"Not if they're _very_ special," Earl said, and it was the real Earl Frye, almost completely out of his mental walls and daring discovery recklessly, who was speaking now. An impish light glowed in Nadine's eyes, making Earl almost sure that the real Nadine had sensed long ago what he was doing and had done the same, _meshing_ cautiously with her conscious mind until at times, camouflaged by its normal thoughts, she could _appear_. "Kiss me, Earl Frye," she said, lifting her face toward his. "The pleasure is all mine, Nadine Holmes," he said, cupping her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers. "And that's what I mean," he murmured through imprisoned lips. "No one else, through all the ages, will say those words, let alone say them in the same way." She drew back. "No!" she said abruptly. "The Cyberene has promised that we can stay in your time, free to do as we please. That would mean that we would have to be in the future--in _my_ time." "But only until the Cyberene could make sure," Earl said, glad that she had made that objection. It would allay the Cyberene's suspicions if it had any. A telepathed thought impinged on Earl's mind, and from Nadine's expression, on hers too. _Earl is right. I have thought of the problem of what the key sound should be. He has hit on the right answer. It must be your voices, filled with emotion, speaking those words you just spoke._ Again Earl relaxed with a mental sigh of relief. He had reached his goal. There was nothing more for him to do now, except wait. His conscious mind would carry on the details under the supervision of the Cyberene. * * * * * A microphone was brought into the Brain, already attached to the auditory centers of the Brain. Earl examined the microphone, then went in search of another type. "We must have one with a contact button on it," he explained, "so that just the key words impinge on the Brain when we close the relay manually." At last everything was ready. "Now!" Earl said. Nadine lifted her face and closed her eyes. "Kiss me, Earl Frye," she said. Earl released the button. "That isn't the way," he said. "Imagine we are alone in the universe, and we are about to die. Imagine swirling mists about to envelope you and drag you away from me forever, and this is the last kiss you'll ever get!" "Oh, no!" Nadine whispered, opening her eyes wide. "That must never happen! The Cyberene has promised!" "Close your eyes and imagine it is," Earl said. "Close your eyes. Now--there are swirling mists. Your world of dreams has crashed around you. Ahead is--destruction. You can't escape it. It's coming, closer. You're going to die, but before you do you want--" "Kiss me, Earl Frye," Nadine said. "That's it. Say it again." Earl pressed the mike button. "Kiss me, Earl Frye...."