<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0056</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0057.txt">Next (Page 57)</A><BR>"<P><P>"How long?"<P><P>"Depends on how much you eat. I didn't see how much he had."<P><P>"It appeared to be a handful."<P><P>"A few hours--definitely less than a day."<P><P>"Where will he reappear?" Coabler asked.<P><P>"In this vicinity."<P><P>"Will the Cup also reappear with him?"<P><P>"Yes, as far as I know."<P><P>"What's your name girl?"<P><P>"Fake Cerquaine."<P><P>"Okay. Now rest girl. You'll be okay, lass."<P><P>Coabler got up and faced Pattern. Jerald moaned and rolled over.<P><P>"System drain bolt," Pattern said, gesturing toward Jerald.<P><P>"That's fine. Now see about the others--I'm most worried about Bith and Tickle. Be off!"<P><P>Pattern Integrity flew off into the now-dissipating cloud.<P><P>"Ye'll both be down for a time," Coabler said. "Curse that Pattern for not grabbing the Cup. But still, this is all wrong. I can't believe it's the real Cup of Coffee that your friend had."<P><P>Fake's cinder block was floating around its master, nudging her innocently.<P><P>"What have we here? A charmed brick?" Coabler said.<P><P>"Yes," Fake said, still under the effects of the truth blast. "A trained cinder block."<P><P>"A funny toy," Coabler said.<P><P>"That it is," said the gaunt Kesh the Vector as he approached.<P><P>"Ah Kesh, I knew you'd be no worse for wear," Coabler the Sawman said.<P><P>"What was the cause of the explosion?" Kesh the Vector asked.<P><P>"Fake?" Coabler said.<P><P>"I popped a slay balloon," Fake said.<P><P>"There you go, friend Kesh--we were victims of a balloon."<P><P>"Most strange," Kesh said. "I guess you have the situation in hand?"<P><P>"Two stunned youths is all," Coabler said, clinking his saws together.<P><P>"And the Cup? Was it a false?"<P><P>"Unknown. Though the nature of this world points to a cupslip entry, I need physical contact to know for sure."<P><P>"So where is it?" Kesh asked. "Does Pattern have it? I assume she was here."<P><P>"She was here, but she doesn't have it. The green-top youth who bore it used a novel technique to temporarily set his existence to false. He will be back, though."<P><P>"Any sign of the others?" Kesh asked.<P><P>"Not yet," Coabler said. "Classic and Demolish should be fine, but as the blast tumbled me several miles from here, I assume they're likewise trying to get back now. Bith may or may not have survived--it depends on his current degree of silliness. As far as Tickle goes, your guess is as good as mine."<P><P>"When the fallout settles, we shall see," Kesh said, striding toward Fake's supine form, then kneeling.<P><P>Pattern Integrity appeared.<P><P>"Coabler, I located Bith. He's a good ways away, covered with soot, and babbling incoherently," Pattern said.<P><P>"Good," Coabler said. "That leaves Tickle the only one to be worried about."<P><P>"Are you sure Classic could've wielded her logic in time to save herself?" asked Pattern.<P><P>"She had a standing theorem that if she's hurt or killed, she won't be hurt or killed. At least, that was my impression," said Coabler.<P><P>"Tell me everything you know of the Cup of Coffee, little one," Kesh said to Fake.<P><P>Fake stared into the nothingness of Kesh's face with an unconcerned expression.<P><P>"We were hired by Elaine Caxopy to rescue Tavmatey. We could hear her inside the Cup. They said her voice was louder in some places and softer in others. They said they plotted it out, and that they thought she was in a space analogous to Boltpike, and if we found the spot, we could rescue her. But apparently they lied. We were only in Boltpike for a few minutes before we wound up here. They told us the Cup was 40,000 years old, that we should guard it with our life."<P><P>"She's under a truth blast, Kesh, so you can believe her words," Pattern said. <P><P>"Aye," said Coabler. "Now try and locate Tickle, good Pattern Integrity."<P><P>"No sooner said than done," Pattern said with a vanish.<P><P>"I don't care about the Cup.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0057.txt">Next (Page 57)</A>