World Without End Page #3

of our peaceful intentions...

...may we have our weapons back?

Why do you want weapons?

Do you think you will need them here?

- No.

- Then against whom would you use them?

Against no one here.

We come in peace, I assure you.

Then you'll need no weapons.

I suggest we take no risks

and keep them.

We hope you feel no offense,

Dr. Galbraithe...

...but Mories is right.

If you come in peace,

you'll have no need of weapons.

Should you leave,

we will discuss returning them.

Father, these men are our guests.

They must be tired and hungry.

Of course. You've had

a most difficult time.

Garnet will see to it

that you are made comfortable.

We are honored to meet your daughter.

- Will you come with me?

- Excuse me.

We have guessed,

from what we have seen...

...that we are at least four centuries

from the world we knew.

It is more than five centuries.

By your ancient timekeeping method...

...this is the year 2508 A.D.

- Delicious, simply delicious.

- All produced underground.

- Even these fruits and vegetables?

- Yes.

We have lamps that give

the exact equivalent of sunlight.

- Remarkable.

- It was the only way to survive.

Many people took refuge underground

during the great war...

...but starvation forced them to eat food

produced on the surface.

- And they were poisoned by radioactivity?

- Yes.

But the radioactive count is safe now.

Please don't get up.

Where would you like your belongings?

Oh, put them down anywhere.

Elaine, this is Dr. Galbraithe.

- How do you do?

- Hello.

- John Borden.

- How do you do?

- Henry Jaffe and Herbert Ellis.

- How do you do?

Elaine is Elda's assistant

in the scientific section.

Elda sends his greetings.

At your convenience...

...he would be pleased to show you

our power plants, our laboratories.

Anything else you wish to see.

Is she as beautiful

as the women in your world?

Hmm? Uh, oh...

Yes. Yes, indeed, she is.

Radioactivity

is below the danger level now.

Your people can return to the surface

if they want to.

It is hard to discard

centuries of tradition.

The beasts are there.

They've killed many of our people.

But you can defeat them,

they're savages.

In any fight,

a civilized man should win.

My people are sick of war.

We are safe here and comfortable.

But the surface of the Earth

was meant for man.

He wasn't meant to live

in a hole in the ground.

Oh, I'm sorry. We're guests here.

A long, long way from home.

We have no right to criticize

your way of life.

You will rest.

When you see more of our world here...

...perhaps you will agree

it is not such a bad one.

Something's been puzzling me.

- May I ask you a question?

- Of course.

That little servant girl.

She's very pretty...

...but she seems different

than the people we've seen here.

Deena comes from the world outside.

But I thought all the people on the surface

were deformed.

- Beasts, as you call them.

- No, not all of them.

I have heard that the beast kill the ones

who are not deformed or drive them away.

Deena wandered into one of our tunnels...

...half-dead of starvation,

and we took her in.

I see.

Well, thank you very much.

I hope you rest well.

My word.

Do you think all the women here

are as beautiful as the ones we've met?

I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow.

Well, I'm gonna get some sleep.

- It's been a fairly busy day.

- Fairly busy.

Well...

Home was never like this.

John, these people seem to have

a high order of intelligence.

That's right.

Did you notice how they grasped

the significance of what happened?

They seemed to know

Ellender's time displacement theory.

- Yes, they did.

- Well, isn't it reasonable to think...

...they may have discovered a way

to reverse the time displacement?

No, Hank, it's not. I get the impression

that their science is turned inward.

Concerned only

with their immediate comfort and safety.

That nothing abstract

or experimental interests them.

But assuming they did have the knowledge

to reverse the time displacement...

...you still have the problem of repairing

the ship and getting it ready to take off.

With their help,

that ought not to be difficult.

Hank, I know you're eating your heart out

to get back to your wife and kids.

But it's no good trying to find hope

where none exists.

Face the fact that these people

probably won't help us.

Why not? They're friendly enough.

They've got the skill to help us

and the materials.

You'll find they're short

of one important ingredient.

- What's that?

- Guts.

The courage to get out of their holes

and fight.

- Good morning, gentlemen.

Good morning.

Dr. Galbraithe,

the president of the council...

...would like to see you

at your earliest convenience.

Very well, I'll be there directly.

These are very comfortable quarters.

Thank you.

There's a cold fish if I ever saw one.

Hank.

No use antagonizing anyone.

She might repeat what we say.

Ah. How do you like that crazy shower?

You step in, nothing to turn on.

The water sprays out automatically

in just the right temperature.

- What's this you're doing?

- Well, we have a plan.

- That is...

- Good morning, did you sleep well?

Yes, thank you.

My, you are so much more muscular

than our men.

Uh... The results of a misspent youth.

Got chucked out of school,

had to go to work.

Strong back, weak mind, you know.

I like it.

I just wanted to remind you to visit us.

Just ask for the Scientific Section.

Anyone will direct you.

Well, the female of the species

hasn't changed much.

Still goes for a good pair of shoulders.

If women vote here, Body Beautiful

can campaign without his shirt...

...and get himself elected president.

- Aw, now, cut it out.

How do you figure these people?

Why are the women so vital, so full of life,

and the men so different?

I'm having a talk with the head man.

If I find out anything, I'll let you know.

John, all the men we've seen look as if they

didn't have a pint of blood between them.

What? What?

Oh, she can't understand English.

Can you, honey?

Pretty little thing, isn't she?

Lovely eyes, nice figure.

Oh, but look now, isn't that too bad?

She's got bow legs.

I have not.

Well, I'm a low-down cad,

but I found out.

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

- Have you been well taken care of?

- Yes, very well, thank you.

We will have much to talk about.

It's a wonderful thing,

our being able to bridge the gap...

...between the centuries.

We will study the old books together.

Books that are ancient to us,

but which were the life of your time.

May I speak of one thing, please,

before we begin?

Our ship is only slightly damaged,

but we need help to repair it.

Repair it?

You think you can reverse the time

displacement that brought you here?

No, no, that is beyond us, I'm afraid.

It was a one-in-a-million encounter in space

that brought us here.

We're not foolish enough

to expect another such miracle.

It occurred to me...

...that we might use the ship

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