And Eternity Part 16

"For different reason," Jolie explained. "The big harness holds the ship vertical and above the building, so that no actual landing field is necessary and there is room for the rocket jets to flow. Our small harness is to hold us in place for the pressures of the takeoff and landing. Springs allow it to give way, cushioning the worst of the acceleration. This will be a short, violent hop."

That's my kind of trip, the girl agreed.

They got into the harness and clamped it on around arms, legs and torso. There was a brace for the neck, and a helmet to hold the head secure.

In due course there was a shrill warning beep. Then the rocket took off. First they felt the rising power of its jet, causing the entire vessel to shudder. Then the motion commenced, slow at first, but rapidly accelerating.

Hooo! Vita thought, feeling their jaw, b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and stomach sag with the abrupt increase in weight.

A vision screen came on, showing a fisheye-lens view of the outside. They were rising, the building and surrounding city of Kilvarough dropping down. In moments they had a panoramic view of the region.

I like Mortis better. Vita announced.

Neither Orlene nor Jolie cared to argue with that.

The rocket blast cut off. Their harness bounced up, its springs recovering their compactness. They were in freefall.

Wheee! Vita thought.

But in a moment the rocket spun about, its business end pointing forward. Then the blast resumed, just as if they were still rising. But now they were slowing and descending, as the screen showed. The rocket was efficient, which meant the ride was short.

"I would have preferred a modem saucer," Jolie said.

"They are as fast, but they use antigravity instead of jet propulsion, so are a lot easier to ride, I understand. Of course, as a ghost I never had occasion to ride one."

Maybe on the way back! Vita thought eagerly. She loved experience of any kind.

The ship backed down to its rocketport and dropped into its harness. The safe-to-debark gong sounded. They got out of their harness and waited for a vacant slot on the moving ladder. Naturally, all the other pa.s.sengers were trying to leave at once, so they had to wait some time.

A slot appeared. Jolie grabbed a rung and swung her feet across. She glanced up and found herself peering up the skirt of another woman. It was foolish to wear such clothing to travel!

Then she looked down and spied the man below looking up her skirt. Ouch!

They should make men wear skirts. Vita thought.

Oriene, silent so far, caught that and went into a mental giggle. Jolie tried to contain it, but a peep leaked out. "Maybe we can get Luna to pa.s.s a law," she murmured between suppressed heaves. "But who would want to look at that?"

That, of course, was the problem: turnabout was not fair play, because women had little interest in looking at men the way men looked at women. Life was inherently unfair.

No it isn't. Vita thought. It gives us power, because we've got what they want.

At the bottom they let go and rode the ramp out and down. At the roof of the rocketport they transferred to the express escalator, which took them down at a slant to the main door. They had no baggage, so beat most of the crowd out.

The taxi carpets were lined up. Jolie took the first one. "Mock h.e.l.l," she said.

Soon they were there: at the megabuilding devoted to the follies of d.a.m.nation. Satan had set it up decades ago as an exhibit, in an attempt to show mortals that h.e.l.l was really a fun place. This had been successful, and it had become a major tourist attraction. People of all ages flocked to sample evils that were not encouraged elsewhere.

Jolie walked through the gambling den, where the customer always won. Piles of silver and gold coins abounded. Sure looks like fun! Vita thought.

"Wait till you see the next level!" Jolie replied. She was, of course, long familiar with this setup; it was an excellent initial sorting place for potential evil. Satan got early warning here of forthcoming clients.

The next level was devoted to gluttony: clients were stuffing themselves with all manner of pastries and confections and tasty beverages. Ooooo! Vita thought.

Jolie approached one of the chefs. "May I borrow your gla.s.ses a moment?"

"We don't let clients-" he began.

"Pierre, don't you know me?" she asked, extending her ghost face in front of the host face.

He did a double-take. "Of course. Mistress of Satan!" he agreed hastily, extending his gla.s.ses.

Jolie put them on. They were not prescription lenses, but magic spectacles, and what they showed was a spectacle indeed: the reality behind the fostered illusion. The clients were eating garbage, literally, and drinking reeking sewer dip. For this privilege they were paying not with money, but with percentages of their souls. They were committing themselves to h.e.l.l by stages, for pleasures which were no more genuine than those of sin itself.

Ugh! Vita thought, her gorge rising.

Jolie quickly removed the gla.s.ses, as it was she who would vomit if this went too far. "The wages of sin are garbage," she said, returning the gla.s.ses. "Thank yea, Pierre; this client is not going to h.e.l.l anyway."

"I don't know why Satan keeps company with the likes of you!" Pierre said, smiling.

"There's an ineradicable bit of good in the worst of us," she responded. "His bit of good relates to me. But don't worry; I happen to know that he's having an affair with an Incarnation."

"But that's even more extreme!" Pieire protested. "She's bound to be good!"

"But think of how far he can drag her toward evil!"

He nodded, seeing the point. Jolie walked on.

Is Satan really-? Vita asked, her interest quickening.

"He really is," Jolie said. "It's a terrific scandal."

Gee, she thought, awed. Who-?

"Oh, I wouldn't blab her name to just anyone."

You're teasing me!

Jolie laughed. "I am, dear! But see, we're here." For they had come to the Infernal Elevator, which served as a convenient conduit between Purgatory, the mortal realm, and h.e.l.l. This was what she had been headed for all along.

She touched the entry panel, again extending her ghostly ident.i.ty. The panel recognized it, for she had free access to all Satan's works, in any form, if she could handle them. It slid aside and the steamy interior of the h.e.l.levator showed.

She stepped in. "Purgatory," she said.

The panel slid across again. Flames erupted from the edges of the floor. The elevator moved up in a cloud of smoke which somehow didn't choke. It was mostly illusion, to provide the proper flavor for an artifact of the nether region.

This is more like it! Vita thought enthusiastically. Where else does this crate go?

"It connects everything except Heaven," Jolie said. "For some reason, Satan couldn't get G.o.d's permission to put a stop there."

Fancy that, Orlene thought dryly.

"Something you should keep in mind about the supernatural realms. Vita," Jolie said. "They are not quite like the mortal one. They are not actually physical, they are two dimensional, and cannot normally be detected or interacted with by living mortals. But to those in them, they seem three or four dimensional, and therefore solid. The folk there will seem alive, but they are not; all are spirits except the Incarnations, who are of neither the natural or supernatural realms. The folk of Purgatory don't need to eat or sleep, and anything we eat there will not sustain us. Only by special dispensation can mortals enter any of the supernatural realms."

How come this elevator is taking us there, then? "It is really a mechanism for translation," Jolie explained. "The Incarnations don't need translation, but your body does. We seem to be rising, but we are instead changing, becoming two dimensional. Such a process represents a strain on the system, so is seldom authorized. But because I am close to an Incarnation, I am allowed to do this, and I am taking your physical body to Purgatory. While there I will never depart from your body, for that would leave you there without authority, which would be extremely awkward. I will turn the body over to Orlene for the duration, for this is her quest. You may observe and comment, but you will not be put in charge."

Yeah, I can see why. I won't pester you for anything. "And Orlene-are you going to be able to handle an encounter with your lover, in his new role?" I have no choice, Orlene replied grimly. The h.e.l.levator flamed up again and stopped. The panel slid aside. They were at the fringe of Purgatory, its seemingly natural landscape opening out before them.

Jolie stepped out. Behind her the device disappeared in another dramatic gout of flame and smoke, leaving only a brooding funeral. Ahead was a path leading windingly toward a mansion in the distance. "That is Chronos' residence," Jolie said. "It will take us at least an hour to reach it, and we won't hurry; in fact we may be best advised to take a nap before we start."

No, I am ready to tackle this now, Orlene thought. "You misunderstand. It is not your courage in question, but the nature of the structure. Time runs backwards within it. You will thus emerge before you enter. Rather than meet yourself and get fouled up, it is better to allow sufficient time around the edges, before and after, so that you are not put in difficulty. We can proceed with a series of scheduled pauses, during which we sleep or at least pay no attention to what is around us, so that whoever may pa.s.s before us knows what times and places to avoid."

This is crazy! Vita thought.

I don't care about any of that, Orlene thought. I just want to get there and explain about the time Thanatos used on my behalf, and beg for a grain of sand.

"But this man was your lover!"

Her what? Vita asked. Did I miss something juicy when I wasn't paying attention?

I will apologize to him for leaving him as I did. I see no reason to delay; it will only erode my nerve.

"As you wish," Jolie said, realizing that one way might be as good as another, and if not, that the woman simply had to go her own route. She released the host body to her.

Orlene took over and began walking briskly toward the castle. Jolie realized, belatedly, that the last time they had been to Purgatory, on their way to see an Incarnation, Orlene had become a man and horribly embarra.s.sed herself: she could be nervous about such experience and want to get through as quickly as possible.

Because this was Purgatory, the body did not tire. Orlene, discovering this, picked up her pace, and soon she was almost running. Thus it was that she reached the castle in half the time Jolie had estimated. Flushed with nervousness rather than exertion, she lifted the ornate door knocker and let it fall.

In a moment a butler opened the door. "And who may I announce to Chronos?" he inquired.

"Just a supplicant for a favor."

"Please wait in the foyer."

She entered and waited, while the butler departed for the interior. There was a scenic mural on the wall that looked almost real enough for her to walk into. The furniture was comfortable, and the floor was polished hardwood. You're right. Vita thought. This seems awfully real and solid!

Don't be deceived; its reality is on a different plane from that of the living host.

The butler returned. "Chronos will see you now."

She followed the man to the main chamber. Her breath caught in her throat. There stood Norton, exactly as she had known him in life!

He turned and looked at her. "May I ask who you are?"

He did not recognize her-because she wore Vita's body! Her appearance was that of a pretty teenage black girl. "I will tell you-but first let me plead my case. Thanatos took me to see how he drew out souls, and he had to borrow time from you to do it. I hope you will approve this, for I did learn something significant."

"Thanatos was kind to me before I a.s.sumed this office," Chronos said. "I have no quarrel with his use of time, and will not question it."

' 'And-And I am told I need from you one grain of sand from-"

"What?" he asked, astonished and dismayed.

"I-I know it is very valuable, but I really need it. You see, I lost my baby, and the Incarnation of Night told me that I could only cure his malady by getting something from each Incarnation, and-"

"If I knew a way to cure a baby's malady, I would have cured that of my own baby before he died, and so saved his mother, whom I loved. Certainly one grain of sand will not-"

This was getting awkward! She should have told him her ident.i.ty at the outset. "I know. It was a terrible mistake, and I made it worse. I see you still wear Sning."

He glanced at the ring he wore, which was in the form of a tiny snake curled around the finger. "How could you know about that?" he asked, surprised. "The only one who knows is dead. Not only that-"

"Dead," she agreed. "And trying to save her baby."

He was not a stupid or unperceptive man. "Can it be you, Orlene?" he asked, amazed. "In other form? I mistook you for a mortal!"

"Oh, Norton," she said, her tears starting. "I did not mean to deceive you! I just forgot that you would not know my mortal host, and then I thought I shouldn't try to influence you by-oh, how I wronged you when I died! I didn't think of you at all, just the baby, and if it were possible to undo that evil, believe me I would, but I can't! I loved you, Norton, and love you still, but was blinded by my folly! I can't ask your forgiveness, I can only proffer my apology for what cannot be undone. I shouldn't have come here!"

He came to her as she spoke and took her in his arms. "Have you come to stay with me, Orlene, this time?"

She was taken aback. "Stay-here? Oh, Norton, I cannot! This host is a living girl who must return to the mortal realm. I am here with her, and with Jolie, who is'-"

"Ah, Jolie, Satan's consort. I have my differences with Satan, but she is a nice woman."

"Yes. So I'm not here alone, and can't remain."

"But you are a spirit. The mortal girl could return, and Jolie is already a ghost, and you could remain, a.s.suming your natural likeness here. If you do not leave this mansion, the problem of time will not exist, and we can be together for decades, never aging."

Orlene was wildly tempted. This possibility had never occurred to her. To be back with Norton, in seeming life and comfort, indefinitely!

Then she remembered Gaw-Two. "My baby-could he be here too?"

"No. A person can exist here only during the span of his natural life. In thirty-seven years I will fade out and have to pa.s.s the Hourgla.s.s on to my successor, in mortal terms my predecessor, for I will then be pa.s.sing beyond the time of my birth. Gaw-Two would come up against his limit in mere days."

"And then have to exist forward," she concluded. "Oh, Norton, I cannot give him up! I do love you, but I love him, too, and his need is greater. I must rid him of that terrible malady of the soul and see him safely on the way to Heaven before I can rest." She felt terribly guilty saying this, but it was the truth.

"But if you could save him, and be with me?"

"Then I would be at peace, and nothing else would matter."

He nodded. "I learned from Sning-the demon ring you gave me-that you were yourself given up for adoption as a baby. I can see that it would be very important for you not to do that to your own baby."

"Yes. I knew I was adopted, but I didn't know my true parentage until after I died. I think it does affect my att.i.tude. I always wanted to be the very best mother I could possibly be, and I still want to, even though my son and I be ghosts. I want my baby to know me, even after death."

Chronos paused, thinking, then came to a decision. "Orlene, I can take you to see your adoption, if you wish. I never went back that far in your life myself, as my concern was to forget you, not enhance my awareness of you, but now I think it would be appropriate. You are younger than I; your adoption will be within my tenure of office. Would you like to see it?"

Orlene was amazed. "I can go see that? But wouldn't there be paradox or something?"

"My activities are normally immune from paradox, a necessary concomitant of the Office. But in this case there will be an extra precaution: we will not be visible or audible to the folk of that time, or able to affect them in any way. We will merely watch."

"Oh, yes, then!" Orlene exclaimed. "I would love to go back to that scene! Even earlier-I would like to see my mother give me away. Can we do that?"