The Clockmaker's Paradox

s filling half a dozen notebooks. The pale yellow light of the overhead lam

on th

larger than a pocket watch. Six years of relentless toil had led to it. Six y

al time-reve

imagined. No jumping into the past, no al

f reversi

he was goi

trolled rewind-nothing sensational. If it succeeded, he'd be back exactly where

breath. Press

ic

r changed, growing heavy l

h something was unspooling inside of him.

-rel

feeling whipped back, and

udged on his papers five minutes ago was gone. The

wor

ually

ed his face.

could get hi

board echoe

ed. His breath fr

sn't

ng heart, he t

blood

s, half-hidden by the

her

outfit. Same w

for sanity. This was impossible. No copies existed i

e standing there

locked up. Chest expanding an

isper-"Don't

breath. His thr

ck, shadows running across his

uplicate, his voice scraping. "Y

something-anything. But his ton

duplicate

coming into the li

, rent asunder, and reassembled

tomach wa

uck are you

screwed up-like he had someth

as he had appea

No disin

t-p

t remained behi

staring at the spo

ouldn'

ics didn't a

f books. His hands trembled as he grabbed his no

er, no matter how many theories he re-did,

adn't merely

left a

hat does

f all

Elias... ha