<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0046</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0047.txt">Next (Page 47)</A><BR> It seems that different Earths deal with it differently. On a few Earths, we have gotten others into a P-Vest, but on most, the P-Vest is gonna be empty--or just pull our Primate back if he's on that Earth. It's an interesting field of study."<P><P>Granticaine nodded.<P><P>"It's nice here," Grant said.<P><P>"Well, it's not so nice in certain parts of this Earth, but right here it's nice. But are you okay? Aren't you freezing?"<P><P>"I'll be fine. I'm made of pretty tough stuff."<P><P>Fife nodded. They drifted some more.<P><P>"So Granticaine--what do you think--does Aconck seem like a place for you?"<P><P>"Yes. I do agree to join your organization, pursuant to all the details being as you've represented them, and no other details getting in the way."<P><P>"Agreed. So do you want to get back, or just hang out here for a while?"<P><P>"It's nice here," Grant repeated. "I'd just like to drift for a little while more. It feels so good, after the life I've been leading since the end of the war."<P><P>"Fine with me," Fife said. "Just remember, as we drift here, we're tracking an analogous location back on your Earth. So when we bridge back, we could wind up anywhere in the vicinity--a building, a busy highway, more water, railroad tracks, you name it."<P><P>"I'll be able to deal with it, whatever it is."<P><P>"I can see you're going to be an essential addition to my company."<P><P>"Indeed," Grant said, and they continued drifting.<P><P>--------------------------<P>CHAPTER 11<P>--------------------------<P><P>Several hours after their meeting at The Caxopy Group, Jerald, Fake, and Daptin were on Earth. They stood in a service corridor in the Fozsapple Circle Mall in Plutomiana, Baskonontana. Daptin was wearing his frost flame delimiter, a vest which burned with a cold blue-gray flame. Fake's intelligent cinder block hovered a few feet above her. Jerald wore a cowboy hat.<P><P>"Why'd we have to come back to Earth and ride in Cursive's dumb station wagon for 45 minutes?" Jerald asked. "Couldn't we get to Boltpike directly from Agoopish?"<P><P>"Get the shit outta your ears, Hatch," Fake said. "You know this is a much more obscure entrance to Boltpike, and therefore, a safer one."<P><P>"Yeah," Daptin said, kneeling down, placing the Cup of Coffee on the ground, and adjusting his infinite-ammo submachinegun on its strap around his shoulder. "I just hope we can get over to that record store and over the bridge before mall security begins to hassle us."<P><P>"Who cares?" Jerald said. "We can smoke 'em no problem with our weapons."<P><P>"Jerald!" Fake said, turning around and pointing her finger in his face. "We cannot afford any incidents here on Earth! And I for one am not prepared to hurt anybody unless we absolutely have to, whether or not we're invulnerable."<P><P>"Who says we're invulnerable?" Jerald asked, stroking his infinite-ammo submachinegun.<P><P>"The coin, dummy," Fake said.<P><P>"What coin?" Jerald asked.<P><P>"The black coin, the killable one. Didn't you touch it?" Daptin asked, carefully picking the Cup of Coffee back up and standing.<P><P>"What are you talking about? I never saw any coin," Jerald said.<P><P>"Well, just forget it then," Daptin said, opening the door leading into the mall proper a little to peer out. <P><P>"What do you mean forget it? They gave you a power and forgot to give it to me?" Jerald asked, upset.<P><P>"I guess they did," Fake said, annoyed. "Maybe they didn't feel you deserved it."<P><P>"I deserve it! Hey, I deserve it! Let's go back and let me get it!" Jerald moaned.<P><P>"Listen, you ass-backward Fiestarkoon idiot--this mission will go forward as planned. Get it?" Fake said angrily.<P><P>"I'm not prepared to go any further with you elitist Baskonontanans. I'm going back to Agoopish and get my coin," Jerald whined.<P><P>Daptin turned to face Jerald, his hands inches from his gun.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0047.txt">Next (Page 47)</A>