Part 28 (1/2)
”Odd that we should differ on something so easy to verify,” he said. ”Shall we compare notes in detail?” It was as though he were inviting her to a duel, certain that she would lose.
Aquilon was intrigued. ”Let's.”
”You and Veg went to the island -- ”
”Not that much detail,” she said, embarra.s.sed. Then she reconsidered. ”No -- let's put it out in the open. You wanted to make a report on Paleo that would surely lay it open to exploitation and destruction -- ”
”I changed my mind.”
”Let me finish. I wanted to help Orn and Ornette survive because they were unique, intelligent birds and I liked them. Veg went with me.” She took a breath and forced herself to continue. ”Veg and I made love that night. Next morning he went to see you at the raft -- and the first tremor came.”
”Yes. After he left the raft, I set sail. I was aware of the tremor; it made the water dance. About fifteen seconds, mild.”
”Even a mild earthquake is horrible,” she said, giving her head a little reminiscent shake. ”That was the first day, the first quake. So we agree.”
”So far.” She could tell from his tone that he was still sure she was wrong about the tremors. She was also a bit uneasy about the seemingly bland response to her confession concerning Veg. ”The second day Circe came and told us a predator dinosaur was after you, but you wouldn't let the mantas help you. I thought we should leave well enough alone. Veg hit me and headed off.”
”He should not have done that.” Again, too mild a response.
”Cal, I didn't want you to die -- but I thought it was more important that you be allowed to do what you felt you had to do, your own way.”
”Precisely. Veg blundered.”
So it was all right. Cal understood. She should have known he would. ”Later that day the second quake came. It shattered the eggs -- all but one. It was violent, awful.”
”I was on the mountainside. The tremor knocked Tyrannosaurus off his feet and rolled him down the mountain. I was afraid he was too badly hurt to continue the chase. Fortunately, he suffered minimal damage.”
Aquilon grimaced, knowing he was not being facetious. Cal had wanted to conquer the dinosaur himself, without the help of an act of G.o.d. ”So we agree on the second day, the second quake.”
”We agree. I continued on up the mountain and slept in a volcanic cave. Next day the agents came -- Taler, Taner, and Tamme.”
”No,” she said firmly. ”Next day there was a third quake. It tore the island apart. A plesiosaurus got Ornette, so Orn and I had to ferry the egg to the mainland the day following -- the morning of the fourth day, the day the agents came. I'll never forget that awful journey through the water, protecting the egg! I had to use Orn for support -- ”
Cal nodded thoughtfully. ”So you really did experience an extra day and tremor!”
”You lost a day, Cal. What happened to it?”
He sighed. ”This suggests something too fantastic to believe. In fact, I don't believe it.”
So there was something! ”This sounds fascinating! You have a secret?”
”In a manner of speaking. I didn't think it was anything significant. You would have been the first to know had there been anything to it. All men have fantasies -- and all women, too, I'm sure. But now -- I wonder. Alternates do exist, and in some of them are virtual duplicates of ourselves. The woman you met, the naked Aquilon -- ”
”Don't tell me you dream of naked Aquilons!” she said, pleased. But at the same time, the memory of the lost egg upset, her. She had so wanted to save the Orn species...
”More than that, I'm afraid. After all, I have seen you naked in life.”
She remembered the time she had run nude on Paleo before they found the dinosaurs. She had not realized that he had paid attention. ”You always loved me. You said so back on Planet Nacre. And I love you. But there's never been much of a -- a physical component, has there?”
”The major component,” he said seriously.