A Glint In Time (History and Time) Read Online Free PDF Page A

studying the protocol analyzer. She and Ted couldn't get their signals straight and there was something about the timing of the electronic signals that wasn't right either. The link should be faster, although she wasn't really rooting for faster downloads.
    An hour later, Bill Wirtz pulled himself out of his chair and came into the closet to find her."Hey, let's get something to eat. I'll tell you about the latest scenario."
    Over dinner, Bill explained that he had received a long e-mail setting new parameters on the no Vietnam, no Johnson scenario. "This must be for a computer game, because they are getting pretty specific and now there's a lot of fantasy. They want the final action to be something that could be influenced by a time machine able to send a small object a limited distance into the past. The object can't weigh more than a few ounces and it has to be able to take great heat and pressure."
    "A time machine! That's pretty silly. But I guess it works for a complex computer game." Sally talked slowly as she squeezed lemon on her shrimp. "Why bring in the stuff about heat? I mean otherwise you could send a note back in time to Kennedy's desk saying 'Don't go to Dallas' or something."
    "Well, as a game rule the heat thing does force you to be more creative." Bill observed.
    "Couldn't you wrap a note in a piece of asbestos or write it in ceramic on metal?" she asked.
    I'm told to assume that the heating is general-it's throughout the material and not from any one point source, so putting a note in an insulated tube wouldn't work. Anything I can think of in human-readable form that is going to survive the heat wouldn't make the weight rule." he replied.
    "Oh yeah, and why would anyone believe a note from someone claiming to be from the future?" she asked. "Somehow, I don't think that would be very convincing."
    "And, as they say, there's more! The time machine thing in this game loses accuracy in terms of both location and time. The further back in time you go the less accurate it becomes. So dropping a note on a twelve or twenty-four square foot desk on a specific day in the sixties would be too iffy."
    They talked for a while about possible actions until they both ran dry. Then Sally said, " Well, Bill. I've got work piling up for me in Atlanta and it looks like I'm done here. I guess I'll be driving back up north in the morning."
    Wirtz frowned and almost pouted. "I can swing the consulting fees for as long as you want to stay, Sally."
    "But I'll lose business in the long term, Bill." she replied. "I've got other clients who can find other consultants, but I need to keep them."
    "Can we put you on retainer for a 12-hour response?" Bill asked.
    "Oh, I can respond, Bill. Twelve hours or faster. You've got it." she said. She saw a strange look on his face, but if he got the jibe he didn't reply. She left with a peck on her cheek and when she got into the car she let out a sigh. "Geeks." she said softly while Wirtz waved.

FLY AWAY
    Wednesday, August 9, 1995
1000 Eastern
Atlanta, Georgia
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    Excerpt from the Personal Narrative
of Brigadier General Ted Arthurs
    Recorded July 2006

CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL /TA
"Are you kidding me?I was a captain looking to make major some day.I couldn't have gone there without having done all kinds of coordination with my superiors and preparation with my team.But, Sally just up and went"
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    Two months flew by as Sally caught up with her clients in Atlanta. She was dodging cars on the Perimeter Highway, drivers in Atlanta have no concept of slower traffic moving to the right, when her cellular phone rang. She said, "Sally Langley" and the voice on the other end replied, "Sally, I need you."
    "Well, that's a direct approach, but who are you?" she asked as she threaded her Beemer past two pickup trucks having a slow speed race in the two left lanes of traffic.
    "Sally, this is Bill Wirtz." the voice replied.
    "Okay, Bill. Sorry, but cellular phones don't do a lot for voice