This Perfect Day

He put the bandage on in the dark and then found her flashlight on the ground near her bike. He put the bike with his, gathered blankets and made the two usual sleeping places, put her kit by hers, and picked up the gun and the pieces of her coveralls. He put the gun in his kit.

The moon slid over one of the spurs behind leaves that were black and motionless. She didn't come back and he began to worry that she had gone away on foot.

Finally, though, she came. She put the soap and towel into her kit and switched off the flashlight and got between her blankets.

"I got excited having you under me that way," he said. "I've always wanted you, and these last few weeks have been just about unbearable. You know I love you, don't you?"

"I'm going alone," she said.

"When we get to Majorca," he said, "if we get there, you can do what you want; but until we get there we're staying together. That's it, Lilac." She didn't say anything.

He woke hearing strange sounds, squeals and pained whimpers. He sat up and shone the light on her; her hand was over her mouth, and tears were running down her temple from her closed eyes.

He hurried to her and crouched beside her, touching her head. "Oh Lilac, don't," he said. "Don't cry, Lilac, please don't." She was doing it, he thought, because he had hurt her, maybe internally.

She kept crying.

"Oh Lilac, I'm sorry!" he said. "I'm sorry, love! Oh Christ and Wei, I wish the gun had been working!"

She shook her head, holding her mouth.

"Isn't that why you're crying?" he said. "Because I hurt you? Then why? If you don't want to go with me, you don't really have to."

She shook her head again and kept crying.

He didn't know what to do. He stayed beside her, caressing her head and asking her why she was crying and telling her not to, and then he got his blankets, spread them alongside her, and lay down and turned her to him and held her. She kept crying, and he woke up and she was looking at him, lying on her side with her head propped on her hand. "It doesn't make sense for us to go separately," she said, "so we'll stay together."

He tried to recall what they had said before sleeping. As far as he could remember, nothing; she had been crying. "All right," he said, confused.

"I feel awful about the gun," she said. "How could I have clone that? I was sure you had lied to King."

"I feel awful about what I did," he said.

"Don't," she said. "I don't blame you. It was perfectly natural. How's your hand?"

He took it out from under the blanket and flexed it; it hurt badly. "Not bad," he said.

She took it in her hand and looked at the bandage. "Did you spray it?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

She looked at him, still holding his hand. Her eyes were large and brown and morning-bright. "Did you really start for one of the islands and turn back?" she asked.

He nodded.

She smiled. "You're tres fou," she said.

"No I'm not," he said.

"You are," she said, and looked at his hand again. She took it to her lips and kissed his fingertips one by one.

Chapter 4

They didn't get started until mid-morning, and then they rode quickly for a long while to make up for their laxness. It was an odd day, hazy and heavy-aired, the sky greenish gray and the sun a white disc that could be looked at with fully opened eyes. It was a freak of climate control; Lilac remembered a similar day in Chi when she was twelve or thirteen. ("Is that where you were born?"

"No, I was born in Mex."

"You were? I was too!") There were no shadows, and bikes coming toward them seemed to ride above the ground like cars. Members glanced at the sky apprehensively, and coming nearer, nodded without smiling.

When they were sitting on grass, sharing a container of coke, Chip said, "We'd better go slowly from now on. There are liable to be scanners in the path and we want to be able to pick the right moment for passing them."

"Scanners because of us?" she said.

"Not necessarily," he said. "Just because it's the city nearest to one of the islands. Wouldn't you set up extra safeguards if you were Uni?"

He wasn't as much afraid of scanners as he was that a medical team might be waiting ahead. "What if there are members watching for us?" she said. "Advisers or doctors, with pictures of us."

"It's not very likely after all this time," he said. "We'll have to take our chances. I've got the gun, and the knife too." He touched his pocket.

After a moment she said, "Would you use it?"

"Yes," he said. "I think so."

"I hope we don't have to," she said. "So do I."

"You'd better put your sunglasses on," she said. "Today?" He looked at the sky. "Because of your eye."

"Oh," he said. "Of course." He took his glasses out and put them on, looked at her and smiled. "There's not much that you can do," he said, "except exhale."

"What do you mean?" she said, then flushed and said, "They're not noticeable when I'm dressed."

"First thing I saw when I looked at you," he said. "First things I saw."

"I don't believe you," she said. "You're lying. You are. Aren't you?" He laughed and poked her on the chin.