Olga’s face cleared. “Why, Perry, you don’t have to stay here.”
“What? Why don’t I? I was sent here for treatment.”
“Surely. And you should spend quite a bit of your time here just for our convenience in treating you. But you are free to move around.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I always mean what I say.”
Perry’s face lit up. “Stand clear, boys! Here we go! Say, where can I hire a sky car?”
“Take mine, if you like. I won’t be needing it.”
“That gives me an idea. Are you busy today? Could you come along? We could have a picnic.”
“Why yes, I guess I could go. Sure you wouldn’t rather be alone?”
“Hell, no. You’re the perfect companion. You don’t bother a fellow when he doesn’t want to talk.”
“Okay. Let’s go. I’ll see about something to eat.”
A short while later Perry pressed back on the stick and they shot into the air at maximum lift. Higher and higher he took them, clear to the ceiling for the little craft. Then he spread his wings and accelerated to maximum speed. They shot along silently except for the muffled whir of the screw. Olga lounged on the cushions and watched him with the half smile of approval with which a mother watches a child at play. Tiring of straight flight, Perry put the machine through its paces, rotor maneuvering, climbing by wing, crashing, quick turns. Presently he leveled off, and spoke. “That was fun. I wish I had my old crate here, though. I’d show you some real acrobatics. Did you ever loop, or fly upside down? Or a power dive in formation? That’ll take the enamel off your teeth. This is a grand little boat but it’s a baby carriage with shock absorbers compared with our old fighting jobs.”
“That sounds exciting, but wasn’t it terribly dangerous?”
“Sure it was dangerous, unless you knew your job. Even then it wasn’t a tea party. Lots of my pals got theirs from carelessness, or engine failure or something. But it was grand sport. Funny, I never got hurt in the air, but a measly little spill out of an automobile finishes me off. Only it didn’t finish me.” He grinned boyishly. “Damn funny thing about me popping over all these years. It worried me a lot at first. I was afraid I’d go to sleep and wake up somebody else. You know that Hindu pal of Gordon’s. You remember he came to see me. He seems to think that Gordon and I are the same hombre using different memory tracks. I didn’t understand it and don’t see how he can prove it, but he claims that if Gordon comes back at all I’ll simply have two memories. He talked a lot about serial observers and serial time sense. I didn’t get it, but he did manage to reassure me.” Olga patted his hand. “That’s good. I’m glad.”
“The best part about it is that I can go ahead and be a citizen of this world now and not feel like a freak. Say, are you hungry?”
“Not very, but I can usually eat.” She patted her soft expanse of tummy.
“I kinda skipped breakfast. Let’s drop down somewhere and eat outdoors.”
“Okay. Where are we?” They bent over the map screen and Olga glanced out. She placed her finger on the map. “How about it?”
“Twenty minutes more or less. It’s an inspiration.”
“I’ll get lunch ready while you whip up the horses.” Half an hour later they were sitting at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, eating silently while they drank in the ageless wonder of the place. Perry broke the silence. “You know I’ve seen this many times before, twice since my arrival in this period and several times in my early life. It makes me feel as if the thing that happened to me in time is just a casual incident of no more import than the ten seconds of unconsciousness of a lightly knocked out boxer. Time has moved on here in the past hundred and fifty years, but the change is not perceptible.”
Olga nodded but did not answer. She stared out and down. Presently she arose and brushed the crumbs from her coverall. “Let’s get going. I have to take this place in small doses.” She stepped into the car and loosened the zipper at her throat. Perry followed her, and sealed the door. Once off the ground, coveralls stowed, and cigarettes lighted, Perry inquired, “Whereto?”