Stargazer by Karen D. Morton Copyright 1989 by Karen D. Morton. All rights reserved. Chapter 9 1987 "I can't get this thing off!" Judith yanked at her robot mask. Their "lip sync" had gone smoothly until now. Stopping their blaring audio cassette brought blessed relief to my ears. Even though I had been here for nearly three weeks, I still could not call that torturous noise "music." "Relax, will ya?" Paul, dressed in a large, angular robot costume, lumbered over to her. When he lifted his arms, lights on his arms and legs flashed. "I think they're divine." Teri, wearing a female robot costume, pranced in front of the mirror. "You did a good job, Sammy." "Thanks," said the other female robot with a masculine voice. "Flip up those switches, guys." "They're stuck." Judith stepped away from Paul. "I'm going to have to put this suit on my workbench anyway. I don't think my finger pads are connecting." She touched the tips of her fingers together. "See? No lights." "Well, if you can't get your lights working, we could still enter the costume contest without doing the lip sync." Paul removed his helmet. "And do what?" "Maybe have the announcer say 'Domo aregoto, Mr. Roboto'?" Teri removed her helmet. "But I bet you'll fix your suit by Friday." "How do you say 'fuck you' in Japanese?" Judith flexed her fingers. I was glad they didn't ask for my opinion because my thoughts kept drifting back to the Conveyance. Time Unknown My first conscious thoughts were relaxed and free of fear -- for the first time since the rape. Oppenheimer stood over me on three legs. Its fourth paw held the crystal, which now blinked a soft, white light. "What are you doing on the floor?" It opened the dresser drawer with its tail. "I don't know." The ring also blinked. "Well, if you want to sleep on the floor, that's no concern of mine." Oppenheimer turned the crystal over in its paws. I reached the doorway before it spoke again. "And from now on, clean up after yourself." "Where's John?" "On the beach. The temperature is dropping, so you'd better take this." The monkey dog tossed the blanket at me. My ring's glow steadied once I stepped out of the Conveyance. John sat on the sand. A sea breeze sent small ripples down the back of his loose robe. I wrapped myself in the blanket to keep out the evening chill. Now it was time to test the ring's ability to relieve anxiety. Although I wanted to run to him, I kept my gait casual. "Hello," I said. "If we wait for a little while longer, the stars will come out." A breeze stirred his hair. "You should have brought your father's telescope. It would be useful." I knelt in front of him. My blanket slipped off when I placed my hands on his legs. "Maybe you should go back inside and get a robe." "I'm fine as I am." I kissed his chest. "Carolyn, there's no hurry --" I grabbed his lapel and kissed his lips. My mind's eye could still see Frederick poised over me. "Go away," I thought. And he did. 1987 "I'm definitely getting life signs." Judith shook my wrist. "What do you want?" "I want a million bucks before I'm too old to enjoy it." She bent over me. "But for now, I want you to come get your dinner before Paul and Sammy eat all of it." Later that evening, I tried to sleep on Judith's couch, but memories of making love with John on Kamara Beach kept me awake. Eventually, he became the amber-eyed woman, who became Judith. In her bedroom, I kissed her awake. She mumbled something about "proper manners" before taking me into her arms. Afterwards, I dreamed once more about John. Time Unknown I had never thought it possible to feel so good with a man. "Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked. "I've wanted this for a long time." His hair tickled my fingertips. "But a few hours ago, you were afraid of me." "Hush now." I pressed my finger to his lips. "What's this?" He studied my ring. "You said it relieves fear and anxiety, so --" "I didn't intend for you to put it on." "But it works! I can tell Frederick to go away now. In a few days, I'll take it off again." "I'd better check with Oppenheimer about this." "When Oppenheimer woke me up, it didn't say anything. So wearing the ring must be all right." Before John could say anything else, I kissed him. Sometime later, we lay together and looked at the night sky. "If you had gotten far enough in your study of astronomy, you'd be able to tell we were on another planet by looking at the sky. All the constellations are different." "I can tell anyway. The moon never looked like that!" I pointed to the moon-sized object that hung above the horizon. It looked like two pyramids that had been joined at their bases. "That's the Shegullan Observation Station." He covered us with his robe. "For now, let's get some sleep." The next morning, he nudged me awake. He had brought breakfast from the Conveyance. The day was already starting to warm, for the sun had risen over an hour ago. We exchanged smiles while we ate. When had I ever felt this happy? My ring blinked when we returned to the Conveyance. "That's really odd." John frowned at it. "The crystal also blinks," said Oppenheimer. "Apparently, the ring and crystal can detect each other within short distances." "But it didn't blink on the beach just now." I felt confused. "Of course it didn't," said Oppenheimer. "The Conveyance sits between universes." "This feature could come in handy while I'm wearing the ring," I said. "Just think, John. You can always find me." He laughed. "I never intend to lose you." We cleaned ourselves in the bather, then we dressed and returned outside. John told me that a small wooded area was about a mile inland. We walked, hand in hand, through sand grass until we reached it. Trees of all sizes, bushes and grass stretched before us. It was like the woods in South Knoxville, except the ground was flat and some trees had strangely shaped leaves. A few insects buzzed overhead, birds sang, and small creatures scampered out of our way before I could see them. "I'd like to see some of the animals." "Take a look through these." He gave me a pair of binoculars. A yellow and black bird fluttered its wings and cocked its head. Black feathers formed a "zig-zag" pattern across its front. Other than the odd pattern, it looked like any other bird I'd seen. "The really exotic creatures usually live in either tropical or extreme climates on Earth-like planets. We're in a temperate zone, like Knoxville is." As we walked along, I stopped to look at tiny red flowers that bloomed on a yellow tree moss. John explained that the flowers were really insects that lived in the moss. They looked like flowers to catch larger insects for food. I wondered what Mr. Darwin would have thought of these woods. Behind us, a twig snapped. Branches on two bushes swayed back and forth as if someone had just walked through them. John told me to stay put, then he ran through the bushes. A bird squawked at me from its nest. John's distant figure moved between shafts of sunlight that poked through the tree branches. John's reaction worried me. Did dangerous people live in these woods? "You came here. With him. I thought you..." Minnelkin approached me. "Tell me, where is Greistolon?" "John is looking for whoever was behind us. Are you alone?" He paused, as usual, before answering. "What is 'alone'?" "Minnelkin, you've got to stop playing 'cat and mouse' with us. John has never done anything to you!" "I not say he 'did anything' -- I just ask --" "Yes, of course. I'm sorry. Is anyone else with you?" I patiently awaited his reply. He shook his head. "My, uh, translator not always function... Improperly? But it works better since I take your dictionary." He almost smiled. "Yes, I am, as you say, 'alone.'" "How can you be so sure John hurt your sister?" "Oliva told me. I not wish to 'murder' him now, Carolyn. I just want him to be -- How do you say -- ?" I took his hands. "Patience, my friend. We'll figure out what you mean." "You are so... Kind." Bashfully, he bowed his head. His hands tightened around mine, then he held up my left hand to examine my glowing crystal ring. "Where you get this?" "On the Conveyance." "You must come with me. Right now." He gently tugged on my arm. "Please, it is -- it is important." He pulled harder. John emerged from a clump of bushes. Minnelkin ran, and I stumbled along behind him. I managed to keep up until I tripped on a tree root. "Let her go!" John brandished a black cylinder. Minnelkin stared at him for a moment, then he said, "You not understand. She must come. Now." He pulled me to my feet. "I help her." "Let. Her. Go." John's eyes narrowed angrily. This time, Minnelkin's response was a little faster. He released me. Before he could speak, he collapsed. "You hurt him! Why?" I knelt beside Minnelkin. "I rendered him unconscious so he couldn't hurt you. Are you all right?" John pocketed his cylinder. For someone who could feel others' pain, he seemed too willing to inflict pain on others. "Why are you angry at me?" He knelt beside me. "You hurt this poor man --" " -- Who has a tendency to allow his rage to consume him. He already attacked me. Was I supposed to let him do so again?" Yes, Minnelkin had been anything but gentle with John. I hung my head. "I'm sorry. It's just your anger -- such as the way you made Frederick hang himself -- frightens me." "I didn't make Frederick do anything!" John's hands clenched into fists. "He locked himself into his bedroom, and I didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late. Now that you know the truth, I hope you will find no further need to discuss Frederick's death. Go back to the Conveyance. I'd rather you not be here when Minnelkin wakes up." "I can't get back there alone!" I put my fists on my hips. "I don't know my way around these woods." He stared at me for a moment before saying, "All right. I'll take you. Minnelkin should sleep until I get back." We returned to the beach in silence. Lost in his own thoughts, John occasionally muttered and frowned. When we stepped into the triangular entrance hall, he called out, "What do you mean 'it wasn't important'?" "It had no priority," Oppenheimer called back. It sat up in its chair. "This 'Minnelkin' obviously followed us from 1895 Knoxville." John stood over it. "You're telling me that isn't important?" "The Conveyance only picked up his ship as it entered the space port at the Shegullan Triangle." Oppenheimer closed its eyes. "He could have come here for any number of reasons." "Minnelkin would have hurt Carolyn!" John sank his fist into the chair, inches from the monkey dog's head. The chair quivered around his fist. "Watch your temper, Greistolon." Oppenheimer bared its teeth. "I bite." "From now on, you tell me if Minnelkin's ship --" "The Mephistopheles." "-- Is anywhere near us." "How could Minnelkin have followed us?" I felt I had to say something to keep them from brawling. "The Conveyance leaves a faint but detectable trail through the universal spheres," Oppenheimer replied. "If you want more information, go to the library. As for you, Greistolon, get away from me before I bite your nose off!" John sauntered from the room. I turned to follow, but Oppenheimer's voice stopped me. "I think you're overdue for a session in the library." "Do you two always argue like this?" "Only since you came aboard. Now, get in there!" Its bark made me jump. I settled into the library's chair and asked for information on the Conveyance. The library responded with a map of the interior. I explained that I wanted information on how the Conveyance worked; the library went silent. "It isn't talking to me!" Oppenheimer rubbed a cream on its chair's bruise. "The library thinks you want classified information. I'll instruct it to explain basic Conveyance operation in 'layman's terms.'" "Do these chairs feel pain?" "No. I just hate bruises." When the library came to life again, an almost invisible globe stood before me. "This is the current universe." The picture shifted to several balls standing side by side, like pearls on a string. The library explained that different time rates ruled in different universes although time passed at the same rate in different periods of the same universe. To travel forward in time, the Conveyance slid to the fastest time rate in its capacity and waited before dropping back into its original universe. As the library began to explain the more complicated task of traveling backwards through time, Oppenheimer walked in. "You're really not to blame for my arguments with Greistolon. I've always been angry at him, ever since I can remember." "Why?" "I don't know." Its paw touched my hand. "A lot of things I don't know have been bothering me lately. I've been searching my data for answers." "Why are you telling me this?" It sighed. "Sometimes even I need someone to talk to." "I suppose you two don't ever want to see me again." Smiling sheepishly, John stood in the doorway. "Minnelkin was gone by the time I got back to the woods. Oppenheimer, you said he would be unconscious for at least half an hour." "You spent too much time arguing with me." The monkey dog tapped its tail on my chair. "Forget it. I'm going over to the Triangle after him." "The Conveyance has already been there during this time period." John glared at Oppenheimer impatiently. "Let's just forget about Minnelkin altogether." I slipped my arm through John's. "I'd like to visit Knoxville." "What?" He looked down at me. I hugged his arm. "The library said Knoxville had a World's Fair in 1982. Could we go?" 1987 "Of course we're going," Teri said into the phone. Her room was almost at neat as Paul's. Primitive watercolor paintings of flowers and fruits adorned her walls. A fluffy blue quilted "comforter" covered her bed. Right now, it was crumpled along with her rainbow printed sheets. Her phone sat on a night stand that contained only a lamp and a brass alarm clock. She played with a stuffed "teddy" bear while she spoke into the blue phone. "If Judith tries to weasel out of Xanadu, I'll kill her... Uh huh. See you there." Teri hung up before looking at me. "Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty!" She laughed. "Listen to me. If Sammy hadn't called, I'd still be in the sack myself." "What are you doing at home?" "It's called 'annual leave.' I was off yesterday, too." She headed for the kitchen. "I was working at the art show." "I suppose I'd better get started on my chores." I pulled the vacuum cleaner from a closet. "Come have some coffee first." She poured water into the coffee maker. "Just because Judith and Paul are workin' their buns off doesn't mean the rest of us have to." "Anybody home?" Judith, carrying a large bag, walked through the door. "What are you doing here?" Teri frowned. "I thought you had to get the robot working or else." "I told Bossman if I didn't get away for a while, I would smash that S. O. B. into tiny, little pieces." She pulled a bucket of chicken from the bag. "So here I am." "Great! Wanna go shopping?" Teri retrieved plates from the cabinet. "I'm takin' L. W. O. P." Judith bit into a chicken leg. "I didn't want to spend any money." Teri set a plate in front of me. "I just like to look." "Uh huh." Judith sat across from me. "Go on without me, if that's what you were planning to do today." "Okay." Teri went into her room to get dressed. Judith tossed her chicken bones into the garbage can. "So, how do you feel about the upcoming convention?" "I've never been to one." This was the first time I'd had a chance to talk to Judith since I had seen Linda's painting. If that one piece of evidence existed, then maybe others did as well. I hoped I could get her to help me find them. "Judith, if you wanted to do research about a certain time period, say Knoxville in the 1890's, how would you go about it?" "Why the sudden interest in local history?" She stacked plates in the dishwasher. "There's a painting in the art show of a woman from that time with a telescope. She looks like me, so I thought I'd find out more about her." "Oh, yeah. Teri called it 'Star Gazer.' Let's see. Basic research techniques. Give me a minute, I'm rusty... First, I wouldn't bother with the public library. The U. T. library has a better collection of historical items. Second, I'd start in the art history section to find out what Mrs. Williams based the painting on." "Why can't I just ask her?" "I'm pretty sure she's dead." "Oh." Linda would have been 96 years old this year. It would have been interesting to find out if she recognized me. "Judith, would you take me to this library?" "We can go up there tomorrow. Right now, I have to work on my robot costume." I didn't enter her makeshift lab (she set up her equipment on the sewing table in the rec room) until I had finished straightening the house. Watching her work on the circuitry in her costume reminded me of watching Oppenheimer work on the machines in the Conveyance's mysterious compartments. Time Unknown The monkey dog had been unable to bring us to 1982 Knoxville because the Conveyance had been in the area during that time period. "One of the functions of 'anti-paradox' programming is to keep you from meeting yourself," John explained. "Basically, the Conveyance draws a radius of approximately 200 miles around a place it visits, so you can't visit anywhere in that circle." "We could land 201 miles from Knoxville and walk." "No. The second I reached the 200 mile point, the Conveyance would think I'd created a paradox and recall me." 1987 Nicholas had said, "We have a paradox." "That's it!" The window cleaner bottle bounced on the floor. "What?" Judith looked up from her soldering. "I'm sorry." I picked up the bottle. "I just remembered something." She put her soldering iron down. "Do tell all." Did I want to tell her about myself before I found any proof? There was still a chance that I wouldn't be able to find any evidence that my memories were real. "I'll tell you tomorrow." "Why don't you tell me right now?" Her forehead wrinkled into a frown. "You did say that I didn't have to tell you anything until I was ready to." "Yes, I do recall saying that." She picked up her soldering iron again. "But when I pick you up from the library tomorrow, I hope you'll be ready to tell me something." I returned to the kitchen. Somehow, the Conveyance had allowed us into the few moments before Nicholas and John had arrived here originally. I wasn't deserted; John would have to move into the next time period in which he could come for me. If I was lucky, that time period would be short. Otherwise, I might have to wait years for his return. What if I were in Nashville when he arrived? I needed to stay put, and that meant I had to convince Judith to let me out of attending the convention. It was time to tell her the truth. I returned to the rec room. "Judith, will you help me with my research tomorrow?"