Demonstration
The machine sat on the table surrounded by Scientists, and the Board of Directors.
It was a new machine, unlike any which had existed before... It was a Time Machine.
The Lead Scientist was explaining it to the others "Now this Trans-Tempral Displacement Unit, is capable of transferring any object placed in it either forward or backwards in time, as long as the unit is set up on both sides to facilitate the transfer."
"Allow me to demonstrate. Sir, if I may borrow your Watch, I would like to send it forward in time, about five minutes." He said, gesturing at the wrist of the Chairman of the Board, and the gleaming Gold Rolex which was wrapped around it.
"Now, I want everyone to look closely at the time on the watch. I now place it in the Displacement Cage, and set the computer to log both the transmission, and the receipt, and as the unit beeps to indicate synchronization..." With a whuff of air, the watch vanished from within the metal cage in which it had been placed "...It’s off. Now in exactly five minutes, it will reappear, having spent no perceived time at all."
"Yes, this is all well and good, but if you can not use it to go back to the past, what good is it. I mean the watch would be in the future anyway, so what are we gaining from this project" one of the other Board Members asked.
"Well, think of the use as a Storage Device. True, the watch would have existed in five minutes anyway, but IT DOES NOT EXIST NOW. This means that if I placed fresh fruits and vegetables in the cage, and sent it forward six months, to when they are out of season, they would still be absolutely fresh when they arrived. And that is just one market..." One of the Project Supervisors explained.
The discussion continued for several minutes, covering a number of things which could be stored in his manner, until the Machine emitted a soft "Beep".
"Ok, everyone, the watch is about to re-appear." the Lead Scientist said, interrupting the Board’s discussion on whether the Machine was marketable as a Storage Unit for perishables.
The Machine beeped again, louder, three times in a row, and then with a Whump of displaced air, the watch re-appeared inside the cage.
"Please observe the time, folks, as you can see, while the watch has been absent, it has not registered any passage of time at all. Yet this is only half of what the unit can do." he said, as he bent to the machine, and entered a new set of commands. "In about six minutes, I will again place this watch in the cage, and send it through time, but this time I am going to send it..." the machine Beeped "...back in time to our present."
The machine again beeped three times, and with a Whuff of air, a second watch appeared in the cage.
"Now observe the two watches, both of which are identical, aside from the five minute time difference. So you can see, the process is entirely bi-directional."
"Say, what would happen if now that I have the watch, I never send it?"
"I don’t know. It may be that the watch from the invalidated future would just cease to exist. If you are really interested, we can wait and see what happens."
"Sure, what’s the danger." another Board Member agreed "Perhaps we could use this as a Manufacturing Process. There would be a GREAT profit in that." he said, as his fellows all nodded.
A few minutes later the machine beeped once, and the Scientist said "At this point the Watch should have been placed in the cage. In thirty seconds the Machine will initiate the transfer." Everyone looked at the two watches, first at the at the original, which was five minutes slow, and then at the copy, which had the correct time, wondering which, if either, would vanish. as the Machine beeped three more times, indicating the scheduled Transfer Time, everyone looked at the second watch, expecting to see it vanish, but the watch didn’t disappear. No one noticed, however, as it was the only thing which didn’t.