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"Some kind of airport, or spaceport," Shimoda rocked on his pillarlike legs. "Something's getting ready to take off, somewhere." He turned to face the Autothor. "What kind of building are we in?" Page 70 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html "Very confused," insisted the Autothor above its internal humming. "There are no buildings. There is only the Ship." "The ship we are on, yes." There was urgency in Iranaputra's voice. "But what about the rest of the structures?" "Others? There is only one 'structure.'' Through the panel they could see that the walls of the cavern were moving. No, Iranaputra thought. The walls were solid, immovable. Therefore,they had to be the ones who were moving. "There is only one structure," the ellipse reiterated, "and that is the Ship. I do so dislike confusion. It and I have been in hiatus. Asleep." There was satisfaction in its announcement. "We are both waking up now." A pause, then, "I am monitoring external conditions. Everything is very much changed since last I was active." "Just out of curiosity, old thing, when was that?" Follingston-Heath continued to minister to Gelmann. "Definitions again." The wall outside the panel was definitely crumbling, the hard stone powdering and collapsing, though they could hear nothing but the rising rumble which seemed to be all around them now. The sensation of movement intensified. "About a million or so local years ago," the Autothor finally disclosed. "Give or take a few thousand," it added apologetically. They were silent then; at once fearful and expectant, exchanging glances, eying the Autothor, or staring out through the ascending panel as they wondered what was going to happen next. Indeed, they were wondering what was happening then. All except the serving robot, which was simultaneously genuflecting in the direction of the luminous blue ellipse and struggling to compose supper. VIM IT was nearly midnight. Most of the inhabitants of the Lake Woneapenigong Village retirement complex were asleep or at least in bed. A few insomniacs for whom late-night broadcasts held incomprehensible attraction hovered around brightly lit vid screens as avidly as any coeleopteran around a streetlight. The Village's night staff went quietly about their familiar business. Nurses and nursing machinery were on round-the-clock call at Lake Woneapenigong. An exception was to be found in the persons of Mr. and Mrs. Esau Hawthorne of Wing F, who, unable to sleep, had taken possession of a swing couch on the porch overlooking the lake and were at that moment engaged in the ancient and time-honored recreational activity known as rocking. A split moon cast dancing streaks of molten silver on the calm waters of the lake. At least, they had been calm until they started to bubble energetically. Mrs. Hawthorne touched the switch which slowed the swing's motion and hunched forward, clutching the collar of the flowery thermosensitive nightgown tight to her neck. In their younger days she and her husband had spent many relaxing hours sitting by diverse lakes on their homeworld of Westernia in the First Page 71 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html Federal Federation, and she was quite sure that none of them had acted even beneath a split moon like an old-fashioned bottle of carbonated soda. The bub-bling was much louder than the cry of a loon or the hoot of an owl. It was louder even than Mr. Hawthorne's occasional snores. An event had begun which was soon to awaken everyone in the Village, not to mention those over in Mt. Holly and distant Albany, but Mr. and Mrs. Esau Hawthorne were the only ones to observe it in its entirety. "Esau, I do believe we are having an earthquake." "Yup." Esau Hawthorne crossed his hands over his stomach and leaned back in the padded swing, eyes half-closed, his pajamas open to the navel to expose his white-haired torso. Esau liked it cooler than his spouse. Nothing more was said for several minutes. The trembling that had begun as a whisper was now shaking the entire Village complex. Rose Hawthorne watched a couple of roofing panels slide off the top of the porch and crash into the
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