"What's that?" I wanted to silence her with a hard kiss, but the urgent look in her eyes told me she had to speak.

"I've had a long lifetime as a man. It's only since I've come to the Nexusthat I've spent any time as a woman." She bit down on her lip and glanc ed up at me from beneath thick lashes, watching for my reaction.

Tenderness washed over me, as I understood part of the reason she clung so desperately to her superior attitude. She was afraid, as so many of us had been afraid when we faced the tremendous changes the sex gates brought to our sexuality. She had gone through the gates many times, becoming a woman over and over again to develop her Seconder abilities to the level where she could come to the Nexus. Yet in all that time, she'd never dared to experience sex as a woman.

I knew exactly how she felt. Once, I too, had been afraid to experience the throes of passion as a woman. My sweet Rita-transformed to the handsome Rez by the gates-had made tender love to me then, teaching me that our shared desire could transcend the forms our bodies took.

"Don't worry. You're a beautiful woman. And your body is about to take you places beyond your imagination."

I stroked her thick mane of hair back from her face and planted a tender kiss on her soft lips. Damn, she was one luscious and tempting woman once her guard was down. Hungry for more of her, I kissed my way down her neck to the stiff peaks of her breasts. As I sucked her nipples, she began thrashing in desire.

Eager to please, I turned my attention lower. I could hear her breath quicken in anticipation.

My tongue slid inside her and found a sensitive spot.

44

"Lee! Lee!"

She shouted my name and her fingernails dug deep into my back as I plundered her, teasing and stroking her with my tongue until her back arched and her entire body shook and heaved with the strength of her orgasm. As she sank back into the grass, I straddled her and thrust into her. Her hands clutched the grass and tore up great clumps as she shuddered with desire.

"Oh, God!" she cried, shouting her pleasure to the sky.

She gasped with delight and wrapped her long legs around me, tilting her hips so I could enter her deeper still. Her blazing heat drew me in, and I lost awareness of anything but the driving need to possess her. A loud hum filled my ea rs as I exploded with ecstasy. Incredible sensations swept through my body in intense spasms. As the waves of fire receded back into my belly, I opened my eye s again and became aware that the humming was more than the sound of the blood roaring through my veins-it filled the air around us.

"What the-!" I rolled away from her and sat up on one elbow, staring wildly around me.Amanda sat, too. Her breasts bounced from the quick movement. My sense of alarm vanished as I focused in on that soft flesh. Both mounds were rosy with the flush of her fierce climax. It appeared her first sexual experience as a woman had been a satisfactory one. The sight of that glowing skin and her stiff nipples almost made me forget the humming sound-but not quite.

A glowing light appeared in the air a few feet away. We scrambled to our feet as the light flared and coalesced into the form of a human male. He was tall and well-built with short dark hair and stunning green eyes. He wore a one-piece jumpsuit that shimmered in the sunlight. Dumbfounded, I reached out to touch him and my hand passed right through his body.

"Greetings!" The single word was recognizable as English although the pronunciation was unusual, distorted somehow.

"Uh, hello?"

I passed my hand through his body again. Obviously, he was some sort of holographic projection. My pattern sense told me we were looking at the gate 45

masters' computer. A halo of light surrounded his body. He studied us with a calm gaze and I swear he smirked.

"Welcome to the Nexus. I had originally classified you as invaders wi th hostile intent, but watching your lovemaking has convinced me you are a civilize d people."

Amanda brushed a leaf from her hair and smiled. From the satisfied look on her face, you would have thought the whole thing was her idea. "Indeed, we are."

"You are not from Earth?"

That question threw me for a moment, but I realized he meant the alterna te Earth that had attacked his Nexus.

"No. We are humans from another timeline-a friendly timeline, I assure you."

"You are welcome, then."

I decided it was time to try making some sort of demand. "We don't feel too welcome when we're locked outside."

A pained look flashed across the holographic face. "I regret that. I am programmed to repel attempts to enter the city until I determine the intent of the visitor."

"I hope you got it straight now." To make my point, I reached up a nd rubbed the sore spot on my forehead.

A distressed look appeared on the holographic face. I almost started to feel sorry for the guy-he seemed so human.

"Listen, ah, do you have a name?"

He drew himself up. "I am the Elite Three Thousand Ten Series Quantum Holographic Computer with Interactive Matrix.""That's a mouthful, Mr. Holographic Computer. How about I call you H.C.?"

"If you wish."

"This planet seems deserted. Are you the only one here?"

The light around his holographic body dimmed as he stared at me. "I a m. I have waited alone in this city for nearly nine hundred years. I was left behind to guard this place and its technology from intruders who might use the knowledge here to harm my masters."

"The masters of the gates, you mean?"

46

My heart thumped with a rush of adrenaline. I was speaking to a computer that had known the masters. I shot Amanda a look of triumph. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, too. We knew the masters were human and evolved far beyond us-but little else.

"What can you tell us about them?" Amanda blurted.

H.C. shook his head. "Nothing. I am programmed to remain silent about the masters."

My sudden hope vanished. "What! That's stupid. If they've been gone almost a thousand years, what can it matter?"

"The masters knew that others might use the quantum nature of the gates to travel here one day. They have left this world behind and do not wish to be followed."

Amanda's chin quivered. "What if we only want to sit at their feet and learn from their great wisdom?"

H.C. regarded her with a solemn look. "You remain human. The masters have gone beyond humanity and its concerns, and they no longer wish to look b ack. More than that I cannot tell you."

It was useless to argue with a computer. Forcing myself to concentrate o n the current problem, I pointed at one of the towers.

"Can we get inside, H.C.?"

"Certainly. I will no longer stop you." H.C. gestured toward the tower.

Taking him at his word, I steeled myself for another blow to the head an d strode straight at the wall. I won't claim I didn't flinch at the last moment, but I did pass through like a knife through butter. I found myself inside a vast chamber much like the one I'd left behind. To my utter relief, a sex gate stood in the center under a curved crystal ceiling.

"Thank whatever gods there be!" Amanda exclaimed, as she came thro ugh the wall to stand at my side. "Our way home."

I heard the eagerness in her voice and knew she wanted to get back befor e the holographic computer changed its mind and we reverted to enemy status. But my pattern sense warned me not to miss a great opportunity. A slow glow lit up the47

crystal wall as H.C. reappeared inside. As he turned to us, I spoke.

"Are you capable of telepathic communication?"

"That is how my masters communicated," H.C. said with a delighted smile.

"Great!"

I took a deep breath and began sending mental images his way.

Communicating mind to mind is infinitely faster than the clumsy words humans struggle with day after day. In no time, I had filled him in on how even ts had unfolded on our alternate Earth, including the problem we faced in finding a way to free the people trapped in the Nexus.

"Can you help us?" I finished.

"I can." His face took on a stern majesty. "The gate masters left me in charge of this entire city. I can shape and reform it however I wish. I would b e glad to offer this world as a refuge for some of the people in stasis."

"You can't take them all?"

H.C. shrugged his shoulders and looked regretful. "I am but one computer. I can only support so many living beings."

Disappointment washed over me, but I fought it off. We'd found one Nexus on an alternate world. Given the infinite nature of the multidimensional reality, there would be more, maybe even more holographic computers to help us out when the refugees emerged from stasis.

Meanwhile, H.C. babbled on. He seemed happy to have someone to converse with after hundreds of years of silence. I imagined he'd originally been programmed to be social. The centuries he spent alone must have been dif ficult.

"I will prepare these towers to house those who will be emerging from stasis.

I.

can provide them with food and clothing, as well, while you deal with whatever personal crises their transition might bring."

My heart soared. This was more than I had hoped for. The thought of find ing and preparing a number of alternate worlds had been daunting, even to someone as relentlessly optimistic as me.

"Done deal!"

I held out my hand. The holograph smiled as his light fingers passed thr ough 48

mine. It was good enough for me.

A few hours later, Amanda and I stumbled out of the gate on our Nexus and looked around the control room. It was empty and the lights were dim.

"It must be nighttime," I said. Day and night were out of synch on the two worlds, but that was a minor inconvenience compared to the fabulous good fortunewe'd had.

"Um, how convenient." Amanda moved closer to me, her eyes darkenin g with desire. "Want to come to my room?"

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a kiss that I hoped promised much more to come. "That would be great, but first I want to find Russ and tell him about this discovery. He'll be thrilled."

Amanda's body stiffened. She pulled away. "Have you got a thing fo r Russ? I notice he's become Rissa a lot lately."

I laughed. "Me and Russ? We're lovers, true, but Rita is my one tr ue love." I smiled as I thought of her. I wondered how she looked now, carrying our baby.

"Your true love?" Amanda's voice quivered with anger. "I thought you left her behind on Earth."

"I had to because of her pregnancy. I'll go back as soon as I can.

"I see."

Amanda turned away from me. Her jealousy surprised me. It wasn't an emotion you saw much among Seconders. Maybe it was a mood swing. After all, we'd just changed sex several times. I figured she'd soon get over it.

With a shrug, I dismissed her from my mind. I don't like touchy femal es.

Besides, she'd made it clear she considered herself superior to me. She might have used my body to discover her female sexuality, but that didn't mean a relationship between us would work. I was as blind as most males can be, but not that blind.

"Thanks for the trip!" I said, heading toward a corridor that led to Russ's suite of rooms.

Not bothering to answer, she stalked away in the other direction. When I reached Russ's suite, I found him in the bedroom-or to be more precise I found Rissa in the bedroom.

49

Naturally, I spent the first half hour of our reunion filling her in on our discovery and what it meant to our future. When I finally caught my breath, I couldn't help but notice the skimpy robe she wore. The dim light from the walls shone right through the thin material, outlining her lush curves. She smiled at the change in my expression and batted her eyelashes.

"Why, Lee, I do believe you've noticed I'm a woman."

"I'm not complaining, but I thought you and Donna-well, you know."

She jiggled her eyebrows with amusement. "Oh, we'll to get to it shortly, never fear. I've put it off for a few days because of exciting new developments in myquantum research."

My ears perked up. "What developments?"

Her eyes danced as she leaned toward me. "Why are you here and not wi th Rita, Lee?"

I drew back, hurt by the question. "You know why. Rita is afraid I'll lose my humanity if I make too many more trips through the gates. She'd be madder than hell if she knew what I just did."

"Hey!" Rissa held up her hands. "I only let you go, because I k new I was close to another breakthrough. I've found a way to prevent mental changes when you travel through a gate. That means we can travel through the gates whenever we want. You can return to Earth without risk."

My jaw dropped. "Oh, Rissa!" Overjoyed, I swept her up in my arms and planted a big kiss on her mouth. She chuckled when we finally broke apart and patted me on the back.

"I'm glad to see you happy."