She exhaled and nodded slowly, sadly. Probably. She paused. Iwe didnt talk about this, you and I. Maybe Im presuming too much. In this world, rape is considered a horrible crime, a terrible crime. I dont know
It is the same on my world, said Ponter. A few animals do itorangutans, for instancebut we are people, not animals. Of course, with the alibi archives, few are fool enough to attempt such an act, but when it is done, it is dealt with harshly.
There was silence between them for a few moments. Ponter had his right arm half raised, as if hed thought to reach out and touch her, to try to console her, but he looked down and, with an expression of surprise on his face, as if he were seeing a strangers limb, he lowered it.
But then Mary found herself reaching out and touching his thick forearm herself, gently, tentatively. And then her hand slid down the length of his arm and found his fingers, and his hand came up again, and her delicate digits intertwined with his massive ones.
I wanted you to understand, said Mary. We grew very close while you were here. We talked about anything and everything. And, well, as I said, you thought you were never going home; you thought you would have to make a new life here. She paused. You never pushed, you never took advantage. By the end, I think, you were the only man on this entire planet that I was getting comfortable being alone with, but
Ponter closed his sausagelike fingers gently.
It was too soon, said Mary. Dont you see? II know you like me, and She paused. The corners of her eyes were stinging. Im sorry, she said. It hasnt happened often in my life, but there have been times when men were interested in me, but, well
But when that man, Ponter said slowly, is not like other men
Mary shook her head and looked up at him. No, no. It wasnt because of that; it wasnt because of the way you look
She saw him stiffen slightly in the strobing light. She didnt find him uglynot anymore, not now. She found his face kind and thoughtful and compassionate and intelligent and, yes, dammit, yesattractive. But what shed said had come out all wrong, and now, in trying to explain so his feelings wouldnt be bruised, so he wouldnt be left wondering forevermore why shed responded the way she had to his soft touch when they were stargazing, shed ended up hurting him.
I mean, said Mary, that theres nothing wrong with your appearance. In fact, I find you quiteshe hesitated, although not from lack of conviction, but rather because so rarely in her life had she ever been so forward with any manhandsome.
Ponter made a sad little smile. I am not, you know. Handsome, I mean. Not by the standards of my people.
I dont care, said Mary at once. I dont care at all. I mean, I cant imagine you found me attractive physically, either. Im She lowered her voice. Im what they call plain, I guess. I dont turn a lot of heads, but
I find you very striking, said Ponter.
If wed had more time, said Mary. If Id had more time, you know, to get over itnot, Mary was sure, that she ever wouldthings things might have been different between us. She lifted her shoulders a bit, a helpless shrug. Thats all. I wanted you to know that. I wanted you to understand that I diddolike you.
A crazy thought ran through her head. Had things indeed been differenthad she come up to Sudbury a whole person, instead of shattered inside, maybe now Ponter wouldnt be rushing as fast as he could to return to his old life, his own world. Maybe
No. No, that was too much. He had Adikor. He had children.
And, anyway, if things had been different, maybe she would be getting ready to go with him, through the portal, to his world. After all, she had no one here, and
But things were not different. Things were precisely as they were.
The lift shuddered to a halt, and the buzzer made its raucous call, signaling the opening of the cage door.
Chapter 45
Suddenly there was considerable commotion among the Gliksins. At first, Adikor couldnt tell what was going on, but then he realized someone was coming down into the barrel-shaped chamber, descending the same long ladder theyd seen before. The persons broad back was facing the robots eye; presumably, it was a Gliksin leader, come to make an assessment of this strange contraption, thatif the effect was mirrored on the other sideappeared to be attached to a cable that was protruding from thin air.
The Gliksins visible in the foreground were beckoning for the newcomer to approach. And he did, running quite fast. The robot was swinging at the end of its tether, as Dern hauled it higher and higher, but then Adikor caught a glimpse on the monitor of the face of the person who had just arrived.
Yes! Incredibly, wonderfully yes!
Adikors heart was pounding. It was Ponter! He was clad in the strange clothing of the Gliksins, and wearing one of those plastic turtle shells on top of his head, but there could be no doubt. Ponter Boddit was alive and well!
Dern! shouted Adikor. Stop! Let the robot back down!
The cameras perspective started lowering on the screen, Jasmel gasped and clapped her hands together with glee. Adikor wiped tears from his eyes.
Ponter hurried over to the robot. He bent his head oddly, and it took Adikor a moment to realize what Ponter was likely doing: looking at the manufacturers contribution stamp on the robots frame, confirming for himself that this really was an artifact from his own world. Ponter then looked up into the robots camera lens, grinning widely.
Hello, said Ponterthe first word out of the cacophony that Adikor had understood. Hello, my friends! Id thought Id lost you forever! Whos looking at this, I wonder? Adikor, no doubt. How Ive missed you!
He paused, then two of the Gliksins spoke to him: one of the light-skinned ones and the dark-skinned man who had been holding on to the robot earlier.
Ponter turned back to the camera. Im not sure what Im supposed to do now. I see the cable coming out of the air, but is it safe for me to cross back over? Canhis voice caught for a momentcan I come home?
Adikor turned away from the screen and looked at Dern, who had returned to the control room. Dern lifted his shoulders. The robot seemed to come through just fine.
You dont know how long youll be able to keep the gate open, said Jasmel, or whether youll ever be able to establish it again if it closes. He should come through right now.
Adikor nodded. But how do we let him know that?
Jasmel said decisively, I know how. She hurried down the steps onto the computing floor, then strode over to where the cable disappeared into the hole in the air. Jasmel placed her hand on the cable, then slid her grip along the cables length until her fingertips, then her whole fingers, then her hand, then her forearm disappeared. When everything up to her shoulder was projecting through, she shoved her head over into the other side, and simply shouted outAdikor and Dern could hear it, but it came entirely from the speaker on the monitor; there was no sound at all coming from the computing floorDaddy! Come home!
Jasmel, sweetheart! shouted Ponter, looking up. I
Come right now! Jasmel replied. Theres no telling how long we can keep this open. Just follow the cableuse that ladder, there, to get up here. The computing-room floor is about half an armspan below where my head is; you should have no trouble finding it.
Jasmel then pulled her head back over to her side and ran over and up into the control room.
There was a flurry of activity visible on the monitor; it was clear no one was quite prepared for this. Two men went to get the ladder Jasmel had indicated. One of the men gave Ponter a great hug, which Ponter enthusiastically returnedit seemed that he hadnt been mistreated by the Gliksins.