Button in the Fabric of Time (15 page)

Jan-3’s blond hair was orange, and her pink
complexion was ruddy. Her blue eyes, like the sky, were violet. She
was astonishingly attractive.

Ulto’s voice was clear and commanding. He was
referring to the Ergons when he said
: “Your labor force is
arriving!”

We looked to our right and saw, marching in
unison, a multitude of beings. The creatures stopped only a few
paces away. Grotesque would be an inadequate word to describe them.
They appeared humanoid, but unlike any humans I had ever imagined.
They had three legs attached to a hairless body. Their bodies were
shaped like ants standing upright. They didn’t need to turn to go
in another direction. They could move forward, backwards, and
sideways with equal agility. They moved crab-like on feet with long
grasping toes making their feet more like monkeys than humans. It
appeared that they could grasp branches and swing from tree to
tree. They had two long muscular arms with rotating sockets at the
shoulder and elbows. It gave them extraordinary manual agility.
Their hands had only three fingers, but each finger was capable of
moving like opposing thumbs. It seemed that only the ones who had
mutated had survived. The mutations had carried through to each new
generation until they appeared to be another species altogether. I
was unable to identify the species because there was nothing like
it on Earth.

The heads of the creatures were centered on
top of the rounded section of their upper bodies and rotated like
the head of a praying mantis. Their eyes sat above their ears on
each side of their heads, and their extended eyeballs moved like
chameleon’s eyes, giving them three-hundred-sixty degrees of
vision. The pupils of their eyes were elongated, like the eyes of a
cat. Their ears extended out from their heads and rotated, like the
ears of a grazing animal, such as sheep, cow, or goat. Their mouths
were just slits across their faces; there was no protruding upper
lip, and their lower lip rolled out and had muscles that enabled
them to grasp food. Other than two canine-like teeth, their teeth
were broad and flat. I guessed that they were herbivores, but like
humans they could and, at times, did eat meat. Their noses were
just two holes in a flat face. The openings were large, and could
open and close, like a camel’s nose.

Sounds coming from their mouths were unlike
anything I had ever heard from either humans or animals. It was a
low growl-like grunting. I didn’t know why, or how, but I was able
to understand what they were saying.

Had Ulto given me that ability?

Jan-3 grasped my hand and stood close. Her
eyes were wide; her eyebrows raised, her lower jaw slack, and her
mouth slightly open, betraying her feelings of fear and
revulsion.

Domer, uninhibited by the knowledge that Ulto
would read his thoughts, said, “I think we should have brought our
robots to do the labor.”

While shaking my head I said, “It would have
been more efficient than training these Ergons, but if we had
brought robots to build the purification chambers, someone would
have had to stay here until all of them had been purified, and I
don’t think I’d want to do that.”

The voice said:
“It’s not a pretty thing
to look at, is it? Now you can see why we abandoned our bodies, and
how badly we need new ones.”

The Ergons were giving off what we in the
twenty-first century called, bad vibes.

“Why are they so angry?” I asked.

“
They are not angry—they are repulsed. To
them, you are ugly. I have talked to them and, if you are kind, in
time they will realize that you are here to help them. I warn you,
though, they can be dangerous.”

“Then we should have brought weapons to
protect ourselves and to keep them under control! One of us will
use our travel buttons to go back to planet Earth to get our
weapons,” Domer said.

“
We didn’t bring you here to use weapons
on them—we brought you here to help them. We can’t allow you to
bring weapons to planet Ergo,”
Ulto’s voice boomed in our
heads.

“We must have a place where we can be safe,”
Domer said. “Will you allow us to build a shield that we can stand
behind?”

“
What kind of shield?”

“Made of plasma,” Domer answered.

“
Will it take long?”

“We will do it today, and have it completed
before we sleep.”

“
Then it is allowed.”

Our thoughts were being monitored, and we
couldn’t even exchange ideas by writing messages because we had to
think in order to write. I shielded my thoughts by thinking of
something else until I could find a way to understand what Domer
had in mind.

Jan-3 and I worked with two of the engineers
building the purification chambers while Domer and the two other
engineers were in our radiation-free living quarters, building the
protection shield Ulto had authorized. Since I had received
hand-to-hand combat training in the armed services, I kept order
among the argumentative Ergons and protected the engineers and
Jan-3, while the engineers and some of the less quarrelsome Ergons
built the purification chambers. The Ergons had no ability to
initiate creative thought, but they learned quickly and reluctantly
obeyed me. They didn’t like taking orders from an earthling, and
they were larger than I but, because of my training, I was able to
overcome their physical aggressiveness so long as I had to deal
with them one at a time.

They were attracted to Jan-3, but she found
their grotesqueness repugnant. They frightened her, and I was
concerned. It was only a matter of time until they would confront
us in a group, and I would be unable to protect either Jan-3 or the
engineers. Something had to be done, and quickly. We couldn’t call
on Roc-2 for help; he had no time travel device and no other way to
travel such a great distance. Even a message would take years to
reach Earth. I had made a mistake by recommending this method. I
had to find a solution.

I was able to prevent Ulto from reading my
thoughts by keeping my mind on my work. That’s what he wanted,
anyway, so he was pleased.

After completing the day’s work, we went to
our quarters. Domer and the two other engineers weren’t there.
Jan-3 was smiling, so I knew something was happening that I was
unaware of. Suddenly, Domer’s hand reached through an invisible
curtain and pulled me inside. Jan-3 and the engineers, who had been
working with us, followed. They realized right away what Domer and
his assistants had been doing. I was shocked when Domer spoke
unguardedly.

“We’ve made an area where we can talk without
the Antons hearing our thoughts,” Domer said. “The reason you can’t
see these curtains is because they are plasmatic and they absorb
light. They also absorb sounds and thoughts. We can speak freely
here.”

“Won’t Ulto be suspicious when he is no
longer receiving our thoughts?” I asked.

“Of course he will,” Domer said, “but we can
use our travel buttons and go back to Earth to get stun guns to
protect ourselves.”

“Where are our buttons?” Jan-3 asked.

One of the engineers who had prepared the
things to be transported said, “They’re in the cabinet near the
door. . . . I’ll get them.” He disappeared through the plasma
curtain.

When he didn’t return, I stuck my head
through the invisible curtain and saw him being restrained by four
Ergons. I pulled my head back inside the plasma curtain and said to
the group inside, “Stay here! The Ergons are holding our companion.
I’m going to try to negotiate with Ulto.” Jan-3 tried to stop me,
but I extended my hand, palm out, and disappeared from her
view.

Once through the plasma curtain, I mentally
called out: “Ulto, we’ve got to work this out. We can’t achieve our
purpose unless we work together.”

Then I looked behind me and saw Jan-3 coming
through the curtain.

The engineer who had tried to get the travel
buttons called out, “They’ve taken the buttons!”

The Ergons moved in a threatening manner; it
was clear that the situation was deteriorating rapidly.

This time I called out in a loud voice,
“Ulto! If you want my help, then get these Ergons under
control!”

“
What do you suggest?”

“You have methods to restrain these
unpleasant beings! If you can’t contain them, then allow me to use
stun guns to bring them under control. I need my button so I can
return to Earth to get the stun devices.”

“
You and your people deceived me. How can
I trust you?”

“Perhaps if I could talk to the Ergons, we
could learn to work together.”

“
I have given you the ability to speak and
understand their language.”

“I want that ability also,” Jan-3 said in a
voice that both Ulto and I could understand.

“
I’ll transfer that ability to you as
well, but you are going to have to work out your own
problems.”

I spoke to the Ergons and Jan-3 understood.
It was apparent that they had simple minds; maybe they would
respond to a gentle but firm approach. In a fatherly but stern
voice, I said, “Release that man.” As I had hoped, they responded
like children. The frightened engineer ran to Jan-3, but he didn’t
have the time-travel buttons. Ulto read my thoughts of
disappointment.

“
I cannot allow you to keep the buttons,
because you might not keep your part of the bargain, and you might
not return after going to planet Earth.”

“Our reason for wanting to return to Earth
was to get stun guns to protect ourselves. We know that you could
protect us but, for some reason, you’re not. I think perhaps that’s
why you were unable to live with the Ergons without fighting. If
you are going to get along with others, you must adopt basic habits
of honesty, decency, and integrity.”

“
You hid your thoughts from us. We have no
vocal cords, so we have no audible voices. The only way we can
communicate is by thought transfer. When you hid your thoughts, we
felt we couldn’t trust you, so we took the buttons to prevent you
from betraying us.”

“You say you have great knowledge, and your
technological achievements prove that is so, but it would seem that
you have not developed your wisdom to keep pace with your
knowledge. If we betray you, we betray ourselves. You have
something we want, and we have something you want. The only way we
can both get what we want is to work together.”

* * * * *

“
We are trained from childhood to
win,”
Ulto boomed
. “We tell our children to do whatever is
necessary to win. To lose is a weakness. If you want something,
take it. We are taught that if you won’t help yourself, then no one
is obligated to help you. Be self-reliant. Only help others if it
will help you in some way. We have observed that those who do not
live by these rules have no wealth or property. That, to us, proves
that our philosophy is best.”

“You have attained the whole universe, yet
you are unhappy,” I replied. “That should tell you that there is
something wrong with your thinking.”

Jan-3 interjected, “No society can function
in peace and happiness unless the members of that society observe
the basic rules of proper human conduct. The first rule you must
learn and observe is: DO NO HARM. Deceit is harmful. Denying
privacy to one’s thoughts is harmful. By your present method of
communication, you cannot observe that rule, so when you again have
vocal cords, you must overcome that deficiency.”

“
That is what I want you to instruct us
on, so that we can have a peaceful life and stop worrying about
destroying ourselves.”

I said to Ulto, “First, you must protect us
from the aggressive behavior of the Ergons, so we can do what we
came here to do. Then, you and your people can retrieve your bodies
from the past, and begin the process of purification. After you’ve
purified your bodies, you can go home to planet Duos and correct
your emotional deficiencies. Then you can correct your mutations by
injecting mutation-free DNA. Finally, you will have the bodies and
minds that you strive for. We earthlings and, indeed, the whole
universe will benefit!”

“
The Ergons are hostile to us, and many of
them are half-breeds, the consequence of the joining of Anton women
and Ergon men. The Ergons have a long-enduring hate and distrust of
us. The conflict that destroyed planet Ergo was the manifestation
of that hate. What do you suggest?”

“I’ve seen the results of greed and religious
fanaticism on Earth. Jan-3 is part of a society that overcame those
destructive tendencies. If you will allow us to work with the
Ergons in our own way, we’ll complete our work here, then join you
on planet Duos and help you to form a peaceful society.”

“
Our wives will not allow you to harm the
Ergons. They say, and rightly so, that the Ergons have suffered
enough and deserve to be helped.”

“Harming others is not our way,” Jan-3
explained, “but we can’t help either you or the Ergons, if the
Ergons are allowed to harm us. In many ways, the Ergons are like
disobedient children who must be taught that proper behavior will
be rewarded, and that errant behavior will result in
unpleasantness. We are bound by our law, the law we hope to
introduce to both you and the Ergons, DO NO HARM. We have found
that there are many peaceful ways to persuade people to comply with
the law.”

“
How will you get them to obey without
inducing pain?”

“It seems an odd tool to use, but since they
have already been taught to take what they want, we’ll teach them
psychologically to want what they can get only by doing the right
thing. What do they like most?” I asked.

“
You are right about their having minds
like disobedient children; they like what most children like. They
like food and games. They also like to feel loved and appreciated.
There is a problem with getting the food that they crave, because
it grows only in the most remote jungles of planet Ergo. The jungle
is home to some frightful reptiles and furious flesh-eating
beasts.”