The room was unchanged when he woke once more. O'Brien sat
cross-legged, looking into space. His face had altered, had acquired a
new peace and maturity.
He heard Arnsen's slight movement and turned.
"Awake? How do you feel?"
"All right. Well enough to hear explanations," Arnsen said with a flash
of temper. "I've been nearly crazy--looking for you all over this
damned asteroid. I still think I'm crazy after all this."
O'Brien chuckled. "I can imagine. I felt pretty upset for a while, till
the crystals explained."
"The crystals _what_?"
"They're alive, Steve. The ultimate product of evolution, perhaps.
Crystalline life. Perfect machines. They can do almost anything. You
saw how one created drinkable water, and--well, look here." He beckoned.
A jewel floated close. From it a jet of flame shot, red and brilliant.
O'Brien waved his hand; the gem drifted back to its place.
"They can convert energy into matter, you see. It's logical, when you
forget about hide-bound science. All matter's made up of energy. It's
simply locked in certain patterns--certain matrixes. But inside the
atom--the framework of matter--you've got nothing but energy. These
crystals build patterns out of basic energy."