One by one, down the length of the corridor, doors began to open, spilling opalescence and strange musics.
The Voice was in his head now, and he recognized it as something that had been there all along. “Come. We are one now.”
Amber reached out, grasped his own hand firmly and resolutely, and allowed himself to be led into bright mystery.
“COSMIC,” Todd Spigot muttered to his glass of beer.
The beer effervesced.
He drank deeply, then repeated “Cosmic” unenthusiastically. A low sweep of background music swept his musings with sympathetic strings. “Suppose each little bubble inside you is a universe. Slowly it rises up, roundly symmetrical, to finally burst and wink at the surface. Maybe we’re all just bubbles in God’s glass of beer.” He drained the stuff, then tapped out an order for another. It appeared presently, frosted and cheery.
Everything was back to normal. That was, only semicrazy.
Cog had disappeared back into his Commune with the creature called the Jakror. The bio-labs were busy cloning a new body for Angharad Shepherd—as well as one for Amber, whenever he decided to wake up from his fugue. Hurt and the orgabox aggregate had elected to remain in their present form and survey the Star Fall’s operations, eager to be of use in this new mission ... whatever that mission was, Todd thought wryly.
So far, the passengers weren’t exactly sure what had happened, and still stumbled around with dazed looks. Telling them they’d never see home again would be a real kick.
Oh well. The Star Fall wasn’t a bad place to be stranded on ...
If anyone complained, they could always bring back the Fabrication. The Disbelief Suspenders were still hanging around, ready for use.
And what had become of Ort Eath? Cosmic dust, presumably. Absorbed back into the All, the Cosmic Circle, or whatever the hell you wanted to call it. Life was a game all right. Even the winners lost, though.
“Cosmic,” Todd murmured to himself and drank his beer, feeling burnt out, jaded, wasted away. Low-level anxiety rumbled in the pit of his soul.
“Howdy, pal,” came a voice from behind him. Veronica swooped cheerfully around to face him, then flounced into the chair beside him. “Mind if I join you? I was just down in the Core, straightening things out with Earnest. He is my father, after all ... in a sense. Fancy that! He’s really wretched about his whole affair, and pledges to use whatever mortal life is left to his little gray cells in the service of mankind. How about some champagne, Todd. To celebrate.”
He smiled at her. He found her charming, even though she no longer wore the device meant to attract him. In fact, her presence lent a wonderful buoying effect to his spirits.
“Sure,” he said.
He tapped out the code for champagne. Two long, fluted glasses popped up alongside the bottle. Todd poured.
Veronica swept back her hair and sipped.
She leaned over and put a hand on his arm. “How are you doing, pal?”
“I’ll survive.” God, it was starting all over again: the quickening of the pulse as he looked at her, as the scent of her perfume jump-kicked desire under his nostrils. Worse, even with the alcohol, his nerves seemed frayed.
“I know what you mean. Who would have believed all this could have happened? Well, we’re still alive. That’s what counts, isn’t it?” She tapped fingertips on the table’s surface musingly. “Todd. You mad at me? I wouldn’t blame you if you were, I really wouldn’t. But you have to understand how I am ... or rather was. Maybe we can talk about it, huh?”
“Sure. Sometime. Not now.”
“Okay. Whatever you say.” She sipped champagne quietly for a while, then looked away.
Todd didn’t know what to say.
—Asshole. A voice growled inside his head.
Todd barely contained a gasp.
—Wimp, came the voice again.
“Charley?” he said out loud.
“I guess that’s whom I wanted to talk about, Todd,” Veronica said. “I’m very confused about Charley, Todd. Can you understand that?”
“You liked him, didn’t you?”
“Sort of, the chump. I kind of miss him, and I’m very confused about who you are now.” She eyed him hopefully, as though looking for compassion.
—Tell her you understand, dope.
“I understand, Veronica.”
—Well, what do you know! The pretty klutz misses me. Hmm. Well, can’t really blame her. Tell her that I was you in most ways, disguised. C’mon, spit it out.
“Veronica, you have to realize that it wasn’t just Charley, it was me too, all along.”
“I know, Todd. You’ll just have to give me some time to adjust.”
—Bullshit, Todd. Don’t give her any time. Grab while the grabbing’s good.
Charley? You’re still there. What happened?
—I guess I switch on from time to time. Let’s just say to help you out. Keep you company. I kinda like the job.
Did you and Veronica ... ? I mean she ... misses you.
—Naw. She’s not my type. Still, she could be interesting to share.
“Todd? Are you all right?”
“Hmmm? Oh yes. Just the champagne, I think.”
What do you mean share? Todd demanded. I can have you erased if I wanted.
—Murder, Todd? Naw. We’ll make good buddies. And like I said, I’ll only be around once in a while. So go ahead. You won’t be sorry, I promise you.
What’ll I say, though?
—Tell her you forgive her. Tell her you understand. Tell her she’s still the most wonderful woman you ever met in your life. Ask her if she wants to see your etchings. Cripes, fellow, just move your mouth!
Todd took a hasty gulp of champagne. “Veronica, it doesn’t really matter, whatever has happened in the past. I still find you a really terrific person and—”
—And you wanna ravish her.
“And I’d like to stay good friends with you.”
—Turkey. Wimp.
“Oh, Todd. Really.” She blinked back tears. “God knows, this is a very hard time for me. And for you too.”
—Okay. Just scoot around and put your arm around her.
Todd obeyed, and found himself holding Veronica warmly.
—Fingertips across the back of the neck, Charley suggested. I’ll bet she really likes that!
Todd let his fingertips drift accordingly. Veronica sighed and melted into him. Her hair draped into his face.
Suddenly his anxieties evaporated. Holding her, he felt relaxed, alive and yet ... and yet able to just let go of himself.
Warmth and cinnabar. Softness and life.
—Things aren’t so bad after all, are they, Todd?
No, Todd thought. I guess they’re not.
—Cosmic, said Charley Haversham, and Todd’s interior reverberated with a laugh. —Really cosmic.”
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