'Maybe he's got plans for us. The last survivor of a dead race. Alone, desperate. Or maybe he's just crazy, We don't know.'
'I think we are all very weary,' Yuri said.
'I'm sleepy as hell,' Carl said. 'I ate too much.'
I realized that I was feeling pretty logy, too, what with the brandy and all. I set down my glass, resolved to drink no more. For now at least.
'Any other votes?' I asked. 'Lori?'
'I think we should stay and find out if Prime needs us. I think we should help him.'
'Why should we help him?' John asked.
Lori thought about it, then said, 'I don't know if he's God or not. But he did build the Skyway.'
'Remember what he said,' Yuri reminded, 'about the Culmination not possessing any technology.'
John rubbed his chin. 'Yes, he did say that, didn't he? Strange.'
'Actually, he said that they didn't originate any,' I put in. 'Doesn't mean they don't use existing technology.'
Yuri shook his head skeptically. 'I don't know. Difficult to imagine all that miraculous Skyway technology just lying about, waiting to be used.'
'Maybe the Culmination merely developed it, adapted it for the purpose,' Roland speculated.
'Well, that makes them consummate engineers, at least.'
I yawned. Recovering, I said, 'I guess we really don't know yet who built the Skyway.'
'If the Culmination didn't do it, who did?' Darla asked.
'I suppose we have to stick around to find out.'
'Then we should stick around,' she said firmly.
I turned to Carl. 'What about it, kid?'
'I say let's get the hell out of here. I want to go home.' John said, 'Well, `home' is a separate problem for you.'
Carl cocked his head toward the hallway down which Prime had made his exit. 'He kidnapped me, he can take me back.'
'You're still convinced Prime's responsible?'
'I sure am.'
'Okay, that's one no vote so far. Any others? Ragna?'
'I am thinking-and so also is Oni-that we should be staying perhaps for the night, at least. Perhaps some further questions can be put to our host that he might be answering. Maybe?'
John glanced around the dining hall. 'What about all this? And what we saw outside and in the basement?'
'Maybe the story about Microcosmos is true. It's a museum, a junkyard, a disneyworld, whatever. And he's the robot caretaker.'
Yuri asked, 'You think he's a machine?'
'Sure,' I said, 'or an android, something like that. He admitted as much himself.'
Zoya said, 'He's not human. I'm very sure of that.'
'He sure puts on a good show,' I said.
'Yes, he does.'
Darla asked, 'What about his saying that he was part human?'
'Don't know quite what to make of that,' John said. 'What could he possibly mean?'
'What do you make of this Culmination business?' Yuri said. 'Any idea, Jake?'
'Nope. Sounded like a lot of bullshit to me. Actually, it sounded a little like what your Teleological Pantheism is all about.' I took a sip and added, 'No offense.'
'Yeah, bullshit,' Carl seconded. The Teelies looked at each other.
'Remind me to kill you later, Jake,' Susan scowled. 'But he's right, John. It does strike very close to home.'
'Don't think I didn't notice,' John said. 'He sounded like a Teelie himself.'
'I think he's telling the truth,' Roland said. 'And I think we should stay.'
'Okay, that's one vote,' I said. 'Anybody else want to exercise his franchise. Or hers?'
'Well,' Yuri said. 'We…' He looked at Zoya, who returned a cool stare. 'I think at least that it's my duty to stay. The opportunities for learning here… I can't begin to guess what secrets this place holds. The issue is clear. I must stay.'
After a short silence, Zoya said, 'I… think we should stay for a while at least. I…' She ran a hand through the tangles of her chestnut-brown hair, then heaved a sigh and rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes. 'I just have a bad feeling about him.' She lowered her head. 'I'm so very tired.'
'You should be,' I said, 'after running around the universe, lost for two years.'
'Maybe. Anybody else? How 'bout you, Susan?'
'I'm intrigued, to say the least. I want to go home, but…'
'Should we stay the night, do you think?'
She nodded. 'At least.'
'John?'
John brooded for a long moment. Then: 'I would… I would not think very highly of myself if I walked away from the chance to discover the answer to some very basic questions. If Prime is a man… or a being from ten billion years in the future, he could tell us things… Lord, what things he could tell us!' He looked around the table. 'It seems as if my no vote would be in a distinct minority, wouldn't it? Therefore, I say we stay. I don't think we're in any danger.'
'I wonder what became of our friend Mr. Moore and his lads,' Sean said.
'No one thought to ask,' I said.
'Maybe Prime doesn't know they're here,' Liam said.
'He must. But he doesn't have to worry about them. We do. They could show up here. Anyone forget to bring his weapon?'
Shaking heads around the table. Everybody was armed except Lori, and that was because we were short a gun for her. 'Well, we'll take turns on watch. We should be okay. What about you guys-Sean? Liam? Think we should stay?'
'Ah, it was high adventure we were wanting,' Sean said, grinning. 'I think we've got it.'
'That we have,' Liam seconded.
'Jake,' Sean asked, 'are you really voting no?'
'If I had any sense, I would. But…'
In my mind, the long string of events that had led to all of this played back like a recording on fast-forward. The universe and everything in it had conspired to get me here, it seemed. The Paradox Machine was still frantically spinning its wheels. I knew-I had known all along-that I would have to keep wrenching levers and pulling toggles until the damn thing either stopped or did what it was supposed to do, whatever that was. There was no avoiding it.
'I say we stay and get some answers.' I looked at George and Winnie. 'Those two look like they're at home here.'
'Home!' Winnie said.
'Home!' George said.
'Home,' I said, nodding.
'Here's the butler,' Carl said, looking behind me.
The sphere was back, ghosting toward the table. It stopped a few meters away. Any time you're ready.
'Well,' Liam said, 'I could use a lie-down.'
'So could I,' I said, and yawned again. It had been a long trip here. A very, very long trip. Some ten or twelve billion light-years. 'But,' I went on, 'somebody has to take first watch. I will.'
We left the dining hall.
