with fear and destroy the advanced super-race. The children, though incredibly advanced, are incapable of violence, even in self-defense. Jean is able to obtain a three-year extension, and then another of a few weeks when the three years expires. In that time, the children, now able to telepathically reach the entire Earth's population, build a defense mechanism which resulted in the gray barrier Eggerton described. Jean reveals that the barrier is based on time: the Earth outside the shield is a fraction of a millisecond in the future. They can pass outside without any difficulty. And though they can also get back in, Jean doesn't disclose how this is done. While cut off with the shield, the children are summoning other gifted children telepathically. Passing secretly outside the shield, they are to bring them into the compound to be raised like the others. Hopefully, given time, they would be able to construct more secret compounds to raise more super-intelligent humans. By doing this, perhaps they could turn the tide of humanity. This all depends, of course, on the security provided by their shield. At the conclusion of the letter, Eggerton says that now that they know the basis of the shield, the "eggheads" will find a way in. And when they do, they'll eradicate "the disease." External links The full text of "The First Men" Science fiction short stories 1960 short stories Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Fiction about telepathy Human-derived fictional species