The Time Dweller

Echoes boomed through numerous corridors and were absorbed in the heart of the fortress.

Seward waited as the door was slowly opened A man who so closely resembled the Laughing Cavalier of the painting that he must have modelled his beard and clothes on it, bowed slightly and said: ' Welcome home, Professor Seward. We've been expecting you.'

The bizarrely dressed man stepped aside and allowed him to pass into a dark corridor.

'Expecting me,' said Seward.' How?'

The Cavalier replied good-humouredly: 'That's not for me to explain. Here we go - through this door and up this corridor.' He opened the door and turned into another corridor and Seward followed him.

They opened innumerable doors and walked along innumerable corridors The complexities of the corridors seemed somehow familiar to Seward: He felt disturbed by them, but the possibility of an explanation overrode his qualms and he willingly followed the Laughing Cavalier deeper and deeper into the fortress, through the twists and turns until they arrived at a door which was probably very close to the centre of the fortress.

The Cavalier knocked confidently on the door, but spoke deferentially. ' Professor Seward is here at last, sir.'

A light, cultured voice said, from the other side of the door: ' Good. Send him in.'

This door opened so slowly that it seemed to Seward that he was watching a film slowed-down to a fraction of its proper speed. When it had opened sufficiently to let him enter, he went into the room beyond. The Cavalier didn't follow him.

It only occurred to. him then that he might be in some kind of mental institution, which would explain the fortress-like nature of the building and the man dressed up like the Laughing Cavalier. But, if so, how had he got here-unless he had collapsed and order had been restored sufficiently for someone to have come and collected him. No, the idea was weak.

The room he entered was full of rich, dark colours. Satin screens and hangings obscured much of it. The ceiling was not visible. Neither was the source of the rather dim light. In the centre of the room stood a dais, raised perhaps a foot from the floor. On the dais was an old. leather armchair.

In the armchair sat a naked man with a cool, blue skin.

He stood up as Seward entered. He smiled charmingly and stepped off the dais, advancing towards Seward with his right hand extended.

'Good to see you, old boy!' he said heartily.

Dazed, Seward clasped the offered hand and felt his whole arm tingle as if it had had a mild electric shock. The man's strange flesh was firm, but seemed to itch under Seward's palm.

The man was short - little over five feet tall. His eyebrows met in the centre and his shiny black hair grew to a widow's peak.

Also, he had no navel.

'I'm glad you could get here, Seward,' he said, walking back to his dais and sitting in the armchair. He rested his head in one hand, his elbow on the arm of the chair.

Seward did not like to appear ungracious, but he. was worried and mystified. 'I don't know where this place: is,' he said.- 'I don't even know how I got here - unless..'

'Ah, yes-the drug. M-A 19, isn't it? That helped, doubtless. We've been trying to get in touch with you for ages, old boy.'

'I've got work to do-back there,' Seward said obsessionally.

'I'm sorry, but I want to get back as soon as I can. What do you want?'

The Man Without A Navel sighed.. 'I'm sorry, too, Seward.

But we can't let you go yet. There's something I'd like to ask you-a favour. That was why we were.hoping you'd come.'

'What's, your problem?' Seward's sense of unreality, never very strong here for, fa spite of. the world's bizarre appearance, it seemed familiar, was growing weaker. If he could help the man and get back to continue his research, he would.

'Well,' smiled, the Man Without A Navel, ' it's realty your problem as much as ours. You. see,' he shrugged diffidently,' we want your world destroyed.'

'What!' Now something was clear, at last. This man and his kind did belong to another world - whether in space, time, or different dimensions-and they were enemies of Earth. 'You can't expect me to help you do that!' He laughed. 'You are joking.'

The Man Without A Navel shook his head seriously.' Afraid not, old boy.'

'That's why you want me here - you've seen the chaos in the world and you want to take advantage of it-you want me to be a - a fifth columnist.'

'Ah, you remember the old term, eh? Yes, I suppose that is what I mean. I want you to be our agent Those machines of yours could be modified to make those, who are left turn against each other even more than at present. lib?'

'You must be very stupid if you think I'll do mat,' Seward said tiredly.' I can't help you. I'm trying to help them.'

Was he trapped here for good? He said weakly: 'You've got to let me go back.'

'Not as easy as that, old boy. I-and my friends-want to enter your world, but we can't until you've pumped up your machines to such a pitch that the entire world is maddened and destroys itself, d'you see?'

'Certainly,' exclaimed Seward. 'But I'm having no part of it!''

Again the Man. Without A Navel smiled, slowly. 'You'll weaken soon enough, old boy.'

'Don't be so sure,' Seward said defiantly.' I've had plenty of chances of giving up-back there. I could have weakened. But I didn't.'

'Ah, but you've forgotten the new factor, Seward.'

'What's that?'

'The M-A 19,'

'What do you mean?'

'You'll know soon enough.'

'Look -I want to get out of this place. You can't keep me -there's no point-I won't agree to your plan. Where is this world, anyway?'

'Knowing that depends on you, old boy,' the man's tone was mocking. 'Entirely on you. A lot depends on you, Seward.'

'I know.'

The Man Without A. Navel lifted his head and called: Brother Sebastian, are you available.' He glanced back at Seward with an ironical smile. ' Brother Sebastian may be of some help.'

Seward saw the wall-hangings on the other side of the room move. Then, from, behind a screen on which was painted a weird, surrealistic scene, a tall, cowled figure emerged, face in shadow, hands folded in sleeves. A monk.

'Yes, sir,' said the monk in a cold, malicious voice..

'Brother Sebastian, Professor Seward here is not quite -as ready to comply with our wishes as we had hoped. Can you influence him in any way?'

'Possibly, sir.' Now the tone held a note of anticipation.

'Good. Professor Seward, will you go with Brother Sebastian?'

'No.' Seward had thought the room contained only one door-the one he'd entered through. But now there was a chance of there being more doors - other than the one through which the cowled monk had come. The two men didn't seem to hear his negative reply. They remained where they were, not moving.' No,' he said again, his voice rising.' What right have you to do this?'

'Rights? A strange question.' The monk chuckled to himself.

It was a sound Like ice tumbling into a cold glass.

'Yes-rights. You must have some sort of organization here.

Therefore you must have a ruler-or government. I demand to be taken to someone in authority.'

'But I am in authority here, old boy,' purred the blue-skinned man. 'And-in a sense-so are you, If you agreed with my suggestion, you could hold tremendous power. Tremendous.'

'I don't want to discuss that again.' Seward began to walk towards the wall-hangings. They merely watched him-the monk with his face in shadow - the Man Without A Navel with a supercilious smile on his thin lips. He walked around a screen, parted the hangings - and there they were on the other side. He went through the hangings. This was some carefully planned trick-an illusion - deliberately intended to confuse him. He was used to such methods, even though he didn't understand how they'd worked this one. He said: ' Clever-but tricks of this kind won't make me weaken.'