First one, then two, then three black-clad figures dropped down and spread out across the road and walked steadily toward him.
Bradley was terrified.
He didn"t know why: they were just people, after all. As they advanced deliberately upon him, he saw only that they were dressed completely in black, looked otherwise human, but were possessed of a frightening, calm intensity that seemed terribly unreal.
He wanted to get out of the car and flee, but he felt paralysed.
Then the infrasound faded away and the tightness left his head. He immediately reached for the ignition key and turned it, but heard only a dead click. He withdrew his fingers as if he"d been scorched. His heart was still racing dangerously. He licked sweat from his upper lip and shifted his gaze, taking in the three men.
One stopped right in front of the car, the other went to the far side, and the third walked around to stop by Bradley"s door.
When he bent down to look through the window, Bradley wanted to scream.
"Roll the window down, Mr Bradley."
The man"s voice was very soft. It was also oddly flat. It was the voice of a man with few feelings and a lot of authority. Bradley did as he was told. He didn"t seem to have a choice. That voice, though quiet and unemotional, would brook no disobedience. Bradley rolled the window down, his hand shaking, then stared at the man.
He had silver-gray hair, unnaturally smooth white skin, coldly handsome features, and hypnotic blue eyes.
"You"re Mike Bradley," he said.
"Yes," Bradley replied.
"You were with the OSS during the war."
"That"s right," Bradley said.
The man smiled without warmth. "I believe you wanted to see me, Bradley. I"m told that your need to see me was an obsession that would not let you rest. Why was that?"
Bradley felt calmer now. Not too good, but in control. He felt paralysed, but the fear was less intense and allowed him to think.
"You"re Wilson?"
The man smiled again, this time as if amused. "Why did you go to such lengths to find me? What did you hope to find?"
"An answer," Bradley said.
"An answer to what?"
"I had to know if such a genius could be human or was some kind of mutant."
"Observe I am human."
"No, you"re not. You"re not like us. You exist on some plane beyond humanity, where feelings don"t count."
"Feelings aren"t important. They belong back in the caves. Where we"re going where the human race must go only logic prevails. Science, Mr Bradley, not emotion, is what will lead us to glory."
"You"re evil."
"No, I"m not. To be evil, one must have feelings. Extreme feelings, I grant you, but feelings nevertheless, and since my mind has taken me beyond those, I cannot be evil. I am what I am, that I will be. I am nature"s child also."
"Nature can be brutal."
"Nature is. There"s no good or bad in it."
Bradley studied Wilson"s face. He wanted to find the evil in it. He saw nothing but blue eyes that were brilliant with intelligence; handsome, unrevealing features; skin too smooth to be natural.
Otherwise, there was nothing.
"Your world is dying, Mr Bradley. The world of pointless emotions. The new world, my world, is approaching and can"t be held back. It"s a world of pitiless logic, of truth, and that"s the way we must go. Science will take us there."
He reached into the car and pressed his fingers to Bradley"s forehead. "Stop pursuing me," he said. "It will do you no good. You will only be treated as a crank and have a very unfortunate life. Think of your wife, Bradley. I know her, I believe. Consider your married children and don"t make them endure your humiliation, since you can"t stop me anyway. My flying saucers won"t be hidden. They"ll fly the world with impunity. Those who report seeing them will be ridiculed and, where necessary, silenced. Retire, Bradley. Think of your children. Enjoy your retirement. Now relax... Auf Wiedersehen."
Bradley felt that he was dreaming. In his dream the fear returned. He kept thinking of his children, of that warning, and he knew he would stop here.
He would not go to Socorro. He would burn all his research. He knew, even as Wilson departed, that his search had come to an end. He would retire to guarantee his family"s safety and let others do what they would.