my pictures and feeding them into machines, computer keyboards tap, tap, tapping away - but I was a little less the centre of attention. I saw my chance, snatched a gun from a man who was momentarily distracted, grabbed hold of Goodly. I had the gun to his neck, his arm up behind his back.'For a moment I thought Trask and the others might rush me.
But then Goodly said, "It's okay, Ben. Everything will be fine. Just let us go, and be sure we'll be back."'I told him, "Do you want to bet?" But now ... I'm glad he didn't! I'll cut a long story short. I got Goodly out of there and into the elevator. He used his card without argument. Then we were out in the street. Which was when he turned the tables on me. How? Well, I suppose he saw the future, knew I wouldn't shoot him. Or maybe he saw that I couldn't?'Anyway, he just twisted round to face me, grabbed the gun and started wrestling me for it. I was so surprised... I just let go of the thing! And the fact was I couldn't have shot him anyway, not an innocent man. But I couldn't say the same thing for him, now could I? And there he was, crouching down, aiming the gun at me!'The vehicle was nosing down a slight decline. As they came round a shallow bend, Jake saw campfires and started to brake. Then a man stepped out onto the crumbling tarmac and made signals, directing them into a makeshift roadside parking area. As they slowed to a standstill, Liz sat still, said, 'Finish it.' And Jake thought, Why not? Except there's nothing left to tell! Or if there was he couldn't possibly explain it. But he could at least try. 'It's already finished/ he said. 'When I thought Goodly was going to shoot me, I made a dive for cover. I mean, I knew I was diving to safety... but that wasn't possible. How could there be any cover, any safety, out there in the middle of the street?' 'There couldn't be,' she said.'No,' Jake answered huskily, pale in the flickering firelight. 'There couldn't be. Not out theje in the street. But it wasn't me who reacted to the perceived danger, Liz. Not me but someone in my head. Someone or something that reckoned I would be safer ... that I'd be safer - 'But Liz, reading it clearly in his mind, came to his aid and finished it for him:' - That you'd be much safer back in Harry's Room, yes/ she sighed.
He shook his head, frowned and said, 'But safe from what? From Goodly, who didn't intend to harm me in the first place?'
She made no answer but thought: No, just safe - period. Maybe lan Goodly's gun hadn't triggered the thing at all; maybe it simply hadn't wanted Jake out there on his own, on the streets. For whatever it was, this thing had been new to him at that time. Still very strong in him - and having only recently found him - it hadn't been about to let him escape. Not without first exploring him, and not until Jake had explored its possibilities, its potential.
Such were Liz's thoughts. But bringing them back to earth: 'We're there/ said Jake. 'So are we going to sit here all night? Me, I'd like a mug of coffee and a bite to eat...'
CHAPTER SEVEN
More Gadgets And GhostsAs Liz and Jake got out of their vehicle, Trask came over and checked it for damage: a few scratches to the paintwork, some small dents in the hood, and the missing windscreen, of course. 'Did you have this attended to?'Liz knew what he was concerned about: not the damage itself but rather its origin, and any possible contamination that might have been left behind. She nodded. 'Back at the Old Mine gas station. A squad sprayed her down, cleaned up the mess.''I worry, that's all,' Trask explained. 'But having seen some of the measures the Travellers take on Sunside, I suppose that's only natural.' He shrugged. 'I don't know... maybe I'm too cautious.' His reference to Sunside flew over Jake's head, but he was getting used to that kind of thing.'I didn't see you taking too much care of yourself,' Jake told him. 'Back there, I mean. You and the old man, Lardis? It was as if you didn't give a damn between