I see handsome men! How long have you boys been up? Only a little while, Roland said. And how are you feeling? Fine, Roland said. I woke up with a headache, but now its almost gone. Really? Jake asked. Roland nodded and squeezed the boys shoulder. Susannah wanted to know if they were hungry. Roland nodded. So did Jake. Well, come on in here, she said, and well see what we can do about that situation. THREE Susannah found powdered eggs and cans of Prudence corned beef hash. Eddie located a canopener and a small gaspowered hibachi grill. After a little muttering to himself, he got it going and was only a bit startled when the hibachi began talking. Hello! Im threequarters filled with Gamry Bottled Gas, available at WalMart, Burnabys, and other fine stores! When you call for Gamry, youre calling for quality! Dark in here, isnt it? May I help you with recipes or cooking times? You could help me by shutting up, Eddie said, and the grill spoke no more. He found himself wondering if he had offended it, then wondered if perhaps he should kill himself and spare the world a problem. Roland opened four cans of peaches, smelled them, and nodded. Okay, I think, he said. Sweet. They were just finishing this repast when the air in front of the cave shimmered. A moment later, Ted Brautigan, Dinky Earnshaw, and Sheemie Ruiz appeared. With them, cringing and very frightened, dressed in fading and tattered biballs, was the Rod Roland had asked them to bring. Come in and have something to eat, Roland said amiably, as if a quartet of teleports showing up was a common occurrence. Theres plenty. Maybe well skip breakfast, Dinky said. We dont have much t Before he could finish, Sheemies knees buckled and he collapsed at the mouth of the cave, his eyes rolling up to whites and a thin froth of spit oozing out between his cracked lips. He began to shiver and buck, his legs kicking aimlessly, his rubber moccasins scratching lines in the talus. CHAPTER X THE LAST PALAVER (SHEEMIES DREAM) ONE Susannah supposed you couldnt classify what came next as pandemonium; surely it took at least a dozen people to induce such a state, and they were but seven. Eight counting the Rod, and you certainly had to count him, because he was creating a large part of the uproar. When he saw Roland he dropped to his knees, raised his hands over his head like a ref signaling a successful extrapoint kick, and began salaaming rapidly. Each downstroke was extreme enough to thump his forehead on the ground. He was at the same time babbling at the top of his lungs in his odd, vowelly language. He never took his eyes off Roland while he performed these gymnastics. Susannah had little doubt the gunslinger was being saluted as some kind of god. Ted also dropped on his knees, but it was Sheemie with whom he was concerned. The old man put his hands on the sides of Sheemies head to stop it whipping back and forth; already Rolands old acquaintance from his Mejis days had cut one cheek on a sharp bit of stone, a cut that was dangerously close to his left eye. And now blood began to pour from the corners of Sheemies mouth and run up his modestly stubbled cheeks. Give me something to put in his mouth! Ted cried. Come on, somebody! Wake up! Hes biting the shit out of himself! The wooden lid was still leaning against the open crate of sneetches. Roland brought it smartly down on his raised knee no sign of dry twist in that hip now, she notedand smashed it to bits. Susannah grabbed a piece of board on the fly, then turned to Sheemie. No need to get on her knees; she was always on them, anyway. One end of the wooden piece was jagged with splinters. She wrapped a protective hand around this and then put the piece of wood in Sheemies mouth. He bit down on it so hard she could hear the crunch. The Rod, meanwhile, continued his high, almost falsetto chant. The only words she could pick out of the gibberish were Hile, Roland, Gilead, and Eld. Somebody shut him up! Dinky cried, and Oy began barking. Never mind the Rod, get Sheemies feet! Ted snapped. Hold him still! Dinky dropped to his knees and grabbed Sheemies feet, one now bare, the other still wearing its absurd rubber moc. Oy, hush! Jake said, and Oy did. But he was standing with his short legs spread and his belly low to the ground, his fur bushed out so he seemed nearly double his normal size. Roland crouched by Sheemies head, forearms on the dirt floor of the cave, mouth by one of Sheemies ears. He began to murmur. Susannah could make out very little of it because of the Rods falsetto babbling, but she did hear Will Dearborn that was and Alls well andshe thoughtrest. Whatever it was, it seemed to get through. Little by little Sheemie relaxed. She could see Dinky easing his hold on the former tavernboys ankles, ready to grab hard again if Sheemie renewed his kicking. The muscles around Sheemies mouth also relaxed, and his teeth unlocked. The piece of wood, still nailed lightly to his mouth by his upper incisors, seemed to levitate. Susannah pulled it gently free, looking with amazement at the bloodrimmed holes, some almost half an inch deep, that had been driven into the soft wood. Sheemies tongue lolled from the side of his mouth, reminding her of how Oy looked at siesta time, sleeping on his back with his legs spread to the four points of the compass. Now there was only the rapid auctioneers babble of the Rod, and the low growl deep in Oys chest as he stood protectively at Jakes side, looking at the newcomer with narrowed eyes. Shut your mouth and be still, Roland told the Rod, then added something else in another language. The Rod froze halfway into another salaam, hands still raised above his head, staring at Roland. Eddie saw the side of his nose had been eaten away by a juicy sore, red as a strawberry. The Rod put his scabbed, dirty palms over his eyes, as if the gunslinger were a thing too bright to look at, and fell on his side. He drew his knees up to his chest, producing a loud fart as he did so. Harpo speaks, Eddie said, a joke snappy enough to make Susannah laugh. Then there was silence except for the whine of the wind outside the cave, the faint sound of recorded music from the DevarToi, and the distant rumble of thunder, that sound of rolling bones. Five minutes later Sheemie opened his eyes, sat up, and looked around with the bewildered air of one who knows not where he is, how he got there, or why. Then his eyes fixed on Roland, and his poor, tired face lit in a smile. Roland returned it, and held out his arms. Canee come to me, Sheemie? If not, Ill come to you, sure. Sheemie crawled to Roland of Gilead on his hands and knees, his dark and dirty hair hanging in his eyes, and laid his head on Rolands shoulder. Susannah felt tears stinging her eyes and looked away. TWO Some short time later Sheemie sat propped against the wall of the cave with the movers pad that had been over Suzies Cruisin Trike cushioning his head and back. Eddie had offered him a soda, but Ted suggested water might be better. Sheemie drank the first bottle of Perrier at a single go, and now sat sipping another. The rest of them had instant coffee, except for Ted; he was drinking a can of NozzALa. Dont know how you stand that stuff, Eddie said. Each to his own taste, said the old maid as she kissed the cow, Ted replied. Only the Child of Roderick had nothing. He lay where he was, at the mouth of the cave, with his hands pressed firmly over his eyes. He was trembling lightly. Ted had checked Sheemie over between Sheemies first and second bottle of water, taking his pulse, looking in his mouth, and feeling his skull for any soft places. Each time he asked Sheemie if it hurt, Sheemie solemnly shook his head, never taking his eyes off Roland during the examination. After feeling Sheemies ribs (Tickles, sai, so it do, Sheemie said with a smile), Ted pronounced him fit as a fiddle. Eddie, who could see Sheemies eyes perfectly wellone of the gaslanterns was nearby and cast a strong glow on Sheemies facethought that was a lie of near Presidential quality. Susannah was cooking up a fresh batch of powdered eggs and corned beef hash. (The grill had spoken up againMore of the same, eh? it asked in a tone of cheery approval.) Eddie caught Dinky Earnshaws eye and said, Want to step outside with me for a minute while Suze makes with the chow? Dinky glanced at Ted, who nodded, then back at Eddie. If you want. Weve got a little more time this morning, but that doesnt mean we can waste any. I understand, Eddie said. THREE The wind had strengthened, but instead of freshening the air, it smelled fouler than ever. Once, in high school, Eddie had gone on a field trip to an oil refinery in New Jersey. Until now he thought that was handsdown the worst thing hed ever smelled in his life; two of the girls and three of the boys had puked. He remembered their tourguide laughing heartily and saying, Just remember thats the smell of moneyit helps. Maybe Perth Oil and Gas was still the alltime champeen, but only because what he was smelling now wasnt quite so strong. And just by the way, what was there about Perth Oil and Gas that seemed familiar? He didnt know and it probably didnt matter, but it was strange, the way things kept coming around over here. Only coming around wasnt quite right, was it? Echoing back, Eddie murmured. Thats what it is. Beg pardon, partner? Dinky asked. They were once again standing on the path, looking down at the blueroofed buildings in the distance, and the tangle of stalled traincars, and the perfect little village. Perfect, that was, until you remembered it was behind a triple run of wire, one of those runs carrying an electrical charge strong enough to kill a man on contact. Nothing, Eddie said. Whats that smell? Any idea? Dinky shook his head, but pointed beyond the prison compound in a direction that might or might not be south or east. Something poison out there is all I know, he said. Once I asked Finli and he said there used to be factories in that direction. Positronics business. You know that name? Yes. But whos Finli? Finli o Tego. The top security guy, Prentisss number one boy, also known as The Weasel. A taheen. Whatever your plans are, youll have to go through him to make them work. And he wont make it easy for you. Seeing him stretched out dead on the ground would make me feel like it was a national holiday. By the way, my real names Richard Earnshaw. Pleased as hell to meetcha. He put out his hand. Eddie shook it. Im Eddie Dean. Known as Eddie of New York out here west of the Pecos. The womans Susannah. My wife. Dinky nodded. Uhhuh. And the boys Jake. Also of New York. Jake Chambers, right. Listen, Rich I salute the effort, he said, smiling, but Ive been Dinky too long to change now, I guess. And it could be worse. I worked for awhile at the Supr Savr Supermarket with a twentysomething guy known as JJ the Fuckin Blue Jay. People will still be calling him that when hes eighty and wearing a peebag. Unless were brave, lucky, and good, Eddie said, nobodys gonna see eighty. Not in this world or any of the others. Dinky looked startled, then glum. You got a point. That guy Roland used to know looks bad, Eddie said. Did you see his eyes? Dinky nodded, glummer than ever. I think those little spots of blood in the whites are called petechiae. Something like that. Then, in a tone of apology Eddie found rather bizarre, under the circumstances I dont know if Im saying that right. I dont care what you call them, its not good. And him pitching a fit like that Not a very nice way to put it, Dinky said. Eddie didnt give a shit if it was or wasnt. Has it ever happened to him before? Dinkys eyes broke contact with Eddies and looked down at his own shuffling feet, instead. Eddie thought that was answer enough. How many times? Eddie hoped he didnt sound as appalled as he felt. There were enough pinpricksized bloodspots in the whites of Sheemies eyes to make them look as if someone had flung paprika into them. Not to mention the bigger ones in the corners. Still without looking at him, Dinky raised four fingers. Four times? Yuh, Dinky said. He was still studying his makeshift mocs. Starting with the time he sent Ted to Connecticut in 1960. It was like doing that ruptured something inside him. He looked up, trying to smile. But he didnt faint yesterday, when the three of us went back to the Devar. Let me make sure Ive got this right. In the prison down there, you guys have all sorts of venial sins, but only one mortal one teleportation. Dinky considered this. The rules certainly werent that liberal for the taheen and the cantoi; they could be exiled or lobotomized for all sorts of reasons, including such wrongs as negligence, teasing the Breakers, or the occasional act of outright cruelty. Onceso he had been tolda Breaker had been raped by a low man, who was said to have explained earnestly to the camps last Master that it was part of his becomingthe Crimson King himself had appeared to this fellow in a dream and told him to do it. For this the cantoi had been sentenced to death. The Breakers had been invited to attend his execution (accomplished by a single pistolshot to the head), which had taken place in the middle of Pleasantvilles Main Street. Dinky told Eddie about this, then admitted that yes, for the inmates, at least, teleportation was the only mortal sin. That he knew of, anyway. And Sheemies your teleport, Eddie said. You guys help himfacilitate for him, to use the Tedsters wordand you cover up for him by fudging the records, somehow They have no idea how easy it is to cook their telemetry, Dinky said, almost laughing. Partner, theyd be shocked. The hard part is making sure we dont tip over the whole works. Eddie didnt care about that, either. It worked. That was the only thing that mattered. Sheemie also worked  but for how long? but hes the one who does it, Eddie finished. Sheemie. Yuh. The only one who can do it. Yuh. Eddie thought about their two tasks freeing the Breakers (or killing them, if there was no other way to make them stop) and keeping the writer from being struck and killed by a minivan while taking a walk. Roland thought they might be able to accomplish both things, but theyd need Sheemies teleportation ability at least twice. Plus, their visitors would have to get back inside the triple run of wire after todays palaver was done, and presumably that meant hed have to do it a third time. He says it doesnt hurt, Dinky said. If thats what youre worried about. Inside the cave the others laughed at something, Sheemie back to consciousness and taking nourishment, everyone the best of friends. Its not, Eddie said. What does Ted think is happening to Sheemie when he teleports? That hes having brain hemorrhages, Dinky said promptly. Little tiny strokes on the surface of his brain. He tapped a finger at different points on his own skull in demonstration. Boink, boink, boink. Is it getting worse? It is, isnt it? Look, if you think him jaunting us around is my idea, you better think again. Eddie raised one hand like a traffic cop. No, no. Im just trying to figure out whats going on. And what our chances are. I hate using him that way! Dinky burst out. He kept his voice pitched low, so those in the cave wouldnt hear, but Eddie never for a moment considered that he was exaggerating. Dinky was badly upset. He doesnt mindhe wants to do it and that makes it worse, not better. The way he looks at Ted He shrugged. Its the way a dogd look at the best master in the universe. He looks at your dinh the same way, as Im sure youve noticed. Hes doing it for my dinh, Eddie said, and that makes it okay. You may not believe that, Dink, but But you do. Totally. Now heres the really important question does Ted have any idea how long Sheemie can last? Keeping in mind that now hes got a little more help at this end? Who you tryin to cheer up, bro? Henry spoke up suddenly inside his head. Cynical as always. Him or yourself? Dinky was looking at Eddie as if he were crazy, or soft in the head, at least. Ted was an accountant. Sometimes a tutor. A daylaborer when he couldnt get anything better. Hes no doctor. But Eddie kept pushing. What does he think? Dinky paused. The wind blew. The music wafted. Farther away, thunder mumbled out of the murk. At last he said Three or four times, maybe  but the effects are getting worse. Maybe only twice. But there are no guarantees, okay? He could drop dead of a massive stroke the next time he bears down to make that hole we go through. Eddie tried to think of another question and couldnt. That last answer pretty well covered the waterfront, and when Susannah called them back inside, he was more than glad to go. FOUR Sheemie Ruiz had rediscovered his appetite, which all of them took as a good sign, and was tucking in happily. The bloodspots in his eyes had faded somewhat, but were still clearly visible. Eddie wondered what the guards back in Blue Heaven would make of those if they noticed them, and also wondered if Sheemie could wear a pair of sunglasses without exciting comment. Roland had gotten the Rod to his feet and was now conferring with him at the back of the cave. Well  sort of. The gunslinger was talking and the Rod was listening, occasionally sneaking tiny awed peeks at Rolands face. It was gibberish to Eddie, but he was able to pick out two words Chevin and Chayven. Roland was asking this one about the one theyd met staggering along the road in Lovell. Does he have a name? Eddie asked Dink and Ted, taking a second plate of food. I call him Chucky, Dinky said. Because he looks a little bit like the doll in this horror movie I saw once. Eddie grinned. Childs Play, yeah. I saw that one. After your when, Jake. And way after yours, Suziella. The Rods hair wasnt right, but the chubby, freckled cheeks and the blue eyes were. Do you think he can keep a secret? If no one asks him, he can, Ted said. Which was not, in Eddies view, a very satisfactory answer. After five minutes or so of chat, Roland seemed satisfied and rejoined the others. He hunkeredno problem doing that now that his joints had limbered upand looked at Ted. This fellows name is Haylis of Chayven. Will anyone miss him? Unlikely, Ted said. The Rods show up at the gate beyond the dorms in little groups, looking for work. Fetching and carrying, mostly. Theyre given a meal or something to drink as pay. If they dont show up, no one misses them. Good. Nowhow long are the days here? Is it twentyfour hours from now until tomorrow morning at this time? Ted seemed interested in the question and considered it for several moments before replying. Call it twentyfive, he said. Maybe a little longer. Because time is slowing down, at least here. As the Beams weaken, there seems to be a growing disparity in the timeflow between the worlds. Its probably one of the major stress points. Roland nodded. Susannah offered him food and he shook his head with a word of thanks. Behind them, the Rod was sitting on a crate, looking down at his bare and sorecovered feet. Eddie was surprised to see Oy approach the fellow, and more surprised still when the bumbler allowed Chucky (or Haylis) to stroke his head with one misshapen claw of a hand. And is there a time of morning when things down there might be a little less I dont know  A little disorganized? Ted suggested. Roland nodded. Did you hear a horn a little while ago? Ted asked. Just before we showed up? They all shook their heads. Ted didnt seem surprised. But you heard the music start, correct? Yes, Susannah said, and offered Ted a fresh can of NozzALa. He took it and drank with gusto. Eddie tried not to shudder. Thank you, maam. In any case, the horn signals the change of shifts. The music starts then. I hate that music, Dinky said moodily. If theres any time when control wavers, Ted went on, that would be it. And what oclock is that? Roland asked. Ted and Dinky exchanged a doubtful glance. Dinky showed eight fingers, his eyebrows raised questioningly. He looked relieved when Ted nodded at once. Yes, eight oclock, Ted said, then laughed and gave his head a cynical little shake. What would be eight, anyway, in a world where yon prison might always lie firmly east and not east by southeast on some days and dead east on others. But Roland had been living with the dissolving world long before Ted Brautigan had even dreamed of such a place as Algul Siento, and he wasnt particularly upset by the way formerly hardandfast facts of life had begun to bend. About twentyfive hours from right now, Roland said. Or a little less. Dinky nodded. But if youre counting on raging confusion, forget it. They know their places and go to them. Theyre old hands. Still, Roland said, its the best were apt to do. Now he looked at his old acquaintance from Mejis. And beckoned to him. FIVE Sheemie set his plate down at once, came to Roland, and made a fist. Hile, Roland, Will Dearborn that was. Roland returned this greeting, then turned to Jake. The boy gave him an uncertain look. Roland nodded at him, and Jake came. Now Jake and Sheemie stood facing each other with Roland hunkered between them, seeming to look at neither now that they were brought together. Jake raised a hand to his forehead. Sheemie returned the gesture. Jake looked down at Roland and said, What do you want? Roland didnt answer, only continued to look serenely toward the mouth of the cave, as if there were something in the apparently endless murk out there which interested him. And Jake knew what was wanted, as surely as if he had used the touch on Rolands mind to find out (which he most certainly had not). They had come to a fork in the road. It had been Jake whod suggested Sheemie should be the one to tell them which branch to take. At the time it had seemed like a weirdly good idea who knew why. Now, looking into that earnest, notverybright face and those bloodshot eyes, Jake wondered two things what had ever possessed him to suggest such a course of action, and why someoneprobably Eddie, who retained a relatively hard head in spite of all theyd been throughhadnt told him, kindly but firmly, that putting their future in Sheemie Ruizs hands was a dumb idea. Totally noodgy, as his old schoolmates back at Piper might have said. Now Roland, who believed that even in the shadow of death there were still lessons to be learned, wanted Jake to ask the question Jake himself had proposed, and the answer would no doubt expose him as the superstitious scatterbrain he had become. Yet still, why not ask? Even if it were the equivalent of flipping a coin, why not? Jake had come, possibly at the end of a short but undeniably interesting life, to a place where there were magic doors, mechanical butlers, telepathy (of which he was capable, at least to some small degree, himself), vampires, and werespiders. So why not let Sheemie choose? They had to go one way or the other, after all, and hed been through too goddam much to worry about such a paltry thing as looking like an idiot in front of his companions. Besides, he thought, if Im not among friends here, I never will be. Sheemie, he said. Looking into those bloody eyes was sort of horrible, but he made himself do it. Were on a quest. That means we have a job to do. We You have to save the Tower, said Sheemie. And my old friend is to go in, and mount to the top, and see whats to see. There may be renewal, there may be death, or there may be both. He was Will Dearborn once, aye, so he was. Will Dearborn to me. Jake glanced at Roland, who was still hunkered down, looking out of the cave. But Jake thought his face had gone pale and strange. One of Rolands fingers made his twirling goahead gesture. Yes, were supposed to save the Dark Tower, Jake agreed. And thought he understood some of Rolands lust to see it and enter it, even if it killed him. What lay at the center of the universe? What man (or boy) could but wonder, once the question was thought of, and want to see? Even if looking drove him mad? But in order to do that, we have to do two jobs. One involves going back to our world and saving a man. A writer whos telling our story. The other job is the one weve been talking about. Freeing the Breakers. Honesty made him add Or stopping them, at least. Do you understand? But this time Sheemie didnt reply. He was looking where Roland was looking, out into the murk. His face was that of someone whos been hypnotized. Looking at it made Jake uneasy, but he pushed on. He had come to his question, after all, and where else was there to go but on? The question is, which job do we do first? Itd seem that saving the writer might be easier because theres no opposition  that we know of, anyway  but theres a chance that  well  Jake didnt want to say But theres a chance that teleporting us might kill you, and so came to a lame and unsatisfying halt. For a moment he didnt think Sheemie would make any reply, leaving him with the job of deciding whether or not to try again, but then the former tavernboy spoke. He looked at none of them as he did so, but only out of the cave and into the dim of Thunderclap. I had a dream last night, so I did, said Sheemie of Mejis, whose life had once been saved by three young gunslingers from Gilead. I dreamed I was back at the Travellers Rest, only Coral wasnt there, nor Stanley, nor Pettie, nor Shebhim that used to play the pianer. There was nobbut me, and I was moppin the floor and singin Careless Love. Then the batwings screeked, so they did, they had this funny sound they made  Jake saw that Roland was nodding, a trace of a smile on his lips. I looked up, Sheemie resumed, and in come this boy. His eyes shifted briefly to Jake, then back to the mouth of the cave. He looked like you, young sai, so he did, close enough to be twim. But his face were covert wi blood and one of his eyen were put out, spoiling his pretty, and he walked all alimp. Looked like death, he did, and frightent me terrible, and made me sad to see him, too. I just kept moppin, thinkin that if I did that he might not never mind me, or even see me at all, and go away. Jake realized he knew this tale. Had he seen it? Had he actually been that bloody boy? But he looked right at you  Roland murmured, still ahunker, still looking out into the gloom. Aye, Will Dearborn that was, right at me, so he did, and said Why must you hurt me, when I love you so? When I can do nothing else nor want to, for love made me and fed me and And kept me in better days, Eddie murmured. A tear fell from one of his eyes and made a dark spot on the floor of the cave. and kept me in better days? Why will you cut me, and disfigure my face, and fill me with woe? I have only loved you for your beauty as you once loved me for mine in the days before the world moved on. Now you scar me with nails and put burning drops of quicksilver in my nose; you have set the animals on me, so you have, and they have eaten of my softest parts. Around me the cantoi gather and theres no peace from their laughter. Yet still I love you and would serve you and even bring the magic again, if you would allow me, for that is how my heart was cast when I rose from the Prim. And once I was strong as well as beautiful, but now my strength is almost gone. You cried, Susannah said, and Jake thought Of course he did. He was crying himself. So was Ted; so was Dinky Earnshaw. Only Roland was dryeyed, and the gunslinger was pale, so pale. He wept, said Sheemie (tears were rolling down his cheeks as he told his dream), and I did, too, for I could see that he had been fair as daylight. He said, If the torture were to stop now, I might still recoverif never my looks, then at least my strength My kes,  Jake said, and although hed never heard the word before he pronounced it correctly, almost as if it were kiss. and my kes. But another week  or maybe five days  or even three  and it will be too late. Even if the torture stops, Ill die. And youll die too, for when love leaves the world, all hearts are still. Tell them of my love and tell them of my pain and tell them of my hope, which still lives. For this is all I have and all I am and all I ask. Then the boy turned and went out. The batwing door made its same sound. Skreeeek. He looked at Jake, now, and smiled like one who has just awakened. I cant answer your question, sai. He knocked a fist on his forehead. Dont have much in the way of brains up here, meonly cobwebbies. Cordelia Delgado said so, and I reckon she was right. Jake made no reply. He was dazed. He had dreamed about the same disfigured boy, but not in any saloon; it had been in Gage Park, the one where theyd seen Charlie the ChooChoo. Last night. Had to have been. He hadnt remembered until now, would probably never have remembered if Sheemie hadnt told his own dream. And had Roland, Eddie, and Susannah also had a version of the same dream? Yes. He could see it on their faces, just as he could see that Ted and Dinky looked moved but otherwise bewildered. Roland stood up with a wince, clamped his hand briefly to his hip, then said, Thankeesai, Sheemie, youve helped us greatly. Sheemie smiled uncertainly. How did I do that? Never mind, my dear. Roland turned his attention to Ted. My friends and I are going to step outside briefly. We need to speak antet. Of course, Ted said. He shook his head as if to clear it. Do my peace of mind a favor and keep it short, Dinky said. Were probably still all right, but I dont want to push our luck. Will you need him to jump you back inside? Eddie asked, nodding to Sheemie. This was in the nature of a rhetorical question; how else would the three of them get back? Well, yeah, but  Dinky began. Then youll be pushing your luck plenty. That said, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake followed Roland out of the cave. Oy stayed behind, sitting with his new friend, Haylis of Chayven. Something about that troubled Jake. It wasnt a feeling of jealousy but rather one of dread. As if he were seeing an omen someone wiser than himselfone of the Mannifolk, perhapscould interpret. But would he want to know? Perhaps not. SIX I didnt remember my dream until he told his, Susannah said, and if he hadnt told his, I probably never would have remembered. Yeah, Jake said. But I remember it clearly enough now, she went on. I was in a subway station and the boy came down the stairs Jake said, I was in Gage Park And I was at the Markey Avenue playground, where me and Henry used to play oneonone, Eddie said. In my dream, the kid with the bloody face was wearing a teeshirt that said NEVER A DULL MOMENT IN MIDWORLD, Jake finished, and Eddie gave him a startled look. Jake barely noticed; his thoughts had turned in another direction. I wonder if Stephen King ever uses dreams in his writing. You know, as yeast to make the plot rise. This was a question none of them could answer. Roland? Eddie asked. Where were you in your dream? The Travellers Rest, where else? Wasnt I there with Sheemie, once upon a time? With my friends, now long gone, he could have added, but did not. I was sitting at the table Eldred Jonas used to favor, playing onehand Watch Me. Susannah said quietly, The boy in the dream was the Beam, wasnt he? As Roland nodded, Jake realized that Sheemie had told them which task came first, after all. Had told them beyond all doubt. Do any of you have a question? Roland asked. One by one, his companions shook their heads. We are katet, Roland said, and in unison they answered We are one from many. Roland tarried a moment longer, looking at themmore than looking, seeming to savor their facesand then he led them back inside. Sheemie, he said. Yes, sai! Yes, Roland, Will Dearborn that was! Were going to save the boy you told us about. Were going to make the bad folk stop hurting him. Sheemie smiled, but it was a puzzled smile. He didnt remember the boy in his dream, not anymore. Good, sai, thats good! Roland turned his attention to Ted. Once Sheemie gets you back this time, put him to bed.


Or, if that would attract the wrong sort of attention, just make sure he takes it easy. We can write him down for the sniffles and keep him out of The Study, Ted agreed. There are a lot of colds Thunderside. But you folks need to understand that there are no guarantees. He could get us back inside this time, and then He snapped his fingers in the air. Laughing, Sheemie imitated him, only snapping both sets of fingers. Susannah looked away, sick to her stomach. I know that, Roland said, and although his tone did not change very much, each member of his katet knew it was a good thing this palaver was almost over. Roland had reached the rim of his patience. Keep him quiet even if hes well and feeling fine. We wont need him for what I have in mind, and thanks to the weapons youve left us. Theyre good weapons, Ted agreed, but are they good enough to wipe out sixty men, cantoi, and taheen? Will the two of you stand with us, once the fight begins? Roland asked. With the greatest pleasure, Dinky said, baring his teeth in a remarkably nasty grin. Yes, Ted said. And it might be that I have another weapon. Did you listen to the tapes I left you? Yes, Jake replied. So you know the story about the guy who stole my wallet. This time they all nodded. What about that young woman? Susannah asked. One tough cookie, you said. What about Tanya and her boyfriend? Or her husband, if thats what he is? Ted and Dinky exchanged a brief, doubtful look, then shook their heads simultaneously. Once, maybe, Ted said. Not now. Now shes married. All she wants to do is cuddle with her fella. And Break, Dinky added. But dont they understand  She found she couldnt finish. She was haunted not so much by the remnants of her own dream as by Sheemies. Now you scar me with nails, the dreamboy had told Sheemie. The dreamboy who had once been fair. They dont want to understand, Ted told her kindly. He caught a glimpse of Eddies dark face and shook his head. But I wont let you hate them for it. Youwemay have to kill some of them, but I wont let you hate them. They did not put understanding away from them out of greed or fear, but from despair. And because to Break is divine, Dinky said. He was also looking at Eddie. The way the half an hour after you shoot up can be divine. If you know what Im talking about. Eddie sighed, stuck his hands in his pockets, said nothing. Sheemie surprised them all by picking up one of the Coyote machinepistols and swinging it in an arc. Had it been loaded, the great quest for the Dark Tower would have ended right there. Ill fight, too! he cried. Pow, pow, pow! Bambambambadam! Eddie and Susannah ducked; Jake threw himself instinctively in front of Oy; Ted and Dinky raised their hands in front of their faces, as if that could possibly have saved them from a burst of a hundred highcaliber, steeljacketed slugs. Roland plucked the machinepistol calmly from Sheemies hands. Your time to help will come, he said, but after this first battles fought and won. Do you see Jakes bumbler, Sheemie? Aye, hes with the Rod. He talks. See if you can get him to talk to you. Sheemie obediently went to where ChuckyHaylis was still stroking Oys head, dropped to one knee, and commenced trying to get Oy to say his name. The bumbler did almost at once, and with remarkable clarity. Sheemie laughed, and Haylis joined in. They sounded like a couple of kids from the Calla. The roont kind, perhaps. Roland, meanwhile, turned to Dinky and Ted, his lips little more than a white line in his stern face. SEVEN Hes to be kept out of it, once the shooting starts. The gunslinger mimed turning a key in a lock. If we lose, what happens to him later on wont matter. If we win, well need him at least one more time. Probably twice. To go where? Dinky asked. Keystone World America, Eddie said. A small town in western Maine called Lovell. As early in June of 1999 as oneway time allows. Sending me to Connecticut appears to have inaugurated Sheemies seizures, Ted said in a low voice. You know that sending you back Americaside is apt to make him worse, dont you? Or kill him? He spoke in a matteroffact tone. Just askin, gents. We know, Roland said, and when the time comes, Ill make the risk clear and ask him if Oh man, you can stick that one where the sun dont shine, Dinky said, and Eddie was reminded so strongly of himselfthe way hed been during his first few hours on the shore of the Western Sea, confused, pissed off, and jonesing for herointhat he felt a moment of dj vu. If you told him you wanted him to set himself on fire, the only thing hed want to know would be if you had a match. He thinks youre Christ on a cracker. Susannah waited, with a mixture of dread and almost prurient interest, for Rolands response. There was none. Roland only stared at Dinky, his thumbs hooked into his gunbelt. Surely you realize that a dead man cant bring you back from Americaside, Ted said in a more reasonable tone. Well jump that fence when and if we come to it, Roland said. In the meantime, weve got several other fences to get over. Im glad were taking on the DevarToi first, whatever the risk, Susannah said. Whats going on down there is an abomination. Yes, maam, Dinky drawled, and pushed up an imaginary hat. Ah reckon thats the word. The tension in the cave eased. Behind them, Sheemie was telling Oy to roll over, and Oy was doing so willingly enough. The Rod had a big, sloppy smile on his face. Susannah wondered when Haylis of Chayven had last had occasion to use his smile, which was childishly charming. She thought of asking Ted if there was any way of telling what day it was in America right now, then decided not to bother. If Stephen King was dead, theyd know; Roland had said so, and she had no doubt he was right. For now the writer was fine, happily frittering away his time and valuable imagination on some meaningless project while the world hed been born to imagine continued to gather dust in his head. If Roland was pissed at him, it was really no wonder. She was a little pissed at him herself. Whats your plan, Roland? Ted asked. It relies on two assumptions that we can surprise them and then stampede them. I dont think they expect to be interrupted in these last days; from Pimli Prentiss down to the lowliest hume guard outside the fence, they have no reason to believe theyll be bothered in their work, certainly not attacked. If my assumptions are correct, well succeed. If we fail, at least we wont live long enough to see the Beams break and the Tower fall. Roland found the crude map of the Algul and put it on the floor of the cave. They all gathered around it. These railroad sidetracks, he said, indicating the hashmarks labeled 10. Some of the dead engines and traincars on them stand within twenty yards of the south fence, it looks like through the binoculars. Is that right? Yeah, Dinky said, and pointed to the center of the nearest line. Might as well call it south, anywayits as good a word as any. Theres a boxcar on this track thats real close to the fence. Only ten yards or so. It says SOO LINE on the side. Ted was nodding. Good cover, Roland said. Excellent cover. Now he pointed to the area beyond the north end of the compound. And here, all sorts of sheds. There used to be supplies in them, Ted said, but now most are empty, I think. For awhile a gang of Rods slept there, but six or eight months ago, Pimli and the Wease kicked them out. But more cover, empty or full, Roland said. Is the ground behind and around them clear of obstacles and pretty much smooth? Smooth enough for that thing to go back and forth? He cocked a thumb at Suzies Cruisin Trike. Ted and Dinky exchanged a glance. Definitely, Ted said. Susannah waited to see if Eddie would protest, even before he knew what Roland had in mind. He didnt. Good. She was already thinking about what weapons shed want. What guns. Roland sat quiet for a moment or two, gazing at the map, almost seeming to commune with it. When Ted offered him a cigarette, the gunslinger took it. Then he began to talk. Twice he drew on the side of a weapons crate with a piece of chalk. Twice more he drew arrows on the map, one pointing to what they were calling north, one to the south. Ted asked a question; Dinky asked another. Behind them, Sheemie and Haylis played with Oy like a couple of children. The bumbler mimicked their laughter with eerie accuracy. When Roland had finished, Ted Brautigan said You mean to spill an almighty lot of blood. Indeed I do. As much as I can. Risky for the lady, Dink remarked, looking first at her and then at her husband. Susannah said nothing. Neither did Eddie. He recognized the risk. He also understood why Roland would want Suze north of the compound. The Cruisin Trike would give her mobility, and theyd need it. As for risk, they were six planning to take on sixty. Or more. Of course there would be risk, and of course there would be blood. Blood and fire. I may be able to rig a couple of other guns, Susannah said. Her eyes had taken on that special Detta Walker gleam. Radiocontrolled, like a toy airplane. I dunno. But Ill move, all right. Im goan speed around like grease on a hot griddle. Can this work? Dinky asked bluntly. Rolands lips parted in a humorless grin. It will work. How can you say that? Ted asked. Eddie recalled Rolands reasoning before their call to John Cullum and could have answered that question, but answers were for their katets dinh to giveif he wouldand so he left this one to Roland. Because it has to, the gunslinger said. I see no other way. CHAPTER XI THE ATTACK ON ALGUL SIENTO  ONE It was a day later and not long before the horn signaled the morning change of shift. The music would soon start, the sun would come on, and the Breaker nightcrew would exit The Study stage left while the Breaker daycrew entered stage right. Everything was as it should be, yet Pimli Prentiss had slept less than an hour the previous night and even that brief time had been haunted by sour and chaotic dreams. Finally, around four (what his bedside clock in fact claimed was four, but who knew anymore, and what did it matter anyway, this close to the end), hed gotten up and sat in his office chair, looking out at the darkened Mall, deserted at this hour save for one lone and pointless robot whod taken it into its head to patrol, waving its six pincertipped arms aimlessly at the sky. The robots that still ran grew wonkier by the day, but pulling their batteries could be dangerous, for some were boobytrapped and would explode if you tried it. There was nothing you could do but put up with their antics and keep reminding yourself that all would be over soon, praise Jesus and God the Father Almighty. At some point the former Paul Prentiss opened the desk drawer above the kneehole, pulled out the .40 Peacemaker Colt inside, and held it in his lap. It was the one with which the previous Master, Humma, had executed the rapist Cameron. Pimli hadnt had to execute anyone in his time and was glad of it, but holding the pistol in his lap, feeling its grave weight, always offered a certain comfort. Although why he should require comfort in the watches of the night, especially when everything was going so well, he had no idea. All he knew for sure was that there had been some anomalous blips on what Finli and Jenkins, their chief technician, liked to call the Deep Telemetry, as if these were instruments at the bottom of the ocean instead of just in a basement closet adjacent to the long, low room holding the rest of the more useful gear. Pimli recognized what he was feelingcall a spade a spadeas a sense of impending doom. He tried to tell himself it was only his grandfathers proverb in action, that he was almost home and so it was time to worry about the eggs. Finally hed gone into his bathroom, where he closed the lid of the toilet and knelt to pray. And here he was still, only something had changed in the atmosphere. Hed heard no footfall but knew someone had stepped into his office. Logic suggested who it must be. Still without opening his eyes, still with his hands clasped on the closed cover of the toilet, he called Finli? Finli o Tego? Is that you? Yar, boss, its me. What was he doing here before the horn? Everyone, even the Breakers, knew what a fiend for sleep was Finli the Weasel. But all in good time. At this moment Pimli was entertaining the Lord (although in truth hed nearly dozed off on his knees when some deep subinstinct had warned him he was no longer alone on the first floor of Wardens House). One did not snub such an important guest as the Lord God of Hosts, and so he finished his prayerGrant me the grace of Thy will, amen! before rising with a wince. His damned back didnt care a bit for the belly it had to hoist in front. Finli was standing by the window, holding the Peacemaker up to the dim light, turning it to and fro in order to admire the delicate scrollwork on the buttplates. This is the one that said goodnight to Cameron, true? Finli asked. The rapist Cameron. Pimli nodded. Have a care, my son. Its loaded. Sixshot? Eight! Are you blind? Look at the size of the cylinder, for Gods love. Finli didnt bother. He handed the gun back to Pimli, instead. I know how to pull the trigger, so I do, and when it comes to guns thats enough. Aye, if its loaded. What are you doing up at this hour, and bothering a man at his morning prayers? Finli eyed him. If I were to ask you why I find you at your prayers, dressed and combed instead of in your bathrobe and slippers with only one eye open, what answer would you make? Ive got the jitters. Its as simple as that. I guess you do, too. Finli smiled, charmed. Jitters! Is that like heebiejeebies, and harumscarum, and hinkydidi? Sort ofyar. Finlis smile widened, but Pimli thought it didnt look quite genuine. I like it! I like it very well! Jittery! Jittersome! No, Pimli said. Got the jitters, thats how you use it. Finlis smile faded. I also have the jitters. Im heebie and jeebie. I feel hinkydidi. Im harum and youre scarum. More blips on the Deep Telemetry? Finli shrugged, then nodded. The problem with the Deep Telemetry was that none of them were sure exactly what it measured. It might be telepathy, or (God forbid) teleportation, or even deep tremors in the fabric of realityprecursors of the Bear Beams impending snap. Impossible to tell. But more and more of that previously dark and quiet equipment had come alive in the last four months or so. What does Jenkins say? Pimli asked. He slipped the .40 into his dockers clutch almost without thinking, so moving us a step closer to what you will not want to hear and I will not want to tell. Jenkins says whatever rides out of his mouth on the flying carpet of his tongue, said the Tego with a rude shrug. Since he dont even know what the symbols on the Deep Telemetry dials and vid screens signify, how can you ask his opinion? Easy, Pimli said, putting a hand on his Security Chiefs shoulder. He was surprised (and a little alarmed) to feel the flesh beneath Finlis fine Turnbull  Asser shirt thrumming slightly. Or perhaps trembling. Easy, pal! I was only asking. I cant sleep, I cant read, I cant even fuck, Finli said. I tried all three, by Gan! Walk down to Damli House with me, would you, and have a look at the damned readouts. Maybe youll have some ideas. Im a trailboss, not a technician, Pimli said mildly, but he was already moving toward the door. However, since Ive nothing better to do Maybe its just the end coming on, Finli said, pausing in the doorway. As if there could be any just about such a thing. Maybe thats it, Pimli said equably, and a walk in the morning air cant do us any haHey! Hey, you! You, there! You Rod! Turn around when I talk to you, hadnt you just better! The Rod, a scrawny fellow in an ancient pair of denim biballs (the deeply sagging seat had gone completely white), obeyed. His cheeks were chubby and freckled, his eyes an engaging shade of blue even though at the moment alarmed. He actually wouldnt have been badlooking except for his nose, which had been eaten away almost completely on one side, giving him a bizarre onenostril look. He was toting a basket. Pimli was pretty sure hed seen this shufflefoot bahbo around the ranch before, but couldnt be sure; to him, all Rods looked alike. It didnt matter. Identification was Finlis job and he took charge now, pulling a rubber glove out of his belt and putting it on as he strode forward. The Rod cringed back against the wall, clasping his wicker basket tighter and letting go a loud fart that had to have been pure nerves. Pimli needed to bite down on the inside of his cheek, and quite fiercely, to keep a smile from rising on his lips. Nay, nay, nay! the Security Chief cried, and slapped the Rod briskly across the face with his newly gloved hand. (It did not do to touch the Children of Roderick skin to skin; they carried too many diseases.) Loose spit flew from the Rods mouth and blood from the hole in his nose. Speak not with your kibox to me, sai Haylis! The hole in thy heads not much better, but at least it can give me a word of respect. It had better be able to! Hile, Finli o Tego! Haylis muttered, and fisted himself in the forehead so hard the back of his head bounced off the wallbonk! That did it Pimli barked a laugh in spite of himself. Nor would Finli be able to reproach him with it on their walk to Damli House, for he was smiling now, too. Although Pimli doubted that the Rod named Haylis would find much to comfort him in that smile. It exposed too many sharp teeth. Hile, Finli o the Watch, long days and pleasant nights toee, sai! Better, Finli allowed. Not much, but a little. What in hells name are you doing here before Horn and Sun? And tell me whats in thy bascomb, wiggins? Haylis hugged it tighter against his chest, his eyes flashing with alarm. Finlis smile disappeared at once. You flip the lid and show me whats in thy bascomb this second, cully, or theell be picking thy teeth off the carpet. These words came out in a smooth, low growl. For a moment Pimli thought the Rod still would not comply, and he felt a twinge of active alarm. Then, slowly, the fellow lifted the lid of the wicker basket. It was the sort with handles, known in Finlis home territory as a bascomb. The Rod held it reluctantly out. At the same time he closed his sorelooking, boogerrimmed eyes and turned his head aside, as if in anticipation of a blow. Finli looked. For a long time he said nothing, then gave his own bark of laughter and invited Pimli to have a peek. The Master knew what he was seeing at once, but figuring out what it meant took a moment longer. Then his mind flashed back to popping the pimple and offering Finli the bloody pus, as one would offer a friend leftover hors doeuvre at the end of a dinnerparty. In the bottom of the Rods basket was a little pile of used tissues. Kleenex, in fact. Did Tammy Kelly send you to pick up the swill this morning? Pimli asked. The Rod nodded fearfully. Did she tell you that you could have whatever you found and fancied from the wastecans? He thought the Rod would lie. If and when he did, the Master would command Finli to beat the fellow, as an objectlesson in honesty. But the RodHaylisshook his head, looking sad. All right, Pimli said, relieved. It was really too early in the day for beatings and howlings and tears. They spoiled a mans breakfast. You can go, and with your prize. But next time, cully, ask permission or youll leave here ahurt. Doee ken? The Rod nodded energetically. Go on, then, go! Out of my house and out of my sight! They watched him leave, him with his basket of snotty tissues that hed undoubtedly eat like candy nougat, each shaming the other into keeping his face grave and stern until the poor disfigured son of no one was gone. Then they burst into gales of laughter. Finli o Tego staggered back against the wall hard enough to knock a picture off its hook, then slid to the floor, howling hysterically. Pimli put his face in his hands and laughed until his considerable gut ached. The laughter erased the tension with which each had begun the day, venting it all at once. A dangerous fellow, indeed! Finli said when he could speak a little again. He was wiping his streaming eyes with one furry pawhand. The Snot Saboteur! Pimli agreed. His face was bright red. They exchanged a look and were off again, braying gales of relieved laughter until they woke the housekeeper way up on the third floor. Tammy Kelly lay in her narrow bed, listening to yon kamais bellow below, looking disapprovingly up into the gloom. Men were much the same, in her view, no matter what sort of skin they wore. Outside, the hume Master and the taheen Security Chief walked up the Mall, arm in arm. The Child of Roderick, meanwhile, scurried out through the north gate, head down, heart thumping madly in his chest. How close it had been! Aye! If WeaselHead had asked him, Haylis, didjer plant anything? he would have lied as best he could, but such as him couldnt lie successfully to such as Finli o Tego; never in life! He would have been found out, sure. But he hadnt been found out, praise Gan. The ballthing the gunslinger had given him was now stowed away in the back bedroom, humming softly to itself. Hed put it in the wastebasket, as he had been told, and covered it with fresh tissue from the box on the washstand, also as he had been told. Nobody had told him he might take the castaway tissues, but he hadnt been able to resist their soupy, delicious smell. And it had worked for the best, hadnt it? Yar! For instead of asking him all manner of questions he couldnt have answered, theyd laughed at him and let him go. He wished he could climb the mountain and play with the bumbler again, so he did, but the whitehaired old hume named Ted had told him to go away, far and far, once his errand was done. And if he heard shooting, Haylis was to hide until it was over. And he would  oh yes, nair doot. Hadnt he done what Roland o Gilead had asked of him? The first of the humming balls was now in Feveral, one of the dorms, two more were in Damli House, where the Breakers worked and the offduty guards slept, and the last was in Masters House  where hed almost been caught! Haylis didnt know what the humming balls did, nor wanted to know. He would go away, possibly with his friend, Garma, if he could find her. If shooting started, they would hide in a deep hole, and he would share his tissues with her. Some had nothing on them but bits of shaving soap, but there were wet snots and big boogies in some of the others, he could smell their enticing aroma even now. He would save the biggest of the latter, the one with the jellied blood in it, for Garma, and she might let him pokeypoke. Haylis walked faster, smiling at the prospect of going pokeypoke with Garma. TWO Sitting on the Cruisin Trike in the concealment afforded by one of the empty sheds north of the compound, Susannah watched Haylis go. She noted that the poor, disfigured sai was smiling about something, so things had probably gone well with him. That was good news, indeed. Once he was out of sight, she returned her attention to her end of Algul Siento. She could see both stone towers (although only the top half of the one on her left; the rest was concealed by a fold of hillside). They were shackled about with some sort of ivy. Cultivated rather than wild, Susannah guessed, given the barrenness of the surrounding countryside. There was one fellow in the west tower, sitting in what appeared to be an easy chair, maybe even a LaZBoy. Standing at the railing of the east one were a taheen with a beavers head and a low man (if he was a hume, Susannah thought, he was one buttugly son of a bitch), the two of them in conversation, pretty clearly waiting for the horn that would send them offshift and to breakfast in the commissary. Between the two watchtowers she could see the triple line of fencing, the runs strung widely enough apart so that more sentries could walk in the aisles between the wire without fear of getting a lethal zap of electricity. She saw no one there this morning, though. The few folken moving about inside the wire were idling along, none of them in a great hurry to get anywhere. Unless the lackadaisical scene before her was the biggest con of the century, Roland was right. They were as vulnerable as a herd of fat shoats being fed their last meal outside the slaughteringpen comecomecommala, shorribs to folla. And while the gunslingers had had no luck finding any sort of radiocontrolled weaponry, they had discovered that three of the more sciencefictiony rifles were equipped with switches marked INTERVAL. Eddie said he thought these rifles were lazers, although nothing about them looked lazy to Susannah. Jake had suggested they take one of them out of sight of the DevarToi and try it out, but Roland vetoed the idea immediately. Last evening, this had been, while going over the plan for what seemed like the hundredth time. Hes right, kid, Eddie had said. The clowns down there might know we were shooting those things even if they couldnt see or hear anything. We dont know what kind of vibes their telemetry can pick up. Under cover of dark, Susannah had set up all three of the lazers. When the time came, shed set the interval switches. The guns might work, thus adding to the impression they were trying to create; they might not. Shed give it a try when the time came, and that was all she could do. Heart thumping heavily, Susannah waited for the music. For the horn. And, if the sneetches the Rod had set worked the way Roland believed they would work, for the fires. The ideal would be for all of them to go hot during the five or ten minutes when theyre changing the guard, Roland had said. Everyone scurrying hither and thither, waving to their friends and exchanging little bits o gossip. We cant expect thatnot reallybut we can hope for it. Yes, they could do that much  but wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up first. In any case, it would be her decision as to when to fire the first shot. After that, everything would happen jinjin. Please, God, help me pick the right time. She waited, holding one of the Coyote machinepistols with the barrel in the hollow of her shoulder. When the music starteda recorded version of what she thought might be Ats AmoreSusannah lurched on the seat of the SCT and squeezed the trigger involuntarily. Had the safety not been on, she would have poured a stream of bullets into the sheds ceiling and no doubt queered the pitch at once. But Roland had taught her well, and the trigger didnt move beneath her finger. Still, her heartbeat had doubledtrebled, maybeand she could feel sweat trickling down her sides, even though the day was once again cool. The music had started and that was good. But the music wasnt enough. She sat on the SCTs saddle, waiting for the horn. THREE Dino Martino, Eddie said, almost too low to hear. Hmmm? Jake asked. The three of them were behind the SOO LINE boxcar, having worked their way through the graveyard of old engines and traincars to that spot. Both of the boxcars loading doors were open, and all three of them had had a peek through them at the fence, the south watchtowers, and the village of Pleasantville, which consisted of but a single street. The sixarmed robot which had earlier been on the Mall was now here, rolling up and down Main Street past the quaint (and closed) shops, bellowing what sounded like math equations at the top of its  lungs? Dino Martino, Eddie repeated. Oy was sitting at Jakes feet, looking up with his brilliant goldringed eyes; Eddie bent and gave his head a brief pat. Dean Martin did that song originally. Yeah? Jake asked doubtfully. Sure. Only we used to sing it, Whena da moon hitsa yo lip like a big piecea shit, ats amore Hush, do ya please, Roland murmured. Dont suppose you smell any smoke yet, do you? Eddie asked. Jake and Roland shook their heads. Roland had his big iron with the sandalwood grips. Jake was armed with an AR15, but the bag of Orizas was once more hung over his shoulder, and not just for good luck. If all went well, he and Roland would be using them soon. FOUR Like most men with whats known as househelp, Pimli Prentiss had no clear sense of his employees as creatures with goals, ambitions, and feelingsas humes, in other words. As long as there was someone to bring him his afternoon glass of whiskey and set his chop (rare) in front of him at sixthirty, he didnt think of them at all. Certainly he would have been quite astounded to learn that Tammy (his housekeeper) and Tassa (his houseboy) loathed each other. They treated each other with perfectif chillyrespect when they were around him, after all. Only Pimli wasnt around this morning as Ats Amore (interpreted by the Billion Bland Strings) rose from Algul Sientos hidden speakers. The Master was walking up the Mall, now in the company of Jakli, a ravenhead taheen tech, as well as his Security Chief. They were discussing the Deep Telemetry, and Pimli had no thought at all for the house he had left behind for the last time. Certainly it never crossed his mind that Tammy Kelly (still in her nightgown) and Tassa of Sonesh (still in his silk sleepshorts) were on the verge of battle about the pantrystock. Look at this! she cried. They were standing in the kitchen, which was deeply gloomy. It was a large room, and all but three of the electric lights were burned out. There were only a few bulbs left in Stores, and they were earmarked for The Study. Look at what? Sulky. Pouty. And was that the remains of lip paint on his cunning little Cupidsbow of a mouth? She thought it was. Doee not see the empty spots on the shelves? she asked indignantly. Look! No more baked beans He dont care beans for beans, as you very well know No tunafish, either, and willee tell me he dont eat that? Hed eat it until it ran out his ears, and thee knows it! Can you not No more soup Balls there aint! he cried. Look there, and there, and th Not the Campbells Tamater he likes best, she overrode him, drawing closer in her excitement. Their arguments had never developed into outright fisticuffs before, but Tassa had an idea this might be the day. And if it were so, it were fineoh! Hed love to sock this fat old runoffatthemouth bitch in the eye. Do you see any Campbells Tamater, Tassa o whereveryougrew? Can you not bring back a box of tins yourself? he asked, taking his own step forward; now they were nearly nosetonose, and although the woman was large and the young man was willowy, the Masters houseboy showed no sign of fear. Tammy blinked, and for the first time since Tassa had shuffled into the kitchenwanting no more than a cup of coffee, say thanksan expression that was not irritation crossed her face. It might have been nervousness; it might even have been fear. Are you so weak in the arms, Tammy of whereveryou grew, that you cant carry a box of souptins out of Stores? She drew herself up to her full height, stung. Her jowls (greasy and aglow with some sort of nightcream) quivered with selfrighteousness. Fetching pantry supplies has ever been the houseboys job! And thee knows it very well! That dont make it a law that you cant help out. I was mowing his lawn yesty, as surely you know; I spied you sitting akitchen with a glass of cold tea, didnt I, just as comfortable as old Ellie in your favorite chair. She bristled, losing any fear she might have had in her outrage. I have as much right to rest as anyone else! Id just warshed the floor Looked to me like Dobbie was doing it, he said. Dobbie was the sort of domestic robot known as a houseelf, old but still quite efficient. Tammy grew hotter still. What would you know about house chores, you mincy little queer? Color flushed Tassas normally pale cheeks. He was aware that his hands had rolled themselves into fists, but only because he could feel his carefully caredfor nails biting into his palms.


It occurred to him that this sort of petty bitchandwhistle was downright ludicrous, coming as it did with the end of everything stretching black just beyond them; they were two fools sparring and catcalling on the very lip of the abyss, but he didnt care. Fat old sow had been sniping at him for years, and now here was the real reason. Here it was, finally naked and out in the open. Is that what bothers thee about me, sai? he enquired sweetly. That I kiss the pole instead of plug the hole, no more than that? Now there were torches instead of roses flaring in Tammy Kellys cheeks. Shed not meant to go so far, but now that she hadthat they had, for if there was to be a fight, it was his fault as much as hersshe wouldnt back away. Was damned if she would. Masters Bible says queerin be a sin, she told him righteously. Ive read it myself, so I have. Book of Leviticracks, Chapter Three, Verse And what do Leviticracks say about the sin of gluttony? he enquired. What do it say about a woman with tits as big as bolsters and an ass as big as a kitchen ta Never mind the size o my ass, you little cocksucker! At least I can get a man, he said sweetly, and dont have to lie abed with a dustclout Dont you dare! she cried shrilly. Shut your foul mouth before I shut it for you! to get rid of the cobwebs in my cunny so I can Ill knock thy teeth out if thee doesnt finger my tired old pokeberry pie. Then something which would offend her even more deeply occurred to him. My tired, dirty old pokeberry pie! She balled her own fists, which were considerably bigger than his. At least Ive never Go no further, sai, I beg you. never had some mans nasty old  nasty  old  She trailed off, looking puzzled, and sniffed the air. He sniffed it himself, and realized the aroma he was getting wasnt new. Hed been smelling it almost since the argument started, but now it was stronger. Tammy said, Do you smell smoke! he finished, and they looked at each other with alarm, their argument forgotten perhaps only five seconds before it would have come to blows. Tammys eyes fixed on the sampler hung beside the stove. There were similar ones all over Algul Siento, because most of the buildings which made up the compound were wood. Old wood. WE ALL MUST WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A FIREFREE ENVIRONMENT, it said. Somewhere close byin the back hallwayone of the stillworking smoke detectors went off with a loud and frightening bray. Tammy hurried into the pantry to grab the fireextinguisher in there. Get the one in the library! she shouted, and Tassa ran to do it without a word of protest. Fire was the one thing they all feared. FIVE Gaskie o Tego, the Deputy Security Chief, was standing in the foyer of Feveral Hall, the dormitory directly behind Damli House, talking with James Cagney. Cagney was a redhaired cantoi who favored Westernstyle shirts and boots that added three inches to his actual fivefootfive. Both had clipboards and were discussing certain necessary changes in the following weeks Damli security. Six of the guards whod been assigned to the second shift had come down with what Gangli, the compound doctor, said was a hume disease called momps. Sickness was common enough in Thunderclapit was the air, as everyone knew, and the poisoned leavings of the old peoplebut it was ever inconvenient. Gangli said they were lucky there had never been an actual plague, like the Black Death or the Hot Shivers. Beyond them, on the paved court behind Damli House, an earlymorning basketball game was going on, several taheen and cantoi guards (who would be officially on duty as soon as the horn blew) against a ragtag team of Breakers. Gaskie watched Joey Rastosovich take a shot from way downtownswish. Trampas snared the ball and took it out of bounds, briefly lifting his cap to scratch beneath it. Gaskie didnt care much for Trampas, who had an entirely inappropriate liking for the talented animals who were his charges. Closer by, sitting on the dorms steps and also watching the game, was Ted Brautigan. As always, he was sipping at a can of NozzALa. Well fuggit, James Cagney said, speaking in the tones of a man who wants to be finished with a boring discussion. If you dont mind taking a couple of humies off the fencewalk for a day or two Whats Brautigan doing up so early? Gaskie interrupted. He almost never rolls out until noon. That kid he pals around with is the same way. Whats his name? Earnshaw? Brautigan also palled around with that halfbright Ruiz, but Ruiz was no kid. Gaskie nodded. Aye, Earnshaw, thats the one. Hes on duty this morning. I saw him earlier in The Study. Cag (as his friends called him) didnt give a shit why Brautigan was up with the birdies (not that there were many birdies left, at least in Thunderclap); he only wanted to get this roster business settled so he could stroll across to Damli and get a plate of scrambled eggs. One of the Rods had found fresh chives somewhere, or so hed heard, and Doee smell something, Cag? Gaskie o Tego asked suddenly. The cantoi who fancied himself James Cagney started to enquire if Gaskie had farted, then rethought this humorous riposte. For in fact he did smell something. Was it smoke? Cag thought it was. SIX Ted sat on the cold steps of Feveral Hall, breathing the badsmelling air and listening to the humes and the taheen trashtalk each other from the basketball court. (Not the cantoi; they refused to indulge in such vulgarity.) His heart was beating hard but not fast. If there was a Rubicon that needed crossing, he realized, hed crossed it some time ago. Maybe on the night the low men had hauled him back from Connecticut, more likely on the day hed approached Dinky with the idea of reaching out to the gunslingers that Sheemie Ruiz insisted were nearby. Now he was wound up (to the max, Dinky would have said), but nervous? No. Nerves, he thought, were for people who still hadnt entirely made up their minds. Behind him he heard one idiot (Gaskie) asking tother idiot (Cagney) if he smelled something, and Ted knew for sure that Haylis had done his part; the game was afoot. Ted reached into his pocket and brought out a scrap of paper. Written on it was a line of perfect pentameter, although hardly Shakespearian GO SOUTH WITH YOUR HANDS UP, YOU WONT BE HURT. He looked at this fixedly, preparing to broadcast. Behind him, in the Feveral rec room, a smoke detector went off with a loud donkeybray. Here we go, here we go, he thought, and looked north, to where he hoped the first shooterthe womanwas hiding. SEVEN Threequarters of the way up the Mall toward Damli House, Master Prentiss stopped with Finli on one side of him and Jakli on the other. The horn still hadnt gone off, but there was a loud braying sound from behind them. They had no more begun to turn toward it when another bray began from the other end of the compoundthe dormitory end. What the devil Pimli began. is that was how he meant to finish, but before he could, Tammy Kelly came rushing out through the front door of Wardens House, with Tassa, his houseboy, scampering along right behind her. Both of them were waving their arms over their heads. Fire! Tammy shouted. Fire! Fire? But thats impossible, Pimli thought. For if thats the smoke detector Im hearing in my house and also the smoke detector Im hearing from one of the dorms, then surely It must be a false alarm, he told Finli. Those smoke detectors do that when their batteries are Before he could finish this hopeful assessment, a side window of Wardens House exploded outward. The glass was followed by an exhalation of orange flame. Gods! Jakli cried in his buzzing voice. It is fire! Pimli stared with his mouth open. And suddenly yet another smokeandfire alarm went off, this one in a series of loud, hiccuping whoops. Good God, sweet Jesus, that was one of the Damli House alarms! Surely nothing could be wrong at Finli o Tego grabbed his arm. Boss, he said, calmly enough. Weve got real trouble. Before Pimli could reply, the horn went off, signaling the change of shifts. And suddenly he realized how vulnerable they would be for the next seven minutes or so. Vulnerable to all sorts of things. He refused to admit the word attack into his consciousness. At least not yet. EIGHT Dinky Earnshaw had been sitting in the overstuffed easy chair for what seemed like forever, waiting impatiently for the party to begin. Usually being in The Study cheered him uphell, cheered everybody up, it was the goodmind effectbut today he only felt the wires of tension inside him winding tighter and tighter, pulling his guts into a ball. He was aware of taheen and cantoi looking down from the balconies every now and again, riding the goodmind wave, but didnt have to worry about being progged by the likes of them; from that, at least, he was safe. Was that a smoke alarm? From Feveral, perhaps? Maybe. But maybe not, too. No one else was looking around. Wait, he told himself. Ted told you this would be the hard part, didnt he? And at least Sheemies out of the way. Sheemies safe in his room, and Corbett Halls safe from fire. So calm down. Relax. That was the bray of a smoke alarm. Dinky was sure of it. Well  almost sure. A book of crossword puzzles was open in his lap. For the last fifty minutes hed been filling one of the grids with nonsenseletters, ignoring the definitions completely. Now, across the top, he printed this in large dark block letters GO SOUTH WITH YOUR HANDS UP, YOU WONT BE HU That was when one of the upstairs fire alarms, probably the one in the west wing, went off with a loud, warbling bray. Several of the Breakers, jerked rudely from a deep daze of concentration, cried out in surprised alarm. Dinky also cried out, but in relief. Relief and something more. Joy? Yeah, very likely it was joy. Because when the fire alarm began to bray, hed felt the powerful hum of goodmind snap. The eerie combined force of the Breakers had winked out like an overloaded electrical circuit. For the moment, at least, the assault on the Beam had stopped. Meanwhile, he had a job to do. No more waiting. He stood up, letting the crossword magazine tumble to the Turkish rug, and threw his mind at the Breakers in the room. It wasnt hard; hed been practicing almost daily for this moment, with Teds help. And if it worked? If the Breakers picked it up, rebroadcasting it and amping what Dinky could only suggest to the level of a command? Why then it would rise. It would become the dominant chord in a new goodmind gestalt. At least that was the hope. (ITS A FIRE FOLKS THERES A FIRE IN THE BUILDING) As if to underscore this, there was a soft bangandtinkle as something imploded and the first puff of smoke seeped from the ventilator panels. Breakers looked around with wide, dazed eyes, some getting to their feet. And Dinky sent (DONT WORRY DONT PANIC ALL IS WELL WALK UP THE) He sent a perfect, practiced image of the north stairway, then added Breakers. Breakers walking up the north stairway. Breakers walking through the kitchen. Crackle of fire, smell of smoke, but both coming from the guards sleeping area in the west wing. And would anyone question the truth of this mental broadcast? Would anyone wonder who was beaming it out, or why? Not now. Now they were only scared. Now they were wanting someone to tell them what to do, and Dinky Earnshaw was that someone. (NORTH STAIRWAY WALK UP THE NORTH STAIRWAY WALK OUT ONTO THE BACK LAWN) And it worked. They began to walk that way. Like sheep following a ram or horses following a stallion. Some were picking up the two basic ideas (NO PANIC NO PANIC) (NORTH STAIRWAY NORTH STAIRWAY) and rebroadcasting them. And, even better, Dinky heard it from above, too. From the cantoi and the taheen who had been observing from the balconies. No one ran and no one panicked, but the exodus up the north stairs had begun. NINE Susannah sat astride the SCT in the window of the shed where shed been concealed, not worrying about being seen now. Smoke detectorsat least three of themwere yowling. A fire alarm was whooping even more loudly; that one was from Damli House, she was quite sure. As if in answer, a series of loud electronic goosehonks began from the Pleasantville end of the compound. This was joined by a multitude of clanging bells. With all that happening to their south, it was no wonder that the woman north of the DevarToi saw only the backs of the three guards in the ivycovered watchtowers. Three didnt seem like many, but it was five per cent of the total. A start. Susannah looked down the barrel of her gun at the one in her sights and prayed. God grant me true aim true aim  Soon. It would be soon. TEN Finli grabbed the Masters arm. Pimli shook him off and started toward his house again, staring unbelievingly at the smoke that was now pouring out of all the windows on the left side. Boss! Finli shouted, renewing his grip. Boss, never mind that! Its the Breakers we have to worry about! The Breakers! It didnt get through, but the shocking warble of the Damli House fire alarm did. Pimli turned back in that direction, and for a moment he met Jaklis beady little birds eyes. He saw nothing in them but panic, which had the perverse but welcome effect of steadying Pimli himself. Sirens and buzzers every where. One of them was a regular pulsing honk hed never heard before. Coming from the direction of Pleasantville? Come on, boss! Finli o Tego almost pleaded. We have to make sure the Breakers are okay Smoke! Jakli cried, fluttering his dark (and utterly useless) wings. Smoke from Damli House, smoke from Feveral, too! Pimli ignored him. He pulled the Peacemaker from the dockers clutch, wondering briefly what premonition had caused him to put it on. He had no idea, but he was glad for the weight of the gun in his hand. Behind him, Tassa was yelling Tammy was, toobut Pimli ignored the pair of them. His heart was beating furiously, but he was calm again. Finli was right. The Breakers were the important thing right now. Making sure they didnt lose a third of their trained psychics in some sort of electrical fire or halfassed act of sabotage. He nodded at his Security Chief and they began to run toward Damli House with Jakli squawking and flapping along behind them like a refugee from a Warner Bros. cartoon. Somewhere up there, Gaskie was hollering. And then Pimli o New Jersey heard a sound that chilled him to the bone, a rapid chowchowchow sound. Gunfire! If some clown was shooting at his Breakers, that clowns head would finish the day on a high pole, by the gods. That the guards rather than the Breakers might be under attack had at that point still not crossed his mind, nor that of the slightly wilier Finli, either. Too much was happening too fast. ELEVEN At the south end of the Devar compound, the syncopated honking sound was almost loud enough to split eardrums. Christ! Eddie said, and couldnt hear himself. In the south watchtowers, the guards were turned away from them, looking north. Eddie couldnt see any smoke yet. Perhaps the guards could from their higher vantagepoints. Roland grabbed Jakes shoulder, then pointed at the SOO LINE boxcar. Jake nodded and scrambled beneath it with Oy at his heels. Roland held both hands out to EddieStay where you are!and then followed. On the other side of the boxcar the boy and the gunslinger stood up, side by side. They would have been clearly visible to the sentries, had the attention of those worthies not been distracted by the smoke detectors and fire alarms inside the compound. Suddenly the entire front of the Pleasantville Hardware Company descended into a slot in the ground. A robot fire engine, all bright red paint and gleaming chrome, came bolting out of the hitherto concealed garage. A line of red lights pulsed down the center of its elongated body, and an amplified voice bellowed, STAND CLEAR! THIS IS FIRERESPONSE TEAM BRAVO! STAND CLEAR! MAKE WAY FOR FIRERESPONSE TEAM BRAVO! There must be no gunfire from this part of the Devar, not yet. The south end of the compound must seem safe to the increasingly frightened inmates of Algul Siento dont worry, folks, heres your port in todays unexpected shitstorm. The gunslinger dipped a Riza from Jakes dwindling supply and nodded for the boy to take another. Roland pointed to the guard in the righthand tower, then once more at Jake. The boy nodded, cocked his arm across his chest, and waited for Roland to give him the go. TWELVE Once you hear the horn that signals the change of shifts, Roland had told Susannah,take it to them. Do as much damage as you can, but dont let them see theyre only facing a single person, for your fathers sake! As if he needed to tell her that. She could have taken the three watchtower guards while the horn was still blaring, but something made her wait. A few seconds later, she was glad she had. The rear door of the Queen Anne burst open so violently it tore off its upper hinge. Breakers piled out, clawing at those ahead of them in their panic (these are the wouldbe destroyers of the universe, she thought, these sheep ), and among them she saw half a dozen of the freakboys with animal heads and at least four of those creepy humanoids with the masks on. Susannah took the guard in the west tower first, and had shifted her aim to the pair in the east tower before the first casualty in the Battle of Algul Siento had fallen over the railing and tumbled to the ground with his brains dribbling out of his hair and down his cheeks. The Coyote machinepistol, switched to the middle setting, fired in lowpitched bursts of three Chow! Chow! Chow! The taheen and the low man in the east tower spun widdershins to each other, like figures in a dance. The taheen crumpled on the catwalk that skirted the top of the watchtower; the low man was driven into the rail, flipped over it with his bootheels in the sky, then plummeted headfirst to the ground. She heard the crack his neck made when it broke. A couple of the milling Breakers spotted this unfortunate fellows descent and screamed. Put up your hands! That was Dinky, she recognized his voice. Put up your hands if youre a Breaker! No one questioned the idea; in these circumstances, anyone who sounded like he knew what was going on was in unquestioned charge. Some of the Breakersbut not all, not yetput their hands up. It made no difference to Susannah. She didnt need raised hands to tell the difference between the sheep and the goats. A kind of haunted clarity had fallen over her vision. She flicked the firecontrol switch from BURST to SINGLE SHOT and began to pick off the guards whod come up from The Study with the Breakers. Taheen  cantoi, get him a hume but dont shoot her, shes a Breaker even though she doesnt have her hands up dont ask me how I know but I do  Susannah squeezed the Coyotes trigger and the head of the hume next to the woman in the bright red slacks exploded in a mist of blood and bone. The Breakers screamed like children, staring around with their eyes bulging and their hands up. And now Susannah heard Dinky again, only this time not his physical voice. It was his mental voice she heard, and it was much louder (GO SOUTH WITH YOUR HANDS UP, YOU WONT BE HURT) Which was her cue to break cover and start moving. Shed gotten eight of the Crimson Kings bad boys, counting the three in the towersnot that it was much of an accomplishment, given their panicand she saw no more, at least for the time being. Susannah twisted the handthrottle and scooted the SCT toward one of the other abandoned sheds. The gadgets pickup was so lively that she almost tumbled off the bicyclestyle seat. Trying not to laugh (and laughing anyway), she shouted at the top of her lungs, in her best Detta Walker vulturescreech Git outta here, muthafuckahs! Git south! Hands up so we know you fum the bad boys! Everyone doan have their hands up goan get a bullet in the haid! Yall trus me on it! In through the door of the next shed, scraping a balloon tire of the SCT on the jamb, but not quite hard enough to tip it over. Praise God, for she never would have had enough strength to right it on her own. In here, one of the lazers was set on a snapdown tripod. She pushed the toggleswitch marked ON and was wondering if she needed to do something else with the INTERVAL switch when the weapons muzzle emitted a blinding stream of reddishpurple light that arrowed into the compound above the triple run of fence and made a hole in the top story of Damli House. To Susannah it looked as big as a hole made by a pointblank artillery shell. This is good, she thought. I gotta get the other ones going. But she wondered if there would be time. Already other Breakers were picking up on Dinkys suggestion, rebroadcasting it and boosting it in the process (GO SOUTH! HANDS UP! WONT BE HURT!) She flicked the Coyotes fireswitch to FULL AUTO and raked it across the upper level of the nearest dorm to emphasize the point. Bullets whined and ricocheted. Glass broke. Breakers screamed and began to stampede around the side of Damli House with their hands up. Susannah saw Ted come around the same side. He was hard to miss, because he was going against the current. He and Dinky embraced briefly, then raised their hands and joined the southward flow of Breakers, who would soon lose their status as VIPs and become just one more bunch of refugees struggling to survive in a dark and poisoned land. Shed gotten eight, but it wasnt enough. The hunger was upon her, that dry hunger. Her eyes saw everything. They pulsed and ached in her head, and they saw everything. She hoped that other taheen, low men, or hume guards would come around the side of Damli House. She wanted more. THIRTEEN Sheemie Ruiz lived in Corbett Hall, which happened to be the dormitory Susannah, all unknowing, had raked with at least a hundred bullets. Had he been on his bed, he almost certainly would have been killed. Instead he was on his knees, at the foot of it, praying for the safety of his friends. He didnt even look up when the window blew in but simply redoubled his supplications. He could hear Dinkys thoughts (GO SOUTH) pounding in his head, then heard other thoughtstreams join it, (WITH YOUR HANDS UP) making a river. And then Teds voice was there, not just joining the others but amping them up, turning what had been a river (YOU WONT BE HURT) into an ocean. Without realizing it, Sheemie changed his prayer. Our Father and Pteck my pals became go south with your hands up, you wont be hurt. He didnt even stop this when the propane tanks behind the Damli House cafeteria blew up with a shattering roar. FOURTEEN Gangli Tristum (thats Doctor Gangli to you, say thankya) was in many ways the most feared man in Damli House. He was a cantoi who hadperverselytaken a taheen name instead of a human one, and he ran the infirmary on the third floor of the west wing with an iron fist. And on roller skates. Things on the ward were fairly relaxed when Gangli was in his office doing paperwork, or off on his rounds (which usually meant visiting Breakers with the sniffles in their dorms), but when he came out, the whole placenurses and orderlies as well as patientsfell respectfully (and nervously) silent. A newcomer might laugh the first time he saw the squat, darkcomplected, heavily jowled manthing gliding slowly down the center aisle between the beds, arms folded over the stethoscope which lay on his chest, the tails of his white coat wafting out behind him (one Breaker had once commented, He looks like John Irving after a bad facelift). Such a one who was caught laughing would never laugh again, however. Dr. Gangli had a sharp tongue, indeed, and no one made fun of his roller skates with impunity. Now, instead of gliding on them, he went flying up and down the aisles, the steel wheels (for his skating gear far predated rollerblades) rumbling on the hardwood. All the papers! he shouted. Do you hear me?  If I lose one file in this fucking mess, one godsdamned file, Ill have someones eyes with my afternoon tea! The patients were already gone, of course; hed had them out of their beds and down the stairs at the first bray of the smoke detector, at the first whiff of smoke. A number of orderliesgutless wonders, and he knew who each of them was, oh yes, and a complete report would be made when the time camehad fled with the sickfolk, but five had stayed, including his personal assistant, Jack London. Gangli was proud of them, although one could not have told it from his hectoring voice as he skated up and down, up and down, in the thickening smoke. Get the papers, dye hear? You better, by all the gods that ever walked or crawled! You better! A red glare shot in through the window. Some sort of weapon, for it blew in the glass wall that separated his office from the ward and set his favorite easychair asmolder. Gangli ducked and skated under the laser beam, never slowing. Ganadamn! cried one of the orderlies. He was a hume, extraordinarily ugly, his eyes bulging from his pale face. What in the hell was th Never mind! Gangli bawled. Never mind what it was, you pissface clown! Get the papers! Get my motherfucking papers! From somewhere in frontthe Mall?came the hideous approaching clangandyowl of some rescue vehicle. STAND CLEAR! Gangli heard. THIS IS FIRERESPONSE TEAM BRAVO! Gangli had never heard of such a thing as FireResponse Team Bravo, but there was so much they didnt know about this place. Why, he could barely use a third of the equipment in his own surgical suite! Never mind, the thing that mattered right now Before he could finish his thought, the gaspods behind the kitchen blew up. There was a tremendous roarseemingly from directly beneath themand Gangli Tristum was thrown into the air, the metal wheels on his roller skates spinning. The others were thrown as well, and suddenly the smoky air was full of flying papers. Looking at them, knowing that the papers would burn and he would be lucky not to burn with them, a clear thought came to Dr. Gangli the end had come early. FIFTEEN Roland heard the telepathic command (GO SOUTH WITH YOUR HANDS UP, YOU WONT BE HURT) begin to beat in his mind. It was time. He nodded at Jake and the Orizas flew. Their eerie whistling wasnt loud in the general cacophony, yet one of the guards must have heard something coming, because he was beginning to pivot when the plates sharpened edge took his head off and tumbled it backward into the compound, the eyelashes fluttering in bewildered surprise. The headless body took two steps and then collapsed with its arms over the rail, blood pouring from the neck in a gaudy stream. The other guard was already down. Eddie rolled effortlessly beneath the SOO LINE boxcar and bounced to his feet on the compound side. Two more automated fire engines had come bolting out of the station hitherto hidden by the hardware store faade. They were wheelless, seeming to run on cushions of compressed air. Somewhere toward the north end of the campus (for so Eddies mind persisted in identifying the DevarToi), something exploded. Good. Lovely. Roland and Jake took fresh plates from the dwindling supply and used them to cut through the three runs of fence. The highvoltage one parted with a bitter, sizzling crack and a brief blink of blue fire. Then they were in. Moving quickly and without speaking, they ran past the nowunguarded towers with Oy trailing closely at Jakes heels. Here was an alley running between Henry Grahams Drug Store  Soda Fountain and the Pleasantville Book Store. At the head of the alley, they looked out and saw that Main Street was currently empty, although a tangy electric smell (a subwaystation smell, Eddie thought) from the last two fire engines still hung in the air, making the overall stench even worse. In the distance, firesirens whooped and smoke detectors brayed. Here in Pleasantville, Eddie couldnt help but think of the Main Street in Disneyland no litter in the gutters, no rude graffiti on the walls, not even any dust on the plateglass windows. This was where homesick Breakers came when they needed a little whiff of America, he supposed, but didnt any of them want anything better, anything more realistic, than this plasticfantastic still life? Maybe it looked more inviting with folks on the sidewalks and in the stores, but that was hard to believe. Hard for him to believe, at least. Maybe it was only a city boys chauvinism. Across from them were Pleasantville Shoes, Gay Paree Fashions, Hair Today, and the Gem Theater (COME IN ITS KOOL INSIDE said the banner hanging from the bottom of the marquee). Roland raised a hand, motioning Eddie and Jake across to that side of the street. It was there, if all went as he hoped (it almost never did), that they would set their ambush. They crossed in a crouch, Oy still scurrying at Jakes heel. So far everything seemed to be working like a charm, and that made the gunslinger nervous, indeed. SIXTEEN  Any battleseasoned general will tell you that, even in a smallscale engagement (as this one was), there always comes a point where coherence breaks down, and narrative flow, and any real sense of how things are going. These matters are recreated by historians later on. The need to recreate the myth of coherence may be one of the reasons why history exists in the first place. Never mind. We have reached that point, the one where the Battle of Algul Siento took on a life of its own, and all I can do now is point here and there and hope you can bring your own order out of the general chaos. SEVENTEEN Trampas, the eczemaplagued low man who inadvertently let Ted in on so much, rushed to the stream of Breakers who were fleeing from Damli House and grabbed one, a scrawny excarpenter with a receding hairline named Birdie McCann. Birdie, what is it? Trampas shouted. He was currently wearing his thinkingcap, which meant he could not share in the telepathic pulse all around him. Whats happening, do you kn Shooting! Birdie yelled, pulling free. Shooting! Theyre out there! He pointed vaguely behind him. Who? How m Watch out you idiots its not slowing down! yelled Gaskie o Tego, from somewhere behind Trampas and McCann. Trampas looked up and was horrified to see the lead fire engine come roaring and swaying along the center of the Mall, red lights flashing, two stainlesssteel robot firemen now clinging to the back. Pimli, Finli, and Jakli leaped aside. So did Tassa the houseboy. But Tammy Kelly lay facedown on the grass in a spreading soup of blood. She had been flattened by FireResponse Team Bravo, which had not actually scrambled to fight a fire in over eight hundred years. Her complaining days were over. And STAND CLEAR! blared the fire engine. Behind it, two more engines swerved gaudily around either side of Wardens House. Once again Tassa the houseboy barely leaped in time to save his skin. THIS IS FIRERESPONSE TEAM BRAVO! Some sort of metallic node rose from the center of the engine, split open, and produced a steel whirligig that began to spray highpressure streams of water in eight different directions. MAKE WAY FOR FIRERESPONSE TEAM BRAVO! And James Cagneythe cantoi who was standing with Gaskie in the foyer of the Feveral Hall dormitory when the trouble started, remember him?saw what was going to happen and began yelling at the guards who were staggering out of Damlis west wing, redeyed and coughing, some with their pants on fire, a fewoh, praise Gan and Bessa and all the godswith weapons. Cag screamed at them to get out of the way and could hardly hear himself in the cacophony. He saw Joey Rastosovich pull two of them aside and watched the Earnshaw kid bump aside another. A few of the coughing, weeping escapees saw the oncoming fire engine and scattered on their own. Then FireResponse Team Bravo was plowing through the guards from the west wing, not slowing, roaring straight for Damli House, spraying water to every point of the compass. And Dear Christ, no, Pimli Prentiss moaned. He clapped his hands over his eyes. Finli, on the other hand, was helpless to look away.