Joe grinned as he watched Con eat ravenously. "Take your time, Con, no one's going to steal it from you."
Con smiled back as she chewed.
"This reminds me of camping with Tom," said Rick.
Joe chuckled. "Must have been a hell of a childhood."
"I know it sounds crazy," replied Rick, "but right now, I feel good. We've been through a lot, and now it's going to start getting better."
"I certainly hope so," said Joe
"There are parts of the world untouched by the impact. Sure, it'll get dark and cold there, too, and the acid rain will fall there also, but it won't be like here. There will be unburnt wood for fuel, tools, and shelter."
"How about food?" asked Con.
"There'll be food, too."
"And how do we get to this paradise?" asked Joe.
"The route will depend on the plane," replied Rick. "How far can we get on its batteries before it needs to recharge?"
"The energy storage system is different from batteries as we understand them," said Joe. "The panels always kept it near maximum. I don't know how far we'll get without the panels working."
"Could we fly over open ocean?" asked Rick.
"I wouldn't try it while it's dark."
"Then we should head north, skirting the shore of the se-away until we can fly above land to the east coast of North America. If we travel north along the coast, we should reach some less damaged areas."
"Why head north?" asked Joe. "Won't we be heading into the cold?"
"It's the darkness that will make things cold, not the lati-tude. We can wait there until the sunlight returns, then fly to southern Africa."
"If we want to end up in the southern hemisphere, why not fly to South America now?" asked Con.
'That would only work if we could make it all the way in one trip," said Rick. "We'd be flying right over the impact site, and there's open ocean between North and South Amer-ican in this period." '
"So we go to Africa in two hops," said Joe.
"That's safest," said Rick. "If we run out of power in the darkness, we'll be over someplace we can land. Someplace better than here."
"It should work," said Joe.
"As long as you can fly in the dark," said Rick. "You can do that, can't you?"
"Yes ... in principle," said Joe. "That holographic map also works as a night guidance system, though I can't say I've ever tried it."
"Do you think it's safe?" asked Con.
"With vertical takeoffs and landings, it won't be too risky," said Joe.
"Before you know it," said Rick, "we'll be sitting out the darkness in our snug little cabin." Con imagined a cozy log cabin in the woods with a fire in the fireplace. Her full stomach gave her such a sense of well-being that the vision did not seem implausible. She yawned contentedly.
"We should bring back the rest of the meat," said Rick.
"Yeah," said Joe wearily. "You're right. It's sitting in the river." Con got up. "Let's get it over with."
"You need to stay here and keep the fire going," said Joe. "It's getting dark again, and we'll need it to guide us back."
"I can pull my weight," said Con. "You don't have to coddle me."
"I'm not," said Joe. "This is a job that needs to be done." Con looked like she didn't quite believe him, but she agreed to Joe's plan. He left the gun for her to cut more wood, then headed to the river with Rick. Although they carried flashlights, they did not turn them on in order to con-serve the batteries. The fire on the far hills still provided enough dim light for them to make their way. They walked along the riverbank, which had been cleared by the fire.
"It's a ways up," said Joe. "We won't need to turn on a flashlight until we reach the bend."
"Let's hurry. I don't like leaving Con alone."
"She's got the gun," said Joe, "but I feel the same way."
"Maybe she'd better come along," said Rick. "That fire should burn on its own."
"I wanted her to stay behind because we have to talk... about her ... and come to an understanding"
"An understanding?" said Rick. "What do you mean by that?"
"There are only three people in the world," said Joe. "Two men and one woman. We need to set things straight."
Rick looked at Joe. In the dim light it was impossible to read his expression. "What things?" he asked warily.
"I'm her papa now."
"Her what?"
"Her papa—her father—but not like that poor excuse Greighton."
"Her papa? You said she was a rich bitch."
"She's not rich anymore."
"So now she's only a bitch," said Rick.
"Don't use my words against me," said Joe angrily. "Things change. I owe her."
"Owe her what?"
"My protection," said Joe, "and I will protect her."
"What's gotten into you?"
"I don't owe you an explanation. All you have to know is this—You may be the only young man in the world, but that doesn't mean you're entitled to her."
"I never said I was."
"Good," said Joe. "She has to choose you by her own free will. That means she's free to refuse you, too." Rick looked suspiciously at Joe's shadowed face, wishing he could see his eyes. "And choose you instead, I suppose."
"I wasn't thinking like that at all," said Joe, sounding in-sulted. "That's why we need to talk. She's probably worried we're going to fight to see who drags her off into the bushes."
"Come on, Joe, she knows we wouldn't do that."
"Does she? You don't sound convinced yourself," said Joe. "Women need to worry about such things. They have a lot at stake—they're the one's who get pregnant. Con's no fool. She's worried. We've got to let her know where things stand."
"And where do they stand?" said Rick.
"I'm her papa. You want to marry her, you gotta ask me."
"Who said anything about marrying?"
"I did," said Joe. "And I'm a strict father. I won't see her hurt. Do I make myself clear?" Rick was taken aback by Joe's intensity. "Look, Joe, I haven't really thought about it."
"You need to," said Joe.
Rick didn't know how to respond. The depths of Joe's feelings and the unusual form they took surprised him. They would be more understandable if Joe had declared his rivalry for Con. Yet, as bizarre as Joe's behavior seemed, it appeared benign. Maybe he feels bad about misjudging her, he thought. Or, perhaps, this has something to do with Nicole. When Joe broke the silence, his voice was friendly and calm again. "I'm on your side, Rick, I really am. It's just that I'm on Con's side more. It's the least I can do."
"I'd never, never do anything to hurt Con," said Rick. "She needs to know that," said Joe. "I can't just say
'I'd never hurt you.' It'd sound phony."
"I'm not saying you should," said Joe. "Actions speak louder than words. Don't take her for granted. Pay attention to her needs and not just the ones she talks about. Sometimes, those are the least important." Rick sighed. "You make it sound complicated."
"It is complicated," said Joe. "Only a fool thinks it isn't."
"And how did you learn how to do things right?"
"By doing everything wrong," answered Joe.
CON POKED THE fire with the branch, pushing the logs together so they burned more vigorously. The fire was comforting despite the heat it gave off. It was still too hot to enjoy that, but the light was welcome. Only a few small fires still burned in the vicinity of the river. Dark-ness was reclaiming the land. She wondered if it was day or night above the thick clouds, not that it made the slightest difference. She wanted to put another log in the blaze and turned on the gun to cut one. The rows of in-dicator lights appeared on the gun's side. She noted that two of the red lights, which indicated the charge, were no longer lit. She reconsidered the need for another log, then turned off the gun. The partly eaten dinosaur limbs still lay on the flat rock. Con sat down and pulled off a piece, eating from appetite rather than hunger. With a little salt, this would be good, she concluded. It tastes better than the one Rick shot. She hoped their journey would end close to the sea, where they could make salt. With even the vestige of her appetite sated and the fire burning high, Con thought of other comforts. She looked at her filthy body. Those parts not caked with mud were coated with soot. A bath was certainly in order.