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Normandy invasion, no strategic air war against Germany, and Dwight Eisenhower would have been just another army officer who never would have become president.
    â€œThese are more than hypothetical suppositions. They are based on logic and what we already know about World War Two. A warin which our becoming the arsenal of democracy was pivotal. There would have been no such arsenal, because we would have been totally committed just to saving ourselves.
    â€œI greatly admire Dr. Endicott as a historian, but I felt you should at least consider Midway’s
true
significance.”
    He sat down, not really hearing the applause, conscious that he probably had lost Joshua’s friendship. Endicott, however, graciously thanked him for his “stimulating words” and conceded that “Dr. Petibone’s ideas deserve serious thought.” As the lecture hall emptied, Endicott approached his two colleagues, shaking his head mockingly at Petibone.
    â€œYou rascal, why did you wait until today to undress me in front of my own students? You’ve heard the same lecture three times before.”
    Petibone smiled wryly. “Josh, the cockamamie answer you gave that kid just pissed me off. I’ve never before heard you dismiss Midway’s long-range importance to that extent.”
    â€œI didn’t dismiss it. I’ve always stressed its significance. But my comments are based on what
actually
happened, not on what
might
have happened.”
    Petibone stared at him, so long that Redmond put a hand on his shoulder, with a squeeze that urged caution. He was too late.
    â€œSo were mine,” Petibone said quietly.
    Â 
    â€œWhat in the hell is
that
supposed to mean?” Endicott demanded.
    â€œExactly what I intended it to mean. I know what
really
happened at Midway. There was no miraculous victory.”
    He paused, knowing he was about to drop an extremely heavy anvil on Joshua Endicott’s complacency.
    â€œJosh, do I have your solemn promise that what I’m about to tell you will never be repeated to another human being—not even to your wife?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œGood, although I doubt very much if you’ll believe me anyway.”
    He took a deep breath, as though he were taking on the fuel he needed to propel the next words out of his mouth.
    â€œI swear to God, I’ve gone back to 1942 in a time machine I designed and built myself. And if you don’t believe me, ask Gerry because he went with me. Back to Pearl Harbor as it was less than four months after the attack, and about a month before the Doolittle raid. Gerry, tell him this is no joke.”
    Redmond nodded. “He’s telling the truth, Josh. That contraption of his really works . . . although I’d never recommend time travel as a pleasure trip. It does something to a few basic senses like smell and appetite, plus sense of balance. It seems to raise hell with metabolism in general. When we returned to the present, we were terribly dizzy for almost a week, and we couldn’t even look at food.”
    Endicott gave them a look that ran the gamut from amusement to utter disbelief.
    â€œOkay,” he said, “I know you’re both pulling my leg right out of its socket. But for the sake of argument, Gerry, what was a professor of music doing on this H. G. Wells expedition?”
    Petibone answered him. “It was Gerry’s idea to enlist help from the
California
’s band. He had written his doctorate dissertation on the theory that musical notes seemed to resemble the cipher codes used by the military.”
    Endicott shook his head scornfully. “Baloney. That theory surfaced as early as 1939.”
    â€œCorrect, but Gerry was the first to think of applying the theory to the naval code the Nips were using in the early forties, stuff we were picking up on shortwave radio with no idea of what it meant.
    â€œSo when we went back to forty-two, I passed Gerry off