big-time-travel-constraints
The concept that time travel within the Big Time is limited to Doors and cannot occur through the Big Time itself, which is likened to a train track.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Big Time (1958)Fritz Leiber Jr.
In this chapter, the protagonists conduct a thorough search for the missing Maintainer device within the Place but find no trace of it, leading to the realization that it must have been taken through a Door, despite the improbability. The Maintainer's disappearance triggers an 'Introversion' state, isolating the Place and threatening their survival, while the loss of Ghostgirls reveals a mysterious link between them and their lifelines. The chapter explores the mechanics and significance of the Maintainer, the dangers of being cut off from the cosmos, and the challenges of time travel within the Big Time.