Wilson nodded. "I suppose I am," he said, "but no quotation, please."
"We don't need quotes," said Manning. "The picture tells the story. The monster, the mother monster, I would suppose you'd call it, was exposed to the time travel principle when it came through the tunnel. The principle was imprinted on its mind, its instinct, whatever you may call it. It transmitted knowledge of the principle to the young — a hereditary instinct."
"But it took time tunnels, mechanical contraptions, by the humans to do it," Wilson objected. "It took technology and engineering…"
Manning shrugged. "Hell, Steve, I don't know. I don't pretend to know. But the photo says the monsters are escaping to another time. Maybe they'll all escape to another time, probably to the same time. The escape time bracket may be implanted on their instinct. Maybe the Cretaceous is a better place for them. Maybe they have found this era too tough for them to crack, the odds too great."
"I just thought of something," said Wilson. "the dinosaurs died out…"
"Yeah, I know," said Manning. He zipped the briefcase shut. "We better go," he said. "We have work to do. Thanks for seeing us."
"No, Tom," said Wilson. "The thanks are yours and Bentley's. Thanks for coming over. It might have taken days to get this puzzled out. If we ever did."
He stood and watched them go, then sat down again.
It was incredible, he thought. Yet it did make a lopsided sort of sense. Humans were too prone to think in human grooves. The monsters would be different. Again and again the people from the future had emphasized they must not be regarded as simple monsters, but rather as highly intelligent beings. And that intelligence, no doubt, would be as alien as their bodies. Their intelligence and ability would not duplicate human intelligence and ability. Hard as it might be to understand, they might be able to do by instinct a thing that a human would require a machine to accomplish.
Maynard Gale and Alice came into the room so quietly that he did not know they were there until he looked up and saw them standing beside the desk.
"You asked for us," said Gale.
"I wanted you to look at these," said Wilson. "The top one first. The others are detail blowups. Tell me what you think."
He waited while they studied the photos. Finally, Gale said, "This is the Cretaceous, Mr. Wilson. How was the photo taken? And what has the monster to do with it?"
"The photographer was taking a picture of the monster. As he took it, at the moment he took it, the monster disappeared."
"The monster disappeared?"
"This is the second report of one disappearing. The second that I know of. There may have been others. I don't know."
"Yes," said Gale, "I suppose that it is possible. They're not like us, you know. The ones that came through the tunnel experienced time travel — an experience that would have lasted for only a fraction of a second. But that may have been enough."
He shuddered. "If that is true, if after such an exposure, they are able to travel independently in time, if their progeny are able to travel independently in time, if they can sense and learn and master such a complex thing so well, so quickly, it's a wonder that we were able to stand up against them for these twenty years. They must have been playing with us, keeping us, protecting us for their sport. A game preserve. That is what we must have been. A game preserve."
"You can't be sure of that," said Wilson.
"No, I suppose not. Dr. Wolfe is the man you should consult about this. He would know. At least, he could make an educated guess."
"But you have no doubt?"
"None," said Gale. "This could be a hoax?"
Wilson shook his head. "Not Tom Manning. We know one another well. We worked on the Post, right here, together. We were drinking companion. We were brothers until this damn job came between us. Not that he has no sense of humor. But not in a thing like this. And Bentley. Not Bentley. The camera is his god. He would use it for no unworthy purpose. He lives and breathes his cameras. He bows down before them each night before he goes to bed."
"So then we have evidence the monsters flee into the past. Even as we fled."
"I think so," said Wilson. "I wanted your opinion. You know the monsters and we do not."
"You'll still talk with Wolfe?"
"Yes, we'll do that."
"There is another matter, Mr. Wilson, that we have wanted to talk with you about. My daughter and I have talked it over and we are agreed."
"What is that?" asked Wilson.
"An invitation," said Gale. "We're not sure you will accept. Perhaps you won't. We may even offend you with it. But many other people, I think, would accept the invitation. To many it would have a great attraction. I find it rather awkward to phrase it, but it is this: When we go back into the Miocene, if you wish to do so, you would be welcome to go along with us. With our particular group. We should be glad to have you."
Wilson did not move. He tried to find words and there were no words.
Alice said, "You were our first friend, perhaps our only real friend. You arranged the matter of the diamonds. You have done so many things."
She stepped quickly around the desk, bent to kiss him on the cheek.
"We do not need an answer now," said Gale. "You will want to think about it. If you decide not to go with us, we'll not speak of it again. The invitation, I think, is issued with the knowledge that in all probability, your people will be using the time tunnels to go back into an era some millions of years in the past. Much as it might be hoped, I have the feeling you will not be able to escape the crisis that overtook our ancestors (which are you, of course) on the original time track."
"I don't know," said Wilson. "I honestly do not know. You will let me think about it."
"Certainly," said Gale.
Alice bent close, her words a whisper. "I do so hope you'll decide to come with us," she said.
Then they were gone, as silently, as unobtrusively as they had come.
The dusk of evening was creeping into the room. In the press lounge a typewriter clicked hesitantly as the writer sought for words. Against the wall the teletypes muttered querulously. One button on Judy's phone console kept flashing. But not Judy's console anymore, he thought. Judy was gone. The plane that was taking her to Ohio was already heading westward.
Judy, he said to himself. For the love of God, what got into you? Why did you have to do it?
It would be lonely without her, he knew. He had not known until now, he realized, how much she had kept him from loneliness, had been a bulwark against the loneliness a man could feel even when with people he thought of as his friends. She had not needed to be with him, only the thought that she was somewhere nearby was quite enough to banish loneliness, to bring gladness to the heart.
She still would be near, he thought. Ohio was not distant; in this day, nowhere in the world was distant. Phones still worked and letters went by mail, but there was a difference now. He thought of how he might phrase a letter if he wrote her, but he knew he'd never write.
The phone rang. Kim said, "The meeting's over. He can see you now."
"Thank you, Kim," said Wilson. It had slipped his mind that he'd asked to see the President. It seemed so long ago, although it hadn't been. It just had been that so much had happened.
When he came into the office, the President said, "I'm sorry you were kept waiting, Steve. There was so much that had to be talked over. What is it that you have?"
Wilson grinned. "Not quite so grim as when I tried to reach you. I think it's better now. There was a rumor out of the U.N."
"This Russian business?"
"Yes, the Russian business. Tom Manning phoned. His UN man — Max Hale, you know him."