Конец вечности
Technician
The2456thCenturywasmatter-oriented,asmostCenturieswere,sohehadarighttoexpectabasiccompatibilityfromtheverybeginning.Itwouldhavenoneoftheutterconfusion(foranyonebornmatter-oriented)oftheenergyvorticesofthe300’s,orthefielddynamicsofthe600’s.Inthe2456th,totheaverageEternal’scomfort,matterwasusedforeverythingfromwallstotacks.
Tobesure,therewasmatterandmatter.AmemberofanenergyorientedCenturymightnotrealizethat.Tohimallmattermightseemminorvariationsonathemethatwasgross,heavy,andbarbaric.Tomatter-orientedHarlan,however,therewaswood,metal(subdivisions,heavyandlight),plastic,silicates,concrete,leather,andsoon.
Butmatterconsistingentirelyofmirrors!
Thatwashisfirstimpressionofthe2456th.Everysurfacereflectedandglintedlight.Everywherewastheillusionofcompletesmoothness;theeffectofamolecularfilm.Andintheever-repeatedreflectionofhimself,ofSociologistVoy,ofeverythinghecouldsee,inscrapsandwholes,inallangles,therewasconfusion.Garishconfusionandnausea!
"I’msorry,"saidVoy,"it’sthecustomoftheCentury,andtheSectionassignedtoitfindsitgoodpracticetoadoptthecustomswherepractical.Yougetusedtoitafteratime."
VoywalkedrapidlyuponthemovingfeetofanotherVoy,upsidedownbeneaththefloor,whomatchedhimstrideforstride.Hereachedtomoveahair-contactindicatordownaspiralscaletopointoforigin.
Thereflectionsdied;extraneouslightfaded.Harlanfelthisworldsettle.
