The others stood about her, and their minds were blank.
At that moment they comprehended, but joy and awe were stronger than mere knowledge.
The black shadows winked once. They winked again, fleetingly.
Then they disappeared.
V
Dr. Wooden stood silent as Jonathan Morgan drew his hand from the switch that drove a bath of heat at the blocks of calcatryte set in their metallic cradles. The humming of motors stopped. The blackish screen in the background went silent, dead.
"Well," said Dr. Wooden, straightening. "Hello."
Jonathan sat down and put out a trembling hand, drew an open pack of cigarettes toward him.
"I've been far away," he said slowly. "To the other side of the universe. Billions of miles away, and yet—in your own backyard."