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st.
 I discovered something new on this trip, she said in a dazed voice.  About
Earth. It contains the potential to become a Nexus world, like this one.
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Page No 98
CHAPTER EIGHT
I had plenty to think about over the next few days. I spent most of the
time
meeting with Russell and his group. Meanwhile, Amanda did as we d asked and
used the gates to scout out alternative Earths where we could place the
refuges
from stasis once they were released. We also kept busy debating exactly how we
wanted to divide up the people.
First, we decided to put the  too old and  too sick group
on their own world.
We figured their problems would be different than the others. And they were
innocents, caught up in stasis only by an accident of fate. That decisio
n was a
simple one. What to do about criminals, those with mental problems a whole
host
of defectives was more challenging. Did we dump the criminals together or
divide
them up by crimes? And what about multiple offenders, some of whom were also
mentally ill?
After a long day of arguing about who to put where I needed a break. I r
etired
to my quarters in a section of one of the towers. I d spent a lot of
time working on
learning to manipulate the quantum flux, and the result was a series of rooms
that
looked somewhat like the old homestead in Ruston. Lately, I d regretted making
it so
much like home. It only made me more homesick than ever for Rita.
I kicked off the pair of soft sandals I wore inside, and poured myself a
drink
while I contemplated changing it into a luxury suite. I could materialize
rooms that
would cost a fortune to build on Earth. I could let my fantasies take over. I
pictured a
domed entranceway with double staircases sweeping upward and a waterfall in
the
middle. A knock interrupted my plans.
Mostly, people don t knock in the Nexus. We can sense the mood someon
e is
in from outside, so we either walk through the wall or go away. That alone
told me
who was waiting outside. Donna tended to be a little old-fashioned. She
was back in
her female form now that Russell had finished his lessons. As soon as I
opened the
door I saw the glow on her face.
 You look gorgeous, I said, as I ushered her over to a chair and
offered her a
drink.
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She looked around at the furnishings in appreciation.  You ve recreated our
old home.
I shrugged and headed for the bar.  We had some happy times there.
 Yes, we were a family together. Her smile got wider.  By the way, no alcohol
in that drink, please.
I turned back to her with a big grin.  Do you have some good news for
me?
Pure joy glowed on her face.  Oh, Lee. I m so happy. Russell and I
are having
a baby.
I swept her up in my arms and gave her an enthusiastic hug, then followe
d it
with a long, tender kiss. When I stepped back, she laughed in delight.
 Can you believe it? We ve only been trying for a few days.
 It s not surprising, I said.  You ve got an eighteen-year-old body with no
imperfections. A hot glance is probably enough to knock you up.
She flushed, and I caught a mental glimpse of the nonstop marathon of
lovemaking that had resulted in her pregnancy.
 We conceived last night. She looked at me with a sly grin, and g
iggled. She
knew I d picked up on her memories.  We re going to have twins;
a boy and a girl.
Twins! That called for another hug. I squeezed her tight. If the touch o
f her
soft flesh brought back a few memories of my own, it was only natural. We
shared a
second kiss, one that went on for quite a while before we broke apart.
 Congratulations, I said at last.  You and Russell are a great team, and
you ll
make wonderful parents.
 So will you and Rita.
I swallowed hard on that one. So far Rita had spent most of her pregnancy
alone. Of course, I could use the gates to arrive back with her in what was
the past
to me, but it felt like cheating somehow.
 Now that it s happened, I feel a little scared, Donna added.
 Join the crowd, I assured her.
We laughed together. I poured her a glass of orange juice, but added a shot
of vodka to mine and we shared a toast to our new babies. Donna sipped h
er juice
as she wandered around my rooms. I could tell from the teary-eyed look she got
that
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Page No 100
the sight of the old homestead brought back a lot of memories.
 I never had a chance to say goodbye to this, you know, she said,
gesturing
to the rooms.  We came down with radiation sickness so fast and then we rushed
to
the gate for a cure and poof! Russell and I ended up here.
I thought of the years Rita and I had spent going through the gates, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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