" I spoke to him, "you'll wish you
never were 'born,' as they say!" I neutralized but did not collapse him,
pending instructions from the Central Authority. The aboriginals who
were with him, however, I did collapse.

Presently arrived Alephplex, along with four other Adjusters who had
arrived before the quarantine shield made it not possible for anyone
else to enter the disturbed area. Each one of us had had to abandon
guise, so that this locus of Newyork 1939-1986 must require new
Adjusters to replace us--a matter to be charged against the guilt of
Foraminifera 9-Hart Bailey's Beam, I deem.

* * * * *

This concluded Steps 3 and 2 of our Adjustment, the removal and the
isolation of the disturbed specimens. We are transmitting same disturbed
specimens to you under separate cover herewith, in neutralized and
collapsed state, for the manufacture of simulacra thereof. One regrets
to say that they number three thousand eight hundred forty-six,
comprising all aboriginals within the quarantined area who had
first-hand knowledge of the anachronisms caused by Foraminifera's
importation of contemporary weapons into this locus.

Alephplex and the four other Adjusters are at present reconstructing
such physical damage as was caused by the use of said weapons.
Simultaneously, while I am preparing this report, "I" am maintaining the
quarantine shield which cuts off this locus, both physically and
temporally, from the remainder of its environment. I deem that if
replacements for the attached aboriginals can be fabricated quickly
enough, there will be no significant outside percept of the shield
itself, or of the happenings within it--that is, by maintaining a
quasi-stasis of time while the repairs are being made, an outside
aboriginal observer will see, at most, a mere flicker of silver in the
sky. All Adjusters here present are working as rapidly as we can to make
sure the shield can be withdrawn, before so many aboriginals have
observed it as to make it necessary to replace the entire city with
simulacra. We do not wish a repetition of the California incident, after
all.

Transcriber's Note

This etext was produced from _Future Science Fiction_ No. 30 1956.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright
on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors
have been corrected without note.

End of Project Gutenberg's The Day of the Bo