonished.
    “How far will it transport you?” one of the
lab workers asked.
    “There doesn’t appear to be a limit.” Then I
asked Roc-2, “How far is it to the place where we first met?”
    “Several thousand kilometers,” he
answered.
    “Is there anything there that I can bring
back, that will prove to you that I’ve been there?”
    Roc-2 thought for a moment and replied, “Yes,
there’s a plum tree growing beside the stream and the plums are
ripe. Bring me a ripe plum.”
    I transported to the stream, picked a ripe
plum, returned, and handed it to Roc-2, at the same instant he had
asked for it. They were really astonished. I had previously decided
that nothing could surprise Roc-2, but he was surprised by what he
had witnessed.
    “You’ve just proven that the speed of light
is not the ultimate speed,” Roc-2 remarked. “Thoughts travel faster
than light, and you have just traveled at the speed of thought. We must have this technology. Is it limited to terrestrial
travel, or could it be used for interplanetary, or even
interstellar, travel?”
    “I’ve never used it for that purpose, but it
might work. I don’t have enough knowledge of other planets to use
it that way. Would you like to try? I’ll show you how it works.” I
demonstrated the use of the button until they all understood, but
no one volunteered to do interplanetary travel.
    “If we provided you with a suit for space
travel, would the button transport you and your equipment to the
moon?” Roc-2 asked.
    “I don’t see why not.