“Your table, sir. Madam.” The waiter bows, panning a hand to the table, then straightens up and pulls out Jasina’s chair for her.
We settle in our seats. I order us each a glass of wine out of habit, and I’m just about to ask Jasina if she likes wine—this was Clara’s drink, after all—when she sighs. “So that’s what that whole self-driving car trip was about.” She nods to the desert. “I might want to take that trip.”
“We should definitely take that trip. We’ve seen the desert from the wall of Tau City, but this is something else.”
“When did you see the desert from the wall?”
“What?”
“I’ve never been up on the wall.”
“Yeah, you have. Everyone goes in school. Fourth year? You have to run the whole perimeter. Ten miles. Everyone does it, it’s required.”
“Hmm. You forget, we didn’t grow up in the same neighborhood, Finn. Down-city kids don’t take field trips to the wall so they can run atop it for a day.”
“Oh. I forgot. Well,” I brighten, so that she will brighten. “That means, we for sure have to take that trip. We need to see everything, Jasina. Even other cities.”
She reaches across the table to pat my hand. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. I have a feeling this is just a one-time thing. We don’t really belong here, Finn. We’re going back tomorrow.”
The disappointment in her voice is so present, it hurts me. “Maybe. But maybe not.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, surely I could ask.”
Her eyebrow hikes up. “Ask what?”
“Ask Xi if… you know, we could live here.”
“Live here?”
“Come on. You haven’t thought about it? It hasn’t even crossed your mind?”
“Well…” She blushes a little. “It has. But it’s not possible. So why dream about it?”
“Hmmm. I don’t like that answer.” I pull the PPD out of my pocket and speak the name, “Cormac”. I’m not sure what I expected to happen, but it sure wasn’t his face popping up in the place where the map just was.
“Mr. Finn, how may I be of assistance?”
“Wow. That was weird.”
“Yes,” he agrees. “All travelers from the lower dimension often say the same thing. Now what can I do for you?”
But I don’t answer right away, because he just saidall travelers from the lower dimension… there are more of us?
I’m just about to ask about that when he speaks again. “Don’t be shy, Finn. I already know what you want to ask. I’ve also cleared it with Xi.”
“Clearedwhat,with Xi?” I reply.
“If the two of you can stay in RhoXi during the course of your procedure, should you choose to accept Xi’s offer, that is. Miss Jasina should plan on sleeping in tomorrow. No need to rush to get out of the room, which you can find by simply asking your PPD where it is! But you, on the other hand, I’ll be knocking on your door at six AM sharp for your meeting with Xi at seven-thirty. Any more questions?”
The face on the hand-held screen smiles. Waiting.
“Uh… no. I guess that covers it.”
“Perfect. Enjoy your evening. And remember,Every Spark Has Its Purpose!”
The face disappears. The screen goes black.
