Deciding that the others might miss him, he retraced his steps, located the trapdoor in the ceiling, pushed it open and ascended. The others were sitting on the floor, dumbfounded, as Adam climbed out and slammed the hatch shut. "How did you get down there?" Joseph asked. Adam remained silent. After a moment, Eve and Mary lost interest in the question and started skipping a length of rope. Joseph persisted. "How? I pulled, too!" Adam didn't answer. He knew the bigger boy would forget about it if he changed the subject. "How is it you're not with Mecteacher?" "We were. But he made us look for you." The closest wall panel lit bright red. It was Mecteacher. "_Adam! How did you open that?_" "I turned it--a certain way," he said evasively. Adam didn't want his cousins to learn how. "But how did you know?" "I--I reasoned it." * * * * * The image faded as the new information was assimilated. Mecteacher's voice said, "Wait a while, Adam." The computer circuited the other mec's memory banks. After ten minutes, the "conference" was over and Mecteacher returned to the screen. He asked Adam to come alone to the classroom. The others were dismissed. Reluctantly, Adam did as he was told. In the classroom, he stood stiffly in front of the central panels. All three mecs lit up, their color this time a tranquilizing blue. "Adam, we are not real people in the _now_," Mecmother began. "Do you understand that?" "Y-yes, I understand. You are--planned--fixed before." "That's right, Adam. We are pre-set. We have a very large number of choices and actions, but we are not infinite." "Infinite?" "We are limited in the help we can give you. We were real--like you--a long, long time ago. We exist now only to help you and the other children. We are here to educate you, to love and console you--and one other thing. We are here to settle your conflicts, to make sure you don't hurt each other." "But I didn't hurt anyone, Mecmother!" "Not yet, Adam, but avoiding the others the way you do could be the first sign of trouble." "How do you _know_? How can you talk if you aren't real?" "What you hear is a combination of recorded words that are electronically put together to answer an almost infinite number of your questions. But do not think of me as not real. I was merely in another time. Do you understand that?" "Yes." "Then you also are able to see that your ability to reason things--to understand what I am telling you now, for instance, is a remarkable thing." "You mean because I'm not like the others?" "You have a superior mind. You are the leader, but do not regard yourself as better than the others. You have more intelligence, yes, but do not look down on your cousins for that. They may develop other qualities better than yours. Stay simple, Adam, and you will be able to live among them and thereby make the human race live again. The name of this ship is _Destiny_. Do you know why?" "Yes--I know."