The aJ projectors moved in their mounts, each one seeking out a different missile. They would go on seeking until the—
Then the first one fired, and Roysland's mind went blank, as did everyone else's aboard the X-69.
For a long time, Roysland Dwyn watched a play. He was a disinterested spectator, who had not one iota of interest in what was going on. He was much, much, much too busy with his own thoughts to be interested with such trivia as his bodily reactions and his exterior environment.
In the first place, he had solved the problem. And such a fascinating problem! The broad ramifications of the whole concept were appalling in their immensity and scope!
Some people came into the control room after a long while and asked him some questions. He answered them politely, but without paying any attention whatsoever to what they were saying.
After all, what could possibly be so utterly absorbing as my own problems? Who could be more important than I?
The people asked him to walk to somewhere, and he did; but he didn't have the slightest notion where he was going, nor why, nor how. And he really didn't care. They put him in a bed and fed him soup and stuck needles in his arm and several other utterly meaningless things, but it made no difference.
Introspection. Know thyself. And then get going around and around and around on the ever deepening spiral-helix that goes lower and lower as it closes in on itself. Self-analysis. What are my motivations? Why do I want to know what my motivations are? Why am I analyzing myself? Why do I want to know why I am analyzing myself?
What do I know about the motivations for desiring to know about the reasons for analyzing myself? Why do I feel that the motivations—