"I'll bet that's a new method of wiring," said Kennely. "It looks as if our friends of the future simply place a machine near other machines and it hooks itself up like a spider spinning a web. Since this is a controlling device for shop machines such as ours, it automatically wired itself up and went to work. Perhaps some jolting due to the mishap of landing here switched on the initial circuits.
"Machines that spin their own hookup wiring! But you must be right," said Devon incredulously.
Suddenly, there was a whine in the air, like the scream of a shell overhead. The engineers instinctively ducked, then the very earth upon which the plant was built seemed to rock.
The engineers turned slowly, fearful of seeing the walls crumple about them.
Devon pointed towards Mac's pride, the giant brake. "Look!"
Kennely stood agape. Half the brake was gone, sheared cleanly away, and there was a ten-foot hole in the earth beneath the floor.
"They play rough and potent," he said. "Mac is going to feel bad."
"Mac! What about us! Look what would happen if they caught us half in and half out of that electronic cheese knife!"
"I think we'll be safe if we stick close to the gadget. That seems to be the point they can't hit because of Calvert's microwaves."
"But what if they should hit it? Where would we be? Brian! Where would we be? If this machine is only a single example of the science of the future, think where we'd be if we could go there and study. Let's make a deal with them. If they'll take us there, we'll let the machine go back."