"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh." "All right?" "Rothwyn." "It's all right, I'm awake." "Rothwyn." "I'll deal with Benny." "Day 27." "Experimental project..." "ES stroke five stroke treble seven, urban examination and observation." "Time of day:" "8:12am... old time." "Month:" "January... old calendar." "Year: 1980 AD." "All right, all right." "Here I am." "Hello." "'All irregularities will be handled 'by the forces controlling each dimension." "'Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life." "'Medium atomic weights are available." "'Gold, Lead," "'Copper," "'Jet, Diamond, Radium," "'Sapphire, Silver and Steel." "'Sapphire and Steel have been assigned. '" "Oh, little one!" "I'll put you back, put you back." "Shh, shh, shh, shh." "It's still winter." "Well, it would be, wouldn't it?" "Eldred and I seem to be adjusting quite well to the cold weather." "So does the baby." "Our temperatures are normal." "That's living inside, of course... with a comparatively civilised system of heating." "Outside..." "I'd hate to imagine how we'd survive outside." "I only need to look out to feel threatened by it." " This is the top floor." " Then they must be here." "Oh, and I wanted to report a transference failure." "Eldred said it was not important at this stage... but it is to me." "After all," "I am responsible for the domestic side of this experiment, am I not?" "You see, we stopped receiving supplies of nutrition." "Two days ago." "It's probably some simple breakdown that you've already noticed so I suppose there's nothing to worry about." "We still have some supplies left, I'll try to make them last." "We don't mind making a study of 20th century food but we shouldn't like to have to eat the stuff." "Living room." "This place hasn't been lived in for months." "We're too late." "86 days." "It's been empty for 86 days." " It happened 86 days ago?" " No, we would have been told." "People from another time, people who shouldn't be here." "What would 86 terrestrial days mean to them either way?" "If something had happened to them, we would have known." "This whole planet would have known by now." "We've searched this whole building, every floor, every room." " I know but they're here!" " What are these people, invisible?" " Microscopic?" " I don't know." "But whoever they are, I know they're somewhere here." "And whatever wants to attack them?" "I don't think it's even started." "Not properly." "The kitchen." "8:28am, day 27." "'Steel?" "They are here. '" "Breakfast." "20th century style." "'Steel?" "'" "There would have been actual items of food." "There would have been eggs - real eggs, natural bread... natural butter... and probably some kind of preserve." "'A girl." "No, not quite a girl." "'A woman!" "Yes, a woman. '" "'You mean you can hear her?" "'" "'No, I just know she's here somewhere." "'And a man, there's also a man. '" "'Where... ' 'Wait!" "'There's a third one." "'A child..." "'No... a baby. '" "Yes, it's a small baby." " A baby?" "Here?" " Yes." " Well, can you hear it?" " No." " Can they hear us?" " I don't think so." "But whoever they are, the atmosphere is normal, it feels normal." "Yes, well, it's far from normal." "I'm gonna check the building again." "No, Steel." "I said they're here." "Here, in this room?" "No." "In another time?" "Where?" "Above us." "They're somewhere above us." "And as well as having to prepare... and cook this food for the morning meal, our dear housewife and mother of the late 20th century... would have been organising her evening meal at about the same time." "On the roof." "They're hiding on the roof!" "No, they're not hiding." "In, say, nine out of ten homes, the main task in the preparing of that evening meal... would have been restoring to its proper temperature the principal element of that meal." "And that principal element would almost always have been... a piece of dead animal." "What happened?" "The attack has started." "There may be another level, a rooftop apartment." "Hello." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Lean forward." "Is this the last of the consignment?" "Not quite." "Whatever it is, will you tell me, please?" "I mean, it's not as if they're likely to leave us stranded here in time." "I hope not." "'Did you hear that?" "'" "'Hear what?" "'" "'It's stopped now." "It was about..." "about there, just over there. '" "'What was it?" "' 'People talking - two. '" "9:34am, day 27." "'There." "It's there now. '" " 'Voices?" "' - 'Only one voice this time. '" "I'd like a signal back, please." "I'd like to be sure that you can still hear me." "Would you please signal back?" "'Can you hear what it's saying?" "'" "'No." "'Careful!" "I don't trust this. '" "'Neither do I." " 'What about the voice?" "' - 'Gone." "'What is it?" "'" "'Here. '" "It's a wall!" "'The wall ends here." "'It's a corner." "'There's more along there, what about your side?" "'" "'The same. '" "'Can you feel any windows or doors?" "'" "'No, just a wall." "Well, a wall texture. '" "It won't signal back?" "No." "'Well, what is the texture, brick?" "Stone?" "What?" "'" "'It feels like brick and yet... 'and yet it has a composite strength, a strength like metal." "'It's homogenous. '" "'Oh, yes?" "' 'All of one texture." "'Whatever this is made of, it's synthetic. '" "'Can you identify the substances?" "'" "'No. '" "So which one did you try?" "The master pad." "Well, we usually get an instant signal back from that, don't we?" "Yes." "Experimental project ES stroke five stroke treble seven." "We have been told that certain people are experimenting with time." "People from the not-too-distant past or the not-too-distant future." " Am I right?" " That's right, yes." "And as nobody should mess around with time..." " Except us." " Except us that these people are in danger." "And not only them, time itself is in danger." "'I think that it's a capsule 'and that its crew is a family, a small family of three. '" "'And tell me something else." "'From what date, what time is that thing?" "'I mean, give me an estimate. '" "'It's from the future... 'about... 1500 years. '" "Could we please have a signal back?" "Only we seem to have lost all means of communication with you." "Also the transference system seems to have broken down." "We're getting no supplies and we've our child here with us, remember." " If you could try to signal back..." " I'm frightened." " Frightened?" " Yes." "Because there's something else." "Something else is happening." "'Careful!" "'" "'It's all right." "It's quite safe. '" "And you say they're hallucinations?" " Yes." " Well, I shouldn't worry." " No?" " No." "You were trained to sense things." "It was part of your studies, wasn't it?" "So that's bound to make you more receptive than the rest of us." "Remember when you used to put your hands to the sides of your head and think hard..." " Eldred." "Eldred!" "... so you could communicate?" " Yes?" " I really am frightened, frightened for all of us." "All right, we'll talk to the others this evening." " Yes." " See what they think." "This is a terrible part of time in which to be trapped." " But we're not trapped." " It's brutal, it's cruel." " People like us, we'd never survive." " But we're safe in here." "We're protected." "Nothing can possibly get in, not in here." " But the things I felt and saw!" " A pillow?" "How can we possibly be harmed or feel threatened by a pillow?" "Steel?" "Steel, there's something in there with them!" "Steel?" "Steel, can you hear me?" "Steel, come back!" "'Steel!" "'" "Steel, whatever it is, it's seen you." "Steel?" "It's coming for you!" "Steel!"