Ambition
by William L. Bade
Bob Maitland, a 1950s rocket scientist who dreams of going to the moon and the planets,
is kidnapped in the middle of the night by an intelligent, athletic man named Swarts who
speaks with an unusual accent. After the first interrogation by Swarts, Maitland realizes
that Venus’s position in the sky means that he’s not only been taken to a different
place, but to a different time as well—but he still doesn’t know why.
When Swarts started saying a list of words—doubtlessly some sort of semantic reaction
test—Maitland began the job of integrating “csc³x dx” in his head. It was a
calculation which required great concentration and frequent tracing back of steps. After
several minutes, he noticed that Swarts had stopped calling words. He opened his eyes to
find the other man standing over him, looking somewhat exasperated and a little baffled.
“Ambition” by William L. Bade, in Galaxy,
October 1951.