Abduction

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The ceiling of the subterranean cavern darkened gradually, mimicking a normal evening just as it had the previous night. Suzanne and Perry, marveling how much the vaulted roof looked like sky, watched in awe as the pseudo stars began to blink on in the purple twilight. The ever glum Donald in contrast was staring morosely at the darkening shadows beneath the fern thickets. All three were standing on the lawn about forty feet away from the open end of the dining room. Inside, worker clones were busily laying out the dinner. Richard and Michael were already in their chairs eager for food.

“This is absolutely amazing,” Suzanne said. She was craning her neck to look straight up.

“The bioluminescent stars?” Perry questioned.

“Everything,” Suzanne said. “Including the stars.” She’d just joined the others from her quarters, where she’d taken a swim, bathed, and had even tried to take a nap. But sleep had been impossible. She had too much on her mind.

“There are some astounding aspects,” Donald admitted.

“I can’t think of anything that’s not,” Suzanne said. She looked across the lawn at the dark hall of the pavilion where the gala had been held the previous evening. “Starting with the fact that this spacious paradise is buried in the earth under the ocean. How strange that I mentioned Jules Vernes’s Voyage to the Center of the Earth back when we were starting our dive, since now we’re actually here.”

Perry chuckled. “Pretty apropos.”

“Apropos and mind-boggling,” Suzanne added. “Especially now that it appears everything Arak and Sufa have been telling us is true, no matter how fantastic it all seems.”

“It is hard to deny the technology we’re seeing,” Perry said animatedly. “I can hardly wait to learn more of the details-like the biomechanics of the worker clones or the secrets of the air taxis. Patents on any of this could make us all billionaires. And what about tourism? Can you imagine what the demand for coming down here will be? It’s going to be off the charts.” Perry chuckled again. “One way or the other, Benthic Marine is going to become the Microsoft of the new century.”

“Arak’s revelations are extraordinary,” Donald agreed grudgingly. “But there are a couple of important gaps that you bedazzled people seem to be forgetting.”

“What are you talking about?” Perry questioned.

“Take off the rose-colored glasses,” Donald said. “As far as I’m concerned, the overarching question hasn’t even come up: What are we doing here? We weren’t saved from drowning from a wrecked schooner like the Blacks. We were purposefully and deliberately sucked into their so-called exit port, and I’d like to know why.”

“Donald’s right,” Suzanne said, suddenly thoughtful. “In the excitement, I keep forgetting we are, after all, victims of an abduction. That certainly does beg the question of what we are doing here.”

“They are certainly treating us well,” Perry said.

“For the moment,” Donald said. “But as I said before it could change in the blink of an eye. I don’t think you people realize how vulnerable we are.”

“I know how vulnerable we are,” Perry said with a touch of irritation. “Hell, as advanced as these people are, they could snuff us out in an instant. Arak talked about interplanetary travel, even galactic travel and time technology. But they like us. It’s apparent to me even if it isn’t to you. I think we should be more appreciative and not so paranoid.”

“Like us, my foot,” Donald spat. “We’re entertaining to them. How many times have they told us that? They find our primitiveness funny or cute, sort of like a house pet. Well, I’m tired of being laughed at.”

“They wouldn’t be treating us this well unless they liked us,” Perry persisted.

“You are so naive,” Donald said. “You refuse to remember that we’re prisoners, for all intents and purposes, who have been forcibly kidnapped and manipulated in that decon center. We were brought here for a reason that has yet to be revealed.”

Suzanne nodded. Donald’s remarks reminded her of an offhand comment of Arak’s that had given her the impression he’d been anticipating her arrival. She’d found the comment unsettling at the time, but then it had gotten buried by other more astonishing disclosures.

“Maybe they’re recruiting us,” Perry said suddenly.

“For what?” Donald asked dubiously.

“Maybe they’re making such an effort to show us everything to prepare us to be their representatives,” Perry said, warming to the idea as he spoke. “Maybe they have finally decided it’s time to relate to our world, and they want us to be ambassadors. Frankly, I think we could do a damn good job, especially if we handled it through Benthic Marine.”

“Ambassadors!” Suzanne repeated. “That’s an interesting idea! They are not fond of going through the adaptation to our atmosphere because of their lack of immunity to our bacteria and viruses, and they don’t like the decon process necessary to return to Interterra either.”

“Exactly,” Perry said. “If we were their representatives they wouldn’t have to do any of that.”

“Ambassadors? Good god!” Donald mumbled. He threw up his hands and shook his head in frustration.

“What’s the matter now?” Perry asked, his irritation returning. Donald was beginning to get on his nerves.

“I knew you two were optimists,” Donald grunted, “but this ambassador idea takes the cake.”

“I think it is a perfectly reasonable possibility,” Perry said.

“Listen, Mr. President of Benthic Marine!” Donald spat as if the appellation were derogatory. “These Interterrans don’t plan to let us go. If you weren’t such a hopeless optimist you’d understand that.”

Suzanne and Perry were silent as they mulled over Donald’s comment. The issue was something neither had wanted to think about much less discuss.

“You feel that they plan to keep us here forever?” Suzanne asked finally. She had to admit that nothing either Arak or Sufa had said had indicated a plan to return them to their ship back upon the ocean’s surface.

“I believe that’s what it means if they never let us go,” Donald said sarcastically.

“But why?” Perry pleaded. The anger had gone out of his voice.

“It stands to reason,” Donald said. “These people have been avoiding detection of Interterra for thousands of years. How could they feel good about letting us return to the surface knowing what we know?”

“Oh dear!” Suzanne whispered.

“Do you think Donald’s right?” Perry asked.

“I’m afraid he has a point,” Suzanne said. “There’s no reason they would be less worried about contamination now than in the past. And with our advancing technology there’s reason they should be more worried. They might be entertained by our primitiveness but I’d suspect they’re terrified of our culture’s violence.”

“But they keep referring to us as visitors,” Perry interjected. “This place we’re staying is called the visitors’ palace. Visitors don’t stay forever.” Then, irrationally, he added, “Besides, I can’t stay here forever. I’ve got a family. I mean, I’m already worried that I haven’t been able to let them know I’m okay.”

“That’s another point,” Donald said. “They know a lot about us. They know about our families. With all their technology they could have offered to us an opportunity to let our loved ones know we’re not dead. The fact that they haven’t, I believe, is more proof they intend to keep us here.”

“Good point,” Suzanne said. She sighed. “Just a half hour ago in my room I was wishing there was an old-fashioned phone so I could call my brother. He’s the only relative I have who’ll miss me.”

“No family?” Donald asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Suzanne said. “That part of my life just hasn’t come together, and I lost both parents years ago.”

“I’ve got a wife and three kids,” Donald said. “Of course, that doesn’t mean much to the Interterrans. To them the whole concept of parenthood seems quaintly out of date.”

“My god!” Perry said. “What are we going to do? We have to get out of here. There has to be a way.”

“Hey, everybody!” Michael called out from the dining room. “Soup’s on. Come and get it!”

“Unfortunately they’re holding all the cards,” Donald said, ignoring Michael who disappeared back into the dining room. “There’s nothing we can do at this point except keep our eyes open.”

“Which means taking advantage of their hospitality,” Suzanne said.

“To a point,” Donald said. “I’m never one to condone fraternizing with the enemy.”

“That’s the confusing part,” Suzanne said. “They don’t act like enemies. They’re so gracious and peaceful. It’s hard to imagine them doing anything unkind to anybody.”

“Keeping me away from my family is about as mean as I can imagine,” Perry said.

“Not from their perspective,” Donald said. “With reproduction carried out mechanically and four-year-old newborns imbued with the mind and personality of adults, there are no families in Interterra. It’s possible they cannot understand the bond.”

“What the hell are you people doing out there in the dark?” Michael shouted. He’d returned to the juncture between the dining room and the lawn. “The worker clones are waiting for you. Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I guess we might as well,” Suzanne said. “I am hungry.”

“I’m not sure I am, after this discussion,” Perry said.

They started walking toward the light spilling out onto the dark grass.

“There has to be something we can do,” Perry said.

“We can avoid offending them,” Donald said. “That could be critical.”

“What could we do to offend them?” Perry asked.

“It’s not us that I’m worried about,” Donald said. “It’s the numbskull divers.”

“What about being direct about all this?” Perry suggested. “Why not ask Arak when we meet him tomorrow whether we’re going to be able to leave? Then we’d know for sure.”

“That might be risky,” Donald said. “I don’t think we should emphasize our interest in leaving. If we do, they might curtail our freedoms. As it is now, theoretically we can call air taxis with our wrist communicators and can come and go as we please. I don’t want to lose that privilege. We may need it if there’s any chance of our breaking out of here.”

“That’s another good point,” Suzanne agreed. “But I don’t see any reason we couldn’t ask why we are here. Maybe the answer to that question will tell us whether they expect us to stay forever.”

“Not a bad idea,” Donald said. “I could go for that provided we don’t make a big deal asking. In fact, why don’t I ask tomorrow morning at the session Arak mentioned we’d be having.”

“Sounds good to me,” Suzanne said. “What do you think, Perry?”

“I don’t know what to think at this point,” Perry said.

“Come on, hurry up!” Michael said as the others entered the room. “This asshole worker clone won’t let us touch the serving dishes until everybody’s here, and he’s stronger than an ox.”

A worker clone was standing next to the center table with his hands resting on the covers of the chafing dishes.

“How did you know he was waiting for us?” Suzanne asked as she took one of the chairs.

“Well, we didn’t know for sure, since the bozo doesn’t talk,” Michael admitted. “But we’re hoping it’s the case. We’re starved.”

Perry and Donald sat down. Almost immediately the worker clone lifted the covers from the food.

“Bingo!” Richard said.

Within minutes the food was served. For a time, there was no conversation. Richard and Michael were too busy eating; the others were absorbed in thoughts of their recent conversation on the lawn.

“What were you people doing out there in the dark?” Richard asked, then burped loudly. “Talking about a funeral? You’re all so gloomy.”

No one responded.

“Lively group,” Richard muttered.

“At least we have table manners,” Donald snapped.

“Screw you,” Richard answered.

“You know, I suddenly find this strangely ironic,” Suzanne said.

“What, Richard’s table manners?” Michael questioned with a loud guffaw.

“No, our response to Interterra,” Suzanne said.

“What do you mean?” Perry asked.

“Think about what we have here,” Suzanne said. “It’s like heaven even though it’s not up in the sky like our traditional image. Nonetheless, it has everything that we consciously and unconsciously yearn for: youth, beauty, immortality, and plenty. It’s a true paradise.”

“We can attest to the beauty, eh, Mikey?” Richard said.

“Why do you find it ironic?” Perry asked, ignoring Richard.

“Because we’re worried about being forced to stay,” Suzanne said. “Everyone else dreams about getting to heaven, and we’re worried we’re not going to be able to leave.”

“What do you mean, forced to stay?” Richard demanded.

“I don’t find it ironic,” Donald said. “If my family were here with me, maybe I would. But not now. Besides, I don’t like to be forced to do anything. It may sound corny, but I value my freedom.”

“We’re getting out of here, aren’t we?” Richard asked insistently.

“Not according to Donald,” Perry said.

“But we have to,” Richard blurted.

“And why is that, sailor?” Donald asked. “What makes you so eager to get out of Suzanne’s heaven?”

“I was speaking in general terms, not personal,” Suzanne interjected. “Frankly, finding out how they manage their immortality made me a little sick today.”

“I don’t know what you people are talking about,” Richard said. “But I want to get out of here ASAP.”

“Me, too,” Michael seconded.

A soft chime sounded that no one had heard before. Everyone looked at each other quizzically, but before anyone could speak, the door opened and in walked Mura, Meeta, Palenque, and Karena. The bevy of beautiful women were in high spirits. Mura went directly to Michael and extended her palm in the usual Interterran greeting. After a quick palm press, she sat down on the edge of Michael’s chair. Meeta, Palenque, and Karena approached Richard, who leaped to his feet.

“Oh, babies, you came back!” Richard cried. He touch palms with all three and then hugged them enthusiastically. They briefly acknowledged Suzanne, Perry, and Donald but lavished their attention on Richard, who swooned with utter delight. As he tried to collapse back onto his chaise, they restrained him. They told him they were eager to get him back to his room to go for a swim.

“Well, yeah, sure,” Richard stammered. He saluted Donald before exiting with his miniharem.

“Come on!” Mura urged Michael. “Let us go as well. I’ve brought you a present.”

“What is it?” Michael asked. He allowed himself to be pulled toward the door.

“A jar of caldorphin!” Mura said. “I heard you liked it.”

“Loved it is more accurate,” Michael cried. With that, the two of them skipped out of the room.

Before the remaining diners could comment, the soft chime sounded again. This time it heralded the arrival of Luna and Garona. The Interterrans seemed to be rounding up their previous evening’s partners.

“Oh, Suzanne!” Garona cooed as he pressed palms with her. “I have been longing for the night so that I could come and once again spend it with you.”

“Perry, my love,” Luna gushed. “It’s been too long a day. I hope it was not too stressful for you.”

Neither Suzanne nor Perry could decide if they were mortified or delighted, especially being greeted with such mushily amorous protestations. Both stammered unintelligible responses while allowing themselves to be lifted to their feet.

“I guess we’re leaving,” Suzanne said to Donald as Garona playfully towed her toward the open end of the room.

“And we must be going to the same place they are,” Perry said to him as Luna dragged him.

Donald gave a halfhearted wave but didn’t say anything. The next instant, he found himself alone with the two mute worker clones.

Michael could not remember ever being so excited. Never had a woman this gorgeous and desirable seemed so interested in him. At her insistence they began to spin around as they cavorted across the dark lawn toward his room. With her long hair floating in the wind, the image was intoxicating for Michael, and he would have gone on for hours had his inner ear not intervened.

Feeling dizzy, Michael stopped revolving but his surroundings didn’t. He staggered to his right, vainly trying to maintain his balance. Unable to keep his legs under him, he collapsed in a heap. Mura collapsed with him. Together they laughed uncontrollably. They got to their feet unsteadily, then ran on to his cottage. Once they got inside, they were both out of breath.

“Well,” Michael said. He took a couple of deep breaths but still felt light-headed. Just looking at Mura in the slinky outfit made him quiver with desire. “What would you like to do first? Take a swim?”

Mura gazed at Michael provocatively. She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to swim now,” she said, her voice husky. “Last night you were too tired for intimacy. You sent me away before I could make you happy.”

“But that’s not true,” Michael protested. “I was happy.”

“You mean, Sart made you happy?”

“Hell, no!” Michael barked, taking immediate offense. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

“Don’t get upset,” Mura said, taken aback by Michael’s response. “I’m not suggesting anything. Besides, it’s perfectly all right to have pleasure from either sex.”

“Hey, it’s not okay with me,” Michael snapped. “No way!”

“Michael, please calm yourself,” Mura pleaded. “What’s making you so agitated?”

“I’m not agitated!” Michael shot back.

“Did Sart do something to make you angry?”

“No, he was fine,” Michael said nervously.

“Something made you angry,” Mura said. “Did Sart stay all night? I didn’t see him all day.”

“No! No!” Michael stammered. “He left right after you did. Richard just apologized for getting mad at him and that was it. He was out of here. Nice kid, though.”

“Why did Richard get mad at him?”

“I don’t know,” Michael said irritably. “Do we have to talk about Sart all night? I thought you came here to see me.”

“I did indeed,” Mura said. She sidled up to Michael and stroked his chest. Beneath her fingers she could feel that his heart was racing. “I think you must have had a difficult day. We should get you to calm down, and I know just the thing.”

“What’s that?”

“You lie down on the bed,” Mura instructed. “I will rub your body and massage your muscles.”

“Now you’re talking.”

“And once you are serene we will press palms with the caldorphin.”

“Sounds great, baby,” Michael said, recovering his composure. “Let’s do it.”

“All right, I’ll be there in a moment,” Mura said. She gave Michael a gentle nudge toward the bed. Dutifully Michael sauntered over and lay down on the soft coverlet.

Mura went to the refrigerator to get something cold to drink. She gave the command directly to the receptor so she could do it as softly as possible so as to avoid disturbing Michael. After his minor outburst, she sensed he was tense and needful of every consideration. She knew from experience how easily agitated secondary humans could become over the strangest things.

Mura was surprised to discover the compartment so full. “My word,” she said. “What all do you have in here?”

In response to Mura’s nagging about Sart, Michael’s ardor had significantly waned. Instead of fantasizing as he lay facedown on the bed waiting for her ministrations, he found himself fretting over the dinner table discussion that their group was stuck in Interterra. Consequently her comment about his refrigerator being full didn’t even penetrate his consciousness until he heard beverage and food containers crash to the floor followed by a gasp. It was only then that he remembered Sart’s body, and by then it was too late…

“Oh shit!” Michael whispered as he leaped off the bed. Just as he’d feared, Mura was standing in front of the open refrigerator with a hand clasped over her mouth. Her expression was one of pure horror.

Inside the refrigerator, Sart’s frozen, pale face was framed haphazardly by stacked containers.

Michael rushed to Mura’s side and enveloped her with his arms. She sagged against him and would have collapsed had he not been supporting her.

“Listen! Listen!” Michael urged in a forced whisper. “I can explain.”

Mura regained her balance and pulled herself from Michael’s embrace. With a trembling hand she reached into the refrigerator and felt Sart’s cheek. It was as firm as wood and as cold as ice. “Oh, no!” she moaned. Cradling her own drained cheeks with her hands, she shivered as if a cold wind had suddenly wafted through the room. When Michael tried again to put his arms around her, she shoved him to the side to keep Sart’s face in view. As frightful as the image was, she could not turn away.

Frantically Michael bent down, retrieved the fallen objects, and crammed them back into the refrigerator to block her view of the dead boy. “You have to calm down,” he said nervously.

“What happened to his essence?” Mura demanded. Blood surged back into her face turning her cheeks crimson. Shock and dismay were turning to anger.

“It was an accident,” Michael said. “He fell and hit his head.” Michael reached for her again, but she backed up to keep him at arm’s length.

“But his essence?” Mura questioned again, although deep down she already knew the horrid truth.

“Look, he’s dead, for chrissake,” Michael snapped.

“His essence is lost!” Mura managed. Her fleeting anger was already giving way to grief. Tears welled up in her emerald green eyes.

“Look, baby,” Michael said in a tone halfway between solicitude and irritation. “Regrettably, the kid is dead. It was an accident. You have to pull yourself together.”

Tears turned to sobs as the reality of the tragedy struck the core of Mura’s own essence. “I must go and tell the elders,” she said. She turned and started toward the door.

“No, wait!” Michael said. He was frantic. He rushed around to head her off. “Listen to me!” He grabbed her with both hands.

“Let me go!” Mura cried. She tried to break from his grasp. “I must announce the calamity.”

“No, we must talk,” Michael insisted. He grappled with her as she tried to free herself.

“Let go!” Mura yelled, her voice rising through her sobs. She got one arm free.

“Shut up!” Michael shouted back. He slapped her across the face with an open palm, hoping to snap her out of her hysteria. Instead, she opened her mouth and let loose an earsplitting scream. Fearful of the consequences, Michael clapped a hand over her mouth. But it was not enough. Mura was a tall, strong woman, and she twisted from his grasp, letting out another cry.

With some difficulty Michael got his hand over her mouth again, but no matter what he tried, he could not keep her quiet. Impulsively he dragged her over to the deep end of the pool and launched them both into the water. But even the sudden dunking did not contain her screams until he forced her head beneath the water’s surface.

Still she struggled, and when he brought her up for a breath, she let out a cry as loud as any previous. Again Michael pushed her under the water, and this time he held her until her violent flailing slowed, then ceased.

Slowly he eased up on the grip he had around her head, afraid she’d suddenly rear up and yell once more. Instead her limp body slowly bobbed to the surface, her face submerged.

He pulled her body to the edge and lifted her onto the pool’s marble lip. A foamy mixture of mucus and saliva issued from her nose and slack mouth. As he looked at her and realized she was dead, a shudder passed down his spine. His teeth began to chatter uncontrollably. He had killed someone-someone he cared for.

For a moment he stood perfectly still. He wondered if anyone could have heard Mura’s screeches. Thankfully, the night was still. In a panic, he dragged her over to the bed, laid her alongside, and pulled the coverlet over her. Then he ran past the pool and out into the night.

Richard’s cottage was no more than fifty yards away, and Michael covered the distance in seconds. He pounded on the door.

“Whoever it is, go away!” Richard’s voice commanded from within.

“Richard, it’s me!” Michael shouted.

“I don’t care who it is!” Richard yelled back. “We’re busy in here.”

“It can’t wait, Richie,” Michael insisted. “I got to see you.”

A string of expletives preceded a short silence. Finally the door was pulled open. “This better be good,” Richard growled. He was buck naked.

“We got a problem,” Michael announced.

“You’re about to have another one,” Richard warned. Then he noticed that Michael was sopping wet. “Why’d you go swimming with your clothes on?” he asked.

“You gotta come with me back to my cottage,” Michael stammered.

Richard noted the degree of his friend’s anxiety. Richard glanced over his shoulder to make sure none of the women were close enough to hear. “Does this have something to do with Sart’s body?” he asked in a whisper.

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Michael said.

“Where’s Mura?”

“She’s the problem,” Michael said. “She saw the body.”

“Oh, Christ!” Richard moaned. “Is she upset?”

“She went ballistic on me,” Michael said. “You gotta come!”

“All right! Calm down. So she really got psycho?”

“I’m telling you, she went completely crazy. You gotta get your ass over there.”

“Okay already,” Richard soothed. “Don’t shout! I’ll be over in a few minutes. I’ll have to get rid of my friends.”

Michael nodded as Richard closed the door in his face. Turning around, he sprinted back to his quarters. After checking to make sure Mura’s body was where he’d left it, he changed into a dry set of clothes. Then he paced up and down the room, waiting for Richard.

True to his word, Richard arrived in less than five minutes. He scanned the room the moment he stepped over the threshold. Everything looked peaceful enough. He half expected to see Mura sobbing uncontrollably on the bed, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Well, where is she?” he demanded. “In the bathroom?”

Michael didn’t answer. He motioned for Richard to follow him and walked around the end of the bed. Reaching down with a shaky hand, he grasped the corner of the coverlet and whipped it aside to expose the corpse. Mura’s previously translucent alabaster skin had become a mottled blue and the foam oozing from her mouth and nose was tinged with red.

“What the hell?” Richard gasped. He knelt down and felt for a carotid pulse. He stood back up. His face was slack with shock. “She’s dead!”

“She opened the refrigerator,” Michael explained. “She saw Sart’s body.”

“All right, I understood that,” Richard said. He stared at his friend. “But why did you kill her?”

“I told you, she went crazy,” Michael said. “She was screaming bloody murder. I was afraid she was going to wake up the entire goddamn city.”

“Why the hell did you let her open the refrigerator?” Richard demanded angrily.

“I wasn’t watching for two seconds,” Michael said.

“Yeah, well, you should have been more careful,” Richard complained.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Michael snapped. “I told you I didn’t want the body over here. He should have been in your refrigerator, not mine.”

“Okay, calm down,” Richard said. “We got to think what to do.”

“There’s no more room in my refrigerator,” Michael said. “She’s got to go in yours.”

Richard wasn’t wild about dragging the body over to his place, but he couldn’t come up with an alternate idea, and he knew they had to do something quickly. If Mura was found, then Sart would be, too. One way or the other he’d be involved.

“All right,” Richard said reluctantly. “Let’s get it over with.”

With dispatch they rolled Mura up inside the coverlet. Then with Richard at the head and Michael at the foot, they carried her across the lawn to Richard’s cottage. They had a little trouble navigating her in through the door since it was relatively narrow.

“Jeez,” Michael complained. “Carrying a body is a little like carrying a mattress. It’s harder than you’d think.”

“That’s because it’s so much dead weight,” Richard said, smirking at the double meaning.

They dumped the body in the middle of the floor. While Michael unraveled the blanket, Richard went to the refrigerator and emptied it. Since this was his second time through the body-in-the-refrigerator routine, he knew exactly what to do, meaning to get Mura inside required a complete rearrangement of the contents.

“All right,” Richard said. “Give me a hand.”

Together they got Mura wedged into place. She was taller and heavier than Sart, so she was a tighter fit. In the end, they had to leave a few containers out.

Richard straightened up after finally managing to get the door to shut. “This has got to stop,” he said.

“What?” Michael asked.

“Knocking off these Interterrans,” Richard said. “We’re out of refrigerators.”

“Very funny,” Michael said. “How come I’m not laughing?”

“Don’t make me answer that, birdbrain,” Richard said.

“I’ll tell you what it really means,” Michael said. “We gotta get our asses out of Interterra! With two bodies, the chances of someone stumbling across one has just doubled.”

“You should have thought of that before you knocked her off,” Richard said.

“I’m telling you, I didn’t have any choice!” Michael yelled. “I didn’t want to ice her, but she wouldn’t shut up.”

“Don’t shout!” Richard said. “You’re right. We got to get the hell out of here. The only good news is that it seems the straightlaced admiral is thinking the same way we are.”

Suzanne couldn’t remember the last time she’d swum in the nude, and she was pleasantly shocked by the sensation as she struck out across the pool. And although she was mildly self-conscious about being naked, especially given Garona’s perfect form, she wasn’t as uptight as she had imagined she’d be. It was probably because Garona made her feel so accepted the way she was despite her physical imperfections.

Reaching the far end of the pool, Suzanne flipped over and, with a burst of speed, swam back to where Garona was contentedly sitting at the edge with just his feet in the water. She grasped one of his ankles and succeeded in pulling him into the water. They ducked under the water and embraced.

Eventually tiring of their underwater play, they swam to the side, and hauled themselves out of the water. With the slight breeze wafting in from the open end of the room, Suzanne felt gooseflesh pop out along the backs of her arms and the sides of her thighs. “I’m glad you came back tonight,” she said. She was genuinely glad to see him.

“I’m glad, too,” Garona said. “I was anticipating it all day.”

“I wasn’t sure if you would come back,” Suzanne said. “To be honest, I was worried you wouldn’t. I’m afraid I acted immaturely last night.”

“What do you mean?”

“I should have made a clearer choice,” Suzanne said. “Either I should not have allowed you to stay or, having done so, I should have acted more appropriately. What I did was somewhere in between.”

“I enjoyed every minute,” Garona said. “Our interaction was not goal-oriented. The idea was just to spend time together, which we did.”

Suzanne gazed at Garona appreciatively, silently lamenting that it required a trip to a surreal, mythic world to find such a sensitive, giving, and handsome man. As her mind naturally drifted to the idea of taking him back with her, the thought yanked her back to the reality of whether she was ever going to be able to go back herself. It also brought up the other, major unanswered question. “Garona, can you tell me why we’ve been brought to Interterra?” Suzanne asked suddenly.

Garona sighed. “I am sorry,” he said. “I cannot interfere with Arak. You and your group are his charges.”

“Just telling me why we’re here would be interfering?”

“Yes,” Garona said without hesitation. “Please don’t put me in that position. I want so much to be open and honest with you, but in that sphere I cannot, and it distresses me to have to deny you anything.”

Suzanne stared into her new friend’s face and could see his sincerity. “I’m sorry for asking,” she said. She lifted her hand and he lifted his. They slowly pressed palms. Suzanne smiled with contentment; she was becoming pleasantly acclimated to the Interterran embrace.

“Perhaps I should ask how Arak is doing with his orientation?” Garona said.

“I’d say very well,” Suzanne commented. “He and Sufa are such gracious hosts.”

“But of course,” Garona said. “They were lucky to get such an interesting group. I heard that they have already taken you out into the city. Did you enjoy that?”

“It was fascinating,” Suzanne said. “We visited the death center and the spawning center as well as Arak and Sufa’s home.”

“Such rapid progress,” Garona commented. “I’m impressed indeed. I’ve never heard of second-generation humans progressing so quickly. What is your reaction to what you have seen and heard? I can hardly imagine how extraordinary it must be for you.”

“The expression beyond belief has never been so appropriate.”

“Have you found anything disturbing?”

Suzanne tried to figure out if Garona wanted the truth or platitudes.

“There was one thing that bothered me,” Suzanne began, deciding to give Garona honesty. She went on to explain her negative reaction to the implant process.

Garona nodded. “I can appreciate your point of view,” he said. “It is a natural consequence of your Judeo-Christian roots, which puts such high value on the individual. But I assure you we do as well. The child’s essence is not ignored but rather added to the implanted essence. It is a mutually beneficial process, a true symbiosis.”

“But how can an unborn’s essence compete with that of a learned adult?”

“It is not a competition,” Garona said. “Both benefit, although obviously the child benefits the most. I can tell you, as someone who has gone through the process countless times, I have been strongly influenced by each essence from each body. It is definitely an additive process.”

“It seems like a rationalization,” Suzanne said. “But I’ll try to keep an open mind.”

“I hope you do,” Garona said. “I’m sure Arak plans to return to this issue in the didactic sessions. Remember, today’s outing was not to explain things thoroughly but rather to help overcome the usual disbelief with which our visitors initially struggle.”

“I’m aware of that,” Suzanne said. “But it is true I tend to forget. So thank you for reminding me.”

“My pleasure,” Garona said.

“You’re a sensitive, beautiful man, Garona,” Suzanne said with all sincerity. “It is a delight to be with you.” She found herself wondering what it would be like to walk with him on the beach at Malibu or to drive on Route 1 around Big Sur. One thing that Interterra lacked was an ocean, and as an oceanographer, the ocean was central to Suzanne’s universe.

“You are a beautiful woman. You’re extraordinarily entertaining.”

“Thanks to my alluring primitiveness,” Suzanne said. She guessed Garona imagined he was complimenting her, but she would have preferred a word other than entertaining, especially after Donald’s complaint.

“Your primitiveness is endearing,” Garona agreed.

Briefly Suzanne entertained the idea of letting Garona know her response to being called primitive, but she resisted. At this stage of their relationship she wanted to be positive. Instead she said, “Garona, there’s something I want you to know about me.”

Garona pricked his ears.

“I want you to know I don’t have another lover. I did, but that ended.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Garona said. “The only thing that matters is that you are here this moment.”

“It matters to me,” Suzanne said mildly hurt. “It matters to me a lot.”