Конец вечности
The Closing Circle
Whydidyoubringmehere?Tellme.WhynothaveleftmeinEternitysinceyouhavenouseformehereandsinceitseemsyoucanhardlybearthesightofme?"
Harlanmuttered,"There’sdanger."
"Oh,comenow."
"It’smorethandanger.It’sanightmare.ComputerTwissell’snightmare,"saidHarlan."ItwasduringourlastpanickyflashupwhenintotheHiddenCenturiesthathetoldmeofthoughtshehadhadconcerningthoseCenturies.Hespeculatedonthepossibilityofevolvedvarietiesofman,newspecies,supermenperhaps,hidinginthefarupwhen,cuttingthemselvesofffromourinterference,plottingtoendourtamperingswithReality.Hethoughtitwastheywhobuiltthebarrieracrossthe100,000th.Thenwefoundyou,andComputerTwissellabandonedhisnightmare.Hedecidedtherehadneverbeenabarrier.HereturnedtothemoreimmediateproblemofsalvagingEternity.
"ButI,yousee,hadbeeninfectedbyhisnightmare.Ihadexperiencedthebarrier,soIknewitexisted.NoEternalhadbuiltit,forTwissellsaidsuchathingwastheoreticallyimpossible.MaybeEternity’stheoriesdidn’tgofarenough.Thebarrierwasthere.Someonehadbuiltit.Orsomething.
"Ofcourse,"hewentonthoughtfully,"Twissellwaswronginsomeways.Hefeltthatmanmustevolve,butthat’snotso.PaleontologyisnotoneofthesciencesthatinterestEternals,butitinterestedthelatePrimitives,soIpickedupabitofitmyself.
