Master of Space and Time Read Online Free Page B

been voted out again.
    â€œThat’s aw-reet,” McCormack was saying. “We got ’em in stock. New or used? Used costs extry—people buy ’em for parties, like.”
    â€œGood God! A new one!”
    â€œGot me one still in the crate. Over on aisle naaane.” Great mounds of machinery slid past, lit by our little truck’s headlights. Some heavy robots pounded along behind us, ready to help with the loading.
    â€œA large vacuum pump,” said Harry. “And a walk-in refrigerator.”
    â€œKin do, kin do.”
    â€œThirty square meters of copper foil.”
    â€œUh-huh.”
    â€œA mater-driven microwave cavity.”
    â€œGot one on sale.”
    The truck darted this way and that.
    â€œA vortex coil,” said Harry. “And two meters of sub-ether wave guide.”
    â€œYowzah!”
    â€œAnd the key ingredient—a magnetic bottle with two hundred grams of red gluons!”
    â€œGreat day in the mornin’!”
    â€œAnd that’ll do it.”
    â€œDon’t he beat all?” McCormack asked me. “Some of these bohunks is smart, and that’s no lie.”
    Before too long we had everything hauled to the front of the store. McCormack fiddled with his calculator. “Ah make it tin thousand dollar.”
    â€œGet serious.”
    â€œIt’s them gluons. They’re high, even in red.”
    â€œPay him,” Harry urged. “Once I get blunzed, we’ll have it all.”
    â€œBlunzed?” inquired McCormack, glancing at Harry.
    â€œOnce I get blunzed I’ll be able to control reality,” Harry explained. “I’ll get you all the money you want.”
    â€œAh don’t want all the money. Ah want tin thousand dollar.”
    â€œUh, I have two thousand in cash, Mr. McCormack. Can I give you a check for the rest?”
    McCormack threw back his head and laughed. There were cords in his skinny neck.
    â€œHow would you like to be a partner?” I suggested. “We’ll issue you some shares of stock.”
    McCormack laughed harder. It wasn’t really a pleasant sound.
    Harry had been off to one side, looking over our intended purchases, but now he rejoined me. “Let’s go out to the car for a minute, Fletcher. I just thought of something.”
    â€œAh hope ah din’t haul all this gear up front for nothin’!” complained McCormack.
    â€œWe’ll be right back,” Harry assured him. “I believe we’ve got some more money out in the car.”
    McCormack’s guard robots followed us out to my Buick. “You left money out here?” I asked Harry. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    â€œWell, it just now occurred to me that I might have. When I came back from the future to your car yesterday, I could have created money and put it under your seat. It would be the obvious thing to do, right?”
    I got the door unlocked and reached under the driver’s seat. Sure enough, a dense wad of bills: eight thousand dollars’ worth, exactly what we needed.
    â€œIf these are from the future, then why aren’t they real small?” I asked Harry. “Like you were.”
    â€œI made them the right size, is all. It’s obvious. Master of space and time!”
    I stared at him for a long time. “Why couldn’t you create the whole ten thousand? Why make me put up my only two?”
    â€œYou offered your money of your own free will, Fletch. You’re in this, too.”
    I sighed and took all our money in to Jack McCormack. “Ten thousand, right?”
    â€œTin thousand and the three hunnert from before.”
    Suddenly I lost my temper. The fact that I’d had eight thousand bucks in my car without knowing it really got to me.
    â€œThe deal’s off, Jack.” I turned to leave. I had an overwhelming urge to take the money back to Nancy and forget about these little guys.
    â€œHey now,” McCormack cried.