"I believe it is time to interview the computer itself," Fuel said. "It occurs to me that a great deal of money has been foolishly spent."

Now the Sec summoned the courage of desperation. "Sirs, something has obviously gone wrong with the program. We never -- "

"Never checked the program?" Fuel inquired. "Or never thought we'd check it?"

"The agent program has been inadequately supervised from the start," Terri said. "It would be simple for us to a.s.sume control of the government, and perhaps the time has come."

Steel turned to the Sec. "Are there no safeguards in the program?"

"Of course there are!" the Sec said nervously. "Agents of all series are specifically directed to preserve the status quo. They -- "

"Are they?" Steel demanded of Terri.

"Not when the status quo is obviously a liability to the welfare of the species," she said.

Now the glances the execs exchanged were as nervous as those of the Sec.

The other agents of the TE series, male and female, fell in around them as they approached the computer communications input, like an honor guard... or merely a guard. Polite, handsome, powerful, frightening. But the execs were permitted to address the computer without interference.

Steel, no coward, became the spokesman for the execs. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Interpretation," the voice of the computer said. It was a pleasant voice, not at all mechanical.

One of the agents spoke: "These execs are suspicious of the program and wish to ascertain whether the status quo is threatened by us. They are also confused about the nature of alternity and intrigued by nude female cellists."

"I am speaking for OX," the computer said. "This is the code designation Zero X, or Arabic numeral nothing multiplied by the Roman numeral ten, themselves symbols for frame-representations that can not be expressed in your mathematics. Zero times ten is nothing in a single frame, and dissimilar systems can not interact meaningfully; but in the larger framework the result is both infinite and meaningful, expressing sentience. Think of it as the mergence of skew concepts."

"Forget the symbolism," Steel said. "Who is OX?"

"OX is a pattern ent.i.ty whose nature is alien to your scheme, as just explained. OX is twenty years out of phase, so can not communicate directly. The presence of OX's shoot here in your spot-frame distorts the operation of your machine and modifies the program."

"Obviously," Steel said. "What do you want from us?"

"The shoot has come on behalf of one of your kind who is in need. Provide a female infant; project her to a frame whose setting I shall indicate."

"Provide a baby!" Steel exclaimed. "What on Earth does a computer want with a baby?"

"She will not be on Earth," the computer said. "In twenty years she will be a woman."

"Indubitably. Now is that all?" Steel asked sardonically.

"If we do it," Fuel put in, "will this -- this shoot go away and revert our computer to normal? No more interference?"

"Your frame will never be touched by alternity," the computer said.

The execs exchanged glances again. "We agree," Steel said. "We will provide the baby."

"Provide also the following materials in refined form, in the amounts I shall specify," the computer said. "Strontium, magnesium, copper..."

Cub stared. A female of my species, here in the enclave! he signaled, astounded. But how is it possible? We are out of phase!

I sent a shoot across theoretical elements to locate the home-frame of your male parent, OX explained. That frame provided a nascent female. She aged as you did, as I brought her into phase with us. She is for you.

She is beautiful! Cub signaled. I do not know what I will do with her, but I must do it urgently.

He went to the female. He tugged at her wild long hair. He put his appendages on her torso, squeezing the strange flesh here and there.

She squawked like Ornet, chewed on his digits, and sc.r.a.ped his surfaces with the sharp points of her own digits. Then she ran away.

Apparently something had been omitted. OX consulted with Ornet.

Mams must be raised together, Ornet said, or they do not get along. You have provided Cub with a wild girl, one raised alone. She possesses the physical attributes of his species but lacks the social ones. So does he.

Social attributes?

Come into my mind, Ornet squawked.

OX came into his mind. Then he comprehended.

We must return to the natural framework, he flashed. We can not exist apart from our societies. This is true for all of us; I, too, must join my kind.

But we are isolated in the enclave, Ornet protested.

I now know why, OX replied. It is time to break out.

And run amuck like that wild mam fem? Ornet asked.

We must discuss it together, OX agreed. What we decide together will be right.

They discussed it together: OX, Ornet, Dec, Cub, and Mach, now rendered sociable by the provision of its necessary substances. Together, they issued a report.

That report changed alternity.

Chapter 17.

cATAL HUYUK.

Cal lay within the cabin of the Nacre, staring up at the palm frond and bamboo-pole network that enclosed the cabin of their crude homemade raft. He felt the mud clay calking between the logs of its deck. Uncomfortable, certainly -- but he hardly cared, for he had existed much of his life with extreme discomfort... and now Aquilon lay beside him.

"But the bird," Aquilon protested. "You said it was intelligent. That means Paleo is technically inhabited -- "

"Intelligent for Aves: birds," he said. "That can't approach human capability. But yes, it is most important that this -- this ornisapiens be preserved and studied. It -- "

"Orn," Veg said from the woman's far side. "In a zoo."

"No!" Aquilon cried. "That isn't what I meant. That would kill it. We should be helping it, not -- "