"Yes," he finally managed. "I understand. It is not easy to accept ..."
"We know. But this does you no damage," came the reply. "You might even take a heart from it, to know that you persist."
"There is that. I see your meaning and can take it as hope. But why? Surely you did not awaken me simply to demonstrate this?"
"No. We have interest in your times. Purely archaeologic."
"Archaeological! That would seem to indicate the passage of a great deal of time!"
"Forgive we. Perhaps we have chose wrong word, thinking of it in terms of ruins.
But your nervous system is doorway to times past."
"Ruins! What the hell happened?"
"There was war, and there have been disasters. The record, therefore, is unclear."
"Who won the war?"
"That is difficult to say."
"Then it must have been pretty bad."
"We would assume this. We are still ourselves learning. That is why we seek to know time past from your cold remains."
"If there was all this chaos, how is it that I was preserved through it?"
"The cold-making units here are powered by atomic plant which ran well untended
-save for computer - for long while, and entire establishment is underground."
"Really? Things must have changed quite a bit after my - enrollment - here. It wasn't set up that way at the time I read the prospectus and visited the place."
"We really know little of the history of this establishinent. There are many things of which we are ignorant. That is why we want you to tell us about your times."
"It is difficult to know where to begin ...
"It may be better if we ask you questions."
"All right. But I would like answers to some of my own afterward."
"A suitable arrangement. Tell us then: Did you reside at or near your place of employment?"
"No. Actually, I lived halfway across town and had to drive in every day."
"Was this common for the area and the country?"
"Pretty much so, yes. Some other people did use other means of transportation, of course. Some rode on buses. Some car-pooled. I drove. A lot of us did."
"When you say that you drove, are we to understand that you refer to four-wheeled land vehicle powered by internal combustion engine?"
"Yes, that is correct. They were in common use in the latter half of the twentieth century."
"And there were many such?"
"Very many."
"Had you ever problems involving presence of too many of them on trails at same time?"
"Yes. Certain times of day - when people were going to work and returning - were referred to as 'rush hour.' At such times there were often traffic jams - that is to say, so many vehicles that they got in one another's way."
"Extremely interesting. Were such creatures as whales still extant?"
"Yes."
"Interesting, too. What sort of work did you do?"
"I was involved in research on toxic agents of a chemical and bacteriological nature. Most of it was classified."
"What does that indicate?"
"Oh. It was of a secret nature, directed toward possible military application."
"Was war already in progress?"
"No. It was a matter of - preparedness. We worked with various agents that might be used, if the need ever arose."
"We think we see. Interesting times. Did you ever develop any of efficient nature?"
"Yes. A number of them."
"Then what would you do with them? It would seem hazardous to have such materials about during peace."
"Oh, samples were stored with the utmost precaution in very safe places. There were three main caches, and they were well sheltered and well guarded."
There was a pause. Then, "We find this somewhat distressing," the voice resumed.
"Do you feel they might have survived - a few, some centuries?"
"It is possible."
"Being peace loving, we are naturally concerned with items dangerous to human species-"
"You make it sound as if you are not yourself a member."
There came another high-pitched artifact. Then, "The language has changed more even than we realized. Apologies. Wrong inference taken. Our desire, to deactivate these dangerous materials. Long have we expected their existences.
You perhaps will advise? Their whereabouts unknown to us."
"I'm - not - so sure - about that," he answered. "No offense meant, but you are only a voice to me. I really know nothing about you. I am not certain that I should give this information."
There was a long silence.
"Hello? Are you still there?" he tried to say.
He heard nothing, not even his own voice. Time seemed to do strange things around him. Had it stopped for a moment? Had he given offense? Had his questioner dropped dead?
"Hello! Hello!" he said. "Do you hear me?"
"... Mechanical failure," came the reply. "Apologies for. Sorry about yesterday."
"Yesterday!"
"Turned you off while obtaining new speaker. Just when you were to say where best poisons are."
"I am sorry," he stated. "You have asked for something that I cannot, in good con- science, give to you."
"We wish only to prevent damage."
"I am in the terrible position of having no way to verify anything that is told me."
"If something heavy falls upon you, you break like bottle."
"I could not even verify whether that had occurred."
"We could turn you off again, turn off the cold-maker."
"At least it would be painless," he said with more stoicism than he felt.
"We require this information."
"Then you must seek it elsewhere."
"We will disconnect your speaker and your hearer and go away. We will leave you thinking in the middle of nothing. Goodbye now."
"Wait!"
"Then you will tell us?"
"No. I - can't ..."
"You will go mad if we disconnect these things, will you not?"
"I suppose so. Eventually ..."
"Must we do it, then?"
"Your threats have shown me what you are like. I cannot give you such weapons."
"Ernest Dawkins, you are not intelligent being."
"And you are not an archaeologist. Or you would do future generations the service of turning me off, to save the other things that I do know."
"You are right. We are not such. You will never know what we are."
"I know enough."
"Go to your madness."
Silence again.
For a long while the panic held him. Until the images of his family recurred, and his home, and his town. These grew more and more substantial, and gradually he came to walk with them and among them. Then, after a time, he stopped reporting for work and spent his days at the beach. He wondered at first when his side would begin to hurt. Then he wondered why he had wondered this. Later, he forgot many things, but not the long days beneath the sun or the sound of the surf, the red rain, the blue, or the melting statue with the fiery eyes and the sword in its fist. When he heard voices under the sand he did not answer. He listened instead to whales singing to mermaids on migrating rocks, where they combed their long green hair with shards of bone, laughing at the lightning and the ice.