The capsule carrying the welcome team roared overhead, barely subsonic and decelerating hard. Up ahead, the glass pillar corners of the target apartment block gleamed with a purple and blue iridescence, naively signalling its position. The welcome team capsule circled it possessively, trailing a thin vapour trail. Happy people down in the park frowned upwards at the boorish intrusion. Dismay and resentment appeared in the gaiafield like necrotic sunspots in an otherwise healthy corona.

'Oh great, Oscar grunted as more and more celebrating citizens became indignant and aggrieved. 'That'll help.

'They don't care, Tomansio said. 'This whole planet doesn't matter to them. All they're interested in is finding the Second Dreamer.

'I wonder what he's like, Oscar said they slowed to hover above the strip of well maintained gardens in front of the block.

'Neurotic, Beckia said. 'Got to be.

'Smart and scared, Tomansio said. 'Which makes him dangerous to Living Dream.

The rest of the capsules assigned to support the welcome team arrived. 'This is Major Honilar, the welcome team commander announced. 'Perimeter squad, establish yourselves immediately. No one in or out. Janglepulse anyone who attempts to cross your line. Custody support squad, seal off the ground floor and shut down the lifts. Use the stairwell to isolate each floor. Now listen up: I want to make very sure you all understand this: there is to be no lethal weapons usage at all. The Second Dreamer is in there, and he must not be harmed. If you encounter any problem, for example if he is using a force field and tries to break through, call us. We will deal with him. I don't want your dirty hands on him.

'Yes sir, Tomansio replied as he directed their capsule down mi to the garden. The welcome team's capsule was planting itself nil the roof next to the golden crystal dome containing the spa.

'What do we do? Oscar asked as the door expanded and he stepped out on to a border of fuchsia bushes, his boots crushing I he white and scarlet flowers into the loam.

'Exactly as we were told, Tomansio said. 'And remember, don't use your biononic field function. I know it's superior to anything in these armour suits, but the welcome team will detect it'.

'Okay. They joined the rest of the custody support troops as they marched into the ground floor lobby. Behind them, the perimeter squad started to push back the first batch of angry citizens who'd arrived from the park.

'Danal has just been arrested, Cheriton told them. 'Two officers from cabinet security are hauling him off right now. He's not a happy man.

'That must be a deliberate distraction, Tomansio said.

'Yeah, but by who? Beckia said. 'The Second Dreamer or another bunch like us?

The lobby was filled with contractors' equipment and caskets piled high with rubbish. Bright temporary lighting on a metal frame cast strong shadows.

'The welcome team have taken command of the apartment block's net, Cheriton said. 'Hang on, I'm assessing the results from their scrutineers.

Tomansio led Beckia and Oscar into the concrete stairwell. More rubbish had been casually tipped off the floors above forming a heap of dusty debris at the bottom of the stairs in tin-basement. A couple of paramilitaries went down to investigate the garage.

'According to the net there are about thirty people currently in residence, Cheriton said. 'The whole damn place is being redeveloped. The fourth floor only has four people registered I'm two apartments. Danal and Mareble, and a married couple Someone called Araminta is refurbishing the remaining three on that level. Mining her now.

Oscar hurried up the concrete stairs. The long line of suited paramilitaries were making a lot of noise as they trooped up with him. Instructions relayed from Honilar assigned six of them to each floor. Oscar was seriously impressed with Liatris when he, Tomansio and Beckia were given the fourth floor.

They emerged into the vestibule to find all the apartment doors broken open and two of the welcome team standing guard in full military armour suits. Oscar could just see through the doorway into apartment three, where the terrified occupants were in the middle of the big living room. A man and woman: him in a pair of shorts, her in a long nightshirt. Standing side side, their arms raised as another of the welcome team covet them with a large gun. She was shaking and crying, while her partner was trying to be resolute. The way his leg muscles were trembling betrayed him more than any gaiafield emission.

Major Honilar came out of Danal's apartment. 'No sign him. He couldn't have got out of the building, he didn't have time. I want every resident on every floor in custody and taken to our headquarters. Search and scan each apartment, make sure you have everyone. He turned and went back into Danal's apartment.

'Pair up, Tomansio said. 'Take an apartment each.

Oscar accompanied Tomansio as they went into apartment number four. He scanned round with his suit's sensors, resenting how slow and restricted they were compared to a biononic field scan. You're spoilt, he told himself. The suit didn't detect any body-size thermal signatures. The apartment was half-way through refurbishment. Several inactive bots were lined up in the living room. New cables and pipes were laid out along one wall. Junked utility fittings were stacked up by the door. Crates and boxes with BOVEY'S BUILDING SUPPLY MACROSTORE printed a round them were waiting to be unpacked. Some furniture had been left, a coffee table that was now badly scuffed, with several mugs on top, waiting to be washed. An ancient couch with a matching armchair that had odd lumps in its cushioning.

His u-shadow was displaying the reports from the other squads, who were busy rounding up the residents on other floors. So far, their identities matched their files.

'In here, Tomansio said, using their secure link. He was standing in the doorway to a bedroom. The bed itself was a bare mattress with a big sleeping bag crumpled on top. Four suitcases were lined up along a wall; one was open revealing a collection of woman's clothes. The small dresser was swamped by hair styling tools and membrane scale cases.

'Not listed as lived in, Oscar said.

'Depends what lists you check. Liatris, run another search on Araminta. Has she sold this apartment?

'I'm on it.

While Tomansio checked the other two bedrooms Oscar went into the main bathroom. The floor had been stripped back to I ho bare concrete, as had the walls. A brand new carved stone bath cuboid was sitting in the middle. Halfway up the wall behind it, the stub of the original cold water feed pipe jutted out of the concrete, its valve dripping into a plastic bucket beneath. The old toilet bowl was still plumbed in. A big hot water tank stood in one corner, already boxed in by the struts of a false wall, just awaiting the cover boards which were stacked in front of it. A maze of pipe work was strewn round its base. Components for a spore shower were lying ready for assembly.

'Nothing, he told Tomansio.

'The other bedrooms are empty.

Oscar found him behind the living room's kitchen bar. The old culinary unit had been removed to stand on the ground, though the nutrient feed pipes were still plumbed in. A kettle and a microwave were sitting on the scratched marble work surface. His thermal scan showed him the kettle's temperature was above ambient. 'This place has been used recently, he muttered.

'We need to talk to her, Tomansio said. 'If anyone can tell us who's been in and out of these apartments, it's her.

'That shouldn't be too difficult, Oscar said. 'We know who she is. Finding her will be easy for Liatris.

'Yeah. Tomansio's sensors swept round one last time. 'Grab something from her bedroom, just so we can run a DNA verification that she's the one living here. Then we'd better get back and help with rounding up the rest of the suspects.