Time Payment

In Short

This story is a concise piece of mid-century science fiction that examines the intersection of crime, psychology, and temporal mechanics. When a desperate mobster forces a scientist to send him twenty years into the future, he expects to evade the law; instead, he becomes a pioneer for a new form of human conditioning. It has endured because it avoids the typical tropes of time travel, focusing instead on the subjective, human experience of consciousness and the redemptive possibility of social rehabilitation through scientific advancement.

The Story

Slick Tennant, a powerful racketeer, knows his time is running out. With the federal authorities closing in, he makes a calculated gamble: he will hide in the future. He tracks down Dr. Richard Porter, an inventor who has developed a "Metachronoscope"—a device that doesn't travel through time, but rather suspends a subject’s awareness while allowing their physical self to exist in a future state. Slick forces his way into the doctor’s home, threatening the man’s young son, Dickie, to ensure compliance. Though the doctor attempts to explain the scientific nature of his research, Slick remains singularly focused on his own survival. He forces the doctor to take him and young Dickie to the University to use the machine, intending to destroy the technology afterward to prevent any pursuit.

On the night of the procedure, Slick is arrogant and suspicious, treating the boy with a strange, possessive fondness while threatening the father. He forces the doctor to set the machine for a twenty-year "blank"—the maximum duration possible. As an added insurance policy, Slick insists that the child accompany him, believing this will prevent the doctor from sabotaging the equipment. They both step onto the platform, and the machine is activated.

Twenty years pass in an instant for the travelers. Slick awakens in a radically transformed world: a sterile, vertical city where the natural environment has been replaced by controlled air and geometric architecture. He is now a "recidivist," a man who has undergone conditioning to address his anti-social behaviors. He struggles with "sequence scrambles," moments where his mind slips back to his past life, leaving him disoriented in the modern, peaceful society. During one such episode, he encounters a young man who reveals himself to be the now-grown Dickie Porter. The two discuss the research their ordeal made possible. For the first time in two decades, the conditioning begins to fade, and Slick regains his full sensory awareness. He is overwhelmed by the simple, beautiful reality of the world around him—the salt air, the ocean, and the night sky.

However, the strain of returning to consciousness is too great for his aging heart. On his way back to his home in the Recidivist Gardens, Slick suffers a fatal heart attack. An obituary in the local paper frames his life as a vital contribution to science, noting that his case helped reform the criminal justice system from a model of punishment to one of treatment. While the public record claims he died while still effectively in the "blank," the younger Porter knows better: in his final hours, Slick had truly lived.

How It Unfolds

The fugitive’s plan Slick Tennant realizes the law is closing in and decides to use a scientist's invention to escape. He targets Dr. Porter and his young son, using the child as leverage to secure a twenty-year jump into the future.

The cold logic of the machine Dr. Porter attempts to explain that the Metachronoscope is a tool for understanding human consciousness rather than a traditional time machine. Slick remains unmoved by the science, focused entirely on his own survival and his desire to destroy the technology behind him.

The jump Slick, indifferent to the doctor’s ethical warnings, drags young Dickie onto the platform. He forces the machine to activate, leaving the father behind as the two subjects disappear into a twenty-year void.

A new world Slick awakens in a futuristic, sterile civilization and finds himself a ward of the state, living in a facility for reformed criminals. He struggles to reconcile his memories of the old world with the realities of the new one.

The final reunion Slick encounters the adult Dickie, and the two share a brief, poignant moment of recognition. Slick finally regains his full sensory awareness, experiencing the beauty of the world just before his heart gives out.

The People

Slick Tennant is a cynical, hardened racketeer who initially views the world only through the lens of power, leverage, and "hunches." Despite his brutality, he possesses a distorted, sentimental streak and a hidden desire for a different life for his surrogate son, Dickie. His journey transforms him from a man who flees the future into a man who finally understands his place within it.

Dr. Richard Porter is a cautious, intellectual man caught in an impossible situation. His primary goal is the pursuit of knowledge, specifically the mechanics of the human mind and the potential for social conditioning. He remains calm under pressure, attempting to guide Slick through the reality of the machine, though he is ultimately forced to sacrifice his son to the experiment.

Dickie Porter begins as an innocent pawn in a dangerous game, but his survival and subsequent maturation define the legacy of the experiment. As an adult, he serves as the bridge between Slick’s past and present, offering the only perspective that truly values the gangster’s final, fleeting moments of humanity.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the unique nature of his invention, the doctor explains how the machine affects the human mind:

"It demonstrates the capacity of the human mind to function independently of the limitations of chronological time."

Even in his transition to a new life, Slick’s reliance on his criminal instincts remains a point of internal conflict:

"These scrambled-sequence attacks were becoming more embarrassing each time!"

Reflecting on the legacy of the experiment, the surviving subject acknowledges the heavy price paid for scientific progress:

"You're the one who's had the worst of it, because when you come out of the blank, you won't have so many years left."

What It's Really About

The central argument of the book is that the criminal justice system should prioritize rehabilitation over retribution. By treating "anti-social" behavior as a medical condition rather than a moral failing, the society in the story moves toward a more rational, humane future. Furthermore, the narrative explores the nature of time as a subjective experience. It questions whether "fore-memories"—hunches or glimpses of what is to come—are merely echoes of our own subconscious or evidence of a non-linear consciousness. Ultimately, it suggests that the ability to fully perceive the present is the most significant human experience, a gift that is only truly appreciated when it has been lost and regained.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy mid-century science fiction will find this story particularly engaging for its philosophical leanings. It lacks the laser-blast action of space opera, instead offering a measured, thoughtful look at how technology might reshape human morality. Those who appreciate a story that balances grit with a surprisingly tender ending will be drawn to Slick’s character arc.

The book is not without its period constraints. The dialogue reflects the "hard-boiled" crime fiction vernacular of the mid-20th century, which may feel stylized or dated to a modern ear. Additionally, the premise relies on a specific, 1960s-era optimism regarding behavioral conditioning and psychology that readers today might find simplistic or even unsettling. However, the core of the story—the idea of a man losing twenty years of his life and attempting to reconcile his past with a world that has moved on—remains deeply moving. It is a quick read that packs a surprising amount of melancholy and hope into its length. What stays with you is not the gadgetry of the Metachronoscope, but the final, quiet realization that even a life defined by violence can end in a moment of genuine, sensory appreciation for the world.