"We ourself have never seen them. In our tradition, however, they are often radiant and have wings."
"They didn't look like that, but I guess they could look like anything."
"We would like to be quite clear about this. You say that you believe you were in a spaceship when this revelation was given to you?"
"Yes, Your Holiness."
"Was it a construction of metal, with portholes and rocket engines and things of that sort?"
"I don't know. I never saw the outside of it. But I knew it had to be a spaceship, because the gravity was so light."
"How is that, our son?"
"When I dropped anything, it took a long time to fall. And if I stood up suddenly, I floated up to the ceiling."
"Ah, I see. That's very interesting, isn't it? And you know nothing about how you got to this place?"
"No, Your Holiness. I went to sleep in Trenton, New Jersey, and when I woke up I was there."
"We think that is significant. And these beings told you that the world would come to an end in twelve years?"
"I think that was what they meant, but I can't be sure."
"We think that is significant also, Mr. Stone. Our Lord told us that no man knows the time or place when He will return."
"Your Holiness, I don't think they're angels."
"Well, well, our son, we can agree to differ. "
Premier Prutkov said, "Mr. Stone, I know you will understand me when I say that this project will be a great work of the human spirit."
"Yes, sir."
"Please call me Kuzma. Well, and I must tell you also that it is a peculiarly Russian idea. Our czars had such grandiose ideas, as for instance constructing the railway in a straight line from Petersburg to Moscow. And of course the Soviet experiment, although it failed according to some, still was a gigantic enterprise, unparalleled, adventurous. So, too, your Cube. Magnificent! You are sure your ancestors were not Russian?"
"They could of been, Kuzma."
"Yes, certainly, because if one is American one never knows! Ha, ha! And besides, you look like a Slav! That is our highest compliment. Tell me, do you like caviar?"
"You are Kalki, come to us to save us from disaster," said Chandralingam. "It has happened many times before; it does not come as a surprise to us."
"Mr. President, I don't think I know who Kalki is."
"He is an aspect of the Lord Vishnu; he is a horse with white wings who comes to destroy the Earth."
"I don't feel like I'm an aspect of Vishnu."
"No, of course not; when you come to Earth you lose all memory of your divine nature, or you could not function as a man, you see. But others can tell. You are Kalki, please believe me, there is no doubt about it."
The Chinese Premier shook hands with Stone and Cooper and offered them tea.
"Mr. Guo," Stone said, "we came to you because we want to talk about our project to put the whole human race in a box."
The translator spoke simultaneously, but with some hesitation and false starts; she seemed to be having trouble putting the sentence into Mandarin. The Premier spoke sharply.
"I don't understand the idea of putting the human race in a box,'' the translator said.
"The idea is, the Earth is going to be destroyed, probably in about twelve years." Another sentence from Guo; the translator said, "How do you know this?"
"The aliens told me. They kidnapped me from nineteen thirty-one and brought me here."
"Is this true?"
"I think it is true."
"What is the purpose of putting the human race in a box?"
"Then the aliens will come and get the box, and take us to another planet."
"You have pictures of this other planet?"
"No, they didn't give me any."
"What is the appearance of these aliens?"
"They're little, and have six legs, and they talk by making something like Chinese characters on their foreheads."
"That is extremely interesting."
"Mr. Guo," Cooper said, "the reason it's so important to talk to you is that we believe the best place for the box is near Shanghai. You see, twenty-one percent of the world population is right here in China, and sixteen percent more is in India. If you look at the logistics, the only thing that makes sense is to concentrate the population here. Anywhere else you put it, there's going to be a larger number of passenger miles. So what we do, we evacuate the outlying areas first, and that means that our lines keep getting shorter. When we clean out an area, we can abandon the infrastructure there. We transfer airplanes, and in some cases rolling stock, to areas farther in. So the farther we go, the easier it gets." The translator, who had been speaking at the same time, came to a stop.
"You have thought this matter out carefully. Have you also thought of the cost of all this?"
"Yes, Mr. Guo. The World Bank and the International Development Association are interested in providing loans, and we already have the support of several European governments."
"I find that I want to do it. I don't know why. Perhaps it is that you are so persuasive. Or perhaps it is national pride. Do you know what our name for our country means, Mr. Stone?"
"No, sir, I don't."
The Premier smiled. "It means 'the middle of the earth,' " the translator said.
Minimata asked, "On this new planet, Mr. Stone, how will the living space be apportioned?"
"I think there'll be room enough for everybody, Mr. Premier. "
"Yes, and will it be divided equally, with so much for each person?"
"I'd think that would be fair, Mr. Premier."
"I also," said Minimata.
CHAPTER 23
She saw the airplane droning ahead under the stars, and the meteor coming in from outer space. The motions were very slow, like a display on a monitor. She could see the airplane inching ahead on its path, and the meteor converging, and she tried to call out but her voice didn't seem to work.
Then the meteor was so close that she could see the glow of superheated air around it, and then it collided and turned soundlessly into a ball of orange flame, and the twisted skeleton of the airplane went down toward the earth.
After he came back from Japan, Stone was in Washington for a week; when he turned up in New York again, he looked tired. "Rough time in Washington?" Lavalle asked him.
"Ah, you know, everybody wants to invite me out." He rubbed his belly. "This used to be flatter," he said ruefully. "And it's the same thing in New York. You remember that little dinner party that your boss invited me to before I left? It turned out to be thirty people, and they all wanted to invite me to dinner and lunch. I've got to cut down, but I don't want to hurt people's feelings."
"Just say no."
"Right. Something else, you know I've been getting fan mail? They showed me two sacks of it. I just brought along a few to show you. Here's one."
She looked at it. It was a folded sheet of cream-colored stationery; the writing, in purple ink, was large and round.
Dere Ed Stone,
I saw you on Holovison, I think you are supper. Plese tel me ar you Maryd. I woud like to Mary you.
Your Freind
EARLENE SMITH
"Sounds like a child," she said.
"No, here's a picture." He passed it over; it was a holoprint of a plump woman who appeared to be in her early fifties.
"Some of them are pretty steamy," Stone said. He picked up another letter and sniffed it. "Lavender," he said, and rolled his eyes.
"Do you know that cartoon characters get fan mail too?"
"What do you mean, like Popeye?"
"No, more like Dong the Barb arian, but it's the same thing. People even send them presents-flowers, cakes."
"Why do you suppose that is?"
"I guess they haven't got anything better to do."