Con transformed into a creature whose only sensation was unbearable agony. She felt that her skin had been ignited, her bones crushed, and her muscles and entrails torn and mangled. She fell convulsing upon the snow, without the bream to scream or even moan. Pain washed her mind clear of thought and pushed it toward madness. She became less than an animal—a mindless, frenzied thing writhing on the ground in her own befoulment.
Existing only in a crimson universe of pain, Con was un-aware of Jane's approach. She did not feel Jane lift her like a child. Only when Jane pressed a device to the back of her neck and her torment diminished, did Con become dimly aware she was lying on her bed in the stone room. As a cooling sensation spread through her burning body, the world slowly came into focus. When Con saw the swirling colors between the colonnades, she burst into bitter tears.
Jane disappeared, then returned to find Con shaking on the bed as if in the grip of a fever. She lifted Con up and held a vessel to her trembling lips. "Drink this," she said. Con sipped the sweet, aromatic liquid. Warmth filled her mouth and throat. The shaking slowed, then stopped, and the last of the throbbing pain faded.
"No one has ever passed through the barrier," said Jane. "How could you do such a thing?" There was pity in her voice, but also a hint of wonder.
"I had to see Rick again," said Con quietly.
Jane placed a translucent ovoid in Con's hand. "You will want this," she said. "It is similar to soap." Then she left the room.
The liquid Con drank had the effect of restoring her energy as well as eliminating the vestiges of pain. Con entered the bathroom, washed her reeking clothes, then bathed herself. The soap was a luxury she relished. Moreover, it seemed to be a token of a change in Jane's attitude toward her. When Con left the bath, she was surprised to see the black of night between the columns. The barrier was gone. Is it a malfunction? An oversight? A trap? Con suspected it was none of those. Perhaps it's a gift, she thought. What-ever else it was, Con knew it was an opportunity. She gazed into the night for only a moment before she quickly dressed in her damp clothes, dimmed her room's lights, and stepped into the darkness.
As soon as she crossed beyond the columns, it was bitterly cold. The glow from her ceiling provided the only light, and it was barely enough for her to find her way. When she reached Rick's room, it was too dark to tell if the colors barred her way. With trepidation, she stretched out her hand. She encountered no tingling, no pain. She shuffled into the warm, pitch-black room and heard the reassuring sound of Rick's breathing. She inched her way until she encountered the bed. Then, she quietly undressed and crawled next to Rick.
"Con?" said Rick sleepily after her groping hands found his face and she kissed him. When his hands found her, Con felt a delicious excitement as he became aware she was nude. She giggled, and said, "I wish I could see your face." Then she began to undress him.
"Do you think this is safe?" asked Rick.
"I don't care if it's safe," replied Con. "This may be our only chance. I want you, Rick. It's right. I know it's right."
Con's hands discovered that Rick wanted her, too. They made love in an awkward frenzy. Embracing afterward in the dark, their passion returned, and they made love again. This time, they went slowly. Exploring each other with tenderness and love, they forgot where they were and lived in the eternal now. When they were spent, a serene drowsiness came over them, and they slept entwined. Con dreamed she stood before the immense pink cake, poised with a knife to cut it. As always, she hesitated and looked toward the door, hoping for her wish to come true. This time the door opened. Joe stood there, smiling and healed. Con ran past the cake, and Joe hugged her, saying, " Constance, I have a gift for you. It's from your father."
"What is it?"
"A message."
Con woke to the warmth of Rick's body next to hers. She wanted to make love again, but light was returning to the sky, and she felt exposed before the open colonnade without sheets or covers. With regret, she kissed Rick awake. "I'd better go," she said as she looked for her clothes. She dressed quickly, then hurried back to her room.
Jane entered only a few minutes later, bearing a food cube. Con was wondering whether she should thank her for re-moving the barrier when Jane asked a question. "What is a chimpanzee?"
"It's an ape," replied Con. "They used to live in ... Where did you hear that word? Have you been listening to us?"
"Respond to my question."
"So that's why you let me loose—so you could play Peep-ing Tom!"
"I do not understand your term."
Con stared at Jane as her emotions wavered between hu-miliation and anger. "You watched us last night!"
"I am a scientist. I conducted research."
"Are we nothing but specimens to you?" Con rose angrily to leave. Jane made no move to stop Con as she strode into the snow. When Con was halfway to Rick's quarters, she turned and shouted, "I SAID IT
WAS PRIVATE!"
Rick's smile at Con's approach transformed to concern when he saw her furious expression. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"Jane's been watching us like bugs in a jar," Con said. "She probably recorded us last night for some damned lec-ture—'The Mating Habits of Homo sapiens.' "
Rick put his arms around Con. "Don't let her spoil last night," he said.
"Nothing can spoil that," said Con. "I'm just mad and embarrassed at once. What's worse, I should have guessed what she was up to. I feel so stupid."
"You're supposed to do stupid things," said Rick. "You're in love."
"Be serious," said Con. "This really bothers me."
"I'm sorry. It bothers me, too."
"We could be dead soon," said Con. "This is our last chance to be together and ... and ..." She dissolved into tears.
Rick gently held her. "Don't give up hope," he said qui-etly.
"I have a feeling we're not going back. I think that's what my dream was about."
"What dream?"
"I dreamed Joe brought a message from my father."
"That you were going to die?"
"No, I woke up before I heard the message."
"It's nothing," said Rick, "just your subconscious imag-ining things."
"I can't get it out of my head," mused Con. "Joe called me 'Constance,' and he never did that."
"It was a dream" said Rick. "Dreams don't make sense."
"For some reason, I feel this one should."
Rick shrugged. "What should we do about Jane?"
"I don't know," said Con. "I feel weird, knowing she's watching us."
"Last night was wonderful," said Rick, "but just being with you is wonderful, too. We don't need to make love."
Con was turning to kiss Rick when she saw the silver panel open. Jane entered the room, carrying a food cube. She put it down on the bed, while avoiding Con's glare. She looked at Rick with an expression that betrayed a hint of guilt. "What is an ape?" she asked.
"An animal closely related to humans," said Rick. "They're extinct in the wild."
"I see," said Jane. "Who are Hitler and Stalin?"
"Famous leaders," said Con quickly.
"Renowned for their compassion, no doubt," said Jane.