Amco's thoughts were ones of hopeless dismissal. The trivial cliches of the paradox of time travel. He had gone over them countless times with the Coordinator. Of course it was illogical. But it seemed to work. Perhaps three-dimensional logic was distorted when applied four-dimensionally. He was partially a four-dimensional object now, so—
"So, I'll tell you of this hall of dreams," radiated the teleo-electronic man dramatically....
"Dhomans have always been dissatisfied with the shallow, sensory world. This is their last recourse to escape from this shallowness. You see, they have retreated into the boundless realms of the mind to live.
"There are no restrictions, no physical limits to the thought potential of the brain. This sleeper here just at my right proves that. He was the first of the sleepers. So he has lain here for almost two million years. Yet, it's been no longer than a second, no longer than no time at all. In dreams there is no time. A moment may be forever. Forever doesn't exist—until you create it. Then you can destroy it with a thought. Strange isn't it?"
Amco studied the indicated figure. "He doesn't seem to be very happy about the whole thing."
"Why should he be happy? Happiness grows tiring. Then he wills his consciousness into other emotions. He has lived them all. Countless combinations and sub combinations until it becomes an infinity of complexities, beyond computation—even for me. And then after all emotion has been tapped on this world, the sleeper creates in his mind another, and the process repeats itself. And then he may create worlds within worlds within worlds. It is an endless, deathless joy. An eternal newness of sensation. It's the ultimate state, the final goal."
Amco stood and looked into the mauve infinity of the hall. Somewhere in the past the Coordinator waited. But why return to him? The City did go on. It wasn't destroyed. There was no need in returning. Why should he go back and miss an eternity of true perfection—the perfect free agency of living? "You will put me into this final sleep," he radiated for the robot.
The robot stood as though undecided. Then emanated: "I will do it. I will forget their orders to destroy all intruders. You have broken the unbearable pattern of my loneliness, and for that you should receive something in gratitude. I will—"
The robot half turned as though to fulfill his answer, then turned back slowly. "On second thought," his mind said, "it isn't what I must do."
"Why not," radiated Amco nervously.