Chapter 32

Kirk clung to the fingerholds and could not move. For too many long seconds there he had been alone, and he had known why-and some impulse had flung him toward the Oneness. He would not burden what the other two had with his loneliness, or his mortality. Sola was reaching for him now. And Spock was coming for him. But it was too late.

Kirk found himself reaching out, not toward them, nor toward the Totality, but toward Gailbraith’s Oneness. It had seemed almost a haven, once, a healing, a home. At least it was open to his choice, and not at anyone’s expense…

‘Come.’

It was Gailbraith’s mind-voice, answering him.

‘I will help you.’

He felt then Gailbraith’s sustaining strength, fighting against the force of the Totality to protect him. Now he felt the straining of Titans against each other-over him.

And it was almost as if he felt the volcano give way further because of that. Perhaps it did. The psionic fields were powerful. They tried to rip him from the wall.

He felt Sola trying to sustain him, too. But there was some anger in him which would not answer her. He did not blame her. There was no one of her caliber who would not have had to do what she did, felt what she felt, for Spock. He had wanted that Spock, that Sola. But there was some part of Kirk which had wanted her, finally, to want only him. No. Perhaps it was more complicated than that. Perhaps he had even wanted the triangle to be-eternal.

But it was not to be.

Then suddenly she reached out to him so powerfully that he was forced to respond. She was there for him, as powerfully as she had been for Spock, lifting some weight off him. He reached and found that he could gain another handhold.

Abruptly he sensed an anger in her, too. ‘I told you I could not answer for what I would feel for Spock, unchained.’

He managed to turn to look at Spock. The Vulcan was working toward him with infinite care-far more than he had taken in walking his own tightrope, The Vulcan’s mind sent him strength-almost willed his fingers and toes into place for him.

But there was anger there, too. “I warned you against sacrifice,” the Vulcan said through his teeth. “Especially this one.”

Kirk did not argue, this time. Spock had made his ultimate argument on that subject, on the edge of the ledge. And then Kirk had gone ahead to defy Spock’s ultimatum and had called forth Gailbraith. While Spock had come out here after him…

There could be some argument, Kirk decided, as to who should be mad at whom.

He could feel the pull of the Oneness now-Gailbraith was moving to reach him, reaching out ahead to guide, shelter.

There was a new universe to explore there, one he had neglected, even scorned. And it had its attractions.

He even knew that he could bridge the gap between Titans. Gailbraith would not join the Totality-certainly not without settling a few things with Soljenov. Soljenov would not have the three elements he needed for a galaxywide conquest. He would be forced to retrench, perhaps to argue it out with Gailbraith-Kirk if it took all millennium.

That might well be the only way to save the ship-and the galaxy-and it might be where his duty lay.

There was just one thing wrong with that, and it touched him now.

Sola and Spock reached out to him and the anger was gone, the urgency only that he live-and trust himself to their oneness, not to Oneness.

And on the toehold ledge he turned to see the Vulcan’s hand stretched out to him, reaching to guide his hand to the next hold.

He reached out to the full stretch of his hand and long Vulcan fingers guided his to the next projection.

“Mr. Spock,” he murmured, “you are a tower of strength and encouragement.”