an Eternal can answer that.
They are powerless, useless,
when it comes to things like this.
Does that mean Eternals
actually do something useful?
Eternity's main purpose is the constant
improvement of human history.
Not letting civilization
leave the rational path of progress.
And you know that path? -We have
the finest computing machines in Time.
Computaplexes.
Computing machines. Computaplexes.
Who feeds the machines
their instructions?
Soulless Computers.
And who even gave you the right
to take charge of our destiny?
Our goal is the betterment of mankind.
-Betterment?
You've turned humanity into a herd of
sheep that you shepherd through Time.
How fortunate for us, that you get to
choose whether or not we reach the stars.
Who can even say what's in
mankind's best interests?
Harlan, any system like Eternity
that allows a handful of people
to choose the future of mankind,
of all mankind,
inevitably leads to
mankind's best interests
becoming mediocrity.
Mediocrity! That is your goal.
It's not as simple as that.
There's much you don't understand.
There's much you do understand.
But you're afraid to admit it.
What's that supposed to mean?
-I'm sorry, it's nothing.
I don't even know what I'm saying.
You haven't said anything about us,
which is much more important to me.
I don't want you to regret coming with
me. I'll do everything I can.
But to do it, I must leave
you here for a while.
Then I'll wait.
And please remember that I love you.
As you know,
humanity's greatest scientist,
Vikkor Mallansohn, discovered the
temporal field in the 24th century.
He gave his discovery
a mathematical basis,
and thereby created Eternity.
We've learned to travel through Time,
Into past centuries
as well as future ones.
Starting with the 24th century,
And hundreds of thousands
of centuries into the future.
It seemed there was no limit
to what we could accomplish.
But that is not the case.
There are 800 centuries we cannot reach.
Who occupies these Hidden Centuries?
Friends or foes? We do not know.
And so we tend
to view the residents of those
centuries as a potential threat.
Can we take action against this threat?
I've conducted research on the
matter, approached it in thousands
of different ways.
All to no avail.
Until I came across the so-called
Mallansohn memoir.
Bequeathed to us by the great scientist.
It is kept in our archives.
As a top-secret document.
According to the memoir,
if a certain combination
of events occurs,
we will be able to close
the loop in time.
We will create a new Reality,
in which the Hidden
Centuries do not exist.
We will overcome these centuries.
Their residents will become workers,
and exporters of robots,
who will aid us in furthering
the great cause of reason.
Today, I shall reveal a great secret.
Mallansohn's memoir mentions
the appearence of a
man in Eternity
who will learn,
under the guidance of the Senior
Computer and his Technician,
the fundamentals of the temporal field.
And, after he's taught
about Primitive History,
will be sent into the 24th century.
To close the time loop.
and make Eternity truly eternal.
For what is Eternity
but an open time loop?
The memoir mentions the names
of these three people.
Senior Computer Laban Twissell.
His Technician, Andrew Harlan.
Are you paying attention, Finge?
This is why I need him. For now.
And the name of the third
individual: Vikkor Mallansohn!
Cooper, come here, please.
Members of the Allwhen Council,
before you stands
humanity's greatest mind.
Vikkor Mallansohn.
I need to see Dr. Twissell.
It's an Annihilator.
Did you really think we
wouldn't notice, Technician?
What kind of a Computer wouldn't have you
observed after your stay in Time?
We knew you brought Noys
Lambent into Eternity.
We knew from the first.
What do you want from me?
You're playing with fire, Finge.
I will annihilate you, Computer.
I want the block that's been placed