Time Travel

"I thought you said you could just read his brain electronically," protested Ford.

"Oh yes," said Frankie "But we've got to get it out first. It's got to be prepared."

"Treated," said Benjy.

"Diced."

"Thank you!" shouted Arthur. "But I've got a better idea."

"We've already considered all the alternatives," said Benjy dismissively. Arthur ignored him.

"Why don't you just set it going again, and then time travel to the moment of readout?"

"Don't be stupid, monkey-man" said Zaphod.

"Arthur, it'll never work." said Ford.

"Why not?" asked Trillian. "It seems quite sensible to me. I honestly don't know why I didn't think of it."

"Well… because…that is, I mean." Zaphod stuttered – not something the ex-president of the galaxy did very often. "I just… Ford, you explain."

"Well, umm…it's something to do with the … uh…transtemporal…er,"

"In other words, you don't know," completed Arthur.

The mice simply gaped.

"That's… actually a good idea," considered Frankie. "Benjy, why didn't we think of that?"

"I don't know," said Benjy, and fainted.

Ford and Arthur stood fifty metres away from the Starship Heart of Gold. Inside were Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian and two white mice. And Marvin. The program to find the Question to Life, the Universe and Everything had been set in motion for the second time by the mice, and the Heart of Gold was preparing to leap forward in time to get the Question. Arthur and Ford had opted to stay behind and wait – according to Ford, time travel really wasn't worth the bother.

"I hope they remember to come back for us," remarked Arthur. "As much as I like Slartibartfast, I don't want to be stuck on this planet for the rest of my life, especially not with them all planning to go back to sleep. That ship of his didn't really look spaceworthy."

"Oh, even if Zaphod forgets, I doubt that Trillian will." Ford said. " Besides, the best ships are often the ones that don't look like they can fly. I bet they've got a better one for interstellar travel anyway."

"Are you sure? All their technology is five million years old, isn't it?."

"You saw those rockets didn't you? Anyway, what I want to know is how you knew about time travel. I happen to know for a fact no one seriously believed in it on Earth."

"Oh, I read about it in that book."

"What book?"

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."