. We saw the first transmission of this from the tape at the
Pentagon. Then we saw it with the high-pitched parts slowed down and the
deep-bass stuff speeded up. Then it was a human voice giving data on the
scanning pattern and then rather drearily repeating that history said
that intertemporal communication began with broadcasts sent back from
2180 to 1972. It said the establishment of two-way communication was
very difficult and read from a script about social history, to give us
practice in unscrambling it. It's not a theory to say the stuff
originates in the future. It's a statement."

"Then it is a lie," said Lecky, very earnestly. "Truly, Howell, it is a
lie!"

"Then where does the broadcast come from?" demanded Howell. "Some say
it's a Compub trick. But if they were true they'd hide it for use to
produce chaos in a sneak attack. The only other theory--"

* * * * *

Graves, the man with the short moustache, said jerkily:

"No, Howell! It is not an extra-terrestrial creature pretending to be a
man of our own human future. One could not sleep well with such an idea
in his head. If some non-human monster could do this--"

"I do not sleep at all," said Lecky simply. "Because it says that
two-way communication is to come. I can listen to these broadcasts
tranquilly, but I cannot bear the thought of answering them. That seems
to me madness!"

Sergeant Bellews said approvingly:

"You got something there! Yes, sir! Did you notice how Betsy's standby
light was wabbling while she was bringin' in that broadcast? If she
could sweat, she'd've been sweating!"

Lecky turned his head to stare at the sergeant.

"Machines," said Bellews profoundly, "act according to the golden rule.
They do unto you as they would have you do unto them. You treat a
machine right and it treats you right. You treat it wrong and it busts
itself--still tryin' to treat you right. See?"

Lecky blinked.

"I do not quite see how it applies," he said mildly.

"Betsy's an old, experienced machine," said the sergeant. "A signal that
makes her sweat like that has got something wrong about it. Any ordinary
machine 'ud break down handlin' it."

Graves said jerkily:

"The other machines that received these broadcasts did break down,
Sergeant. All of them."

"Sure!" said the sergeant with dignity. "O' course, who's broadcastin'
may have been tinkerin' with their signal since they seen it wasn't
gettin' through. Be