by Robin Cook
“Get out of here!” Richard shouted. To make his point he swept the night table clear of the golden goblets he’d been collecting. They clattered to the floor with a tremendous racket. As his guests fled out the open end of the room, he looked around the room in a frenzy for something to smash to smithereens.
Suzanne let out a whoop of joy as she and Garona ran hand in hand down a frond-canopied path through a fern forest. Reaching the edge of a crystal clear lake, they came to a sudden stop. Mesmerized by the sublime vista, and out of breath from their run, Suzanne gazed out at the scene.
“This is gorgeous!” she managed.
Garona, who was even more out of breath than Suzanne, had to rest before he could speak. “It’s my favorite spot,” he gasped. “I come here often. I’ve always thought it to be very romantic.”
“I should say,” Suzanne commented. Several other lakes could be seen in the middle distance, nestled among the luxuriant vegetation. In the far distance, jagged mountains rose and merged with the vaulted ceiling. “Which direction are we facing?”
“West,” Garona said between breaths. “Those mountains are the bases of what you people call the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.”
Suzanne shook her head in amazement. “It is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“It is my pleasure,” Garona said. “It is nice to see you more relaxed.”
“I suppose I am,” Suzanne said. “At least now I know why we were brought to Interterra.”
“You have been a great help to us.”
“I really didn’t do much.”
“But you did! You have relieved our anxieties about deep-sea drilling.”
“But there’s been drilling for many years,” Suzanne said. “Why the anxiety now?”
“That was drilling for oil,” Garona said. “We don’t mind that. In fact, it helps us because oil is a bother. It can seep into our deepest buildings and cause havoc. It was the random drilling that had us concerned.”
“Well, I am glad to have been of assistance.”
“It calls for a celebration,” Garona said. “How about coming to my home for a few hours? We are very close. We’ll absorb caldorphin for our mutual pleasure, and then we’ll dine.”
“In the middle of the day?” Suzanne questioned. As a motivated, hard worker, who as a student had had little time for personal pleasure, the idea of an afternoon tryst seemed unusually decadent. Yet enticingly erotic.
“Why not?” Garona questioned seductively. “Your essence will ring with ecstasy.”
“You make it sound so deliciously sensual,” Suzanne joked.
“And it will be,” Garona said. “Come.” He grabbed her hand and led her back the way they’d come.
Garona’s home was a mere five-minute air taxi ride away. As they disembarked Suzanne mentioned his home was similar to Arak and Sufa’s although the neighborhood seemed slightly less congested.
“The structure is exactly the same,” Garona said. “But we have more space since we are farther away from the town center.” He again took her hand, and the two ran up the causeway and into the cottage together.
Once inside, the pair acted like impatient adolescents in their haste to shed their satin robes and slip into the pool. Suzanne exuberantly struck out for the opposite end. She swam with strong strokes, excited to have Garona right behind her. They came face-to-face after Suzanne executed a racing turn against the pool’s far end. They embraced in the water. Garona touched his palm with hers and beamed with pleasure. Suzanne laughed with joy.
“This is paradise,” Suzanne proclaimed. She dipped her head beneath the water to smooth her short hair back. “It goes beyond my wildest imagination.”
“I have so much to show you,” Garona told her. “Millions of years of progress. I shall take you to the stars . . . to other galaxies.”
“You have already,” Suzanne said playfully.
“Come,” Garona said. “Let us share some caldorphin.”
They swam back across the pool. Garona helped her out of the water. She was again taken by how comfortable she felt in his presence despite her nakedness.
“Please!” Garona said, gesturing toward a satin divan.
“I’m soaked,” Suzanne said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Garona said. He bent down and picked up a small jar and removed the top.
“Are you sure?” Suzanne questioned. The upholstered couch was immaculate.
“Absolutely,” Garona said. He held the jar out for Suzanne to put some onto her palm. He did the same, and as they both reclined they pushed their hands together.
Suzanne swooned with pleasure to the very core of her being. Over the next half hour she and Garona made love in a sensitive, giving way that reached a crescendo of passion before melding into sublime, intimate relaxation.
Suzanne had never felt so close to another person. Never in her life had she acted with such abandon, and yet she did not feel guilty. In this utopian netherworld, the usual constraints just didn’t apply.
Time seemed to stand still as Suzanne luxuriated in the afterglow of an intimacy the likes of which she’d never experienced. But then, suddenly, it all changed. A soft feminine voice coming from close range shattered her mental and physical repose: “If you two have finished your beautifully tender lovemaking, which I have to say I’ve enjoyed vicariously, I’ve arranged a lovely lunch.”
Suzanne opened her eyes. To her shock, she found herself looking into the smiling face of an exquisitely attractive woman with stunning features, ice blue eyes, and flaxen hair. The woman’s expression was like a proud parent gazing down at her adorable children.
Suzanne sat bolt upright and pulled the coverlet up. Her sudden movement disturbed Garona, who rolled over and opened his eyes. “What did you say, Alita?” he asked.
“Time for you two to eat,” she said. She pointed to a table by the pool, which was being set by a worker clone.
“Thank you, my dear,” Garona said. He sat up. “I think we’re both quite hungry.”
“The food will be out momentarily,” Alita said. She turned and walked back to the worker clone to help with the preparations by arranging three chaiselike chairs around the table.
Garona stretched, yawned, and then reached for his clothing.
Suzanne made a beeline for her own clothes. Although she hadn’t been self-conscious earlier, she was now. She put on the tunic and pulled on the shorts.
“Who is this woman?” she whispered.
“Alita,” Garona said. “Come, let us eat.”
Still confused, Suzanne let herself be led over to the table. She took the chair Garona indicated and allowed the worker clone to serve her some food. While Garona and Alita attacked theirs with relish, Suzanne toyed with hers. Having been caught flagrante delicto she felt acutely embarrassed and emotionally fragile.
“Suzanne met with the Council of Elders today,” Garona said to Alita between mouthfuls of food. “She was every helpful and gave us good news.”
“Wonderful,” Alita said.
Garona leaned over and gave Suzanne’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “She’s assured us that the secret of Interterra is still secure.”
“What a relief,” Alita said sincerely. “We sorely needed the reassurance.”
Suzanne could only nod.
Garona and Alita launched into a discussion of Interterra’s security needs vis-à-vis the surface world. Suzanne didn’t listen; instead she watched Alita, who was directing her full attention to Garona. Suzanne was amazed at how calm the woman seemed. Suzanne was still feeling too awkward to eat or speak.
Gradually Suzanne’s emotions calmed and she began to collect her thoughts. What began to bother her was the apparently familiarity with which Garona and Alita treated each other. Eventually, Suzanne’s curiosity got the better of her. “Excuse me, Alita,” she said during a break in her fellow diners’ conversation. “Have you and Garona known each other for long?”
Both Garona and Alita laugh
ed heartily.
“I’m sorry,” Alita said, struggling to contain herself. “It’s a perfectly reasonable question, but so very unexpected here in Interterra. You see, Garona and I have known each other for a long, long time.”
“Years then,” Suzanne suggested curtly. Despite Alita’s apology, she found the laughter rude.
Garona burst out laughing again. He had to cover his face with his hand.
“Certainly years,” Alita said. “Years and years.”
“Alita and I have spent many lives together,” Garona explained as he wiped tears from his eyes.
“Oh, I see,” Suzanne said, struggling to keep calm. “Isn’t that wonderful.”
“It is indeed,” Garona said. “Alita is . . . well, I guess you’d call her my permanent woman.”
“Or we can say Garona is my permanent man,” Alita said.
“Either way,” Garona agreed.
“It’s nice that it is mutual,” Suzanne commented sarcastically. “Now, perhaps you can tell me what ‘permanent’ means socially in Interterra.”
“It’s something like your institution of marriage,” Alita said. “Only it transcends one body life to another.”
Suzanne rolled her lower lip into her mouth and bit down on to it to keep from allowing her rekindled emotions to bubble over into tears. After her unconditional surrender to her feelings toward Garona in response to his persistence and flattery, she felt violated now that she knew he was already in a type of long-term commitment that she could not even fathom. She also felt stupid and appalled that her intuition had let her down so dramatically and that she hadn’t even asked about his social status.
“Well, that’s all very interesting,” Suzanne managed. She put down her flatware and napkin and stood up. “Thank you for the meal and a most enlightening afternoon. I think it’s time I get back to the visitors’ palace.”
Garona got to his feet. “Are you sure you want to leave so quickly?”
“Quite sure,” Suzanne said. Then to Alita she added. “It’s been a pleasure.”
“For me as well,” Alita said. “Garona has spoken so highly of you.”
“Has he now?” Suzanne said. “That’s very nice.”
“I trust we’ll be seeing a lot of you,” Alita said.
“Perhaps,” Suzanne said vaguely. She nodded good-bye to Garona and started for the door. Garona was immediately at her side.
“I’ll see you to an air taxi,” Garona said. “Unless you’d prefer that I accompany you back to the visitors’ palace.”
“That’s quite all right,” Suzanne said as she passed out of the house. “I’m sure you and Alita have things you need to discuss.”
“Suzanne, you are acting strangely,” Garona said. He took a few running steps to keep up with her while he used his wrist communicator to summon an air taxi.
“You think?” Suzanne asked. “How sensitive of you to notice.”
“What is the matter, Suzanne?” Garona reached for her arm, but she pulled away from his grasp and kept walking.
“It’s just a minor cultural thing,” she said over her shoulder.
“Come now,” Garona said. Catching up with her, he grabbed her arm again and this time succeeded in bringing her to a stop. “Be open with me. Don’t make me guess.”
“It would be interesting to have you guess. But from my perspective it wouldn’t be much of a challenge.”
“I suppose this has something to do with Alita.”
“Very clever,” Suzanne said. “Now, if you let go of me, I’m going back to the visitors’ palace.”
“Suzanne, you are in Interterra. We have different customs. You must adjust.”
Suzanne stared into Garona’s dark eyes. One part of her wanted him to leave her alone; the other side of her wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, this was Interterra, not L.A. “My background is so different . . .” she said.
“I know,” Garona insisted. “But I ask you not to judge by your earth surface standards. Try not to be selfish. You don’t have to feel you own things to enjoy them. We share ourselves with those we love, and love is an endless font.”
“I’m happy for you,” Suzanne said. “I’m glad you have all this love. Unfortunately, I’m used to sharing love with only one person.”
“Can’t you look at it from the Interterran perspective?”
“At this point, I doubt it.”
“Remember, a lot of your earth surface morality tends to be self-indulgent, selfish, and ultimately destructive.”
“From your perspective,” Suzanne said. “From ours it’s good for raising children.”
“Perhaps,” Garona said. “But that’s not important here.”
“Garona, look,” Suzanne said. She put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re probably a wonderful Interterran man. Since we are in Interterra, I admit this is my problem not yours. I’ll try to deal with it.”
The air taxi suddenly loomed out of nowhere, and its side opened up.
“Do you need me to command the air taxi?” Garona asked.
“I prefer to do it myself,” Suzanne said.
“Then I will come over tonight,” Garona said. “Is that all right?”
“As we secondary humans say, I believe I need a little space,” Suzanne said. “Let’s just let things slide for a day or so.” She climbed in and took a seat.
“I will come anyway,” Garona insisted.
“It’s up to you,” Suzanne said. She was too emotional to get into any kind of argument. Instead, she put her palm onto the center table and said, “Visitors’ palace.” She waved to Garona as the craft’s skin sealed over.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I’m sure you are all a bit overwhelmed,” Arak said. “I can see it in your faces.”
Arak and Sufa had brought the group back to the circular conference room for a debriefing late in the afternoon. The Interterrans were standing in the central area, looking up at their charges whose moods differed drastically and not from what Arak assumed.
Perry was irritated with Richard. Just when he had gotten cozy with Luna, Meeta and the others had appeared in a panic, saying that Richard had gone berserk. Worried that Richard’s violent behavior might ruin it for all of them, Perry had run back and spent an hour trying to calm the diver down—with little success.
Richard sat sullen and silent. He glowered at Arak and Sufa as if his problems were their personal fault.
Suzanne was sitting next to Perry, reviewing her own emotional wounds. She was also feeling responsible for their predicament. As soon as she’d gotten back, she’d explained how she was the reason behind their abduction. She’d apologized, and everyone had assured her that they didn’t hold her responsible, but still she felt bad.
Only Donald and Michael seemed unphased. Arak interpreted this as a reflection of their particularly successful visit to Central Information. Engaging Donald with eye contact, Arak addressed him directly: “Before we close for the day, are there any questions or comments about what you have seen during your excursions? Perhaps it might be helpful for each to share with the others your experiences.”
“I have a question that I’m sure all of us are interested in,” Donald said.
“Then by all means ask it,” Arak said.
“Are we prisoners here for life?”
Everyone was taken aback, especially Suzanne and Perry who were jolted from their inward preoccupation. The question surprised them because it was just the previous night that Donald had urged the issue not be broached for fear of having their freedoms curtailed.
Arak was more disappointed than shocked. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts. “Prisoners is not the right word,” he said finally. “We’d rather emphasize that you will not be forced to leave Interterra. Instead, we welcome you to our world with full rights to enjoy the panoply of advances to which you have just begun to be exposed.”
“But we weren’t asked—” Perry began.
“Hold up!�
� Donald ordered, interrupting Perry. “Let me finish! Arak, just to make this crystal clear, you’re saying that we will not be able to leave Interterra, even if we want to.”
Arak squirmed uncomfortably.
Sufa interceded. “Generally, we eschew discussing such an emotional subject so early in your introduction to Interterra. It’s our experience that visitors are better equipped to deal with this topic after they have been acclimated to the benefits of life here.”
“Please, just answer the question,” Donald said bluntly.
“A simple yes or no will do,” Michael added.
Arak and Sufa conferred in whispered tones. Donald leaned back and haughtily crossed his arms while the other visitors watched in stunned, nervous silence. Their fate hung in the balance.
Finally Arak nodded. He and Sufa had come to an agreement. He looked up at the group and eventually fixed his gaze on Donald. “All right” he said. “We shall be honest. The answer to your question is, no. You will not be able to leave Interterra.”
“Never?” Perry gasped.
“What about communicating with our families?” Suzanne asked. “We need to let them know we are alive.”
“To what end?” Arak questioned. “Such a message would be cruel to people destined never to see you again and who are already adapting to your loss.”
“But we have children,” Perry cried. “How do you expect us not to contact them?”
“It’s out of the question,” Arak said firmly. “I’m sorry, but the security of Interterra supersedes personal interests.”
“But we didn’t ask to come here,” Perry exclaimed, close to tears. “You brought us here to help you, and Suzanne did. I’ve got a family!”
“We can’t stay here,” Richard sputtered.
“No way,” Michael seconded.
“We all have emotional ties to our world,” Suzanne added. “As sensitive fellow humans you can’t think that we can just forget them.”
“We understand it is difficult,” Arak said. “We empathize with you, but remember the rewards are infinite. Frankly I’m surprised none of you is tempted at this early juncture. But it will change. It always does. Remember we have had thousands of years of experience with earth surface visitors.”
