Wiz didn't say anything. He leaned back, rested his head on the rim and let the hot water drain the tension from every muscle.

A fine sifting of dust was falling from the ceiling. Wiz brushed it out of his hair absently and sneezed as the pungent dust tickled his nose. He wet his finger and caught a speck of the dust on the end. His eyes wrinkled at the sharp taste and then widened as he recognized it. Lemon pepper!

A broom-sized bundle of herbs dropped from above and splashed into the pool next to him. aLook out! It's the lobster again.a There was a mad scramble for weapons and wizards staffs as the pool emptied almost instantly.

aOh, pshaw!a came a crustacean-accented voice from the misty darkness above.

Glandurg came pounding up through the fog, waving Blind Fury as if to decapitate the foea"or someonea" with a single stroke. The others moved around to the opposite side of the pool, well out of range.

aWhat happened?a the dwarf demanded.

Wiz pointed to the bundle of herbs floating in the pot of would-be Cannibal Soup Mix. aThe lobster. He must have come across the roof of the cave.a Glandurg looked up and snorted. 'The craven creature was afraid to face my steel. Little did I expect the foe to crawl along the ceiling like some verminous spider. But never fear. I shall be ready if he returns.a Wiz glanced at the pool, already filling the steamy air with the spicy aroma of herbs, pepper and lemon.

aNever mind. I think I've had all the swimming I want.a aWhat now?a Bal-Simba asked Jerry after they had stashed the truck with Moira in it in a hotel parking lot.

aBack to the convention, I guess. We'll start working the outlying halls. That's where they put the newcomers to the show and Taj is more likely to be hanging around some of the more innovative startups.a He sighed. aThis isn't working very well. I'm sorry.a aThere is nothing to be sorry for,a Bal-Simba said. aThe obstacles are clearly very great.a Thanks, but we can't keep going like this. Not with the cops looking for us.a aI do not believe Moira can continue here either. She grows ever sicker and weaker. It is well that she can sleep the day away, but even soaa He shrugged.

aYeah. Okay, let's try today, and if we haven't found him by evening we'll just head north to the power spot and go home.a Even the smaller halls were jammed and, if anything, the crowds were more colorful than at the main exhibits. There was a higher ponytail-and-T-shirt to suit ratio, Jerry noted approvingly, and here and there someone was sitting on the steps or a bench with an open laptop actually hacking code.

Their first stop was the message center, more out of optimism than genuine hope. There was still nothing for Taj, but to his amazement Jerry found a message for him from Elaine Haverford.

Their second stop was the line at a pay phone. After twenty minutes, Jerry paid a scalper twenty dollars to use a cell phone that had been hacked to have a fire marshall's priority so its calls would get through.

Dr. Haverford answered on the second ring. aOh yes, Mr. Andrews, I did see Taj last night. He was at the chili cookoff. Were you there?a aAh, we were having a hot time of our own,a Jerry told her. aDid you talk to him?a aOnly for a minute. He placed second in the relativistic Tetris compet.i.tion, you know, and he didn't have much time. But I did find he's staying with the people from, ah, Bizzareware at the Paladin.a s.h.i.t! Jerry thought, right where we started. aThe Paladin? Okay, thanks, Dr. Haverford. We'll get in touch with him right away and set up a meeting with your folks later. Thanks again.a aWe gotta do something nice for that company,a Jerry said as he handed the phone back to the scalper.

aWhat now?a Bal-Simba asked. aI believe you told me that everyone is at the show all day and unreachable at their lodgings until evening.a aMost people are,a Jerry corrected. aBut it's barely ten. If I know Taj he's still asleep, especially after a relativistic Tetris tournament. So let's pick up the truck, head for the Paladin and set up a meet.a aWhy not call him from here?a aBecause,a Jerry said grimly. aIf he doesn't agree to meet us, we're going to waylay him in the lobby and kidnap him. I don't want to take a chance on waking him up and letting him get away before we get there.a It took nearly fifteen rings for someone to answer the phone in the Bizarreware suite at the Paladin. All the while Jerry fidgeted and Bal-Simba merely waited.

ah.e.l.lo,a came a muzzy voice at the other end of the line.

aIs Taj there?'

aThis is Taj. Whaddya want?a aMy name is Jerry Andrews, , and I've got to see you right away.a aHey, it's not even noon yet.a aI know, but this is important.a Taj's voice hardened. aAnd you'll only take five minutes of my time, right?a aActually,a Jerry said, ait'll probably take a couple of weeks of your time, but you'll hate yourself if you don't meet me.a The voice sighed. aWell, that's original anyway. Okay, I'll tell you what. Let me get a shower and some breakfast and I'll meet you in the lobby, by the bird cage, say, in an hour. Okay?a aFine. We'll be there.a

THIRTEEN - MAKING A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL.

aIt has been longer than an hour, has it not?a Bal-Simba asked nearly two hours later.

aYeah, but don't worry. If he said he was coming, he's coming. Probably. It's just that time doesn't mean the same thing to him it does to you or me.a Bal-Simba nodded. aElven blood.a Jerry didn't have a chance to respond before someone called out aMr. Andrews?a and Jerry turned to see the object of their quest.

Seeing him once again Jerry appreciated how he got the nickname Tajmanian Devil.a E.T. Tajikawa was rather over six feet tall and loose-limbed without being gangly. But it was the face that got you. It was thin, with an unusually aquiline nose, high cheekbones, narrow lips and topped by a p.r.o.nounced widow's peak of black hair. The only thing that kept him from looking positively satanic was the perpetual expression of bemused interest. aJerry; please. And this is Bal-Simba.a aCool.a Taj shook hands. aNow what's this big deal?a aCome on out back Part of the problems in a truck.a aWhat are you guys gonna do, kidnap me?a aOnly if we must,a Bal-Simba said mildly. aNo, no,a Jerry put in hastily. aNothing like that, but there's something out there you gotta see.a Taj eyed them suspiciously. aPrototype hardware?a aKinda. Ah, look, have you heard anything about a dragon at the show?a aIs that you? I'll say! You guys are causing more of a stir than anything on the show floor. Even Intel's pre-announcement leak of the Octium-and-a-half.a aOctium-and-a-half?a Jerry asked as he held the door open for Taj.

aIt's a P8 with a couple of extra ALUs, a bigger look ahead cache and another pipeline. Even in simulation the original was a slug, barely 300 MIPS. Anyway,a Taj went on without a break, athere are stories about that dragon all over the show. There's also a bidding war going on for the video game rights. If you guys don't have an agentaa aRight now we've got bigger problems,a Jerry said.

All through this Bal-Simba had been behind Tajikawa, studying his ears closely for signs of points.

aWhat's with him?a aHe thinks you're an elf.a Taj looked over his shoulder at the wizard. aI've got some friends who are Radical Faeries. Does that count?a When they got to the truck, Jerry rolled up the back and Fluffy's head jerked erect.

aMy G.o.d!a Tajikawa said.

aGet on in. We don't want too many people to see this.a He and Bal-Simba followed the Tajmanian Devil into the truck and rolled down the back behind them.

By that time Taj was already examining the dragon. aSomeone did a h.e.l.l of a job on this skin,a he said. Then he reached out and grabbed Fluffy's foreleg just above the joint and kneaded the flesh experimentally. The dragon drew back its head and hissed, giving Taj a faceful of sulfurous breath and a close look at a dragon's dental equipment.

Taj didn't so much jump back as levitate retrograde. aMy G.o.d!a he yelped. aIt's real!a aI'm sorry, My Lord,a Moira said contritely. aI am not always the master of this body's reflexes.a aBut you're a real dragon!a aActually,a Moira said sadly, aI am a witch, trapped in a dragon's body.a aThat's part of the problem,a Jerry said. aBut only part of it.a aSo? Don't you need a wizard or something to handle this, not a programmer.a Jerry jerked his head at Bal-Simba. aActually he's a wizard. But where we're from a programmer is also a wizard. That's part of the problem as well.a Taj c.o.c.ked his head and Jerry congratulated himself. The trick had always been to get Tajikawa to buy into the deal once they found him. So far that part was going nicely.

aI know you've been up to something,a Taj said. aThere are all kinds of rumors about you and Wiz Zumwalt flying around the net.a He looked behind Jerry at the twenty-foot dragon. aBut I guess the rumors didn't have the half of it.a aWe've got a really weird problem.a Taj looked at the dragon again. aI'll bet.a aNo, I mean really weird. And we need help.a aNo kidding?a Taj sounded intrigued. aTell me about it.a aIt's so weird I can't even describe it to you. You've got to experience it.a aNo kidding,a Taj said again.

Jerry tried to keep a poker face but he was smiling inside. Gotcha!

Blue eyes crying in the raina Michael Francis Xavier Gilligan concentrated on the way the neon lights reflected off the ice in his highball. It hadn't been raining when they had parted, but Karin's blue eyes had been full of tears. So had Gilligan's.

A smattering of computer chatter drifted over from the group in suits at the next table. That was the other thing. The whole d.a.m.n town was full of computer types.

Lines were terrible, traffic was more than normally awful, there were no rental cars to be had and hotel rooms were at a premium.

It was too d.a.m.n early to be drinking, he knew, but what the h.e.l.l else was there to do in this place? What I get for volunteering to come in a week early, he thought sourly.

Gilligan was in Las Vegas on business as well. Next week, after the computer show ended, was the Western Air Show. The aeros.p.a.ce company he joined after leaving the Air Force had needed someone to come in early and get things set and ready. It seemed like a good idea at the time. An extra week in sunny, exciting Las Vegas at company expense plus an opportunity to visit some of his old Air Force buddies stationed at Nellis.

It hadn't worked out that way. Not only was the town jammed, but it wasn't as exciting as he remembered from his last tour here. Half the people he had known at Nellis were gone, a.s.signed to other bases scattered halfway around the world. But worse than that was the gulf that had opened between him and the other pilots. Oh, they still liked him well enough, but he didn't strap his a.s.s into a high-performance jet every day and let it hang out. He wasn't a member of the fraternity any more and that left an awkward hole in the relationship. After a couple of painfully clumsy visits, Gilligan had begun avoiding the base and his old friends.

Blue eyes cryin in the raina That left him nothing to do but drink, and brood Las Vegas was a great town for doing both, he was discovering.

He hadn't been much of either a drinker or a brooder before, not even when his marriage broke up. But then he'd drawn a mission out over the Bering Sea, come out on the short end of a dogfight with a dragon and met Karin. He couldn't stay in mat world, but he had promised to return as soon as his tour in the Air Force was finished. The programmer/magicians there had even given him a phone number he could use to call them when he was ready.

Well, he got ready. Then the number hadn't worked! When he tried to use it he got a visit from a couple of very serious FBI agents who questioned him about possible involvement in telephone fraud.

So here he was, left with nothing but memories. Nothing to do but remember, and drink. G.o.d, he hated himself when he got maudlin like this.

Blue eyes cryin' in the raina The security guard wasn't looking for dragons. In fact he was checking for people sleeping in their cars in the parking lot.

With hotel rooms completely unavailable it wasn't unknown for Comdex-goers to live out of their cars. Cars were fairly easy to spot on regular rounds, as were motorhomes. Vans were special objects of attention.

As the guard came closer he heard several voices coming from the back of the rental truck. So naturally he jumped to the obvious, and wrong, conclusion.

aHotel security. Open up in there.a He yanked the back of the truck up and was promptly trampled by a panicked dragon.

aAh, Mick.a Gilligan looked up from the remains of his drink to see Ivan Kuznetsov standing at his table. He didn't really feel like company, but he waved the Russian to a seat anyway.

Kuznetsov was a bit of a character. According to rumor he had defected from the Soviet Union a couple of years before it fell apart. Now he was using his connections in both the former Soviet republics and the West to put together aviation-related adealsa of much import but vague content Their paths crossed repeatedly on the air show circuit and Mick had found him a more congenial drinking partner than most of the executives he met.

aYou have an interest in dragons, yes?a Gilligan nodded, vaguely recalling a drunken conversation one night in Brussels.

aThen you might want to look out front. Police are chasing a dragon around the building.a Jerry, Taj, Bal-Simba and the dragon had ducked through the first open door they could find. Unfortunately that led right into the main casino.

aOh, s.h.i.t,a Jerry breathed. aJust act natural and head out the other side.a As casually as they could, the three men and the dragon strolled across the casino floor. The slot players paid no attention, of course, but the guards started grabbing for their radios and moving toward them.

The magic field that kept Fluffy alive had some rather interesting effects on the laws of probability. The dragon waddled through the casino leaving a string of jackpots in his wake. In fact every slot machine he pa.s.sed suddenly started paying off.

The effect was as instantaneous and predictable as gravity. The machines were mobbed by slot players determined to cash in on the sudden bounty. Since in Las Vegas amonomaniacal slot playera is a redundancy, not one of the converging crowd was willing to let a little thing like a dozen cops stand between them and riches.

The leading guard nearly fell over a tiny blue-haired woman in pink shorts who was making for a dollar slot still pouring out coins. She didn't even look as she elbowed him expertly and sidestepped his falling body to beat out a Chinese man for the machine by perhaps one pace.

The guards behind fared even worse as the crowd congealed, blindly determined to reach those machines.

The police weren't so much thrown back by the determined gamblers as they simply bounced off the writhing ma.s.s of humanity. One officer shouted into his walkie-talkie, trying to make himself heard above the din of the suddenly bountiful slot machines.

Never ones to question the dictates of fortune, Jerry, Bal-Simba, Taj and Moira made for a side door. They had barely turned the corner when they found themselves face-to-face with a wall of casino security guards, all looking very determined.

aStand aside,a commanded the guard in the lead and the phalanx swung around them without a second glance, intent on reaching the chaos on the casino floor.

Jerry looked at Bal-Simba and Taj and shrugged. Then the four bolted out the door and dashed for their truck. In the distance the sirens were getting louder.

Moira and her companions had barely gotten out the door when a mob of police erupted around the corner. The group did a fast 180 and ran the other way, cut off from the truck in the parking lot.

aHey! Over here,a a voice called as they rounded the corner ahead of their pursuers.

Jerry saw a man holding a side door open and beckoning them.

What the heck? Any port in a storm. The group made a mad dash for the door and Fluffy's tail disappeared through it just as the first police were coming around the corner.

aQuick, this way,a Gilligan said to the oddly a.s.sorted group. He led them down a corridor and stopped at one of the hotel's freight elevators. Taking a key from his pocket he used it to summon the elevator. As soon as the door opened he piled them all in.

aWe're setting up exhibits on the third floor and I tipped a little extra for my own key,a he explained to the others. aOnce we get there we u make for the pa.s.senger elevators. You can hide in my room for a while.a There were several workmen in the exhibition area, preparing for the next show. They stared incuriously at the four men and the dragon who emerged from the freight elevator and headed down the hall.

With most of the rooms taken by show attendees and almost all of them at the show, the hotel corridors and elevators were deserted. It took two cars to get the parry up to the twentieth floor where Mick's room was, but they met no one on the way.

Thanks,a Jerry panted as soon as they were inside and the door was locked. aBut whya ?a aLet's say I have an interest in dragons,a Gilligan told him. aAnd the people who a.s.sociate with them.a aHey, Mick, open up,a came a Slavic-accented voice. The others started, but Gilligan motioned them to be calm and opened the door. There, in addition to Kuznetsov, was his friend and business a.s.sociate, Vasily.

aHow'd you know where to find us?a aYou are not very good at this game,a Kuznetsov told him. aToo predictable.a aGreat,a Gilligan muttered aYou had better think of something fast,a the Russian added. aThey are already starting to search the hotel.a Gilligan looked around aI don't suppose that dragon can fly?a Too young,a Jerry said.

Before Gilligan could think of anything else there was another knock on the door. aHotel security,a a voice called. aOpen up, please.a Like most Las Vegas hotel rooms the bathroom and dressing area were next to the door, forming a short corridor and shielding the beds from direct view of the door. While everyone else crowded around the corner, Gilligan pulled his shut from his pants, kicked off his shoes and went to the door, rumpling his hair as he went aYes?a he said trying to sound sleepy, as he opened the door a crack There was a man in a hotel blazer and two armed guards on the other side.

aI'm Mr. Masterson, the a.s.sistant manager,a the man in the blazer said. aHave you seen anything, ah, unusual in the last few minutes?

aI've been asleep.a aYes sir. Do you mind if we come in and check things out? Just as a precaution you understand.a aWhat's wrong?a aPlease open the door, sir,a one of the guards said firmly.

aWho is it, honey?a came a sleepy female voice from inside the room. An amazing voice, oozing s.e.x and promise.

aAh, it's the hotel,a Gilligan said, managing to keep his wits about him.

aOh, what do they want?a Now there was a note of sultry disappointment. aCan't you get rid of them and come back to bed?a Gilligan looked at the manager and shrugged. aThis is really inconvenient, you know. My wife, she's just joined me, andaa aOh come on, honey,a came the steam-heated voice. aJust tell them to go away.a The manager, who didn't believe this stuff about a dragon anyway, jerked his head. aSorry to disturb you, sir. If you see anything please call the desk.a The guard glowered, but moved back from the door.

aSure, sure,a Gilligan said as he shut the door. Then he leaned against it and let out a deep, heart-felt sigh.

aOkay people, they're gone.a aThank you for rescuing us, My Lord,a the dragon said in an everyday version of the voice that had gotten rid of the searchers.

aUh, you're quite welcome,a Gilligan said. A talking dragon, he thought numbly, a talking dragon with a voice made for phone s.e.x. Of course.

The dragon's eyelids dipped demurely. aI did not think they would be so base as to disturb a couple intimately engaged.a aAh, right,a was all Gilligan could manage. aBy the way, I'm Mick Gilligan.a He looked closely at Jerry. aI think we met once before, just briefly. Ah, someplace else.a Jerry looked at him and his mouth dropped open. The fighter pilot! Right, I remember you.a aAnd I am Ivan Kuznetsov.a From somewhere Gilligan remembered that aKuznetsova meant aSmith,a so the Russian's name translated as aJohn Smithaa"a fact which reinforced Gilligan's speculations about the man's background. Jerry didn't seem to notice. He shook the man's hand vigorously. aPleased to meet you.a The other Russian was older and leaner, with the leathery skin of someone who had spent most of his life outdoors and the studied, un.o.btrusive manner of someone who preferred not to be noticed. For some reason he reminded Gilligan of the instructors at Air Force survival school.

aThis is Vasily Gregorivich, my a.s.sociate.a Jerry put out his hand. aPleased to meet you Mr. Gregorivich.a aVasily,a the man corrected, taking it.

aGregor is his father's name, so Gregorivich is his patronymic,a Kuznetsov explained. Gilligan realized he had never heard Vasily's last name. He wondered what it was, but Vasily didn't seem inclined to volunteer the information and besides, he suspected it would probably turn out to be the Russian equivalent of aJones.a aI am called Bal-Simba.a The wizard extended a meaty paw.

The Tajmanian Devil waved. aTaj.a aAnd I,a the dragon said, aam called Moira. I believe we also met before, but I was in my proper body then.a Gilligan looked hard at her.

aNormally she's a redhead with green eyes and freckles,a Jerry explained.a aOh! Right The Sparrow's wife.a aEven so,a Moira said sadly.

aNow,a Gilligan said aSuppose you tell me just what the b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l is going on around here?a The explanation took several hours.

FOURTEEN - FUDWARE, FANTASY AND AREA 51.

They broke for lunch in a cul-de-sac with a convenient jumble of rocks to serve as table and chairs. The fare was the usual cracker bread and dried meat with magically heated herb tea.

aOkay, people,a Wiz said as they waited for the tea to brew, astrategy session. So far we've only been reacting to what we've encountered. I think we need to start taking the initiative.a aMeaning what?a Malkin asked.

For starters let's look back over what we've run into down here and try to see the pattern to it alla aWell,a Danny said slowly, aleaving aside the lobster, we haven't run into the same thing twice.a aI think the lobsters a special case,a Wiz said. aSo the similarity is that they've all been different.a aThere is something else,a Malkin said quietly. aThey haven't ganged up on us. Usually the first time you have a run-in with a guard his fellows come running. So far it seems we have faced only those things we have encountered by chance.a aAnd that's not good news?a Danny asked. aThat we haven't been mobbed?a aI mislike ita aThey fear our steel,a Glandurg said confidently.

Somehow Wiz didn't think that was the answer.

There's another possibility,a Danny said. aMaybe these things all have separate patrol areas they won't leave. That's the way a D&D game is set up. Most of your monsters are tied to their rooms, or a stretch of corridor, and there're only a few roamers.a Malkin rubbed her chin. aIt would keep all the guards from being drawn off by a distraction, but it still seems a strange way to protect something.a aWhoever's running this show does a lot of strange things, so think about it and see what you can come up with,a Wiz said. aAnyway, there's another implication to that strategy.a The thief looked at him questioningly.

aIn a D&D game the monsters get tougher as you get closer to the treasure.a aa so anyway,a Jerry finished. aAll we've got to do now is get to this place in the desert where we can make the jump back to our world.a Jerry spread out a Nevada road map. aIt's a couple of hours north of here.a He put his finger down. aRight here on this dry lake bed.a aOh boy!a Gilligan said almost reverently.

aBoshemoi!a Kuznetsov added.

Jerry looked up from the map. aNow what's wrong?a aThat's part of Nellis Air Force Base,a Gilligan said. aRestricted area.a aWorse than restricted,a Kuznetsov said. That is Area 51, Groom Lake. Top-secret testing area for F-119, SR-25 and other aircraft your government swears do not exist. That is most tightly guarded piece of land in whole country. Almost as tight as places in Soviet Uniona"when there was a Soviet Union.a The Russian looked over at Gilligan. aHe cannot tell you this because of agreement he signed when he left Air Force. Me, I signed no such agreement.a aWell, we don't have to come in through the front gate. It looks pretty deserted out there and we'll be gone within a couple of minutes of reaching the power vortex.a Gilligan kept a poker face. Kuznetsov just grinned. aAs soon as you set foot on land they will be after you.

Whole place is loaded with sensors. They get lots of experience chasing tourists who come to watch secret aircraft flights.a aNot to mention Soviet spies,a Gilligan added.

Kuznetsov's grin grew wider. aNo need for Soviet spies to sneak in that way. Anyway, it is too far to go- before they grab you.a He quit smiling. aThe guards are also authorized to use deadly force.a aBut we've got to get in there! It's the only way we're going to get back.a Kuznetsov considered. aOkay. Only one thing to do. We fly in.a aThat's nuts!a Mick Gilligan protested.

aMaybe nuts, but here,a he stabbed his finger down on the map, ais close enough we can maybe get in and land before we are stopped.a He considered. That is if they do not shoot planes down without warning for trespa.s.sing.a aThat was your trick,a Mick said sourly. Kuznetsov was beginning to wear and the whole conversation was making him profoundly uncomfortable.

aSo we have to get three people and a dragon into this super-secret base in an airplane.a aFour,a Gilligan said. aI'm going with you. All the way back.a He looked at them. 'That's my price for helping you.a aYou know you may never be able to return,a Bal-Simba told him.