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corridor. The collection included an assortment of names from the
entertainment world, some notable public figures, various artists and writers,
and a number of news celebrities. A youngster with some initiative and energy,
Hunt thought approvingly. He found the entry belonging to Bressin Nylek, First
Officer of the Ishtar, and also the Ishtar's commander. Hunt wondered what
Calazar's autograph might be worth back home in years to come.
He exited the tower about a hundred feet above ground on a g-conveyor that
deposited him on the terrace outside the cafeteria two levels below the
Multiporter, and went up to the lab area with the square chamber standing in
its frame at the focus of the array of projector tubes. The machine was
running. Hunt seemed to have arrived just at the completion of one of the
demonstrations. Eesyan was taking questions from Calazar and his company, who
were standing with some of the project scientists. Others, were scattered
loosely in the general vicinity, including Sonnebrandt and Duncan, with Chien
standing a short distance away, the total numbering perhaps twenty
individuals. One of Calazar's company was speaking.
"Let's think ahead and assume that you do find a way of stabilizing a
transported object. That means it will stop in some particular universe. It
will have rematerialized there unlike that whatever-it-was just now that was
just traveling through."
"Yes," Eesyan agreed.
"Fine. But suppose the process is subject to some kind of positional error,
such that it doesn't reappear in precisely the same corresponding place there?
It might not be inside their detection chamber at all. Or it could be a
universe so different from ours that it doesn't even have a chamber."
"That's possible."
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The questioner sent around a quick appealing look that said this could be
serious. "Then it could rematerialize inside solid matter. So what happens
when you start sending larger objects than these little specks that you've
been showing us? You'd have an explosion!"
"We plan to move the project off-planet and operate it remotely in space when
we reach that phase," Eesyan said. "A scaled-up projector is being designed as
we learn from this one."
"I hope that our neighbors in their other realities are equally considerate,"
one of the Thurien scientists remarked, which brought laughter.
"Does it have a name?" someone asked.
"We just call it MP2 at the moment," Eesyan said.
As Hunt began edging toward the three Terrans, he passed by Othan, who had met
them at the Waldorf on their arrival there, and another of the technicians.
They were muttering irascibly in a way that was strange for Thuriens.
"I wish you wouldn't keep repeating yourself, Othan. I'm really not deaf or
slow, you know." VISAR automatically supplied any background that would
normally be overheard. It seemed to be another part of the Thurien obsession
for authenticity. Hunt had grown so used to it by now that it no longer
registered as a translation.
"I am not repeating myself."
"Why do you deny it? I heard you perfectly well the first time. It's not as if
. . ."
Hunt moved on and drew up beside Duncan. "How's it going?" he asked.
"They've transmitted a few molecular configurations. Now we're going to go to
try some crystal structures."
"What was that about something passing through?"
"A bit of excitement. There might have been a transient of something coming in
a few minutes ago. VISAR's analyzing the detector data now." Hunt raised his
eyebrows. If confirmed, it would mean the fleeting trace of something passing
through from parallel experiments being conducted in a nearby universe. There
had been some previous instances but they were very rare.
"Did you and Chris find what you were looking for?" Sonnebrandt asked.
Hunt shook his head. "No luck. It was some notes of Sandy's that he was
supposed to give Eesyan. He thinks he must have left them at the Waldorf. He's
gone back there to get them."
At that moment, VISAR came in on the general-address channel. "Attention,
please. A positive detection is confirmed. We have evidence of an object
passing through from a different reality."
A ripple of murmurings and some applause went around. "Your visit here has
been marked as auspicious," one of the scientists said, smiling, to Calazar.
"Let's hope it's a good omen."
"I wonder if we've been considerate enough to send them one back," Calazar
mused.
"Highly improbable, if my understanding is correct," one of Calazar's party
said. Another of the scientists was interpreting further details from VISAR.
Eesyan took the opportunity to detach himself and come over to where Hunt and
the others were. At the same time, he was turning his head from side to side
and looking puzzled.
"Where did Professor Danchekker go, Vic?" he asked. "He's supposed to have
something that I'll be needing later."
"You mean some notes from Sandy?"
"Yes on possible biological implications. It sounded interesting."
"It looks as if he left them at the Waldorf. He's gone back for them," Hunt
said.
"Oh. Very well. . . . I hope he won't be too long."
"I shouldn't think so. He's probably halfway there already."
Eesyan snorted. "Then he must be propagating through h-space. He was here just
a moment ago."
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Hunt frowned. "Chis? No."
"Sure he was, Vic. I saw him come in with you."
"You couldn't have. He left the tower at the same time I did, heading back
into town."
Eesyan looked to Sonnebrandt and Duncan in appeal. "Gentlemen, tell me I'm not
imagining things. Didn't Vic arrive here with Professor Danchekker a few
minutes ago?" They looked at each other, then back, and shook their heads.
"Vic was on his own," Duncan said.
Chien, who was watching and had partly overheard, came closer. "Professor
Danchekker was here," she said. "I saw him."
"There!" Eesyan proclaimed.
This was getting silly again. Sane, intelligent adults unable to agree on what
was happening literally in front of their faces. "There's a simple way to
settle this," he said. "There is obviously one person who ought to know where
he is. VISAR, connect me through to Chris Danchekker."
"Yes, Vic?" Danchekker's voice responded in Hunt's head a few seconds later.
"This may sound like a strange question, Chris, but where are you exactly?"
"There's no need to be sarcastic. I'm on my way. I'm sorry I wasn't there when
Calazar arrived, if that's what's bothering you. I was nearly there and then
realized I'd forgotten some notes from Sandy that Eesyan needs, so I turned
around and went back for them. Is that permissible, might I ask?"
Hunt faltered. The others with him, who were also tuned in, looked equally
baffled. Danchekker wasn't making any sense. "Chris . . . what do you mean,
you turned around and went back? You mean you were here and went back, yes?"
"I meant precisely what I said. Shall I spell it out? I took a flyer from the
Waldorf, as I am now about to do again. I was almost to the Institute when I
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