roadway, make it wind around instead of going straight to Arboria, then we’ve gained a couple miles of walking space. We sit in the woods, we kill Flash and Dale while they’re walking toward Arboria, nobody sees us, and we’re home-free.”
“That’s right,” said Lari
“You’re smarter than I thought you were, Lari,” said Kial sarcastically.
“Yeah. What was that with the stakes, Kial?”
“Shut up, dummy! Let’s get moving. The computer readout on that superway showed it was built twenty years before Flash and Dale used it. We set our time belts to that date, to minus three two one wye, and we move the stakes.”
“What year, Kial?”
“Three oh one and twenty is three twenty-one. Three two one. Just follow orders, dummy. You’ll make out with me running things.”
“Yeah.”
They were off by seven months and four days, but by moving back and forth in time they finally found the correct day and stood on the projected roadway from the spaceport to Arboria. A line of surveyor’s stakes enclosed the borders of the wide superway.
“Flash and Dale are just about there,” said Kial, pointing. “So we simply break the road off here, move it around In a big sweeping circle, and change the stakes so it’ll be built in a wide arc instead of straight. Got it?”
“Sure, Kial,” replied Lari blankly.
“Then come on, let’s get at it!”
They pulled up the stakes and carried them through the woods. It was a hard job. They extended the road at least an extra two miles. By moving the stakes and by cutting and stripping fifty more from the woods, they managed to extend the roadway so Arboria could not be seen from the far arc of the wide curve.
It was hard, exhausting work.
“They’ll be in Arboria by now,” wailed Lari.
“Dummy, we’re in the past now! We can go back to the exact instant they both saw Arboria. What’s the matter with you? We’re working back twenty years before.”
“I guess I don’t understand,” said lari despondently.
“Just shut up and pound.”
Finally, after four hours, Kial and Lari stood by the side of the projected roadway and Kial gazed in satisfaction at their work.
“Good. We’ll travel forward in time now and be ready for them.”
“Yeah,” said Lari.
“Set your time belt,” Kial commanded. He fiddled with the digital readout on his own.
Instantly they stood beside the superway, already built, curving around a carefully cambered bend in the dense forest out of sight of Arboria.
Kial looked gleeful. “We did it! We did it!”
Lari looked around. “Where’s the antimatter neutralizer?”
“Yeah,” said Kial. “I’ve got to go look for it. You stay here, dummy. I’ve got to get a fix on the location of the gun.”
Lari sat down.
Kial looked into the forest and started down the superway. “I think it’s over there somewhere.”
He found it without a great deal of trouble, returned, and brought Lari back with him to lug the parts to the side of the superway where they would wait.
Finally, when they had the neutralizer gun set up, Kial turned the laser rod barrel in the direction of the superway.
Lari peered through the magniscope sights. “That should hit them when they come in sight, Kial,” he said. “You’re a genius.”
“I know,” said Kial. He grinned. “Now we just sit here and we wait. It shouldn’t be long.”
“Right,” said Lari.
They sat down under the shade of a giant horsetail plant. It was an evergreen rushlike herb with yellow-jointed stems and without leaves or flowers.
Kial drew out a packet of bananacco and started to roll a smoke. As he lit the highstik with a heat cube, he handed Lari the sack and watched him roll his own.
Soon they were both puffing and watching the superway.
“There they are,” Lari said in a shaky voice.
Kial nodded, stubbed out his highstik and moved quickly to the sights of the neutralizer gun. He crouched behind it and flicked the magniscope into operation. He could see
“That’s right,” said Lari
“You’re smarter than I thought you were, Lari,” said Kial sarcastically.
“Yeah. What was that with the stakes, Kial?”
“Shut up, dummy! Let’s get moving. The computer readout on that superway showed it was built twenty years before Flash and Dale used it. We set our time belts to that date, to minus three two one wye, and we move the stakes.”
“What year, Kial?”
“Three oh one and twenty is three twenty-one. Three two one. Just follow orders, dummy. You’ll make out with me running things.”
“Yeah.”
They were off by seven months and four days, but by moving back and forth in time they finally found the correct day and stood on the projected roadway from the spaceport to Arboria. A line of surveyor’s stakes enclosed the borders of the wide superway.
“Flash and Dale are just about there,” said Kial, pointing. “So we simply break the road off here, move it around In a big sweeping circle, and change the stakes so it’ll be built in a wide arc instead of straight. Got it?”
“Sure, Kial,” replied Lari blankly.
“Then come on, let’s get at it!”
They pulled up the stakes and carried them through the woods. It was a hard job. They extended the road at least an extra two miles. By moving the stakes and by cutting and stripping fifty more from the woods, they managed to extend the roadway so Arboria could not be seen from the far arc of the wide curve.
It was hard, exhausting work.
“They’ll be in Arboria by now,” wailed Lari.
“Dummy, we’re in the past now! We can go back to the exact instant they both saw Arboria. What’s the matter with you? We’re working back twenty years before.”
“I guess I don’t understand,” said lari despondently.
“Just shut up and pound.”
Finally, after four hours, Kial and Lari stood by the side of the projected roadway and Kial gazed in satisfaction at their work.
“Good. We’ll travel forward in time now and be ready for them.”
“Yeah,” said Lari.
“Set your time belt,” Kial commanded. He fiddled with the digital readout on his own.
Instantly they stood beside the superway, already built, curving around a carefully cambered bend in the dense forest out of sight of Arboria.
Kial looked gleeful. “We did it! We did it!”
Lari looked around. “Where’s the antimatter neutralizer?”
“Yeah,” said Kial. “I’ve got to go look for it. You stay here, dummy. I’ve got to get a fix on the location of the gun.”
Lari sat down.
Kial looked into the forest and started down the superway. “I think it’s over there somewhere.”
He found it without a great deal of trouble, returned, and brought Lari back with him to lug the parts to the side of the superway where they would wait.
Finally, when they had the neutralizer gun set up, Kial turned the laser rod barrel in the direction of the superway.
Lari peered through the magniscope sights. “That should hit them when they come in sight, Kial,” he said. “You’re a genius.”
“I know,” said Kial. He grinned. “Now we just sit here and we wait. It shouldn’t be long.”
“Right,” said Lari.
They sat down under the shade of a giant horsetail plant. It was an evergreen rushlike herb with yellow-jointed stems and without leaves or flowers.
Kial drew out a packet of bananacco and started to roll a smoke. As he lit the highstik with a heat cube, he handed Lari the sack and watched him roll his own.
Soon they were both puffing and watching the superway.
“There they are,” Lari said in a shaky voice.
Kial nodded, stubbed out his highstik and moved quickly to the sights of the neutralizer gun. He crouched behind it and flicked the magniscope into operation. He could see
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