The Machine That Saved The World
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Union of Communist Republics--all communicators blewout.
There were only four men in the world who really knew why--SergeantBellews and Lecky and Graves and Howell. They knew that somewhere behindthe Iron Curtain a twenty-kilowatt transmitter had been turned on. Itproduced a wave of the type and with the characteristics that would havebeen produced by a transmitter built from the diagram sent through Betsyand Al and Gus for people in the United States to build. Obviously, ithad been built from Graves' diagram broadcast to somewhere else and itbroadcast what the United States had been urged to broadcast.
* * * * *
It blew itself out instantly, of course. The wave it produced would stopany dynamic system at once, including its own. But it hit Stockholm andtraffic jammed as the dynamic systems of cars in operation weredestroyed. In Gibraltar, the signal-systems of the Rock went dead. Allaround the fringe of the armed Communist republics machines stopped andcommunications ended and very many persons with heart conditions diedvery quietly. Because their dynamic systems were least stable. Buthealthy people--like Mahon-modified machines--had great resistance ...outside the Iron Curtain.
There was, though, almost a vacuum of news and mechanical operations atthe rim of a nearly perfect circle some four thousand miles in diameter,whose center was in a Compub research installation.
It was very bad. Such a panic as had never been known before swept thefree world. Some mysterious weapon, it was felt, had been used tocripple those who would resist invasion, and the Compub armed forceswould shortly be on the march, and Armageddon was at hand. The freeworld prepared to die fighting.
But war did not come. Nothing happened at all. In three days there weresketchy communications almost everywhere outside that monstrous circleof silence. But nothing came out of that circle. Nothing.
In two weeks, exploring parties cautiously crossed the barbed-wirefrontier fences to find out what had happened. Those who went farthestcame back shaken and sick. There were survivors in the Compubs, ofcourse. Especially near the fringes of the circle. There were somemillions of survivors. But there was no longer a nation to be called theUnion of Communist Republics. There were only frightened, starvingpeople trudging blindly away from cities that were charnel-houses andmachines that would not run and trees and crops and grasses that werestark dead where they stood. It would be a long time before anybodywould want to cross those lifeless plains and enter the places whichonce had been swarming hives of homes and people.
* * * * *
And presently, of course, Sergeant Bellews was let out of theguardhouse. He could not be charged with any crime. Nor could Graves norLecky nor Howell. They were asked, confidentially, to keep their mouthsshut. Which they would have done anyhow. And Sergeant Bellews was askedwith reluctant respectfulness, just what he thought had really happened.
"Some guys got too smart," he said, fuming. "A guy that'll broadcast awave that'll wreck machines ... I haven't got any kinda use for him!Dammit, when a machine treats you accordin' to the golden rule, yououghta treat it the same way!"
There were other, also-respectful questions.
"How the hell would I know?" demanded Sergeant Bellews wrathfully. "Itcoulda been that we did make contact with 2180, and they were smart an'told the Compubs to try out what we told 'em. But I don't believe it. Itcoulda been a kinda monster from some other planet wanting us wiped out.But he learned him a lesson, if he did! And o' course, it coulda beenthe Compubs themselves, trying to fool us into committing suicide sothey'd--uh--inherit the earth. I wouldn't know! But I bet there ain'tany more broadcasts from nowhere!"
He was allowed to return to the Rehab Shop, and the flickering standbylights of many Mahon-modified machines seemed to glow more warmly as hemoved among them.
And he was right about there not being any more broadcasts from nowhere.
There weren't.
Not ever.
THE END