Конец вечности
Trapped!
Alltheindicatordialswereintheblacksafetyrange.Therewasnopowerfailure.Thetinyneedlethatmarkedthesteadyconsumptionofmeg-megcoulombsofpowercalmlyinsistedthatpowerwasbeingconsumedattheusualrate.
What,then,hadstoppedthekettle?
Slowly,andwithconsiderablereluctance,Harlantouchedthedrivelever,curledhishandaboutit.Hepushedittoneutral,andtheneedleonthepowergaugedeclinedtozero.
Hetwistedthedrive-leverbackintheotherdirection.Upwentthepowergaugeagain,andthistimethetemporometerflickeddownwhenalongthelineofCenturies.
Downwhen-downwhen-99,983-99,972-99,959-AgainHarlanshiftedthelever.Upwhenagain.Slowly.Veryslowly.
Then99,985-99,993-99,997-99,998-99,999-100,000-Smash!Nothingpast100,000.ThepowerofNovaSolwassilentlybeingconsumed,atanincrediblerate,tonopurpose.
Hewentdownwhenagain,farther.Heroaredupwhen.Smash!
Histeethwereclenched,hislipsdrawnback,hisbreathrasping.Hefeltlikeaprisonerhurlinghimselfbloodilyagainstthebarsofaprison.
Whenhestopped,adozensmasheslater,thekettlerestedfirmlyat100,000.Thusfar,andnofarther.
Hewouldchangekettles!(Buttherewasnotmuchhopeinthatthought.)
Intheemptysilenceofthe100,000thCentury,AndrewHarlansteppedoutofonekettleandchoseanotherkettleshaftatrandom.
