Howard found himself hoping the young man got away. That did surprise him.
'It's no good, Ken,' Melody said. They were sitting Slide side at the edge of the hotel bed, but he had know before she spoke that they would not be making love tonight. The way she'd sat stiffly, not looking at him, in the passenger seat of the horseless as he drove away from the DRC had been plenty to tell him that. Now she went on 'After today, in fact, we'd probably be better travel separately.'
“Why?' he said. Down deep he knew why, though admitting it to himself by continuing, 'You agreed we had to take Matt back.'
I know I did. It was the only thing we could do, and I did. I don't see how I'l ever do anything but hate it, and being with you just keeps reminding me of it. Sorry.'
“The rewards of being right,' he said.
it earned him a glare. 'Call it whatever you like. But stay together, and I think I'll end up hating you too. I'd rather break clean now.'
'However you like,' he said tonelessly. He suspected she would end up hating him anyway, convincing herself that everything that had gone wrong was his fault. It was too late for him to do anything about that.
He and Melody slept with their backs to each other. The space of mattress between them might as well have I chasm.
The IV that slowly dripped into Matt's arm after a while gave him a familiar pain. He slept again on a familiar bed in a familiar room.
His breakfast came on a familiar tray at a familiar time. After so much strangeness, all that was reassuring.
aside from the temporary nuisance of the IV, he felt better. The towers had the medicines to cure the sicknesses he had come down with on his travels, and the special medicine to help keep him from falling sick so easily again.
He had females once more, when he felt well enough for them That was good, after doing so long without. When couplings were done, they would ask him in sign-talk about his adventures on the outside. He answered as best he could. They were curious, and it helped pass the time.
in horseless, like on television, he would sign, and to himself. That never failed to draw awed murmurs of excited 'Hoo's from whatever female he was with. better than here. Here everything the same al the time, l torn ' He shrugged and yawned, baring his large yellow teeth.
After while, going in homeless same al the time too, he answered, full of the ennui of the experienced traveler. Is One afternoon, the female cal ed Jane asked, why take you from here?
People want to help make sims free, he signed People want to make me free.
'Hoo,' Jane said softly. You go outside tower, you free Matt thought that over. No matter how often Ken and Melody had used the word, he stil could not quite get what they meant by it. Not sure, he signed. Then, slowly shook his head. No, not free. People outside like people here.
Say they let sims do what sims want, but real y only let us do what sims want when they want that too. 'Ah,' Jane said, and nodded. She understood that perfectly. After a while, they coupled again. Then a nurse came to take Matt away. More needles? he signed. The nurse nodded. He sighed and went with her.
The afternoon moved on to twilight.
