Divergence

behind him, written in the tones of the cello, the face of Mary gazed through the protecting veil.

Eva felt her world lurching: what about this divergence? If Hilde the cello player was the apotheosis of humankind, a glimpse into the true nature lying beyond this world, then what of this crippled man? What truth was there in her vision now?

Seventeen minutes. Maurice is calling you from the shuttle.

And Judy was standing alone in front of the silver sphere of the processing space of the Eva Rye.

“Eva!” she called.

There was a rattling noise and a rain of black cubes appeared before her. Dark Seeds. Schrodinger boxes.

The ship was crossing the line. She shouldn’t be here. She should be in the shuttle, preparing for the final transit to Earth.

She ran out of the processing space and into the bare metal of the corridor, down to the complicated six-way knot of the junction. Someone was calling to her. She skidded to a halt.

“Eva?”

The voice came again, just on the edge of hearing. Dark Seeds jumped like fleas across the floor, hopping towards her.

“Eva?”

Did the voice call again? There was a flicker of light at her feet. A seed uncurling. Then she realized the truth. It wasn’t Eva she heard, but the seeds. She began to run again, pushing herself harder than ever. Back into the black-and-white patterns of the ship’s living area, the feel of the black carpet beneath her feet. Running and gasping down to the entrance leading to the large hold. Through the door…

The great, crippled dinosaur venumb watched her as she entered. As soon as it realized that she was not a threat, it turned away. Ahead of her, the shuttle sat in the middle of the white-tiled floor, the antique curves of the craft seeming archaic against the modernity of the Eva Rye . Edward stood by the entrance ladder, wringing his hands with concern.

“Judy!” he called in delight as he saw her. “Hurry up! We’ve only got one minute left!”

Judy ran to him, her head spinning with questions.

“Up you go, Edward,” she called.

“No, you go first, Judy.”

She jumped onto the ladder and clambered up. She felt Edward’s hands on her behind, pushing her up faster.

They scrambled into the shuttle, and the door slid shut behind Edward. Maurice, Saskia, Constantine, and Miss Rose waited for them on the flight deck, seated in reclining leather chairs that faced the windscreen.

“All on board?” Maurice said. “Okay, let’s see what’s going on.” He tapped at his console and the vast extent of the large hold, seen through the windscreen, vanished to be replaced by an external view from the Bailero .

“Where have you been?” Saskia asked, anxiously stroking the tabby kitten, holding it tightly in her arms to stop it escaping.

Judy eased herself into a seat.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said.

“What about?” Saskia asked.

Judy looked around at her traveling companions, at Miss Rose the old woman, at Maurice the very intelligent young man, at Edward who had learning difficulties, and at Saskia and Constantine.

“About how different we all are,” she said. “Have you ever thought about the differences between us all?

How we vary as a species?”

“No,” Maurice said.