'I don't think so. I think we're only here as projec-tions from his own subconscious mind,' said Yo-less.'He's just dreaming us.'

'You mean we're not real?' said Bigmac.

'I'm not sure if I'm real,' said Johnny.

'It feels real,' said Wobbler. 'Smells real, too.'

'Tastes real,' said Bigmac.

'Looks real,' said Yo-less. 'But he's only imaginingwe're here. It's not really us. Just the us that's inside hishead.'

Don't ask me, thought Johnny. You were alwaysbest at this stuff.

'And I've just worked out, right,' said Yo-less, 'thatif we send in the boxtops from every single packet backthere we can get six thousand sets of saucepans, OK?And twenty thousand books of football stickers andfifty-seven thousand chances to win a Stylish Five-DoorFord Sierra.'

The four ships lumbered on towards the distant fleet.Johnny's starship could easily outdistance the tankers,so he flew in wide circles around them, watching theradar screen.

There was an occasional zip and sizzle from Wob-bler's tanker. He was trying to take its computer apart,just in case there were any design innovations Johnnymight remember when he woke up.

Ships appeared on the screen. There was the bigdot of the fleet and, around the edges of the screen,

A thought occurred to him.

'Yo-less?'

'Yeah?'

'Have those things got any guns on?'

'Er ... what do they look like?'

'There's probably a red button on the joystick.'

'Not got one on mine.'

'What about you, Wobbler? Bigmac?'

'Nope.'

'Which one's the joystick?' said Bigmac.

'It's the thing you're steering with.'

'Yeah, wipe the mustard off and have a look,' saidYo-less.

'Nothing on it,' said Bigmac.

Unarmed, thought Johnny. And slow. One hit witha missile and Wobbler is sitting inside the biggestcheese in the universe. What happens to people in mydream?

'Why does it always go wrong?

'I'll just go on ahead,' he said, and pressed the Fastbutton.

There were three players attacking the ScreeWeefleet. It soon became two; Johnny had one in his sightsall the way in, curving away through the smoke-ringof the explosion and heading for the next attacker sofast that he was only just behind his own missile.

It was going after the Captain's ship, and the playerwasn't paying attention to his radar. Another explo-sion, already behind Johnny as he looked for the thirdplayer.

Johnny realized he wasn't thinking about it. His eyesand hands were doing all the work. He was just watch-ing from inside.

The third player had spotted the tankers. It sawhim, turned and actually managed to get some shotsaway.

Oh, no. Johnny's mind whirred like a machine, judg-ing speed and distance

He felt the ship buck under him, but he held it steadyuntil the crosshairs merged.

Then he pressed his thumb down until a beepingsound told him he hadn't got anything more tofire.

After a while the red mist cleared. He foundthoughts slinking back into his mind again. Theymoved slowly, uncertain of where they were, likepeople drifting back into a bombed city, pickingthrough rubble, trying to find the old familiar shapes.

There was a metallic taste in his mouth. His elbowached - he must have banged it on something duringthe turn.

He thought: No wonder we make rules. The Cap-tain thinks it's strange, but we don't. We know whatwe'd be like if we didn't have rules.

A light flashed by the communication screen. Some-one wanted to talk to him. He flicked a switch.

The face of the Captain appeared.

'Halt, Johnny. What an efficient technique.'

'Yes. But I had to-'

'Of course. And I see you have brought some friends.'

'You said you needed food.'

'Even more so now. That last attack was severe.

'Aren't you firing at all?'

'No. We have surrendered, I remind you. Besides, we mustnot stop. Some of us at least will reach the Border.'

'Border?' said Johnny. 'I thought you were going toa planet.''We must cross the Border first. Beyond the Border we aresafe. Even you cannot follow us. If we fight, all of us die. Ifwe run, some of us live.'

'I don't think humans can think like that,' saidJohnny. He glanced out of the cockpit. The tankerswere getting nearer.

'You are mammals. Fast. Hot-blooded. We are amphi-bians. Cold-blooded. Slow. Logical. Some of us will getacross. We breed fast. To us, it makes sense. To me, it makessense.

The Captain's image moved to a corner of the screen.Wobbler, Bigmac and Yo-less appeared in the otherthree quarters.

'That was brilliant shooting,' said Bigmac. 'WhenI'm in the army-'There's a frog on my screen,' said Wobbler.

'It's - . - she's the Captain,' said Johnny.

'A woman in charge?' said Yo-less.'No wonder the aliens always lose,' said Wobbler.'You should see the side of my mum's car.

'Um. She can hear you, I think. Don't use sexistlanguage,' said Johnny.

The Captain smiled.

'I invite your comrades to unload their welcome cargoes,'she said.

They found out how to do it, eventually. The wholeof the middle of the tankers came away as one unit.Small ScreeWee ships, not much more than a seat anda pilot's bubble and a motor, nudged them into theholds of the biggest ships. Without them, the tankerswere just a cockpit and engine and a big empty networkof girders.

Johnny watched the tank from Yo-less's ship driftgently through the hatch of the Captain's ship.

You get them out of the packet,' he said, 'and you sort of findsomething plastic falls into your bowl ... well, it's justa joke. It's not on purpose.

'Thank you.'

'If you save all the box tops you could probably wina Ford Sierra,' said Yo-less. There was a slight tremblein his voice as he tried to sound like someone whotalked to aliens every day. 'You could get your photoin Competitor's Journal,' he added.

'That would be very useful. Some of the corridors in thisship are very long.'

'Don't be daft,' said Bigmac. 'He'd - she'd never getthe spares.'

'Really? In that case we shall have to go for the six thou-sand set of saucepans,' said the Captain.

'How do we get back?' said Wobbler.

'How did you get here?'

Wobbler frowned.

'How did we get here?' he said. 'One minute Iwas ... was ... and then here I was. Here wewere.

'Come to that, where did all the milk and burgerscome from?' said Bigmac.

'It's all right,' said Yo-less. 'I told you. We're notreally here anyway. We're just anxiety projections. Iread about it in a book.'

'That's a relief, then,' said Wobbler. 'That's worthknowing when you're a billion miles out in space.Anyway ... so how do we get back?'

'I don't know,' said Johnny. 'I generally do it bydying.'

'Is there some other way?' said Yo-less, after a long,thoughtful pause.'You don't have to die to get out,' said Johnny. 'I think you canprobably just fly back. I'm not definitely sure any harmcan come to you. You're not playing... in your heads,I mean.''Well-' Wobbler began.

'But I should go soon, if I was you,' said Johnny.'Before some more players arrive.'

'We'd stay and help,' said Wobbler, 'but there's noguns on these things, you see.

He sounded worried.

'Yeah. Silly of me not to have dreamed of any,' saidJohnny, kindly.

'Yo-less might be right and we're just stuff in yourhead,' said Wobbler. 'But even people in dreams don'twant to die, I expect.'

'Right.'

'You going to be in school tomorrow?'

'Might be.'

'Right. Well, then ... chow.'

'See you.

'You hang in there, right, Johnny?' said Yo-lessanxiously.

'I'll try to.'

'Yeah, give them aliens hell, my man!' said Bigmac,as the tankers turned.

Johnny could hear them still talking as the three shipsaccelerated away.