Cretaceous Sea

by Will Hubbell

  Con told the room lights to dim and went to bed. Sleep did not come easily. She lay awake envisioning Hitler and Stalin entering the room with weapons drawn to put her down like a stray dog in a pound. When she eventually dozed off, her fears brought forth vivid nightmares.

  Con awoke in a sweat, thinking she held Rick's bloody corpse. The dim light of day filtered through the swirling colors. A new food cube lay at the foot of the bed. The fact that Jane had simply left the cube seemed ominous to Con. The troubled night had fed her sense of dread, and, as the day wore on, Con became increasingly apprehensive. She began to see her visit with Rick as a sign that the end was near, the equivalent of a condemned prisoner's last meal. Jane's statement that her coworkers had "the information we require" took on sinister implications. They're done with me, Con realized. Now it's all a matter of waiting.

  Yet passively submitting to her fate went against the core of Con's being. As she paced her prison in restless agitation, she formed a desperate plan. She resolved to breach the col-ored barrier. She reasoned that if she ran and jumped, her momentum would carry her through the field regardless of how her body responded to the pain. / endured it once, she told herself. When I recover this time, I'll be on the other side, free to find a way to Rick. Still, the memory of her previous agony held her back. It took another anxious and lonely hour before her desperation overcame her apprehen-sion. Finally, as the light outside faded, Con screwed up her courage. After several false starts, she made a running leap and curled into a ball as her body passed through the livid colors.

  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.

  Jane stood silently and looked as if she were gripped by indecision. When she spoke again, her voice was softer. "I am not supposed to say anything to you, but... you should understand ... this was a unique opportunity."

  "An opportunity?" said Con in a resentful tone.

  "My field of study is held in low esteem. Our ancestry is considered distasteful and irrelevant. Time travel is banned, including the use of probes. Only the emergency brought us here."

  "So you came along as the specialist on Homo sapiens" said Rick.

  "Yes," said Jane. "I was only supposed to conduct the interrogations. Yet, when Con crossed the barrier..."

  Rick stared at Con in amazement. "You crossed the pain field?"

  "No human could have done that," stated Jane. "I was intrigued."

  "You just called me by my name, and you still don't think I'm human?" said Con.

  "It's a scientific fact," said Jane. "I am merely objective."

  "And when you look at me with revulsion," said Con, "is that being objective, too?"

  "It is sometimes hard to ignore ingrained attitudes," said Jane. "Your bodies are so... so exaggerated." As she spoke, her eyes focused on Con's breasts.

  "What attitudes are you speaking of?" asked Rick.

  "Ancient ones," said Jane, "dating back to the Purifica-tion."

  "The Purification?" said Con.

  "I cannot discuss it," said Jane. "What I have already said and done will get me in enough trouble."

  "So letting me loose was not authorized," said Con.

  "No, but I wanted to understand why you crossed the bar-rier," said Jane. "Such a thing is considered impossible."

  "Perhaps it shows what you lost pursuing perfection," said Con.

  Jane looked at Con thoughtfully. "Perhaps."

  "Would her deed make any difference to your colleagues?" asked Rick.

  "It is unlikely. I am an uncommon person with uncommon attitudes. Few people believe the past is important."

  "This observatory doesn't reflect a disinterest in the past," said Rick.

  "We did not build it," said Jane. "It is an artifact from a future that no longer exists."

  "And you're here to ensure that doesn't happen to the current future," said Rick.

  "That is our task."

  "So when you discovered the probe's data," said Rick, "you came to stop us from playing with your fate. We're the apes in the control room, so to speak."

  "You are very perceptive," said Jane.

  "All we did was go on a vacation," said Con. "We're not playing with anyone's fate."

  "Everything that occurs in the past affects the future," said Jane. "We are in an extremely delicate situation."

  "Let us go," pleaded Con. "We won't change anything."

  "We must take whatever action that results in our current reality," said Jane. "That is what my colleagues are research-ing."

  "If our fate is already sealed," said Con, "can't we be left alone while we await it?" Jane said something in her own language before she spoke again in English. "If you desire privacy, you need only to command it. I have instructed the room to comply with your wishes. You will not be seen or heard."

  "Thank you," said Con.

  "You will be left in peace," said Jane. "At least until my colleagues return today." She started to go, but stopped. "Good-bye, Con. Good-bye, Rick." Then she quickly de-parted. As soon as Jane left, Rick said, "Give us privacy" and the openings in the colonnade filled with a softly shimmering silvery-blue.

  "She changed," said Con.

  "Yeah," said Rick. "It gives me hope for humanity."

  "Too bad she said she was uncommon," replied Con. "I don't hold much hope for Hitler or Stalin. We don't have much time left." When Rick didn't respond, she feared he agreed. They made love, knowing it might be for the last time, and their passion was bittersweet. Afterward, Con found her thoughts turning melancholy. She thought of Joe and then of the dream. " Constance, I have a gift..." he said. "A mes-sage. "

  They dressed and made the silvery curtain vanish so they could gaze upon the world. The sky was still dark gray, but not as dark as they remembered. They stepped beyond the stone pillars to feel the cold breeze from the sea.

  "The smell's gone," said Con.

  "The world's already beginning to forget," said Rick. "And, somewhere, our ancestors are poking their heads out from their holes and thinking, 'Whew! No nightstalkers!' "

  Rick got a gleam in his eye. "Let's go to the beach."

  "I don't have any shoes!"

  "I'll carry you." Rick swung Con up in his arms and ran toward the beach. She laughed and screamed the whole dis-tance. Rick halted at the water's edge. "We had our first kiss here," he said.

  "I'm getting cold."

  "A kiss will warm you up."

  "Only one? Some guide. I'm colder than that."

  Rick laughed and was bending to kiss Con when she cried, "Look!"

  Rick followed her gaze into the sky. The silver disk of the descending time machine stood out against the dark clouds. The laughter departed from Rick's face. He carried Con back to his stone room. Watching from the room, they saw Hitler and Stalin returning after the time machine had landed. As they marched through the snow, they were trailed by a large, intricately textured cube that levitated a few feet off the ground. They entered the room to the left and disappeared with the cube. A minute later, the multicolored barrier ap-peared between the columns of Rick and Con's room. Rick grasped Con's hand as they watched the silver panel and waited to hear their fate.

  The panel opened, and Jane and Hitler entered the room. Both were carrying weapons. Hitler pointed his at Rick and Con.

  Pale and shaken, Jane began to speak. "My colleagues have returned with the archive ..." Hitler silenced her with a burst of harsh-sounding tones. Then he addressed Con and Rick. "Tell me the exact date you departed in the time machine."

  "February 17, 2059," said Rick.

  Without a word, Hitler left the room, followed by Jane.

  Con was trembling. "I thought that was it," she said, "and there's still something I need to remember."

  "What?"

  Con's expression became one of desperate concentration. "I don't know, but it's important." Only a few minutes had passed when the panel opened again. Hitler returned with Jane. Jane's face betrayed the bad news. "Con," she said, "you need to come with us." She spoke some words and the colored barrier vanished. Hitler gestured with his weapon, indicating Con should step out-side. Con turned pale and gently kissed Rick. "Good-bye," she whispered. "I love you." Con stepped into the snow, then, with a wild look in her eye, turned to Jane. "I'm Constance!" she shouted. "I'm Con-sta..." Her words were cut off as the barrier reappeared. Rick stared at the swirling colors as his vision blurred with tears. It's so ironic, he thought, that in her last moments, she wanted to be known by the name her father called her. The idea of Con, so brave and strong, reverting back to her child-hood name seemed especially sad. Rick stood, waiting to die any moment, yet the minutes mounted. "Come on!" he said angrily. "Get it over with!" An hour passed before the silver panel opened and Hitler entered with Stalin. Their childlike faces bore hard, cold ex-pressions. Hitler pointed his weapon at Rick. 'Take off your shoes," he ordered. Rick sile
ntly complied. When he was barefoot, he was told to lie down on the bed. Rick lay down and stared at the weapon pointed at him, determined not to betray his fear. Soon I'll be with Con, he thought. The weapon glowed blue and the world dissolved into darkness. 39

  EVERYTHING WAS A SOFT AND UNBROKEN BLUE. CON'S

  face appeared, then Rick felt her lips upon his. "It's about time you woke up!" she said. Rick found it hard to move, and he spoke with difficulty. "Where ... where am I?"

  "You're in Montana," replied Con, "It's June 29, 1878."

  Rick's head cleared, and he found he could sit up. There was tall grass all around him. Con squatted next to him, dressed in rags and grinning broadly. "I remembered just in time," she said. "I'm Constance, the family legend."

  "You do realize you're making no sense at all," replied Rick. "Are you sure I'm not dead?" Con got a mischievous grin and gave him a playfully in-timate caress. "You don't feel dead to me."

  "Con!"

  "It's all right. We're married. Maybe not officially yet, but we are. I'm Constance Clements." Rick looked perplexed. "I don't understand. Would you please calm down and tell me what's happened?"

  "We're here because I figured it out. It was the last name that threw me. I thought I was Con Greighton."

  "So did I," said Rick. "Who's Constance Clements? Other than yourself, of course."

  "She's the Greighton family legend, Daddy's only bedtime tale. He was so serious about it. It always began, 'Never forget about Constance Clements.' My mother thought he was loony to tell it over and over again. I never understood what the big deal was—until now. It was my message to myself!"

  "You still haven't answered my question," said Rick. "Who is she?"

  "The woman who founded the family fortune. She and her husband came out of nowhere and were found in the prairie by a wagon train. They struck gold soon afterward, three mines in all—The Second Chance, The Paradox, and The Full Circle. Talk about hints! Once I figured it out for myself, I was able to prove to Jane, Hitler, and Stalin that I was that woman. That meant they had to take us here if they didn't want to change their own present."