What she'd done terrified her. But it was instinctive. She didn't want to be the Second Dreamer. Just hours before the contact she'd decided her future after days of soul-searching and self-discovery. She was going to be Mrs Bovey(s). She was going to get herself more bodies and become multiple. And they'd live here in this grand house, or a new one she'd build, equally delightful. And half of their bodies would be in bed together the whole time. She would make him as happy as he made her. And the future would be bright and lovely and full of promise. There might be children. What kind of children did multiples have? Did he want them? They'd never talked about any of this yet. So much was waiting for her out there in the years to come, so many discoveries. So much joy.

Of course she'd said no. What else could she say?

I will not be a part of that. That is not me.

Billions wanted it to be. They were going to insist.

But they will never know who I am. I will never talk to the Skylord again.

That was the decision she'd made when dawn came to the sky outside the bedroom. She was wretchedly tired, and shaking. There were dried tears on her cheeks from the quiet sobbing in the lonely hours as gentle rain had pattered against the window. But she knew her mind now. She would stand firm.

On the big bed beside her the blond teenage Mr Bovey lay on his back with a slight frown, mouth twitching as he dealt with a sour dream.

Nothing as bad as mine, she told him silently. He too would never know, she decided, the burden would be too much. This will end. Eventually. I will endure and ride it out.

Araminta bent over and kissed the youthful body. Gently at first. On his brow. His cheek. His mouth.

He stirred. The frown eased away. She smiled at that, and kissed his throat. Her hands caressed the supple muscle on his chest as the melange program rose out of her lacunas. Her raging thoughts stilled as she breathed slowly and carefully, following her own deep rhythms to achieve the composure she sought. Now she could concentrate fully on the body beside her.

For the full hour which followed there were no distractions, no external thoughts and doubts. It was so good to forget Skylords and Second Dreamers and Living Dream, replacing them with good dirty human sex.

'Forgive me, especially after this morning, but you don't look so good, Mr Bovey said.

Araminta nodded grudgingly as she finally climbed out of the big bath. It was such a luxury just lounging in oiled, scented water rather than snatching a quick minute in a spoor shower. One her poor body deserved. 'Your fault, she teased. She couldn't quite put the right emphasis behind it. Her thoughts were drifting back to the revelations of last night with the surety of a tide.

It was the young Celtic one who handed her a huge towel. 'Are you all right? You're not having second thoughts?

'Ozzie no! This is the only truly good decision I've made. Probably ever.

He smiled proudly, but couldn't completely hide his worry. 'You seem… troubled. I'm concerned.

She started to rub the water off her legs. Its been a big week.

I'm all right, just didn't sleep well, that's all. I'll take some kind of pep infuser when I get home.

'Home? ' he frowned.

'I've still got to get the apartments finished. We both know I need the money.

'Right. He scratched at his hair, looking perplexed. Araminta wasn't used to that. Whenever they had serious conversations Mr Bovey always preferred to use his middle-aged black-skinned body, the one she'd had their very first date with, who almost qualified as the father figure. She never had worked out if that was deliberate on his part.

'Look, he said. 'I hate to be the one with the bad news, but you clearly haven't accessed the Unisphere this morning.

Just the way he said it made her heart sink. She had told her u-shadow to suspend any Unisphere contact before they went to bed last night; now it reconnected her and began pulling out priority news items. 'Oh, Great Ozzie, she gasped. It was all there. The invasion by Ellezelin forces down by the docks. Paramilitary troops moving across the city. Large capsules patrolling the skies, halting any civilian traffic.

When she rushed over to the window she could make out several of the capsules floating passively above the River Cairns, insidious dark ovoids set against the dusky dawn-lit clouds. Colwyn's weather-protection force field was on, covering the entire city. It wasn't any storm the invaders were interested in, they were preventing any capsules from leaving.

And worse, much much worse, the message from Director Trachtenberg at Centurion Station about the Void starting to expand. A devourment phase all the commentators were calling it. And they were equally clear that it was the fault of the Second Dreamer for rejecting the Skylord. No such thing as coincidence was the phrase that kept reverberating round her head. Everyone was using it.

'I can't stay here, Araminta moaned.

'You're not serious? It's dangerous out there. They're restricting the reports, but our fellow citizens are not taking this lightly. There's been several clashes already, and it's not even breakfast time yet.

They're here for me, she realized. A whole world invaded, violated because of me. Ozzie, forgive me.

'I'll just go straight home, she said stubbornly. 'I have to get to the apartments. They're all I've got, you can see that, can't you? She felt shabby saying that, it was emotional bullying, but all she wanted to do was get away from him. It was completely wrong, this was the person she was planning to marry, hes should be trusted. She just couldn't risk trusting him with something of this magnitude. He'd agreed to marry a girl struggling to make it as a property developer, not some walking galactic catastrophe.

'I do understand, he said, so very reluctantly. 'But they've shut down all the capsule traffic. Half of mes are stuck all across town.

Araminta started to pull her clothes on. There was a whole closet in the bathroom which was hers, so at least she could dress practically with dark jeans and a blue sweater. 'My trike pod is in the garage. I left it here a couple of weeks back. Her u-shadow was hurriedly checking travel restrictions in Colwyn City. The traffic management net carried a full proscription on non-official air vehicles, backed by the certificate of the Mayor's office and the Viotia Federal Transport Agency. However, ground vehicles were still permitted to operate in the city precincts, with an advisory caution that citizens should only use them for essential trips. There were a great many links to official Viotia government bulletins about their inclusion in the Free Trade Zone at core planet level, and how after a brief transition period everything would return to normal and a strong economic growth phase would begin, bringing a major upswing to everyone's lifestyle. Just for an instant she recalled Liken and his grand plans for the Free Trade Zone, but she dismissed those thoughts at once.

'Let some of mes go, Mr Bovey said. 'I can check the place over for you.

'I am not going to start our life together by being dependent on you, she said, hating herself now.

He looked even more unhappy. 'All right. Ozzie, but you're obdurate.

'Think of it as tenacious, and how that works in your favour in bed.

'Ozzie help the paramilitaries if they get in your way. But his sympathetic smile wasn't exactly wholehearted. 'I don't suppose one of mes can come with you?

'Have you got a ground vehicle? she asked.

'No.

'You're really sweet. Still want to marry me?

'Yes.

'Even when there's going to be many mes?

'Just take care.

There was a whole team of hims assembled to wave goodbye to her when she clambered on to the trike pod. She was mildly surprised to find the power cell still had half a charge left. All his familiar faces wore the same mournful expression as she waved airily. Then she set off down the narrow gravel track which cut through the grounds to the road outside. There was a point when she'd just passed the last of hims when she thought her resolution might buckle and send her rushing back, confessing everything. It was coupled with a horror that she'd never see him again, that no matter her determination this was all too big for her to cope with.