'Fine,' I said. 'But we have a problem. Where the hell are we? And how do we get back to where we belong?'
'You will be guided back to your point and time of origin='
A look of shocked, fragile elation sprang to everybody's face.
Prime looked around and laughed. 'I see that meets with your approval.'
Susan gazed at him in unbelieving wonder, her mouth hanging open.
She swallowed and said, 'You'd take us back? All the way back? I mean to where we live? Where we belong? We're lost, completely and totally, and if you mean only that-'
'I thought as much. Yes, back to wherever you want to go. That is no particular problem.'
I thought Susan would faint. Instead she began sobbing quietly. I put my arm around her.
'Is she upset?' Prime asked.
'It's a long story,' I said.
'I understand. What I was going to add was, as to the location of this place-this world-construct-I can only say that describing exactly where we are would be problematical with regard to finding some conventional frame of reference.'
'When are we?' Yuri asked.
'Well, at this point, we are outside of time altogether. We are moving, though, with respect to the frame of reference of the universe at large.'
'What is our velocity?'
'I'm afraid the notion of velocity here doesn't really apply.'
'But, as you said, if we're moving with respect to the frame of reference of the universe-'
'I'm sorry. That phrase was an oversimplification.'
'Are we moving faster than light?'
Prime frowned, then gave a short ironic laugh. 'I don't seem to be much help. Do I? Forgive me. There seems to be a problem in expressing in concise terms some of things I want to relate. I do have things to do here and about, and I must leave you before long, so it's not really a problem in communication, but one of time. You will come to understand it eventually, I think, but we'd best delay any involved explanations for now. Let us merely say that this world is outside of space, outside of time, but is on a journey of some duration nevertheless.'
'Another aspect of the time element interests me,' Sean said. 'Namely the perspective from which you're speaking. Your point of origin is obviously some time in our future. Correct?'
'Yes.'
'Our remote future, I take it.'
'Very remote. Some ten billion years.'
I took a long swig of my brandy, then slowly reached for the bottle.
'You all look stunned,' Prime said.
'I wouldn't say it's impossible,' Yuri said quietly. 'But I must say I can't believe it.'
Roland, who had been listening impassively all the while, shook his head. 'You simply don't look, act, or speak like a… like a man from ten billion years in the future. In fact, the very notion of the existence of human beings at that point-'
'But I'm not human,' Prince said, 'except in very small part. I will repeat, though, what I said to you earlier. It is a very active and vibrant part of what I am. Now. Here. When I am speaking with you. Otherwise, I would not be able to communicate with you at all.'
I finished off another two or three fingers of brandy and set the snifter down. 'Which brings us to another question. Just what are you? What is the Culmination?'
Prime drained his glass and sat forward. 'Again we run into the problem of trying to do too much at one sitting-and again I will try to convey some general ideas. Let's begin by stating what the Culmination isn't. We are not a race, but are composed of many races. We are not a culture, but are beyond culture. We exist outside the stream of universal events-we stand, so to speak, on the shores of the river of time, looking out across the waters. Yet in another sense, we are at the mouth of that river as it spills into the sea of eternity. What we are is this: we are that toward which the consciousness of the universe has been tending.'
The rock-walled silence fell again, but this time I thought I could hear faint stirrings beyond the dark archways. My imagination, probably. But I believe in ghosts Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I had no idea what day of the week it was.,
'Forgive the metaphors,' Prime went on, 'but they are sometimes useful. What we are speaking of here is the evolution and final culmination of consciousness in the universe. Think of each sapient race in the universe as a tributary to that great river of awareness, feeding into it, flowing on toward some distant ocean of fulfillment. To pose the ultimate questions… then, if possible, to answer them. We seek the ultimate limit of knowledge.. We seek the consummation of being.'
Prime rose and swept his eyes around the table.
'What you see before you-this body, myself-is but an instrument by which it will be possible for you to communicate with the Culmination. You have been in contact with the Culmination since our first meeting, some few hours ago. We will talk again, but now I must leave you. You will be conducted to your quarters.' The warmth of his smile was almost withering. 'I have enjoyed our luncheon together. Forgive my being abrupt, but I have pressing matters to attend to. I hope you will be comfortable during your stay here, however long you choose to make it.'
'I thought you said we could go now if we wanted to?' I reminded him. 'Anytime, you said.'
'And so you may. Do you wish to leave now?'
I glanced around the table and got looks of varying degrees of befuddlement. 'I think we have to take a meeting on that,' I said to Prime. 'Can we get back to you?'
'I'm afraid I will be occupied for some time,' Prime told me. 'I had hoped you would at least stay the night. However, I can return in a few hours to hear your decision, if that is what you wish. You may remain here, or if you like, you may retire to your quarters to rest It is up to you.'
'Uh… um.' Nobody seemed to want to take the lead. 'Look, can we sit here for a little longer, then go to our quarters?'
'Certainly. I will send the guide to conduct you in, say, half an hour?'
'Uh, make it twenty minutes. Then how will we get in touch with you?'
'I will contact you again as soon as I can,' Prime said. 'You can then apprise me of your decision. If you choose, you may then leave.'
'Well, that sounds okay. How long do you think you'll be? If you don't mind my asking.'
'Certainly not. I don't think I will be occupied more than three hours:'
'Oh. Fine with us, I guess.'
'Very good. Again, I want say that I have enjoyed our luncheon. Your company has given me great pleasure.'
'Well… thank you. I think I can speak for all of us-it's been… interesting. To say the very least.'
''Thank you. A very good afternoon to you.'
We all got up as he turned and strode away from the table. He passed through an archway and entered one of a number of corridors branching away from the dining hall. Nobody said a word. He receded from us, striding purposefully, gracefully, soft-soled boots padding over the polished onyx floor, green cape billowing in his wake. Without looking back, he turned a corner and went out of sight.
We sat.
'Anybody know what that joker was talking about?' Carl asked.
John cocked a sardonic eyebrow at him, then turned his head to me 'We have a decision to reach, Jake.'
I poured myself more brandy. These weighty matters call for inspired thinking. 'I'm for getting the hell out of here, like, mucho fasto.'
'I wish he could have stayed to answer more of our questions. So many of them still hanging.' John shook his head slowly. 'Absolutely astounding. Incredible.'
'If he's telling the truth,' I said.
'Well, I suppose he could be leading us on. I'm incapable of imagining why, though.'
