The Gate of Time

Two Hawks said, “How do you know that the fellow—what-ever his name is—has given you a true story?”

Vyautas was startled. Then he smiled and said, “So you know about him? The Blodlandish told you? His name, by the way, is Horst Raske.”

“And what do you think of our tales?”

“There’s enough evidence to convince those who matter. To me, though, there are very puzzling aspects. Let’s say that there is a universe occupying the same ‘space’ as ours but not intersecting. I can understand why the same type of animals, including human beings, might develop on both planets. After all, the size and distance of the Earths from the sun are identical, and the geophysical factors are similar.

“But I ca

Vyautas shook his head and said, “No! No! No!”

“Raske and my men passed through a ‘gate’,” Two Hawks said. “Perhaps there have been many gates. During the hundred thousand years or so that man has existed, there may have been much traffic between the two Earths. Perhaps mankind did not originate on this planet. He may have come here from my Earth. The fossil evidence in my world indicates that man originated there. However, it’s not proven beyond all doubt. No fossils have been found that are undeniably a direct link between modern man and subman.”

Vyautas said, “Until fifty years ago, speculation about the evolution of man was forbidden. Even now, there’s much resistance to the idea that man may not have been created in one day and that day only 5,000 years ago. However, there is strong evidence that man has existed much more than five millenia. Not only man but several types of subhumans.”

“I would maintain that the people of this planet originated on my Earth,” Two Hawks said. “Only...”

“Only what?”

“If the original men came through gates to this world, then their horses and camels should have come through with them. But say that various tribes of Earthmen did come through in enough numbers to establish themselves here but came at a time before the horse and camel were domesticated. That could account for the fact that Earth 2 has any number of ethnic types and languages which are similar enough to certain Terrestrial groups to be descended from them. It might also account for the complete absence of other Earth 1-type peoples here: the Slavs, the Hebrews, the Italics, and Australian aborigine, and so forth.

“Yet, if human beings could come through the ‘gates’, why not animals? Why not the horse, the camel?

“Also, it seems peculiar that immigrants from Earth 1, who must have passed over only in small numbers, could have come to dominate regions, the same general regions, as on Earth 1. Why were the people who already occupied those regions, and who must have been more numerous, defeated by the newcomers? I just don’t know.”

Vyautas said, “I don’t know either. But the hard and indissoluble facts are that we Perkunishans and Hellenes and Rasna and so forth are here. And we have to live here, and you are here and also have to live here. So, let’s get on with our discussion.”

Two Hawks was with Vyautas almost every waking moment of the trip. However, Two Hawks managed to get in some questions of his own. Vyautas did not mind answering, and his ma

Vyautas gave this information, but he was more interested in Two Hawks’ disclosure that the Arabia of Earth 1 was rich in oil. Apparently this Arabia was so little explored that oil had not been discovered there. Moreover, the German had not told the Perkunishans about it.

“Arabia will have to come under our rule,” Vyautas said. “At the moment, the southern coasts are held by Blodland. But we will take their bases away from them. You know, this one item of information makes the whole interrogation worthwhile.”

“You would have found out sooner or later from Raske, anyway,” Two Hawks said. “What I’d like to know is, what does your government plan on doing with us?”

“Since you are cooperating so well and seem to be a mine of vital information, you’ll be treated very well. In fact, we can offer you citizenship. It’ll only be a second-class citizenship, of course, because you’re not all-white.”

Vyautas was silent for a while, then said, “I think it can be arranged to give you a special category. It’s been done before. We could make you a first-class citizen by edict of the Kassandras.”

11

The train pulled into Berlin late at night, and Two Hawks did not have much opportunity to examine the city. Ilmika, Kwasind and he were taken in a car which drove swiftly. An armored car preceded it; another followed it. He did get a chance to see the houses and large buildings, all of which had a medieval appearance. The streets were narrow and winding, and the houses abutted directly on the streets. There were gas streetlights but only on the corners of crossroads. Occasionally, civilian rode by on a bicycle. The riding must have been bumpy because of the lack of rubber tires.

Then they were in the heart of the city. Here, the old buildings had been torn down to make way for wide paved streets and huge buildings with immense pillars in front. They passed a square in the center of which was a stone monument depicting the conquests of the great-grandfather of the present Kassandras or Emperor. A half-mile beyond it was the Palace of the Kassandras himself.

The car stopped in front of the Palace. Ilmika was conducted from the car to the Palace. Before leaving, she looked once at Two Hawks from under the shadow of her hood. She was frightened and she was signalling him for help. He could do nothing, however, except to grin at her and to hold up his two fingers in the sign of the V. She could not know what that meant, but she did manage to smile faintly at him. Then she was gone.

Two Hawks and Kwasind were escorted to another building near the Palace. They went through some huge and magnificently decorated rooms, up two flights of stairs, down a thickly carpeted hall, and into a suite of four rooms. This was theirs until further notice. They were told, however, that the windows had bars over them and that six soldiers were stationed outside their doors. Vyautas then said, “It’s very late, but Raske wants to talk to you. I will wait here until he has left you.”

A few minutes later, a challenge came from the noncom officer of the guard outside the main door. There was a mumble; the door swung open. A tall, very handsome youth entered. He wore the blue-and-scarlet uniform of an officer in the Imperial Guard. He removed his shako, covered with polar bear fur, to reveal a blond crewcut. He was smiling, and his eyes, a deep blue, reflected the warmth of his smile. He had very long and dark eyelashes.

Two Hawks could understand some of Vyautas’ remarks about the influence this man was having over the daughter of the Kassandras. He was one of the most handsome men Two Hawks had ever seen, yet he had enough masculinity to escape being called pretty.

The officer clicked his heels, bowed slightly, and said in a rich baritone, “Lieutenant Horst Raske at your service.” He spoke in an English which had only a trace of German accent.