Ddwng smiled. "And neither do you bluff. The Chip is worth more than a hundred such planets. It is hard to believe that you sold it for such a pittance."
"I am not selling it. I am exchanging it for the freedom of my party, in the belief that you will be unable to use it effectively, if it is delivered at all."
Nona was shocked. "But if you agree to deliver it—"
"Be not concerned, lovely lady," Ddwng said. "He merely means that he may die before delivery can be effected. The Virtual Mode can be dangerous. I know that if he lives, and is not prisoner elsewhere, he will deliver it to Cat, who will bring it to me."
"To Cat?"
"Darius will not care to enter the DoOon Mode again. He will allow Cat to take that final step. I am amenable to this; it is the Chip, not Darius, I want." He paused, then spoke again. "Correction: I do want Darius, because he is an exceptional commander. But he comes with dangerous baggage." He glanced at Colene.
"You got that right, rectum," Colene retorted.
"Charming creature that you are," Ddwng said pleasantly. "I think we are much alike inside." He glanced at the others. "Do you wish to enter the Virtual Mode now, or suffer our hospitality for a time?"
Nona was tired, and by the schedule they had been on, it was now night. She could use a good night's sleep in a comfortable physical environment. But she wanted to get well away from the DoOon Mode while she could. She was sure the others felt the same.
"We're outa here," Colene said.
"Of course." The emperor showed the way to the anchor spot. It was not visible, but Nona could feel its presence.
"We shall require supplies," Darius said.
That was right; Nona had almost forgotten. The neighboring Modes were barren, and though others had life, it was not wise to eat their substance. They had to carry all their food with them, and whatever other supplies were essential.
Ddwng had known this. There were full packs for all of them. They were heavy but necessary, and they would lighten as they used them. No one complained. Then they returned to the anchor.
They walked through it. First Darius went alone. He disappeared, then reappeared, signaling them to follow. Then Colene stepped across with him, followed by Pussy. They vanished. Then Burgess and Cat crossed, vanishing similarly. Finally Nona and Tom went.
Abruptly Ddwng and the palace were gone. They were on a barren plain. Burgess and Cat were waiting for them.
"What happened?" Tom asked, startled.
Nona was glad to enlighten him. "The Virtual Mode changes every ten paces. Usually adjacent Modes are very similar—so much so that they seem indistinguishable. Their boundaries are marked by the fact that folk vanish or appear when they cross." Ahead of them Burgess and Cat vanished again.
He nodded. "Yes, now I remember. We were told. But I thought there would be another palace." They stepped across the invisible line, and the two ahead of them reappeared.
"The Modes next to DoOon are vacant," she explained. "We believe it was done to prevent DoOon from using them. To isolate it. Because it has traditionally been unkind to its neighbors."
"And will be again," he agreed. They were alone again. "How is it that I can see across this entire plain, forward and backward, yet can't see anyone else?" But as they crossed, their companions reappeared.
"Each Mode is a different universe," Nona said. "We see all of each that is in our line of sight, yet we are crossing a section of each only ten paces across, but infinitely wide."
"Infinitely wide?"
"Think of a layer cake. Cut a slice across the layers and lay it flat. We are like ants walking across the thin edges of those layers. Each seems narrow, but extends to the side to the edge of the cake. The Modes have not been literally cut; the Virtual Mode merely intersects them without damaging them. But we are the only ants that can walk it; the folk of the intervening Modes can't."
"But I understood that we of the DoOon Mode could do so."
"That's because the DoOon Mode is now an anchor Mode. There are five anchors, each fixing a different real Mode. But it's not safe for inexperienced people to travel a Virtual Mode, and they can't gain much, because all the neighboring Modes are barren, as you see. So Ddwng needs the Chip, so he can make his own Virtual Modes. Then he will be able to make far more productive connections."
"It is becoming intelligible as I experience it. But I would soon be lost by myself."
"Exactly. Only the anchor people have any awareness of their location. You are an anchor person, but lack experience. Soon you will be more comfortable here."
"I am glad of that."
"There is something else," Nona said. "Do not try to transport anything from one Mode to another."
"Why not?" Tom asked.
She smiled. "Try it and see."
He stooped to pick up a stone. They crossed to the next mode. The stone was no longer in his hand. They crossed back, and it was on the ground at the edge. "It didn't go," he said, surprised. "I held it, but it vanished."
"Yes. The same goes for food. If you eat and cross, you will lose what you just ate. That's why we carry our own supplies. There are exceptions, but you see the underlying problem."
He nodded. "Our training did not make this clear."
"You had little way to know."
They crossed again—and there were all the other members of the party, spread out to the sides. "Ddwng will be sending a party to track us," Colene said. "Now we will lose ourselves, so the trail gets confusing, then goes dead."
"A tracking party?" Tom asked. "How can you know that?"
"I read his cesspool mind."
"But your telepathic horse is not here."
"I have developed a bit of telepathy of my own." Now that they were safely away from the DoOon Mode, Colene evidently felt free to let it be known.
"But only anchor people can cross the Modes," Nona protested. "Remember, when we conveyed Slick and Esta to Provos' Mode, we had to tie them to us so they would not get lost."
"Provos," Cat said. "I remember her. But not the other names."
"They were an uncle and a niece who were in an impossible situation on Earth, my home Mode," Colene said. "We took them to another Mode, where they had a new life." She glanced at Nona. "You're right: only anchor persons, which all of us here are, can use a Virtual Mode. But Ddwng is devious. He arranged to have a whole group of anchors: the six Feline and Caprine nulls in training, and four others they didn't know about. Those four will be able to take the hands of nonanchor people, and enable them to cross Modes. We'd have been patsies, if I hadn't read his foul mind. But without competent guidance or prior experience, they won't be able to do much, because all the adjacent Modes are barren. That's why they'll be following us, because they know that we know the way to healthy Modes. That's also why we have to lose them. They'll have a hell of a time finding anything useful on their own."
"What objection do you have to being followed?" Cat asked. "These are not your Modes, and you will be unlikely to suffer any harm."
"We don't want harm to come to any Mode," Nona said. "They all have a right to live in peace."
Cat nodded. "Now I understand."
"Darius agreed to deliver the Chip," Colene said. "He did not agree to provide a map to the Virtual Mode, for all that it changes every time an anchor changes. So we will make our own way to his Mode, fetch the Chip, turn it over to you, and see that you get safely back to DoOon. Until then, we want no interference by Ddwng. Can you live with that?"
Cat considered. "Yes."
"So will you help us lose the pursuit?"
Cat considered again. "Yes."
Pussy clapped her hands. "Oh, good!"
Nona was surprised. "You want us to foil Ddwng?"
Pussy looked at Cat. "How can I answer that?"
"With your feeling," Cat said. "Which is separate from your duty."
Pussy looked at Nona. "When Colene saved our nulls from the dragon, now and in the future, we became emotionally loyal to her
and to your party. We love you in our way, and want to help you in any way we can. The Caprines feel the same way. We can't go against our mission, but anything else that pleases you pleases us. We—" She looked again at Cat, who nodded. "Can we tell you something in private?"
"We will not betray your secrets," Darius said. "We hope never to see Ddwng again."
"We don't much like Ddwng ourselves," Pussy said. "He is merciless. The dragons ate us—ate all nulls—partly to show the emperor's absolute power over us. And the Swine reflect his attitude, brutalizing the other nulls in turn. What you did, and how you enforce it, with the promise of the Chip—maybe you didn't do it for us, but we do love you for it."
"I did the dragon bit for you," Colene said. "Darius took the chain for me. But it was also partly because we knew you would be loyal to us. We value that. Our lives may be dependent on you, as we traverse unknown aspects of the Virtual Mode. There is something else you need to know: there is a danger to me alone. Some kind of Mode Monster is after my mind, and when it orients on me, I'm helpless. All the others can do is get me off the Virtual Mode in a hurry. That's why we landed so suddenly in the DoOon Mode: I had to get off the Virtual Mode. It can't follow me onto a regular Mode. So when it orients on me again, we'll have to get off again, wherever we are, and if it doesn't go away, we'll have to free another anchor. Don't worry about yours; only you can free that. So the Virtual Mode will change, but you will still be able to get home. So chances are at some point, maybe soon, we'll have to get off, and I'll be helpless, so we'll need your help to manage. We wouldn't want to risk it if you hated us, but as it is, you're okay."
"We will help you," Cat agreed. "We did not know of this."
"We didn't want you to. But most of our personal secrets will come out, during this trek. We need to trust each other."
"We shall do our best to be worthy of that trust," Cat said.
"We know you will. We all need each other, and we may not all survive." Colene smiled without humor. "If I die, one of you may have to marry Darius, or be his mistress."
"One of us?" Pussy said. "I am barred from—"
"I said if I die. Then you would not be barred from doing anything with him, because it would not complicate his loyalties. He would still fetch the Chip. But he would need a woman, and it may not be Nona."
Nona felt a chill. So Colene did know that she didn't want to do it. Her telepathy made concealment impossible.
"If that were the case," Pussy said carefully, "then I would do whatever he wished."
"Actually he would prefer Doe to you," Colene said. "But no doubt you would do."
Nona saw that the girl's dolor was returning. She was teasing them with thoughts of her demise, and tempting fate. It was her way to take suicidal risks, and pushing Pussy at Darius was exactly such a risk.
"Do not tease her," Darius said. "It is a woman for the drawing that I need."
"The drawing?" Pussy asked, blanching.
"The drawing of joy. As I did with you to restore Nona. In my own Mode I must take a wife not for love but for the drawing."
Pussy visibly stiffened her resolve. "I would do whatever you require of me."
"But he would never require that," Colene said. "It is necessary but cruel. He would find some other woman for that."
"I hope you do not die," Pussy said to Colene. "But I will do what is required of me regardless."
"You would do just fine as his mistress," Colene said.
Nona wanted to stop this treacherous dialogue, but didn't know how. The girl's dolor was becoming poisonous.
"But while you live," Cat said firmly, "we Felines will do all in our power to serve you, and Pussy will not be available to Darius in any such capacity."
"I know it," Colene said. Cat had evidently seen the need, and done what was required. "Now let's mix up our trail. It's late, and we're getting tired, but this is something we have to do first. We need to find water or something that will mess up our scent trail, and see what else we can do to erase our traces. Once we give them the slip, chances are they'll never find us again. Any ideas?"
"On occasion we have played with mazes," Cat said. "When I was young, I was for a time deceived by one that consisted of concentric circles with barriers and apertures. We had to start at the outside and make our way into the center. The key was that sometimes it was necessary to proceed outward, not merely inward."
"Got it," Colene said. "I've seen that type. You figure they'll be looking for us forward, and if we duck backward toward DoOon it may fool them."
"It may," Cat agreed. "However, I would be wary of using an idea I suggest, because I am of DoOon, and others of my Mode are likely to think similarly."
"Still, it's a good idea," Colene said. "We'll start with it, and then see what else we come up with."
They proceeded sidewise along the Mode segment, so that all of them were in sight, then crossed back to a prior Mode, forward again, and back. Their party snaked in and out of view as they maneuvered; Tom showed his continuing surprise as they winked on and off.
"One becomes accustomed to it," Nona said. "Also, one learns never to take a Mode crossing for granted. These have all been what we call continuous: very similar to each other. But sometimes there are sharp breaks. Those can be amusing, or deadly. Stay close to me until you are accustomed to it, and your caution is automatic."
"May I comment?"
"Of course you may, Tom! You don't need my permission."
"I will of course obey your slightest stricture. But I find your directive to remain close to you appealing."
That reminded her. Tom loved her, and it was her fault. He might be just a servant in his home Mode, but this was something no servant should have to endure. What was she to do? Some other person might just ignore it, but she was unable to do that. "I wish I could free you of that emotion, Tom. You know I do not return it."
"There is no need for you to be concerned. You are the mistress."
But she was concerned. She brooded as they crossed Modes, but came to no suitable conclusion.
They crossed to another Mode—and there were Cat and Burgess, with the others to the side. "We have discovered a discontinuity," Cat said. "The following Mode is a seemingly endless sea. We believe that Burgess can carry us across it, singly, leaving no permanent trail."
"Singly," Nona said. "That means that some of us will have to be alone in a Mode while waiting our turns for transport."
"This is true. I will go first, and will wait alone while Burgess returns for another."
"Why you? Surely it should be one of the experienced Virtual Mode travelers."
"I lack the emotion the gendered folk have. I can handle it. The question to be decided is who will be last. That one will also have to be alone for a time."
"I'll do it," Tom said.
Nona wanted to protest, but she knew why he was volunteering. If he were lost, she would have no problem about his disposition. It was a cruel equation, but perhaps valid. So she remained silent, and hated herself for it.
Cat climbed carefully onto Burgess, and the two disappeared forward. The others waited. "You know, when we were in DoOon the first time," Colene said, "I didn't like you nulls at all. But now I know you better, and you're real people. Good people. I think you'll be a real help on this journey."
"Thank you," Pussy said. "But so far we have not helped enough. We need to do you favors every day."
"I thought that was turned off for this mission," Nona said.
"It is," Tom said. "But we still feel better doing it."
"Well, crossing first does it for Cat, and crossing last does it for you," Colene said. "And I guess Pussy did it by being so nice about what I said before. I shouldn't have said it. But there'll be plenty of times we need each other's help."
They waited, looking across the barren plain. It was hard to imagine water being so close.
Burgess returned. "I'll go," Pussy said.
Darius shrugged. "All of us will go in due
course. The order doesn't matter."
Pussy got on Burgess, and they disappeared. At intervals, Colene and Darius followed. Nona felt increasingly nervous when it was just two of them remaining. The Virtual Mode was eerie at the best of times, and this was definitely not that. Suppose there was some problem ahead? What would they do?
Tom put his strong arm around her shoulder. Nona discovered that she really appreciated his proffered comfort. "Thank you, Tom."
Burgess returned, and Nona went. She looked back at Tom, standing alone, and felt a pang. It simply was not kind to leave him isolated. Then he disappeared, and she found a great sea beneath them. Burgess was wafting across it, unhampered by the water; airborne, he could handle most terrains, provided they were fairly level and he had sufficient room.
She gazed ahead, and spied a bare island. She hoped they were not headed for that, but they were. As they drew close, suddenly the others appeared, standing on it.
Nona dismounted, and Burgess turned back. "This is a way station," Colene said. "We'll jump from here to another, to make it harder to trace. The pursuit will need boats, and they won't know where to take them."
"It will be hard to hold hands while managing a boat," Nona said.
"Yes. Between that and our hidden trail, they won't get far."
Soon Burgess returned with Tom. Pussy hugged him. "Was it lonely?"
"Yes. I didn't dare move, lest I be not there when Burgess returned."
"Oh, you can move around some," Colene said. "Burgess won't desert you on a technicality."
"Then maybe I will explore while waiting."
They made the next jump, to a larger island crossed by several Mode divisions. Cat was the first, again, and Tom the last. Then they jumped to land, having crossed the sea.
But this time Burgess returned without Tom. The Feline had not been there, and had not appeared. Burgess had looked, but not found him.
Nona felt a thrill of alarm. "We must find him!"
"We'll go back and search," Darius said. "He must have stepped across a Mode, and lost track of the one Burgess came to."