“Beeblebrox…” gasped Gargravarr’s mind in amazement.
“Could I have a drink please?” said Zaphod.
“You… you… have been in the Vortex?” stammered Gargravarr.
“You saw me, kid.”
“And it was working?”
“Sure was.”
“And you saw the whole infinity of creation?”
“Sure. Really neat place, you know that?”
Gargravarr’s mind was reeling in astonishment. Had his body been with him it would have sat down heavily with its mouth hanging open.
“And you saw yourself,” said Gargravarr, “in relation to it all?”
“Oh, yeah, yeah.”
“But… what did you experience?”
Zaphod shrugged smugly.
“It just told me what I knew all the time. I’m a really terrific and great guy. Didn’t I tell you, baby, I’m Zaphod Beeblebrox!”
His gaze passed over the machinery which powered the vortex and suddenly stopped, startled.
He breathed heavily.
“Hey,” he said, “is that really a piece of fairy cake?”
He ripped the small piece of confectionery from the sensors with which it was surrounded.
“If I told you how much I needed this,” he said ravenously, “I wouldn’t have time to eat it.”
He ate it.