He has been given an apartment in one of the many buildings. He has found where to go for meal times and can get there and back by himself. Conversation when he meets other colonists is overwhelming. He thought that the acceleration of knowledge in the Information Age was an overload. This was a whole level beyond that. The inhabitants seemed to use each other's minds to extend their own.

Larry realized as soon as he got here that all the colonists went naked. Well, the air seemed to be controlled at a constant, comfortable temperature. It would take a little while to adjust, he thought. For one thing, he didn't suppose he would be able to get any new clothes here.

On the evening of his third day at the Colony, Larry has returned to his apartment after dinner. There is a knock knock on his door. He had undressed earlier in the day. But, everyone was so friendly here, he didn't hesitate to open the door.

"Hello, Larry." It is Sally, the orientation guide who was the first to meet him on his arrival to the Colony. She reaches for his hand and holds it.

"Hello, Sally, please come in," Larry says. At her touch, he is once again connected to a thousand visual fields and a thousand minds.

"So, you have made it to the Colony," Says Sally. "I thought I would give you some time to settle in before I came to visit."

Larry admits, "I feel I have a lot of catching up to do. I am among colleagues now who think in so many dimensions at once. I can feel it when we connect."

"Yes," answers Sally soothingly. "I can show you how to catch up."

She takes her free hand and runs it gently down his chest. The sensation is as if she were pressing against a surface which reacts visually to touch. It feels as if a window of image were being pressed into his body at the point she is touching.

Sally continues in the same tone, "You see, your nervous system is a quantum network. Space is fractal and chaotic at the level of quantum events, as are your nerve cells. You are connected to the quantum continuum, though you are unaware of it. Those 'sixth sense' feelings you get are actually sensations coming from the quantum realm.

" Feel-U-Feel-Me was also a quantum neural net. Those adept at using it unknowingly trained their bodies to connect to the quantum continuum. To complete the training requires a bit of an energy jolt. The Cyber-Tantra was capable of generating a sufficient level. The Colonists have surpassed that level here without Feel-U-Feel-Me.

"May I embrace you?" She asks.

"Certainly," Larry responds.

She takes him in her arms. Her breasts envelop his chest. His belly touches hers. His penis begins to rise. It touches her hip. She bends her head and her cheek brushes his. He raises his arms to caress her back.

He feels warmth flow into him. The warmth of Sally's body? Or is it energy from her and the rest of the colonists?

"Make love to me," She says softly.

With his hand, he guides his penis toward her crotch. As they stand there, she raises her leg and clasps him with her calf. She is moist and slippery. He slides into her.

The excitement is intense. They grind their hips into each other. Larry grasps her buttocks one in each hand. He feels fever begin to rise in him. Is he ejaculating? He can't tell. He is reaching a state of orgasm and going beyond it to a place he's never been before. His entire mind expands. He in not only aware of mentally encompassing the Mars Colony, but far beyond it. The Solar System, the Galaxy, the entire Universe.

He sees the Universe as he, Sally and the other Mars Colonists have come to understand it. He feels one with a continuum of space, matter, energy and spirit. He feels life at all levels and in all places. And Mind everywhere.

Wordlessly and without language, Larry feels the message, "Welcome."

The feeling of orgasm has not subsided, but his mind is perfect clarity. Larry says to Sally, "Will I still need a body?"

"Yes," she responds. "Your body is a marvelous thing. It transforms matter and energy into mind. It is the interface between worlds."

"Thank you," he says.

Copyright 2000 Stewart Dickson and Rebecka Dickson