Screaming and cheering rose to a single animal howl blanketing the park. The pings increased to an indecipherable smear of electronic noise. All around her people began to rush forwards towards the barricades.

Weapons fire was distinct.

One ping peaked above the general clamour: 'Got one! relayed by everyone's macrocellular clusters. A tone of evil glee bloomed amid the gaiafield at the news.

'Oh no, Araminta muttered.

People stared at her as they rushed past — mildly annoyed she wasn't joining them.

Several urged, 'Come on.

She hesitated, undecided.

Dazzling pinpoints of scarlet light rose from various parts of the park, skimming overhead to converge on the paramilitaries behind the faltering barricade segments. More weapons fire greeted them. She saw the distinctive blue-green flash of disruptor pulses. A second salvo of red stars shot upwards.

This is well planned, she realized.

A section of the lavender aura put out by the straining barricades went dark. From her viewpoint she saw bobbing heads surge into the dark opening. More red stars lit their way. A long scattering of weapons fire — it wasn't all coming from the paramilitaries.

Then windows in her apartment block began to glow with orange light. 'Oh no! Araminta's hands came up to cover her mouth as the shock hit her. Fire!

It was on the third floor. Then flames began to lick up a top floor balcony. Down on the street below the flashes from weapons became more pronounced.

'Got them.

'Got them. Went the pings. 'We're through.

'Barricade's down.

'Burn the fuckhead scum.

Araminta stood staring at the fire which was spreading rapidly. None of the apartment block's suppression systems seemed to be engaging. She remembered the whole thing was being upgraded.

Oh, sweet Ozzie, no!

The engineers hadn't left a temporary system operative while they upgraded. Everything she owned in the universe was going up in smoke. The work she'd put in! Insurance would take years to pay out for riot damage, if it ever did. She'd never be able to buy extra bodies. There would be no marriage.

Tears began to well up in her eyes. She was losing the last remnants of her real life right in front of her eyes, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. The screams and violence raged unheeded around her as flames chewed through the roof to shoot high into the funereal sky.

'Ozzie damn you all! she shrieked unheard at the rioters and paramilitaries whose fight had caused this, at the Ellezelin invaders, and the biggest shit in the universe: Cleric Conservator bastard Ethan.

'Araminta?

'Huh? she looked round wildly at the voice whispering to her. Nobody was close enough.

'Araminta. They know you're there in the park. Your distress triggered an emotional resonance indicator in the gaiafield. Get out. Get out now.

She stood completely still. The voice had come slithering through the gaiafield — and she'd never known it could do that, not single her out. 'Who are you? she shouted into the tangle of bright emotions. And the whole gaiafield churned, its spectral colours suddenly burning with the light of a nova. Incredulity hammered against her.

'It is you!

'Second Dreamer… please we beseech you.

'The Void, a billion Living Dream followers gasped in unison. 'Lead us into the Void. You are the one chosen by the Skylord.

'Fuck off, she cried back at them, delighting in their shock and dismay.

'Get out of the park, the first ethereal voice whispered at her again. 'I can't maintain this connection any longer. Get out. They're coming for you. Beautiful warm smile image rich with encouragement, a mental push.

Sonic booms slammed down across the rioters. Suddenly the sky above the park was glaring with white light thrown off by big capsules. There must have been a dozen of them rushing in, looking like they were going to collide directly overhead. Araminta slapped her hands over her ears at the noise that shook her bones.

'EVERYONE STAY PERFECTLY STILL, a voice boomed down from above.

Threads of crimson light flashed across the sky. A capsule exploded. Araminta screamed and flung herself down. Just before she hit the tattered grass she could've sworn she saw people jumping from the capsules. They're too high. They'll kill themselves. More beam weapons clashed, overwhelming her sight. Debris thudded into the grass and earth as the capsules began to accelerate again. Long ion contrails spiralled through the night as they chased each other around and around with energy shots blazing between them.

All across the park the rioting crowd started running. Fast.

Araminta didn't need any more encouragement. She scrambled to her feet and began sprinting hard back to where she'd left the cab. The strobing lights of the dogfight illustrated everyone in weird stop-motion positions. Her secondary thought routines did their best to maintain a level vision for her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a long line of red and blue strobes tearing through the air above the Cairns.

Reinforcements.

Her feet pounded over the grass. Panic was bleeding everything else out of her mind. Damn, I was stupid.

'Hey you, the voice was loud but calm.

Araminta kept on running.

'You: woman with the black hair wearing the fleece. Stop. Last chance.

Oh please, Ozzie, no!

She stumbled to a halt and looked fearfully over her shoulder. A man was standing ten metres behind her, dressed in a simple leather one-piece. A force field shimmer layered the air around him. He smiled, ignoring the frantic people running past. 'It's over, he said in a kindly voice, and held out his hand. 'Come on. Nobody's going to hurt you. You're far too important.

Araminta's jaw dropped as she saw the figure flying through the air behind him. Actually, really flying! Arms outstretched and everything. It was a woman, Araminta saw that much before a bright purple nimbus sprang up around her. She landed directly on top of the man. The air detonated in a violent corona. Blast pressure sent Araminta and everyone else nearby tumbling across the ground. A whitesound wail eliminated every other noise.

Somehow Araminta managed to stagger to her feet and totter away. Behind her the fight between the man and the women was getting ferocious. Energy blasts pummelled away. Waves of smouldering earth cascaded upwards as the lurid pair writhed together in a small crater of their own making.

Two more dark figures were flying silently over the park. She could see their silhouettes against the indigo haze of the dogfight above. The line of paramilitary capsules was almost at the marina.

She tripped over a prone figure to go sprawling into a small guralo tree. Tools in her belt jabbed painfully into her stomach and ribs. 'Ouch!

'Up you come.

A hand gripped her, pulling her to her feet. She gasped into the face of her helper, seeing a wry smile. His youthful features were very handsome, yet she knew he was ancient. He had a level of self-confidence that even Laril hadn't achieved. Then he was looking behind her, frowning. 'Oh crap.

She didn't want to look. This is it. The end.

Another capsule exploded just beneath the force field dome. Scintillating wreckage hurtled down.

'Get out of here, the man said urgently. 'My team will hold them off. We're killing ever sensor in a five kilometre radius. Living Dream won't be able to follow you. Go!

'Huh? she grunted, hating herself for being so dumb.

He swung her round and let go. She stared at the two figures approaching through the terrified crowd. Both were clad in a liquid jade glow. Her helper pushed his arms out in some kind of martial arts pose. His hands ignited into sharp turquoise-fireballs.

'Go! he growled at her.