2001: A Space Odyssey Page #18

If it had been alive, it would have

felt excitement, but such an

emotion was irrelevant to its

great powers.

(con't)

12/9/65 d6

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D1

CONTINUED:

NARRATOR (con't)

Even if the ship had passed it by,

it would not have known the

slightest trace of disappointment.

It had waited four million years;

it was prepared to wait for

eternity.

Presently, it felt the gentle touch

of radiations, trying to probe its

secrets.

Now, the ship was in orbit and it

began to speak, with prime

numbers from one to eleven,

over and over again.

Soon, these gave way to more

complex signals at many frequen-

cies, ultra-violet, infra-red,

X-rays.

The machine made no reply. It

had nothing to say.

Then it saw the first robot

probe, which descended and

hovered above the chasm.

(con't)

12/9/65 d7

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D1

CONTINUED:

NARRATOR (con't)

Then, it dropped into darkness.

The great machine knew that this

tiny scout was reporting back to

its parent; but it was too simple,

too primative a device to detect

the forces that were gathering

round it now.

Then the pod came, carrying

life. The great machine searched

its memories.

The logic circuits made their

decision when the pod had fallen

beyond the last faint glow of the

reflected Saturnian light.

In a moment of time, too short to

be measured, space turned and

twisted upon itself.

12/9/65 d8

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