marshall

"That was nice," Jan said. She and I were walking slowly back toward the hotel, and she had her arm through mine.

"I was surprised that Tammy came, but I'm glad she did, so she could see how Vicki signed the certificate."

"Did you see her reaction, when she saw it?"

I shook my head. "I didn't want to make her self-conscious. I made it a point to be looking somewhere else."

"Very thoughtful."

"Did you see it?"

"No, I didn't look, for the same reason, but I felt it. She came close to crying, though of course nobody would have seen it if she had." She smiled. "They'll never talk about it, you know what a couple of tough cookies they are, but they both know it, and that's what counts."

"And I assume that's why you told Tammy that we all had to be there."

"I didn't know exactly what Vicki would do, but I could tell she was getting ready to do something. And I thought it would be a good idea to have it happen before you all leave."

"And a wedding is kind of a natural time."

She nodded.

"You're predicting things all over the place these days," I commented after a moment. "Are you having a lot of visions?"

She shook her head. "No more than usual. I'm just more relaxed about talking about it. I used to try to hide it, because I thought it made me a cheat as a detective. Now I don't care so much about that. I still like to solve mysteries, don't get me wrong, but I'm just not so picky about whether or not I'm 'playing fair.' Not that we have a lot of mysteries to solve these days."

"Except the bigger mysteries, like how we're going to eat and how we're going to get out of here and where we're going to go and live the rest of our lives."

"I am going to miss you while you're away," she said quietly.

"I'm going to miss you, too. But we probably shouldn't make too much of it when we're around our friends."

She frowned. "What do you mean? Are you afraid I'm going to embarrass you?"

I laughed. "No, nothing like that. But think about it. When the stadium group leaves, it will include Vicki and Perry and Tammy and Katherine and me. With you and Pat and SarahBeth and Sam and Pete staying here, at least for now. All the couples are going to be split up."

Her eyes widened. "I never thought of that."

–And we shouldn't talk too much about how much we'll miss each other, I continued silently, even though we will, because most of them will know that we can continue to talk, even when we're apart, and they won't be able to. After all, that's the only reason I'm even going.

–Very thoughtful and considerate, as usual, my dear husband, she replied. Which is part of why I'm about to suggest that you go up to the roof of the hotel.

We were nearly in front of the hotel, and I looked up. "The roof?" I demanded. "You think I'm not getting enough exercise these days?"

"No, but there's somebody up there who will be glad to see you. And then hurry to our bed, and there will be somebody there who will be even more glad to see you."

I kissed her. "Okay. But there'd better be somebody up there."

I opened the door to the roof and, breathing hard, I stepped out onto the tarpaper surface. For a moment, I didn't see anybody in the dark, but then I saw a small figure dressed all in black, sitting on top of a large crate, looking out across the buildings.

Vicki turned and smiled. "Marshall," she said. "I'm so glad to see you." She jumped down and came over to hug me. "Jan sent you, didn't she?"

"Of course. Without telling me who was here."

Vicki took my hand in hers and pulled me over to the crate, and we sat down together.

"I've just been thinking," she said. "I'm sure there are things we've forgotten, but we'll have to see how it goes."

I put my arm around her tiny shoulders and squeezed them through the leather jacket. "You didn't come up here to try to figure out what's slipped your mind."

She smiled and squeezed my hand. "You're right. That just sounds better than what I have been thinking, or at least it sounds more modest." She waved her hand, indicating the buildings in front of us. "I've been thinking about how I'm really responsible for all of those people. Not all by myself, but more than anybody else."

"Well, when Doc decided to write her book, you never imagined you'd be signing up for all of this."

"And I never imagined she wouldn't be around when I needed her."

"True, none of us did. But, here we are, and, not to be flippant, but we've done okay so far, everything considered."

"Yes, but this has been the easy part, though I know it hasn't always seemed easy. Marching your entire population all over the landscape, though, with as little information as we have, I don't think anybody's done that since ancient times. And, as I remember it, a lot of people died when they did it. On top of all the people who have died already."

"Jan has been saying that all of this will work out, I know," Vicki continued. "Is she telling the truth, is she right, or is she just trying to buck us up?"

I shook my head. "Remember who you're talking about. My wife, your sister, is devoted to facts."

"True. She was mentioning that to me this morning."

"I know. 'Wherever the facts take you.' Not that she doesn't tell lies, I've seen her tell some whoppers to get information she wanted, or to get into places where she didn't belong. But she would never lie to us, not about anything important. If she felt we were going to die, or she didn't know, she'd say so."

Vicki looked thoughtful. "If that's what's going to happen, I guess I'd better make sure it does happen."

"Well put. Whatever does happen, it will be because we make it happen, not because of fate or something like that."

"I think you're right," she said. "We've done okay so far, but if I've learned anything, it's that you can be right about a hundred things, but that doesn't help you in being right about the next one. For example, I was wrong to leave Utown with you and Jan, to meet the big famous writer and be security."

"You couldn't have known what would happen."

She made a mock-determined face. "I don't care what you say, I am planning on continuing to feel guilty about that. You gonna try to stop me?"

"Stop sticking out your chin, it makes you look like SarahBeth."

She giggled.

"I came up here to think a bit about where I've ended up," she said after a moment. "And I was just thinking about a conversation you and I had once. When Paris wanted me to join his gang, because I'm so strong and fast, and you said you thought I was capable of a lot more than that. I doubt if this was what you had in mind."

"Maybe not. I admit that I couldn't have imagined anything like this, but I'm not at all surprised at how you're doing. There's no one I know who could have done better, and that includes Doc. God rest her soul.

"You know, you described the situation pretty accurately before. But look at our strengths. Our population tends to be younger than average, and healthier and probably more used to discomfort and uncertainty, at least compared to the U.S. And more used to being put to work, or if they weren't used to it a week ago, they are now.

"We may not have a lot of information, but we probably can't be surprised, not by anything major, because of Jan. There's nobody we'll meet face to face who won't assist us, including with whatever information they have, because of Tammy. We have weapons, and we have highly disciplined people who are trained in their use." I laughed. "I'm talking about the former Jinx, by the way, not the army. We have international celebrities, a writer and a lunatic. And we have what may well be the only working method of long distance communication."

"Plus we have SarahBeth, who'll scare the hell out of anybody."

I nodded. "I don't mention your skills, out of deference to your modesty."

"Being strong and fast isn't really that much help right now."

I squeezed her shoulders. "Those aren't the skills I was talking about."

We sat in comfortable silence, then, very quietly, she asked, "Did it shock you, about me and SarahBeth?"

"Well, it's not the way I was brought up," I said slowly.

"I'm sure."

"But the attraction is obvious, on both sides, and it's not as if you grew up together. When you met, it was more like meeting an outsider, someone not from your family."

"And, of course, the thing about cousins not getting together is to prevent babies, which we're not about to have." She snorted a laugh. "I sound like I'm trying to justify a relationship which isn't happening, and won't happen."

"True. Plus you and SarahBeth are really only half-cousins, if there is such a thing, since you only share one grandparent, not two."

"Really?" Then she shook her head. "I don't really want the whole family tree. Jan's my sister, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. Same parents."

That's really all I need to know, at least for now. Someday, when things are quiet, you can draw me a chart or something."

"You never wanted a big family?"

"You grew up with one. Do you recommend it?"

I laughed. "Our families are very different."

"Growing up with Alex, that was plenty for me. I never envied 'normal' families."

"I imagine there's a huge difference between one and none, though."

"Well, our life was so unstable, me and Alex, always moving, different names. I had no idea where she got money."

"I suppose we can guess, though. She probably just asked people for it, and they gave it to her."

"That sort of explains a lot, actually. She didn't have it under control, the way she does now. I don't think she was really even aware of what she was doing, most of the time, but I'm sure that's what it was."

"It must have been a shock, to lose the one thing which you thought was stable and reliable."

"Everybody's heard me go on about that. But that wasn't the only thing going on."

"It wasn't bad enough, to be abandoned by the only parent I had, the only family I had. But I was starting to figure out that I was attracted to girls, not to boys. So, I was a pervert as well as an orphan, more or less. I wouldn't have a family who loved me, and I wouldn't have a relationship with someone who loved me." She chuckled. "I knew, in theory, that there were other girls who liked girls, but I had no idea where they were or how I would ever find them.

"Little did I know that my cousin who tormented me on a daily basis was starting to be curious about girls. She'd been with a lot of guys, and she was starting to be bored and restless, wondering what else there might be. She thought that meant she was gay. I think it meant she was restless, in that house and in her family and in general. I mean, here she is with Perry, who she stalked for months, and I hear that a couple of nights ago she had sex with Sam Little's sister, then she and Perry had a threesome with Daphne the dog. That's just how she is, restless."

I laughed. "No secrets around this place, huh?"

Vicki giggled. "Gossip. We've got no electricity, no television or radio, but we've got gossip. Anyway, I think SarahBeth could tell I was attracted to girls, even though I wasn't attracted to her, since she and her sister picked on me all the time. But, as Perry can tell you, if she's interested in you, your feelings about it aren't a factor. She just bops you on the head with her club and drags you off to her cave. And, as long as you don't mind her occasional trips out for fresh meat, and as long as you don't get mushy with her, she'll let you stick around." She smiled. "I failed in both of those, so she kicked me out."

"Perry seems to have the knack, at least so far."

"That, and he can engage her mind, in a way that nobody else can. She acts like a big baby, but she's very smart, and she thinks a lot, a lot more than you'd think by how she acts."

"Plus, he seems to enjoy her, even when she's being impossible."

She smiled. "Well, she is pretty terrific." She glanced up at me. "Don't ever tell her I said that. In fact, don't tell anybody else either."

"You know, if this was a movie, the whole thing would end with a big reconciliation scene with you and SarahBeth."

She shuddered. "I hope not."

We were silent for a while, then she said, "There was a bit of a tiff before, when I was walking back to the hotel from the wedding. You and Jan need to be aware of this. Dr. Lee and CJ walked with me, and Dr. Lee made it clear that she's figured out we're leaving tonight, she's planning to come with us."

"What did you say to that?"

"I said no," she said simply.

"I'm guessing that didn't go over very well."

"You're right. I explained my reasons, or at least one of them, not that she asked, but she didn't care."

"And the reasons were?"

"The one I shared was the one Neil mentioned, which was whether they would help us to succeed or not, and they answer is that they wouldn't. So there's no reason they should come, except that they want to."

"What were the other reasons?"

"We know they don't have a specific agenda, but they don't recognize any authority other than their own. Depending on how this goes, we may need to do things quickly, and it's going to be a problem if I have to stop and get their input every few minutes."

I smiled. "If you say, 'Jump,' they should ask, 'How high?' huh?"

"Me or Neil, and that's the other thing. This is his plan, mostly, and he has a lot of experience at this sort of thing. And you know they're not going to ask, 'How high?' if Neil says, 'Jump.' If I have them there, that undercuts him, and I won't do that."

"And I assume you have a plan for this?"

She nodded. "I'm going to have Tammy put them to sleep before we leave."

"But she's coming with us. How long will it last?"

She shrugged. "I asked her before, and she said they're very strong-willed, so she guessed between twelve and twenty-four hours. And then I'm going to have the army hold them."

"SarahBeth and her crew? Are they up to that?"

"Who knows? It will give them a challenge, and even if Dr. Lee and CJ get away, we'll be way ahead of them. They'll be walking, same as us, so it will be hard for them to catch up to us. And, if they do get away, Jan will let us know right away."

"And, if you don't give the 'army' something to do, they may come up with their own goals."

"Exactly. And that's a scary possibility, so this is better, no matter how it turns out."

"I sometimes wonder how I ended up in this situation when I can't even figure out my own life."

"Pat?"

She nodded, smiling sadly. "I love her, and I respect her, but I'm not sure where it's going, or where I want it to go."

"I've noticed how you and SarahBeth have been avoiding each other."

"God, that's true. Because we both know what could happen, and how easy it would be. And, no matter how I might feel about it, I know I can never satisfy her and make her as happy as Perry can."

"I also noticed that Pat didn't come to the wedding."

"Yeah. She hasn't said anything, but I know she's waiting and wondering if I'll ever propose to her. But she'll never bring it up, that's one thing about her that drives me crazy. It's funny to say, but I wish she was more demanding. It's like whatever I do pleases her, but I'm used to people who know what they want and make it clear."

"Nobody makes it clearer than SarahBeth, that's for sure."

"Exactly. Sometimes I want to scream, 'You want to get married so bad, fucking propose to me and make me make a decision,' but I know she never will.

"God, listen to me, I have a wonderful, considerate, affectionate, gentle girlfriend, and all I can do is compare her, unfavorably, to my bitch of a cousin. I remember one time Doc (and you know what she was like when she was stoned), she asked me if Pat was the same in bed as she is in the meetings. You know, would you like this, how about if I do that, would you . . ." She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, let me stop." She giggled. "But she sort of is, I'm afraid to say. At first, I guess it made sense, she'd never been with a girl before. But she's been with one for a while now, long enough to know what she wants, and to ask for it."

"You know what I think?"

She smiled. "I have no idea. But I would like to know, of course. You give the best advice, when you decide to give it."

I laughed and squeezed her shoulders. "Don't get your hopes up. But here it is. The reason you're having trouble working this out is that it's actually not possible." I held up a hand. "I'm not saying that it's impossible to figure out your love life, or anything else. Of course it is. But not right now." I waved my hand, indicating the buildings all around us. "Food about to run out, medicine the same, people dying, soldiers blocking the bridges, we're lucky we've been able to maintain potable water, but that can't last, and soon we'll be buried in our own waste.

"As you said, you have a big responsibility for getting us all out of this. Are you going to figure out your relationship with Pat at the same time? When, and with what?" I shook my head. "It's not possible. And it's not fair to yourself or to Pat to try."

"It doesn't seem fair to her to stay in a relationship which I'm not sure of."

"No, I disagree, for two reasons. One is that I think that, if you do make a decision now, under these circumstances, you'll regret it later, because you'll know you didn't give it the care it deserved. Pat does love you, and you need to . . ." I snorted a laugh. "I was about to say 'stand pat,' but you know what I mean."

She nodded and laughed. "Well, I can stand pat, that's for sure. But you said two reasons, what's the other one?"

"You said a relationship that you're 'not sure of.' I would submit that, depending on how you look at it, you may be expecting too much if you think you'll ever be 100% sure." I smiled. "You think I don't ever look at your sister and think, 'Who is this lunatic woman I've tied myself to? What in the world was I thinking?' Of course I do. And she probably thinks something similar about me from time to time. I think everybody does, whether they admit it or not.

"Or let's take another example. Does Pete ever think about what his wife has done, and wonder if he can stand to think about that every day for the rest of his life? Or does he wonder if one day she'll turn on him and shoot him? And does she worry about that, too? Well, I know that part is true, she does worry. But they each decided that, of the two options, life together or life apart, life together is better. And you could say the same about Sam and Tammy, or certainly Perry and SarahBeth."

"Especially them," she said with a laugh. "I know he wonders sometimes why he's ended up with this obnoxious, amoral, teenage stalker dyke. And she never wonders, she's not made that way, but she expresses the same thing by going off to sleep with other people." She sighed. "Which I guess means you're right. Darn it." She smiled. "So, that's my new slogan for now, 'I can stand pat.'"

"Stirring," I said.

She grinned. "I'll have to see about having buttons made up."

–Oh, Marshall . . .

I laughed. "My wife, your sister, is gently indicating that she's growing impatient for my company."

Vicki smiled. "I'm sure she is. And I know somebody's probably feeling the same about me, she just can't tell me so conveniently." We stood up and hugged. "That was nice," she said. "You can tell Jan that you were exactly who I needed to talk to tonight."

She looked up and grinned. "Race you downstairs!" she said, then the door to the stairway slammed open and she was gone, faster than I could see.

A few hours later, after insufficient sleep, we walked back toward Duffy's. It was the darkest part of the night, but the sky was clearer than it had been, and there were several stars visible, giving enough light to keep us from tripping over curbs or walking into walls.

We saw a few other people on the street, but not many. Lack of electricity had tended to move even dedicated night owls toward a more conventional schedule. A couple of times a runner passed us on a bicycle.

We were both quiet, and I didn't need her psychic abilities to know that she was starting to get tense, as I was also. In dangerous situations in the past, we had learned to distinguish between being nervous, and being "tense." Nervous was bad, leading to overreaction and wrong decisions. Tense was just being alert, poised to act quickly when necessary.

I was tense about the stadium project, the uncertainty of what we'd find, and I had some questions about the people I was going with. Would starling, away from Pete's calming influence, go crazy at a key moment? Was Perry tough enough to play his part?

And Jan was worried (well, let's say "tense") about me, and also about how, when most of us were gone, she'd be responsible for everything else, with only Ray and Pat to assist her. And SarahBeth, too, of course, if that could be counted as help.

At least, that's what I was assuming she was thinking about. In case it hasn't been made clear, neither of us could read minds. She had an ability to sense emotions, and to be aware, in a limited way, of how the future would go. She'd had that as long as I'd known her, though it had taken a while before I'd really believed in it.

In addition, we had the ability to communicate silently, whether or not we were together. But that was a conscious act, just like speaking out loud. We had discovered it right after our marriage, and I'd assumed it was a wedding present.

I remembered the first time I'd had to admit that she might really be able to see into the future. We'd been in Bellona for several months, and she'd been writing the series of articles which had first made people aware of her as anything other than a rather eccentric amateur detective/reporter.

We were in our room at the hotel where most of the press were staying. It had been obvious for a week or so that the monarchy was about to fall, and the mood among the reporters was pretty festive. Not that they all were rooting for the PRM, but the fall of the king would make for a great story, and, after things had settled down, many of them knew they would probably be sent somewhere else.

I was sitting at the wobbly desk, making the usual repairs to her typewriter. Part of a window frame had fallen on it two weeks before, and it had never completely recovered. She was pacing back and forth across the room, talking to someone from the magazine in New York. Another of my responsibilities, wherever we stayed, was the installation of an extra-long cord so she could pace while talking on the phone. She could carry the handset but not the phone itself, because she needed one hand for her cane.

I don't remember what the conversation was about, I was concentrating on the typewriter, but she got my attention when the telephone receiver and her cane both fell to the carpet.

I caught her as she swayed, and helped her to the sofa. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's tonight," she said, looking at the window. "The invasion is going to be tonight."

"Is that what they said?" I demanded. "How do they know?"

Her face was pale and drawn, and her skin was clammy, and I got her a cigarette and lit it for her.

The invasion was the biggest subject of rumors and speculation among the reporters. With the monarchy apparently about to fall, would the United States step in?

Finally, when she'd collected herself, she lit another cigarette and said, "They didn't tell me. They said that someone from the State Department just announced that the situation here was a civil war, and they weren't going to get involved."

"Then–"

"I know. I just know. The invasion will come tonight." She got to her feet, with my help, and I picked up her cane and hung up the phone. "Headquarters," she said. "We have to go. Come on."

She had some clout there, because of the international interest her articles had generated, but it wasn't enough to let us just walk into the headquarters of the PRM whenever we wanted to. We finally did get in, though, and by telling them some fairly elaborate lies (involving a tip from a senior member of the administration who was sympathetic) she got them to believe her, and they started preparing. We were escorted out, air raid sirens went off, searchlights were turned on, trucks and troops and planes went into motion, and we had barely made it back to the hotel when the bombs started to fall. Whereupon, of course, we went up to the roof of the hotel to get a good view of things.

We survived, obviously, and so did Bellona, though for a couple of months it was hanging on by a thread.

I learned a few things from that experience. One was that my employer might actually have some ability to see the future. Another was that, because of her ability, and because of her temperament, she was going to take some huge risks, with her life and with mine.

So, in an attempt to keep us both alive, I worked, usually without much success, at being the voice of reason. Or, I should say, I had success at being reasonable, but mostly not at having any effect on what we were going to do.

I had long ago given up on this, however, partly because arriving in U-town, and meeting Vicki and Randi and Tammy, pretty much sealed that we were down the rabbit hole and I might as well relax and enjoy it, as much as possible. But it was also partly because I had learned over the years how real her abilities were, and in fact we were soon to find out that they were more powerful than either one of us had ever realized.

Besides, as I said, she almost never listened anyway.

So, for some reason as we walked along, I was thinking about those days in Bellona, probably because I was getting tense about what was going to happen next, and I was putting a lot of confidence in her predictions. She had said this would all work out, and I just had to believe that she was right. All evidence to the contrary.

As we turned the final corner to Duffy's, I became aware of how chilly it was out. I shook my head. Walking all those blocks without being aware of the temperature looked more like "nervous" than "tense," I had to admit.

Neil and Katherine and Pete were at the bar. Katherine and Neil were drinking coffee, Pete was having a beer, and Katherine and Pete were smoking. Tammy was sitting at a table by herself, sipping coffee. Jan immediately went to talk to Neil about something, so I walked over to Tammy.

She inclined her head. "Marshall," she said.

"Tammy. May I sit?"

"Of course. Would you like a coffee?"

I stood up again, but she smiled and motioned for me to stay. "The bartender will bring it," she said. I looked over and Archie was already in motion.

"Is this it so far?" I asked.

She nodded. "They'll be along, or at least Vicki will. I can't speak for Perry, he's in the grip of that hellion of a girlfriend."

"Is Sam coming?"

She looked at me as if I'd just made a rude joke.

"Even if he and I were inclined to make a public spectacle of our farewells," she said, "we certainly wouldn't do it here. But, even more important than that, he only got in an hour ago, and he was exhausted."

"Is he still volunteering with the medical people?"

"Of course. Twelve to fourteen hours a day. Both with the medical staff and delivering meals to people who can't get around. And I am certainly not going to interrupt his sleep to drag him down here."

"Did you tell him about the wedding?"

She smiled, not meeting my eyes as Archie put a mug of coffee in front of me. "Not in great detail," she said. "I did tell him about one or two things that I thought he might find particularly interesting. He was rather keyed up when he got home, you can imagine how stressful it gets sometimes, so I went to the kitchen and made him some chamomile tea, and then I gave him a backrub while I told him about it. By the time I was done, he was asleep."

The door opened and SarahBeth, Perry and Daphne came in, all looking somewhat the worse for wear.

"Oh, Lord," Tammy said. "Perry looks like he's about to pass out. I thought we talked about the importance of getting some rest before we start."

"Apparently, SarahBeth had other ideas."

"Thinking only of herself, as usual. I do not understand what he sees in her." She held up a hand. "And let's not even discuss that dog girl."

I nodded, though I rather liked Daphne. "I just hope Perry can keep up with us."

She smiled thinly. "He will. If necessary, I will make him keep up."

Daphne went to Pete's side and leaned against his leg. He absently stroked her hair as he talked with Matthew and Katherine.

I had a thought about Daphne, and not for the first time, which was that I didn't know why she lived her life as a dog, but it was certainly true that she got a lot more non-sexual physical affection than any other adult I'd ever seen. I wondered if that was a factor.

After a few minutes, the door opened again, and Vicki and Pat came in. They had their arms around each other, and everybody greeted them. Then Jan called Vicki over to consult with her and Neil about something, and Pat looked suddenly at sea. Pete and Katherine and the rest of the Duffy's gang were ignoring her. They barely knew her, of course. I couldn't call her over to where I was, Tammy's expression was disapproving.

"I hope she doesn't cry or cause a scene," Tammy said as Archie hurried over to pour us more coffee.

"Well, there may possibly be some danger in what we're going off to do," I commented.

"Of course, but you know Jan won't make a scene. And you wouldn't, would you, if your positions were reversed?"

"Your daughter and I have already been through a war together, long before we came here. That has an effect on how you look at things."

"True, but look at her–"

"Tammy, I apologize for interrupting, but you never were a teenager, were you?"

A smiled flickered across her face, but it vanished quickly. "If you're thinking of Vicki, who is a teenager, I think she acts in a very mature manner. It's Pat, on the other hand, who is somewhat older . . " She laughed unexpectedly. "You're right, of course, I never was a teenager. I never had a first crush, or a first boyfriend, or any of that. I can pontificate on how badly young people behave, because nobody can come along and tell embarrassing stories about how I behaved at that age. I was quite a bit older than that when I sprang full-grown from the brow of a disgruntled office worker." She smiled. "But, be honest, don't you think Vicki could do just a little bit better?"

I shrugged. "I had a talk with Sam the other night, about how peculiar most relationships look when you're on the outside, yours and mine included. I know there has been gossip and speculation about Jan and I since I started working for her. I'm sure almost all of it was way off the mark. And, to be honest, I doubt most people would look at you and visualize you making Sam herbal tea and rubbing his back. So, that's a long way around to saying that I trust Vicki's judgement."

Tammy nodded and sipped her coffee. "That's a good answer," she admitted.

With Vicki there, we were ready to leave except for the supplies, and I was starting to get tense again. Then the door to the back room swung open and Fifteen came in, pulling a dolly with what looked like some dirty sacks of laundry on it. The whole thing looked a bit precarious, and I was surprised that Pat didn't move to help. I got up and went over, steadying the load as he pulled it toward the bar.

"Now available!" he announced. "Complete 'Do-It-Yourself Dangerous Mission' kits. One kit for each of our intrepid adventurers. The contents of each kit includes, but is not limited to, the following." He pulled a long piece of paper from between two of the bags, which the candlelight from the bar revealed to be army surplus knapsacks, and started to read.

"Food (both edible and inedible), water, peanut butter, paper, pencils, flashlights, muffins, batteries (both usable and not), cigarettes, matches, candy bars, decks of cards, cans of potted meat product, one set of the complete novels of Perry Nelson, candles, firecrackers, party hats, toilet paper, mason jars containing coffee, bandages, one book of first aid instructions (in Spanish), condoms and sanitary supplies, as–"

He stopped abruptly, with a sort of gurgling noise, and Tammy said, "That was actually rather amusing, until he started to get vulgar."

"You're making some of that up, aren't you?" Pete asked Fifteen, who had a strange expression on his face. It was apparently his first experience with Tammy's peculiar method of discouraging inappropriate behavior, and Katherine stood up and helped him up onto her stool.

"We should go," Vicki said. Tammy stood up and came over, and Vicki said, "Dr. Lee and CJ?"

Tammy smiled. "Sleeping peacefully."

"I beg your pardon?" Neil asked, turning to face them.

"They were insisting on coming with us," Vicki explained. "I didn't have a chance to tell you. Tammy made them go to sleep before she left the hotel. They won't wake up for a while. And, when they do, I don't think they'll be able to catch up to us."

Neil chuckled. "They won't try very hard to escape," he said. "She's made the gesture, insisting on helping to rescue the members being held, but she is very aware that this could be quite dangerous, and her number one priority is her own skin. Always." He shook his head. "No, when Tammy's compulsion wears off, she'll probably just turn over and go back to sleep."

Neil and Tammy waited patiently as the rest of us said goodbye to the ones who were staying behind. Most of my attention was on saying goodbye to Jan. We spoke silently, and I won't recount the specifics here.

Then Tammy came up to say something to Jan, and I noticed that, as Pete and Katherine held each other, Daphne stood up (on her hind legs, as it were) and embraced both of them. They each put an arm around her, and the three of them stood motionless for a few moments. It surprised me to see that Daphne was the tallest of the three.

As I watched this, I could hear SarahBeth threatening Perry with various kinds of bodily harm she would inflict on him if he allowed himself to get hurt on, as she put it, "the adventure."

Looking around, I realized that we were a rather odd-looking group.

Neil probably fit in the best. He was dressed like Vicki, black leather jacket, black T-shirt and black jeans, though he wore boots instead of high-top sneakers. And he was heavily armed, as Katherine was.

The wedding over, Katherine was again dressed as she usually was, in jeans and a T-shirt, with a bulky and soiled army coat and army boots. Her gunbelt was back in place, and as she, Pete and Daphne broke their embrace, she pulled several other guns out, one by one, and checked them as well.

She said something to Pete, and he took a gun from his pocket. She checked it and gave it back to him, whispering something to him and kissing him on the cheek. I had the idea that he usually didn't carry one (it was difficult to imagine Pete ever firing a gun), but she was insisting because she was going to be away.

I was not armed. I've carried a gun, and even fired one from time to time, but I'm not comfortable with them. If gunplay was needed, Neil and Katherine would probably have the situation resolved before I could get my gun out anyway.

Perry and I were dressed similarly, with khaki pants and collared shirts. He had a sweatshirt and a denim jacket, and I wore an insulated plaid shirt which I knew would take me through worse weather than we were likely to encounter on this trip.

Tammy wore what looked like a safari outfit, all flaps and pockets, in a light tan color. All she would have needed was a pith helmet in order to look like a member of the upper class on her way to bag her first elephant.

Nobody cried, or made a scene.

When we were ready, Vicki turned to Tammy and nodded.

"Listen," Tammy said firmly. Archie and the Duffy's regulars had been ignoring the farewells, but they all turned to face Tammy.

"We're leaving," she said, "by way of the trapdoor which I understand is behind the bar. After we go, you will not remember how we left, and you will not speculate about where we might be going or why. Later, when the sky starts to get light, each of you will go and take a shower, change your clothes, have a decent meal, and get some sleep. Is that clear?"

They all nodded in unison. She smiled. "Let's go."

Next Chapter: A Journey in the Dark

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