Dream Park

He watched her face, tenderly, and wondered when she would wake up. Then more memories intruded.

Eames' malice, Gwen's fright, Mary-em's tears. They fell into a pattern.

Neutral scent.

Why didn't I see it?

Because my brain was running on neutral scent. And it acti­vates emotions already there. ...omy god.

He shook Acacia until she stirred and clung to him, making

baby-sounds, her lips curled in a satisfied smile. Her eyes opened. They seemed huge to him, and it was all he could do to merely smile in return.

'Morning, handsome,' she yawned. She snuggled closer to him in the bag. 'You certainly know how to treat a lady.'

'Wish we had time for thirds.'

'Well?'

'I'm starting to remember things. We'd better get back to the others. We could be facing a disaster.'

He wriggled out from between the bags and stretched, the cool windless morning air sweeping away the remaining cobwebs. Aca­cia watched, the bag pulled up to her neck, as he pulled on his pants. 'You sure we have to get back?' She still seemed half-asleep.

Alex nodded and pulled his sleeping bag from atop her. She shivered and yelped, scrambling for her clothes. She was saying something to him, but he wasn't listening. Why? Why would a thief waste something so valuable on a vicious practical joke?

Not until she threw her arms around his neck did he snap alert. 'Hey there, you. You're strange. I mean really odd, but I like you anyway.' She bunched up her sleeping bag and tucked it under an arm.

She had to run to keep up with him, and some part of him felt sorry that he didn't have more to share with her. But sorry or not, he had to deal with something far more urgent: the thief knew who he was. He must have used some of his stolen flask of 'neu­tral scent' to put The Griffin out of action while... while what? What was the thief doing last night?

The campground was a mess. Gamers littered the ground. S.J. had gotten sick on himself. Mary-em lay on her side beneath a twisted old tree, far from her sleeping bag. Dried tears streaked her face. Owen and Margie lay close to the ashes of last night's fire, half out of their zipped-together bags, both naked, their clothes piled untidily about them.

Adrenalin-doped blood pounded in Alex's throat. Too few.

Where are the rest?

Eames? Alex spotted the Warrior curled up with Captured Princess. Check.

Chester? Slumped sitting up, with his face between his knees. And Tony was splayed out near the Lore Master's feet, snoring

loudly. His twisted sleeping bag must be half strangling him. Red scratches laced his cheeks.

S. J. Waters: in his bag, sleeping like a baby. Gina: missing. Now what was Gina doing away from Chester? Maibang and Kibu­gonai: missing, maybe getting breakfast. What tendencies in an actor might be accented by 'neutral scent'?

Gwen? Ollie? 'Cas, do you see Ollie or Gwen? Or Maibang?'

'Maibang left when the Game broke off last night. Gwen and Ollie generally go off in the bushes anyway...' But she looked worried now. 'I'll go after them.'

'Good. Anyone else you find, too.'

Acacia pushed off into the Brazilian plant life, calling.

Chester Henderson's head jerked upright. He wiped his eyes clear with the back of his hand and looked about him. The sense of something seriously wrong came home to him, and when he saw Alex he frowned. The Lore Master pulled himself up and paused a moment to balance. 'All right, Tegner. What do you know about this?'

'I don't know much. I know we were all crazy last night, and I don't think it was the beer.'

Henderson still seemed woozy. He jumped up and down a few times to get his circulation going, and surveyed his Gaming party. 'What a mess. If Lopez spiked those pizzas-' He shook his head. 'That's too crazy.'

He reached down to shake Mary-em's shoulder. Griffin took his cue and woke up Eames, checking the big man's face for damage. There didn't seem to be much more than a badly split lip. Earnes winced the first time he tried to move; then got up, moving like an old man, and went over to Mary-em. They sat down together and spoke in low voices.

By now most of the Garners were awake and moving. Neutral scent didn't leave a hangover... not a physical hangover, any­way. Gina came wobbling in out of the woods, and Griffin cocked a curious ear when Chester went to meet her. The Lore Master reached a hand out to her, stroking her red hair, and she huddled at his chest. 'Axe you all right, Gina?' She nodded wordlessly.

'I really don't remember much. After you got into logic puzzles with 5.J.

(delete this)

the power of their ancestors' tindalos. They swore to defend their Cargo until all of the European thieves are dead, or all the Fore. They... they bragged about what they'd do to you. One of them offered to give me your... private parts,' she said with evident distaste. 'That was for my benefit. Partly.'

'But they were going to fight.'

'They meant it. They were egging themselves on.'

'Then where are they?'

Lady Janet shrugged.

She'll be one hell of an actress, Alex thought. She'll be too good for Gaming. Will she give it up?

The Garners bunched up around them. Acacia dropped with her back against Alex's knees; but her head was up, alert for the next attack. The enemy had last been seen hiding among the trees at the volcano's base. Where were they now?

Chester stood up. 'Everybody got his breath back?'

They charged up the last fifty meters to the rim, each screaming his own war cry. At the lip of the crater they paused, feet skidding in the loose rock.

A few wisps of steam floated within the bowl, obscuring part of the view, but the crater seemed as deserted as the slope. Nothing human showed at all. Chester ordered, 'Ollie, Gina, stay here with Lady Janet. The rest of us are going in.'

Crevices in the rock vented more steam as Alex slid down into the mists. The rock was loose enough to make him cautious, but the incline wasn't as severe as he had feared. Digging in with his heels stabilized his balance.

The body of water at the bottom was not much bigger than a pond. It steamed gently. He caught Chester's eye. 'Still no de­fenders.'

'I don't like it either.'