"We'll heal you," Fern said. "We'll give you back the dream. We may even
work together! Maybe I'll fall in love with you again, who knows?" Her
eyes were brimming. She took out a sonic pistol. "It's all right,
darling. I'll adjust it for knockout. In three hours we'll be on a Guild
flier. Please, darling," she said, and I kept crawling. And Fern's smile
was a benediction as she pulled the trigger.