RaceAgainstTime

by

PiersAnthony

*Contents*

1.ThreeWishes

2.OutsidetheZoo

3.AStrangeMistake

4.EscapefromNewton

5.Gomdog

6.TheWalledCityofWei

7.Chase

8.TheEmptyEnclave

9.Captives

10.RescueandReunion

11.GuerrillaTactics

12.Spacejack

13.MonumentEarth

14.Decision

1

_ThreeWishes_

Canute raced ahead as John skirted the overgrown pasture. The grasswaswaist high andreadyforcutting.Therewereperpetualrustleswithinit,leadingthedogahappychase.

"Onemanwenttomow,"Johnsang,slightlyoff-key,"wenttomowthemeadow.Onemanandhisdogwenttomowthemeadow."

Canute,thinkinghewasbeingcalled,returnedtopeerathismasterinquiringly.Hisbrowwaswrinkledvertically,oneearwasinsideout,andtherewasabitofdirtonhisnose.

"Two men went to mow, went to mow the meadow," John continued, patting the dogaffectionately.

"Twomen,oneman,andhisdogwenttomowthemeadow."

Canuteheardsomethingandshotawayintothegrassagain,tailwagging.

"Threemenwenttomow...."

John was up to twelve men--and a dog--by the time he reached the spruce grove. Canuterejoinedhim,sniffingthisnewgroundasavidlyasever.Thelayeredneedleswerespongy,theairabruptlystill.Johnreflectedthathemusthavebeenhereathousandtimes,andthedogahundred,yettherewasalwayssomethingtointriguethehumanmindandthecaninenose.

_Had_ been something. John realized that today hewas boredwith it andhad in fact beenboredforsometimewithoutbeingawareof it.Everythinginthetownshipwasoverfamiliar.He knew every house, every yard, every tree of the surrounding countryside. He stoppedbesidethelargesttree.

Mostofitslowerbrancheshadbeenbrokenoff,leavingdeadspokesorsappywoundsinthetrunk.

Hewouldgetfilthyifheclimbedit.

So he climbed it, hoisting himself by hand and foot. Canute paced worriedly beneath, hisspottyforeheadwrinklingagain.Thedogdidnotliketobeleftalone,evenforafewseconds.Thoughsleekandhefty,hewasatsixmonthsstillapuppy.Hedemandedalotofattentionandusuallygotit.Hecouldhowlsoulfullyandwithconsiderablevolumewhenneglected.

Johnpausedtopeerdown.Canutewasstandingagainstthetrunk,hispawsagainstthelowestspoke, head tilted back appealingly.One black spot impinged on an eye,making him seemlopsided,andhisopenmouthshowedpinkandblack.Hebegantowhine.

"Well,comeonup!"Johncalled.

Canutewatchedhim,tailwagginghopefully.

"Up!Upthetree,mutt,"Johnsaid,smiling.

Thedogfidgeted,makinghisspotsripple.Hewhinedlouderandaddedayip.Thensuddenlyhecurvedhisfrontpawsaroundthespoke,scrambledwithhishindlegs,andpulledhimselfup.

"Youcandoit!"Johncried."Keepclimbing,boy!"

Canute struggled upward. As he ascended, he gained proficiency, until hewasmaking fairprogress.

Johnresumedhisownjourney."I'llraceyou,pooch!"hecalled.

At firstheoutdistanced thedog.Then,as thenarrowing trunkand thicker foliage inhibitedhim,thegapbetweenthemshortened.Bythetimetherewasvisibilityabovethesmallforesttheywere almost together. Johnnotedwith interest thatCanute's pawsno longerwrappedaroundthebranches.Instead,hisclawsdugintothemaintrunk,retractingwhenheletgotofindhigherpurchase.Nowonderhecouldclimbfaster!

The tree swayed. "We'd better stop," John gasped. "Top might snap off." He didn't reallybelievethat,ofcourse...thenanothergustofwindtouchedthem,andhe_did_believe.

Theystopped,clinging tooppositesidesof theslender trunk.Fromthisvantage,withheadand tail out of sight, Canute looked very much like a leopard. John wondered fleetinglywhether Dalmatians had any leopard blood.No--leopardswere basically cats, hewas sure;theycouldn'tinterbreedwithdogs.

"Ididn'tknowdogscouldclimb,"hesaidasanafterthought."Well,let'sgodownbeforewe'relateforsupper."

Canute,alwaysready for food,needednocoaxing.Hebackeddown, thosemarvelousclawsoperatingsmoothly.Johnhadtohurrytokeepthepace.Itbotheredhim,though.He_hadn't_knownthatdogscouldclimbtrees.

They dusted themselves off at the bottom and trotted on toward home.Momwas cookingsupper. Green beans and chicken, the smell announced before they entered. Every secondTuesday,thesame.Hehadmemorizedtheschedulelongago.

It occurred tohim toaskMomabout the tree-climbingabilityofdogs,buthe reconsideredimmediately.Threeyearsago,whenhewasthirteen,hehadhadakitten.The littlecathadhadaprehensiletail.Johnhadn'trealizedthatthiswasremarkableuntilheresearchedcatsintheencyclopediaand foundnoreference to thischaracteristic in felines.HehadmentionedthistoMom,justasamatterofpassingcuriosity,butshehadbeenquiteupset.Nextmorningthecatwasgone,nevertoreturn,andquestionsabout its fatewereturnedaside. Johnhadbecomemorecautiousabouthisremarksthereafter.

No--hewould keep silent about Canute's talent.He liked the big dog toowell to have himdisappearabruptly.

Hewentup tohis roomandstarted toclean itwhileCanutechewedcontentedlyonanoldshoe.

Johnwasnotaddictedtoneatness,astheentrenchedmessattested;he justneededtimetothinkthingsover.

Canute'sability,Johnrealizedashepokedthebroomunderthebedandstirredupcurlydustmice, followed a pattern of sorts--a pattern of little inconsistencies. The Smiths were anordinaryfamily,Newtonwasanordinarytown,andtheUnitedStateswasAmerica.But:Item:Thatkitten'stailhadbeenprehensile--thewayamonkey'stailwassupposedtobe,notacat's.

Item:Canutecouldclimbatree--catlike.

Item:Johnhadneverbeenoutofthetownship.

Item:Someofhisschoolmateshadskinthatcouldpeeloff,likefurniturevarnish.Underneathitwastan.John'sskinwouldnotpeel; itbecametaninsummerbutfadedtoapalecolor inwinter.

Item:Hisparentsdidn'tlikehimtoremarkonsuchthings.

Thatwasenoughforastart.Fiveitems--wasthereaconsistentframeworkforthesethings?Acommonexplanation?A rippleofgoosepimpleswentuphis armsandacrosshis shouldersandonintothebackofhishead.Hewasnotcold;thatwasthewayhereactedtodiscovery.Fiveitems--

and suddenly he was certain they _were_ linked! The connection was really fundamental,affectinghisentireoutlook,maybehislife.

Momappeared."Dear,haveyouwrittentoBetsyyet?"

Someonealwaysinterruptedhimwhenhestartedto_think!_Itneverfailed.

"Notyet,Mom,"hesaid,glancingatherwithfrustration.Shewasvergingonfiftyandgettingstout;herhairwas inclining towardgray.Shehadaroundaffectionate face,andherhandswerewrinkled.Wouldtheyalsopeelifscratched?

"MaybeI'dbettergetstarted,though,"headdedquickly."Iwasjustthinkingabouther."Thatwasalie,buthedidn'tcaretoadmitthetruedirectionofhisthoughts.

"That'sgood, John,"shesaid. "Supper in fifteenminutes.Besure towashyourhands."Sheleft.

JohnlookedatBetsy'spicture,proppedonhiscluttereddesk.

Item:Hewasgoingsteadywithagirlhehadnevermet.

Well,nowhewascommittedtothatchore.HewouldhavetowritetoBetsyJones.Momwouldfretifhedidn't.

Hebrushedasidecomics,magazines,andwoodcarvingstomakeaspaceforhistypewriter.Thiswasabatteredportablewithabrokenbellandfadedribbon,butitworkedwellenough.Hehadtaughthimself to typebyhuntingandpeckingwithgradually increasing facility.Hecouldnow type slightly faster thanhe couldwrite, and thatwasadequate.His compositionwas limitedmoreby the speedofhis thoughts thanofhis two fingers.He rolled throughasheetofpaperandtypedthedate:August12,1960.Then,"DearBetsy."

Aboutthenhismindwentblank.Whatshouldasixteen-year-oldboysaytoasixteen-year-oldgirlhehadneverseeninhislife?Hehadwrittentohereveryweekforthepastsixmonths,but that didn't help. It meant only that he had exhausted the possibilities in routinedescriptionandquery.Inreplyhehadherweeklylettersdescribing_her_house(prettymuchlikehis),_her_

town(ditto),_her_family,pet(aparakeet),schoolstudies.Shehadtobeasboredwithitallashe. Bymutual and unwritten consent they had never discussed romance. This contact hadbeenarrangedbytheirparents,andneitherJohnnorBetsycouldworkupanyenthusiasmfor

it.

Probablythelettersweresnoopedon,anyway.

John touched the keys without depressing them. How about: "Dear Betsy--how manyinconsistent itemscanyoucount?Doyour friendshavethesamefakewhiteskinminedo?"Sure--ifhereallywantedtoconvinceherhewascrazy!

He picked up the picture, less for inspiration than to justify his failure to get on with themissive. She was a rather pretty girl, brown-haired, brown-eyed, cute curved nose, smallmouth. In fact itwould have been easy enough to like her had she been _here_ instead of_there_andhadshenotbeenforcedonhim.

Johnlikedtomakehisowndecisions,suchastheywere.Hehadprecious littleopportunity.Hisschoolcurriculumhadbeensetbyothers,hishomelifewasorderedbyhisparents,andhissummerwanderingswerecircumscribedbythetownshiplimits.Abouttheonlyrealfreedomshehadwereinhismindandheart.Unfortunatelyhedidnothaveenoughinformationtothinkreallyindependentlyandhadlittleinterestingirls.Thatdidnotaffecttheprinciple.CertainlyhewasnotabouttogetsloppyaboutBetsyJones.Noworever.

"Dear,areyoufeelingwell?"Mominquired.

Hejumped.Shewascatlikeonthosestairs--nosoundatall!"It'shardtosayanythingtoagirlI'venevermet,"hesaidlamely.

"You_will_meether,John.Whenyougraduate."

"Butthat'sayearoff!"Hemadeitsoundimpatient.Actuallyhedidn'tcareifitwasacentury.

"Iknowit'shard,dear.Butitisforthebest."Sheleftagain.

For the best? _Whose_ best?Why did it have to be thisway?Why these emptymotions ofremote-controlcourtship?HeglancedatCanute,nowsnoozingontherug.Itwasallpartofthemystery--

thegirl,thedog,thecat,thefakeskin,thesubtlesupervision.Howcouldheunriddleitall,letaloneovercomeit?

He unfolded Betsy's last letter. She had waxed philosophic, and he had only skimmed itdisinterestedlyuponreceiptacoupleofdaysago.DidBetsyfindthischaradeasfrustratingashedid?Hadsheexpressedherrebellionbywritinghigh-soundingnonsense?

"Dear John," shehadwritten. "Have you everwonderedwhat youwoulddo if youhad justthreewishes?Threefairy-talewishes,Imean,thatyoucouldmakeonceandneveragain,andthey could never be changed afterward. And whatever you phrased as a wish would behonoredliterally,evenifitwereonly'IwishIdidn'thavesomuchhomework'or'Iwishyou'dshutup.'Andyoucouldn'tcheatbywishingforathousandmorewishesorhalfawishatonetime."

Pointlessspeculation,butnowthatheconsideredherremarksatleisure,theydidmakesomesense. He _had_ dreamed about wishes, deciding what he might do with one wish or ahundred.Hehaddecided that if onewishwereused to ask for a thousandwishes, eachofthosewouldbeonlyone-thousandththestrengthofthefirst,sonothingcouldbegained.Soheestablishedastandardformatofthreemedium-potentwishes;nomoreandnofewercouldbeused.Whenhewaseight,hehadsettledonatoystore,acandystore,andapetshop.Attwelveithadbeenaspaceship(hehadseenthedesigninascience-fictionmagazine),abilliondollarsingoldcoin,andapurebredDalmatianpuppy.

Actually,itwashightimeheupdatedthatlist.Likealastwillandtestament,thelatesteditionremained in forceuntil superseded.Hewasn'tatall certain thewishesofa twelve-year-oldboyshouldbebindingonayoungman.Henolongerwantedthespaceship,sincehisinterestinstellarnavigationhadwaned.Goldcoinwaspassé;anunlimitedchargeaccountwouldbebetterandfareasiertocarryaround.AndtheDalmatianhehadnow.

HereturnedtoBetsy's letter: "At first I thoughtmoneyormaterialpossessionswouldmaketheidealwish.ButbeforelongIrealizedthatIhaveallofthatsortofthingIneed.Myfolks

take care ofme, clotheme, feedme; I have an allowance to cover other things. Amilliondollarswouldnotmakemehappier,anditmightmakemesadder.

"Then I thought that all I had towish for, really, was happiness itself. Nothing elsemeansanythingwithoutthat,and_with_itIwouldbeindependentoftheotherthings.Ifwealthwerea legitimate part of happiness, I would automatically havewealth; if residence in a palacewererequired,Iwouldhavethat.MaybeI'dmarryaprince.Everythingwouldbetakencareof.

"ButnowIamconvincedthatshallow,artificialhappiness isnot theanswer,either.Youcanget that fromdrugs. Ifeveryonesettled for thatestate, theworldwouldshortlycometoanend."

Johnconsideredthat.Betsywasaprettysmartgirl.Sherefusedtoaccepttheeasyanswers.Sheknewshewantedhappiness,butshewaschoosyhowshegotit.Herewassomethinghecould comment on. It tied in, not too remotely, with his own problem: that of theinconsistencies inhis surroundings. In fact,whathehadhere_was_akindofmake-believehappiness that he found empty in practice. He didn't want satisfaction in ignorance. Hewantedtoknowthetruth.Itmightbeugly;itmightevenhurthim,but....

"Supper,John,"Momcalled.

The important chain of thought had been broken again! He grasped at the last link,determinedtohavethemeaning.Thetruthmightbeugly,painful,butitwouldbe_real._Notacardboard....

"John?"

"Coming,Mom!"

Talk of three wishes! He wished he had a decent chance to _think!_ Morosely, he wentdownstairs.

2

_OutsidetheZoo_

AftersupperJohnwashedthedishes.Thiswasnotachorehehadtodo.Hehadvolunteeredoneevening,surprisingandpleasingMom.Then,ashamedtoconfessthathehadonlyneededapretexttopostponeparticularlydullhomework,hehadstayedwithit,nightafternight.Thistimeitprovidedhimwithanothermindlessexercisewhilehethoughtthingsout.

Hehadbeenponderingthingshecouldn'texplain.Betsyhadwrittenofthefallacyofartificialhappiness.Thetwojibed,almost.Hehaddrawnamentalparallelbetweenthem,madethemadduptosomethingsignificant...almost.

Somethingwaswrong.Hehadtofindasituationthataccountedforacatwithaprehensiletail,atree-climbingdog,andthestrangerestrictionsonhisfreedom.

Betsy'sletter-essaysuggestedthatthebestwishofallwasforinformation.Well,itdidn'tsaysoinsomanywords,butitseemedtobeleadinguptothat.Toknow,ortohavethemeanstodiscover, the truth,whatever itmightbe.And if the truthmade theknowermiserable, thatwasstillbetterthancontentedignorance.

Heagreedwithher.Hedidn'texactly_like_her,butherealizedthatshecouldbeavaluableally.Bypoolingtheirtwosetsofinformationtheymightindeedcomeatthetruth.Maybethatwaswhytheyweren'tallowedtomeetyet.Theymightcomparenotesanddiscoversomethingvital.Iftheirletterswerecensored...well,itmightbepossibletogetaroundthat.

HefinishedthedishesandcalledCanutefortheeveningwalk.Hestillneededthinkingtime.TheonlywayhecouldcommunicatewithBetsywasbyletter,censoredornot.Hecouldnotjustputhissuspicionsintowriting,sowhatcouldhedo?

Canutestoppedtosniffatatree.Johnwasmomentarilytemptedtotellthedogtoclimbit,buthe suppressed the urge.Hewas lucky the hiddenwatchers--the ones that he had long agoinventedasagamebutnowfirmlybelievedin--hadn'tbeenalertduringthatfirstclimb,_If_

theyhadmissed it; if not, thedogmightbegone in themorning, like the kitten....No!Hewouldn'tletanyonetakeCanute!Hewouldbealertandstopthemsomehow,evenifhehadtofightinthenight!

Heneededmoreinformationbeforedecidinganything.Betsymighthelp.Ifhecouldjustwritetoherprivately....

A code!One shewould comprehend, but not the censor. Itwouldhave tobe a very simplecode,andthatincreasedtherisk.Hecouldn'tworkitoutonpaperinadvance,either,becauseawatchermightseehisnotes.Thatmade itarealchallenge.Everytenthword?Shewouldneverpickthatupunlessshewerelookingforjustthattypeofthing.Forlornhope.Firstwordineachsentence?

Maybe,butstillprettyclumsy.Eitherwayhe'dhavetowritealong,wordylettertoputacrossashortmessage--amessagethatwouldprobablybewasted.

Ifhecouldonlygivehersomehint--butthecensorwouldpickitup,too!Hewasstillstuck.

Andwhenhecamedowntoit,howcouldhebesurethatBetsyherselfwasreal?Hehadnevermether.Allheknewofherwasherlettersandherpicture.Obviously_somebody_wrotetheone and posed for the other, but that was hardly proof that Betsy-as-he-knew-her existed.Maybehiscorrespondent_was_thecensor!

Butagain:IfBetsywere_not_real,whyshouldtheyhavetakenallthetroubletoinventher?He hadn'twanted to correspond. Therewere girls in school, some fairly attractive, even iftheirskinsweren'treal.Therewasnopointinsigninghimupwithastranger,particularlynotanotherimitation.

Hehadpickedupausefulruleofthumbfromhisreadings:Acceptthesimplestexplanationhecould find--for anything. He chuckled. By that token his whole project was useless! ThesimplestexplanationforBetsywasthathisfolksthoughtshewasabettermatchforhimthananyofthelocalgirls,butshelivedtoofarawayforimmediatevisits.ForCanute'sclimbing,the simplest explanation was that dogs _could_ climb trees, and the encyclopedia hadn'tthoughtthisneededmentioning.Forthekitten....

The kittenwas harder, because cats were _not_ supposed to have prehensile tails, and hisfolks_had_beenupsetwhenhementioned it (upsetbutnotsurprised?!),and thecat_had_disappeared.

Itwaspushingcoincidencetodismisstheconnection.Itwasasthoughthecathadnotbeenacatatall,andoncehewasonthevergeofdiscoveringthat....

He felt the chill across his shoulders, up his neck. _Not a real cat!_ Talk of simpleexplanations!

MaybeCanutewasnotarealdog,either.Andthekidsatschoolwerenotrealkids.Andhisfolks not real parents.Maybe thewhole town of Newton.... But this line of thinking didn'tseemtoleadtoanyanswers.

HewouldqueryBetsy.Twoheadswerebetterthanone.Shemightnotanswer,orshemightnotexistasaperson,buttheeffortwouldn'tcosthimmuch,anditmightbringoutsomethingimportant.

Canutewassniffinghiswaybacktowardthehouse.Johnhadtosetuphismessageandhiscodebeforehegottheresothathecouldtypewithoutseemingtomakemuchofit.

Let'ssee...somethingsimpleanddirectforthemessage."Let'scomparenotes.Somethingiswrong.Doesyourdogclimbtrees?"Butshedidn'thaveadog.Shehadabird.Greatshow!Allright:"Haveyoueverbeenoutoftown?"Notgood,buthewaspressedfortime.Nowhowtoencodeit.Whynoteverythirdword?Thatwouldn'tbetoocomplicatedtofigureout.Withanopeninghint:"SometimesIthinkwe'dlearnmorejustbyreadingeverythirdword."Yes,thatwasgood.Hewasatthedoorstep.He'dhavetoworkouttherestextemporaneously.

Inhisroomhebegantheletter:

"DearBetsy,I'vebeenthinkingaboutyourrecentcommentsbutmustadmittheyconfuseme.

SometimesIthinkwe'ddobetterjustreadingeverythirdword.Imean,let'sstarttocomparesomesuchnotes. I thinksomethingmightdevelop. Is thereanywrongorright--doesanyofyour--"

Oops!Hehadstartedonthedogqueryinsteadoftheout-of-townquery.Andtheletterwasn'ttoobright, generally.Thiswasharder to fit together thanhehad thought.His thirdwords,afterthekeysentence,wereokay:"let's...compare...notes...something...is...wrong...does...your"--

buttheoveralltextwasridiculouslyclumsy.Well,hewasstuckwithitnow.

"...does any of your thinking." Stuck again. How could he fit in "dog" without being tooobvious.

And he didn't evenwant to ask her about her nonexistent dog!He kept confusing himself,tryingtoconcentrateonthreethingsatonce.

Hecouldwriteahorribleletter,thenmakeashowofrereadingitandtearingitupindisgust.

Ifhehadto.Thatmightfoolthewatchers.

"...doesanyofyourthinkingflybirdormothlikeoutthestrangecageofstuff?"Ugh!Thiswasgettingridiculous.Hehadtostop.

"Sorry,"hetyped."Ican'tseemtoorganizemythoughtstonight.Maybeyougettheidea."Upto

"does...your...bird...like...strange...stuff?"anyway.Thatwouldhavetodo.

Hefilledouttheletterwithroutinechaff:howhelookedforwardtomeetingher,therecentweather,etc.Hehadprettywellmangledhiscodeletter;itwasn'tasgoodanideaasithadseemedatfirst,buthewastoostubborntogiveitupnow.Headdressedtheenvelope,sealedit,stuckonapostagestamp,andputitintheboxatthefrontdoorforthemailmantopickupnextday.Atleastthattookcareofhisweeklymissive!

***

Betsy'sreply,afewdayslater,amazedhim.Shehadpickedupthegambitandrepliedinkind.Hermessage,spacedeverythirdwordfarmoreskillfullythanhisownblunderingeffort,wasthis:

"Ihaveknownforsometimethatitwasn'treal.Allthepetsarealiencreatures.YouandIarezoospecimens,duetobematednextyearsoastopreservethespeciesincaptivity.Itriedtobreakoutlastyear,sotheywatchmecloselynow.Iwillhelpyouescapeifyouagreetorescuemeinreturn."

Johnponderedtheletter,soinnocentonthesurface,soforcefulincode.Wasshepullinghisleg?Hehadn'treally_believed_thiswatchersbusiness,hadhe?Wasshelaughingherheadoffoverhisgullibility?

Maybe--but somehowhe didn't think so.Her bluffwas too easily called, andwhat she saidjibedtoonicelywithhisownobservations.Allhehadaskedherwaswhetherherbirdactedstrangely;hehadnotmentionedhissuspicionthateverythingelse,includingthepeople,wasamock-up.AndifBetsywerethecensor,shecertainlywouldn'tencouragehissuspicions!

Shemustbelikehim,withsimilarexperiencesandsuspicions.Nowsheproposedtobargainwithhim,andwhynot?Buttherewasonemorecheckhehadtomakebeforehecommittedhimself.

Thatnighthedidsomethinghehadnotdoneinyears:Hesneakedout.Hesimplywaiteduntilthehouseholdwasasleep,thengotupandwalkedoutthefrontdoor.Hedidn'tthinkaboutthewatchers.

Heheardanoisejustashewasclosingthedoor.Canutehadheardhimandwantedtocomealong.

Ifheshutthedoor,thedogwouldscratchatitandhowl,alertingeverybody.HehadeithertoletCanute joinhimor togiveup the venture.Also, he suddenly realized thathedarednotleavethedogalone,tonightoranynight.ThatwouldbethemomentCanutedisappeared....

"Quiet!"hewhispered,openingthedoorandfeelingamarkedrelief.Howeveralienthedogmightbe inreality,hewascomfortingtohavealong.TherewasnoquestionaboutCanute'spersonalloyalty.Togethertheyfacedthecool,still,darkoutside.

They walked toward the township limit. John used his flashlight once he was clear of thehouse. He had never been beyond the Newton line, but tonight it would be different.Somethinghadalwayshappenedtostophimbefore--theroadwouldbetemporarilyblocked,or a severe stormwould comeup, or hewouldmeet someone going the otherway and bedistracted.Hehadbeenfrustratedbutnotsuspicious--untilnow.

Betsy claimed they were both zoo specimens. Well, modern zoos put their animals insuperficially compatible habitats so that the stupid onesmight not even be aware of theirconfinement.Theyweresupposed tobehappierandhealthier thatwayandwouldbreed incaptivity.Ragesurgedthroughhim.Not_this_animal!

Canutewoofed,thinkingJohn'sreactionmeantdanger.Johnreacheddowntopatthespeckledshoulderreassuringly.IfNewtonwereazoo,Canutewasstillafriend!

Thiswastooslow.Johnswitchedofftheflashlightandlethiseyesadapttothenight.Therewas somemoonglow, hazedby clouds. "Lead theway,Canute!" hewhispered, beginning torun."Tothefence!"

Canuteled.Hehaddonethisbefore,pickingoutthebesttrail.Johnfollowedwithconfidence,knowing thedogwouldnotbetrayhim intoany rutorbush.Thestrikinglymarked furwaseasy to see, in contrast to theground.He judged theyweremaking tenor twelvemilesanhourbeforehegotwindedandhadtotakeawalk-break.

Inhalfanhourtheyreachedthefencethatmarkedthetownlimit. Itwasnotanauspiciousbarrier--justafour-foot-highwiremeshwithadoublestrandofbarbedwirealongthetop.Tokeepthecowsclear,hehadbeentold.Hepacedalongit,prettysurethefencewasbugged.Ifhetoucheditanywhere,someonewouldcome.Itwouldseemaccidental,buthisexplorationwouldbehalted.Hewassureofthat.Hehadtogetthroughwithoutanycontact.

Heusedhis flash,castingabout inthegrowing-uppasturehere.Hemightconstructastile,butthatwouldtaketime,andhedidn'thaveahatchetoranycordorhammerornails,andhecouldn'taffordthenoiseevenifheknewhowtoassembleit,andhewouldhaverealtroubleinthedark.

Hehadtogetoverthatfenceinahurry.

He walked farther, frustrated. Such simple things were balking him! The flash splashedagainst a rock. There was an old stone wall, falling apart. These massive but ineffectivebarriershadbeenused,heunderstood,tofenceinsheep,maybeacenturyago.Prettydumbanimaltoberestrainedbynomorethanthis.Anybodycouldclimbover!JusthowstupiddidthekeepersfigureJohnSmithwas?

HerealizedthathehadcometoacceptBetsy'stheory,eventhoughhehadnotverifiedityet.

Anyway,herewashisstile:Hecouldbuildarampartofrocks.

Halfanhourlaterhewasdirtyandtired,buthehadacrudepyramidashighasthefence.Hecould jumpovereasily from its top,andsocouldCanute.Comingbackwouldbemoreofaproblem,butthatwastheleastofhisworriesatthemoment.

Heflunghimselfover,landinghardandrollingbeforehecouldgetrighted."Come,Canute!"hecalledsoftly.Thedogleapeddownwithsurprisingfinesse.

TheywereoutsidethetownshipofNewton--thepresumedlimitofhisprison.ButJohncouldn'tdetectanydifference.HeletCanuteleadthewaythroughthesemidarkness,awayfromthefence.

He felt letdown.Hehadbeenkeyedup for something spectacular, or at least a change. If

therewerenothingbutemptycountryside....

There_had_tobesomethingelse!Dadhadtogosomewherewhenhedroveoffforwork.Thetruck supplying the local storeshad to come fromsomewhere.Newtoncouldnot exist in avacuum.Itdidn'tmatterwhetheritwasalegitimatetownorazoo;therewasaframeworkofsomekind.

Assured, he moved on, running, walking, running, following Canute. The forest continuedwhilehisnervousnessincreased._Had_heimagineditall,andwashenowtrekkingthroughperfectlyinnocent,ordinarycountryside,makingafoolofhimself?

Aftertwentyminuteshesawalight.Hisheartpounded,andnotjustfromtherunning.Nowhewouldfindout!Hewarnedthedogtosilenceandapproached,duckingbehindtreesandbushes.Itwasahouseofsorts.NotlikeanyinNewton.Thisonewashalf-round,likeasoapbubbleonwater,anditshimmered:aglowingtwenty-foothemispherewithboxesstucktoit.

Ashecreptcloser,hediscernedmoredetail.Thehousewasnotbubble-shapedafterall--itwasoctagonal.Itsmaindiameterwasabouttwelvefeet,andthefourcubesbracingitwereaboutfivefeetonaside.Thecubeswereopaque,butthewallsbetweenthemweretransparent.Hewassureitwasahousebecausehecouldseepeopleinside.

Theywerebrownpeople.Abrowngirlsleptonacushionagainstoneouterpanel,herhandtouchingtheglass.Abrownman,probablyherfather,satporingoversomethingonatable.Johndidn'tseeanyothers,buttheycouldbehiddeninthecubicles.

Brown people. If all the artificial skin were peeled away from the people of Newton, theymightbelikethis.Betsy'sstatementhadbeenconfirmed.Orhadit?Thiswasnotlikeanyzoohehadheardof!

Moreimportant:thishouse.Itwasfuturistic.Hecouldtellwithoutfurtherinvestigationthatitbeatanythingof1960byacenturyofprogress,at least.Ithungintheairayardabovetheground,butnothinghelditthere.Ithadinternalillumination,buttherewerenopowerwiresleadingtoit.Itwastiny,buttheevidentcomfortofitsvisibleoccupantsprovedthatitwasn'tstuffy. John sawno kitchen or closets or sanitary facilities--and if those things all fit in thecubicles,theyhadtobemightyefficient.Thiswasn'tanysetupforhisbenefit.Hehadcomeinsecret and struck it randomly, following Canute's nose. Most likely it was typical of thedwellingsoutsideofNewton.

Brownpeopleinahouseofthefuture.Whatanitem!Itwasexciting,andmorethanenoughtothinkabout.Timeforhimtogethome.Hewouldjustabouthavetimetostraddlethefence--herealizedbelatedlyhecouldprepareapole tovaultover--and liftCanutepast,dismantlehisunwieldyrampart,andgetintobedbeforemorning.Hedidn'twanttogetcaughtoutsidethezoothewayBetsyhadbeenandhavehisfreedomrestrictedmorestringently.

Andhe'dbetteragreetoherterms!Nowhewassurehedidn'twanttostayinstaidNewton,whenthefuturelayoutside.Literally.

3

_AStrangeMistake_

The better part of a year passed. John graduated from high school and dutifully wrote hisweeklyletterstoBetsy,makingsuretheyweredull.Hewhistledasheperformedhouseholdchoresanddidnotaskawkwardquestions.Hetookupgymnastics,becomingquiteproficientatrunningandjumping,andhetrainedCanutetodosomeremarkabletricks.MomandDadwereverypleased.

ThosedulllettersexchangedwithBetsy,however,wereinincreasinglysophisticatedcode,andsomeofCanute'stricksweremeaninglesswithintheNewtonexistence.AndoccasionallyJohnappliedbrownmakeupandhurdledthefenceandexploredthesurroundingregion.Heraidedan unoccupied floating house and learned by trial, error, and more error how to handlemodernfacilities,includingthefantasticcommunicator.HisgradesintheNewtonschoolwereindifferent,buthadhebeengradedonthetotalamounthelearnedinthatyear,hewouldhavebeenthetownshipchampion.

The date outside was 2375, and the planet was "Standard." John was apparently the last

healthy, sane, young, purebredCaucasianhumanmale in existence, andBetsywas the lasthealthy,etc.,female.Theyweretobematedsothatthisuniquelinecouldbecontinued.TherestofhumanitywasStandard:anevenlymeltedmixtureoftheassortedhumanstocksoftheplanetearth.

NeitherJohnnorBetsycouldascertainwhythistimeandplaceinhistoryhadbeenchosenforthisoasisof thepast.Was theresomeprejudiceagainst thepurebredCaucasianstock,andhadthesetwowhitesubjectsbeenkeptinseclusionandignorancesothattheywouldnotberavagedbythehorrorsoftheirancestry?Ifso,whathadhappenedtotheworldtheythoughttheyknew?

YetiftheCaucasianheritagewassoevil,whyhadtheybeenkeptaliveatall,letaloneinsuchanelaboratesetting?Thezooswereagooddealmoreelegantthanseemednecessary.Butazoo,whetheras fancyasapalaceorsimpleasamanacleontheankle,wasstillazoo.Twothings JohnandBetsyagreedon: to thwart thismechanicallycalculatedmatingplanandtolearn the truth about the vanished white race. They worked out their escape, refining thedetailsweekafterweek.

Oncetheywerefreeandsafe,andoncetheyknewthefullstory,theywouldgotheirseparateways.

Then,onlytwoweeksbeforetheywerescheduledtomeet,Betsywrote incode:"There isathirdzoo."Thatwasallsheknew.HerfatherhadawristTVdisguisedasanold-timewatch.Hehad forgotten it onenight after removing it for a shower, and shehad sneaked intohisroomandwatcheditforhalfanhour.Thepicturewasthree-dimensional,eventhoughbarelyan inchacross; shehadhad toputhereyeupclose tomakeout thedetail, and itwas likelookingthroughatelescope.Shesawroutinenewsandaweatherreport,andtheyhadflashedmaps of the continent tomark the scheduled rain regions. Population densities and similarfactorswereoverlaidincolor,butshehadn'thadtimetoanalyzethem.Shespottedherownarea,anditwasblank.SowasJohn'sNewton.Andonemore.

They had no time to hash it out thoroughly. She might have misread the maps ormisinterpretedthecodingoftheoverlays.Evenifshewerecorrect,therecouldbeaseparateexplanation for the third blank--a supply depot, perhaps. But they could not dismiss thepossibilitythattheywerenotquitealone.Theyagreedtomodifytheirprogramaccordingly.Theywouldsomehowcheckoutthethirdzoobeforetheysplit.

***

JohnspenthislastnightinNewtonquietly.Hewonderedifhisparents--actuallytwobleached-white Standards assigned to this task--suspected that he planned to leave the zoo forevertomorrow. Of course,Mom and Dadwere good people, even if they lived a lie. They werededicated.

TheotherinhabitantsoftheNewtonzoocouldpeelandscrubandresumetheirnaturalskincolorandtheirnormalexistenceeachevening,butMomandDadhadtomaintaintheirrolesconstantly.

Theyhaddoneeverythingtheyweresupposedtoandneveronceletonthatitwasonlyajob.Itwasnottheirfaultthathehadseenthroughthemasqueradethatdaywhenhehadjokinglyordered Canute to climb the tree, and the dog had not been smart enough to reject thedirective.

Did Mom and Dad approve of what they were doing? He doubted it. If there had been acertaincoldness,ithadnotbeendirectedathim.Thingshadalwaysbeenharmoniousbutnotthatclose;thoughhecertainlyborethemnoenmity,hewasnotstronglyattached.Wouldtheybe punished for letting him escape? The question struck him with greater misgiving thanseemedwarranted,andhewassurprisedtofindhiseyesmoist.HewassuddenlyawarethatMomandDadweremoreimportanttohimthanhehadrealized.Theymustlovehimalittle,just as he loved Canute, and the feelingwas reciprocal. It did notmatter, on the personallevel,thattheywerenothistrueparentsandCanutenotatruedog.Therelationshipsweremorebindingthanthefacts.

Hewould have to leave a note to exonerate them.Hewent to the typewriter, then caughthimself and passed by it to the closet, pretending to check his suit for the forthcoming

occasion.Thewatcherscouldbewatching.Ifhemadeanote,someonewouldseeittoosoon,andthewholethingwouldberuined.Twenty-fourth-centurytechnologycouldkeephimunderperpetual observation without any direct "bugs," he was quite certain now. His nocturnalexcursionshadescapednoticeonlybecausetherehadseemedtobenoreasontowatchhimsleeping every night. He had kept them to a minimum, though, refusing to push his luckunnecessarily.

MomandDadwouldjusthavetotaketheirchances.Heregrettedit,buttherewasnootherway.

***

Thetelephonerang.Mompouncedonitimmediately,thoughshehadneverbeenthenervoustype.

"Hello," she said and listened for a moment. "Where?" Another pause, then: "Thank you,"gravely.

"She's come," Dad said, touching his little moustache, andMom nodded. Oddly, they bothseemedasmuchonedgeasJohnhimself.

"Atthebusstation,"Momsaid."She--she'salone."

"I'llgopickherup,"Johnvolunteered,knowingthatthiswaswhattheywanted.Somekindofmistakehadbeenmadeinthedelivery,andtheywereembarrassedandnonplussed.

Betsywassupposedtoarriveonthetrainwithachaperon.ThatwaytheStandardswouldbesuresheremainedundercontrolandthatnothingwasgivenaway.Butshehadturneduponthebusandalone.Hadshethumbedhernoseatthesystembygivingherchaperontheslip?No wonderMom and Dad were covertly shaking! What if she had escaped entirely? Theywantedtimetorecoverfromtheshock--andtobawloutsomeoneonthephone.

Johnrodehisbicycle,thoughherealizedthatthiswouldnotdotobringherback.Well, thetwoofthemcouldwalk--andanyway,hewouldnotbringhertothehouse.

Thisconfusionofarrivalactuallyplayedintohishands.Hewouldneednorusetogetoutfromunder thesupervisionof theelders.HeandBetsycouldput theirescapeplan intoeffectatonce.

Buthewasupset,too.WhatfoolstunthadBetsypulled?Theirplanrequiredeverythingtobeabsolutelyroutineuntilitwastimeforthebigbreak;itwasimportantthattheStandardshaveno hint of what was planned. Betsy's rash behavior could have alerted the watchers anddestroyedanychancetoflee!

Hepedaledfaster,knowingthathewasoverreacting.Oncemorehefeltremorseatwhatthiswoulddotohisfolks--andhers.Theywereimitationparents,buttheyweregood,kindpeople.But it had to be done (if it could be done!) if he and Betsy were not to be lifelong zoospecimens.

The bus station was hardly more than a notch in the wall behind the five-and-dime store.Therewereonlytwobusesaday--oneonSundays--andtheyseldomhadmorethanoneortwopassengers.

Thedriversoldthetickets;therewasnoproperoffice.Itwasjustapartialshelteragainstrainorsunandanuncomfortableplacetowait.Betsywouldnotbepleased.

Hewheeledaround thecornerofMainandThird,making theone-block jognorth toBirch,where the bus alley diverged. It was dark here, after the bright sunshine, but he followedCanute'swhitenetworkconfidently.Inamomentthebusshelterloomed,andhesawadarkfigurestandingagainstthewall.Canutewoofed.

John'seyeswereadjustingtotheshadow.Atfirsthesawlittlemorethanawhiterobe.Thenhemadeout tremendousyellowearpendants,each likeaquartersliceofhoneydewmelon.Thenhelostcontrolofthebicycleandcrashedignominiouslytothepavement.

"Humé?"shecalled.

John fought back the pain of a skinned knee as he extricated himself from the wreckage."Betsy?"

It could hardly be Betsy. This was a deeply brown-skinned girl--black, really--as far fromStandardtanashewas.Sheworeafloor-lengthrobe,scarf-tiedhair,andhugeearrings.Shecametostandbesidehimsolicitously,herdarkhandsclaspingeachother.

John straightened. "Is that--are those real gold?" he asked her, his eyes compelled by theyellow.

Eachpendantwasagoodsixincheslong.

"Yes,"shesaid,asthoughthatwereobvious."YouarenotHumé."

"I'mJohn.Andyou'renotBetsy."

"IamAla."Shealsohadadelicategoldringset inhernose,anda thinblackbraidofhairdroppedacrossherforehead.

They lookedateachother,awhiteboyandablackgirl. "I thinktherehasbeenamistake,"Johnsaidatlast,"andnotjustalittleone."

"Youweretotakeaforeignbride?AnArab?"

"An_Arab?_No,anAmerican."

"IwassenttoHuméofBornu."Shemadeaface,_"Bornu!"_

"Verybad,"heagreeddiplomatically,notknowingwhereBornuwassupposedtobe."Look--somethingiswrong,butwecan'ttalkhere.Someonemight--overhear."Alreadyhewascertainthat quick privacy was crucial. This opened up a whole new dimension to the zoo-escapeproblem!

Shelookedathimmorethoroughly,andhewasimpressedbyherbearing.Shewasjustabouthisownageandverypretty."YouarenotofBornuoranywhereintheSudan,yet--"Hereshestoppedabruptly.

"YetnotStandard?"heaskedsoftly.

She seemednot to hearhim.She lookeddown, her great golden earrings shifting forward."Youhaveabeautifuldog."

Canute'searsperked.Hemoveduptosniffherhand,tailhalf-wagging.

"Walkbesideme,"Johnsaid."We'lltrytobluffitthrough.Don'tlookatanyotherpeople."

They moved at a moderate pace out of the bus alley and northward along Third Street,ignoring the townspeople theypassed, and the natives ofNewton ignored them, thoughheknewtherewouldbeamazeddiscussionafterward.Byactingboldlyhehopedtocarryitoff,tomakeitseemasthoughhewere_supposed_tobewalkingwithablackgirl.

Thirdterminatedinaparklikedeadend.Theybypassedthebarrierandadvancedintoopencountry.

Onceamongthetrees,theychangeddirectionandbeganawidearcwestward.

"Wecanbeseenhere,butnotheard,Ithink,"Johnsaidatlast."I'vecheckedouttheregionaswellasIcould."

"Theycannothearusfromthecityunlessweshout,"shesaid."Pleasetellmenow.Whereisthis remarkableplace, andwhoare you? I haveneverbeen told of a city like this, and thepeoplearealljinn-white."

"They aren't really white. They're Standards--brown people with white covering. Halfwaybetweenyouandme."

"Tauregs?"

"Standards.Peopleofthetwenty-fourthcentury."

Sheturnedherheadwiththeglowofgoldtostareathiminamazement."Whatdoyoumean,Johnofthestrangecity?"

Suddenly he realized that she didn't know about the Standards.He had assumed from herreactionsthatshedid,butnowhesawthathehadmisinterpretedthem.Shethoughtallthiswasreal!

Thisdevelopmentcomplicatedthingsevenmore.ObviouslyAlawasfromthatthirdzoo,senttohimbymistake.Whatablunder!ButatanytimetheStandardauthoritieswoulduntangletheirmix-upandact tocorrect it.Whateverhehad tosay to thisgirlhewouldhave tosayquickly--andshehadnoideaofthesituation!Yetshewasapotentialally.Hemightneverhaveachancetotalkwithanotherpurebredspecimen,otherthanBetsy.Thiswashisopportunityto establish a rapport between zoos--one that might help to free them all. He had to takeadvantageofthisincrediblebreak.Hehadtogetthroughtoher!

Something nagged the back of his mind but wouldn't jell. Be methodical, he told himself.Hastemakeswaste,orwhatever.Dothisproperly,avoidfurtherconfusion,savecrucialtime.

"Whatisthedate?Theyear?"heaskedher.Oncethatcommongroundhadbeenestablished,hecouldshowherhowitfailedtojibewithotherfacts.

"ThetwentiethdayofZu'lkadah,ninehundredseventy-six,"shesaid.

"Nineteenseventy-six!That'sfifteenyearsaheadofme!"heexclaimed.Ithadnotoccurredtohimthathisdatemightfailtomatchhers!ItwastheworldoftheStandardsheexpectedtodifferfromtheworldofthepurebreds.

"Nine hundred seventy-six," she said clearly. "Are you mocking me with your talk of athousandyearshence?"

Johnhesitated,appalledatthetimechasmthathesuddenlyfoundbetweenthem.Athousandyears!

How could he discuss twenty-fourth-century concepts--or even the twentieth century's--withthisgirl fromtheDarkAges?Buthehadtotry, forhemighthavenomorethanathousandsecondstomakeintellectualcontact."Thatmonth--Zulwhatchims...."

"Zu'lkadah.NextmonthI takethehajj,bareheadedandwearing just twopiecesofcloth,asprescribed,"Alaanswered.

"Where--wheredoyoulive?"

"Mopti.ButafterthehajjIwillgotoJenne,totheuniversity."

University--itwasthelonefamiliarterminalinguisticmorass."Mopti?Isthatacity?Inwhatstate,whatcountry?"

Sheglancedathimasthoughhewerebabbling."Inthelakesregion,ofcourse.OntheNiger,inSonghai."

Hecaughtholdofanotherword."TheNiger?Isn'tthatariverinAfrica?"

Againthatperplexedglance."Yes,ofcourse.SonghaiisthegreatestempireinAfrica,andtherichestunderAllah.Surelyyouknowthat?"

Allah!"You'renotChristian?"

"Aninfidel?You_are_mockingme!"Shewasangrynow,andprettilyso."Tribalgodsareonething,but--"Shestoppedwalkingandfacedabout,hereardecorationsswingingoutgrandly."Ishouldnothavewalkedwithyou.Imustgobackandfindoutwhathappenedtothepropercaravan.

IwastotraveltoBornu,toKanem,toseeHumé.HowIcametothisheathenplaceIcannotsay.IsupposedyouwereaPeulslavemessenger,orevenabondedMoroccan,becauseofyourstrangepallor.IseenowthatyouarenohonesttribesmanofAfrica,butaforeigner,perhaps

even a Portuguese slaver. I will not soilmy hands on you." She concluded her speech andstartedbacktowardthetown.

John dived to block her path. "Ala, I'm not mocking you! I'm trying to--look, I'm a white-skinnedChristianAmericanwholivesalmostathousandyearsafteryou.Supposedly.YoucanseeI'mdifferentandmywholetownisdifferent._Howisitpossiblethatwetwoaretogethernow?"_

She was silent for a moment, and he hoped she was realizing that on the face of it theirmeetingwasimpossibleintherealworld.Onceshesawthat,shewouldbereadytolistentohisexplanationandtoverifyitforherself.

"Iseeyouaredifferent,"shesaidatlast."Idonotseeyoulivingathousandyearshence.Letmego."

He had not been touching her, but now he put his hand on her arm just below the whitesleeve.Hefelttheimmediatetensionofhersmall, firmmuscle."I'm_not_ livingathousandyearslater!

That'sthepoint.Wecan'tcoexistinthe--theframeworktheStandardshavegivenus--sowe'reactually--"

"Thepalmleafdespisesthehippo,"shesaid.

Amazed, John lethishanddrop.Shebrushedbyhim,walking swiftlyaway. Johnwas joltedback to action. It was as though her mysterious remark had cast a spell over him,momentarily--buthecouldn'tlethergo.Notyet.

Againhegotinfrontofherandbarredtheway."Haven'tyouseentheStandards?Tanpeople,underthatwhite-paintedsurface,thatshellac.Undertheblack,foryou,Iguess.Theycontrolus.They--"

"Thepalmleafdespisesthehippo,"sherepeated,staringregallypasthim.

"Oh,dryup!"heexclaimed."I'mtryingtohelpyou!"

Shelookeduncertain."Dryit?"

"Dryyourdamnpalmleaf!Bakeitunderthesunallday,forallIcare!Ifyouwon'tlisten,youwon'tlisten."

He stood aside, but she did notmove. "I will listen, John," she said softly, and she almostsmiled.

Johnswallowedhisangerandamazementandplungedin."YouareapurebredAfrican.IamapurebredAmerican.YouwereraisedinanAfricanvillage.IwasraisedinanAmericanvillage.Butyouneversawanyothervillages,didyou,andneitherdidI."Hepausedtotakeabreath,watching her face for reaction. He was guessing about her background, but her failure toobjectconfirmedhisbelief.She_had_beenraisedinazoo.

"Youneversawthoseothervillagesbecausethere_were_none,"hecontinued."Theytaughtyougeography,butitwasallintexts,orwhateveryouuseinSonghai.Youneveractuallywentanywhere.Whenyouwantedtogo,theymadeexcuses,buttheyneverletyouout.Theytoldyouyouwouldtravelwhenyougotolder,orwhenyoufinishedyoureducation,orwhenyoumarried.Alwayssometimeinthefuture.Theykeptyouclosebecausethey_couldn't_showyouanyrealplaces."

Shenoddedslowly,hermassiveearringsflashinginthesunlightoncemore.

"Andthentheysentyoutothemantheyhadselectedforyou--Humé.Onlysomeoneslippedup,andyouarrivedattheAmericanexhibit,andprobably"--hepaused, justnowmakingtheconnection--

"probably right now Humé is talking with Betsy. The white girl. Because we are the onlypurebredsintheworld,andit's_not_earth.It'sanotherplanet,andeveryoneelseisofmixedrace. The people you know in your village--scratch their arms, and there's brown skin

underneath,muchlighterthanyours.You'veseenthat,haven'tyou?"

"Yes,"shemurmured.

"Andtherearenoanimals.Exceptpets.Youknowwhatadogis?"Butofcourseshedid;shehadcomplimentedCanute.Whenshenodded,hecontinued:"Youknowwhatadogcando--andwhatit_can't_do?"

Shenoddedagain.

"Well,watchthis.Canute!"

Canute, sniffing around some large roots, lifted his head and bounded over with his tailwaggingbriskly.Hewaswelloverfiftypoundsnow--alotofdog.Johnpointedtothenearesttree.

"Climb!"

Thedoghesitated,thenclimbed.

"Well, that's my case," John said. "We're all zoo specimens. If we continue the way theStandards--

thebrown-skinnedpeople--wantus to,we'llmake fineexhibits.Andmaybe ifwepurebredshavechildrenofourownsomeday, theStandardswill take themaway toberaised inotherexhibits,justaswehavebeenraised.Mustbeprettyinteresting,watchingafreakpersoninhisnaturalhabitat.Arealmoneymaker."

"Theydon'tusemoney,"Alasaid.

"YouknowwhatImean.Theycanseeussomehow,allthetime.They--"Hestopped,realizingwhatshehadsaid."Youknew!YouknowabouttheStandards!"

"Whodidyouthinkspoketoyourkeepers?"

"Who--"Hehadamoment'sconfusion."That'sit!Thatwaswhatwasnaggingme!Thatphonecallsayingyouwereatthebusstation!Youcouldn'thavedonethatunless--"

"I had the coachman do it," she admitted. "I did not knowhow to use your speaking tube.'InformthemanI'mhere,'Isaid,andsohespokeandthenwentawayinhishollowdragon.HewasaStandard."

Awhite-paintedStandardorablack-paintedStandard?hewondered,butdecidednottogetentangledinsuchdetailsnow."Whydidn'tyoujusttellmeatonce,ifyouknew?"

"Ididnottrustyou.Youraspectisalarminglypale,youknow."

Johnwasfurious."Allthistimeyoumademewaste!They'lldiscovertheirmistakeanytime."

Sheshrugged."IfAllahwills.Whatcanwedo,John?"

"Wecanescape!BetsyandIhave--butwhyshouldItrustyou,either?"

Shefacedaboutagainandresumedwalkingintheiroriginaldirectionasthoughnothingwerewrong.John,ashamedofhisoutburst,hadtofall inbesideher."Igiveyoumysecret: threenumbers,"shesaid,lookingstraightahead.

"Look,I'msorryI...."

"Canyourememberthem?"

Soshewouldn'tlethimapologize!"Numbers!Whatgoodarethey?"

"Theyarecalledcoordinates."Thatwordwasobviouslyalien toher. "Ofmyvillageandtwoothers.Whenyouescape,seekthemout.ThatisallIcandoforyou;Iknownomore."

Coordinatesofotherzoos!Thiswasinvaluableinformation."I'msorry,"hesaidurgently."You

wererighttobecautious.Letmewritedownyourfigures."

"No.Theycanseeus.Theycouldreadyourpaper.Youmustrememberthenumbers,asIdo."

Henoddedsoberly."I'llmemorizethem."

"0544071364,"shesaid."377--"

"Hey!Ican'trememberallthat!"

"Youmust.3777767256.0000150055.Thosearethethree.Mineisthethird."

"Butthosearen'tcoordinates!They'rejustnumbers!Ican'tmakeheadortailofthem!"

"WhereIliveitishot,"shesaid."Palmtrees,elephants--we_do_haveanelephant--"

"What'sthatgottodowith--"Thenhemadetheconnection."Youmustliveneartheequator.Andyournumberisfullofzeroes.Maybe...."

"Doyourememberthemallnow?"

"No.Giveme the first slowly. I'll try to fix it inmymind.Then theother two. I'll figureoutwhattheymeanlater."

She repeated the numbers, and he concentrated as though cramming for the years'smostimportant exam--as perhaps he was. The second figure was easier because of the row ofsevens,andthethirdwasnotroubleatall.Maybehewasgettingthehangofit."IthinkIhavethem,"hesaidatlastandhopeditwastrue.

By then they had circled to themain road. "It goes nowhere," John said. "I followed it onenight.

Runs into a forest and peters out into nothing. Yet Dad drives to work that way everymorning."

"Drivestowork?"

"Oops--youdidn'thavecars inninehundredseventy-six! It--it's likeridinganelephant,onlyit'smetal.Ametalelephantyousitinside."

Shelaughed."TheStandardsdon'tusemetalelephants,either."

"No. They have floating balls. But what did youmake of the bus, if you don't know aboutdriving?"

"Bus?"

"Youwereatthebusstation.Youmust'vecomeinabus,andyousawthedriverdriveaway."

"Oh,youmeanthehollowdragon!"sheconsidered."Ileftontheelephant.Then"--shefaltered--"Imusthaveslept."

"Soyoudon'treallyknowhowyougothere?Itfigures."

"Perhapsononeoftheirfloatingballs."

"Probably.Ihaveanidentitykeythatwillmakeoneofthemoperateforme.Ifyoueverseeoneofthoseballscomingdownonyourvillage,getovertoitquickly;it'llmeanI'veescapedandfiguredoutyourlocation.I'mnotfooling--theStandardsneverflythoseballsinsightofazoo."Thenhehadadisturbingsecondthought."You_do_wanttoescape?"

"Iwanttotakemyhajj,John,mypilgrimagetoMecca,nextmonth."

"Oh,sure.Afterthat,Imean.Andyour--youknow--Humé?"

"IdonotknowHumé,"shesaiddisdainfully."ButImaynotbeatmyvillage.TheuniversityofJenne...."

She was avoiding his question, refusing to commit herself, but she _had_ given him thecoordinates. "I may come anyway. If this foul-up that introduced us doesn't changeeverything."

"I'mgladithappened,"Alasaid.

Johnlookedather,surprisedandgratified."Yes!SoamI."

TheywereinsightofNewtonnow,butitdidn'tmatter.

4

_EscapefromNewton_

Momwas gently shaking him awake. "John, it's breakfast time, and you aren't up yet! Theeggswillgetcold."

Hesatupdazedly._Whathadhappened?_

Momwaswatchinghimwithconcern."Doyoufeelallright,dear?Youweretalking inyoursleep."

Johnrubbedhiseyes.Canutewasthere,tailwagging.Everythingwasinorderexcepthisownhead.

Thedizzinesspassedreluctantly,andchaoticimagesdancedbehindhiseyeballs."GuessIwasdreaming, Mom," and for a moment he believed it. Then he caught himself repeating"0544071364"andknewthattheblackgirlwiththegoldenornamentshadbeennofantasy.SomehowtheStandardshaderasedthatdayandstartedover!

Hemusthavebeendrugged.Thatwouldaccountforhisunusualconfusionuponwakingandthefleetingnightmarevisions.Heusuallywokeclearheaded.

John played along. The rusemight haveworked if he had not long since known about theStandards.

He would have shaken off the memory of Ala, her Moslem religion, her thousand-yearantiquity,alongwiththeirrelevantnotions.Shewould,indeed,havebecomeadream.Buthe_did_knowabouttheStandards,andsodidshe.Andnowhehadanothermajorpieceofthepuzzle.Blackpurebredsaswellaswhitepurebreds!Eachoneinhisorherownzoo....

Oneotherthing:TheStandardscertainlycouldnothaveoverheardyesterday'sconversation,or theywould have known that he knew about them andwas plotting to escape. And theywouldneverhavetriedthissimplisticstuntorgivenhimhischancetojoinwithBetsy!Sohehadbeen right:Theycould seebutnothearoutside thedeveloped town.Thatwasgood toverify,anditgavehimrenewedconfidence.

Buthecoulddonothingatthemoment.Ifhegavehimselfaway,itcouldleadtotroubleforallthepurebreds--himselfandBetsy,AlaandHumé.Hehadtoactnaturalnow.Oncehewasfree--ifhegotfree,ifhisplanwithBetsyworked....

Hesnappedhisfingersashetrotteddownthestairs.He_could_dosomethingnow!Hecouldfigureout thatcoordinatessystemsohewouldknowexactlywhere to findAla!Buthewasunable to concentrate, forMomandDad kept himoccupiedwith one preparatory chore oranotherallmorning.

***

Thistimetheytooknochances.Betsyarrivedinanautomobilewithherfolks.Johncouldtellataglancethatshewasreal,whereasherparentswerepaintedStandardslikehisown.Thereweremanytelltaletracesapartfromtheskin,onceheknewwhattolookfor.Thecontouroftheheadwassubtlydifferent,thespacingofthefeatures,theshapeofthenose,thethicknessoflipsandbrows--theStandardswerecertainlyofadistinctrace,regardlessoftheircolor.

"Come,John;mustn'tbebashful,"Dadsaidwithforcedheartiness.

"I'mnot,"Johnsaid,doinghisbestto_look_bashful.Whowasfoolingwhom,afteryesterday's

episode?

TheolderfolksgotoutoneithersideofthecarandcameforwardtoshakehandswithMomandDad.Johnhardlylookedatthem;hisattentionwasonBetsy--asitwassupposedtobe,butnotforthereasontheeldersthought.

Betsy bore a certain resemblance to her picture, but the portrait had obviously beenretouched,andshewasoldernow,seventeen.Hewassureshesawhimthesameway.Foramomenthehadareallyuncomfortabledoubt:Wouldthiscarefullynurturedgirlactuallyriskasafe,easylifetobecomeafugitivewithhim?Couldhetrusther?

"Howdoyoudo?"Betsysaid,startlinghimintoafoolishsmile.

Johnheldouthishand,changedhismind,thenreversedagainandshookhandsclumsily."Uh,fine,howareyou?"Thiswasunexpectedlyawkward,andhewas,afterall,bashful.Hehadmadeplans--

_they_hadmadeplans--withcoolassurance.Nowitallseemedridiculous.

Thefourparentswerebeaming.NowJohnfeltguilty,too.Itwasallsorealistic,andhewassuretheseparticularStandardsmeantwell,bytheirowndefinitions.Whathecontemplatedwasatremendousbetrayaltopeoplewhohadinvestedatleastfifteenyearsoftheirlivesinthis....

"Whydon'tyoushowmearound,John?"Betsyhintedsoftly.

Henoddeddumbly,furiouswithherfornudginghimlikethatandwithhimselfforlosinghisgrip.

Yesterday he had been in command! _(Was_ it a dream, then?) She took his arm, and herealizedheshouldhaveproffered it.Theywalkedaway from thehouse.He felt thoseeightparental eyes onhis back.What a freeze artist he turnedout to be in the crunch! IfBetsyhadn't takenover, they'dstillbestandingbeside thecar trying to thinkofsomethingworthsaying.

HeandBetsyweretogethernow.Theyhadbeenbuildinguptothismomentforayear,bothopenlyandincode.TheprogramoftheStandardshadthemvisitingtogetherforaweek,thenseparating for amonth beforemeeting again in college: tomake sure the specimenswerecompatible,hethoughtangrily.

Thecodeplanwasforthemtotakeaninnocentpreliminarywalk,evincingproperadolescentshyness, and vault the Newton township fence in a sudden coordinated action. Properlyexecuted, this would catch the secret observers by surprise and make time to set up thesecondphase.

"DownthereisNewton,"hesaid.

"Thetown,"shesaidsolemnly."Hownice."

Hefelttheheatinhisface._Sarcasticminx!_

Canutepushedagainstthefrontdoorandboundedafterthem,tailwagging.Hecaughtuptothemandfriskedabout,hispawsscatteringpebblesinhiseagerness.

"Get away!" Betsy exclaimed as the dog nosed her dress. "Get away from me, you dirtyanimal!"

"That'sCanute,"Johnsaid,irritatedatherattitude."Healwayscomesalong."

"Healwayscomesalong,"shemimicked,brushingasmudgeofdirtfromhershoe.

Canute, sensingherhostility,becamechastened.Hedog-trottedon the sideaway fromher,tailnearhislegs.Johnwasfurious.

They got away from the adults and passed the copse of spruce trees. "You knew aboutCanute!"hesaidinalow,tersevoice."I'vetrainedhim--"

"Wecan't takea_dog!"_shewhisperedback."Youneversaidhe'd--comealong."Shemeantalongontheescapebutofcoursecouldnotrefertothatopenly.

"Well,he'scoming,"Johnsaidwithdetermination.

"Well,he'scoming!"shemimickedagain.

Johnwas so angryhe couldnot talk.Hehadhadno idea agirl couldbe this obnoxious. Ithadn'tshowninherlettersatall.

They cut through a section of the copse, then across the pasture toward the town limit,seeminglyaimlessly.Perhapsit_was_aimless,hethoughtmiserably.IfBetsywasthisdifficultalready,whatwouldshebelikewhenthegoinggotrough?Hemightbebetterofftomakethebreakalone.

Except thathehadpromised,andhecouldn't risk leavingherbehind togiveawayall theirsecrets.

Twothingswerecertain:Hewasnotgoingtostayinthezoo,andhewasn'tgoingtodesertCanute.

"Thisisthetownshipline,"hesaidaloud."Upfartherthere'sapathbacktowardNewton.Wecangobackthatway."Hesuspectedthatthesupervisorscouldseeandhearinthevicinityofthe fence,bydayat least,andthiswouldput themoffguard.Theywould figure theycouldrelaxfortenorfifteenminutes.Thatwaspartoftheplan.

Halfway to the path he detoured silently into a patch of forestwhileBetsywalked straightahead,chatting innocentlyabout theweather.Hebroughtout twopoles.Hehandedone toher.Ifshewereserious,thiswasthecrisispoint.Ifnot....

Withoutwaitingheranatthefence,jammedhispoleintotheground,andvaultedneatlyover.Hecouldhavehurdleditwithoutapole,sincehehadpracticedhighjumpinginthepastyear,butthiswassafer.Helanded,kepthisfeet,andranforthecoverofatree.

"...butIdoadmitit'scoolerunderthetrees,here,"Betsywassaying,butshewasrunningashelookedback."Shadeandalittlebreeze,andwhoneedsairconditioning?"Shevaultedoveraseasilyashe,herdressspreadingoutlikeaparachuteasshedropped.Herpolefellnexttohisontheinside.Inamomentshejoinedhimatthetree.

"Watch,"hewhispered,notcertainwhetherhewaspleasedor frustratedat thecertaintyofhercommitment.Shewassmartandathletic,obviously,butherpersonality....

Canutecameupandcaught the firstpole inhis teeth,dragging itaway fromthe fence.Hetuggeditbackintotheforest,outofsight.Thenhereturnedforthesecond.Johndidn'tsayanything.

Hewassurethishadmadehispoint:Canute'spresencewasjustified.Ithadneveroccurredtohimbeforethatshemightchallengethedog'srighttomaketheescapewiththem.

Canute emerged from the trees again, charged the fence, and leaped easily over it. Betsydidn'tcomment.

They had perhaps ten minutes before probable discovery. More if they were lucky, less ifunlucky.

And a few more minutes for the pursuit to develop actively. In that time they had toaccomplishthesecondphaseoftheirescape.

Johnledthewaytoaforestcache.Hescrapedawayleavesanddirttorevealapackage.Hehauled it out, shook it off, and opened it. Inside were clothes of modern Standard type,cosmetic paste and spray, and an ID key.Hewas no longer shy or awkward, now that theescapewas in progress.He hadworked hard to assemble these supplies and knew exactlywhattodowiththem.SodidBetsy.

Theyhaddiscussedthisthoroughlybycodecorrespondence.

"Hurry," he said. "I'll spray you, and you spray me. It has to be all over, because they'llprobablycheck."Hebegantoundress.

"I'mnotstrippinginfrontofanyboy!"shesaid.

Johnexplodedwithexasperation."Doyouwanttoescape,ordon'tyou?"

She looked at him coldly. "If you were smart, you'd have come prepared. I have alreadysprayedmyselfwhere itdoesn't show."Shepushedbackonesleeve toshowhimwhereherwhiteskinturnedbrown."AllIneedisthepasteformyfaceandhands."

Shewasright,but itdidn'tmakeheranyeasier togetalongwith.Shehadtakenaterriblechance,wearingStandardbrownwhile travelingwithher folks! "All right.Yougobehindatreeandchange,MissModest.I'llchangehere."

Shesortedquicklythroughtheclothesandliftedthefeminineset.Standardsdidn'tactuallydifferentiatethestyleforthesexes--itwaspartoftheirabsolute-nondiscriminationculture--

butphysicaldifferences requiredmodifications.Thushisbrown tunicwas largerandwider,hersshapedforfemininecontours.Shetookthepasteandleft.

John,thoughhewouldn'tadmitittoher,wasrelieved.Hehadn'twantedtostripbeforeagirlbuthadfearedshewouldridiculehimifhehesitated--exactlyashehadridiculedher.Ortriedto.

Hethrewoffhisclothesandturnedthesprayonhimself.Thebrownmistbathedhimincloud,thendissipatedasthecolorationsettledonhisbody.InamomenthewasStandard,skin-deep.Themodernsused this tan-brownmakeup to conceal triflingvariations in skin shade; somewerenaturallydarkerthantheestablishedideal,andsomelighter,sosomewereconsideredaestheticdeviants. Itwasvery important, itseemed,nottobeadeviant,evenmarginally. Itwasgooddye;itwouldlastforseveraldayswithoutretouchingandwouldnotharmtheskin.Hehadstolenthecanandothersuppliesbyriflinganopen-airdispensary.Hewasn'tproudofthatparticularforay,buthehadhadtohavethegoods.

Laterhehadfoundthefunctioningidentitykey.ApparentlysomeStandardhadlostitandhadforgottentohavetheaccountclosedout,orperhapstherehadbeenabureaucraticoversight.JohnhadusedtheIDtoobtainseveralrandomitemsandhadwatchedforanyconsequence,butnothinghadhappened.Maybenocheckwasmadeunlessalargebillwasrunup.Hehadbeen very sparing, anyway, saving it for an emergency.Now he strung its cord around hisneck,foritmightbehismostvaluablepossessioninthenextfewhours.Finallyheputonhistunicandslippers.

Betsyemerged.ShewascompletelyStandardnow.Evenherhairwasdarkerandshorter--shemust have cut it just now, somehow. And she had done something tomake her face seemfuller.Hehadtogivehercredit:Shehadobviouslypracticedthischangeoverthoroughly.

"Aren'tyoudoneyet?"shedemanded.

"Youhavethepaste,"hepointedout.Hewouldnothavehadtimetouseityet,butitwasaperfectlydecentexcuse.Thepastehad tobeusedonhandsand face,because itwasmoresubstantialandbetterabletowithstandwearandweathering.

Shehandedhimthejar."We'llhavetohideouroldclothes,"shesaid.

"No.Watch."Hebundledthemtogetherandtiedthemtight."Canute!"

Canutejumpedup,tailwagging.

"Hidethis."Heprofferedthepackage.

Thedogsniffedthebundle,snortingabittodiscoverBetsy'sscent,thentookitinhismouth,tosseditabouttogetabettergrip,andranoffintotheforest.Betsywassilent.

Johnsmearedthepasteoverhisfaceandneckandchafeditintohishands.Itwasimpossibletooverstain,sohejusthadtobecertainthathedidn'tmissaspot.

"Don'tforgetyourhair,"Betsysaid.

"I haven't." But he _had._ He rubbed the paste over his scalp and worked it around, thenrecombedhishair.

They had no Standard chronometer, and their watches had had to go in the bundle. Theantique timepieceswouldhavebeen an instant giveaway.But Johndidn't need to look at awatchtoknowthattheirsafemarginhadbeenexhausted.FromthismomenttheybothwereStandards--orelse.

Hekickedleavesovertheholewherethecachehadbeen."Let'sgo.Wecan'thurry,andwecan'tgoinastraightline,because--"

"StoptellingmethingsIalreadyknow,"shesnapped."DoyouthinkI'mstupid?"

Theymeanderedawayfromtheregionofthefence.AtanymomenttheStandards'spy-beam--orwhateveritwas--mightpickthemup.Theyweregamblingonthechancethatitwaskeyedinto the unpainted whiteness of their skins or the cut of their clothing, not to anythinginternal.Maybe a blip showed on a screen, locating them, and a human operator checkedwhenanythinglookedodd.

Thisescapewouldtellthestory;iftheygotaway,John'sguesseswerecorrect.

ItwouldlookoddwhennoblipappearedanywhereontheNewtontownshipscreen,buttheoperatorwouldn'tknowwhathadhappened.Notrightaway.Andwhenhescannedinearnest,allhewouldfindwouldbepaintedwhitesinside,andmaybeacoupleofmisplacedStandardtouristsoutside.Hehoped.

Therewasanoiseinthewoods--akindofpoundingandcrashing,asofalargeanimalcomingtoward them. Betsy gripped his arm nervously, for they were weaponless. But it was onlyCanute,returningfromhisclothes-hidingmission.Withthatrealizationthenoiseseemedtodiminish;ithadbeenthemysterythatmadeitloud!

Asthedogboundedintosight,Johnhadahorriblethought.ItwouldbedifficultforascannertopickoutJohn'strue-whiteskinfromamongfalse-whiteskinsinthezoo._Butsupposeitwasoriented to thedog?_Therewasonlyone suchanimal inNewton, so thiswouldbeeasy toidentify,andCanutewasneverfarfromhismaster.

NowJohnheardtheroarofamotor,comingfromthesamedirectionCanutehadbeen.

"They'refollowingthedog!"Betsywhispered,catchingoninthesameinstant."Thatdarnedanimal!"

5

_Gomdog_

"Strangers!"JohnshoutedatCanute.Hadhesubconsciouslyanticipatedthisproblem?"Playstrangers!"

"Yourdumb,stupid, traitorousdog!"Betsysaid,beginningtocry in frustration. " 'Well,he'scoming!'yousaid,andnowlookatwhat--"

"Shutup!"hewhisperedfiercely,unabletoexplainhisplan.

Sheglaredathimbutobeyed.Canutestoppedaboutfiftyfeetawayandsatdown.Heseemedtobepayingnofurtherattention.

Ajeepcrashedthroughtheforest.Itcaughtuptothemquicklyandstopped.AwhitewashedStandardgotoutwhileasecondstayedinthevehiclewiththemotorrunning.

"Bluff,"JohnwhisperedtoBetsy,lipshardlymoving.Then,totheman:"Whoareyou,Stan?"

This was one of the useful minor things he had learned in the past year. All people wereStandards,butithadnotalwaysbeenso."Standard"waslessadescriptionthanadesignationofcourtesy,and"Stan"wasthepolitesttitleforastranger.

Theman seemed surprised. Perhaps he had thought he had run down his quarry and nowmightbemistaken.

"Dear,"Betsysaid,takingJohn'sarm."They'renotStandards!"Shepulledhimbackasthoughfrightened--averysimpleroletoassumeinthecircumstances."Lookatthecolor.White!"

"Don'tinsulthim,"Johnwhisperedwithenoughforcetocarry."Hemayhavebeenill."

"Maybeit'scontagious!"shewhisperedback,retreatingfarther.

TheStandardpausedinperplexity.Johncouldguesstheman'sthoughts:HerehehadfollowedthedogtothezoospecimensandfoundinsteadtwoStandards...maybe.ShouldheexplainhisunusualcolorationorchecktheirID's!Amistakecouldbeawkward,eitherway.

"Doyouownthat...animal?"theStandardfinallyasked.

"Own?"Johnaskedinreturn,puttingconfusionintohisvoice.Thatwasn'tdifficult,either.Hesawthetrap,fortherewasnoownershipofanythinginthissociety,andtherewerenopets.

"Overthere,"themansaid,pointingtoCanute.Thedogmaintainedhisdistance.

"Thatviciouscreature?"Betsyputinwithmoreenthusiasmthanstrictlynecessary."Itcamechasingafteruswithallthoseuglyspotsandjaggedteeth...."

"What_is_it?"Johnaskedapprehensively.

ThemanlookedatCanuteagain."Bringhimhere,"hesaidtohiscompanion.Theothermanturned off themotor, got out of the vehicle, and approached the dog. Canute growled andretreated.Themanmadeagesture,andthedogyelped.Johnsawwithapangthatthemanhadsomekindofweapon.

Not a gun--but something. Canute yelped again and ran from theman. John kept his facefrozen,knowingthatthiswasacrucialtest.Ifhegavehimselfaway....

Anothergesture, and thedog stopped short. Itwas as thoughhewerebeingherdedby aninvisiblegoad.Tailbetweenlegs,CanuteslunktowardJohnandBetsy.HelookedappealinglyatJohn.

"Don'tbringthatstrangeanimalhere!"Johncried,accenting"strange."Canutecouldpretendnot to knowhismaster,whenplaying this game, but he couldhardlyunderstandwhatwasgoingonnow.

Hewantedprotectionandcomfort,andthesewerethelastthingsJohncouldprovide,lesthebetraytheirwholeescape.

Canutestruggledwithconflictingimpulseswhileallfourpeoplewaitedtensely.Thenthemanwiththegoad--itwasalittlespherewithbuttons,heldinonehand--nudgedthedogclosertoJohn.

CanutelookedatJohnandgrowled.

Blesshim!Hewasplayingitout,refusingtoadmitthatheknewhismaster.Canutehadcomethrough,andnowtherewasnoimmediateevidencethattheseweretheescapees.

"It'sattacking!"Betsycried."Horriblething!"

Canutegrowledather,too,thistimewithmoreauthority.Sheretreated.

"Allright,Eogan,"thefirstmansaid."Itdoesn'tknowthem."

Theotherputawayhisimplement,andCanuteranaway.

"Sorry,Stans,"themansaid."Thisisrestrictedproperty.Citizensareadvisedtoremainwellclear."

"Wewereonlytakingawalk,"Johnsaid,offended."Welostourway.Thenthat--animalcame.And you, with your--no offense--remarkable coloration, in a vehicle that must be three

centuriesold.

Itis--alarming."

"Alarming!"Betsyechoedtremulously.

"Amisunderstanding,Stans.Weareonaspecialmissionrequiringthiscostume,offensiveasitmaybetoyoursensitivities.Youshoulddeparttheareapromptly."

"Weshallcertainlydoso,"Johnsaid."Ifyoucandirectus...."

Betsytookhisarmagain."Wehadnoidea...."

"Proceed southwest, and you will intersect the perimeter shortly," the man said tersely. "Iwouldsummonataxiforyou,butnosuchvehiclesarepermittedhere."

John proffered the arm Betsy had already taken, and they walked hastily away. Then Johnhalted.

"Southwest?"

Betsycaughtonatthesametime."Whatnonsenseisthis?"shedemanded."Dothey_want_uslost?"

"Your pardon, Stans," the man called after them. "I gave you an obsolete designation. Myerror."

Error, hah! John thought. It had been a parting trap, to learn whether they understoodtwentieth-centurydirections.

Themanpointedoutthecorrectroute.Fortunatelytheyhadnotbeengoingsouthwest,owingtothedistractionsofthemoment.Thathadbeenmightyclose!

"Afterthatgomdog," thefirstStandardsaidasthetwomenclimbedback intotheir jeep."Ihate this inefficient, atmosphere-polluting contraption! If only we were allowed to usecontemporaryequipmenthere...."Thejeepstartedupandroaredaway.

Gomdog?Canute?Was thatwhat they called the tree-climbingdog?Themenhad carefullyavoidedidentifyingituntiltheyweresuretheywereaddressingStandards.Gomdog.

"Funnyzoo,"Betsymurmured.

Funny,indeed!Iftheperimeterguardwasthiscurtwithspectators,itcouldn'tbemuchofashow.Hehadattimesbeenuncertainofthezoonotion,andthismagnifiedhisdoubt.

"Theymaykeepwatchingus,"hesaid,andshewassilent.

Johnwasroughlyfamiliarwiththeregion,ofcourse,andknewthattheStandard'sadvicehadbeencorrect:Southwestwasthenearestperimeterofthelargerzooenvirons.SoheguidedBetsysouthwest,followingthesecond,gestured,instructions.Hedidn'tknowwhatsystemtheStandardsnormallyusedtoorientmaps,butitwasn'tAmerican.Northandsouthappliedonlytothezooitself....

Theywalkedforfifteenminutesasrapidlyastheterrainpermitted,thencametoabreakintheforest.Nowtheyhadtodeviate;Johnsilentlyguidedhernorthwest,hurrying.Ifthespy-beamwereonthemnow....

Theycametooneoftheglossyoctagonalbuildingswithstuck-oncubes.Thisonewasempty.John had scouted it carefully and discovered that it was occupied only in winter, but itremainedfunctionaltheyearround.Theywalkedupasthoughtheyownedit,andJohnputhisIDtotheentrancepanel.Thepanelbecamefoggy--realfog,notjustfogcolor--andheclimbedthrough,heftinghimselfuptothefloatingfloorlevelinside.ThenheheldtheIDinplaceandreacheddowntoassistBetsy.ThedoorpanelbecamesolidassoonasheremovedtheIDkey.

"Oops,almostforgot,"Johnsaid.HeID'doutsideagain,puthisfingerstohismouth,andmadea piercingwhistle. Almost immediately he heardCanute's answering bark. Inmoments thedogcameracingintosight,greyhoundlineswithspots.Histonguewasout,hewaspanting

heavily,andhisfurwasstreaked,butheseemedallright.JohnheldthedoorpermeablewhileCanuteleapedthrough.

"Oh,no!"Betsycriedwithdismay."They'llfollowthatanimaltousagain!"

JohnhuggedthebigdogtohimwhileCanutelickedhisfacebetweentailwags."They'dhavecaughtusalreadyifhehadn'tledthemafalsechase,"Johnsaid."Gooddog!Youdidgreat!I'mproudofyou.Punchforataxi,Betsy.Bythetimetheycatchup,we'llbegone.Yeah,you'remydog,Canute!"

"Secondfiddletoadog!"Betsymuttered."Ifhewasfemale,I'dknowwhattocallhim!"Shepoked experimentally at the house's communications console. Therewas a hum. "Taxi, thisaddress,immediately."

"YourID,please,"avoicesaid.

"Here,"Johnsaidquickly,passingoverhiskey.Betsytouchedittotheappropriatepanel.

Standardcommunicationswereefficient.Aspheredroppedfromtheskywithinsecondsandtouchedthehouse,tangentatthedoorpanel.JohnusedtheIDagainandpassedwithCanutedirectlyintothevehicle.Betsyhastenedtojointhem.

"Itworked!"sheexclaimed,gratified."Ireallycalledataxi!"

"Youjustgetustothatthirdzooyousaw.I'llseeaboutthedog."

"Seewhat?He'salreadyhere,unfortunately."

"Theycalledhimagomdog.MaybeIcanfindoutsomething."

"Oh."Shelocatedthetaxi'scommunicator,thenpaused."WhatdoItellit?Isawthatspotonthemap,butIdon'tknowhowtolocateit.Ican'ttellthisbuggytoflynorth...."

"Um." Johnhadsupposed theywouldpilot thecraftmanually,butoneglanceat thecontrolsectionshowedhimthat itwasnothinglikeanythinghewasacquaintedwith.Theycouldn'taffordtimetopractice--notwhiletheStandardpursuitwasnear."Trythis.3777767256."

"What?"

"It'sacoordinate.Alagaveittome."

"Who?"

Suddenly he realized that he had never had a chance to tell her about the black girl or toinquirewhetherBetsyhadmetHumé."Yesterday--look,it'scomplicated,andwe'reinahurry--Imetagirl.

Betsystaredathim."You,too?Iwasn'tgoingtotellyourightaway,but--"

"Youmetablackman!"

"Black? _Yellow!_ His name was Yao Pei, and he lived--_lives_ in Northern China, eighthcenturyA.D."

"Chinese!MinewasAfrican!"

"Andthere'satleastoneotherpurebredthere,"Betsycontinued."AgirlnamedMeilan."

"This thing ismorecomplicatedthanwethought," Johnsaidsoberly. "We'vegot tocomparenotes--

but,Betsy,there just isn'ttimenow!Theymaybeonourtailalready.Wehavetofindthoseothersquickly,orwemayneverhaveanotherchance."

"You'reonehundredpercentright,foronce.Givemethatnumber,slowly--orbetter,speakitintothecommunicatorhere.Maybethetaxiwilltakeusthere."

Johnagreed."Taxi,takeustocoordinate3777767256,andsteponthegas."

Avoicereplied,differentfromtheoneatthehouse.Theybothjumped,andCanuteperkeduphisears."Steponthegasisnotaprogrammeddestination.Pleaseclarify."

"Doalltheirradiostalkback?"Betsyinquired.

"WhatImeanis,hurry!"Johnsaid."Tothatlocation.Thenumber."Wouldthetaxidoit?

Theglobesailedupward,sendingJohnstumblingandBetsygrabbingathandholds.ThefirstholdshefoundwasCanute'stail,andbothpartieswereoutraged.Thenthetaxishotoverthelandscape.

Boy,girl,anddogpickedthemselvesup."Whenithurries,it_hurries!"_Johnexclaimed."Wemustbedoingtwohundredmilesanhour!"

"Ridiculous,"Betsysaid.Thenshereconsidered."Atleast!"

Johnpeeredoutanddown.ForthefirsttimehesawtheNewtontownshipinitsentiretyandthelayofthelandaboutit.Nowhecouldcomparehiszoototherealitythatlaybeyond.Therewasnodiscernibledifference.Itwas_all_fieldandforest.Newtonwasnooasis;itwastypical,so farastheterrainwent.Hetriedtoconcealhisdisappointment;hehadbeenalmostsurethattherewouldbeasubstantialandstrikingchangeoncetheNewtonenvironshadbeenleftcompletelybehind.

"Youwereseeingaboutthedog?"Betsyremindedhimsnidely.

"Rightaway,"hesaid,nettledagain.Shewascertainlyrunningtrue to form.Here theyhadimportantbusiness toaccomplishandastonishingexperiences tocompare,but shecouldn'tstopneedlinghimaboutCanute!Thewhite-coloredStandardsofNewtonhadneverbeenlikethis, he reflected. He had sometimes railed, privately, at their lassitude; he wanted to seesome spirit, some human animation. Now he was faced with plenty of both--in Betsy--anddidn'tmuchlikeit.

Hefacedthecommunicator."Information,"hesaid,asthoughhewereusingatelephone.HesuspectedthatBetsywouldhavehadgreaterconfidencewiththissortofproject,butitwashisbaby.He_did_wanttoknowthetruthabouthisdog,ifthetruthwastobehad.

"Well,goahead,"shetoldhim."Youaskedforinformation."

He had expected some acknowledgment. But of course this was the twenty-fourth century.Therewouldbenoinefficientlags."Gomdog,"hesaid."Whatisagomdog?"

"Synopsis,"Betsysaidquickly."Otherwiseyoumaygethoursof--"

"Synopsis.Forthelayman."

"Gomdog," a pleasant voice said. "Colloquial designation for sapient pseudo-mammalianspecies of GO 'M' III. Vestigial technology, competent adaptation of form, pacifistictemperament."Thevoicestopped.Johnsatstunnedforamoment.

"Didyouhearthat?"Betsydemanded,shocked.

"Acompletealien!"Johnsaid."Acreaturethatchangesitsshape--"

"No.Theother."Itsaid'sapient.'_Sapient!"_

"So?"

"Dummy!Thatmeansintelligent!Humanlevel,orbetter."

Intelligent! John looked at Canute, appalled. Had his faithful canine companion been fullyawareallalong?Howcouldtheyhopetomaketheirescapewiththiscreaturewatching?

"He'saspy!"Betsysaidfiercely."Iknewit!"

"Hecan'tbe,"Johnsaid,defendingCanute,thoughhefeltsicklyuncertain."He'salwaysbeen

loyal."

"Loyalto_whom?_Azoospecimen?We'llnevergetawaywithhimalong.Getridofhim."

"KillCanute?I'dshootmyselffirst,"hesaid,believingit.

"Ididn'ttellyouto_kill_him.Isaidgetridofhim.Dumphimout,turnhimloose--justsohecan'tspyonusanymore."

John looked at Canute again. The dog--the gomdog--just sat there and wagged his tailquestioningly.

"Maybeit'sjustanothertrap,"Johnsaid."Theyusedthatwordwherewecouldhearitsowe'dthinkhe'saspyandgetridofhim,andthenwe'dbeonourown,andtheycouldcatchus."

"Doyoubelievethat?"shedemandedderisively.

John avoided a direct answer. "If he's intelligent," he said slowly, "he knows everythingalready.

Wecan'taffordtolethimgo--anditwouldbeillegaltokillhim,evenifwehadthegutsforit.Ifhe'snotintelligent,wedon't_have_togetridofhim.So...."

"Casuistry.Ifhe'ssapient,wecan'taffordtokeephimwithus.Ifheisn't,wedon'tneedhim."

Johnknewhewasgraspingat a strawbut couldnothelphimself. "Wedon't _know_he's agomdog...."

"He'seither thator somethingelse justasbad.Certainlynota realdog.Ask themachine--you'llsee."

"Whatisadog?"heaskedinformation."Synopsis."

"Dog: colloquial designation for extinct mammalian canine species of Sol III. Formerdomesticantofman.Quadrupedal--"

"Extinct,"Betsyinterrupted,andtheinformationnarrationcutoffasshespoke."Sothisone_has_tobesomethingelse.Andyoucanbetitdoesn'tlooklikeadogoractlikeitinitsnativestate._Now_areyousatisfied?"

"No.Ican'tbelieveCanutewouldbetrayme.Us.Idon'tcarewhatheisbiologically,he'smydog."

"He'sanalienspy,buthe'syourdog.Great!"

"Agomdogmadeintoarealdog.Information:Wouldhebetrayhismaster?"

"Datainsufficient,"thevoicesaid.

"Ifhehadbeentakenasapuppyorwhateveritwasandtaughttobeadog,andheassociatedwithonepersonlikethatforayearandahalf--arealdogwouldneverdoanythingtohurtthatperson.Wouldagomdog?"

"Datainsufficient."

Johncontainedhisfrustration,knowingBetsywouldsmirkifshesawhimexpressit."Whatdoyouneedtoknow?"

"Protein content of gomdog's diet. Diversity ratio of training. Preconditioning. Planetaryenvironment.Pedigree."

Betsybecameinterested."Gomdogsmustbemorespecialthanwethought."

John was nervous now. He did not look at Canute. "He ate a lot of table scraps. He wassupposedtosticktodogfood,buthelikeseverything,andI'msofthearted."

_"Softheaded,"_Betsymuttered.

"Iguessitwasahigh-proteindiet.Whyisthatimportant?"

"Sapienceofthespeciesisdirectlyaffectedbyearlydiet."

"As with human beings, too," Betsy said. "And probably all living things. That means he'ssmarterthanhe'ssupposedtobe.Becauseyoufedhimwrong."

"I_like_himsmart!"Johnsnapped."Diversityratiooftraining--Ididn'ttrainhimmuchatfirst.Wewerejustpals.ThenlaterIshowedhimhowtodoallkindsoftricks,likejumpingfences,hidingthings,playing'stranger'--Iguessitwasprettydiverse.Andhelearnedawfullyquickly.Ievenusedtoreadhimstories,justforthefunofit,anddiscussmyhomework."

"Thatmeansyougavehimagoodeducation,"Betsysaid."Youreallysetouttodedoghim,youknow."

Heignoredher."Idon'tknowaboutpreconditioning.Iguesshewastoldtoactlikeadog.HewasaweekortwooldwhenIgothim--purewhite,nospotsatall.Therecan'thavebeenmuchelse,atthatage--Imean,howmuchcanaweek-old_anything_learn?Buthealwaysdid_look_likeadog.Iguesshispedigreeisnormal--agomdogisagomdog,isn'tit?Andtheplanetaryenvironmentisearthlike."

"Sowouldthisgomdogbetrayhismaster?"Betsyasked.

"Qualified answer," the communicator said. "Assuming unmodified purebred stock, ad hocconditioning with proper reinforcement, diverse but informal training--gomdog would becapableofwillfullybetrayinghisassociatesbutwouldbeunlikely todosowithoutextremeprovocation.

Probabilityeighty-fourpercent."

"Probabilityof_not_betrayingiseighty-fourpercent?"Johnaskedtensely.

"Correct."

BetsycrowdedJohnawayfromthecommunicator."Howsmartwoulditbe?"

"Eightypercentofhumannorm,fifteenpercentmarginoferror."

"SoCanutehas an I.Q. between sixty-eight andninety-two!" she exclaimed. "And itmaybeevenmoreifsomeofthoseassumptionsarewrong."SheturnedtoJohn."Hemayhavebeengivensuper-potentfood,youknow.Whywouldtheyleaveathinglikethattochance?Hemaybeassmartasweare!"

"Idoubtit,"Johnsaidcautiously."He'ssmart,butnotthatsmart."

"You_hope!_Hecouldbesmartenoughtoconcealhissmartness fromyou.Howwouldyouknow?"

Thatstumpedhim."Well,ifheis,he'sstillloyal.What'swrongwithbeingthatsmart?"

"Asifwehadn'tjustgonethroughallthat!Hemightmakeaverybadenemy."

"So_that's_whatyou'redrivingat!Didyoueverstoptoconsiderthathemightalsomakeaverygoodfriend?"

_"Your_friend,notmine."

Johnstaredather."You'rejealousofa_dog!"_

"Don'tberidiculous!"Butherflushgaveheraway.

"Whydidn'tyoubring_your_pet?"heasked.

"Carryabirdcagealongonajailbreak?"shedemandedwitheringly.

"Ithoughtparakeetscouldbetrainedtostayclosewithoutbeingcaged."

"Mine_was_--inside.Outsideitwouldhaveflownaway."

"Oh."Hefeltawkward."I'msorry."Then:"Wasitarealbird?"

"Idon'tthinkso.Notanearthbird,anyway.Let'snottalkaboutit."

"Welllook--youcanmakefriendswithCanute.Itisn'tasthough--"

"Forgetit,"shesaidsharply.

Forawhiletheyrodeinsilence,watchingthemonotonouslygreenlandscapepassingbelow.Johnestimatedthattheyhadcomeoverathousandmilesalready,forthetaxihadacceleratedtosuper-jet-planevelocityandmaintainedit.HehadyettoseeacityorevenatownthesizeofNewton.

Therewerenoroadsandfewfields.Onlyoccasionalshapes--octagons?--thatmighthavebeenfactorybuildingsexceptfortheircompletelackofsmokeoraccess.Apartmenthouses,maybe--he had picked upmentions of these.Giant complexes of octagonal residenceswith sharedsanitaryandculinary facilities.Why theStandards shouldprefer to live in such constrictedwarrens,whenallthisunusedcountrysidewasavailable....

"I'msorry,"Betsysaid."Tryaskinginformationatwhatageagomdogmatures."

Johnshruggedandinquired.

"Eighteenyears,"informationreplied.

"Eighteenyears!"Johnwasastonished."That'saboutthesameas_us!"_

"Notsurprising, if it isasintelligentasweare,"Betsysaid."Youcan'tmatureinayearandknoweverythingsomeoneelsehaslearnedintenorfifteen."

"ButthenCanuteisstillapuppy--hismindwouldbelikethatofaneighteen-month-oldhumanbaby.Evenifhe'sgoingtobeassmartasus,that'salongwayoff."

Shenodded."Socallhimadog."

Johnwas immensely relieved. "I'm forgettingwhat I started out to do!" he exclaimed. "WehavetochangeCanutesotheycan'tspothimanymore."

"Ifthescanisvisual."

"Itisfor_us._Whenwechangedclothingandcolor,theydidn'tknowus."

"We're_human._Ananimalmighthaveabugimplanted.Somethingtohomeinon."

"Sowe'rehuman.Wecouldstillbebuggedthesameway.Whyshouldtheybugthedogwhenit's_us_

theywantinthezoo?"

Shespreadherhandsinoverelaboratebafflement."Askinformation."

Butatthatpointtheyfeltashiftincourse.Theywerecomingdown--tothecoordinateofthethirdzoo?Theyexchangedglances,butneithercaredtosuggestwhattheymightencounterthere.

6

_TheWalledCityofWei_

Johnspotteditfirst."That'snoAmericantown!It'sawalledcity!"

Betsylooked."That'sWei!"sheexclaimed."Pei'scity!Whatacoincidence!"

"Onechanceinfive,"Johnpointedout."Really,onechanceintwo,sincewe'reobviouslynotheadingforyourplaceormineorAla's.Soitwasreallyanevenbetthatwe'dstrikepaydirt--

ifthecoordinatesmeantanything."Helookedagain."AndIguesstheydid."

"Oh,shutup.Yourreasoningis ludicrous."Butsheremainedpleased.JohndecidedthatYaoPei and his residence must have made a strong impression on her, and he felt a tinge ofjealousy.

"Whydon'tyoucallhimbyhisfirstname?"heinquired.

"Pei_is_hisfirstname.Hisgivenname,Imean.Thesurnamecomesfirst,inChina."

John contemplated the massive brick ramparts, the tall corner towers, and the handsometiered roofsof theenclosedbuildings.Thiscitywas formidableandbeautiful.Nowonder ithadimpressedher.

Foramomenthewasafraidthetaxiwouldlandoutsidethewall,becausetheywerecominginvery low.Thebarrierwasagoodtwenty-five feet tall, surroundedbyamoat,andalmostasthick as it was high, to judge from the depth of the main gate. The top was crenellated,providingexcellentcoverforriflemen--no,_archers,_hecorrectedhimself--andthegreatgatesseemedimpervious.

Buttheypassedoveranddroppedatlastintoacentralpark.Noneedtostormthebastion!

Butwhyhadn't theStandards installed somekind of electronicwarning system, to preventtwenty-fourth-centurytaxisfromstrayingontothesesecretpremises?HadJohnbeenrunningtheshow....

JohnandBetsylookedateachotheragain,andherealizedthathewasrunningashowofhisown--

andhadplannednobetterforit."Wecan'tjustwalkin,"Betsywhispered,asthoughhervoicecouldbetraythem."Idon'tknowmywayaround.Ineverreallysawthecity likethis. IwasunconsciousorsomethingwhenI--"

"Iknow."

"Andwe'restainedbrown,notyellow."

That was another awkward detail. "How do we tell who is real? This is much larger thanNewton!

Theremustbeathousandpeoplehere!"

"I'llrecognizePei."

"Sure.AndallthemenofthisOrientalmetropoliswilljustparadebythetaxisoyoucanpickhimout!"

"Youdon'thavetobesarcastic!"

Shewasafineonetotalk!"Sorry,"hesaid,notsorry.

"They'recoming,"shesaid,peeringout."TheChinese."

Catalyzedbythatpressure,Johncametoadecision."Canutecanfindtherealones. I'llruninterference.Youtakethetaxiupoutofdangeruntilwe'reready."

"Idon'tknowhowtooperateit!"shewailed.

Johnknewwhatshemeantbuthadnotimeforsympathy."Don'tgethysterical.Youdon'thavetooperateit.Justtellitanycoordinates,thentellittheseoneswhenit'stimetocomeback."

"Ican'trememberthenumber!"

"Here."Hegrabbedforapenciltoscribblethenumber--andcameupagainsttheemptyclothofhistunic.Foraninstanthewasbaffled;then:"Informationwillrememberit!Justask!"

"HowdoIknowwhenit'stime?"

Themanshapeswerecomingquitenear,andshe_was_becominghysterical.Herealizedshewasmakingexcusestoavoidgoingbyherself.

"Guess!"heshouted."GiveCanutesomethingtosmell--somethingPeitouched._Hurry!"_

Handsshaking,sheobeyed.Shebroughtoutatinyobjectfromalittlepurseshehadsalvagedfromherotherclothing."Cowrieshell,"shesaid,holdingitstifflydownforCanute."Theyusethemformoney...."

"Canute!Findthatperson!"

Thedogsniffed,woofed,andwaggedhistail.

"Let'sgo!"Johncried.Heheldthekeybeforehimandleapedthroughthedoor,Canutebesidehim.

Toolate.Theyellow-coloredStandardswerealreadythere:twomeninground-length,belledrobes.

"Who are you?" one demanded. "Don't you know no spheres are allowed in the enclave?Suppose_they_

sawit?"

"Gofind!"JohnwhisperedtoCanute,slappinghimontheflank.Thedogboundedoff.

"Hey!"oneofthechallengerscried."What'sthat?"

Thenthetaxilifted.

Asthetwomenstaredindismay,Johnslippedaway.

"Hey!"themancriedagain."You,Stan!"

Johnran.Thatwastheidea:Aslongastheywerechasing_him,_Canutecouldsearchthecitywithoutundueinterference.Ofcourse,Johnhadtokeepfromgettingcaughthimself,andthenhewouldhavetobringthetwoChinesepurebredstothepark,unobserved,andhopeBetsytimeditproperly--ifshedidn'tlosehernerveentirely.

"Stop!"themancalled."You'renotpainted!If_they_seeyou...."

Johnswervedbetweenbushes,joggeddownafloweryfootpath,half-crossedandhalf-hurdledasmalldecorativebridge,andranintothecityproper.Thepursuersfellbehind.

Suspicious,Johnslowedandlookedback--andsawthemwalkingnonchalantly.

Ofcourse!Theydidnotdareraisealoudhueandcry,becausethatwouldcallattentiontothe

"Standard"runninglooseinthecity.IfthetwotrueChinesetooknote,thewholezooprojectwouldbeinperil,particularlyafterthemix-upthathadalreadyintroducedtheChineseboytowhiteAmericanBetsy.Ontheotherhand,thepursuerswouldbeunlikelytogiveup,andmorewouldundoubtedlyclose inas thewordquietlyspread.Theymightuse thatsameknockoutweapon thathadputhimawaywhenhewaswithAla. (Was thatonly yesterday?)And theywerefamiliarwiththecity,whereashewasnot.Sohe'dbetterlosehimselfquickly.

Johnsprinteddownthestreet,turnedacorner,andalmostcrashedintoaroadsidefruitstand.

Oranges, bananas, pineapples, assorted melons, and others he didn't recognize--he washungry!Buthedidn'thaveanymoney,orevencowrieshells.

"Papaws--thirtycash,"thevendorbegan,thendidadoubletake."Standard!Getoutofhere,before--"

"I'maninspector,"Johnsaidwithoutpremeditation.

Confused,thevendorlethimpass.Johnturnedanothercorner,dodgeddownanarrowalley,turnedagain,andcameupagainst thecitywall.Thisplace--Wei,Betsyhadcalled it--looked

largeonlybecauseitwasstrange.Itwasactuallyonlyafewhundredyardsacross.

A sentry paced along the top of the wall. John ducked back out of sight, stifling his loud-seemingpanting,butfoundthathehadnowheretogo.Thestreethadnocloseoffshoots,andthehousesherewerelikeblankscreens:impassiveandforbidding.Noporches,nowindows.Eventheirfrontgateswereshieldedbysmallerwalls.

Butheheardpeoplecomingbehindhim.Bynowtherewereanumber,andtheyhadaprettygoodideawherehewas.Johnranbacktowardthewall,hunchinglowsoastoavoiddiscoveryby the soldiers there, and found what he had prayed for: a space where the slanting wallsurfacepartedfromtheverticalhousesurface.Hescrambledin.

BythistimeCanuteshouldhavelocatedtherealChinese,YaoPeiandhisfemalecounterpart.

Maybethedogwasalreadyonhiswayback,topickupJohn'sowntrail.Allhehadtodowashideandwait and letCanute sniff himout.But _where?_Hecouldn'tget intoanyof theseformidableresidences,andevenifhecould,itwouldonlyraiseanothershockedcryfromtheowner.

Oneslipperturnedagainstapieceofrubbleinthecrevice.Johnjumpedandcaughthimselfbyspreadinghisarmsagainstthewallsonbothsides.Ifhegotafootjammedhere....

He intersectedanother street.Hishandswere filthy, andhis tunicwasbadly smudged,butneatnesswasnothingcomparedtohisgiveawaycolorandclothing.Shouldhewalkdownthisblock,hopingthathewouldnotbespotted?No--thatwouldbebeggingfortroublehecouldn'tafford.

Ashehesitated,amanemergedfromahouseashortdistancealongthestreet.Heworetheusualsandalsandrobeandappearedtobemiddle-aged.ForamomentJohnwastemptedtochargeupandhijackhim,takinghisclothingforcamouflage,butherealizedalmostatoncethathecouldn'tdoit.Hehadneithertrainingnortemperamenttoattackaman--particularlyaninnocentbystander.

Heheardanoisebehindhim,backon theotherstreet.Proddedby that,heran toward theman.

"Friend!"Johncried,improvisingastheotherturnedtofacehim."Igotputdowninthewrongzoo--er,place!Ineedsomepaint,someproperclothing.Before_they_seeme!"

The man looked disgusted. _"Another_ mistake! This is ridiculous." Then he had a secondthought.

"WhichenclaveusesStandardsassuch?"

Oops!"ImeanIwassupposedtobeprocessedfortheCaucasianone.Butsomehow..."

"Iunderstand.Come inside,quickly. I'llgiveyouaperiodcostumeandsomepaste foryourfaceandhands.Thenyoucanbeatravelingbardjustleavingthecity._They_mayneverevenseeyou.

Andiftheydo--well,wedogetquiteaturnoverinthelesserpersonnelhere.Yourfacedoesn'thavetobefamiliar."

John followedhim in,gratified thathisproblemhadbeensolvedsoreadily. "I--I reallydon'tknowanythingabout_this_enclave.Whatisit?Where--_when_isit?"HedidknowabitfromwhatBetsyhadsaid--justenoughsohewouldknowifthemantriedtoleadhimon.

"Middle Kingdom. Twenty-eighth year ofHsüan T'ung.We're supposed to be about a day'shard ride fromChangan, theT'angcapital.Ofcourse there isn'tany,but _they_don'tknowthat."

_Don't bet on it, buster!_ "Middle Kingdom? I'm trained in twentieth-century Americangeography."

Hehopedthemanwouldn'tcatchonhowliterallyhemeantthat."Canyoutransposeto--totheGregoriancalendar?"

"Gregorian?I'mnotsure.Whendoesitstart?"

"Birth of Jesus Christ, approximately. My enclave is dated about nineteen sixty--about twothousandyearsafterthat."

"Ah. Christianity! That hasn't penetrated here significantly yet. Let's see--your sage livedduringtheHandynasty--somewherearoundthereignofWangMang,Ibelieve.ButChristwasinoneofthebarbarianWesternstates.TheRoman?OrwasthatMuhammad?"

"No. Muhammad was about six hundred years later, in Arabia." John paused, just nowremembering an obscure bit of lore he had picked up from his historical studies. _TheMoslemsstartedtheirdatingwithMuhammad!_FromthetimeheleftMecca,ratherthanhisactualbirth.Johnhadbeenrequiredtomemorizethatdate:A.D.622.Nowhewasthankfulforthatchore.ThatmeantthatthedateofAla'senclavewassixhundredyearslaterthanhehadsupposed.BetweenA.D.1500and1600.

"So this must be about seven hundred fifty by the Christian scale," the man said. "Sevenhundredforty,perhaps."

"Andyour'MiddleKingdom'meansChina?NotancientEgypt?"

"Naturally.Manycultureshad 'middlekingdoms,'buttheT'angdynasty isthemostcivilizedplace and time in all earth's history," theman said with a certain pride. "Pre-Standard, ofcourse."

"Ofcourse."SothiswaswhatChinawasliketwelvehundredyearsago.T'angdynasty--Johnremembered it only faintly from his classroom lessons. Famous for painting, or something."Whatdoyoudohere?"

"I'macivil-serviceexaminer.Iadministerthehsiuts'aiandsendtheresultsintotheemperoreveryyear,andeverythreeyearsthechujen.Thoseareroughtests,too.Mostapplicantsareeliminatedbythehsiu,andonlyoneinfifteenpassesthechu.Ofcourseitisn'treal,exceptfor_him."_

"Youactuallytestedthepurebreds?"

"ThetrueMongolian,yes.YaoPei,thatis.Thegirlisn'teligible.Isuperviseallthetests.

Therecordshavetobegenuine,yousee,justincase.Keepsmebusy,butIratherlikeit.It'sameaningfultask,initsquirkyway,andthat'simportant.Amanneedsmeaning,youknow?"

"Yes." Did this mean there was no meaning in conventional Standard existence? Veryinteresting.

Astheytalked,JohnwasbeingfittedwithfullChineseapparel."What'syourjobtobe,inyourownenclave?"themaninquired.

"Well,Ihaven'tstartedyet,ofcourse,"Johnsaid,scramblingmentallyforasuitableanswer.

"ButI'msupposedtobea--anautomechanic.Transferredinforthebusstation."Thatshouldholdhim,sincetherewerenocarsorbuses--or,indeed,anymachinesatall--inancientChina.No internal combustion engines, anyway, and probably very few in the Standards' hometerritory,either.Notwhen theyhadsuchadvancedequipmentas the flying taxi-spheres.Sochances were that this civil-service examiner wouldn't know enough to ask penetratingquestions.

Hewasright.Themanconcealedhisignorancebyfetchingajarofyellowpaste.Johnhopeditwouldgoonoverthebrownpastehehadusednotsolongago."Therealone--did_he_passthetests?"

"Yes, strangely enough. Yao Pei is astonishingly knowledgeable, considering that he's hadwhatweassumeisatypicalperiodschooling.Isealedhimintohiscellmyself,soIknowhespentthefullthreedaysasprescribed,withoutfood.Tohimitwasreal,yousee.Igavehimobscure topics from the literature of Confucius, but he composed fully satisfactory poems--almostperfectstyling.Amazing."

"Yousealedhimintoacell?Fora_literature_test?"Johndidn'thavetopretendastonishment.

Meanwhilehestudiedhimselfinthebronzemirror.HelookedChinese.

"That'sthewayit'sdone.IntherealMiddleKingdomtheaspirantssometimesdiedfromthestrain.Butitwastheonlyroutetostatusandtheofficialposts.Soweduplicateitfaithfully.

Imyselffeelthatishasitsmerits,foryoucanbesurethatnoweakmanpasses.Butofcourseitalso leadsto intellectualarroganceandnarrownessofthought. Iamcertainthatthiswasthe root of the downfall of T'ang and all subsequent Middle Kingdoms. In fact"--the manbroughthimselfupshort."I'mwaxingphilosophicalagain!Mustcurbthat."

Johnhadbeenratherinterestedinthatphilosophy,asitseemedtoapplytoacertaindegreetohisownschooling.Hehadnothadtotakehisexamsinlockedcellswithoutfood,buthe_had_hadtoparrotafairamountofunoriginallecturematerial."Curbit?Why?"

Themanlaughed,alittlenervously."Why,indeed!"Thenhechangedthesubject."WhenPeipassedthehsiu,Irejoiced,butwhenhelatermasteredthechujen,Ibegantofear.AndIonlyhopehedoesnotpassthelastone,thechinshih."

SuddenlyJohn'sattentionflagged.Wasthatascratchingatthefrontgate?Canutemusthavearrived!

"Thankyouverymuch,"he told theman. "I'dbettergobeforemy ignoranceof thisculturecallsattentiontome.Ifyouwilldirectmetothegate...."Yes--it_was_Canute.

"Yes,that'sbest.Theperimeterguardwillpickyouuponceyouleavetheenclave,andyoucanexplain what happened. It was bad enough before, when that Caucasian girl landed here!Noneofusknewwhattodo.Theprogramwasalmosthopelesslyfouledup,soshevisitedthePeiforacoupleofhoursuntil--"Hebrokeoffandshookhishead."ButsofartodayPeihasn'tsaidanything,somaybeit'sallright,thoughhe'sdangerouslyclever.Theseblunderscertainlyhavetostop!"

"Theycertainlydo!"Johnagreedheartily.Hetriedtothinkofawaytogetmoreinformationon the purpose of the enclaves from this helpful man, but there wasn't time. "I reallyappreciateyourhelp.I'llfindmyownwayout."

"Oh, I'll start you on your way. I can point out your first turn, so you can"--he paused asCanute'swhinegrewlouder--"something'soutthere!"

"Youmust bemistaken," John said quickly. Then, so as to cover any other sounds the dogmightmake,hehadtokeeptalking."Ireallyshouldgobymyself.Suppose_they_happenedtobe in the area and saw a stranger talking to the civil-service examiner? _They_ could getsuspicious."

"I'msure_they're_notnearhere,"themanprotested."Anditwillbemuchmoreefficientformetoshowyou--"

"I'msogladyouunderstand,"Johnsaid,reachingthedooratlast."Makealeftturnatthenextintersectionand--"

"Arightturn--atthesecondintersection,notthefirst.Thenstraightontothemaingate.But--

"

"Thank you oncemore. Good-bye." John stepped quickly out, closing the door in theman'sface.

"Good-bye?"Themuffledvoicecame."Idon't--"

"Sorry;that'saCaucasianenclaveexpression."Canutewasthere,tailwagging."Hide!"Johnwhisperedfiercelyathim.

Themanforcedopenthedoor."Imustshowyou...."

Johnstoodinhisway,blockingtherunningdogfromview."Oh,wasIinyourway?I'msorry."Hemovedtogetintheman'swayagain,asthoughaccidentally.

Somewhatflushedeventhroughtheyellowcoloration,theexaminerfinallymadehiswayoutthedoor,butCanutewasgone.

"Imustsay,youhaveanaturalaptitudeforbarbarism,"themanobserved,almostlosinghisOriental presence. "Your facial contours, too, resemble theCaucasian. You are an excellentselectionforthatenclave."

Johnwasawareof theman'ssarcasm,buthecouldhardlyblamehim.He listenedwithun-Caucasian patience to the examiner's concluding remarks and finally went his way alone.Whatatangle!

ThedogreappearedatJohn'swhistleandledhimbackintothecity,disappearingwheneverthey encountered other people. No one recognized John as the Standard intruder, perhapsbecauseofthoseun-Standardfacialcontoursofhis.Atlasttheystoppedatanattractivehousewithyellowwallsandaredroof.

"Here?Bothofthem?"

Canutewaggedhistail.

"Howdowegetin?Withoutalertingthenatives,Imean."Thedogwouldnotunderstandhiswordsbutshouldpickupthegistfromthetone.

Canutetrottedaroundtoahiddensectionofthesidewall.Hedughisclawsintothesunbakedbrickandbegantoclimb.

"Hey!Ican'tfollowyouthere!"

Thegomdogwentonclimbing.Thewallwasabout twelve feethighon theoutside.Canutedisappeared under the extended red eaves while John waited in frustration below. He hadthoughtthedogunderstood--andnowthis!

ThenCanute'snosereappeared.Therewassomethingbetweenhisteeth.Atugandhaulandalengthofropedroppeddown.

"Goodboy!"Johncaughttheend,jerkedittobesureitwasanchored,andhauledhimselfupthewall.Hethrewalegoverthetopandscrapedhistorsoundertheroof.Thebrickdidnotactuallysupporttheroof,hesaw,norwasitthewholewall.Therewasarammed-earthfillerinsideand thenawooden framework.Beamsrising fromthismet theceiling.Theperchupherewasnotcomfortable,butitwoulddo.

The rope was securely knotted around one of the wooden uprights. John was sure Canutecouldnothavedonethat.Who,then?

Canutecrawledalongabeamforafewfeet,towheretherisingroofleftalargerspace.Itwasdark and distressingly hot here. Then he shifted over to a dark square well--a ventilationshaft?--

andclimbeddownintoit.Cautiously,Johnfollowed.HecouldtellbythesoundsCanutemadethat the hole was not deep, and he was able to drop downwith only a slight thump. Thislandingmustbeonanupperstory.Onesideofthisspacewaswood,butanotherwascloth.Alarge blanket or rug hung down, and specks of light showed through it like stars. Canutesniffedtheairforamoment,thenpushedpasttheedgeofthecurtain.

John'seyeshadjustadjustedtothedarkness,andnowthereturntolightwaspainful.Buthesquintedand followed thedog fromone room toanother.Hewasawareofpaintedwoodenwallsandornatetapestriesandelegantsculpturesandbamboofurnitureandknewthatthiswasthehouseofawealthyman.Anofficial,probably.Thentherewasacourtyard,neatlylaidout,withunfamiliarflowersaroundtheedges.Hewonderedfleetinglywhethertheycouldbepoppies--opiumpoppies.

"Whoareyou?"

Johnjumped,thoughthetonewasquiet.BeforehimwasaChineseyouthabouthisownagebutmoreslender.Johnparriedwithhisownquestion:"AreyouYaoPei?"

"Iam."Theotherlookedcoldlyathim,waitingforanexplanation.

"I'm--I'mJohnSmith.I--"

"Showmeyourhand."

Surprised,Johnheldoutonehand.Peitookitandrubbedsomethingonthepalm.Theyellowfaded, showing the brown of Standard disguise. Pei looked down at it, then at John, notdeigningtospeak.

"Rubsomemore,"Johnsaidquickly.

In another moment the brown gave way to the pink-white, and no further rubbing wouldchangeit.

"Sothedogdidnotbetrayme,"Peimurmured.

"Thatwasyoursecretentrancehesniffedout?"Suddenlyitmadesense.IfPeiwereassmartasreputed,hewouldhavehisownexit--andCanute,followingthesmell,wouldnaturallyhavefoundit.Ahiddenrope!

"Donotspeak,"Peisaid.Helefttheroom,gesturingJohntoremain.

SoPeihadmadetheconnectiontoBetsy!HehadtoknowthattherewasonlyoneCaucasianboyavailableandwhatJohn'spurposehadtobe,andhewouldcertainlybeawarethathewaswatchedmuchofthetime.

Peireturnedwithagirl.Shewaslovely--adelicateOrientalaristocrat,poisedandserene.Shewore a garment of bright silk, embroidered with a portrait of a silver unicorn. Iridescentfeathersdecoratedhercopiousblackhair.Ajeweledsashfitcloselyaroundherslenderwaist.

Herfeetweretiny.

"Meilan,gowiththisman,"Peisaid.

Sheonlynodded.

JohnlookedatPei,wantingtoaskhisplan,ifany.PeigesturedtowardCanute.

"Stay,"Johnmurmuredtothedog."Leadhim."

Canutelookedunhappy,butheobeyed.

Meilan took John'sarmandguidedhim firmly through thehouse.Theysawnoone, thoughJohnwassureotherswerenear.SomehowPeihadarrangeditsothattherewasnosuspicion.Betsymustreallyhavebriefedhim!Theywentdownnarrowstepsandoutthefrontgate.Sothehousewasnotontwolevels;itsmainfloorwasraised.

Outside, John thought it was his turn to guide her, but shewould not follow his lead. Sheinsistedsilently that theygonorth,awayfromthepark.Whentheywereoutofsightof theyellow building and alone on the street,Meilan reached up to remove her pretty feathers.Thensheundidherwaistclaspandopenedhersilkdress.Itcameoffsuspiciouslyeasily--andunderneathwasaroughgrayshawl.Fromsomewheresheproducedapairofclumsysandalsandputtheseonherminiaturefeetinlieuofherfancyslippers.Shecombedoutherhairandtieditinacrudeknot.

Shehad converted into a peasant girl in less than aminute! Johnmarveled that this outfitshouldhavebeenconcealedunderthefetching,tight-waistedpartydress.Shemusthavebeenfightingforbreath!

Nowshe lethim lead. In fact,shebowedherheadas thoughshehad justbeenbeatenandinsisted on staying behind him, nullifying his attempts at courtesy. He felt as if he wereleadingaslave.

Shewassoservileanddisheveled!

Theywalkedatamoderatepacetowardthepark,ignoringtheoccasionalpeopletheypassed.

Probably most of the city was concerned with the Standard intruder spotted earlier, hethought,andcouldnotbebotheredwithunrecognizedbitplayers.Thecitywouldbebotheredtomorrow,though,whenitdiscovereditsprizesgone!

Buttheywouldhavetowaitatthepark,forYaoPeihadnotarrivedwithCanute,andBetsyhadnotbroughtthetaxiback.Johnbecameincreasinglynervousasherealizedhowcriticaltheelementoftimingwasandhowdependenttheywereonsheerluck.IfBetsyarrivedbeforePei,oriftheStandardsfigureditoutandinterceptedthem....

John glanced at the peasant Meilan. Betsy might have briefed Pei, but how well had PeibriefedMeilan?Orhadshepickedupsomethingfromtheboyshemusthavemet,ifthisfoul-uphadbeenconsistent?Thatwouldbe--well,ifwhiteJohnhadmetblackAla,andwhiteBetsyhad met yellow Pei, yellow Meilan would have had to meet the last, Ala's intended--blackHumé.HuméofKanem.

Whathadpassedbetweenthem?

"AStandardtaxiwillcome--there,"hemurmured,flickinghisfingertowardtheinteriorofthepark."Youunderstand?"

Herexpressionwasenigmatic, butbefore sheanswered, a farmer turneda cornerwithhisdonkey.

Theanimalhauledaricketycartloadedwithdeadfishandlivescragglyducks.Thesmellwaspotent, forthefishwerenotfresh,andthebirdshadobviouslybeencagedwithoutsanitarymeasuresforsometime.

"You look like apersonof quality!" thepeasantmanexclaimed,bearing toward John. "Finefreshfishcaughtjustthisweek,excellentgeese!"

"No,thanks,"Johnmuttered,tryingtoavoidhim.Theman'sfaceandarmsweresmearedwithdirtygrease,asthoughhehadbeenwallowinginhismerchandise.

"Behold this spectacular bird!" the farmer cried, jerking open a cage and hauling forth abedraggledduckbythefeet."Itrappedhimjustthismorningonmyownfields.Yoursforonlyonetiao.Afantasticbargain!"

"Thankyou,no,"Johnrepeated,wishingthemanwouldgoaway.Betsy'staxicouldarriveatanytime,andtherewouldbenochanceforsecrecyiftheyhadcompany.TheycouldwaitforPeionlyifunobserved.

"Youdriveahardbargain,master!"thefarmerbellowed.Evenhisbreathstankoffish."ButI'llletyouhavehimforonlytwothousandcash."

Meilanmadeastifledsound,andJohnrealizedhewasbeingbilked--assumingheintendedtobuyatall.Hedidn'tknowhowmuchatiaowas,ortwothousandcash,buteitherwasprobablyfarmorethanthebirdwasworth."Idon'twantany,"hesaidwithsomeforce."Goaway."

Thefarmerstaredathimfromaround,smudgedcountenance."Doyouwantmetoloseface?"hedemanded in return, not budging. "Do youdespisemy fairmerchandise? I shall have tocomplaintotheprefect!"

Meilancoveredpartofherfacewithonehand.Oh-oh.Translated,thatmeanttheStandardswould learn something was up. John remembered that "face" was very important to theChinese. Everything had to be done in such a way as to preserve the appearance of self-respect.Hewouldhavetoplaythegame,eventhoughheknewit_was_merelyagame.

"Ididnotmean todisparageyourmerchandise," Johnsaidcarefully. "Iammerelyout forawalkanddonotneedaduck.Ididnotwishtowasteyourvaluabletime."Thevaluabletimeofafakepeasant!

Thefarmerconsidered."Allright.Let'sbefriends.Havesupperwithme."Heliftedadirtybagfrom the cart andwent to sit on thegrass at the edge of the park. "Come--joinme. I haveexcellent stewed rice,bambooshoots, fermentedbeancurd,piggizzard, andplentyof coldtea.

Allgrownfromthefinestnaturalfertilizer--men'sown."

John'sappetitelefthim."I,uh...."

"Youdon'twanttobefriends?Theprefect...."

Brother! The farmer's filth-encrusted hands were already dumping out the comestibles--allmixedtogether.Notonlywasitanunappetizingmeal,itmeanthewasnotgoingtogetridofthisnuisanceatallsoon.

Meilan'sshoulderswereshaking,andherfacewasaverted.Johncouldn'tblameherforbeingupset. To have this happen _now!_ Seeing no alternative, John joined the farmer on theground. He succeeded in refusing the bamboo shoots but not the bean curd. This was analmostcakelikemass--

and,surprisingly,itdidnottastebad.

Meilancontinuedtoavertherface,butshenibbleddaintilyatabambooshoot.Johnwatchedtheinterioroftheparknervously,hopingthetaxiwouldnotcome.Yet.

"Ah,"thefarmersighedhappily."ThisremindsmeofthefeastofHsuChen-ChunChing-Chihafterhebestedthedragon,thespiritualalligator."

"Who?"Johnaskedwithoutthinking.

"HsuChen-ChunChing-Chih,whoseordinarynamewasSun.Youdonotknowofhim?"

Shouldhesayyesorno?Johndecidedonthetruth."No.Imean,yes,Idonotknowofhim."

"Wonderful!Ishalltellyoutheentirestory!"

Meilanmadeastrangledsound.Johncastaboutdesperatelyforsomepretexttopreventthethreatenednarrative,butthefarmerhadalreadystarted.

"SunwasanativeofHonan,borninthetimeoftheThreeKingdoms,somefivehundredyearsago.

Ah,therewasamarvelous,romantictime!"

"Yes, I'msure," Johnsaid impatiently.Howcouldheget ridof this loquaciouspeasant?Thewholeescapewasinperil.

"Whataman!Sun,whosefullnamewas--"

"Getonwiththestory!"Johnsaid,musclestwitching.

"Withpleasure,sinceyouask.Duringthegreatdroughthehadonlytotoucha fragmentoftile,anditbecamegoldandbroughtwealthtothesufferingpeople.Byhismagictalismanshecuredsickness.DuringthedynastictroublesofSanKuo--"

"Whataboutthedragon?"

"Whyhurrythetale?Itisnotyetevendusk."

"I'meagertoknowtheoutcome,"Johnsaiddespairingly.WherewereYaoPeiandCanute?

"Verywell.Seldomhave Ihadsoattentiveanaudience. In theLuShanMountainssouthofChiu-Chingwas a dragon, the spiritual alligator.He transformed himself into a youngmannamedShenLangandmarriedChia-yu,thedaughterofthechiefjudgeofT'anChou.Inthewinterhelivedwithher,butinthespringandsummerhereturnedtothecountrytoroamintheriversandlakesasadragon.OnedaySunmetLangandrecognizedhimasadragonandknewat once that--" John lookedup as the farmerpaused. Soldierswere coming!Three ofthem--andhecouldtellbytheirattitudethattheywerelookingforsomeone.AndherehewaswithMeilan,snaredbyastorytellingfarmer!Itwastoolatetohide.

"Haveyouseen_them?"_theleadsoldierdemanded.

"Why,yes,"thefarmercried,thoughthequestionhadbeendirectedatJohn.

The troopers gathered round, bows at hand, arrows bristling from quivers, swords naked.John's heart sank. Theweaponsmight be primitive, but theywere plenty adequate for theoccasion!

"Here?"asoldierdemanded."Howlongago?"

"At theyellowhouse thisverymorning," the farmersaidproudly. "I saw_her_arrive,and Itried to sell hera livegoose,but"--hepaused, seeming to thinkof something--"here, letmeshowyoumywares.Lookatthisexquisitebird!Onlyonetiao,becauseIsorespectmenofthesword.Andfishtoo--justsmellthataroma!"

Thesoldiershadalreadysmelled.Noseswrinkled,theyretreated.

Meilan was choking. John permitted himself a smile. This was a silver lining he had notanticipated.Noonewouldbotherthemwhilethispeasanthadmerchandisetopeddle.

ButwhathadheldupYaoPeiandCanute?Thiswasgettingmoreseriousastimepassed.IfBetsycamenow....

"ThathewasthecauseofallthefloodsthathadbeendevastatingKiangsiProvincerecently,"thefarmersaid,pickingupexactlywherehehadleftoff."SundecidedtogetridofLangsothatthelandwouldprosperagain.Butthedragonwasawareofthis.Hechangedhimselfintoayellowoxandfled.Suntransformedintoablackoxandpursuedhim.Theyellowoxbecametiredand jumpeddownawell tohide,buttheblackoxsawhimand jumped in, too.Seeingthis,theyellowoxjumpedoutagainandescapedtoT'anChouwhereheresumedhumanformandlivedwithhislovelywife."

"Whydidn'tSunfollowhim?" Johndemanded, irritatedatboththe interminable taleand itsinconsistencyofdetail."If_I_chasedayellowoxlikethatandhadhimtrappedinawell,I'dkeepmyeyeonhimbetterthanthat!"

MeilanseemedtobeonthevergeoftearsasthefarmerremarkedtoJohn,"PerhapsyouhavebettereyesthanSun.Youwouldnotbefooledbyanydisguise."

"Oh,goonwiththestory!"

"Sun,perceivingthatLanghadgone,climbedoutofthewell,returnedtotown,andassumedhumanform.HelocatedLang'shouseandstoodoutside,addressinghiminaseveretoneofvoice.

'Dragon,howdareyouuseaborrowedform,pretendingtobeaman?'ButtherewasonlythesoundofLang'schildrenscurryingaboutthehouseinfright."

"Hischildren!"Johnexclaimed."Howcouldhehavechildrenifhewasreallyadragon?"

Thefarmergavehimaknowledgeablelook."Dragonsarequitevirilecreatures,inanyform."

"Thatisn't--Imean,genetically--"

At that point the taxi appeared in the sky, heading for a landing in the park. Betsy wasreturning,andYaoPeiandCanutewerestillmissing!Tomakeitworse,thefarmersawit,too--

andthethreesoldierswererunningbacktowardthepark.Itwouldbeimpossibletowait.

"Canute!"Johncrieddespairingly."Canute!Comehere!"

Deadfishflewupasthedogappeared,chargingthroughthefarmer'scart.Canutehadbeenwaitingforthecallallthetime!

"Intothatcraft!"JohnshoutedatMeilan."You,too,Canute."Theyallranheadlongforitasitlanded.

ForasickmomentJohnwasafraidhe'dlefthisIDinhisStandardclothes,buthehadn't.Hehadhungontoitautomatically,andtheexaminerwhohadhelpedhimhadnotquestionedit.

Afterall,allStandardshadID's.

HeheldthekeybeforehimandMeilanandCanutestruckthedooralmosttogether.Thepanelfoggedto let themthrough,andtheysprawled inapileon the taxi floor. "Take itup!" Johncried.

Acceleration sent them sprawling again. John banged his face against the wall and wasoblivioustohissurroundingstemporarily.About thetimehedecidedthathisnosewasbentbutnotbroken,somethingelseregistered.Therewasonepersontoomanyinthetaxi.

Hesatupandlookedaboutmorealertly,andthengaped."Whatare_you_doinghere?"

Thetalkativepeasant-farmersmiled."Soyouwouldknowayellowox?"

"YaoPei!"

ThentheyalllaughedwhileCanutelickedthesmelloffishfromhisfur.Hehadbeenburiedunderthelivestockinthecart,whereabsolutelynoonewouldcaretolook....

7

_Chase_

"Whereto?"Betsyinquired.

"Theenclave0544071364,"Johnsaid."Thatshouldbewherewe'llfindHumé,andAlashouldbewithhim."

"Well, feed it in. You know I can't remember those numbers just like that." She turned toMeilan.

"Youmustbe--"

"Yes,"Meilansaid."Isthereabasinofwater?"

"There'saStandardsanitarycubicle.Ijustfiguredouthowtouseitmyself.Letmeshowyou."

Thetwogirlssteppedintothecubicleandsealeditoff,leavingJohnalonewithPei.

Johntookcareofthedestinationandwaitedforthetaxitoadjustcourseandsteadydown."Itmaybeawhile,"hesaid."Now,youslychameleon,_finishthatstory_!"

Peismiled,unperturbed."Suncriedagain:'Comeout,orIshallsurelysendsoldiersintokillyou!'Andhesummonedspiritualsoldierstosurroundthehouse.ThenLangtransformedbackintothespiritualalligatorandcameoutdefiantly,thinkinghimselfinvulnerabletoattack.Butthe immortalsoldiersharassedhim,andhe flewawayandwasneverseenagain.ThenSunmadeLang'stwosonscomeout.Hetookamouthfulofwaterandspurteditonthem,andbothbecameyoungdragonswhoalsofled.FinallySuntoldChia-yutovacatethepremises.Hecastaspellonthehouseanditsankbeneaththeearth,leavingalakewhereithadbeen.AfterthatHsuChen-ChunChing-Chih,knownasSun,assembledthemembersofhisfamily,allforty-twoof them,and theyallascended toheaven.Even thedogsand thechickenswentalong.Sunwasthenahundredandthirteenyearsold.Afterthatatemplewaserectedinhonorofhim."

"Butwhataboutthefeast?"Johndemanded."Yousaidhefeasted!That'swhatremindedyouofthestory,youclaimed.Buthedidn'tfeast--hewenttoheaven!"

"Sodidwe,"Peisaidblandly.

The girls came out. Meilan was much improved, now looking like neither aristocrat norpeasantgirl,butverypretty.

"I'mstarving!"Betsysaid."Canweputdownsomewhereforameal?"

YaoPeireachedintohisrags.Slowlyhebroughtoutalong-deadfish."Buildafire,"hesaid.

Canutesnorted.Betsylookedannoyed,thenreversedherselfandlaughed."ButIamhungry.Ifonly-

-"Shestopped."What'sthat?"

Johncaughtamotionfromtheedgeofhisvision."Oh-oh.Ourluck'srunout."

Anotherspherewasfollowingthem,anditwasgaining.

"Well,youcouldn'texpecttoraidanotherenclaveinamodernantigravtaxiwithoutattractingattention,"Betsysaid,buthervoiceshookalittle.

"Theadvantagelieswithus,"Peisaid."Weshouldbeabletooutmaneuverthem."

"Idon'tseethat,"Johnsaid."Thisisanordinarytaxi,asfarasweknow.Thatmaybeapolice-sphere,withmorepower.Andthey'llbeskilledathandlingit.Andothersmayinterceptus.Wemay have to drop to the ground and take our chances in a hostile terrain. They have theadvantage,anywayyoufigureit."

"Youmisunderstand.Wecanoutmaneuverthembecausewehavelesstolosethantheydo.Wecantakeriskstheycannot--andtheywillnotpressusveryhard."

"Maybecommonsenseisdifferent intheMiddleKingdom._Why_won'ttheypressushard?_Why_canwetakeriskstheycan't?"

"Consider the investment theyhave inus.Withoutus theenclavesaremeaningless.Almosttwentyyearsoftime,andallthosepropertiesandpersonnel,wasted,ifweshoulddie."

"Die!"Betsyexclaimed,shocked.

"Allthateffortandexpensewasted,"Peirepeated."Sotheywillbeexceedinglycareful."

"Butif--whyshouldweriskour_lives?"_Betsydemanded,shakenagain.

PeiturnedonherthesamecalmgazehehadusedonJohninthepark."Ourlivesincaptivityarenotvaluable,arethey?"

The other three paused. John saw that none of them had thought of it precisely that way.Escapehadbeenmoreofagame,withoutanythingreallyserious--suchaslifeitself--atstake.

"Sowhatweareriskingisverylittle,"Peicontinued."Wewanttobefree.Livingincaptivitymaynotbeworsethandeath,butitisnotagreatdeal_better._Wewouldbewelladvisedtoputourentireresourcesintotheeffortforwhatwedesireandbelievein,andtheyknowthat.Theyknowthatiftheypressustoohard,wemaytumbleandperish.Thentheywillhavelosteverything.Butifweescape,theycanalwayshopetofindusagainlater."

"Thatdoesmakemacabresense," Johnsaid. "Soyou thinkwecangetaway--ifwehave thenervetodoit."

Peinodded.

Theothercraftwasclosingthegap.Therecouldbeonlyafewminutesbeforeitcaughtup.

_"Do_wehavethenerve?"Betsyaskedinasmallvoice.

"We'dbetterdecide in ahurry, or they'll nabuswhilewe'redebating it," Johnpointedout."Whydon'twevote?"

"Vote?"ThatwasMeilan,lookingperplexed.

"Thatmeanseachpersonsayswhathechooses,andthemajoritydecidesit."

"Strangesystem,"Peiremarked,"butIchoosetoescape."

"SodoI,"Johnsaid."Whataboutyougirls?"

Betsyhesitatedonlymomentarily."Yes."

TheylookedatMeilan."Iwouldprefertorecovertheothers,"shesaid.

"Theothers?"Johnrepeated.

"Thepeopleintheotherenclavethatweweregoingtofetch.Humé."

Soshe_had_metHumé!"Ididn'tmeantodesertthem!"Johnsaid."Certainlyweshouldpickthemup.That'swherewe'reheadednow,butwe'llhavetolosethatpolicecruiserfirst."PeiandBetsynodded.

"Then,yes."

"Hangon!"Johncried."I'mputtingthisbuggyonmanual,andIdon'texactlyknowwhatI'mdoing!"

Themanualcontrolwasaballsetinamagneticclasp.Whenactivated,ithoveredwithinthelittlecage,touchingnowhere.Itwastransparentwithagrayopaquespotontop.Insideithecould see another shell, translucent red. Inside _that_was a third shell, translucent yellow,andsoon.Somehowhewasabletoseethecolorofeachlevelmerelybyconcentratingonit.Thatwouldhavebeenaveryneattrickbythestandardsoftwentieth-centuryearth.Here itwasjustafixture.

Whenheswitchedover,thetaxistopped.Justlikethat.Ithoveredinplace,andthepursuingshipgainedat analarming rate.Hastily, Johnputone fingeron the surfaceof theball andjuggled it. The taxi rocked violently in the air. John grabbed for a handrail. The otherslaughed;theywerealreadyhangingon.

"Therewouldbethreeprimaryaxesofrotation,"Peisaid,haulinghimselfnear."Testeachonecautiously."

"Gotcha. I can push the spot forward or backward or to either side, or I can spin the ballaround."Heputhisfingeronitandnudgedthegrayspoteversoslightlyforward.Thetaxidescendedslowly.

Johnpulledthespotbacktowardhim,withalittlemoreconfidence.Thistimethetaxirose,withfairacceleration.Hesawthattheinnerspheresremainedinplace,andnowadark-redspotshowedontopofthetranslucentredsphere,uncoveredbythegrayone.

"Verticalcontrol,"Peisaid.Hesoundedcalm.

"And_hurry!"_Betsysaid,notcalmlyatall."Anotherthirtyseconds,andthey'vegotus!"

Johnletthespotcenter,thennudgedittotheleft,rollingtheballsidewaysinplace.Thistimethetaximovedleft,speedingupasheturnedfarther.Nowyellowshowedatthetop,fromthenextshelldown;theredhadstayedunderthemovinggray.

"Horizontal,"Peisaid.

Johnheldthespotoverandpulledittowardhim.Ashedidso,theredonecameintoview,andthetaxiroseatanangle.

"Vectors!"Johncried."Thespotsshoweachforceactingonthevehicle!We'removingleftandup,sotheresultantisaslant.Terrific!"

"Nowrotate,"Peisuggested.

"Tenseconds,"Betsycried,watchingthepursuit."Nine,eight,seven...."

Johnlettheballgo,thenspunitclockwise.Thetaxishotbackward,sendingthemalltumblingagain,but this timeJohnhungon.Hesawthepursuingspherepass themthirty feetbelow,surprisedbythislatemaneuver.

"All right, crew! I've got the system now! Latch on to the furniture, 'cause we're going todive!"

Heturnedtheballforwarduntilitwasupsidedown.

Theywereweightlessas the taxidropped.Thenhespun theballcounterclockwise,and thesphereracedforwardatthelowerlevel.

"They'reonmanual, too,"Betsycried,stillwatching. "They're loopingaroundtocomeatusagain."

"Withasecondcraft,"Peisaid.

Johnheldtheballspunhalfaroundtomaintainspeed,notingthatagreenspotshowedonitsside.Greenwasforwardvelocity!Hepulledbacktoshowthereddot,liftingthevehicle,thenturnedright toexpose theyellow.Nowhewasgoing forwardandupand left,allatagoodclip.

"Theyareenclosingus,"Peisaid.

Johnsaw.Twomoresphereshadarrived,andprobablymorewereontheway.Eachcraftwasnowaboutahundredyardsdistantfromthetaxi.

"Icanslingthisballaboutabit,"Johnsaid."Itwouldberoughonus,butImightshakeoneortwooftheothers.Butaswarm--"

"Thatdoesaffecttheprobabilities,"Peiadmitted.

"Wantmetodropdownandhideinthebush?"

"They'drunusdownbeforewegotfar,"Betsysaid."Look!"

Afifthglobewashoveringdirectlyabovethem,matchingascentandvelocity.

"Andthere,"Meilansaid.

Thesixthglobewasbelow.

"Wearen'tgoinganywhere,"Johnsaid."That'senglobement."

Astheywatched,bandsoflightbegantodevelop:fourglowingstreaks,emergingfromeachcraftandtouchingtheadjacentones.Thebeamslinkedthemallinadoublepyramid,withthetaxicenteredwherethebasesmet.Eightglowingtrianglesfencedinthefugitives.

"Whataretheydoing?"Betsyasked,worriedbutintrigued.

"Buildingabirdcage,"Peisaid."Isuspectthewallsaremoresubstantialthantheyappear."

"A cageof light!" Johnmused.Hewas too fascinated tobe frightened. "Well, let's give it atry!"

Heaccelerated the taxi toward theopencenterof oneof thehuge trianglesof force.Lightsparkledastheytouchedthegeometricplane.Thetaxishudderedandslowed,bathedintheglow.

Itspowerremainedon,butagreaterpowerbroughtittoastop.

"The beams are only where it shows--in a direct line between ships," Betsy said. "At thecorners,orwhatever."

John reversed and brought the taxi back to the center of the cage. "The net must beeverywhere,though.We'retrapped,allright.Notevenanychanceforheroics."

"IfImaysuggest,"Meilansaid."Thereisagameplayedbytheboysofmyprovince--"

"Agame!"Betsycrieddisdainfully."Weneedacannon!"

ButJohnrememberedMeilan'sclevernessinconvertingfromonecostumetoanother.Shewasasharpgirl,andhernotioncouldbeworthwhile."Whatgame?"

"Theywouldmount and ride toward each other, guiding their horses aside at the very lastinstant.

Thefirsttoswervewas--"

"Chicken!"Johncried."I'veheardofthatwithcars!"

"Idonotknowofcars,butachickenisabird,"Peisaid."Andwearenowacagedbird,but--"

"Notthatkind,"Johnsaidexcitedly."Whattheydidwaspacktwocars--horses,inyourcase--fullofkidsandcharge'emdownthehighwayateachotherhead-on.Sometimesneitheronewouldswerve,andthenitmadeheadlines;butusually...."

Peilookedatthespheressurroundingthem."Atestofcourage.Ibegintounderstand,foolishasitseemstome."

"It's a gamewe can play, all right!" John said. "You explainedwhy before--and this time it_isn't_foolish.Closeyoureyes,folks!"

Heorientedthetaxiandzoomeditforward,directlytowardoneoftheenglobingcraft.

"Hey!You'llcrash!"Betsyscreamed.

"That's the idea," John said, but he was beginning to sweat. He continued to move atincreasingspeed,centeringdirectlyontheselectedtarget."Comingatyou,Standards!"

The other globe swelled alarmingly as they rushed toward it. Then Betsy cried outincoherentlyandranatJohn,butPei interceptedherandheldherback.Meilanstilldidnotmoveorspeak.Theyclosedtofiftyfeet,travelingatwhatJohnjudgedtobealmostahundredmilesperhour.Betsybegantoscream,piercingly,astheysmashedintothe--Shefinishedherscreamonanoteofsurprise.Theyhadpassedthroughwithoutcolliding.

Peismiledgrimly."Theywere,asyousay,chicken."

Theotherspherehaddodgedoutofthewayinthatlastfractionofasecond.Thenetworkofforce had been disrupted at that point, and the taxi had broken out of the cage. The birdwouldnotbetrappedlikethatagain!

"Nowwillyouletmego?"BetsyaskedPei.

"IfImust,"hesaid,smiling.

"Knowanymoregameslikethat?"JohnaskedMeilan.Sheonlysmiled.

Thesixsphereshadbeenfoiled,buttheyhadnotgivenup.Theywerenowfollowingaboutamilebehind,keepingpacebutnotgaining.Johnwasnotpushingthetaxitoitslimit,sohewassurethepursuitwasdeliberatelyholdingback.

"Theydonotwishtoplayagain,"Peisaid. "Butwecannotproceedto thatotherenclavesolongastheyarewatchingus."

"Wehavetolosethemsomehow,"Betsyagreed.

"Ihaveheardthatshipscanloseeachotherinfog,"Peisaid."Especiallyinastorm."

Johnfollowedhisgaze."That'sjustacloudformation.Hardlyastorm."

"Storm!"Betsysaid,turningtothisnewtopicwithenthusiasm."Letmeturnontheweatherreport."

Inamomentshehadthetaxi'scommunicationsscreenon.Sheexperimentedwithitscontrols,searchingforweather.

John felt something at his hand. ItwasCanute's nose. "Yeah,we've been ignoring you," hesaid,pattingthelonghead."Dogorgomdog,you'restillmypal.I'msuregladyouweren'tlostinChina!"

"Hereweare!"Betsycriedhappily."Acontinuousweatherreport.Andlook--theyhavealargestormscheduled!Ifwecanlocateit...."

"Worthatry,"Johnagreed,thoughhehadstrongprivatedoubts.Acivilizationwithtechnologythisadvancedshouldhavenotroubletracingataxiinastorm.

"AndIcanreadthecoordinates!"Betsysaid,elated."Excepttheyhaveonlyfivedigitsapiece.

Mustbeadifferentgrid."

"Askinformation,"Johnsaid."Wedon'thavetofigureoutcoordinateswhenwehavethat."

"Takeusintothenearestrainstorm,"Betsytoldthecommunicator.

Thetaxishiftedbacktoautomaticandchangedcourse.Thesixfollowingglobesmatchedthechangebutdidnotcloseinagain.

Pei'sgazewasfixedonthecommunicator."Thatspiritinthemachine,"hemurmuredtoJohn."Itcanunderstandwhatwesay?"

"Yes.Ithinkit'slikeacomputer,withabigbankofinformation.Itcananswerquestionsand--"

"ItwasconstructedandgivenlifebytheStandards?"

"Ofcourse."

"Shoulditnotserveitsmasters,then?"

"Youdon'tunderstand.It'sa_machine._It--"ThenJohncaughtPei'smeaning._TheStandardscouldbelisteninginoneverything._

"Betsy,"Johncalled."Turnitoff."Hegesturedtowardthecommunicator.

"Turnitoff?We_need_that."Thenshe,too,caughton."Ouch!We'reprimefools,allofus!"Shefiddledwiththeknobs."Ihopethatdoesit.Can'tbecertain,so--"

"Sokeepitlowandsimple,"Johnsaid."Ithinkweneedachangeinplans."

"We could land in the storm and all jump ship," Betsy whispered. "And send it on tosomewhereelse.Theymightfollowit."

"We need the vehicle," John pointed out. "We don't have a chance of finding Songhai orwhateverwithoutit."

"Wecan'tkeepit,"Betsysaid."BythistimetheymusthavetracedthatID,andthey'llknoweverytimeyouuseit,maybe.We_have_totakeourchancesontheground."

"Maybethat'swhat_they_think.Wemightdropourselvesrightintoatrapontheground.Atleasttheycan'tcatchushere."

"Perhapswecoulddoboth,"Peisaid."Wecoulddropsomebodytochecktheenclavewhiletheothers went on. Then we could rendezvous at a set time and place and see which courselookedbetter."

"Yes!"Johnagreed."Infact,wecouldsetdownatadozenplaces,andtheymightnotknowwherewegotoff,orifwedidatall.Wecanfoolthemyet!"

"Butwhocheckstheenclave?"Betsyasked._"I'd_muchratherstaywiththetaxi."

Therewasapause.Evidentlytheyallfeltthesameway.

"IhaveCanute,"Johnsaidfinally."Hewouldbeabighelponagroundmission,soIsupposeIshoulddoit."

Nobodyarguedwithhim.

"Well, let's firmup theplan,"Betsy said, visibly relieved. "Wedrop you, loop around, comeback-

-butifwedoittoosoon,youwon'thaveachancetofetchthem,andifwecometoolate...."

"Sameproblemwehadbefore,"Johnsaid."I'mnotanxioustotimeitthatfinelyagain,thoughIguessitwasn'tascloseasIthought,sincePeiwasthereallthetime."

"Thereare twocoordinates left,"Meilansaid. "Humé toldmeabout thenumbersyesterday.Weshouldcheckthemboth."

"IknowwhichoneisAla's,"Johnsaid,"butshewon'tbethere;she'llbewithHumé.Sothere'snopointin--"

"Butwecan'tassumethe_other_coordinateisHumé's,"Peisaid."ItmightbeMeilan'sor--"

"No,"Meilansaid."ItisHumé's."

"That'saninterestingconfusion,"Peisaid."Wedoknowwherewe'regoing,butperhapstheStandards don't. They may know we have coordinates. If we set down first at the wrongone...."

"It'llactasadiversion!CanuteandIdidthatbefore,anditseemedtowork."

"PerhapsyoushouldgotoAla'senclave,then,"Peisaid."IwillgotoHumé's."

SoPeiwasvolunteering, too,when itcounted. Johnwasbothdisappointedandrelieved.HehadwantedtofindAlahimself,buthedidn'twanttoundertakeanothertensesearchsosoonafter the last. "Good enough. Let's break out the paste and spray so we can convert toStandardinapinch--

"

"Idon'tthinkthey'llbefooledthatwayagain,"Betsysaid."Andyoualreadyhavetwolayersofcoloronyou.Itmightstartpeelingorsomething."

"I suppose so. All right; let's make this look good. Drop me about five miles north of theenclave,soIseemtobesneakingin.Comebackacoupleofhourslaterfivemilessouthofit;that'swhenwedon'twantStandardswatching."

"You'll needmore than two hours, then," Betsy said. "You can't go tenmiles on foot _and_searchtheenclaveinthattime."

"Makeitfourhours,then.And--whattimeofdayisit?Atnightwecouldmakeaquicklight...."

"Wewon'tknowthetimeuntilwegetthere,"Betsysaid."Itmightbehalfwayroundtheplanetonthedarkside."

"AndHumé'senclavemightbeanotherhalf-planetfrom_that!_Thisisgettingcomplicated!"

"Perhapswemustreviseourplanagain,"Peisaid."Wemustbecertainofourtworemainingpurebreds."

Johnsighed."Yes.DropmeatHumé's.Thenifyoucan'tchecktheotherenclaveintime,comeback.Ourtimingmustberight."

"Wewillsetdownagainfive--isitmiles?--south,"Peisaid."Oratdusk,whichevercomeslater."

"Icanestimatethemiles,"Betsysaid."Itwon'tbeexacteithertime,butifhemakesalight--

arethereflashlightshere?"

Theychecked.Therewerenone.

Nowthetaxiwasenteringthestormregion.Windandrainbuffetedit,andthepursuingcraftweresoonhidden.

"Ihopethis ishalfasdifficult forthemas it is forus!"Johnsaid."I'll lookfora light intheenclave.Ifnothingelse,I'llmakeafire.Somehow."

"Supposeitdoesn'twork?"Betsyasked."Imean,ifyoucan'tfindthem,oryoucan'tmakealight,ortheStandardscatchon...."

"Ifthere'sanytrouble,don'teventrytopickmeup.Nosenseinhavingus_all_caught.Icantrytotrekoverlandtoanotherrendezvous.Uh--we'dbetterdecideonone."

"Whynotanemptyenclave?"Meilansaid."Theywouldnotlookforusthere."

Theotherspaused. "You're right!" John said. "They'dbe surewe'd staywell away from thezoos!

Wecouldhidethereindefinitely."

"Butwhichone?"Betsyasked.

"Letmerecommendmyown,"Peisaid. "It iswellprotected, Iknowwhere thesuppliesarestored,andweallknowwhereitis."

They exchanged glances. "I guess it's agreed," John said. "Okay, let's put down somewherealonghere in thisrain,so theStandards thinkwe'regettingout, thenbounceoverpartwayanddoitagain,andfinallypassnearHumé'senclaveanddropmeandCanute.Bythattimethe Standards should be thoroughly confused. They can'tmake a thorough search of everyplacewestop--Ihope."

They gave the taxi the coordinates again but put it on manual twice to make the decoylandings.

The six following spheres seemed lost in the storm but reappeared in place as the taxiemergedfromit.

"That'sgood,Ithink,"Johnsaid."Meansthey'relockedonthetaxi,nothingelse."Hecheckedhimselfovernervously."I'dbettertakesomesprayandpastealong,evenifitdoesn'ttakewellaftersomanylayers.SoIcanmixinwiththenatives.Thepaintedones."

"BetterleaveyourID,"Betsysaid."Wecan'toperatethetaxiverylongwithoutit--can'tevenget_out_ofit!--andyouwon'tneeditintheenclave."

Johnturneditoveralittlesadly.HewasnoStandard,buthefeltabitnakedwithoutit.

"Somebodybetterpracticewiththemanualcontrols,"hesaid."ItwillconfusetheStandardsaboutourtargetarea,andit'sgoodstufftoknow."

"Yes.Letmetry,"Betsysaid.Sheswitchedtomanual,andtheyclungtotherailswhilethetaxididitsdance.Johnfeltsimultaneouslyseasickandhungry,tohissurprise.

Afterthattheytookturns,swoopingthevehiclearoundwithgreaterenthusiasm,whilethesixpursuers matched them maneuver for maneuver with dismaying accuracy. But they camenearertotheassignedcoordinate,foroneofthetaxi'sregisterswasevidentlyadistance-from-targetindicator,andthefigurewasdiminishing.Miles,yards--theycouldnotknowwhatunitswerebeingshown,butwhenthenumberwasdowntozero,theywouldbethere.

"Funny--theydon'tseemtouseeightsornines,"Betsyremarked.Buttherestweretoobusywatchingthepursuittoverifythat.

"Thereitis!"Meilancriedsuddenly,pointing.

Sureenough,therewasagroupofwhitesquaresthatcouldbebuildings.

"Butwearen'tthereyet!"Betsysaid."Accordingtothedistancenumbers,there'sstillawaytogo."

"Maybethespeedometerisoutofwhack,"Johnsaid,hisvoicesharpenedbytension."That'san African enclave--see, some are round grass huts. So just dropme north of this one, onmanual.Andmakesureyoucanfindthisplaceagain!"

Peitookcontrolandguidedthetaxidown.Treesloomed."Don'tland,"Johncried."Justhover

a few feet up, as though you're just changing direction; I'll jump. Get ready with that ID,Betsy."

Pei's handling seemed clumsy; then John realized that thewobbleswere deliberate, so theStandards would think the near approach to the ground was accidental. "Time!" Peiannounced,bringingthetaxitoahaltinmidair.BetsypokedtheIDatthedoor,dissolvingit.

"Comeon,Canute!"Johncried.

Canutecamecharging.Meilanhappenedtobestandingbetweenthedogandthedoor.Shestumbledashebangedagainstherleg.Shegrabbedautomaticallyathimforsupport,fallingtowardthedoor.

"Look out!" John cried, but the available space was small, and he was already droppinghimself.

Canute'smomentumcarriedbothdogandgirlintothedoorpanelandthrough.Allthreefellinaroughtangleandstruckthegroundhard.Johnspitthedog'ssoftblackearoutofhismouthandlurchedtohisfeetwhileMeilanrolledlithelyaside.

Thesixcraftweretooclose.TherewasnochancetoputMeilanaboardagain.BetsyandPeimusthaverealizedthis,forthetaxishotaway.

Meilanwasalongonthismission,perforce."Hide!"Johncried.

8

_TheEmptyEnclave_

John dived under the nearest bush and saw Meilan doing the same. Canute had alreadydisappeared.

Theywaitedwhilethesixcraftpassed.Nonelanded;nonehovered.

"Itworked!"Johnsaidatlast."Theythinkwe'reallstillinthetaxi!"

"Um,"Meilanmurmuredfrominsidethebrush.

Hegotupanddustedoffhisbruises,thenwenttohelpher."Sorryyougotcaughtinthis.Areyouhurt?"

"No,"shesaid,lookingafterthedepartedspheres.

"Well,you'llhavetocomewithme,Iguess.Here--youcanusethebrownpasteifyoulike."

"IprefertoremainasIam."

Heshrugged."Okay.Howareyouatwalking?WehavefivemilestogoifPeifigureditright.Thefaster,thebetter."

"WeoftheMiddleKingdomarephilosophicabouthardships."

Hewasn'tcertainwhethershewasjoking,sohestartedwalking.Canuteledthewayatastiffpace,evenforJohn,andhewasinexcellentphysicalcondition.Meilanfellbehind,butnotfarbehind,anddidnotcomplain.

Itmusthavebeenlessthanfivemiles,forinhalfanhourtheywereatthebarrierfenceoftheenclave.Itwasnotwire.Itwasapalisade--afenceofstrongwoodenstakes,eachsharpenedintoaspearlikepointatthetop.Everysooftentherewasatallerstakewithahumanskullmountedontheapex.

"IfIwereanAfrican,IthinkIwouldbeterrified,"Johnsaidappreciatively."Asitis,I'mnonetooconfident."

"Itisnoworsethanwhatthenorthernnomadsdo,"Meilansaid.Again,Johnwasnotcertainhowshemeantthat.

Hecastaboutforasuitablepolebutfoundnone."Icouldprobablyhurdlethis,"heexplained.

"It'snomorethanfivefeethighinplaces,becauseofthelayoftheground.AndCanutecangetover,too.Butyou...."

"Ifyouliftme,"shesaidmatter-of-factly."Aladyisnotsupposedtoknowsucharts,butIwasneveralady--notafterIknewabouttheStandards."

"Butwedon'tdaretouchthatfence.Itmaybe--"

"Yes.Iwillnottouchit."

Withmisgiving he bent and laced his fingers together, letting her put one tiny foot in thisstirrupandhoistherselfup.Shedidnotweighmuch.

"NowyouheaveasIjump,"shesaid.

Heheaved;shejumped.Hewatchedamazedasshesailedupandoverthepalisade,flippedaboutintheair,andbythesoundofitlandedonherfeetcleanly.ThiswasnodelicateChineseflower!

Johnchosehisspot,madeapracticerush,thenranbackanduptohurdlethestakes."Come,Canute!"hecalledashelanded,andthedogfollowed.

Inside,theyadvancedcautiously.Thelandherewasgrassyandopen.Thesoilwasreddishandspottedwithlight-greenbushes,patchesofforest,androllingfields.Theairwashot;Johnwassweating,andhecouldseethatMeilanwasuncomfortable.Canuteranahead,enjoyingit.

But where were the people? There should be Africans laboring in these fields, andelephants....

Johnstoppedtoinvestigateacultivatedfield."Millet,Ithink,"hesaid.Meilandidn'tcomment.

Induecoursetheycametoatown.Nowtheyhadtoduckbehindanycoveravailable,alertagainst discovery. Their yellow skinswould be an instant giveaway. Itwasnervous, tediouswork.

Near the fringeswere round hutswith claywalls and roofs formed from large leaves. Thethreesneakedbetweenthese,butstillneithersawnorheardanyoneelse.Canutesniffedtheairandfounditfascinatingbutshowednoalarm.

"Where_are_they?"Johnwhispered.

Farther in, the houses became square, with flat roofs. These were larger and in bettercondition.

In the center thebuildingsbecamequite largeandconsiderablymoreornate.Some lookedlikestorehouses,somelikeforts,andsomelikepalaces,butallweremadeofclay.

Therewasnodoubtofitnow.Thetownwasdeserted.Therewerenopeopleandnoanimals.

"Ithinkwe'reinthewrongenclave,"Johnsaid."ThismustbeAla's--andtheycloseditdownthemomentshewenttojoinHumé."

"Sheisimportanttoyou,"Meilansaid.

Surprised,hedeniedit."IsimplywantedtofindherandHuméandgetthemoutofhere."

Meilanhalfsmiledanddroppedhereyes.

"Well,wehaveacoupleofhourstokill,"hesaid."Nothingwecandohere.Wonderwheretheykeepthefood?"

"Iwilllook,"Meilansaid.Shesteppedintoatoweringmosque.Woodenspokesprojectedfromit in linesatseveral levels,showingwheretheflooringsupportswerefortheupperstories.Overall,thebuildingwaslikeagiantcactus,toppedbyatallminaret.Itseemedungainlyatfirstbutwasalsoimpressiveandalittlefrightening,thisartifactofaforeignreligion.

Johnstartedtofollowher,thendecidedtohastenthesearchbychoosinganotherbuilding.Hedoubtedthatthefancystructurewouldhavemuchinsidethatwasedible,butiftherewereagranary....

Somethingcaughthiseyeashewalkeddowntheunpavedstreet.Amotioninthesky.Atravel-sphere!"Hide!Hide,Canute!"hecriedashedivedforthenearestdoorway.IftheStandardswerecomingback,heandMeilanwereintrouble!

He couldn't go towarn her, for the spherewas in a position to seemost of the street.Hepeekedout and saw it hoveringabove the town.Thatwas thegiveaway, for itwouldneverhavecomelikethatiftheenclavewerestillinuse--unlessallpretenseswerebeingdropped.Thiscertainlywasn'tthetaxi.HadtheStandardscaughton?Wouldtheydescendandmakeagroundsearch?Hadtheothersbeencaught,sothatnowonlyheandMeilanwerefree?

Canutelookedupathiminperplexity,awareofhisalarmbutnotcomprehendingitsreason.Johnpattedthe furryheadwithemptyreassurance.Hehadtodosomething!Franticallyheran into themain section of the building, looking for some sheltered exit so that he couldmakehiswaytoMeilan.Ifshesteppedoutintothatstreetnow....

Hewas inapalace.Thewallsoutsidemightbeofdrabclay,but thebrickshadbeendriedhardandwell fitted,andtherewerepatternedmatshanginginside.Theeffectwaselegant,andhewishedhehad time toproperlyadmire thecolorfuldesigns.But the thoughtof thatominouslyhoveringsphere....

He passed from chamber to chamber, each seemingmore luxurious than the last but noneleadingoutside.Thenheburstintoagreatsunkencourtyard,almosttumblingdownthestepsleadingtoit.Canutebeganasniff-circuit.

Johnpeeredupcautiouslytoseewhetherthespherewasstillthere.Allhesawwastheplaitedmat of the slanted overhanging roofs and themural-like decorations around the court. Thesphere,ifitremained,washiddenbythebuilding.Hecouldnotaffordtoassumethatithadgone.Infact,itmightbecomingdownforalanding.

Hesidledaroundundertheoverhanguntilhefoundanotherentrancetothemainstructure.

"Canute!"hecalled."Findthebackdoor.The_back_door."

The dog put his black nose to the floor and snuffled off. John followed. Again he passedthrough vacant, tapestried chambers. It was amazing how thoroughly the place had beencleaned out, since only yesterdayAla had livedhere! Thismorning, perhaps.But of coursetheycouldhavestarteddismantlingthesectionsshewouldn'tbeseeing,inthelastfewdays,removingthefurnitureandotheraccouterments.

Which house, he wondered, had been hers? None of the round or square ones lookedcomfortable fromtheoutside.Perhaps itwasadifferentstory fromthe inside,as theexotictapestrieshereimplied.Agirlthatworemassivegoldearringscouldhardlyliveinahovel....

Abruptlyhewasoutside.Canutehadfoundtheexit.Johnscuttledforcoveragain,hopinghehadnot been seen.He entered another building, ran through its gaunt clay chambers, andfinallyencounteredtheclay-coveredpalisadeenclosingthebackof themosque.WasMeilanstillinside?

Panting,heduckedthroughagateway,slunkalonginsidethewall,andentered.Thisinteriorwasdarkandcool.Hegropedahead.Canutemadealittle_woof!_ofgreeting.

"John!Didyoufindfood?"

Hejumped,thoughhehadknownbythedog'sreactionthatshewasnear."There'sasphereoutside!

They'relookingforus!"

Shedidnotseemundulyalarmed."Iftheyweresureofourpresence,theywouldbecheckingthe buildings. Perhaps they are merely making sure the village is in good condition whilevacant."

Thiswasasensibleanalysis,butJohnwasnotinamoodtoadmitit,afterhisstruggletogettoherintime."We'dbetterscram!"

Shedemurred. "I have foundabowl andpestle.We canprepare someof thatmillet in thefield,perhaps."

"Wecan'tprepareanythingiftheycatchus!"heexclaimed.

"Weshouldnotgooutsidewhiletheyarewatching.Ifwecanfindgraininside...."

Shewasright,ofcourse.Ifthespherecamedown,theycouldrun;ifitdidn't,theywouldn't_have_ to run. And they could not go far while it watched. So it made sense to continuelookingforfood.

Theymaneuveredintoanotherbuilding,thenathird.Therewasnograin."Theyreallycleanedthisplaceout," Johnsaid. "Thepersonnelmust've takenoff themomentschoolgotout.Buttheydidn'tdestroyanything.Maybe theyexpect to reactivate itwhenAlacomesback fromhervisit,orafterherhajj."

"I wonder now," she said, "whether the reason it was so easy to enter here was that theywantedusintheenclave--anyenclave."

_"Wanted_ushere...."Johnconsidered."NowI_really_wanttogetout!"

"Yes."

Johnrealizedthatheratherlikedthisgirl.Shewasn'tsarcasticthewayBetsywas,butthatwasonlypart of it.Shewasdifferent.Smart anddecisive inherownwaybut ten timesassubtle.

"Youdidn'tfalloutofthetaxibyaccident,"hesaid.

"Ithoughtyouwouldneedhelp."

"I_have_help.Canute."

"Anexcellentanimal."

Meaningthatananimalcouldn'tpreventhimfromdoingsomethingstupid?OrmeaningthatshelikedCanute?Hecouldn'ttell.

Theypeekedcautiouslyoutandintothesky.Thespherewasgone.

"Now'sourchance!Let'sgetoutofhereandover the fence.Wecanwaitontheothersideuntilit'stimeforrendezvous."

Meilan agreed silently. Eyesmore on the sky than on the ground, they left Ala's village ofMopti,inthegreatempireofSonghai,976,orinthe1500s,Christiancalendar.

Canutewoofedastheynearedthefence.Theyhidandwaitedbutsawnothing."Falsealarm,"Johnwhispered,thoughthedogremainednervous."Asnake,maybe."

"Possibly,"Meilanmurmurednoncommittally.

Theymoveduptothefence,andheboostedheroverasbefore.ThenheandCanutehurdledit.Aminiaturetravel-spherefloatedintosightjustoutsidethepalisade.

"Run!"Johncried.

MeilanandCanutetookoff inoppositedirections.Johnturnedtogoatrightanglestotheirpaths.Hefoundhimselfheadedbackintothefence,spunaboutasthesphereboredown,andputhisfootintoahole.Hefellheadlong,painshootingthroughthatankle.Hetriedtogetupbutcollapsedastheweightfellonhishurtfoot.Hecursedhisownincompetence,buthehadneverbeforebeenexposedtorealpain,andhisreflexespreventedhimfromusingthatfoot.Bythetimeheorientedhimselfthespherewasbeforehim.

Abeamoflightcameoutfromit,andsomehowJohnlostcontroloverhismuscles.Itwasas

though the nerves had been disconnected, making him helpless. He fell a third time. Thespheredidnotwaitforhim.ItflewafterMeilan,weavinginandoutbetweenthetreeswithimpressivefacility.

Johntriedtocallout,towarnher,buthisvoicewouldnotperformanymorethanhismuscles.Hewasstillbreathing,andhisheartwasstillbeating,buthecoulddonothingonavoluntarybasis.Shehardlyneededthewarning,anyway.

Itmadenodifference.Heheardhercryasthespherecaughtup.Thensilence.Heknewtheoutcome.Hehadnotanticipatedthisnullifyingbeamthatrenderedhimunconsciousfromtheneckdown, thoughheshouldhave.Thewebof force that theStandardshadplacedaroundthefleeingtaxihadsuggestedwhattypeoftechnologytheypossessed.

Theinvisibleholdonhimloosenedgradually.Hisarmsandlegsprickledasthoughawakeningfrom circulatory restriction. The pain returned to his ankle. Evidently sensation as well ascontrolhadbeeninhibited.Hestruggledtositup,andslowlyhisbodyresponded.Itwaslikeswimming throughmolasses (not that hehad ever done such a thing!).Hehad to exert aninfiniteforcetoaccomplishaninfinitesimalmotion,butthejobdidgetdone.

He lookedathisankle.Theskinwasunbroken,andhecouldn'tbesurewhether therewasswelling, but he could not put weight on it. Something inside had been wrenched.Nevertheless he scrambled, on hands and knees, trying to hide himself before the spherereturned. He might get away while Canute led the Standards a merry chase, or he mightdistractthespherelongenoughtoallowMeilantorecoverandhide.Certainlyhecouldn'tgiveupnow!

Itwasnottobe.Thespherereturned,stunninghimagain,andthistimehelostconsciousnesscompletely.

9

_Captives_

Johnwokeinlather.Hestruggledthroughthefoam,gaspingforbreathandblinkingawaythesting.Thiswas involuntary,ashewasneither suffocatingnorhurting; thestuffaroundhimmerelyseemedasthoughitshouldhavesomesucheffect.

Induecoursethebubblesreceded,leavinghiminawarmglowingtankorstall.Hesawthathisskinwaswhiteagain.Thefoamhadwashedawaythecosmetics!Hehad,then,nosecretsfromhiscaptors.Theyknewwhohewasandwhathehadtriedtodo,andtheyhadstoppedhim.HedidnotevenhaveCanuteforcompany.

Canute!Thatwashisonetrumpcard!Thedogmusthaveescapedandwouldseekhimout.Almostimmediatelyhisflushofenthusiasmdiminished,seemingtoebbwiththebubbles.Howcouldadoggetinhere?IfCanuteapproached,theStandardswouldbeamhimdown,andthatwouldbethat.

Whentheglowhaddriedhim,asectionofthewallbecamebright.Herecognizedoneofthewalkthroughpanels.HehadnoIDanymore,but thesethingsdidn't_have_tobeattunedtothat,hewassure.Hestoodup,wincingashisweighthithisfoot--butfoundthatthepainwasslight.Hewashardlylame.

Thecompartmentwasoctagonal,andnowhesawthatapanelhadopenedinoneofthewallstoshowadryStandardtunicandfootweartogetherwithunderclothing.Johntooktheoutfitandputiton,preferringthistogoingnaked.Strange,hethought.TheyhadwashedhimwhitebutweredressinghimStandard.Thatdidn'tseemasthoughtheyweregoingtoreturnhimtoNewton.

Nowhe touched thedoorpaneland found itopen.Hepassed through it intoacomfortableapartment.Meilanwaswaitingforhim.Canutewaswithher.

Numbly John surveyed the scene. This was a complete Standard residence, with a sleepconverter,communicator,andsundryfurniture.Themainroomwasabouttwelvefeetacrossand octagonal, with a plaque high on onewall bearing the number 32, the number of theapartment. Of the eight short walls he knew that four would abut the walls of similarcompartments inoneof theStandardbeehivecomplexeshehadobservedduring their long

flightsinthetaxi--unlessthishappenedtobeanisolatedunit,liketheonehehadspiednearhisownenclave.

"Iampleasedtoseeyou,"Meilansaid,maintainingherT'angreserve.Sheworeatunic,too,andlookedbetterinitthanshehadinherpeasantrags.Then:"You'rewhite!"

"I got scrubbed. This ismy natural color, you know. That's the bathroom Iwas in--sanitarycubicle, inStandardese.Asquarewiththecorners loppedoffbycupboards,so itcomesoutoctagonal,likethisroom.Haveyoubeenherelong?"

"Aboutanhour.Theybroughtmeinthroughthere."Shegesturedtothewallaquartercircletohisright.

"Thatfigures.That'sthehalldoor,then.That'sopenforonlyanhour,ifwhatIpickedupinmypre-escapeexplorations isaccurate.Thenthediningroom,thenthesupplycloset,ormaybetheotherwayaround.Ithinkitjustkeepsgoingaroundlikethat.Youhavetotimeyourself,ifyouknowwhatImean."

Shelookedperplexed."Butwhy?"

"Because four apartments share each utility. The Standards don'twaste anything, not evenspaceortime,thoughtheyseemtohaveawholeplanettoexploit.Eachfamilylivesinaunitlike this, with eight in a row and eight rows. And eight floors. That's what I understand,anyway.Justabigblockoffivehundredandtwelveoctagonalchambers,andIdon'tknowhowmany square spaces between them.Cramped but efficient, I guess. Andmiles between thebuildings--milesofwildernessforest.Andnoroads.Yousawthat,too."

"Allthesehutsshovedtogether?"

"Prettymuch.Octagonsdon'tfittogetherexactly.There'sleftoverspace.That'swhytheyhavethe little cubicles, though some of them turn into octagons by the time all the fixtures areinstalled.ItwouldmakesenseiftheStandardshadalargepopulation--buildingthingscloseandtight,Imean--buttheydon't.Theylethundredsofsquaremilesgotowasteforeveryonetheyuse.Whichisaparadox,becausethey'resoefficientotherwise."

"Idon'tlikeit,"shesaid."I'dratherliveinSonghai."

Johnlaughed,feelingateaseandimportantasheexplainedthingstoher."Doesn'tbotherme.Notthatpart,anyway.Allthecomfortscomerightheretoyourroom.WhereIgetsensitiveisaboutmy_mental_freedom.Idon'tmindlivinginasmallroom;I_do_mindbeingtoldwhattodo."

"Ihavealwaysbeentoldwhattodo,"shemurmured."Ididnotmind."

"Thenwhywereyousohappytoleave?"

"Theywerenotmypeople."

Thatmuchheunderstoodcompletely.

Thebathroomdoorslidshut.Atthesametimethedoortotherightslidopen."Mealtime--foranhour,"hesaid."Ifwewantit."

"Iamnothungry.ButIwillbebeforeitcomesroundagain."

"Well,I'mfamished.Wedon'tknowhowlongthey'llkeepushere.Maybeonlyanotherhour.Maybedays.IneithercaseIwanttofillmystomach.Comeon."

Theysteppedintothediningcompartment."I'veneverhadachancetodoitbefore,butIthinkIknowhowtoworkthis,"hesaid."Youpressoneofthesebuttons,likethis,thenstandback,and...."

Abowlofsomethingthatlookedlikehotporridgeroseupthroughthecounterasthesurfacebecamefuzzy.Therewasnoeatingutensil.Helookedatitdubiously."Idon'tknowhowyougetaspoon.Maybesomethingelse...."

Meilanreachedinsidehertunicandbroughtoutapairofchopsticks.Shetookthesteaming

bowlandliftedoutagob.Shetouchedittohertongue.Shesmiled.

Johnwas tempted toorderanother forhimself,buthedidnotknowhowtousechopsticks,evenifhehadany.Hepunchedanotherbuttonatrandom,hopingforsomethinghecouldeatwithoutanimplement.Hewaslucky.Itlookedlikeasliceofmeatloaf,andthetastewasnottoofaroff.

Heusedhisfingers.

Canutewoofed."Sorry,man'sbestfriend.Iforgotyou.Iguessyoudon'tgettoomuchchoice,butitseemstobegoodfood.I'llgetyouanotherlikemine."

Sotheyateand,oncetheyfoundthebuttons,drank."IwonderhowPeiandBetsyaredoing?"

Johnsaid."Theymustbeprettyhungrybynowifthey'restillinthetaxi."

"Peihadafish,"Meilansaid,smilingmomentarily.

Theycontinuedinsilence.Johnfoundthathehadtobelievethattheothershadescaped,fortheyweretheonlyremaininghope.Surely theywouldhavebeenbroughthere, ifcaptured,since he andMeilan andCanute had been put together. So the fact that the others hadn'tshown....

Butthatdidn'thelpthecaptivesdirectly.IfheandMeilancouldescape,thentheycouldrejointhepurebreds.JohnwassureMeilanwantedtoescape,too,buthecouldnotconferwithheropenly.Hewassuretheywerebeingspiedon.Infact,thatmightbethereasontheyhadbeenput together: so the Standards could watch and listen and learn enough to pinpoint thelocation and plans of the other two. Any plan he andMeilanmightmakewould be balkedbefore it got started, and though their captivity had been gentle enough so far, anymisbehaviorcouldchangethatradically.Andhecouldn'tevenclimborrunwell.Notwithhistenderankle.

But itwas a challenge of a sort:Howcould theyplan anything, let alone execute it, underconstantobservation?Suddenlyhehadaninspiration.

***

When the diner closed and the supply room opened, John wasted no time. "I'd like atypewriter,"hesaidtothecommunicator.

"Pleasedefine,"themachinevoicesaid.Johndefined.

"Thereisnosuchinstrumentinstock."

Hewasnotsurprised.Probablyhisowntypewriter,backattheCaucasianenclave,hadbeenspecifically reconstituted from ancient specifications for his benefit.He had suspected thattypewriterswerenolongerusedbyman.Infact,itwaspossiblethat_writing_wasnolongerusedbyman.Whyshoulditbe,whencommunicatorscouldtalkintelligentlyandviewscreensbrought a comprehensive slate of programs to every octagonal cubbyhole? He and Betsymight be the only literate people on the planet. AndPei andMeilan--only theywouldwriteChinese,notEnglish.

Thenanotherrealizationstruckhimfull-blown.English,Chinese,andwhateverlanguagetheyspokeinSonghai.Differentlanguagesentirely,withnocommonrootforatleasttenthousandyears.He should not be able to understandMeilan orAla at all, for he knewonly his ownlanguage.Buthe_did_understandthem,andtheyunderstoodhim,andeachother._Theyallspokethesamelanguage_-

-_Standard._

Actually, itmadesense.Itwouldhavemadethezoo-keepingchoreterrificallycomplicatedifeverybitplayerofeveryenclavehadtolearnaforeignlanguageandspeakitwithoutaccent.Andhowwerethezoospecimenstoknowthedifference?He_thought_hespokeEnglish,andMeilanprobablythoughtshespokeChinese,andsoon.

ButtheNewtonlibraryofbooks--hadtheyallbeenwrittenjustforhim?Thatseemedoverly

complicated,too.Someofthemwereveryoldbooks,withspecialbindings--hardtoforgeinahurry.Yettheymatchedhislanguage.Thephonicrules,thehaphazardspellingthatdefiedalllogic--that had to be the product of linguistic evolution, not a modern invention. So theStandards_did_haveawrittenlanguage.OrdidtheStandardsactuallyspeakEnglish?Thatwould account for the books matching. But then how about Meilan's written language?ChinesesymbolswerenothingliketheWesternalphabet.

Well,hewouldfindout,forhisescapeplandependedonthewrittenword.WhateverlanguagetheStandards spoke,most of themwere probably illiterate. Fewpeople ever learnedmorethantheyhadto.

"Soyoudon'thaveatypewriter,"hesaidtothecommunicator,feigningdisappointment."Thenhowaboutakeyboardwith lettersandnumbers, setup thesameway? Itcouldbepluggedintoyourmaincircuit,andyoucouldtranscribeitforme.KnowwhatImean?"

"Thisispossible,ifyoudonotwishtodictateverballyinthenormalfashion."

"I _don't_wish. I needmy typingpractice, andnow'sanexcellent time toget it, insteadoftwiddlingmythumbs.SomedayImaygetmyrealtypewriterback."

Didthatimplythatthethingsoftheenclaveweremorerealthanthoseoftheoutsideworld?He'dhavetowatchthatsortofthinking!

A fewminutes later therewasa_thunk!_ in thesupplyroom.Akeyboardunitwas there. Itlookedlikeanaddingmachine,sinceithadnorollerorpaperorinternalkeys,butitwoulddo.Johnlifteditoutandcarriedittothetable.Meilanwassittingwithhandsfolded,unmoving."Whydon'tyouliedownifyou'retired?"heaskedher,knowingshewoulddenybeingtired.

"Iamnotresting.IamcontemplatingIChing."

"Who?"

"IChing.Thisisa--aphilosophy.Youwouldthinkofitasabook."

"WritteninChinese?"

"In theword-symbols of theMiddle Kingdom. But I do not need to read it, for I know thehexagrams."

Distractedforthemoment,Johnquestionedherfurther."Ifyouknowwhat'sinit,whyareyouworryingaboutit?"

"There are many intriguing riddles within the hexagrams and many illuminatinginterpretations."

"That'sneat,I'msure.Butwhat'sit_about?"_

"Aboutlife.Itofferssageadviceforeverysituation.Itisaverysatisfyingmanuscript."

Thatsounded like religion,andhedecided tosteerclearof thatsubject for the timebeing."Whydon'tyouorderagameorsomething,topassthetime?"heaskedher."Wedon'tknowhowlongwe'llbehere,andanythingwewantwehavetoordernoworwaitforthenextcycle.Cometothinkofit,IshouldgetaboneforCanute."

"IdoubttheyhaveWei-ki,"shesaid.

"Your philosophy book? I meant, well, like a paper-and-pencil game." And to thecommunicator:"Onerawhidebone,please."

"Wei-ki,notIChing,"shesaid,smiling.

"Pleasedefine,"thecommunicatorsaidatthesametime.

"It'sabone-shapedobjectformedfromasectionofrawhideforadogtochewon.It'sverystiffandtastesof--well,rawhide.Animalskin."

"Itisforbiddentotakeanimallifeunnecessarily,"thecommunicatorsaid.

"Oh."He'dforgottenthataspectofStandardsociety."Well,animitation,then.Justsoit'stastyandchewy."

"Onemoment,please."

InthatmomenthereturnedtoMeilan."ThenwhatisWei-ki?AmapofPei'scity?"

Shesmiledagain."Itisthegameofenclosing.Veryold,verygood.ButIwouldneedaboardeighteensquaresonasideandtwohundredpipsofeachcolor...."

"Couldn'tyoumakeyourownboardwithpaperandpencil?"

"Pencil?"

"Youdon'tknowwhata_pencil_is?"heasked,amazed."Towritewith,todraw."

"Ah.Abrush."

"Andmakeshiftpieces.Theremustbe_something."_

Shelookedathim,atinyfurrowbetweenhereyes."Asyousay."

Therewasanother_thunk!_asCanute'sdelicacyarrived.Itwasasimulatedboneformedfromsimulated rawhide, but the dog was well satisfied. He busied himself in an obtuse corner,chewingandchewing.

MeilanbeganexplainingtothecommunicatorwhatsuppliessheneededtomakeaWei-kiset.Johndoodledonthetypingboard.THEQUICKBROWNFOXJUMPSOVERTHELAZYDOG,hetyped.

Hedidn'tneed tosee itonpaper--in fact,didn'twant to.Then:COMMUNICATOR:PLEASEPRINTTHE

FOREGOINGMESSAGE.

Aslipofpaperemergedfromaslotinthewall.Hepulleditfree.Hewasafraiditwouldnotbeintelligible,butitwasneatlyandcorrectlyprintedexactlyashehadtypedit.Goodenough.

HepausedtowatchMeilanliftingouthersupplies."Here--I'llsetupatableforyou,"hesaid.

Heshoved itagainstthewallbythepaperslotanddrewthechairupsothat it facedawayfromhim.Asshetookherplace,directinganotherperplexedglanceathim,heambledbacktohistyperandsatdownformorepractice.

COMMUNICATOR: PLEASE PRINT THE FOREGOING MESSAGE IN MIDDLE KINGDOMSYMBOLS.Then:IGNORETHE

FOLLOWING UNTIL I ADDRESS YOU SPECIFICALLY AGAIN. And he proceeded to typerandomsentences.

"Ihavesetupthegame,"Meilansaidafteratime,"butIhavenoonewithwhomtoplay."

Hadshereceivedhisdeviousmessage?"Isitcomplicated?"

"Forthenovice,very.Fareasierforafoxtoleapoverasleepinghound."

_Yes!_"ThenI'dbenogood.Ican'tevenwinatcheckers."Andhetyped:COMMUNICATOR:PLEASE

PRINTTHEFOLLOWINGMESSAGEINMIDDLEKINGDOMSYMBOLS.

"Checkers?"

"AnAmericangame.Likechessonlylessso."

MEILAN,WEHAVETOKEEPTHESTANDARDSDISTRACTED.THEYCANSURELYSEEANDHEARUS,BUTIDON'T

THINKTHEYREALIZEWHATWE'REREALLYDOING.PLAYAMOCKGAME.

"I'lltrytoplayitbymyself,then,"shesaid.

"SorryIcouldn'thelp."THEYMAYTHINKTHEY'REOUTSMARTINGUS,BUTTHEYWON'TLEAVEUSTOGETHER

FOREVER.MY GUESS ISWE'LL BE HELD UNTIL THEY CAPTURE BETSY AND PEI ANDMAKESUREHUMÉANDALAARE

CONFINED. THENTHEY'LLSEETO IT THATWENEVERESCAPEAGAIN. I THINKWE'DBETTERGETOUTWHILEWE

CAN.IFWECAN.WECANMAKEPLANSTHISWAY.

"Idon'tknowwhetherthiswillwork,"shesaid."ItisnotagoodgamewhenIknowwhattheothersideplans."

"It's thesamewithcheckers." IFIGUREDOUTHOWWECOULDTALK.CANYOUFIGUREOUTHOWTOGETOUT

OFHERE?LETMEKNOWSOMEHOW.

John stopped, stretched his fingers, stood up, and walked away from the typer as thoughboredwithhispractice.Hewasafraidtooverdoit;toomuchtypingwouldmakethewatcherssuspicious,andalittlesuspicionwasamostdangerousthing.

"Thosecoordinatefigures--haveyoudiscoveredtheirbasis?"Meilaninquired,notlookingup.

"Coordinates? No. We didn't need to know their framework once we found the taxi couldfollowthemdirectly."Whyhadshebrought_that_up?

"Ilikeintellectualpuzzles.Mytutorusedtogivemedifficultriddlestosolve.Iwouldliketoattemptsomethinglikethat."

"Oh.Sure."Itcertainlywasnosecretnowaboutthosefigures,sincetheyhadusedthemtospottheenclaves.Johntookasparesheetofherpaper(itwaspseudo-paper,too;thefeelwassubtlydifferent)andborrowedherbrushtowritethemout:0544071364

3777767256

0000150055

"Eachnumberwetriedtookustoaseparateplaceontheglobe,"hesaid."Wecouldn'thavegiventhetaxianyotherinformation,becausewedidn'thaveanytogive.Buttheycan'tbethekindofcoordinates_I_know,becausetheyaresinglenumbers,notpairs.Youneedmeridiansoflongitudeandlatitude,soyoucancountoffnorthorsouthandeastorwest.Butsincetheseobviouslywork,itmustbeaprettygoodsystem."

Hewasn'tcertainsheunderstoodmuchofthis,sinceshehadbeeneducatedinthefashionofeighth-centuryChina,butsheseemedinterested."Whatisdistinctiveaboutthesenumbers?"sheaskedmusingly.

"Distinctive?FarasIknow,they'rejustnumbers."

"Few numbers are 'just numbers,' " she said, licking her lips as though tasting somethingintriguing."Everynumberisunique,andeverysetofnumbers,too.Wemustdiscoverinwhatwaysthesearespecial."

John began to react impatiently, since this type of discussionwould hardly enable them toescape.

Thenhethoughtoftwothings:first,thatiftheydidescape,theywouldneedtoknowhowtofind theirway to the rendezvouswithout benefit of taxis or other Standard devices, whichmeanttheyhadtounderstandthecoordinatesystemindetail.Second,thisdiscussioncouldbeMeilan'scoverforsomemoredirectnotionsonescapemethods.ThetwoofthemhadtoseemoccupiedsothattheStandardswouldbelulled.

"Well,they'realltendigits.SoIsupposeitmeansthatanyspotontheplanetcanbeidentifiedbyanumberjustthislarge--zerotoninebillion.Forwhatthat'sworth."

"Yes.Andtheyaremaintainedattendigitsevenwhentheymustbefilledinwithinitialzeroes,sotheiruniformityisnocoincidence.Sowehaveonefactor--buttheremustbeothers."

"Yousoundlikeamathteacher!Ididn'tknowtheChineseevenusedthedecimalsystem!"

Shesmiled."PerhapstheoriginalT'angJendidnot."

"T'angJen?"

"MenofT'ang--ourdescriptionofourselves.JustasyoucallyourselvesAmerican."

"Oh."Was she gently reminding him that his use of the words "China" and "Chinese" wasobjectionable?Betterwatchthat.

Hestudiedthenumbers.Nowthattheyhadbeenwrittenout,hesawanotherthing."Theyrunto repetition. The last two do, anyway. Four sevens in a row, four zeroes in a row. Is thatsignificant?"

"Perhaps.Isthereanythingelse?"

"That's about it. There isn't anything more to fasten on. If we had ten numbers or ahundred...."

"Your comment about the differing systems," she said thoughtfully. "You and I appear tounderstandthenumbersthesameway--butcanwebesuretheStandardsdo?Supposetheirdigitshavedifferentmeaning?"

"Brother!Iftheirfivemeansourthree,we'llnevergetitstraight!"

"Iwasthinkingofdifferingsets.Haveyounoticedthatthereisnodigithigherthanseven?"

Startled, he looked again. "You're right! Betsy noticed that, too, in the taxi. Every numberfromonetoseven,butnoeightornine.Outof thirtynumbers,you'dexpectat leastoneofthose.

Thatcouldbecoincidenceor...."

"Oranoctalsystem."

"Octal?"

"Basedoneightnumerals,not ten.Zerothroughseven.Thatmaybethesignificanceof thebunchingofzeroesandsevens,fortheywouldbeattheextremes.Youarenotfamiliarwiththis?"

"Neverheardofit,"hesaidsheepishly."Mybarbarianeducationisshowingitsseams."

Shelaughed."Itwasnotmyeducationthatspoke.InoticedthattheStandardapartmentsareoctagonal.Possibly,then,theirnumbersare,too."

Shehadphraseditdelicately,butitstruckhimthatMeilanwasuncommonlysharp."Buthowdoyouwriteeight,nine,orten?Inoctal?"

"Thesameasindecimal.Eightbecomesonezero;nineisoneone;tenisonetwo.Whenyouaddazero,youaremultiplyingbyeightinsteadoften.Onehundredinoctalwouldbesixty-fourindecimal--eightsquaredinsteadoftensquared.Andsoon."

"I'llbedarned,"hesaid,"YoumenofT'angdotooknowwhatyou'redoing.Uh,girlsofT'ang,Imean."

"Ifit_is_octal,"shesaid,absorbedintheproblem,"therowofsevenswouldbeveryclosetotherowofzeroes."

"Say,yes!7777wouldbejustonedigitbelow10000.Exceptthatthere'sathreestartingoff

thatsecondfigureandnooneleadingofftheother.Soitmustbejustbelow40000instead."

"Thatiswhatinterestsme.Itisasthoughthesenumbersoughttobeveryclose,butarenot,becauseoftheirbeginningsandtheremainderofthedigits.Itreallyisnotcloseatall,andwemaybemistaken."

"I'mnotsosure."Johnstudiedthethreelongnumbers,hisheadalmosttouchinghers."Look--thelead-offdigitsarealllow--underfour--whiletheendonesareallhigher.Doyouthinkthatmeans anything?" Then before she could reply, he had another flash. "We've forgotten thatthese are _coordinates!_ They have to be double numbers--to show vertical and horizontal.Eastingandnorthing,latitudeandlongitude,orwhatever.Whynottwonumbersoffiveeach!"Hiswordstumbledoverthemselvesastheyalmostracedaheadofhisthoughts."Fouristhemiddleoftheoctalsystem,isn'tit,justasfiveisthemiddleofthedecimal.Sofourmightbethedividingpoint.Allthelongitudescouldbenumberedbelowfourandallthelatitudesaboveit.Andzerocouldbebothyourstartingpointandyourfinishingpoint,becausewearedealingwithaglobe...."

Meilan's enthusiasmwasmore restrained. "Why keep the longitudes low and the latitudeshigh?

Thereisnoneed--"

"To tell them apart! These numbers are all jumbled together. If one digit were left outaccidentally,thewholethingcouldbefouledup.Butifyou_know_thelowoneshavetobe--"

Shewavedherhandasthoughshooingfliesaway."Allright. It isamighty leapfromathinobservation,but let'sconsiderit.Wenowhavethreepairsoffive-digitnumbers."Shewrotethemout:

05440--71364

37777--67256

00001--50055

"See!"heexclaimed,pointing."37777and00001--justonedigiteithersideofthebaseline.

Thosepointsareclosetogether!"

"Notaccording to theothercoordinates ineachpair," sheprotested.Herbrushdoodledonanotherscrapofpaper.

"And they _are_ close, becausewe thought wewere coming down in Humé's enclave, andinsteadwehitAla's!"Thenherobjectionregistered."Oh-oh."

"Theycouldbeveryclosein longitudebutfarapart in latitude,"Meilansaid."Thosesecondfiguresare17201unitsapart."

Chastened,heconsidered."Dependsonhowmuchterritoryeachnumbercovers.Maybewecouldworkitoutonamodelglobe."Helookedaboutbutsawnothingthatwoulddo.Hehadlosthisimpetus,however;seventeenthousandunitshadtobelarge,howevertheytranslated.

Meilanhadbeenmakingwhatappearedtobecasualdoodlesonhersheetofpaperas theytalked.

Nowshefoldedit,thenfoldeditagain,herhandsworkingbusily.Soonshehadanintricatelyfashionedpaperball--notcrumpledbutsmooth."Willthisdo?"

Johntookitwithlessenthusiasmthanhemighthavehadandsketchedlightlinesaroundit,carefulnottocrushorpenetratethepaperwiththebrush.Hecircledthespherecompletely,thencircled itagainatrightangles. "Likequarteringanorange,"heremarkedandrealizedthathecouldhaveorderedanorangefromsupplyor(incasethatcountedasfoodandsohadtowaitforthekitchencompartment)aballorevenaglobeitself."Butourglobehasaholeatthenorthpole."

"Lookinside.Youmightseesomethinginteresting."

"Likemaybethemoltencoreoftheearth!"Laughing,heputhiseyetothehole.

Inside,on theoppositesideof theball,washersketchofhis typer. "Ask it,"shemurmuredalmostinaudibly.

Helookedup."What?"

"Butyouhavemadeonlytwolinesonthesurface,"shesaid.

Hehadthoughtofthemasfourbutdecidedtheywereindeedonlytwo,eachcirclingtheglobecompletely. So he made two more circles converging at the same point. "North and southpole."

Shelookedathim,startledbyamemory."OnceIheard--Ithoughtitwasnonsense--somethingaboutthewestpole."

"The_west_pole!"

"The north and west poles. I'm sure, now. The two of them. I listened at night when theStandardsthoughtIslept,andheard--thatisallIremember."

"Howcantherebea_west_pole!"hedemanded.

Shesmiledandpointedtothepaperglobe."Here."

"Onthe_equator?_That'sridiculous!"

She took theglobeandbrushandbegan to fill in thewestingmeridians.Twoof thecirclesduplicatedthosealreadyestablished:theequatorandoneofthefourgreatcircles.Theothertwocutobliquelyacrossthese.

"Inhere,"Meilansaid,tappingtheglobe,"istheanswer.Ifyouask."

Atthatmomentthesupplycubicleclosedoff,andthehallcubicleopened,startlingthem.Foraninstanthethoughttheymightescapethroughitbutquicklysawthatitwasanemptyshaftwithslickwalls.Theyhadtohavetheelevator,andthereseemedtobenone.

Meilan went up and looked in. "There is a barrier," she said, tapping it. So there was, atransparentpanel.TheStandardshadnotoverlookedsoobviousaweaknessintheirprison.Ormaybeitwastheregularprotectionagainst falling intotheshaft,whichcouldbefoggedwithanIDkey.

Johnreturnedto theglobeandstudied theeffectofMeilan'sadded lines,mildly fascinated.The interlocking networks were regular in themselves but formed irregular shapes. Somewere triangles, some trapezoids. A number of angles were right--ninety degrees--but morewereacuteandsomeobtuse."Iwouldgetseasickusingthesecoordinates,"heremarked.Yetitmadeakindofsense,fornonorthorsouth,eastorwest,hadtobedifferentiated.Thesetwosetswoulddothejob.

"Iftheplanetmatchesearthinsize,"Meilansaid,"eachofthoselinessetsoffaneighthofit."

"How do you know somuch?" he demandedwith surprised admiration. "Back in your timepeopledidn'tevenknowtheworldwasround,andhereyouaretalkingaboutplanets!"

"Ilistenedmorethanwasproper,"sheadmitteddemurely.

"AndIneverevencaughtontotheStandardsuntillastyear!"Hereturnedtotheproblemoftheglobe."Aneighthofitforeachline,yousay.Thatwouldbethreethousandmiles,about.Butthoseareonlythemajordivisions.Ourcoordinateshavefivedigits.Theymustdivide itup--howsmallwouldthatbe,intheoctalsystem?Ican'tvisualizeit."

"Letmemakeanabacus."Shearrangedhergametokensinseveralcolumns,likeaseriesofdotted_i_'s.Eachshaftconsistedoffivepips,withthesingle-pipdotacoupleofspacesabove.Shehadninesuchcolumns.Thenshebeganmovingthepipsbackandforth,sothatsomeofthe dots came down to join part of the stems, and the columns became new formations ofthreeandthree,twoandfour,orevenasolidsix.Johndidnotspeak,forshewasobviouslyconcentrating.

"Downtolessthanoneofyourmiles,"shesaidatlast.

"Thenthat's it!Thosefive-digitpairscanpinpointanyspotontheplanetwithinamile."Heturnedthemodelabout,markinginnumbers."Andlook!Ifapointisonthatzeroline,ithastobe at the west pole, the way I'vemarked it, because that's the only place you can get anintersection."

"Thatshouldnotbeso,"shesaid."Theywouldnotmakewastefulcoordinates."

Heshrugged."Let'splotourthreecoordinatesandseehowitworks.HowmuchdoyouwanttobetthatHuméandAlaareonlyacoupleofmilesapart?"

It worked--except for one thing. Therewere two locations for every coordinate. Theyweredirectlyoppositeeachother,acrosstheglobe,twelvethousandmilesapart,travelingaroundtheoutside--

as was necessary for human purposes. They could discover no way to tell which one wascorrect--

assumingthattheirlaboriouslyworked-outsystemwasinorder.

Johnsighed.Well,ithadbeenonlyagame.Or_had_it?

Meilanseemeddisappointed,too.Itwasasthoughshehadexpectedmorefromhim.Thewayshehadtappedtheglobe,tellinghimrhetoricallythattheanswerwasinit.Actuallytherewasonly her sketch of his typer inside. Meanwhile the hall door gaped temptingly, profferingillusoryescape,andvaluabletimewaspassing.

His eye fell on the typer, the real one, and abruptly he knewwhat she had been trying tosuggesttohim.Subtly,sothattheStandardswouldnotcatchon.Sosubtlythathehadmissedhercueshimself,andyetsoobviousthathehadbeenblindnottohaverealizeditinstantly.NowonderMeilanhadbeendisappointedwithhim.Escapewasridiculouslysimple--maybe.

10

_RescueandReunion_

COMMUNICATOR: PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING THEORETICAL QUESTION INT'ANGSYMBOLS.HOWCANTWO

PUREBREDPEOPLEANDAGOMDOGESCAPECONFINEMENTINATYPICALSTANDARDAPARTMENT?

Meilan read the answer. Her shoulders began shaking. John rushed over to her, uncertainwhethershewaslaughing,crying,orchoking.Itseemedtobeallthree.Hestartedtoaskherabout the communicator'smessage, then caught himself. Itwould be folly to discuss it outloud; thatwas thewhole point in using the typer and symbols. Butwhatwas so emotionalaboutthematter?

Afteramomentshestoodup,pulledopenthedrawerinthetabletheyhadbeenusing,putherhandinside,andremovedsomething.Nonchalantlyshepassedit intohishand.ItwasanIDkey.

John looked at the deskwith dismay. The key had been there all the time! They hadneverthoughttolook.Nowtheyhadonlytotakeitandphaseopenthehallbarrierandriderightoutofthebuilding....

Meilanheldhimbackgently,shakingherheadno.

No?Butthenheunderstood.Naturallytherewouldbeanalarmofsomesortthemomenttheyenteredthehall.TheStandardsmighthaveforgottentocleanoutthedrawer,buttheywerenot_that_

careless.Butwhat,then,wasthecommunicator'splan?

"Tellittoexecute,"shemurmured,noddingtowardthetyper."Thensleepforanhour."

Baffled,hewenttothetyper.COMMUNICATOR:PLEASEEXECUTEYOURPLAN.

Nothinghappened.

Hedrewdownabunkfromoneofthenonopeningwallsandlaydown,feigningsleep.Hehadalmostmissedhiscuebefore,notrealizingthatMeilanwastryingtosuggestthathetypehisqueryon thecommunicator.This timehemeant toplayout thegamewithoutahitch,eventhoughitmadenopresentsensetohim.

Meilanlaydownonanotherbunk.Hewassureshewasn'treallyasleep,either.Foranhourthey lay silently. The hall closed, and the bathroom opened again, but they "slept" throughthis,too.

Canutehadnotrouble:Hissnoozewasgenuine.

Whenthehourwasover(ithadseemedliketwo!),Meilangotupandcametowakehim."Thelavatorywillbeclosedsoon,"shesaidwithmaidenlyhesitation.

Still ignorant of themeaningof all this, heentered thebathroomwithCanute.But as theytriedtoleaveafewminuteslater,Meilanstoppedhim.SilentlysheguidedJohnbackintothemainsection,wherehehadregainedconsciousnessamidthefoam.Shehadhimliedownontheroughslantedfloor.Shelaydown,too,andCanutewashappytojointhefun.Therewasbarelyroomforthemall.

Therewasawarninglighttogetherwithatoneasthebathroomhourneareditsend.(Actually,hewasn'tsurehowclosetoanhouritwas,butitwaseasiesttocallitthat.)Theyhadabouttwominutestovacate,buttheydidnotmove.Astimeranout,hecaughton.Howsimple!

Theaperturesshifted.Thewalltotherightoftheiroriginalentranceopened.Thebathroomwasnowfacingontoanewapartment.Meilanledhimintoit.Johnsawthatthiswasnumbertwenty-two--

eighteenindecimalreckoning.Theywerestillintheheartofthebuildingbutoutofviewofthemonitors--withluck.

"Nowwewaitanhour,"Meilanmurmured.

"Won'ttheymissusinthirty-two?"

"Thecommunicatorisprojectingasolidimageofussleeping.Theywon'tknowwe'regone."

So thatwaswhathappenedafterhe typedEXECUTE!Acamerahadphotographedaposedsequenceforplaybackaftertheyleft.Veryneat.

"Supposetheownerofthisapartmentcomesbackandfindsus?"

"It is unoccupied, and we shall use the hall before any other person can come. Thecommunicatorknowsaboutsuchthings.Itsaysthereisnoalarminthishall,sowecanjustwalkout.Therewillbeataxiwaitingabove."

Johnshookhishead."Thisistoosimple.There'sacatch."

Shelookedatherpaper.MiddleKingdomsymbolswereprintedintightverticalrowsonit."Itsaysitwillmodifytheplanifanythinghappens."

"RememberwhatPeisaid--themachineshouldserveitsmaster.Howdoweknowit'son_our_side?"

Sheshrugged."Weaskedforadvice.Itgaveit."

Johnwasn'tsatisfied,buttheredidnotseemtobemuchofachoice,particularlyatthispoint.

Either they followed the printed instructions or they didn't. They had to trust thecommunicatorandassumethatifitwerenotexactlyontheirside,itwasatleastindifferent.Amachinedidnotcarewhooperatedit,andthiswasatypeofcomputer.

YetwhataboutPeiandBetsy?Iftheyhadbeencaptured,therewouldbenowhereforhimand

Meilantogo.Iftheothersremainedfree,howcouldtheybefound?Infact,thiswholeeasyescapesmackedofaStandarddeviceto locatetheotherescapees.TheStandardshadtriedwatching the prisoners, and it hadn't worked, so now there was this. The moment thepurebredsrejoined,thejawsofthetrapwouldclamponthemall.Butitwouldnotbesafetovoice his suspicions toMeilan. He could never foil the Standards that way, for if he werecorrect,theywouldstillbelistening.

HeborrowedMeilan'sbrushandcheckedtoseewhetheritretainedanyfluid.Hediscoveredthat itwasactuallyakindofpen, feeding ink into thebristleswithoutdripping.He turnedoverhiscoordinatessheetandbegansketchingoctagons.

Bythetimethehalltonumbertwenty-twoopenedJohnhadaprettygoodideaofthelayoutofthebuilding.Theirthirty-twowassurroundedbytwenty-one,twenty-two,forty-one,andforty-twointheoctalsystem.Thistwenty-twowassurroundedbytwelve,thirteen,thirty-two,andthirty-three.Andtheywereonthefourthfloor;hehadspottedaplaqueidentifyingit.Now,ifhe could just discover the coordinates of this building--the true coordinates, not what theStandardcommunicatormighttellthem....

Buttheelevatorhadarrived.ItoccurredtoJohnthatapowerfailureinaresidencelikethiswouldbeaveryseriousmatter:nolight,nofood,andnoescape.Probablynoair,either,forlong.

Thatgothimtowonderingjustwhatthepowersourcewas.Electricitycouldaccountfortheappurtenances,butwhereandhowwasitgenerated?Hehadseennosmokestacksorpowerlines.Andthetaxi--nothingheknewofcouldexplainitsoperation.Ithadnopropellerandnojets,yetitflew.

Meilan nudged him, and he saw that the elevatorwas beginning tomove on. They phasedthrough the panel with the new ID and jumped aboard. Evidently the Standards gave nopersonmorethanhisshareoftimeforanything!

ThenJohnacted.Hetouchedthebuttonthatputtheelevatoronmanualcontrol,overridingitspriordirective.Thenheguideditdown,notup.Meilanstaredathimbutdidnotspeak.

Theyhaltedatthebasement.John'shandwasshakingashephasedthroughthegate,buttheywere in luck: The chamber beyond was empty. A long, level hall stretched away in bothdirections.

"Findawayout!"JohntoldCanute.

Thedogdasheddownonehall,sniffingatcrosspassages.Theyfollowedhim,passingelevatordoorseveryfewfeet.Johnrealizedthateveryoneofthetwentyormoreshaftsopenedatthislevel,servingoverfivehundredapartments.Itwaspossibletogettoanyroominthebuildingfromhere,butbythesametokenitwaspossibleforanyonetodiscoverthemhere._Hurry,_hethought.

ThenCanuteturnedoff,andtherewasaflightofconventionalstairs.Theyclimbedtheseandfoundthemselvesatstreetlevel.

Butofcoursetherewasnostreet.Therewasonlyaforest.

***

"Youhadreason?"Meilaninquiredoncetheywereoutofsightofthebuilding.Therewasnosarcasminhervoice, just thequestion.TherewouldhavebeenarealscenewithBetsy,butMeilanwassmarterandmoreobliging.Fortunately.

John explainedwhyhehadbrokenup the communicator's plan. "Maybe itwashonest, andmaybeitwasatrap,"hefinished."Butthisway,we_did_escape."

"Theycouldwatchusaswellamongthetreesasinasphere."

"Idon't thinkso.This isn'tanenclave. I think theywereoverconfident, sure that theirplanwasworking.Whenwechangedcourse,wedroppedoutofthenet.Theymaynotknowwhathappened."

She considered for a moment. "I agree," she said, surprising and pleasing him. He hadexpectedmoreofanargument.

"Nowwehavetofigureoutwhereourfriendsareandhowtoreachthem.Ididn'tplanbeyondthis point. In fact, I wasn't sure there really was forest land out here; it might have beenartificial."

Canutewoofed.

"Oh-oh,"Johnsaid."That'shis'chase'warning.Someone'safterus."

Nowtheycouldhearthehumofaground-sphere."Perhapsaroutinemission?"Meilanaskedhopefully.

Thehumgrewlouder.Theyhadhadoneencounterwithaground-sphereand itsparalyzingbeams.Itwouldbefoolishtoriskthatagain.

"Whatcanwedo?"Meilanwhispered.

Johnlookedaboutbutsawnothingbuttrees.Ifthespherewerefollowingthem,itwouldfindthem anywhere they ran. His ankle twinged reminiscently; no sense hurting it again byludicrousheroics.Theirpositionwashopeless.

"AskyourIChing,"hesaid,takinghisbitternessoutonher.

To his amazement and disgust, she concurred. "Yes. We should have done that before westarted.IwillconsultIChing."

Johnjudgedbythesoundsthatthepursuitwaswithinaquartermile,andheknewthesmallspheres couldmoveat at least thirtymilesperhour.Thatmeant about thirty secondsuntilcapture.Hedidnotwantittoendsoludicrously."Meilan,Iwasjoking--notthatitmakesanydifference."

"ButIhavenoyarrowsticks!"shecried,oblivioustohiswords."Iknowthehexagrams,buttheselectionmustberandom."

"Flipacoin,"hesaidwithresignation.Tohavecomesoclosetoescape,andnowtowaitsohelplessly!

"Ihavenone!"shecried.

Hesawthatshewasreallyupset.Probablyitwastransferencefromthetensionofthechase--

beingemotionalaboutsomethinginconsequential.Sometimesithadhappenedtohim,too."Ihaveapenny--anAmericancoin,"hesaidandpresentedittoher.

Shesnatcheditfromhim."Iwillcalltheheaddivided,"shesaid."Thebuildingundivided."

"What are you talking about?" The pursuit hum was louder, but evidently he hadoverestimatedthesphere'sspeed.

Meilan ignoredhim. "One throwper line. It isnotproper,butwehave too little time."Shespunthecointotheground."Six,divided."

Shescrapedaplacebareof leaves, thendrewabroken line in thedirt.She threwthecoinagain.

"Six,divided."

"Stillheads.Wheredoyougetthis'six'business?"

Shedrewasecondbrokenlineparalleltothefirst,aboveit.Shethrewagain."Six,divided."

Thehumofthespherewasbecomingsoloudhewassurethethingwouldburstupontheminaninstant.Infact,itsoundedlikeseveralspheresthistime.

"Six, divided," she announced again, drawing a fourth pair of lines above the others. "Six,

divided.Andsix,divided."

"Brokenrecord,"hemuttered."Youcan'tbeflippingproperly;italwayscomesupheads."

Butherfigurewascomplete:twocolumnsofparallellines.

----------

----------

----------

----------

----------

----------

"That is--let me think--that is the khwan hexagram. The earth mother--the symbol ofsubmission."

The spheres still had not come into sight. Now John was sure this was deliberate. By thesounds,heandMeilanwerebeingencircled.Therewasnopossibleescape."Submission,yes,"hemurmured.

"It'srightaboutthat.Wehavenochoice.ButstillI'dliketo"

"The superiormanmust not take the initiative," she said firmly. "That is themessage of IChing.

Wemustwait."

"Fatlotofgoodthatadvicedoesusnow!Idon'tneedanyChingtotellmewe'resunk.Whatdowedoafterwe'recaughtandlockedup?Doesittellyouthat?"

"IChingtellseverything.Iwillmakeanotherhexagram.Foryou,SmithJohn,sothatyouwillknowwhatyoumustdo--whenthattimecomes."

Johnstartedtomakeasarcasticreplybutcaughthimself.Shewasn'tjoking!ShebelievedinthisIChingandinherdistractionhadevenputhisnamebackwardinChinesefashion."Allright.Butbecarefulhowyouflipthatcoin.It'snogoodifitisn'trandom,isit?"

"I did say random, but it is not. The circumstance of the supplicant guides the hexagram;otherwise theadvice IChingofferswouldnotbevalid.But it isnot formeto influence theturnofthecoin."Sheflippeditagain,morecarefully."Thisisthefirstnine,undivided."Shedrewasinglelonglineandflippedagain."Thesecondsix,divided."

After that therewere twomore tails:nines,undivided. Johnwatchedwithgrowing interest,butatthesametimehewasincreasinglynaggedbythesilencearoundthem.Thesphereshadencircledthemandstopped.Whatdiditmean?

Finallyaheadandatail:six,divided,andnine,undivided.Hewascatchingontothesystem.

Thefinisheddiagramdifferedfromthefirst:

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"Li,"Meilansaid."Thehexagramofclinging,brightness,fire,light.Thesymbolofadherence

andintelligence."

"Intelligence."Johnknewitwasfoolishtobeflatteredbytheverdictofaseriesofcoinflips,buthewas."Whatdoesitsaytodo?"

"Theintelligentmanwilladherestrictlytowhatiscorrect."

"Butwhatiscorrect?"hecried."Towaithere,doingnothing?To--totakenoinitiative?"

"Perhaps.IChingdoesnotforetellthefuture.Itguidesonetoproperattitudesanddecisions."

"Maybe so. But we're about to be taken prisoner again. The Standards are all around us,probablylisteningrightnow.Andthistimewewon'tgetaway.Youcanbetonthat.Wehavetoact_now_--

ifwe'reevergoingto."

Shewasadamant."IChingisnevermistaken.Wemusttakenoinitiative.Wemustadheretowhatiscorrect."

"Makeanotherhexagram. Iwantarecount."Butheknewitwasalreadywaytoo late todoanything,evenifhehadanythinginmindtodo.Whatevertimetheymighthavehad,hadbeenfritteredawaybythissupernaturalinanity.

Gravely,Meilanliftedthecoin.

"Letmedothat,"hesaid,takingitfromher.Betterthisthannothing!

Hisfirstflipwastails."Firstnine,undivided,"hesaid,drawingasingleline.

Asheprepared for thesecond throw,he saw them:uniformedStandardsconverging.Somecarriedobjectsthatmightbeweapons.Johnpretendednottobeawareofthem.Meilanhadsaidnoinitiative;okay,hewouldtakenone.HewarnedCanutewithaquickgesture.

Heflipped."Secondsix,divided."Hedrewit.

TheStandardscametostandinaloosecirclearoundthethreeofthem.Thevisitorsdidnotspeak.

Johnflippedagain."Thirdsix,divided."Weren'ttheStandardsgoingto_do_anything?

"Fourth six, divided. Fifth nine, undivided. Sixth nine, undivided." He completed thehexagram.

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"Yi,"Meilansaid. "Thesymbolof increase,ofaddition.Thismanwillovercomethegreatestdifficultiesandgainadvantage."

Johnstoodup."That,"hesaidwithironicsatisfaction,"ismorelikeit."

"Comewithus,please,"oneoftheStandardssaid.

The games were over. John and Meilan walked with the Standards, and Canute followeddocilely.

There was a noise like thunder cracking overhead, and a sudden stiff wind struck them."Thunderandwind,too!"Meilancried,herfaceanimated."Thatispartofyi!"

ThentheStandardsfellawayoneitherside.JohnandMeilanandCanuteweretheonlyonestoremainstanding.Aspheredescendedsuddenly.

"Don'tjustgawk!Jumpin!"

ItwasBetsy.Rescuewasathand.

11

_GuerrillaTactics_

Foramomentitwasanotherscramble,asJohnandMeilanclimbedintothetaxiandhungonwhileaccelerationtoreattheirbodies.JohnkeptonehandatCanute'scollar,preventingthedog from sliding back out the fogged doorwhile the craft ascended. Then things steadied.JohnsatupandsawAla.

He lurched tohis feet, crossed thesmall floor,andkissedher.He turned to faceBetsyandMeilan.Theywerenomoreamazedthanhe.

"Justwhathaveyoubeenupto?"Betsydemanded.

Johnhadnoanswer.Whathechiefly rememberedaboutAlawashergoldenornament.Andoneotherthing:"Whatdidyoumean--Thepalmleafdespisesthehippo'?"

Shesmiled."Itwasaspelltowardoffattack."

"Aspell.Doyoubelieveinmagic?"

"Ido.Andithaditseffectuntilyouusedthecounterspell."

"Ididnosuchthing!"

Alaonlysmiledagain.

Meilansaid: "IhavealreadymetHumé,andofcourse JohnandBetsyandPei.ButnotAla,exceptbyreputation."

Alanodded."Humétoldmeofyou.IthinkhepreferstheMiddleKingdomtoSonghai."

Humé,who had been expertly guiding the taxi until now, turned to face John. "Just as Alaprefers America to Kanem/Bornu." He was black and handsome and large. "Did Meilanimportuneyoualsowithherinfidelbook?"

"Did she! We were casting hexagrams while the Standards stood and watched over ourshoulders.Andyouknow--thoseIChingswereright!Firstonesaidtostandpat.Secondsaidtodowhatwascorrect.Thirdsaidwewouldwinout.Andthenyourescuedus,soitallcametrue,coincidentally."

"Coincidentally!" Betsy exclaimed indignantly. "Why didn't you follow the original plan?Wewerewaitingtopickyouupontherooftop.Thenyoudidn'tshow,andwethoughtwe'dbeentricked."

_"You_werewaiting?Thecommunicatorarrangedthat?"

"Wereceivedacrypticmessage. It seemed tobe fromyou.FromMeilan, rather,because itwasinChinesesymbolsonlyPeicouldread.Sowetookachanceandcame.Thenyou--"

"SotheIChingwasrightagain!"Johnsaid,bemused."Itwasmyinitiativethatmesseditup.Ithoughtitwasatrap.IguessIdidthewrongthing."

"Yougenerallydo,"Betsysaid.

"Itdoesnotmatter,"Humésaid."Itismoreimportantthatwedecidewhattodonow."

"HuméknockedoutthoseStandardswiththeirownrays,"Betsysaidwarmly."Heknowsallaboutweapons."

"Wemustdecide,"Humésaid,"orbecaptiveagain."

"Ithinknot,"Peisaid.

"Listentohim,"Betsysaid."He'sascholar."

John noticed that there was no sarcasm in her voice when she spoke of Yao Pei. She wasimpressedwithhim,allright.

"I do not believe the Standards tried very hard to make us captive," Pei said. "They maybelievethatwewillreturntoourownenclavesifgivenleisuretodoso."

"Return!"Johnexclaimed."Why?"

"Becausetheenclavesarefamiliar,andtheStandardworldisnot.Wecanhaveeverythingweneedinside,whereasoutsidewearecomparativesavages."

"Betterasavagethanazoospecimen!"Johnsaid.

Peishrugged.

"Youknow,"Betsysaidthoughtfully,"myparakeetseemedtobehappiestinthecage.Outsideitcouldbangintowindowpanesorlandonahotpot.Onceittriedtotakeabathinacupofcocoa."

"Wearenotparakeets,"Humésaid.

"Canwereallyhaveeverythingweneed?"Alainquired,glancingatJohn.

Nobodyanswered.Onthephysicalleveltheanswerwasyes.Ontheemotionallevel,involvingpersonalconceptsoffreedom,self-respect,andromance,itwasno.

"Wecannotflyalongforever,"Humésaid."Wedonotknowhowtofindourwaybyourselves."

"Wecanfindourway,"Johnsaid."MeilanandIworkedouttheStandardcoordinatessystem,prettymuch."

"Excellent!Butwestillmustacttogether.Weshouldchoosealeader."

"Yes,"Johnsaid."Who?"

Therewasanawkwardsilence.

Alawasfirsttotackletheproblem."Itshouldbeamale."

Meilanagreedimmediately.Betsyhesitated,thennodded."Butwhichone?"

Johnwanted to be the leader, but hewas also afraid of the responsibility. His handsweresweating.NeitherHuménorPeilookedanymoreatease.Howwasthisdiversegrouptomakethechoice?

"Since the ladies have renounced the position," Pei said, "perhaps they should make theselection."

JohnexchangedglanceswithHumé, startledby the simplicity of this suggestion.The threegirls looked at each other, just as surprised. "Well, why not?" Betsy demanded as thoughsomeoneweredebatingit.Herforwardnesscontrastedwiththereticenceoftheothers.

ThetaxiwascrowdedwiththesixofthemandCanute,andtherewasnoplaceforthegirlstotalkprivately.Betsypulledtheothersdownsothattheirheadsweretogether.Therewasananimatedwhispering,andtwiceallthreegirlstittered.

Atlengththeystoodup."Wedecidedtodothisscientifically,"Betsyannounced."You'lldrawstraws."Sheheldupherfist,showingthreebitsofribbon."Thelongonegetsit."ShecameatJohn,profferingthedisplay.

"Hurryup,John,"Betsysaid.

Irritated,heyankedouta lengthofyellowribbon. Itwasabout three inches long.Was thatlongorshort?Didhe_want_itlong--orshort?

Huméwas next. Smiling, he took a piece of black ribbon. It seemed to be about the samelengthasJohn's.Peiacceptedawhiteribbon,havingnochoice.Itwastwicethelengthoftheothers.

"Verywell,"Peisaid,assumingcommandasthoughtheissuehadneverbeenindoubt."Humé,you are competent inweapons and logistics andmilitary tactics. Do you also know how tohandleaninterplanetarycraft?"

"Istudiedtobeawarrior,"Humésaid."Icanleadapartysafelyoverroughground,avoidingambushes,andIcannavigatesmallboats--orboatlikevehiclessuchasthisone--butIdidnotknow what a planet was until you told me some hours ago. A military man learns not tooperateoutsidehiscompetence."

Peinodded."John,youhaveageneraleducation,butyourperiodisthemostmodernofourthree.

Couldyouhandlesuchacraft?"

"Iusedtodreamofbeingaspaceshipcaptain,"Johnadmitted."Ireadabout_Sputnik_andtheorbitalflightsandreallywentwild.AndofcourseI'velikedsciencefictionrightalong.

Standard technology--well, itwould be suicidal tomesswith one of their spaceships. You'dneedasupercomputerjusttosetcourse,andIdon'tknowanythingaboutcomputers."

"Wouldtheyresemblethecommunicatorswehaveused?"

John'smouth fellopen. "Yes! Ifaspaceshipwerekeyed in tooneof thoseunits, itcoulddoanything!You'dstillhavetowatchforaccelerationandfreefallandincorrectorbit...."

"Yes,"Peisaid."Ishallbeourleader--untilwepreparetoenterspace.ThenJohn--"

"Space!"Betsyexclaimed."What--"

"Will assume command, for he comprehends those problemsbest," Pei continuedwithout abreak.

"Whenwearriveatearth--"

"Earth!"

"Notknowingwhatwewillfind,Huméwillbeourleader,forwemayhavetofight."

Hepausednow,butnoonehadanyargument.Peihadevolvedabeautifulcompromiseandanambitiousplan,andtheyallknewit.

PeireachedoutandtookMeilan'sbrush.Ashespoke,hemadeMiddleKingdomdoodlesonthefloor.

"Considerahypotheticalcase,acontestinwhichonesidehasmanypeople,muchequipment,and copious information. The other side has few people, poor equipment, and limitedknowledge. Yet itmust do battle nomatter how small its resources.Howwould it best setaboutit?"

"Hideandstrike,"Humésaid."WhenKanemwasnew...."

"Yes,guerrillawarfare,"Johnagreed.

Pei nodded, continuing towrite on the floor. "TheHsiung-nu and T'u Chüeh--the barbarianhorse-nomads of the western and northern reaches--have employed similar tactics withexcellentsuccess.

Butletussupposethecaseismoreexaggerated.Perhapsonlyfiveorsixindividualsagainstanentireplanet--andwhattheysaytoeachotherisoverheardbythespiesoftheotherside.Howmightthesmallergroupprevail?"

John lookedat the communicator, startled.Nowhe sawwhatPeiwasdrivingat--maybe.OfcoursetheStandardscouldstillbelistening!Theywouldn'ttrytocloseinonthetaxiagain,buttheydidn'thaveto.Everytimethepurebredsseemedtohaveescapedatrap,theyfoundalargerone,itsjawsclosinginexorably.Theycouldnotplananythingeffectiveinrangeofthatever-presentStandardear.

"Thesmallergroupmightdobesttosurrender,"Humésaid,"andhopeforabetteropportunityatanothertime."

Peinoddedno."Yes."

_What?_Theyhadalreadyagreed_not_tosurrender!AndPei'sexpressionindicatedhewasreadytofight,yethiswordsweretheopposite.

"Sometimesitispossibletouseaman'sownpoweragainsthim,"Peiwenton.

"Judo,"Johnsaid."Hecharges;youduckandthrowhimoveryourback.ButIdon'tseehow--"

"Youarecorrect, of course,"Pei said, tapping thecommunicatorpanelmeaningfully. "Whenthedisparitybetweenopposingforcesistoogreat,therecanbenocontest.Thesmallergroupcanonlyhurtitselfbyresisting."

Peihadsomethinginmind,obviously,andnotwhathewassaying.Hewasspeakingforthebenefit of the eavesdroppers, leading them astray. Yet the chance of success _was_ prettysmall,inthelongrun.

"MaybetheStandardsarejustwaitingforustocometooursenses,"Johnsaid,playingalongnow.

"Lessrisky."

Meilan came to him. "The writing on the floor--Pei has a plan," she whispered. "What youcalledguerrilla.Butnotonland,notphysical.Onthecommunicator,inalandscapewecannotsee.Yetwecanhideinitbymakingfalsepictureswithwords--alltogether--whilewegotothespaceship.

Eachmustdecidewhattosay,withoutthemknowing."

Then Johnunderstood.Modern civilization couldnot existwithout communications, andPeihadgraspedthatfromtheperspectiveofhismany-centuriesremovalfromthecontemporaryscene.IftheycouldsomehowobstructtheStandardcommunicationsnetwork,therewouldbechaos,andinthatanarchytheyverywellmighttakeoveraspaceshipandescape.Buthow?Overallstrategywasonething;themundanedetailswereanother.

"Peitrustsyouknowmagicwords.Howtousethestrengthoftheircommunicationssystemagainstthem,"Meilanwhispered.

Brother!Nowitwasuptohimagain!How_could_theychangeanything?Nothingapersonmightsayoverthephonewouldknockouttheinstrumentitself!Machinesweren'temotional;theydidnotmake judgments; theydidn'treact.Not_that_way.Aboutallapersoncoulddowastieupthelinesothatnooneelsecouldcallthenumber,makingpeoplemad.

Johnsnappedhisfingers.Ofcourse!"Callinfalsereportsofourwhereabouts,"hewhisperedtoMeilan."Andother'falsepictures.'Manyofthemcanbetruestatementsbutirrelevant.

Irrelevancystilltakesuptimeandchannels.Justsotheairwaysarefloodedwithreportsthattheauthoritieshavetopayattentionto,sothatwhenthe_real_reportcomes in, itcan'tbedistinguished from theothers.Meanwhiledon'tuse thecommunicator forourown journey;keepitonmanual.Dowehavecoordinatesforaspaceport?"

"Huméhasmanycoordinates.Idonotknowhowhefoundthem,"shesaidasshemovedbacktowardPei.

Routineconversationcontinuedforafewminutes,andthewhisperingscontinued.Thentherewasasilence.JohnsawBetsymakingnotesanddidthesamehimself.Theyeachneededanarsenalofirrelevancy.

FinallyPeilookedaround.Theothersnodded.

"Attention," Pei said as he signaledHumé to change course onmanual. "T'uChüeh raidingpartieshavebeensightedontheborder.Pleaseaddressmetothechiefofoperations."

Therewasmomentarystaticasaconnectionwasmade."Pleaserepeatthemessage,"aman'svoicesaid.

Peismiledgrimly."TheHunsareinvading!Notifytheprefect!Alltroopsmustbemassedforaction!"

"Yourmessageisnotclear._Who_is--"

"Huns.Aliens.Thebarbarianenemy.Itisalmosttoolate!"

"Aliens!OnemomentwhileIconnectyouwiththeDepartmentofExtraplanetaryAffairs."

Johnhadaninspiration."Communicator!Howmanycallscanyouhandlesimultaneously?"

"Fourchannelsareavailableonthisunit."

"Good.Numberthemonethroughfour.Weshallcalloffthenumbersoftheoneswewishtouse."

Betsycaughtonatonce."ChannelTwo.Attention,allunitswithintherangeofthisbroadcast.

There is a dangerous leakage in your primary power supply. Please shut it down until theconditioncanbecorrected.Thankyou."

"ChannelThree,"Alasaid."Thepalmleafdespisesthehippo."

"ChannelThree,yourmessageisunclear,"amalevoicesaid."Towhomisitaddressed?"

"TothosewhowishtoknowhowtokilltheZin."

"TheZin?Isthatananimal?Killingisnotpermitted...."

"Iwillnarratethehistory,sinceyouinquire."

"Asimpledefinitionwillsuffice.Thebandsarecrowded...."

"TheriverspiritofthegreatNigerbendwascalledZin-kibaru,andhehadmuchmagicandmusicandruledover the fishesandanimalsof thewater.But therewasalsoamannamedFaranwhose rice fieldswere beside the river, and every night Zin-kibaru played hismusicthereandbroughtthefishtoeatFaran'srice.OnedayFaranwentfishing...."

"Theairwaysareverybusy.Pleasedefineyourtermmoreconcisely."

Johnhadbeenready tostart inonChannelFourbutcouldn'thelp listening to thispeculiartale.

Theartofstorytellinghadbeenmoreadvancedinbygonecenturies!

"...andonlycaughttwohippopotamuses.Hewasangeredbythistinycatch--hardlyenoughtofeedhismotherandhimselfforsupper--anddecidedtogofightZin-kibaru,thewaterdragon.Theymetonanisland,andFarandemandedZin'smusic.'Weshallfightforit,'Zinsaid,'butifIwin,Iwilltakeyourcanoe.'Faranwaslittleandfat,whileZinwastallandthin.ButFaranwaswinningwhenZinutteredthisspell:'Thepalmleafdespisesthehippo.'Faranfellandlosthiscanoe."

SuddenlyJohnmadeaconnection.ThatwasthespellAlahadusedonhim!

"So Faran went home, ashamed. 'You are stupid,' said his mother. 'You did not use thecounterspell.' Then Faran took another canoe and went after Zin-kibaru again. Faran waswinning,andtheZinfled.WhenFarancaughtup,Zin-kibarusaid,'Thepalmleafdespisesthehippo.'ButFaranreplied,'Ifthesunstrikesit,whathappenstothepalmleaf?'AndtheZinfelltotheground.SoFaranconqueredthedragonandgainedmuchpower."

Johncouldn'tpausetosavortheinformation."ChannelFour,"hesaid."Relaythismessagetothe coast guard through a random channel. As follows: Party of six purebreds observed atcoordinates2121056789,leavingastolentaxi.Emergency."

Meilannudgedhim."Oh-oh,"hesaid."Correction,ChannelFour:Lasttwodigitsareonetwo."Hehadforgottentheoctalsystem--agiveaway!

"ChannelTwo,"Betsysaid."Uh,routethatthrougharandomsystem."ShehadcaughtontoJohn's idea: If thecall reallywent througha randomlyselected line, itwouldbedifficultorimpossibletotrace."OfficeofthePresident:Amalfunctionhasbeentracedtoyourpersonalcommunicationsset.Youareindangerfromradiation.Pleaseshutdownyoursetimmediatelyandsummonarepaircrew."

Humé was guiding the taxi on manual, and there was no sign of pursuit. Was this verbalsmoke screenworking? Theywouldn't know until they landed. It was quite a group effort,though! John listened to the babel of voices for a moment. Pei was telling Channel OneanotherMiddleKingdomtale,evidentlytakinghiscuefromAla.MeilanwasonChannelTwonow,explainingthepsychologyofIChingandinstructingthepartyattheotherendinfindingahexagram.BetsyhadmovedovertoChannelThree.

"Routethismessagerandomlytoallastronomers,"Betsywassaying."Thinkofanumber.Addfifteen. Subtract four. Delete the number you startedwith.Multiply the result by two. Thenumberyounowhaveistwenty-two.Rememberit,andspreadtheword."

"Thatwon'twork,"Johnwarnedher."Remember,theirnumberingsystemisoctal."

"Itis?Communicator,whatismycorrectanswer,then?"

"Twenty-two,"thevoicereplied.

Johnwastakenaback."Butit_can't_be.Notunless...."

Peibrokeofffromhisnarration."Twenty-twoinoctalwouldbereadeighteenindecimal,"hesaid."She'snotdealingwiththenumbersshesupposes,butthedeviceremainseffective."

Betsysaidnothing,notwantingtocontradictPei.Johnwasconfused,too.HowcouldtheytellwhatsystemtheStandardsusedifthefiguresseemedthesame?

Well,backtowork!

"ChannelFour:Routethismessagerandomlytoalltaxisupervisors,labeled_Urgent!_'PeterPiperpickedapeckofpickledpeppers.' "He ran through the restof it.Then: "Requestanimmediateresponsefromalltaxipassengers,andmakenotehowmanyanswerthequestioncorrectly.Turninthedatatotheheadofthefarmbureauforanalysis."

Yes,theywereguerrillasofcommunications,hidingbehindabarrageofnonsense!Itshouldn'twork; it _couldn't_ work; but Humé kept piloting, and there was no challenge from theStandards.

"Onemanwent tomow!" John sang joyfully, "went tomow themeadow!Oneman and hisdog...."Forhespiedacomplexthatverymuchresembledaspaceport,andtheywereglidingtowardwhathadtobeaspaceshipangledfortakeoff.

12

_Spacejack_

"Keepbroadcasting!"Peiwarnedasthetaxiangledin.

Huméknewwhathewasdoing.Thetaxinevertouchedground.Ithaltedjustshortoftheshipandeasedintowardthemainlock.Thenittouched,andtheportsofvehicleandshipphasedtogether.

"Moveinandtakeover,Captain,"Peisaid,grinning.

Morenervousthanhewouldadmit,JohnusedhisIDtoopenthepanel.Hesteppedthrough.Canuteplungedthroughbesidehim,andsuddenlyJohnfeltbetter.Anydangerwasdiminished

bythepresenceofthedog.

The ship was much larger than the taxi, but no space was wasted in hallways orantechambers.Hestoodinthemaintravelcompartment,fromthelookofit.TwoStandardsreclinedinstresscouches,listeningtoacommunicationsbroadcast.TheywereabsorbedwiththemessageanddidnotnoticeJohnimmediately.

"...the eyes, the head, the hands, the feet, and all the othermembers," a female voicewassaying."ThentheCreatorsetthemallinabeautifulgarden,whereeachmightliveincomfort,solongastheywereliberalinalmsgivingandshowedhospitalitytoallstrangers."

Oh,no!ItwasoneofAla'sstories!

"Thisisatake-over,"Johnannouncedloudly.Thetwoheadsturnedashefumbledforabetterword."Apiracy.Aliberation."Everythingsoundedridiculous!"I'massumingcommandofthisship."

"Oh, a spacejack," the female Standard said. "Everything happens at once! First the comnetworkisswampedwithgibberishsowecan'tgettakeoffclearance,andnowthis!"

"Yes. A spacejack," John said. Thewordwas new to him, but it seemed to fit the situationnicely.

"...disguised as a leper and visited the garden. 'Oh, Eyes,' he cried. 'I am dying of thisloathsome disease andmust have a bed for the night.' But the Eyes were repulsed by hisaspect,anddrovehimaway.SohewenttotheHead,andsaid..."

"Does it have to be right now?" themale Standard demandedwith irritation. "We are juststarting an orbital vacation.We'd have been gone by now if we'd had our clearance for anonriskascent."

"Ithastobenow,"Johnsaid."Thisviciousbeastisimpatient."Canutegrowledobligingly.

"...totheStomach,whowastheonlyonetorememberthecommandofhisCreator.Stomachgavetheleperfoodandlodgingandtreatedhimkindly..."

Thewomansighed."Verywell.Signtheregularform."

"Signtheform?"Johnwasn'tcertaintheyrealizedthathemeanttostealtheirship,not justborrowit.

"Theregularspacejackrelease,"shesaid."Fortherecompense.PutyourIDhere."Shelookedathimasthoughabouttoremarkonhispalecolor,butcourtesyrestrainedher.

Was this legitimate? Would they really give up the ship at the touch of an ID? Wasspacejackingthiscommon?Johnhesitated.

"...commandedtoattendathiscourt.'Whyhaveyoudisobeyedmyinstructions?'theCreatorsaid.

'Youweresupposedtoshowkindnesstoallstrangers,butwhenIdisguisedmyselfandcameamongyou...'"

ButwhatcouldthisIDcarddoexceptgiveawayhislocation?BythetimetheStandardscameinforce,theshipwouldbeinorbit.

JohntouchedtheIDto thesmallmetallicpanelsheheldout,awarethatauniquemagneticimprinthadbeenmade.Hewasnowofficiallyapirate.

Themanstoodup."Goodluck,"hesaid."She'sagoodvessel."

"...totheEyeshesentblindness;totheHead,headaches;totheHands,paralysis;totheFeet,rheumatism;onlytheStomachescaped.ButtheStomachwasverystupid,andpleadedtobeallowedtosharetheburdensofhisbrethren.SotheCreator..."

"MightIinquire,"thewomansaidasthoughsheknewthiswasnoneofherbusiness,"whereyoumeantovoyage?"

Again,Johnhesitated.

"...decreedthatallothermembersofthebodyshouldbeforeversubservienttotheStomach.The Head should think of its comfort, the Eyes must constantly watch for its benefit, theHandsmustprocureandprepareitsfood,theFeetmustcarryitwhithersoeveritneededtogo..."

Butagain,whynot?"Stomach,"Johnsaid."Imean,earth."

TheStandardsexchangedglances,thenshrugged.

Johnstuckhisheadbackthroughthephasedport."Allours!"

Alalookedathim,smiling."AndthatiswhytheStomachsufferspainandisexposedtomanydangers,butstillisthemostfavoredpartofthebody,"shesaid.

***

Takeoffwasautomaticoncetheorderhadbeengiven.Theyabruptlyshutdowntheguerrillabarrage,demandedano-riskascent, andgot it.Thatmeant their routewasclear;noothershipswouldcrosstheircoordinatesandelevationuntiltheywerethrough.

Johnsatinthepilot'sseatandwatchedthegaugesintently.Allregisteredintheirsaferanges,asheunderstoodthem.Thiswasnomoredifficultthangivingthetaxiacoordinate...

fortunately.

Therewasnoblastofvaporsastheshiptookoff.Itmerelylaunchedsmoothlyintotheskyatan angle. Theywatched the viewscreen, fascinated, as the ground dropped away to revealwider and wider expanses of field and forest. This world of Standard was beautiful andunspoiled,whateverelse itwasnot.Bandsofcloudcamebetween theshipand the land. Itwas as though they were sailing through floating islands. Then the cloud cover becamecomplete,andtheworldwasfeatureless.

Therewasa lot of atmosphere to traverse.The ship continued toaccelerate.The first timeJohnlookedattheair-passagegaugeitregisteredsixhundredknots.Nexttimeitwasuptothirteenhundred,andherealizedtheyhadpassedthroughthesonicbarrierwithoutevenashudder.Thentwothousandandonup,steadilyandsmoothly.

Apparentlythiswasthewayof it:ananglingup,circlingtheplanet,spiralingoutuntil fullyspaceborne.Perhapsitwouldleveloffwhenitachievedafullorbit.Thisdidn'tstrikeJohnasthemostefficientmodeoftakeoff,butitcertainlywaseasyonthepassengers.

"Whatisyourpowersource?"heaskedthecommunicator.

"Totalconversion,"theship'svoicereplied.

"Totalconversionof_what_to_what?"_

"Ofmattertoenergy."

Thatdidn'thelpmuch."Howlongwillittaketogettoearth?"

"Variable."

Johnponderedhowbesttogettheinformationhewantedwithoutdisplayinghisignorance.Ofcourse itwasonlyamachine,buthe still hadhispride.There couldbea thousand factorsaffecting their prospective journey--the relative motions of the two planets, the choice oftrajectories, considerations of fuel consumption and timing (although this total conversionimpliedlimitlessfuel).Nosimpleschedulewaspossible.

Buthewouldhavetotelltheotherssomething.Hewasthepilotandthepresentleaderofthegroup;hehadtoevinceconfidence."Canthejourneybearrangedtofinishin--um,letmesee--intwoweeks?Withoutharmtoshiporpassengersorunduedanger?"

"Itcan."

"Goodenough.Execute."

Thatwasit.Theywereontheirwaytoearth.

Johnwaspleasedwithhimself.Muchlaterhewouldlearnthathehadlittlereasontobe.Hehadaskedthewrongquestions,lettinghispridekeephimignorantofthemostrelevantfact.

***

Theship,whichhadseemedsolargeatfirst,becamemoreconfiningwitheverypassinghour.There were only two staterooms, each designed for two people. The cooking and sanitaryfacilitiesweresmallandhardlyprivate.Therewasnowaytogetawayfromthecrowdforanylengthof time. Johndecreed that at least twoof themshouldbeonduty at all times.Thatmadethesleepingaccommodationssufficient.Actually,oneroommightdoforthat,sinceeachperson slept only a third of the time. The other stateroom could be reserved for wakingactivities,andthemaintravelcompartmentwouldbeopentoeveryoneallthetime.

"Humé and Pei sleep first," he said. "In eight hours Betsy andMeilan get the room. Afterthat...."Hepausedastheotherschuckled,realizingthatheboxedhimselfintothethirdshiftsleepingwithAla, but therewas noway tomake it comeout even. "I'll sleep in the pilot'schair,"hesaidfinally.

"Anothermustpilotwhileyousleep,"Peipointedout."Perhapsyoucanusethesecondroom."

John nodded, disgruntled but seeing no better alternative. He was not being an effectiveleader if Pei had to bail him out like that, and he smarted. But that was the least of theproblemshewastoface.Theyhadtwoweeksofcloseconfinementtoendure.Itwasamazinghowrapidlypurebredcompanypalled.Personalityconflictsbegantodevelopinthefirstfewhoursofenforcedidleness.

BetsyandMeilandidnotgetalong.WhileHuméandPeisleptandJohnpiloted(orpretendedto,sincehedidnotdaremeddlewiththeship'sautomaticprogram)andAlaoccupiedherselfweaving some kind of basket in the spare stateroom, the two other girls sat in the maincompartmentandchatted.At first John thought itwas innocent conversation,butgraduallytheirvoicessharpened,andthesubtlerancorofitbecameobvious.Theyseemedtobejealousofeachother,thoughhewasn'tcertainwhy.

Betsy was a smart, pretty, outspoken, positive Western girl, usually the first to voice anopinionand themost resentfulofmasculineprerogatives.Meilanwas,despitehernormallyquiet demeanor and subdued expression, somewhat more feminine and considerably moreintelligent,however.Goodreasonforjealousy,actually!

OfcoursetherewasPei.Betsylikedhim--thatwasobvious.ButhewasChinese,andMeilanwastheoneintendedforhim,accordingtotheStandardPlan.Morejealousy!

"Whydon'tyougirlsseeaboutsomethingtoeat?"Johnsuggested,mainlytobreakitup.

And that was disaster, for themechanisms of the food dispenser weremysterious and thetastesofthetwogirlsdifferedstrongly.Betsywantedtoorderhamburgersonrye.Meilanwasdismayed.

"Thegroundbodyofacow?Thisisnotfoodtoeat!Suchanimalsareforwork,notbutchery."

"Oh?"Betsysaidwithmocksweetness."What_do_youeat,inthecivilizedMiddleKingdom?"

"Fish,fowl,fruit,rice,sometimespigs,andteatodrink."

"Fruit,rice,andtea!Whatalovelymeal!"Betsysaidsarcastically."Whydon'tweaskAlawhatshewants?"

"Ofcourse."

TheycalledAlain."Howwouldyoulikeanicefatsliceofpig?"Betsyaskedher.

Alawasshocked."Swine?Itisforbidden!"

"TheylikeitinChina."

ThenJohnsawthesnare.Betsywasplayingonecultureoffagainstanother.Hewasfurious,butthoughthe'dbetterstayoutofit.

Theyfinallysettledoncoffee,beancurdandmelon.

After intermediate hours the first shift ended. Humé and Pei reappeared, and Betsy andMeilanretiredwithoutcomingtohair-pulling,muchtoJohn'srelief.Alacontinuedherbasket-weavingintheotherroom.

Thecompanionshipofthemenwasmorecongenial,atfirst.Huméwasgivingsomegruesomebut interesting detail on techniques of jungle combat when Ala joined them in the maincompartment.

Shewasnude.

Johnwouldhavebeenamusedatthehorrifiedreactionoftheothermales,ifhehadnotbeensoshockedhimself.ItwasnotthatAlawasbadlooking.Shewasn't.

No one spoke, however. John realized that they were waiting for him. It was his place, asCaptain,tohandletheproblem."Putonsomeclothing,"hemuttered,histonguethick.

Alalookedathim."Why?Itisnotcold."

Hefoundhehadnosensiblereasontogiveher."Girlsaresupposedtobedressed,that'sall."

"NotinSonghai.Notunmarriedgirls,intheheatoftheday,"shesaid.

"Songhai is primitive,"Humé said. "NogoodMoslemwomanexposesherself.AtKanemwewouldnevertolerate--"

"Oh,whocaresaboutKanem!"shecried."Youhypocrites,youtrytosuppressthetribalgods!"

"We're_civilized!"_Huméshoutedback."ThereisnogodbutAllah,andMuhammadis--"

"Songhai was ancient before Muhammad ever existed," she said. "The kings of Mali andSonghaiandKanemonlyconvertedforpoliticalexpedience.Theyneverbelieved."

"Go and get clothed!" Humé said, furious. "A woman has no place talking of politics andreligion."

"Hippo!"shesaid,leaving.

JohnturnedonHumé."Itwas_my_jobtosendherback.I'mleadernow."

Huméshruggedmassiveshouldersandfacedhimwithanassumedblandness."Whydidyounotdoso,then?"

"Because youbutted in!"But he realized as he spoke that hewas being irrational.Hewasjealous ofHumé the samewayBetsywas jealous ofMeilan.Whenhewas a third party hecouldbeobjective;whenhewas thesecondpartyhisemotionsgot in theway.HeresentedHumé'sauthorityoverAla.

"IhadunderstoodthatyoubothwereMoslem,"PeiremarkedtoHumé.

"Theroyalhousesaredevout.Thevillages,thecountryside--"Huméshruggedagain."Beliefisslow to change, and there are many primitives. Even the king does not attempt to holdcompletelytoMoslemcustom.Itisn'texpedient."

"Soshereallybelievesinnaturegodsandthings?"Johnasked,intriguednow.

"No,"Alasaid,reenteringfullyrobed."Whenaspiritgrowstooviolent,Icantellhimthewoodheismadeof.ButI'mnotsanctimoniousaboutAllah,either."

"Well,weallhavedifferentreligions,Iguess,"Johnsaid."I'mChristian,andsoisBetsy."

"MeilanandIareConfucian,"Peisaid."ThoughsheisalsoaBuddhist,whileIamTaoist."

"Youbelongto_two_religions?"Johnasked,amazed.

"Certainly.Theyarecomplementary,notexclusive."

"That'sridiculous.Youcan'tworshiptwogods!"

"Whynot?"

"Itjustisn't--you_can't,_that'sall!"Buthefelthismoralfootingeroding.Thesenewconceptsweredisquieting.

"What is there to prevent me? Though of course Confucius is not a god. The principleremains."

"ThereisnogodbutAllah,"Huméputin.

"No!"Johnexclaimed.

_"No?"_Huméstoodup,lookingverymuchthewarrior.

"Wemusthavereligioustolerance,"Peisaidquickly.

"Why?"Humédemanded."Itonlyleadstoashamelessexposure."

Alalookedangrynow.

"Wecan'targuelikethis,"Johnsaid."Wehaveanimportantmissiontoaccomplish.Wehavetosticktogether."

Humésatdownslowly."Thatisright.Iwouldnotcaretobeginmyhajjinblood."

***

The respite was brief. Half and hour later Betsy burst into the main compartment in aStandard nightie, hair flouncing. She pointed an accusing finger at John. "Your damnedanimal!Doyouknowwhathe'sdone?"

Oh-oh.Johncouldsmellitnow.

"Rightonmydress!"shesaidindignantly.

John could understand her feelings, but had to defend Canute. "We're cooped up on aspaceship. He can't just go outside. So he looked for some newspaper, and if your tunichappenedtobefoldedintoasquare--"

"IfIcatchhim,"shesaid,"I'llrubhisuglynoseinit!"

"Stayawayfromhim!"Johnsaid,alarmed."Heknowsyoudon'tlikehim.He'snotvicious,butifyoutouchhim--"

"Well,keephimoutofmyroom!Who'sgoingtocleanitup?"

"Iwill,"Johnsaid."He'smydog.Iwon'tpunishhim,though,becauseIknowhewastryingtodotherightthing."

"Waittillhedoesiton_your_clothing!"

But John didn't have to clean it up. Humé had already taken care of thematter. Then Alaproducedthebasketshehadbeenmaking."ItisforCanute,"shesaid,"forhehasnoplacetosleepexceptthefloor."

"Oh. Thanks," John said, nonplussed. "But I'm not sure--Imean, he never slept in a basketbefore.

He'sabigdog--"

"Canute!"shecalled.

Tail wagging uncertainly, Canute approached. Humé came and lifted him into the basket.Canutewas,asJohnsaid,abigdog;heweighedwelloverfiftypoundsanddidnotliketobepicked up. But he put up with this without protest, sniffed the basket from inside, turnedaroundacoupleoftimes,andsettleddown,thelastsixinchesofhistailstillwagging.

Canutehadahomeofhisown,now.

***

Johndidnotsleepwell.HehadsupposedthateverythingwouldrunsmoothlyoncetheygotspaceborneandovercametheproblemsofescapefromStandard.Instead,thepurebredgroupseemedtobefragmenting.Everymemberwasanindividualwithhisowncultureandhisowninterests,andthesedidnotmeshneatlywitheachother.Intheenclavestherehadbeenlittlerealfriction,andherealizednowthatthiswasbecausethesupportingcastofStandardshadbeenplayingparts.

In thissense theirpresentgroupwasbetter,becausepeoplehad to livereal livesandhaverealinteractionsbeforetheycouldgetintorealarguments.Thatdidn'tmakethosedifferencespleasant!JohnfeltacoldrippleofangerwheneverhethoughtofHumé'soverbearingattitude.Itwas to thisprimitive that Johnwouldhave to turnover the leadershipof thegrouponcethey landed on earth. That galled him increasingly. How could an African native knowanythingabouttwentieth-centuryortwenty-fourth-centuryproblems?Whatwouldbecomeofthepurebreds?

ThentherewasAla.HelikedAla,fornoreasonhecouldpindown,andthismadehimmoreconsciousofthedifferencesbetweentheircultures.SheworegoldearringsthatnoAmericangirlcouldafford,yetlivedinsomemud-brickhovel.JohnwassurehewouldnottoleratelifeinSonghai formore thana fewdaysand thatAlawouldnotappreciateAmerican life, either--apartfromthefactthatbothoftheirexistenceswereartificial.TheywouldallhavetocometotermswithStandard--orwithwhateverplanetearthhadbecome.

Thesleepingscheduledegenerated,andJohndidn'ttrytocorrect it.Onestateroombecametheboys'bedroom,anytime;theother,thegirls'.Anybodycouldbeupordownatanygivenmoment.

Theshipmovedon.

***

Then pursuit developed. John had been making a routine check, questioning the ship'scommunicatoraboutvariousmatters,andlearnedofthisalmostbyaccident.

Johnalertedtheothersthattheywerebeingfollowed."Anotherspacecraft,"heexplained,"istravelingasimilarcoursetoours,andgaining.Itcouldbecoincidence."

"Afterwespacejackedthisship?Ha-ha!"Betsysaidsourly.

"Changecourseandsee,"Humésaid."Ifitstillfollows...."

"Thatwoulddelayourapproachtoearth,"Johnpointedout."Andifit_is_afterus,wewouldbetippingourhand.Rightnowitisgainingslowly.Itcouldspeedup."

"Dowehaveanyweapons?"Peiasked.

"No," Humé said. "I have been looking. This is a pleasure craft. There is nothing that willstrikethroughspace."

"Whydon'twejustrun?"Betsysaid."Maybewecangettoearthbeforeitcatchesus."

"Notifitisarmed,"Humésaidgrimly."Thedeerneverescapesthelion,oncemarkedforthekill."

TheylookedatJohn.Hewasthecaptain.

Canutepassedthroughtheroom,headingforhiswaterdish.

"Thatdog!"Betsyexclaimed."They'rezeroinginonhimagain!"

"Oh,don'tstartthat,"Johnsaid,disgusted.

"He'sbeenthecauseoftroubleallalong.Aspyinourmidst,onewayoranother.Weshouldputhimouttheport."

"Afineanimallikethis?"Humédemanded,surprisingJohn."Heisamemberofourgroup.Heisnospy."

"Howdoyouknow?"Betsyasked,displeased.

Huméputhishandout,snappinghisfingers."Iknowanimals.Here,Canute!"

Thedogcametohim,tailwagging.Humépattedthewhitehead.

AlaturnedtoJohn."Whatisyourdecisionabouttheship?"

"Nothing.We'll ignore it and seewhat happens." Johnwaited for argument, but therewasnone.

***

Itturnedouttobeafalsealarm.Theothershipwasnotatallclosebyterrestrialdefinitions,and in time it deviated from the coincidental courseandwent itswaywithout ever comingcloser than a hundred thousandmiles. John's policy had been vindicated, but he felt littlerelief.

Betsy and Meilan got along worse than ever, and neither associated with Ala apart fromnecessaryroutine.Peikepttohimself,exceptforfrequentconversationswithBetsy;obviouslytherewasarathercloserelationshipformingtherethatalsoirritatedMeilan.AndHumé....

HuméplayedwithCanute.HedefendedthedogagainstBetsy'scomplaintsandtookoverbothfeedingandcleanupchores.Hewouldstriptoakindofloinclothandrompwiththedogforhoursatatime.Canutewouldboundoverthestresscouches(strewingdoghairs,Betsysaid)of the travel compartmentwhileHumé dived after him. Just asHumé came close, the dogwoulddodgeaside,andthefriendlychasewouldbeginagain.Sometimestheyreversedit,thedogchasingtheman.

Johnhidhisjealousy.OncehehadplayedwithCanutelikethat.Nowthedogtreatedhimwithacertainindifference.SometimeshefeltlikekillingHumé.

***

Themoodchangedonedayoutfromearth.Astheplanetappearedonthescreenandtheshipbegantheenormousspiraloftheapproach,thetensionseemedtoliftfromeachofthem,andtheirdifferencesbecamelessimportant.Theydidnottalkaboutearthdirectlybutcameatitobliquely.

"Arewereallysodifferent?"Alaasked."Dowehavetoquarrelaboutourbasicbeliefs?"

_No!_Johnwantedtocry.

In a moment John, Meilan, and Ala were all talking at once. Then just as suddenly theystopped,excitedandembarrassed.

"Wehaveslightlydifferentphysicalcharacteristics,"Johnsaid,realizingithimselfashespoke."White,yellow,black--it'sonlycolor,atriflingdistinction.We'reallhumanbeings."

"Canitbe,"Meilanmurmured,"thattheStandardsare_not_humanbeings?Whyhavetheyseparatedusfromthemselves?"

"Andfromeachother,"Johnsaid."Theytriedtostopusfromgettingtogether."

"Exceptforasmallmistake...."Alasaid.

_"Was_itamistake?"Meilaninquired."Orwasitmerelyanintrigue,meanttoseemamistake,totantalizeourcuriosity?"

"Andwasourescapetooeasy?"Johnsaid,pickingupthetheme."Didthey_want_ustofindeachother,tomakeabreakforit,fightingoffjustenoughpursuittoconvinceusthat_this_timeitwasreal...?"

"And are theywatching and listening now, to learn howwellwe dance on the string?" Alacontinued,"Arewestillintheenclave...?"

Johnlookedatthetwogirls."Ithinkwe'dbettercallinPeiandHuméandBetsy.Wemayhavesomeharshdecisionstomake."

13

_MonumentEarth_

"The answer is easy,"Humé said. "Destroy the communicator. It is nothing but a spirit earlisteningtoeverythingwesay.Usethemanualcontrolstolandonearth."

"We'dcrash,"Johnsaidimmediately."Withoutthecommunicatorwe'dbeaderelict.It isnotjustanear;itseemstogovernthewholeship."

"We are not entirely helpless," Pei said. "We have tried to run, and perhaps we have onlydeludedourselves.Perhapsitistimetonegotiate."

"Youmeanweshouldoffertostoprunningiftheystopchasing?"Johnasked."Justagreetobenice,contentedzoospecimens?"

"Idoubtwewereeverinthatcategory.Theycouldreadilyhavedruggedusorputusinrealcages.Wemaybeuniquebutnotasexhibits."

_"Ask,"_Humésaid,irritatedbythisinaction.

"Communicator--whatisourstatus?"

Therewasnohesitation."Monumental,"themachinereplied.

Theyhadhearditclearly,butwhatdiditmean?Thattheywereveryimportant?Thatdidn'thelp.

"Pleaseexplain,"Johnsaidnervously.

"Itwillbebetterforyoutocompleteyourmission.Thenyouwillunderstand."

"Butourmissionistoescapetoearth!"

"Precisely."

"Itbalked!"Betsysaid,amazed."Ithoughtitwasjustanansweringservice."

Johnspreadhishands,baffled."Iguesstheyaren'tgoingtostopus.Forwhatthat'sworth."

"Or_tell_us,either,"Betsyadded.

"Itcouldbereversepsychology,"Johnsaid."Lettingusthinkthey_want_ustogotoearthsothatwe_won't_go."

"Solet's_go!"_Betsysaid.

Noonedisagreed.

***

Earth looked just like Standard: cloudy. The ship spiraled down, taking its predeterminedtime,andtheywaitedwithwhatpatienceandtensiontheirseparatenaturesprovided.Astheygotdown in theatmosphere, the viewscreenbecame foggy, fromeither the cloudsor sometype of interference, and they had to trust to the program entirely. John was perverselygratified:Theycertainly_would_havecrashedonmanual.

Atlasttheshiptoucheddown.

"Let'smoveout,"Humé said. It irked John that theAfricanhadnotwaited for any offer orceremony.Hehadsimplyassumedcommand.

Buttheportwouldnotphaseopen."Donsuits,"thecommunicatorsaid.

"Suits?Thisisearth!"Johnsaid.

Therewasnoanswer.

"Surveyvisually,"Humésaid,andJohnobeyed,thoughtheorderrankled.

Thescreennowshowedasmokyplain,barrenofbuildingortree."Looksasiftherehadjustbeenaforestfire,"Johnsaid,"oravolcaniceruption.Allburnedout."

"Where_are_we,onearth?"Betsyaskedthecommunicator.

"MonumentWashingtonAmerica,landingzone."

_"Monument_America?Asin--well--gravestone?Isitdead?"

"Yes."

She looked at thebleak image again silently. Johnhad somenotion of her thoughts, for hesharedthem._This_wastheirheritage?

Huméemergedfromthesupplyroombearinganarmfulofparaphernalia.Hehandedalimpoutfittoeachofthem.Johndonnedhissuitlistlessly.Thedrivehadgoneoutofhim.Hewassicklycertainthatalltheywouldfindoutsidewasmoredevastation.NowondertheStandardsweren'tworried!Wherecould thecaptivesgowhenall thatwasoutside theenclaves,awayfromStandard,wasthis?

Thesuitinflated,sealingitselfabouthim.Itwasnotatallheavy,anditflexedjointlesslyashemoved,offeringnosubstantialresistance.Theothersseemedlikemannequins--fatoflimbandbody,bulbousofhead,yetobviouslyhuman.Theirinflatedhelmetpieceswereopaqueontopandtranslucentaroundthesides,soastoprotecttheheadfromglare;buteachfacewasfullyvisible.

Canutecameup,tailwagginghopefully.Hedidn'twanttobeleftbehind!"Sorry,dogleg,"Johnsaid."Nosuitforyou."

Taildown,thedogwenttoHumé.Huméhesitated,thenreturnedtothestorageroom.Johnthought he was going for one of the pseudo-bones as consolation, but he emerged withanother suit. It was an animal suit! It was quadrupedal and adjustable, with a bellowsliketorsoandstrapstosecureitaboutfeet,tail,andhead.ItlookedasthoughitcouldbeadaptedtofitalmostanycanineorfelineinCanute'sapproximateweightrange.Huméhadtakenthetroubletocheckouttheship'ssuppliescarefullyandsohadbeenprepared.

Canute was not entirely pleased with the outfit. For one thing it prevented him fromscratching himself or nipping at fancied fleas. But he tolerated it as just one more of thestrangerequirementsofhumanassociation.Hegaveamuffled_woof!_insidehisegg-shapedhelmetandwaggedhispaddedtail.

Only when all suits were tight would the port phase open. There didn't seem to be anymechanism for interpersonal communications, so theyhad to shout loudly in their separateenclosuresinordertobeheard,andthentheirwordswerebadlymuffled.

Theyfiledout.Johnheldhisbreathasthedustswirledaroundhim,buthisairremainedpure.

Heatripplesshowedwhereverhelooked,buthisbodywascomfortable.Thissuit, likeotherStandardequipment,wasmoresophisticatedthanitseemedfromtheoutside.

Humétouchedhishelmettoeachoftheothersinturnandshoutedinstructions.ToJohnhesaid:

"Rearguard.Watchbehindus."

Johnnodded,stillsullen.Hewouldhavepreferredtoarguebutknewhewasbeingimmature.Humé_was_theirleadernow,bycommonagreement,andarearguard_was_necessary,andsomebody_did_

havetodoit.TheotherswerewatchingthesidesandthegroundandtheskywhileHuméledtheway.

Canutetriedtosnifftheground,buthishelmetfrustratedthat,sohecontentedhimselfwithcirclingthegroupconstantly.HadHumégiventhedoginstructions,too?

Theytrekkedabouthalfamile,andthebarrenswereunchanged.Itwasgettingboring.Thecommunicator had spoken truly: Earthwas dead. They couldwalk until they died and findnothingbutdesert.

Johnstaredrightatitforfiveorsixsecondsbeforeitregistered.Thebacksideofoneoftherubble-rocks they had passedwas flat, and ametal plaquewas set in it. Civilization! Johnstartedtoruntowardthemarkerbutrememberedhisassignment.Hehadtowarntheothersincasethethingwerebooby-trapped!

"Humé!"heyelled,butnooneheard.HerantoMeilan,whowaswatchingtheleft,tookherarm, and pointed. She nodded and went to the next in line, gesturing. Then Canute camearound on another circuit, herding the people together as though theywere sheep. "FetchHumé!"Johnyelled,andthedogboundedoff.

Soontheywerealllookingatitfromarespectabledistance.Humégesturedtotheotherstowaitwhilehecircledthestone.Hescoopeduparockandhurleditwithimpressiveforceandaccuracy so that it bounced off the plaque.When nothing happened, he approached it andstudiedthewriting.Finallyhewavedtheothersin.

Theplaquewas inEnglish--as it shouldbe, for theAmericansector, Johnrealized.Probablywhatevermonuments theyhad inChinaorAfricawere insymbolsorArabic.Only JohnandBetsycouldreadthisone.Itsaid:_ComfortStation._Thatwasall.

Betsy'slaughterresoundedtinnily.Shesteppeduptothestoneandfeltalongthetopwithhersuitedhand.Therewasabuttonjustabovetheplaque,andshepressedit.

Thegroundquivered,thenbecamefluid.Johnjumpedawayashisfeetsankin,andtheothersdidthesame."Deadfall!"Humécriedthinly,andCanuteyelped.

Theyhadbeenstandingonashaped,opaquegroundpanel.Nowitspseudo-sandhadphasedout,andapitgaped.Butitwasnotatrap.Arampleddownwardunderthemarker,andanarchwayshowed.ItwasjustanotherStandarddevice:anentrancetothecomfortstation.

Huméexchangedglanceswith theothers, then shruggedand led thewaydown.Thepanelphasedclosedabovethem,andagentleilluminationdevelopedfromthefloor.Atthebottomtherewasasecondcurtainthatphasedopenastheyapproached.BeyondthatwasaStandardoctagonalresidentialandrefreshmentchamber.

Theyremovedtheirhelmets,lettingtheirsuitsdeflate.Thesuitshadnotbeentiring,butthecontinual buffeting by the blowing dust and the roughness of the terrain had taken theirnaturaltoll.

"WeneverleftStandard,"Alasaidatlast.

The others nodded, knowingwhat shemeant.What usewas it to travel from oneworld toanotherwhen nothingwas changed? Theywere still unable to operatewithout drawing onStandardarrangements.

"Sodowegiveupnow?"Betsyaskedbitterly."That'swhatthecommunicatormeant,isn'tit?Thatwe'ddiscoverourownfutility...."

ShetrailedoffasJohngesturedtowardthespeakerventof thecomfortstation'sapparatus.Theystillcouldnotholdaprivateconversation--ifthatmadeanydifferencenow.

"Idoubtit,"Peisaid,answeringBetsy'ssecondquestion."Itclassifiedusas'monumental,'andthatisstillnotclear.Wehavenotyetfoundwhatwecamefor."

"Doesitexist--whatwecamefor?"Meilanasked.

"Ifthisisatypicalstandardunit...."Johnbegan.

"It's_not_typical,"Betsysaid."Allthecubiclesareopenatonce.Norotation."

Shewasright.Itwasprobablytheonlycompartmentinthearea,andoutsidewasnothingbutdesert.

"Well,you'retheleader,"JohntoldHumé.

Humélookednervous."Iamawarrior.This--thisisnotwarasIknowit."

SomehowthiswentfartodispelJohn'sdislikeofhim.Huméwasawareofhisownlimitations.Heknewwhentocallitquits.

"Communicator,"Meilanaskedsuddenly,"whatareweheretolearn?"

"Youareheretoappreciateyourtemporalandculturalframework."

"Inthisdesert?What_is_ourframework?"

"Themonumentofearth."

"It'sstilltalkingriddles!"Betsyexclaimedangrily.

Meilan was unperturbed. "Earth is dead. We are living. How can we be part of thismonument?"

"You are sample manifestations of the history and culture of _Homo sapiens_--the animateportionofthemonument."

"Thuswearemonumental,"Peimurmured.

"Thehistory ofman,"Betsy said, thoughtful now. "Hisdevelopment, hiswars, hismanners,religions,andraces.Throughalltime.That'saninterestingkindofmonument."

"Race against time," John said. "That's what we are--three sample races, each set in anappropriateplaceandtime.Veryclevercontrastofsettings."

"Howdidearthdie?"Meilanaskedthecommunicator.

"Themonumentsillustrate."

Peismiled."Youneedtobemorespecificinyourphrasing.Obviouslyitisn'tgoingtotellyouthe entire history of a world in one instant, especially since that seems to be the job themonumentsareequippedtodo.Thisismerelythe--comfortstation."

"HowdidT'angdie?"sheasked,undaunted.

"Themonumentsillustrate."

"WherecanwefindtheT'angmonument?"

Thecommunicatorgaveaseriesofdigits--alongseries.

"The coordinate of themonument atWei," Pei said. "That one alone. The realWei, not themock-uponStandard."

"Datainsufficient."

ItwasMeilan's turn tosmile. "Thecoordinateof themonumentwhere theMiddleKingdomcityofWeioncestood."

Thecommunicatorgaveit.

"Butthisis_earth!"_Betsyprotested."What'sitdoingwithStandardcoordinates?"

"Whynot?"Johnaskedher."Theycanapplytheirsystemtooneplanetaseasilyastoanother.

_We_usefeetandmileswhereverweare."

"HowdowereachtheWeimonument?"Meilanaskedit.

"Summonaconveyance."

"IprefertolearnofSonghai,"Alasaid.

Huméfinallyreassertedhisleadership."Weshalltaketurns.Weshallreturntoourshipandtraveltoeachmonumentinturn.FirstWei,then--"

"Mopti,"Alaputin.

"Andfinally--"

"Newton,"Johnsaid.

"Afterwe have seen ourmonuments and learnedwhatwe can from them,we shall decidewhattodo,"

Humésaid.

***

PeiandMeilanwentouttoseetheirmonumentalone.Theremainingfourstayedintheshipandplayedtournamentticktacktoe.NoonehadthenervetoconjectureaboutthereportthatmightemanatefromtheMiddleKingdom.

Two hours later the two returned. Pei looked shaken, and Meilan had been crying. Johnreminded himself that the Chinese empires had been ravaged repeatedly by civil wars,changes of dynasty, and foreign conquests, though the essential culture always reasserteditself ina fewdecadesorcenturies.ToPeiandMeilanthathistorywasthe future,realandpersonal.HadtheyseenWeirazedbytheMongols?ThepopulaceravagedbytheBritish,theJapanese? Or were worse things buried within that vast history he hardly comprehended?_Whathadtheyseen?_

"Mopti,"Humésaidquietly.

Theship lifted, slanted,dropped.Again thedustandcloudsconcealedanyview theymighthavehad.

Humé and Ala departed. Neither Pei nor Meilan seemed inclined to socialize yet, so JohnplayedcrypticswithBetsy:Eachwouldinventasimple letter-transposition,apply it tosomefamiliar quotation, and give the coded message to the other to solve. Both were havingtrouble,becauseitwashardtoconcentrate.

Meilan cried silently for a time, and Pei put his arm about her shoulders in the first opendisplay of affection either had shown. Betsy, aware of it, kept her eyes fixed on the codesentence.Johncouldunderstandhermixedjealousyandcompassion.Thosetwohadsharedatraumaticexperiencethatbroughtthemtogether.

John solved his riddle first. "Thucydides!" he cried. " 'To famous men all the earth is asepulcher.'"

"Yes!"Meilan exclaimedand cried somemore.Both John andBetsywere taken aback. Thequotationdidhaveanuncomfortablerelevance!

FinallyHuméandAlareturned.Huméwasangry,hislargehandsclenchingandunclenching,buthewasnotshattered.AlalookedonceatJohn,lipstight,andturnedaway.

_Theslave trade!_Heknewatonce thatshehadseen itand thatanything thatmighthavebeenbetweenthemwasover.Whyhadn'therealizedbeforethatthiswouldhappen?Hecouldhave warned her. Humé, the warrior, understood the realities of war, conquest, andexploitation;Aladidnot.

ShewasacitizenofcivilizedSonghai.

Butnowitwasthewhiteman'sturn."John,I'mafraid,"Betsywhispered,takinghishandinawayshehadnotdonebefore.Henodded,dry-mouthed,buttheyhadtogo.

14

_Decision_

Newton Monument: just a short trek through the desert. It was an empty, transparentoctagon-floored structure fifty feet on a side. John and Betsy entered by phasing directlythrough the entrance wall and doffed their suits. Outside the perpetual dust storm ragedvisiblybutsilently;insideitwaspleasant.

"Nowwhat?"Betsymused,lookingabout.

"Theremustbeastartingbuttonsomewhere."

Near the door panel they discovered a button marked _Inauguration of sequence._ Johndepressedit.

"Welcome,Stans,"thecommunicatorvoicesaid."This isMonumentAmerica, locationnorth-central, number fifteen. This structure commemorates the significant history of the groundcoveredbythisstructure."

Betsylookedperplexed."How'sthatagain?"

"It'sthehistoryofahundredfeetsquare!"Johnexclaimed,intrigued."Thearea,Imean.Youknow--anythingthathappened_righthere."_

"Oh?What about the rest of America?History doesn't happen just in one place, you know,evenwhenthatoneplaceisNewton."

"Guesswe'dbetterplayalongandfindout."Buthewasdubioushimself.Asfarasheknew,Newton had no significant history--not where world events were concerned. It was strictlybackwater.Yetherewasthemonument.

The voicewas silent, and they had nothing to contemplate but a level floor and the brownswirloutside.

"There'salineonthefloor,"Betsysaid."Almostapath.Doyousuppose...?"

As she walked along it, the voice resumed, causing her to stop. "Circa forty-five thousandB.S.E.--

Before Standard Era--the first man passed this site. A single _Homo sapiensneanderthalensis,_

probablygarbedandarmedasyousee...."

Hereamanappeared,startlingthem.Hewalkedthroughthewallandintothecenterofthechamber,glancingoccasionally to leftandright.Hewasstockyandhirsute,barely five feettall,withaflat-vaultedheadandpronouncedbrowridgesandnoapparentchin,yetinahatandasuithecouldhavemixedwiththepopulaceofmodernNewton.Heworeleather,thefurside in, and carriedawooden spear, awicked-looking stonehandax, andanassortment offlintimplements.Oneofthesefellfromhiscrudebeltwhenhisattentionwasdistractedbyaflyinghawkandremainedlostinthegroundcover:thesoleevidenceofhispassage.

"Nofurthervisitationsoccurredatthistime,"thevoicesaid."Settlementofthishemispherewaserraticandlargelyunsuccessful,perhapsbecauseoflimitedtechnologyandunfavorableclimaticconditions."

Betsystartedtosaysomethingasthevoicestoppedbutdecidedonactioninstead.Shemovedalittlefartheralongtheline,andthecommentarycontinued.

"CircafifteenthousandB.S.E._Homosapiens_appearedinforce,admittedtothecontinentbyatemporarycontractionoftheLaurentideicesheetandtheRockyMountainsheetbeforethe

riseinoceanlevelblockedtheBeringcorridor.Inthisregionmastodonswerehunted."

Therewasa rousingpresentationof thatportionofamastodonchase thatoccurredon theimmediatesite. Johnwas fascinated,neverhavingrealizedthatelephantsonce livedwild inAmerica.ButBetsy, impatient toget tomorerecentevents,beganwalkingslowlyalongtheline.

Thescenevanishedinmid-hunt,andanewlecturebegan.ButBetsydidnotstop.

Johnfollowed,sincetherewasnothingelsetodounlesshewantedtomakeanissueofit.Hecouldalways run the sequence throughagain later, if it came to that.Sohewas treated totantalizingglimpses of the varioushunting and food-gathering cultures of this region, eachfragmentsomehundredsorthousandsofyearsafterthelast.

This site was apparently astride themajor north-south corridor between the retreating icesheets, and tribesmigrating fromAsia throughAlaska had to pass here before debouchinginto the main continent. Thus there was fairly constant turmoil until the ice age passed.Around10,000B.S.E.

theculturewasnomadic,thehuntersbringingdownseeminglyinexhaustibleAmericanbison.Bycirca7000theplaingrewdryandhot, the largegame left,andonly thegathererswereabletomakeabareliving.Theclimateamelioratedby4000,bringingthebisonback.By2000a village of pottery-making, burial-mound-building Amerinds occupied the site, doing somelimitedfarming.

In 1600 B.S.E.--John translated this into his terms as A.D. 500 to 800--more sophisticatedagricultural tribes encroached from the east, settling and absorbing the natives. Thenewcomers were the Siouan. The Caddo moved up from the south, building earth-coveredlodges, and their subgroup, the Pawnee, hunted at the site. Finally a migration of quite adifferent nature developed: The white man came, bringing horses and guns. The Frenchexplored and dominated the region; then it passed over to the Spanish, then back to theFrench.In292itwaspurchasedbytherecentlyemergingUnion.

"TheLouisianaPurchase!"Johncried."Thatwas1803!"

Betsyignoredhimandwalkedon.

"The Goths were originally from Sweden," the narrator said. "Teutonic barbarians whomigrated across the Baltic Sea in the fifth century B.C., displacing the Scythians andSarmatiansthere.

ThendownacrosstheplainsofsouthernRussiatowardHungaryandthevalleyoftheDanube,where they settled in the second century A.D. In this period the Goths became excellenthorsemen and learned the use of a vital device, the stirrup. With this equipment a heavycavalrymancouldkeephisseatinthesaddleandsustaintheshockofthelance'simpact."

"ThisisAmericanhistory?"Betsydemanded."Theyaren'tevenusingB.S.E.dates!"

Johnwatchedthescene,confusedbutfascinated.Mounted,vaguelyknightlikehorsemenwerechargingacrossaplain,theirlonglancesleveled.Thenarratorexplainedhow,underpressurefromtheHuns,theVisigothsandOstrogothshadmovedintoRomanterritoryandencountereddifficultythere.

"...Adrianople in 378. Emperor Valens drew up the Roman imperial army in the historicfashion,legionsmassedinthecenter,andattacked...."

"It'sRomanhistory!"Johncried."Itreally_is!"_

"What'sitdoing_here?"_Betsysaid.

But Johnwas already absorbed in the unfolding battle. TheRoman infantrywas advancingagainst theGothic footmen. Johnwas sure theRomanswouldwin, sincehe knew theyhadformed one of the most powerful empires of all time. He was mistaken. Goth horsemenappeared at the side, charging against the Roman flank and sweeping the infantry beforethem.Thecarnagewasappalling,andtheRomanarmywaswipedout.

"Thusmedievalwarfarewas instituted inEuropeby theGoths," thenarrator said, "and thethousand-year-longdominanceoftheheavycavalryin...."

Thevoiceandimagevanished.Betsyhadsteppedforwardagain.

"In 228 B.S.E. the territory the site occupied was admitted to the Union as the state ofNebraska, but the site itself was unremarkable. It was part of a field of barley situatedsomewherebetweentheSouthLoupandPlatterivers.In110thebarleydiminishedanddied,thevictimofenvironmentalpollution."

Betsystoppedwalking.

"...mostseriousmenacetolifeonearth,"thevoicewassaying."Itdevelopedfirstinthemostpopulous and industrial regions but spread rapidly until no portion of earth, sea, oratmosphere was untainted. This site was only marginally affected"--the picture showed aweedywaste--"andtherenovationprogramof105broughtitbacktofullyield."Nowthefieldwasverdantagain.

"Newton!"Johnsaid."WhereisNewton?ThisisthesiteofNewton,Nebraska.We'vepassed1960...."

"Oh,bequiet,"Betsysnapped."ThatwasanenclaveonStandard.Therewasneveranysuchplaceonearth."

Chastened,heshutup.Butitwaslikethedeathofafriend.

"...thesolution,"thevoicecontinued."Butthiswasillusory.Theproblemwasinternationalinscope. The advanced nations suffered first and so defined the problem first and actedaccordingly,andthiseliminatedtheworstoffendersandgavetheworldastayofexecution.But industrial technologywasspreadingexplosively,and itsearlyphasenecessarilybroughtmassivepollution--

chemical, radioactive, thermal, sonic, aesthetic. Thus the nations who had reduced theirpersonal standard of living in the interest of a sanitary environment saw their effortsdissipatedbytheexcessesof theemergents,whocouldnotyetaffordtoapplyrestraintsorlimit themselves to nonpollutant sources of power. By 80 B.S.E. the second crisis was athand...."

Thefieldwasawasteagain.Thistimenoteventheweedscouldgrow.

"Aswithmostconflictsofnationalinterest,itcameswiftlytowar.Conventionalweaponswerebanned, however, for they were themselves formidable polluters. This war was muted,undeclared, apolitical--but still savage. The killing stroke was bacterial--a plague strainagainstwhichthepopulacesofthefavorednationswereinoculatedinadvance."

The scene showed a man staggering through the barren field. His face was swollen andgreenish,hiseyessobloodshotastohavenowhites.Heclutchedathisthroatasthoughhecouldnotbreatheandfell,togaspafewtimesbeforeshudderingtostillness.

"Theinoculantdidnotreacheverycitizenofthefavored,"thenarratorobserved,"norwasitdenied every citizen of theunfavored."Therewasnopicture for that, of course, since onlylocalsceneswereshown.

"Ninetypercentoftheoutcastpeoplesdiedinthefirststrike,andtwentypercentofthepoor,theold,andtheracial,ethnic,orreligiousminoritiesinthefavorednations."

Betsy turned to John, white-faced. "They played politics--with genocide!" she whispered,appalled.

Johnfeltcold."They'llpay--_we'll_pay,"hesaid."We_have_paid--that'swhythiscountryisadesertnow."

"Thefewsurvivorsofthatbacterialstrikeintheunfavoredregionsturnedferociouslyagainstthe favored and succeeded in destroying the secret factories and laboratories thatmanufacturedtheinoculant.Bothplague-strainandinoculantwereartificial.Thehumanbodytendedtomanufactureantibodiesagainstboth.Thishardlyslowedtheplague,becauseitwas

usuallyfatalwithinsixtyhoursofinfection;butitnullifiedtheinoculantinthesysteminthecourseofmonths.Everythreemonthsarevisedformulahadtobeadministeredtocounteractthis.Thuswiththelossofthelaboratoriesthefavoredweredoomedtothesameextinctionastheunfavored."

"Enough!"Betsy cried, stepping forward to cut off the sight ofwell-dressedwhitemenandwomenandchildrenstaggeringthroughthefield,gaspingandfalling.Againtherewereonlyglimpsesandsnatchesoflecture:worldpopulationfallingfrombillionstomillions,"pures"ofanycolorsystematicallyhuntedandbutchered,theentireworldlaidwaste.Thefieldbecamefigurativelyburiedinbones.Bythetimethesurvivorshadrenovatedafactoryandproducedatrickleofnewinoculant,theplaguehadspentitself.Perhapsonepercentofthepopulationoftheworldhadturnedouttobenaturallyimmune.

In thevirtualabsenceofman,however, theenvironment slowly recovered.The land turnedgreenagain.FlowersappearedbetweentheskeletonsoftheNewtonsite.

Man survived in the form of the Standards. Naturally resistant to the plague and ofindeterminaterace,theyshapedtheirculturearoundanintenseaversiontowasteorpollutioninanyform.Theyhadfewanimalsandfewerotherresources,butthecompletetechnologyofmankindwasavailable.

Inacenturytheyhadrecoveredthelevelofaffluenceenjoyedbytheirpredecessors,thoughonlyafractionofthenumbers.ThiswasthefirstcenturyS.E.,StandardEra.

BytheendofthesecondcenturyS.E.theyhadsurpassedthepreviouspinnacleofcivilizationhandily.Theirnumbersremaineddeliberatelylow,andconservationandrenovationremainedtheireffectivereligion,but theirsocietybecamestagnant.Thisdidnotdisturb themajority,forthatwasthedefinitionofthemalady:thatthemajoritysoughtnochange.Butanactivistminority fearedforthefutureandconjecturedthatthesamerigiduniformitythatpromotedpeace and plenty and an amicable environmentwas stifling the creativity and drive of thespecies.

Therewere,itdeveloped,procreativebanksdatingfromtheperiodwhenmanyracesexistedonearth.Itwaspossibletonurtureinfantsofthoseraceswhowould,genetically,beas"pure"asanyraceshadeverbeen,thoughtheirsocietieswerelongextinct.HereontheNewtonsiteanimaginarytownwasbuilt,incorporatingalltheknownelementsofoneofthosesocieties.John'stownofNewtonappearedintheimage.

JohnandBetsy,shocked,didnotneedtolistentotherest.Theynowunderstoodtheirplaceinthisscheme.Parentlessandrootless,theywerecalledmonuments,to justifytheprojectandnullify the formidableStandardprejudiceagainst theirdeviant type.Theywerecalled livingmonuments,buttheyweremorethanthat.Muchmore.

***

"Nowweknow,"Peisaid."Theremayhavebeenmistakesintheprogram,andperhapstheyunderestimatedus,butweremainverymuchintheStandardworld."

_"Mistakes!"_ Humé said. "That blunder when Meilan was sent to visit me--totalincompetence."

"Not to mention things like letting Roman history leak into American history--and nevercorrectingit,"Johnsaid.

"Toaflea,the lionseemsstupid,"Alamurmured."Yetthefleaneedsthelionmorethanthelionneedstheflea."

"They underestimated us because their culture is in stasis," Betsy said. "A planetarybureaucracythatcan'tevenkeeptrackofitsIDcardsororganizeaneffectivepursuit!"

"Perhaps theyaremerelymorecivilized thanwe,"Meilansaid. "Theywouldhesitate tousesuchviolentmethodsandwouldnotknowhowtoreacttoviolence.Sotheydelayedwhilewecontinued."

"So maybe we _are_ different," John said. "Those procreative banks--they wouldn't haverepresentedthedullorunfit,exactly.HighI.Q.stock.Maybewe_will_accomplishmore--given

thechance."

"Weshall_take_thechance!"Humésaid.

"But there is nothing left for us on earth!" Ala protested. "We have nowhere to go butStandard."

"SurelyyourealizethatStandard_is_earth,"Peisaid.

Johnchokedbackhisexclamation,hidinghisignorance.

Meilan nodded agreement. "Remember those alternate coordinates?Wewondered how thesystemcouldwork,wheneachcoordinateidentified_two_placesontheglobe.NowweknowthatoneisalwaysforStandard,theotherforearth.TheStandardsrenovatedtheirownhalfbut left the rest as a perpetualmonument to themistakes of the past. So thatmanwouldneverforget."

Johnwasdismayed."Soweneverreallylefttheplanet!Wejustspiraledaroundfortwoweeks!IneverthoughttochecktheproximityofStandardoncewewereonourway."

"Itwasanecessaryperiod,"Peisaidkindly."Wehadtohavetimetogettoknoweachother."

"Necessary!"Betsysaidindignantly."Itwasadirtytrick!"

Johnlikedherbetterforthat.

"Necessary,"Peirepeatedfirmly."We_are_ofdifferentcultures,andtheydonotmixreadilyexceptwhenundercommonstress.Theconventionsofdress,diet,religion...."

Johnremembered.Yes,theyweredifferent--andhewasnotabouttorefutehisbasicbeliefsforthesakeofgroupunity.Betsywasdifficult,butshesharedhisviewsintheimportantmatters.

But what common ground could they have--except that of Standard culture? The languagemightbethesame,butsomuchelsewasdismayinglydifferent!

"We_can_worktogether,"Peisaid."Forthesakeofourfreedom,wecancompromise--amongourselves,nottheStandards.Wehavedoneitsofar."

"Ifwebecomeagroupofourown,isolated,"Alasaidslowly,"andmarriedbetweentheraces,andourchildrendidthesame--wouldnotourlineagebecomeStandard?"

Thatneedednoanswer.TheStandardsweretheresultofthemixingoftheracesofmankind.Themomentthepurebredscrossedtheraciallines,theirdistinctionvanished.

"Ithink,"Meilansaidquietly,"thattheenclavesareaworthyproject,afterall."

And there itwas.What could theyaccomplishas refugees thatwould improveonwhat theactivistStandardshadinmind?TheworldoftheStandardswastherealworldnow,andthatwaswherethechangeshadtobemade.Ifraceweretheanswertospeciesvitality,itwouldbeacrimetodestroywhathadbeendonesofar,butitrankledJohnmightily.Hehadfoughthardforhisindependence;washenowmeeklytoacquiesce,admittingthatallhisaspirationshadbeenwrong?

"Butthatleavesusevenmoreisolated--fromtheStandardsandfromeachother,"Betsysaid."Whomwillourchildrenmarry?"

"Thereareothercellsintheprocreativebanks,"theship'scommunicatorsaid,startlingthem.

"If the pilot group succeeds,manymore purebredswill be raised, replacing the Standardspresentlyintheenclaves."

It would succeed if only they let it, John realized. Gradually the enclaves would becomegenuine,asmoreandmoretrueCaucasians,Negroids,andMongoloidsfilledthem.Why,then,didhestillhavethisurgetofight?

"Butwedon'thavetoliveinignorance!"hecried."Wecanvisiteachother,wecanstudytheStandard technologywithoutbeing corruptedby it--"Hebrokeoff, realizing that hiswords

soundedverymuchlikeagreementinsteadofdissent.Hisspiritwasmoreaggressivethanhisvoice! Yet a part of him was looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad again, going on tocollege....

Hecouldtellbytheirsilencethattheotherswereacceptingitalso.Letthemallgoback--forawhile.Soontheywouldbegrown,moreknowledgeable,betterabletocopewiththeworldoftheStandards.

HiseyecaughtHumé's.SlowlytheAfricanwinked.JohndidnotneedtolookatPeiandMeilantoknowthattheempireofT'angagreed.Guerrillatactics:Bideyourtimeuntil themomentwasright.Thenstrike.

The Standards did not need race; they needed an example. The world did not needmonuments; it needed action. All history was witness to that! John smiled. The Standardsdidn't know it, but theyhadwroughtwell. Therewouldbe aworld of action--at thepropertime.

Canute cameup tohim, tailwagginghalfheartedly. John lookedover thedog's head to seeHuméwatching."Ithinkyou'llbehappierinKanem,coachdog,"Johnsaidsadly."Ihavenoright toholdyou.GowithHumé."Heblinked tokeep the tears from forming.Therewasasocietytosave;hecouldn'tweakennow!"Butcomevisitme...."Hecouldnotcontinue.

"Hewill,"Alasaid."Often.Iwillseetoit."

NowBetsywassmiling,too.

Copyright©1973byPiersAnthony

ISBN:0-812-53101-9

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