Thales did not look at the Baronessa when the 'cast winked out.

'Your wife is beautiful, said Mira.

'Yes, agreed Thales, 'and clever. But her loyalties are tied, above everything, to the Sophos. I learned that the hardest of ways. Yet today she did not seem herself.

'Perhaps she too has been affected by the virus.

Thales stared at the Baronessa. 'No. His denial was soft and unsure.

'If your leaders are also tainted by it, you may have difficulty convincing them of any danger.

'You dont think that I should meet them?

Mira gave the slightest shrug. 'What are the consequences of this virus?

'In truth, I dont know. I saw signs of apathy among both the young thinkers and the Sophos before I left. I was frustrated but not alarmed, thinking it merely a pa.s.sing thing, something that would rectify itself with a new crop of free thinkers. I was resolved to fight alone, to continue to ask hard questions when questions seemed pa.s.se. It was not until I met Villon that I considered it could be more than a mindset. Now I see that Scolar has fallen ill.

'Then will the Sophos believe you? Are they capable of truly grasping or caring about the threat?

The 'cast display shimmered alive before he could reply.

'Thales?

'Im here, Rene.

His wifes voice seemed sharper. 'Is the woman you seek to help the fugitive Baronessa from Araldis?

'Yes.

'On what grounds do you believe Mount Clement can help her?

Mira left Primo to stand near Thales in the broadcast s.p.a.ce.

'I am Mira Fedor, Rene Mianos.

Rene inclined her head, eyes narrowing slightly. 'Baronessa.

'I would plead for your help. My baby, conceived on Araldis, has been subject to experiments in the Post- Species worlds. It is only a short time in the womb, and yet it wants to be born. My biozoon is of the belief that the child is not properly humanesque.

'The father is alien?

Thales saw the faint wrinkle of distaste in Renes expression, and felt embarra.s.sed by her prejudice.

'No. We fear it may be a Post-Species hybrid.

'That sounds far-fetched, Baronessa.

The scant colour in Miras face drained away, and she suddenly looked so tired that Thales thought she might faint.

He took her arm. 'Rene, please. I know her, and have travelled with her. The things she says are true. She needs help, or the baby will die. The cell accelerator may save her child.

Rene looked away from them, as if to someone out of their view. 'Very well, Thales. Ill make contact with the clinic.

'Thank you. Mira steadied herself and nodded to Thales. She left the buccal.

Thales watched her leave, and then looked at his wife.

'We are alone now, he told her.

'Strange company you keep these days, my husband.

'Fortune has taken me in unexplainable directions.

'Is it fortune? Your appearance...

'The scarring will soften, said Thales. 'And the cause of it is not a story to be told in brief. I had hoped to see you again. Ive thought of you often.

'Im afraid that your fate is out of my hands, Thales. I would wish you well.

'That is all, Rene? That is all you would wish me? He couldnt stop his voice from rising.

She gave him her look of practised patience. 'That sounds more like you, Thales.

'What sounds like me?

'You were always so easily hurt.

Thales faltered for a moment. 'Is that how you remember me? As weak?

Her expression softened. 'Not weak, Thales. But someone with a deep sense of ent.i.tlement.

Suddenly all the nervousness and the expectation of speaking to Rene again drained away in the face of her criticism. 'Im not the person you remember, or think you know, Rene, he said stiffly. 'And Ill manage my own fate. But I would ask one thing for what has happened between us. One boon for a marriage lost.

She waited.

'Whatever happens to me in the coming days, please take care of the Baronessa Fedor. So many things depend on her.

JO-JO RASTEROVICH.

'Thats it! Randall called down to them.

Jo-Jo crawled up the crest of a dune and peered over. The Araldis landing port might have looked like any other outer-world docking arrangement if over half of it hadnt been burned beyond recognition. There was movement in the ruins too: Saqr, crawling lethargically around the twisted remains of docking tubes and hydraulic platforms.

's.h.i.t, said Jo-Jo. 'What now? The sky was lightening, with sunrise imminent. Already the air felt like it was blistering his skin.

Randall pointed to a low-set catoplasma building still intact, on the near side of the port, at the base of a bare red-rock mountain. 'Pellegrini buildings. For a bunch of n.o.bles, they were big on bureaucracy. Been in a couple of their offices when we first arrived here. Franco liked to show off his stuff. I say we head there. Should be coolers and water, might even be some food left. She looked at Catchut. 'You make it, Cat?

'Sure, Capo, the mercenary rasped. 'Not dyin out here.

Rast nodded. 'Lets move then. Keep low.

Dropping down behind the last line of dunes, they skirted the breadth of the landing port until the sand became the rocky underlay of the mountain.

A faint hot breeze p.r.i.c.kled against Jo-Jos sweat- drenched skin. The relief wouldnt last long. One ray of direct sunlight, and every drop of moisture in his body would evaporate in the blink of an eye.

'Rest, Capo? pleaded Catchut.

Randall glanced to the horizon. 'Not unless you wanna change your mind about dyin out here.

Jo-Jo glanced up. About a hundred metres of climb to the building, and only precious minutes before sunrise. He reached for Catchuts arm again and hooked it around his neck. Randall did the same on the other side.

Between them, they clawed their way up the already burning red rock. Their time trapped in the Medium had atrophied their muscles, and Jo-Jo struggled to make headway, each movement the result of willpower, nothing else.

One more step.

One more step.

One more.

One.

By the time his hand touched the base of the catoplasma wall, Catchut was moaning with distress, and even Randall didnt have the energy to tell him to shut up. She pointed to the far side. 'Should-be-stairs.

The two of them crawled along to the edge, dragging Catchut behind them. To Jo-Jos relief, stairs jutted from the side.

As Leah burst above the horizon, they crawled up the stairs, clinging to the shade of the building overhang.

Randall made the top first, turning around to pull Catchut up behind her. The injured mercenary rolled into the doorway. By the time Jo-Jo joined them, Randall had popped the door seal and dragged Catchut inside.

Jo-Jo resealed the door after them and fell back onto the floor, alongside the others. The cool wash of air was like a fever breaking, allowing him to sweat. The environmentals were still working. Thank f.u.c.king Crux!

But after a few desperate lungfuls of cooler air, Jo-Jo gagged. The place stank of death.

None of them spoke, though Catchut retched as well.

Jo-Jo rolled away from the other two and fell into an immediate exhausted sleep. Cramps woke him at some stage and then he fell back to sleep, dreaming that his legs were trapped in the hardening Extro gel. He started awake again, thrashing.

A sharp kick to his thigh stopped him. He scrubbed his face and coughed out watery vomit.

'Get up. Ive found some food, said Randall. 'You been out for hours.

She was standing an arms length away, leaning on the railing of a stairwell. Closer to him, Catchut was sitting up, eating something that looked like dry dough and drinking from a bucket.

'Hope you don mind, Randall drawled sarcastically, nodding at the bucket. 'Theyre a bit short on cups.

Jo-Jo took the container from Catchut and gulped down some tepid liquid. 'Cheers.

Catchut broke off some stale dough and gave it to him.

While Jo-Jo ground a piece between his teeth, he marvelled again at Randalls resilience. Hair caked with dirt and clothes ragged with filth, her lean face still looked alive and determined.

'Most stuffs intact here, she said. 'Even a place to wash. Havent found an AiV yet, but a coupla days holed up here should give us some recovery time. Might even be able to listen in to the 'casts if we can get the comms working. She glanced at the ceiling. 'Thats if anythings goin on up there that we can follow.

'Cant believe were still f.u.c.kin alive, Capo, said Catchut, weakly. 'Any chance we could find some boots somewhere? His feet were blistered and bleeding from the rock climb.

'Sure thing. Plenty of bodies. Could have you dressed like an aristo, Cat. What you say?

'Never said no to a dead mans clothes, Capo. He got no use for them.

Randall gave a screwy grin. 'Lifes been kind to us, fellas. Wed ended up in here a few weeks ago, wed be spewing our guts up at the stink. She sniffed the foul air. 'Theyre mostly dried out-just a little bit of dead left now. Rest is dust.

Jo-Jo wondered if Randall had ever felt any reverence for the dead, or whether that part got lobotomised along the way. 'You think the Saqr are likely to come up here? There was plenty of 'em down at the port.

'Cant see no sign that theyve been back here since the first attack. Theyve eaten and left. We just need to keep real quiet until we work out what to do.

Jo-Jo nodded. With stiff shaky movements, he got to his feet. First things first: he needed to take a p.i.s.s, real bad. 'Where can I wash?

'Up the stairs, next floor, other end. Few bags of bones along the way.

Jo-Jo followed her directions to the bathroom, stepping over several robed bodies showing signs of mummification. Randall was right-a few weeks ago the stench would have been unbearable. As it was, Jo- Jo still wanted to heave up his newly ingested stale dough.

He relieved himself, sparing a moment to wonder whether being suspended in Extro goo had any lasting repercussions for his body. So far everything seemed to be working as usual, although he hadnt had a c.r.a.p since leaving Insignia, and that couldnt be a good thing. The Medium had nourished them during travel, but how well, and with what consequences, he couldnt tell.

He stripped off his clothes and activated the water flow in the handbasin. Then he washed as much of himself as he could fit under the spray. Not bothering to dry, he took clothing from one of the bodies outside in the corridor, and was tying the waist cord on the robe when Randall and Catchut joined him.

'A pretty fit, if it was made for a scarecrow, said Randall.

Jo-Jo stepped back into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. His face was so gaunt underneath his beard that he barely recognised himself.

They were all bone-thin, and paler than a living person should be. He stuck his chin out. 'You could do with change of clothes yourself. Im gonna look around.

'Just make sure you dont set off any alarms. Dont want something pinging down the port to the Saqr.

He nodded. 'Where will you be?

'Well get cleaned up and meet you in the kitchen on the third floor. Theres some dried food left in the cupboards.

Jo-Jo searched the first two levels before fatigue ambushed him again. The lifts werent working, and he took care not to turn on any lights. That meant stumbling into overturned furniture, and having to feel his way through offices. The absence of bodies other than the ones in the corridor outside the bathroom made him curious. Had everyone evacuated before the Saqr came?

He made his way to the third-floor kitchen and found Randall cooking up a pot of pasta.

Jo-Jo stared at her with mild surprise. 'You can cook?

'As needs, she said tersely, 'and dont get used to it. Im powerful hungry; feels like I havent eaten in a year.

Jo-Jo was feeling the same. Now that hed moved around a bit, hunger gnawed like a b.i.t.c.h.

Randall strained the pasta and dumped it onto three disposable plates. 'One thing you can say about these Latinos: they know how to stock a storeroom with food. Every building has a dining hall. Guess theres no running out for quick food in this stinkin climate.