On the screen the Border was already much bigger.We're travelling very fast, he thought, and it's stillmore than four minutes away, and already it's filling thesky. Huge isn't the word for it.

'I can see all round the room,' he said. 'No-one shere.'

'There was a control panel, wasn't there?' saidKirsty. 'Hang on I'm in the doorway now. Yes.It's got to be behind the controls. Go ahead. I'm readyif it leaps out.'

I'm not, he thought. He sidled across the floor untilhe could just see behind the bank of instruments.

'There's noth ... hold it.'

'What?'

'I think it's the Captain.'

'Is it alive?'

'She. She's a she. You know she's a she. I can't tell.She's just ... lying there. I'll have a look.'

'What good would that do?'

'I'm going to have a look, all right?''Careful, then. Stay where I can keep an eye on you.He moved forward, searching the shadows aroundthe edge of the huge room.

It was the Captain, and she was alive. At least, bitsof what was probably her chest were going up anddown. He knelt beside her.'Captain?' he whispered.She opened one eye.'Chosen One?''What happened?''He was ... waiting. While I ... talked to youhe crept in ... hit me

'Where'd he go then?'

'You... must... go. Not much time... left. Thefleet...is...''You're hurt. I'll get Ki - Sigourney over hereHer claw gripped his arm.

'Listen to me! He's going ... to blow up theship! The fuel ... the power plant ... he's . .

Johnny stood up.

'Is she all right?' Kirsty called out.

'I don't know!'

She was standing in the doorway, outlined againstthe light.

There was a shadow behind her. As Johnny watched,it spread its arms.

It was bigger than a ScreeWee should be, now. Itwasn't a funny alligator - there was still a suggestionof alligator there, but now there was insect, too, andother things ... things that had never existed outsideof dreams

Johnny shouted: 'He's behind you!' Then he loweredhis head and ran.

Kirsty turned.

You can't trust dreams. If you live inside them, they'llturn on you, carry you along .

He saw Kirsty turn and look up, and up, at the Gun-nery Officer.

The ScreeWee opened his mouth. There were moreteeth than he'd had before; rows and rows of them, andevery one glistening and sharp.

Her dream, Johnny thought. No wonder she alwaysfights.

'Shoot it! Shoot it!'

She was just staring. She didn't seem to want tomove.'You've got the gun!' he screamed.She was like a statue.'Shoot it!'

Kirsty shook her head vaguely and then, as if she'dsuddenly clicked awake, raised the gun.

'OK,' she said. 'Now-'

The ScreeWee ignored her. He jerked his head upand focused on Johnny. He hardly had eyes, now. Thealien seemed to be looking at Johnny with its teeth.

'Ah. The Chosen One,' it said. It slapped Kirsty outof the way. She couldn't even have seen its arm move.One moment she was aiming, and the next she waslifted into the air and dropping in a heap a few metresaway.

The gun clattered on to the floor and slid towardsJohnny.

'Chosen One!' hissed the ScreeWee. 'Foolish! Weare what we are! You disgrace your race and mine! Foryou, and her ... for you, there's no going back . .

Kirsty was trying to get to her feet, her face con-torted with anger.

Johnny reached down and picked up the gun.

The ScreeWee waved two arms in a sudden move-ment. Johnny flinched.

He heard, from a long way away, Kirsty call out:'Quick! Throw it to me! To me!'

The alien smiled.

Johnny backed away a little. The alien was concen-trating entirely on him.

'To me, you idiot!' shouted Kirsty.

'You?' said the alien to Johnny. 'Shoot me? Youcan't. Such weakness. Like your Captain. A disgraceto the ScreeWee. Always weak. And that is whyyou want peace. The strong never want peace.Johnny raised the gun.

The alien moved forward, slowly. His teeth seemedto fill the world. His arms seemed longer, his clawssharper.

'You cannot,' it said. 'I've watched you. At least theother humans could fight! We could die honourably!But you ... you talk and talk ... you'd do anythingrather than fight. You'd do anything but face the truth.You save mankind? Hah!'

Johnny stepped back again, and felt the edge of thecontrol desk behind him. There was no moreretreating.

'Will you surrender?' he said.

'Never!'

Johnny saw a movement out of the corner of his eye.Kirsty was going to try to leap on the thing. But thealien wasn't like the guards, now. She wouldn't standa chanceHe fired.

There was a small, sharp explosion.

The ScreeWee looked down in shock at the suddenblue stain spreading across his overall, and then back upto Johnny almost in bewilderment.

'You shot me ... in cold blood . .

'No. My blood's never cold.'

The alien toppled forward. And now he was smalleragain, more like a ScreeWee.

'And I had to,' said Johnny.

'You shot him,' said the voice behind him. He lookedround. The Captain had pulled herself to her feet.

'Yes.''You had to. But I didn't think you could . .Johnny looked down at the gun. His knuckles werewhite. With some difficulty, he managed to persuadehis fingers to let go.

'I didn't think I could, either.'

He walked over to Kirsty, who was staring at thething on the floor.

'Wow,' she said, but quietly.

'Yes,' he said.

'You-'

'Yes, I shot him. I shot him. I wish I didn't have to,but I had to. He was alive and now he isn't.' There weremore alarms sounding now, and red lights flashing onthe control panel. On the screen, the Border completelyfilled the sky. 'Can we go? How much longer have wegot left?'

She looked hazily at her watch.

'A minute and a half.'

He was amazed. He felt he was sitting inside his ownhead, watching himself. There wasn't any panic. Thehim who was watching didn't know what to do, butone outside seemed to know everything. It was...like a dream.

'Can you run?' She nodded. 'Really fast? What amI saying? You've probably won medals. Come on.

He pulled her after him, out of the bridge and alongthe dark corridors. Kirsty was hardly concentrating anymore; the walls glistened less. There were even nuts andbolts again.

They reached the capsule. Johnny ran from leg to leguntil he found the button that let down the ramp. Itseemed to take ages to come down.

'How long?'

'We've got fifty seconds . .Up the ramp, into the seats.There weren't many controls. Johnny peered at them.'What are you doing?' said Kirsty.

'Like you said before. Looking for one marked"Doors Open".'

The screen flickered into life

'Johnny? The doors open from up here,' said theCaptain.

Johnny glanced up at Kirsty.

'We didn't know that,' he said.

'Is the ramp back up?'

'Yes.'

'Doors opening.'

There was a clonk ahead of them, and a hiss as theair in the hall escaped through the widening crack.The twinkling, unreal stars of game space beckonedthem.

Johnny's hand hovered over the biggest red buttonon the panel.

'Johnny?''Yes, Captain.''Thank you. You did it,''If not me, then who?''Hah. Yes. And now.'Perhaps we shall meet again.''Goodbye.''We could not have done it if we had not had you to help us.''Anything else?''Goodbye. We will not forget you.'Johnny looked at Kirsty.'How long?''Ten seconds!''Let's go.'He hit the button.

There was a boom behind them. The walls flashedpast. And suddenly they were surrounded by sky.

Johnny leaned back against the seat. His mind wasblank, empty, except for something which kept onreplaying itself like a piece of film.

Over and over again, his memory fired the gun. Overand over again, the alien collapsed. Action replay. Pin-point precision. Just like the Real Thing.