TREMORS: BAYOU RHYTHMS

Five hours later, and Arcane was remembering clearly why he hadn't been to the conference in years. He'd waited until Graham had given him the all-clear on Rudyard before going into the lecture hall to see if anything interesting was actually being said. It wasn't. It had been a long time since he'd heard such a parade of pompous bores describing absolutely nothing of any significant value, all in the minutest detail. Not one single one of them was touching on ideas he hadn't already thought of himself.. or discarded as less than worthwhile. After three hours he was fighting to even stay awake, especially after the previous night. He'd caught. himself starting to drift away several times.

He'd expected this of the majority of attendees, but nonetheless, three from his main list had made their speeches, including Jason Woodrue; and what he'd heard was less than inspiring: Just a supposedly hypothetical little lecture on the possibilities of genetically engineering synthetic DNA for basic life forms, with the eventual use of growing food animals in, say 10 years time, with enough research... not to mention a nice fat grant for it all. Oh, it had impressed the majority of the mental pygmies here, but with the knowledge of Woodrue that Arcane had, he knew how far ahead his real research was. Food animals indeed! The man had already been growing synthetic humans for almost twenty years! He was clearly holding back; deliberately not revealing the full potential, and it was troubling Arcane no end. That concern had been the only thing to keep the boredom at bay enough to stay awake! Sure, *he* was holding back, but he still had something to offer of significance; and *his* reasons had a definite purpose. If Woodrue was doing the same... what were his!? He wouldn't have come all this way, after all these years, just to offer a speech not up to his usual capabilities, thus probably losing, ifhe had no ulterior motive. It was definitely bothering Arcane.

Carla Jeffries had led him to believe that she had something special lined up, and he had no reason to doubt that. Why lie when he'd discover soon enough anyway? Besides, Carla wasn't the sort of woman to turn up at a gathering like this and not try to out-do everyone. She could always be relied on for that; and her ability to desire total unpredictability in herself made her the most predictable person he knew. No. He was looking forward to what Carla had to offer... not that this was helping his boredom threshold at present. He wouldn't find out until tomorrow what she was planning since she was speaking just before him, late on the Sunday afternoon.

He finally gave up, having endured more than enough of what he could only think of as cruel and unusual punishment, and got up to stretch his legs, going over to the timetable to see who was on offer in the near future. Scanning the list, nobody struck him as impressive for a little while... although by now, he was seriously doubting that anything worthwhile would be in their public speeches either. He was better off ignoring them for now, and doing something else instead. Graham had kept in touch and had been making steady progress. He'd been through all the rooms of the main list that were actually in the hall, and several from the second list; although he'd have to wait until he and Graham were securely back in their room later that night to enjoy the fruits of his labours.

A sudden wave of dizziness came over him; Probably a combination of a lowered blood sugar level because of the lack of food since his pathetically small breakfast at The Algiers, and no discernible sleep the night before. Lunch, Anton... right now! he decided. There were just two scientists from the minor list in the lecture hall that Graham still had to deal with, but they didn't look like they were going anywhere for the foreseeable future. He got out the celphone.

"Graham. I'm leaving the hall now. Bannister and Mgambe are still here and I won't be able to keep an eye on them, but I seriously doubt they'll be leaving in the near future - probably in the first stages of tedium induced rigor mortis! -- so continue as planned. Let me know when you've dealt with them. If you need to find me, I'll be in the cafe.... You have?..... Good man.... Well, if you get them both done shortly and you're finished for now, meet me downstairs. Arcane out!" In more ways than one!

"Sir?.. Sir!?.." Arcane became aware ofa hand lightly shaking him by the shoulder. Confused and disorientated, he gave a little start and sat bolt upright. Blinking his eyes tightly and opening them again, he glanced around to take in his surroundings. "You must have fallen asleep, Sir," a gentle, female voice told him. He turned to see a waitress standing over him, and it was then that he remembered that he was seated in a small booth in the Scirocco Springs Cafe. He rubbed his face in his hands and collected himself, as she picked up a pot of tea and deposited it on the table in front of him, followed by a tasty looking plate of chicken strips and fries. Not the sort offare he'd usually bother with, but it was light enough to not spoil his appetite for the evening, and likely to raise his blood sugar level quickly. Suddenly, panic gripped him. Oh my God!! How long had he been asleep!? He immediately looked down at his side to check for the bag with his research and lecture notes, and the containment chamber; breathing a visible sign of relief to see it still there, exactly where he left it.

"How... how long?.." he started to speak groggily.

"...Just a few minutes, Sir," she smiled warmly. "You take as long as you want, and you enjoy your meal," she reassured him.

He reached for the teapot before pushing it away and turning to the woman; "Could you get me a coffee instead... a strong coffee?"

"Of course, Sir," she smiled and nodded, before leaving.

Arcane just stared at the food in front of him. He was so tired now, he was beginning to get beyond hunger. Still, he knew he'd only get worse if he didn't eat, and forced himself to pick at the food. He was still trying his best to get through the meal when he saw a familiar figure moving towards him, weighed down by a briefcase and a large bag over his shoulder.

"Doctor Arcane?" Graham said with concern as he parked himself opposite Arcane in the booth; "Are.. are you all right, Sir?"

"Do I look like I'm all right, Graham!?" he muttered.

You look like death warmed up! "You, kind of look a little tired, Doctor," he replied.

"How jolly astute of you, Graham! Probably because I *am* tired. One of us didn't sleep too well last night... remember!?"

"Maybe... maybe you should go lie down for a couple of hours, Doctor?"

Arcane shook his head. "Don't be an idiot, Graham!! If I'm asleep upstairs, how am I going to see who's in the hall later?"

"I.. I would have, kind of thought that the ones on the list would have been here already if they were, like, attending today's talks, Sir? I've done all the rooms on the list so far. I.. I could always check out the hall for you, and, well, if anybody else arrives... go see to things?"

"How many of them have you seen before, Graham?" Arcane asked calmly, picking at a chicken strip and forcing it down his throat. Graham just shrugged. It was a good point. Arcane may have known what most of these people looked like, but he certainly didn't. "The first point was valid enough, though. You can make yourself useful, man. Go to reception and check if the remaining ones have at least booked in yet, and then report back."

"Can.. can I take the stuff back to the room yet, Doctor? i..it's kind of heavy..."

"No you bloody well can't! We can't trust leaving it there to the mercy of hotel insecurity. Some swine might just come along and do exactly what I'm doing!!"

Graham nodded his head disappointedly; "Where will I find you, Doctor? Will you have gone back to the hall, or will you still be here?"

"Here, Graham! I've no intention of going back to that insomniac's paradise a moment sooner than necessary... and the information you're getting will determine that, won't it?"

"Yes, Doctor," Graham saw his cue and left, just as the waitress returned with a large cup, which she filled with steaming black coffee, which Arcane proceeded to clutch in his hands like his life depended on it.

Graham wasn't a happy man. With a gloomy, nervous expression he slouched away from the reception desk. He's not gonna be happy. And if he 's not happy, I'm going to be *real* miserable! Oh well, best get it over with. He took out the celphone and hit re-dial yet again. "Dr. Arcane?"

"Well you dialled my number... who else were you bloody expecting!?" an irritable little voice could just be heard snarling from the other end.

"I... I'll explain later, but there won't be any more guests from your list attending the hall today, Sir...... Yes, I'm sure, Doctor............... Okay.............. yeah, I'll meet you up in the room then, Sir... bye."

He put the celphone back in his jacket pocket and gave a deep sigh. Now he not only had to explain why there were fewer targets, but also why his searches hadn't been as entirely successful as Arcane might have liked. He checked his watch. It was a little before five o'clock. Two and a half hours before dinner. Two and a half hours to explain matters to Arcane in such a way as to give himself a chance of ending up with a lifespan longer than a Mayfly's.

Back in the cafe, Arcane finished the last of the chicken strips and half the portion of fries. He took another gulp of coffee, not that it seemed to be helping matters. After his last conversation with Graham, his mood was getting blacker again. That pathetic excuse for an assistant better have a bloody good reason and plenty to make up for it, or he's steak tartare!

Wearily, he took out a five and a ten dollar bill and left them on the table, under the coffee cup; then proceeded to get up from the booth and make his way to the exit. Halfway there, he froze and suddenly dashed back, grabbing the case that he'd forgotten in his stupor. Bloody hell!! Leaving 'em in a sodding cafe! That one's worthy of Graham! Anton, you have *got* to do something! He glanced at his watch. Too few hours to get any worthwhile sleep before dinner. He'd only feel worse for it. An idea struck him. On his way out, he took one of the waiters aside.

"Excuse me, but is there a pharmacy here in the hotel?" he enquired.

"Not as such, but if it's something basic you're looking for, the gift shop will have some things," came the reply.

"Where is it, please?"

"Go to reception, turn left, go to the end and it's downstairs in the shopping gallery." Arcane muttered a quiet thank you before setting off.

Ten minutes later, a more hopeful Arcane popped a couple of Vivarin tablets into his mouth. He'd just keep popping them until he was back to normal. That was the plan. Soon be nice and alert again. Of course, he was dreading what he'd feel like when the effects wore off, but by then he'd hopefully be sleeping through all that. An early night was definitely on the cards tonight... straight after dinner, in fact, and nothing was going to stop that... was it!?

He was already feeling more alert as he returned to the main foyer. Another few minutes and he was hoping he could even attempt animated. He looked around to get his bearings, checking to make sure he had his keycard, then set off for the elevator. Yes, much better! There was a new spring to his step now as those wonderful little caffeine pills starting doing what they did best. After about a minute, the elevator arrived, and Arcane had to step aside as fifteen Elvises piled out of it, all practising their accents. With just a disconcerted glance back at them, he got in, followed by another group of people. He was beginning to understand what being in a vac pac must feel like, but was determined to keep himself in a positive frame of mind. The Elvises weren't going to bother him, and neither were the crowds. He'd even managed not to become too disheartened at the invasively cheery piped music serenading the occupants of the elevator with 'Deck the Halls', which actually managed to drown out the ever present cacophony of coins tumbling through thousands of slot machines, echoing across the massive expanse of casinos nearby.

The elevator doors were about to close when Arcane spied something ahead of him, in the foyer. Leave it till later! One mental voice commanded. No. Don't take the chance and get in there while you can! Shouted another. The latter won out, and Arcane violently pushed his way to the front of the elevator with a new-found vigour born of determination and disturbingly high doses of caffeine, shoving several people aside as he struggled back out through the closing doors. He ignored a multitude of angry and abusive comments aimed his way, and proceeded to straighten his suit and collect himself, as the doors closed behind him. An evil smile touched his lips as he surveyed his prey ahead. Right, my dear! Time you learned the price of trying to get the better of Anton Arcane! He moved eagerly towards the hotel manager. Now remember, Anton. You don't want her dead. That'd be too good... and she'd make a rather splendid mutant. You want her on your terms, which means getting her away from this wretched city and off to Houma. Time to be nice... very nice! It 's a dirty job, but it has to be done.

"We meet again, it would appear," he said jovially, as he approached the woman from behind. With a very slight start, she turned, her face instantly dropping slightly on seeing who she was dealing with.

And I was having such a pleasant day... God must really hate me; "Dr. Arcane. How nice to see you made it here eventually. Can I take it that there's yet another problem?" There was just the merest hint of sarcasm to her voice.

"Indeed there is madam. A very grave problem" -- Well, no surprises there, then.

"-- Not the least of which is my appalling and inexcusable behaviour last night, for which I am truly sorry and wish to do my utmost to make amends for."

*What*!?!?.. Wait a minute. Of course! It's all a dream. It's still Saturday morning, in bed. Any minute now I'm going to start getting the dancing Llamas and Tom Selleck joining in, taking me for a candlelit dinner in Oahu... and then I'll wake up. Yes...

"I'm... I'm sorry, Doctor Arcane. I didn't quite catch what you said."

"It's precisely what I did say, but I do understand your reticence after my abominable treatment of you and your fine staff, and fully understand your surprise, but I want you to know that I am genuinely sorry for what happened last night. I had a very trying and tiring day... a lot of other problems..." he paused and looked down a little, giving a small sigh and smiling slightly at her in a warm and pleading sort of way; "... No. That's not fair. Other people have tiring days too and don't react as vilely as I did towards you. There are simply no excuses. I only hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." He looked at her, his eyes widening ever so slightly.

Okay, so why haven't I woken up yet? C'mon! Wakey wakey!! ... Oh my God, it's *not* a dream!... What's he up to?? "Dr. Arcane. If what you're saying is true, it is a somewhat radical change of heart, don't you think?" "I agree entirely madam. I've had nearly twenty four hours to contemplate my behaviour... and thoroughly regret it, I can assure you. I sincerely hope you can believe me when I tell you that the monster you saw last night isn't what I'm normally like. I only wish I could take back the things I said and did... but I can't --"

Either he's the world's best liar, a schizophrenic... or he's actually, genuinely sorry!!

"-- I'm arranging a substantial Christmas bonus for that poor man who bore the brunt of my hideous tirade last night, and for yourself of course... if you' II accept it for what it is: an abject apology, and not a bribe --" It'll be worth it to get the bitch where I want her! "If I could think of anything more suitable to offer as a token of my regret, I would. I know we don't really know each other, and I probably won't be back here in Las Vegas in quite some time, if at all, but this has been wearing heavily on my conscience -- as a scientist, and I hope, a decent human being under normal circumstances, little details are important to me; and when something like last night occurs, I'm the type that could never truly rest knowing that such outstanding heinous wrongs haven't been dealt with appropriately -- and it would mean a great deal to me if you could accept my apology for what it is, forgive me, and if we could start out again on more civilised terms, and put that terrible incident behind us. "

Oh my God! He really *is * genuinely sorry... Funny, but I could have sworn he was a jumped up little nazi. I've never been wrong about people before...

"I don't really know what to say, Doctor."

"Say you'll forgive me?" Arcane raised his voice hopefully, gently taking her hand in both of his. She gave a little sigh and nodded her head slightly, a curious little smile touching her lips.

"I forgive you," she said simply, with a little shrug of the shoulders. Arcane's face lit up in unbridled joy. Hooked her... now to start reeling her in.

"Is the young man from last night around? I'd like to apologise to him again. I can't honestly say that my attempt last night was genuinely meant at the time; and I would like to do it properly this time."

"I'm afraid it's his day off, Doctor."

"Perhaps tomorrow then?"

"I believe he is on duty then, but if not, I'll be sure to pass your message onto him."

"It's very kind of you. I appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it, Doctor."

"Erm, if you're not busy, perhaps I could offer you a small token of apology by buying you a drink? Try to show you a little more of the *real* me, eh?" he said with a small degree of jocularity to keep the mood light.

"I'm afraid I'm on duty, Doctor, but thank you." Say, you don't think he 's trying to... Nah... Surely not? He can see the wedding ring, can't he?

"Not even a harmless cup of tea or coffee?" he tried again.

"It's a very kind offer, but things are very hectic at the moment, and I just don't have the time while I'm on duty." He's tried twice... Mind you, it's not classed as persistent until three times.

"I do understand. Perhaps when you've finished for the night then? --"

Oh boy! Three!!

"-- Maybe you could join me for a nice civilised cup of tea. I'll no doubt be in my room later "

Ohgodohgodohgod!! I think I could cope better when he was being a creep! Why's he so interested in me?? Now do I let him down gently, or kick him into tomorrow?..

Arcane must have noticed the look developing on her face, and instantly made moves to correct this. " -- All in complete innocence, I hasten to add. I realise now how that must have sounded. This really isn't my weekend for tact and subtlety, is it? I didn't mean to imply anything improper or compromising... not that is to say that a woman as distinguished as yourself shouldn't invite that kind of attention. No, I merely meant a friendly cup of tea... nothing more. My assistant' ll no doubt be there as well... or we could have a drink in the cafe, if you'd feel happier there? I just wanted to spend a few minutes of pleasant company, to show you how unlike last night I really am."

If you exist, God... thank you! Well, I don't suppose it could do any harm if I get a moment free... "I can't guarantee anything, Doctor, but yes, I think that would be pleasant."

"Splendid!"

"I won't get off duty until ten pm, and it's always possible emergencies crop up. I can't promise anything, but if I get chance, I'll stop by your room."

So much for an early night... but it'll be worth it to get her! "That's all I can ask. Thank you. No need to tell you which room I'm in, eh?" he joked, and she reciprocated with a small, if not entirely pleasant smile at the memories that comment raked up.

"Well, doctor, I hate to be rude -- Jesus! I meant that! -- but my schedule calls me."

"After my behaviour, one could hardly call that rude!" he laughed; " -- but far be it from me to keep you from your duty. Until later then?"

She nodded; "Indeed, Doctor. Have a good evening," she turned and returned to her work. Behind her back, watching her go, his face glowed with a triumphant pride, and his heart quickened at the prospect of what he'd do to her once he'd achieved a friendship enough to get her to come to Houma for a brief little visit.

"Enjoy life while you can, my dear. I can assure you that once you get a taste of my hospitality in Houma, you won't ever feel like leaving..." he whispered to himself, as he set off once again for the elevator.

Graham was already waiting for him when he arrived. The combination of more caffeine and his recent encounter in the foyer had pushed his previously black mood to the back of his mind... which was probably just as well for Graham, who greeted him with a look on his face that could be described as merely glum only on a *very* good day.

"Well, Graham. I trust you've got all that juicy information ready for my perusal?.." Arcane clasped his hands together in anticipation, before noticing the look of abject despondency before him; "... Obviously not," he commented, folding his arms. "Well, out with it, man! What's gone wrong now? Everybody storing their research in hotel security, perhaps? Or maybe you left it by the slot machines? No, not you, Graham. No. It was probably a gang of kleptomaniac Elvises that stole it from you when you weren't looking, eh!?"

"It.. it's not like that, Sir," Graham mumbled. "I got what I could. It's over there..." he inclined his head towards the dressing table where a small pile of disks and folders were stacked next a laptop and printer. "I printed out hard copies of what was on disk, and the images from the camera. Sir... and, I, er, don't think it's kind of as good as you expected, Doctor."

"Let me be the judge of that, Graham." Arcane pushed past him and picked up the folders, glancing at the names on the front of each. "You know, Graham, it would be so much better looking at these with something to drink," he said quietly. Taking the hint, Graham darted for the kettle to try and do something to placate whatever might be coming. Noticing it was empty, he headed to the bathroom to fill it up. Over the sound of the water, he heard Arcane's voice calling him; "What was that about the guests that didn't turn up? You had something you were going to tell me, didn't you?"

Graham hoped he'd forget about that; "Cancellations, Doctor. They're not coming. The list's with the research. I've crossed them off." There was a pause as Arcane obviously scanned who wasn't coming;

"Bloody marvellous! Just what I need!"

"I was kind of thinking the same," Graham whispered softly to himself.

"Graham, you told me you dealt with Woodrue and Jeffiies. You spent nearly a bloody hour in Woodrue's room alone!" Graham screwed his eyes shut. This was the bit he'd really been dreading. Well, this and that other thing, but Arcane would no doubt notice *that* soon enough. He came back out into the main room.

"I.. I did, Sir, but..."

"... Graham, there's nothing here with their names on it. Would you care to tell me how you could spend so much bloody time and not find..."

"... I checked real hard, Doctor. I looked everywhere. There.. there wasn't anything to find," he saw the doubting expression on Arcane's face; "I.. I checked *absolutely* everywhere. Under things, in things, behind things, on top of things... *everywhere*. I even kind of thought that they'd taken extra rooms just for that... for security... and searched all the nearby ones... That's why it took so long. I.. I really did look everywhere, Doctor, but there wasn't anything to find. I swear, Doctor, if there was anything there, I'd have found it." Arcane stared at him long and hard, seemingly weighing things up in his mind. Graham tensed.

"Well, I'll reserve judgement until I've seen the rest. It's hardly unusual that those two would be deliberately awkward," he moved on to the first folder in the pile and began looking through it.

"Useless," he snarled, tossing it aside onto the bed; "I was contemplating that while I was still a student!... Interesting idea, but he's working along the wrong lines... did it myself last year!" he tossed the second folder onto the bed with disdain. "Graham. I hope you've got me *something* here that I can actually use!" he perused the third folder, again discarding it onto the bed as less than worthwhile.

Graham felt a twinge in the pit of his stomach as he stirred the tea for Arcane. He had to admit, from what he'd seen, the data he'd been stealing all day had mostly been covered already by the Doctor, or deliberately ignored... mostly. Other bits were... well, much as he hated to admit it, if *he* understood the finer details of it, it was hardly likely to be of interest to Arcane. There were a few bits in there that were beyond him so it was possible that some of that would be of use. He could only hope. No cries of outrage yet. I guess he hasn't found *that* one yet. "*WHAT*!!? GRAHAM!... WHAT THE BLOODY HELL'S THIS!? HOW DARE HE DO THIS TO ME!?!?!"

Guess he�s found it now. "erm, I guess you've found, er, Dr. Yon's research, Sir?"

"No, Graham. I've found *my* research. What I want to know is how it came to be in Dr. Yon's possession!?" Graham remained silent. There wasn't anything he could say really.

"Look at it, Graham!! Two damned years of work into recombinant DNA technology... my work, Graham!! All my data on Troline as a base! -- not that it'll do the little twit much good. Turned out to be far too unstable -- My God! He's even started work on his own version of a Bio-Restorative formula based on *MY* calculations!!! GRAHAM!! The nerve of that *swine*!"

"I.. I know, Sir.. er, perhaps it's kind of a coincidence?"

"Coincidence, Graham?.. *Coincidence!*" Have you had a look at this carefully?"

"Not as such, Sir. I kind of took a brief glance, but I was trying to get it done as quickly as possible."

"Well perhaps you'd care to take a look at it now then, and tell me what you see," with an icy stare, he handed Graham the folder and watched as his assistant read down the pages. "No, you idiot! Above that... at the top!"

"Ah... hmm, I see," Graham looked up at Arcane meekly.

"Still think it's a coincidence that the bugger's notes are on paper with Arcane Industries letterheads... MY letterheads!!??"

"I guess not, Doctor..." Graham's voice trailed off as he noticed that Arcane, far from continuing his ranting, now seemed lost in deep contemplation, ".. Sir??" Graham ventured. No reply. He tried again, a little louder this time, and Arcane turned to him a much darker look on his face. "Well, Doctor Arcane.. he won't have got very far on the formula considering he was, well working on your theories, and you weren't having much success to date..." Shut up, Graham! That line of reasoning is hardly likely to improve his mood! "Er, what I meant to say is, maybe you could, kind of, wait and see if he comes up with anything, and, like, steal it back. Get him at his own game, Doctor?.." Oh damn! "... not that I'm, like suggesting, well, that he could come up with something better.. or, or quicker than you..."

Shut up Graham. Shut up and stay quiet! Arcane just nodded absently, still clearly brooding over something. "It's not that he's got my research, Graham. Dealing with Yon is hardly a daunting task. I'll simply wait and see if anything worthwhile comes up to steal back, as you yourself realised as well... then bump him off, of course, before he can make any profit out of*my* work! No... what concerns me is *how* he got that research."

"He must have had help, Doctor."

"Oh yes, indeed he did. I've got a spy in my midst -- or spies -- and considering the nature of the work he's stolen... very high up spies. Spies that are close to me, Graham... very close," he held the assistant with his stare, almost, to Graham, appraising him. Shit!! Surely he doesn't think *I*...

Graham pointed to himself with a look of abject shock and horror; "You.. you don't mean..."

"Oh don't be ridiculous, Graham! I'm not talking about you, man! Takes you all your time to do the one job I hire you for!" Arcane interjected with a derisory sneer.

If I am so bloody incompetent, why *do* you hire me then!? Wait a minute... Hey! That's his way of saying I'm beyond suspicion... he trusts me. Doctor Arcane trusts me! Graham beamed broadly.

"What are you grinning at?" Arcane snarled.

"er, nothing, Sir... what are you going to do about it, Doctor?"

"Well, short of killing and replacing my entire staff, which isn't entirely feasible, I'm going to have to make a shortlist of possibilities and check them out individually."

"What about Stella?" Graham suggested with a trace of hope. Arcane seemed to consider.

"Well, I can't exactly rule out the possibility that she is connected in some way, but I doubt it very much. This research dates from well before she joined us, and Von' s clearly been working on it for quite some time. No. Best to keep a close eye on her, but I really think we can rule Stella out." Graham cursed silently to himself.

"What about your 'Crown Prince'?" Graham sneered.

"Alexander? He's been with me years... longer than you have, Graham."

Yeah, I know. "I don't like the way he looks at you, sometimes, Doctor. Kind of disapproving, like," Graham added slyly. "He's disagreed with you a few times, and didn't he nearly leave you after that pheromone incident? Between you and me, Sir, I don't think he has your vision at heart. Seems to me like he's using your knowledge for himself. I don't trust him, Sir." "My God, Graham. You could be right."

"You want me to take care of it, Doctor?" Yeah, I'd like that.

"No, Graham. I want to be sure first. I'll need a close eye keeping on him. If it is Alexander, he could be useful feeding back disinformation. When I've finished with him... well, that's an entirely different matter, isn't it?" a vindictive smile crossed Arcane's face, and Graham joined in.

Great. I'm not only getting rid of that wuss of a rival for the Doctor's attention, but if he wants me to keep an eye on him, I'm gonna survive after this weekend. Threat over. Yesss! "Of course, Graham, who gets to keep an eye on him is another matter, isn't it? Don't think for one minute I've forgotten our other little incident this weekend!"

Shit. "No, Sir," he mumbled. "What about Kiefer, or Mercer? They've got access to your data."

"True. Yes, they'll have to be watched too. Still, whoever it is, shouldn't take too long to figure it out. A few little tests should sort out the guilty from the innocent, eh, and then to make use of that."

"Absolutely, Sir."

"Well, is it worth my while looking through the rest of this childsplay right now, Graham? Is there anything of value at all?" Arcane indicated the pile of folders.

"Not much, Sir, from what I could see. Professor Nakamura's seemed kind of interesting. I couldn't figure out a lot of what he was implying..."

"... Always a good sign, eh?" Arcane quipped, and Graham gave him an cold stare. Okay, so it was true, and he'd admitted it himself, but he still didn't like actually hearing it. Arcane reached for the folder and began looking through the contents.

Ten minutes later, the Doctor was still reading silently, having now gone and sat down on the comer of the bed. Graham watched him tensely, figuring this was a good sign.

"Any good, Sir?" Graham finally decided to interrupt, and Arcane looked up.

"Hmmm? Oh... oh quite possibly, Graham. Actually, this is really rather fascinating. Not a priority, but something I'll definitely consider for the future. He's theorising that within each human psyche is an inner beast, and believes that with correct stimulation of the hypothalamus, occipital and parietal lobes with certain energy wavelengths and cortex stimulating chemicals, in conjunction with sensory deprivation, that this can cause actual physical changes within the body. He's not too far into the research, but it'll be worth looking into and continuing at a later date," he looked up at the assistant. "Jolly good, Graham. At least you've found something potentially beneficial in this pile of junior scientist projects!"

Graham had to admit, that at least from his own point of view, things could have gone a lot worse. Arcane was taking it better than he'd expected, and at least any anger wasn't being directed at him, which was the main thing.

"What about Rudyard's?" Arcane commented suddenly. "I don't remember seeing his file, either.

"Er, no, Sir. I found a laptop in his room, but when I tried to access his files, they were all encrypted. I tried to get in with a few obvious passwords and such, but I couldn't do it..."

"....Damn!" Arcane muttered.

"... but I went back to the room, got the laptop and a laplink cable, and I copied the entire hard drive, Doctor. I figured maybe you'd find a way of getting into it back at the lab when you had more time." Arcane stared at him, eyes widening slightly.

"Good thinking, Graham. Well, that will have to do later. Can't be helped, I suppose. Best put these away for tonight, then. We'll have to take everything with us to dinner. Can't trust anything of value here in the room, can we now?"

"No, Doctor," Graham agreed, thinking again of all that weight on his poor shoulders. If he survived this weekend, he was still going to end up looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame!

Arcane gave his watch a glance, and began opening his briefcase, removing the containment chamber. "Time to hydrate your gel, my babies," he said softly, getting up and going into the bathroom.

While he was gone, Graham was in a bit of a quandary. He was still very concerned why Woodrue and Jeffries didn't have so much as a scrap of paper with an equation on it with them... at least none that he could find. Now he could bring the subject up with Dr. Arcane, but that could set off one of his moods as to why his primary targets here had turned up nothing. This was a bad thing. However, if there was an ulterior motive to them coming, and he and Arcane didn't figure out what it was, well, that was also a bad thing. Graham was tom, to say the least.

"I'm still concerned about Woodrue and Jeffries," Arcane's voice called to him as he exited the bathroom with the box, solving Graham's little dilemma for him.

"That they didn't have anything, Sir?"

"Yes. Now Woodrue wouldn't have needed any notes for that pathetic speech he made today. It was so basic and far back in his research, he'd have known it all from memory. And why give a speech that was so far behind?"

"Like he wasn't bothered if he won or not, Sir?"

"Exactly, Graham! The man hasn't turned up at this conference in nearly as many years as me, then suddenly, here he is. If it isn't to try and win... what then?"

Graham shrugged. "Maybe he's here for the same reason you are?"

"No. I checked. He's here alone. If it was research he was after, he'd need someone doing the dirty work for him. Same with Carla. She's here with her... assistant, but the two of them have been inseparable the whole time. For all I know, Carla may be trying to win the conference, but we won't know that until tomorrow; and it's odd she hasn't any notes with her at all, don't you think? She was carrying nothing with her into the lecture hall."

Graham nodded. "There was nothing in hotel security. I checked... discreetly, Sir, for both of them," Graham added, cursing himself for not remembering to showcase his initiative earlier to Arcane.

"Well then. No research, and dubious lectures. They're up to something, mark my words... but what!? Both of them sounded so bloody sure of success... not that they wouldn't appear such, but I was certain they meant it. Very certain."

"Doctor..." a horrible thought struck Graham, and judging by the look on Arcane's face, the same epiphany had grabbed him too. "This conference is kind of strange, that suddenly, after years of absence, so many major scientists are turning up, don't you think?"

"I do indeed, Graham! Damn it! They're not here for the conference either. They're here for each other... or perhaps me?"

"Surely not you, Sir. Nobody even knew you were coming until a few days ago. You only went because they were already on the guest list?"

"Oh no, Graham," Arcane grasped the assistant's face, "you're looking at this in a far too simplistic light. Carla and Jason wouldn't be so obvious. Now what's different about this conference that separates it from others in previous years?"

"I.. I don't know, Doctor."

"Simple, Graham. It's the first conference to be held in the United States in eleven years. Normally it would be too far away for me to disturb my work for it... but a relatively short flight to Nevada... well, that could entice me, providing the stakes were worthwhile, don't you think?"

"You mean they registered in advance, knowing you'd see the list, and go simply because you'd see them there, and try to get at them?"

"Exactly, Graham! Prize my arse! It's *my* research they're after!! They deliberately lured me here!"

"And Mirador and Duncan, Sir. They were supposed to be here too, but they're not. They couldn't have been in on it, could they?"

"No. But as well as myself, the two of them were an added incentive to get Woodrue and Jeffries out here. Duncan's frequently ill, as is Mirador. They wouldn't travel abroad, but they would attend here in the States. Woodrue and Jeffries must have known that. You know, Graham, I never thought about it before, but something Carter said to me makes sense now..."

"...Carter?"

"It doesn't matter. Carter mentioned Duncan arriving, but having to be taken home again, disturbed. I've always had my suspicions about Oliver, Graham, and I think he realised they were after him, and he, er, 'played up', to get away."

"And Carl Mirador, Sir?"

"Probably just bad luck he decided not to come. But no doubt our twosome are just as disappointed as I am."

"Do you think they're working together, Doctor?"

"Carla Jeffries and Jason Woodrue!? Ha! I'd be surprised if they could communicate civilly about anything. One can never rule out the possibility, I suppose. It would be one way to deal with getting into my room. One distracts, while the other works," Arcane gave a little smile, "... but that would imply trust between them, and that's about as likely as pairing a mongoose with a cobra. Besides, they were both in the lecture hall at the same time. No, I rather think they're here separately, both with similar agendas, and they've hired others to do the work while they're at the lectures."

"They *both* had the same idea, Sir?"

"Well, it would certainly be in their idioms, wouldn't it? Well, Graham, it looks like our little research forage is going to be less than successful, but I can still take this prize... and I've got my main money spinners safely with me. There'll be no research in this room for them to get their greedy little hands on, eh, Graham? I'm onto their little game now, and they'll have to live with their disappointment with the rest of us. At least I'll come away with a prize, and a find that'll net me a bloody fortune back home."

Considering the potential disappointment, Graham was profoundly relieved to see Arcane in a mood other than sour, or more to the point, aimed at him. "Well, just time for a shower before dinner, I think. Have the black Armani and the blue shirt ready for me... and clear this mess up and have everything of use packed to take down with us."

"Yes, doctor," Graham surveyed his charges: The notes, the equipment, the fossils... Any more of this and I'm going to have to take up weight training! With a resigned sigh, he began his task.

The Hilton Steakhouse was a bustling hive of activity when Arcane and Graham arrived, the assistant staggering under the weight of a briefcase, a laptop carry case, and a shoulder bag of assorted other goodies. The maitre d' gave him a curious glance, before wisely deciding it really wasn't any of his business. If customers wanted to turn purple, carrying half a ton of luggage into the restaurant, who was he to tell them otherwise?

A waiter escorted them to a booth, which Graham virtually collapsed into, and handed them both menus. "I'll get you some water, Sirs," he said, leaving the two of them for a minute. Arcane immediately began looking through the dishes on offer. Graham took a moment to collect himself, trying to avoid any overt gasping and panting. Eventually, he also opened his menu, as the waiter returned and brought them each a glass of iced water, before leaving them to make their selection in peace.

"Well, Graham, what do you fancy then?"

To stop lugging this stuff around with me like a glorified donkey,. a substantial pay rise... and to survive after the weekend "er, I think the prime rib, Sir."

"Nothing to start?"

Are you kidding. Any more than that the way I'm feeling and I'm back to throwing up again. "no, Sir. I'm not that hungry." With a shrug, Arcane gave a little signal and caught the waiter's eye, bringing him over.

"Are you ready to order, Sirs?" he smiled at them, and Arcane just nodded. "Let's see. I'll have the Fillets Mignon with saute potatoes, thank you."

"And what sauce would you like with that, Sir?"

"Bernaise, I think."

"And how would you like that cooked, Sir?"

"Medium rare."

"And for your vegetable?"

"He'll have the prime rib," Arcane grinned at Graham, in a pleasant, caffeine induced sort of way. The waiter tried his best to stifle any sign of emotion at the remark, as Graham glowered back at Arcane. "Oh Graham, where's your sense of humour, man?"

Must have left it back in Houma, along with my common sense. Knew I forgot something! "I'm just kind of tired, Sir," he muttered. Arcane shrugged and turned back to the waiter.

"Sauteed mushrooms and broccoli, thank you," was his serious reply. The waiter turned to Graham.

"And for you, Sir?"

"Prime rib," Graham muttered, still looking angrily at Arcane, "really well done... cremated... thanks." Both Arcane and the waiter tried not to show distaste at the instructions.

"And for... what would you like it with, Sir?"

"Fries please, and sweetcorn."

"Very good, Sir," the waiter looked at both of them. "Would you care for an appetiser, Sirs?"

Arcane shook his head, deciding that it had only been a couple of hours since he'd last eaten, and the main course and sweet would be more than sufficient. Graham also shook his head, saying nothing. "And to drink?"

"Yes, I think I'll try the 1970 Zinfandel, thank you." Arcane said after a moment's deliberation, briefly toying with the idea of going for the Cabernet Sauvignon of the same year instead, but settling on the unique zest and potency of the other wine. He figured that since he was going straight back to the room afterwards, a little alcohol wouldn't hurt now.

"Just a coke for me, please," Graham said mildly.

"Very good, Sirs," the waiter retrieved the menus and left. Arcane turned to Graham.

"Cremated beef... fries and a coke. I might as well have taken you to bloody McDonald's."

Graham ignored the comment. Well if Arcane was in good humour, he was mostly harmless, he supposed. This was a good thing.

"Anton! !" A voice called out from somewhere at the other end of the restaurant. Arcane turned, but failed to see anything. "Anton!" the voice called again, this time accompanied by a waving hand.

"Geoffrey?" He gave a surprised but genuine little smile as the figure of Geoffrey Carter stood up from one of the far tables and came over to his table.

"Fortuitous coincidence, Anton," Carter smiled. "Just waiting for my main course to arrive. Great to see you here too."

"On your own, Geoffrey?" Arcane asked, and Carter just gave a resigned little shrug, and a gesture of affirmation. "Well, you really must come and join us, then, mustn't you?" Sure. Ask me if it's okay, won't you? Graham sulked to himself "Are you sure you don't mind, Anton? You have company,"

"Don't be absurd, Geoffrey. It's only my assistant --"

'Only' your assistant! Thanks a bunch! More like your card carrying doormat!? "-- he doesn't mind, do you, Graham?"

Would it make any difference if I did!? "No. Sure. Join us." "Where are my manners, Geoffrey --" Arcane exclaimed.

Usually on vacation somewhere far away whenever I'm around.

"-- Graham, this is an old friend from University, Geoffrey Carter. Geoffrey, my personal assistant, Graham."

"Very pleased to meet you Mr. Graham," Carter offered his hand, which Graham accepted and shook. Well, I guess he seems okay, but he's getting a bit too buddy buddy with Dr. Arcane for my liking!

"Look, Anton, I'd better go tell the waiter to deliver my meal to this table instead. I'll be back in a moment," he dashed off.

"Can you trust him, Sir?" Graham asked when Carter was gone.

"What? Geoffrey? Don't be ridiculous, Graham."

"What if he's in with Woodrue or Jeffries? You said they'd probably have an accomplice, or some sort of help."

"Preposterous! I've known Geoffrey for over twenty years. He'd have nothing to do with those two."

"People change, Sir. Don't you think it's kind of coincidental he's here at the same time?" Arcane contemplated this.

"I can't see it, but if it makes you happy, Graham, I'll bear it in mind. Satisfied?"

Is that a serious question?? "Yes, Doctor."

"All sorted out, Anton," Carter smiled, returning to the table and moving in beside Graham, so he was sitting opposite Arcane. Graham immediately looked down to his right, and shifted the luggage away slightly, keeping his beady and ever vigilant little eye on it.

"Arcane, what a pleasant surprise seeing you here," approaching their table came a voice that was smarminess personified. Before even looking up, Arcane tensed, feeling the familiar twinge of the blood vessels in his temple.

"Would that I could say the same, Woodrue," he replied icily, finally staring up into the face of Jason Woodrue, who by now was standing directly next to the table, smiling down at them all.

"Not like you, Anton... mixing with the less intellectually gifted of us," he inclined his head towards Geoffrey Carter, who remained silent. "You're keeping very poor company these days, Anton."

"I couldn't agree more, Jason. The company I've been keeping has gone considerably downhill in the last thirty seconds, wouldn't you say?" Woodrue continued to smile that humourless smile, remaining inscrutable.

"Oh, and you've brought a little pet faggot along, haven't you?" he beamed, looking straight at Graham. Instantly, the assistant began to get up from the table, fists clenched, teeth gritted, and a furious look developing on his face. Arcane swiftly put a hand out to stop him.

"Now now, Graham. We wouldn't want to show ourselves up and make a scene, would we now? That was just one of Jason's little attempts at humour, wasn't it? He is improving, but you really have to pity those less gifted than ourselves, Graham."

" 'Course it was... *Graham*. If I was really insulting either of you, you'd know about it."

"Don't you have a table to go to? We were waiting for dead meat of a different kind!" Graham snarled through clenched teeth. Arcane raised his eyebrows at the assistant, seemingly rather impressed.

"You're training your monkeys well these days, Arcane. Say... is this one pre or post mutation?"

Beside him, Arcane could see Graham getting more and more irate, and in the first stages of anger induced hyperventilation.

"I take it there is a point to all this, Jason?" he asked bluntly; "or are you just so concerned we may be bored that you feel the need to grace us with your presence?"

"Just whiling away a few pleasant minutes before I go to my table."

Graham glared at him; "Well why don't you go while them there, before I take your table and shove it up your..."

"... I can take the hint --," Woodrue said, holding his hands up in a mock gesture of surrender;

"That'll be a first," Arcane muttered under his breath.

"-- I won't stay where I'm not wanted."

"Then how come you're still breathing, Jason?" Arcane grinned up at him. Woodrue smiled back.

"I always did like your sense of humour, Anton. It's the only thing about you I can say, truthfully, that I liked. You know, if anything ever did happen to you, Arcane... I'd miss that sense of humour. Well, goodbye Gentlemen... and monkey. Enjoy your meal. I do believe the food here is particularly good for discerning palates." Without a second glance back, Woodrue turned away and left them, going over to a table in the far corner.

Arcane immediately turned back to Graham.

"Let it go, Graham," he said simply, "It's exactly what he wants. Believe me, I'll deal with it at a more appropriate time, don't you worry." His tone was reassuring... gentle even, and seemed to have the desired effect on the assistant, who seemed to ease off a little. Graham just nodded silently, still clearly upset and unnerved by the whole thing.

He didn't show it overtly, but Arcane was livid. Woodrue was beginning to go too far this time. He'd never been quite this open with the hostilities before. Graham was *his* employee. *Him* insulting the man was one thing, but he'd be damned ifhe'd let anyone else do it, especially Woodrue, and even more especially, in public. He wasn't going to let this one go, and there would be repercussions afterwards.

"Are you all right?" Carter finally found his voice, asking Graham with concern. The assistant again just nodded, then looked up after a few seconds.

"Yeah... fine," he shrugged, his demeanour lightening very slightly.

"He's getting worse, Anton," Carter commented to Arcane, "He was always obnoxious, but never quite this bad."

"I had noticed."

"Well, I suggest we forget all about this unpleasantness, and just get on with having a good meal together?"

"He wasn't exactly complementary towards you, Geoffrey," Arcane suggested.

"I'm hardly going to give that a second thought, coming from a man like Jason Woodrue. Actually, it's really quite flattering when you think about it. He only ever insults people he notices." Carter seemed determined to remain cheerfully philosophical about it.

"I can't pinpoint it, but something he said bothered me," Arcane seemed preoccupied.

"Woodrue *always* bothers people. He has that natural ability to do that. Don't give it a second thought, Anton. Let's just follow his advice and enjoy our meal."

"But still..."

"No buts, Anton. Let's just forget it and not give him what he wanted."

Arcane gave a small smile; "You're right, of course, Geoffrey. That little troll's hardly worth ruining the evening over, is he now?"

"Precisely."

"Cheer up, Graham!" Arcane gave his assistant another morale boost, putting his arm round him in a comradely gesture, before whispering an aside in the assistant's ear; "I'll deal with him appropriately... that's a promise. Just leave it to me."

"Yeah... I feel better now," Graham began returning to normal again, as Arcane let go of the man. The incident was already becoming nothing more than a memory, although from across the room, eyes were watching them...

Shortly afterwards, the waiter approached with a large silver platter, which he proceeded to place on a stand by the table. Carefully removing a large plate of meat, he placed it in front of Graham, followed by a selection of side dishes. He then turned to the other plates and picked up another. He seemed to look confused for a moment, as though contemplating both Arcane and Carter, before eventually deciding to hand the first plate to Arcane.

"Fillets Mignon in sauce bernaise with sauteed potatoes!" Carter said cheerfully. "Good choice, if I may say so myself. Seems we still have some things in common," he smiled, as the waiter deposited the second plate in front of him, also with Fillets Mignon and similar accompanying sauce and potatoes. Then, taking a bottle from the platter, the waiter proceeded to pour a small amount of wine into Arcane's glass for him to taste. Arcane took a sip, and nodded to the waiter that it was acceptable, at which he was poured a full glass.

"Care for some, Geoffrey?" Arcane offered, and Carter held up his glass, Graham's unused one, to the waiter for it to be filled.

"Your coke, Sir," the waiter handed the beverage to Graham, who immediately took a small drink from it. "Enjoy your meals," he said, before leaving them in peace.

Carter turned to face Graham, "You know, Mr. Graham? -- Say, I hope I don't seem rude by asking, but is that your first or last name?"

"Both... either," Arcane answered for Graham. "Graham's parents weren't the most imaginative people when it came to thinking up names, were they Graham?" Graham just nodded, with a mildly sullen look on his face. It didn't make much difference now, but having the same first and last name was always an embarrassment to him as a child... not to mention sharing it with two of his brothers! Life got very confusing back then.

"Well I for one think it's very distinguished," Carter could see Graham's discomfort and tried to ease the situation; "Do you prefer Mr. Graham, or just Graham?"

"Just 'Graham' is fine," he replied.

"Well, your good health, Graham," Carter raised his wine glass to Graham, who seemed somewhat taken aback by the gesture. His mood seemed to lighten immediately. "You're a very lucky man. I envy you working with Anton here --"

Yeah, right. There's nobody who can throw a tantrum, shit on you all day, and threaten your life quite like Dr. Arcane!

"-- being privy to all his discoveries first hand... sharing in his genius, eh?"

Yeah, I guess that does kinda make up for things. Oh, snap out of it, Graham! You're just tired 'cos it's been a lousy day in a worse weekend. And Woodrue didn't help. And Dr. Arcane defended me. Yeah, he did. He stood up for me, didn't he!? "Yeah, I am kind of lucky," he said mildly.

"You flatter me, Geoffrey, and do me far too much credit," Arcane said with a modesty that would have made even the most naive and trusting of people reach for the sickbag.

Wait a minute! A thought struck Graham, He�s flattering the Doctor, and getting onto his work. He's trying to get information out of him. I'll bet he *is * working with those two and he's gonna start asking Doctor Arcane about his work.

"But enough of science, Anton. We've both probably heard enough over this weekend to last us a lifetime. How about giving work a rest and catching up on old times then? Boy! We had quite a few laughs back then, didn't we?" Carter laughed, cutting a piece of steak and popping it into his mouth.

Oh! Scrap that idea then...

"Indeed we did, but I'm..."

"We were quite a pair of rogues in our time, weren't we, Anton? Remember that day they found you in the girls' changing room with that canister of nitrous oxide?.. Oh, and that time you planted those condoms in the..."

"Yes, er, such happy memories, Geoffrey... but I'm sure Graham here isn't interested in hearing about such teenage frivolity, are you Graham?" Arcane gave Graham a swift and none too gentle kick under the table.

It's probably gonna get me killed, but at least *this* will be worth it! "Actually, Sir, I don't, kind of think it would be boring at all," he gave Arcane a small reciprocative grin which made up for all that weight he'd been carrying around all weekend. Arcane shot back with a glance that positively shouted that he was a dead man if he continued with this... which Graham ignored, relishing the immediate prospect far too much.

"So, Geoffrey, what are you up to these days?" Arcane got in quickly with a deft change of subject before turning to his meal.

"It's fairly quiet at the moment. We're translating some manuscript fragments that were brought in from some ruins in South America. I must admit, it would be marvellous to head out on those expeditions one of these days, but for now, I'mjust working back at the University."

"Still, it all sounds rather interesting. Anything I could be of help with?" he ventured, popping another forkful of steak into his mouth and frowning ever so slightly. "You know I'd heard excellent things about this restaurant, but I have to admit, the steak is very slightly overdone for my liking," Arcane muttered, straying from the subject briefly.

"Funny," Carter smiled, "I was thinking quite the opposite. Mine's just that little bit too rare. I ordered medium. It's close, but I'd say this is definitely medium rare."

"No. *This* is medium. Medium rare is more what I'd asked for."

"We did order the same meal, *and* the waiter did look a little confused. Say, you don't think he?.." They both looked at the meals, at each other, and gave a knowing little look. "Well, we could always swap over... under the circumstances?" Carter smiled. Arcane just shook his head.

"Not unless you're desperate to, Geoffrey. It's only marginally more well done than I'd like. Acceptable enough really. Quite frankly, I was planning on an early night after dinner, and I can't be bothered asking them to cook the damned thing again!"

"Well, it's only slightly rarer than I like... I can manage. Let me know how my meal was, Anton," he quipped.

"Likewise," Arcane retorted.

"I didn't know archaeology was one of your fields, Anton?" Carter returned to the previous topic, as well as the steak.

"Well, not as such, but I have a certain degree of intimacy with it. Where knowledge is concerned, I do have a penchant for diversity," he took a sip of wine with his meal.

"Well, I can't go into it in too great a detail at the moment -- it's a little hush hush -- but it looks connected to the Gharne fragments found in Africa some years ago."

"Really!? How fascinating. Whereabouts in South America... out of interest, of course."

"Southern Equador."

"Indeed. Well, Geoffrey, if you ever need any assistance, I do have contacts in that area... should you ever need guides, or such. Always glad to help out any old friend," he flashed his trademark smile.

"Well, that's jolly kind of you, Anton. I'll mention it to the University and bear that in mind."

Beside them, Graham picked at his meal, half concentrating on that, half on the conversation. Archaeology meant very little to him, but it was always interesting to hear Doctor Arcane sowing the seeds of future possibilities and projects.

"What about you?" Carter asked, taking another mouthful of steak.

"Hmmm?" Arcane replied.

"What are you up to?" his face became a little darker in its aspect. "You know, Anton... I hate to say it, but I've heard some pretty grim rumours about some of the things you've been working on --" his face lightened again, and he gave a little shake of the head, smiling; " -- of course, having said that, those rumours have been coming from people like him --" he cast his head back in the direction ofWoodrue;" -- and between them and you, I know who I'd trust!"

Arcane gave a slightly forced smile; "I've heard the rumours too. You really don't want to put too much faith in idle gossip, Geoffrey. There's a lot of jealousy out there, you know?"

"Absolutely. That's exactly what I thought! I've known you well over twenty years, and the Anton Arcane I know isn't capable of even a fraction of the things that those... you know, I .. hesitate to use the word 'people', but for want of a better word that's acceptable in polite company, I shall-- No! The Anton Arcane I know wouldn't do what those people are saying you do. End of story, Anton!" he smiled.

"No, Geoffrey," Arcane whispered with a bittersweet smile, "the Anton Arcane you know wouldn't..."

"I don't know why you put up with all those rumour-mongers and gossips, Anton. I may know you, but people who don't could always end up believing them... and do! I..." Carter's words seemed to drift off in mid sentence.

"Geoffrey?" Arcane seemed concerned, "Are you all right? You don't look at all well."

"I... I just feel a little light headed and strange. Say, is.. is it hot in here, or is it me?"

"Well, it is a little on the warm side, I must admit, but no worse than it's been all day."

"Must be my blood pressure," he sighed. "I get high blood pressure now and again," he reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small pill bottle, and removed a small round, scored mauve tablet from it, which he popped into his mouth and took a sip of water.

"Shouldn't really take this with alcohol... Propranolol... but I haven't had much... just..." he seemed to almost faint again, before regaining composure, "... just a few sips..."

"Sit there and take it easy," Arcane said with genuine concern. Carter was beginning to drip with perspiration. "I.. I'll be fine, Anton, thanks. Just... just need to rest a little. Takes a while... while.. to.. to.. go back... dow..." he closed his eyes and seemed to go still for a moment.

"Geoffrey!?" With a sudden, uncharacteristic sense of panic, Arcane gave him a light shake.

The man's eyes opened, and Arcane felt noticeably relieved. "Just... very tired, Anton... Just need rest."

"Will he be okay, Sir? He looks kind of shivery, and, and his breathing's kind of laboured," Graham asked, finally having decided that Carter wasn't working with Woodrue or Jeffries... probably.

"Elevated blood pressure should be asymptomatic, Graham, but I suppose if the causes are hormonal, or there are other factors..." he shrugged. "He must know if he's used to it. I'd advise we let him rest for a few moments, as he suggested."

"Cou.. could you... get me another... propranolol... Anton? It's a bad... bad do this time. Need more than.. than one... Nothing to.. to worry about, old friend," With a reassuring, if pained smile, Carter reached out and took Arcane's hand, indicating the pill bottle on the table.

Arcane immediately reached for it and removed another tablet, which he put in Carter's hand. With no small amount of effort, the man put it to his mouth and raised the glass to take another sip of water with it. "Th.. thanks," he said, before settling back into the seat to rest, seemingly becoming more peaceful.

For the next ten minutes, Arcane tried his best to continue with the meal, constantly looking up to see how Carter was doing. It wasn't easy. Well, at least the man seemed easier now. He'd sighed a few times and closed his eyes, and the rest seemed to be helping.

"Do you think we should call a doctor, Sir?" Graham suggested. Arcane turned to stare at him.

"Graham! I am *The* Doctor, am I not!?"

"er, yes, Sir... but don't you think you ought to see if he's feeling better? He still looks kind of pale."

"His blood pressure's clearly gone off the scale. It'll take a damn sight more than a few minutes to settle back down again. I think we're best not disturbing him."

"I.. I really don't like the look of him, Sir."

"You never did!" Arcane muttered sardonically, "Oh, very well," he leaned towards Carter.

"Geoffrey?" he said softly, "Feeling any easier, old chap? Can I get you anything?" There was no answer. "Geoffrey?" Arcane tried again, gently shaking the man's hand, which felt cold and clammy.

"Well, sir?" Graham enquired. Arcane said nothing, but immediately got up from his seat and walked round to stand beside Carter.

"Geoffrey?" he repeated for a third time, still calm, but this time with a slight anxious tone to his voice, and giving a nervous swallow. He shook him gently, but there was no reply.

Arcane's response was to put his middle and index finger to the carotid artery in Carter's neck.

Graham looked tense.

After a few moments, Arcane said nothing and just sat back down again, staring forwards and remaining silent, as though nothing was untoward, but the expression on his face was one Graham had never seen before, and hoped he'd never see again.

"Sir?" Graham enquired. Arcane didn't reply, but just put his hand to his chin in deep contemplation. "Doctor?" Graham asked again, and Arcane just turned to him slowly.

"I... I think the management ought to be informed that he's..." the words seemed hard to find, "... that he's..." Arcane still seemed in a bit of a daze, almost numb.

"... Dead, Sir," Graham finished his sentence softly. Staring into space, Arcane nodded absently.

It took a mere half hour for the matter to be efficiently dealt with by the hotel. It was all handled very smoothly, with as little disturbance as possible to the surrounding diners. Carter's body had been taken away discreetly by a couple of paramedics, and statements had been recorded from both Arcane and Graham. A post mortem was going to be carried out, but that seemed to be a formality, with either a stroke or coronary suspected. They told Arcane that he'd be informed of their findings. When he'd finally been given the all clear that there was nothing further they needed from him, Arcane didn't have much incentive to stay around for anything else, and decided to retire for the night.

"Are you all right, Sir?" Graham asked as he opened the room door and stepped aside for Arcane to walk in ahead of him.

"All right? Of course I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be bloody all right!?" Arcane snapped at him.

Great! Here we go again! Graham's mind gave a little groan.

"How many other evenings do I get the opportunity to spend a little time almost having dinner with the corpse of one of my oldest friends!? I eagerly await whatever pleasant surprises lie in store for me tomorrow that could possibly rival those of today." Graham tried not to think about that too hard.

"Were you, er, very close to him, Sir?" The assistant ventured, as he deposited the luggage on a nearby table.

"Hmmm? Oh... Geoffrey. Why?"

"I just kind of wondered if you were still upset."

"Don't be ridiculous, Graham! I haven't seen the man in nearly twenty years. I'm perfectly familiar with death. Why on earth should I be upset!?"

"I.. I just thought.,,"

"... Well don't, Graham! It isn't one of your more promising attributes!"

It's gonna be a long night...

"What I am, Graham, is thoroughly annoyed that fate has yet again conspired to ruin my plans. Those manuscripts he mentioned could have been of immense value to me... which is more than can be said for the majority of the so-called research I came here for!"

Somehow, Graham wasn't convinced by this manuscript excuse. He'd seen the Doctor face setbacks and failures before, and while the ensuing moods were unpredictable, nearly always unpleasant, and occasionally volatile, he'd never seen Arcane react like that before. Numbed shock was just not common to Doctor Arcane. I'll be damned if I'm gonna say anything though!

"It was Woodrue's doing, I'll swear it was," Arcane muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking his jacket off. "That interchange of pleasantries must have set Carter's blood pressure off. I'll be buggered if I'm going to let that miserable little hack get away with it this time, Graham!"

"I'm not sure about that, Sir," Graham risked adding his opinion... an opinion that differed from Arcane's. "He seemed pretty relaxed afterwards... and I don't, well, think it was an act. He.. he didn't seem, well, bothered by Woodrue," Which is more than can be said for me!

"No, and Geoffrey never was one to cover his emotions well. Still, could have been a delayed subconscious reaction to it. Too much of a bloody coincidence."

A thought struck Graham; "Maybe it was, Doctor?"

"What was, man?"

"Too much of a coincidence."

"Speak English, Graham!"

"I.. I saw Woodrue leave just after it all happened. You were too ups... still giving a statement, to notice, but he looked at us."

"Well that's hardly surprising. Get to the point man!"

"It was the look on his face. It kind of bothered me, Sir."

"No doubt it did. I'm sure he's having a party right now to celebrate!"

"No, Doctor. That's just it. He didn't look smug, or happy... he looked kind of pissed."

"Did he now? Maybe you were right then, Graham? If Carter was working with him, it stands to reason that little twerp wouldn't be too happy to see his partner die on him, would it now!?"

"I.. I don't think it's even that, Sir. Why would he leave so soon? He couldn't have finished his meal in that time?"

"No, damn it, he couldn't!" !!!?? *I'm * the bloody genius! Now why the hell didn't I think of that? Oh yes... a dozen Vivarin, no sleep, little food, and just seeing your oldest friend die on you! Yes, that would tend to block out logic on occasions! Right... logic! Something 's been bothering you. Think, Anton! Think!!

"Of course!" Arcane exclaimed, suddenly getting up from the bed and facing Graham, "... and why should Woodrue patronise the Hilton Steakhouse of all places!?"

"To eat, Sir?" Graham said the obvious.

"The man's a bloody vegetarian... or at least he used to be!"

"Then the confrontation must have been the reason."

"It's not enough, Graham. He could have chosen anywhere to come and insult me. Why a restaurant he had no intention of eating in?.. and how did he know I'd be there if he wasn't tipped off by hotel staff knowing you'd made the booking?"

"Unless he just saw you go in, and followed?"

"Without a booking, Graham!? I hardly think so. No. He had to book after me to get in, and you yourself said there were no other tables at that time... which meant someone let him in... someone in the hotel. Which all brings us to the question of the day now, doesn't it?.. Why did he want to be there?"

"Like he knew what was going to happen and wanted to watch?"

"Exactly! But he couldn't have known it was going to happen, unless..."

"... Unless he made it happen, Sir!"

"Very good, Graham. Yes. Unless he made it happen. Now what I can't figure out is why the hell Woodrue would want Geoffrey Carter of all people, dead. He barely knew the man let alone cared enough to kill him... unless it was another ploy to unsettle me?"

"er, I don't think he was trying to kill Geoffrey Carter, Sir," Graham said with mounting nervousness. "He couldn't have known that Carter was going to join us... and if you were planning to kill someone in a restaurant, and you wanted to watch without being involved, wouldn't you maybe poison the food... or have it, well poisoned if there was staff helping you?" Arcane remained silent, his thought processes speeding onwards in a disturbed fashion. "and, er, didn't you and Carter order the exact same dish... ?"

"... and given each other's by mistake," Arcane mumbled a rhetorical reply. "My God! He's not here for my research... He's trying to kill me... He's actually trying to kill me!!!" He stared at Graham, "If that waiter hadn't made the confusion... If he'd given me *my* meal!!??.. My God!!" Arcane sat down on the bed again, suddenly feeling like a combination of a hunted fox and the luckiest man alive. If any thoughts towards Geoffrey Carter remained in Arcane's mind, instinct for self preservation had well and truly buried them for now.

"Maybe, well, maybe we're best leaving the hotel and going home, Sir?" Graham suggested.

"And give in to him? Leave without my prize!?.. or any more research?"

"The research hasn't been very good, Doctor, and most of the prime targets have been searched..."

"Which reminds me, Graham. No file for Carla either. What's she up to? Trying for my research... or up to Woodrue's game?"

Oh shit! It was bad enough with one of them trying to kill you! Why can't you just agree to go home!!??

"Maybe not, Sir... it's probably the research she's after... or maybe she's going for Woodrue?"

"Too much to hope that they'll end up killing each other, I suppose?"

"Isn't it, kind of too risky? Maybe we should just go home? You've still got the worms when you get back, Sir?" he said hopefully.

"We're just going to have to be a lot more careful, Graham. We don't know for certain Carla's planning something similar, only that Woodrue's out to get me, and he's trying to make it look natural... which limits his options --"

Who says it does? It only means that was his first method! There could be snipers out there in the lobby for all we know!!

" -- We'll have to eat away from the hotel... or do without food that hasn't been tested first... and not make any bookings."

That's really gonna stop bullets! Just say you'll go home, Doctor, PLEASE!!

"Now, what other methods could he use that could be construed as accidental?" Arcane paced around, contemplating.

I wonder if the gift shop stocks kevlar suits?

"-- electrical fire... gas leak... faulty electrical appliance... Yes, we'll have to be *very* careful. We only handle appliances we've brought, and have been kept with us... or get someone else to handle them first, eh? --" he grinned.

Or we could JUST GO HOME!!!

" -- Of course, there's always the chance that he'll abandon the idea having failed, for fear of my retaliation if I suspect him, and he fails again." Yeah, right! With our luck, he'll just try harder, and we'll find out most of the others are in on it too! That's it! The whole damned conference is out to murder us! " -- Not too likely, though, I have to admit --"

About as likely as *me * winning the prize tomorrow! Please, Doctor... Let's go home!!

"Shall I call the airport and have them get your plane ready, sir?" Graham rephrased the suggestion, his own instinct for survival not wanting him to stay in this hotel a moment longer.

"No, Graham. I will not be beaten by that second rate simpleton!"

"But, Doctor... if you leave and you're still alive, you will have beaten him, since he only came to kill you and never cared about winning," his eyes widened in plea, and Arcane did seem to consider it.

"No, Graham. I think we'll see how things go for now. If we're careful, we should be fine. Woodrue's clearly trying not to draw too much attention. We'll just have to make certain we don't give him another chance, won't we?"

"Yes, Sir," Graham grumbled, "er, are you going to retaliate?" Yeah, get the bastard before he gets us!

"Well of course I'm going to bloody retaliate! But here is hardly the place. I didn't exactly come prepared for an assassination, did I, Graham?.. and *I* don't have anyone on the inside in this establishment. Besides, I'd also prefer any retaliation to be from the security of my own domain. I don't own the law in this city, and getting implicated in any murder attempt wasn't on my agenda for the weekend."

"If there were any problems, I'm sure General Sunderland could fix them for you?"

"I've no intention of owing the General any favours if it can be avoided, thank you, Graham!"

"So we just do nothing for now?" Graham said with a critical tone to his voice.

"We continue as planned for now. I'm going to get that bloody prize if it ki... I'm going to get that prize, Graham!"

Great! Super! Fan -fucking - tastic! "Okay, Sir... but I could, maybe, fix a few electrical things myself in Woodrue's room tomorrow... real careful, like?"

Arcane considered this and eventually shook his head. "No, Graham. When I deal with Woodrue -- and I will-- I want him to know exactly what's happening, who's doing it... and why. No instantaneous accidents. I want to enjoy it! Do I make myself clear?" Graham nodded.

Becoming a little thirsty, Arcane wandered over to the kettle, and was about to switch it on when he pulled back sharply. He cast a surreptitious glance back to Graham, who's back was turned to him for the moment.

"Make the tea, Graham," he said casually, as he sidled away from it and went back over to the bed, where he removed his shirt before glancing at his watch: Barely nine o'clock. He watched carefully as Graham headed over to the kettle and switched the thing on. Well, no problems there. Seems safe enough. Probably won't try anything till tomorrow since he won't have had time to sabotage the room, thinking the poisoning was going to work. Still, best to avoid the obvious things, he glanced at the bedside light. The main light was clearly safe since that had been switched on before they knew what to expect, and nothing untoward had happened.

"Well, I think an early night is in order for me, Graham. Bit too early for you though, I suspect. Anything planned?" Arcane asked the assistant as he tended to the drinks.

"I, er, I don't know, Sir. I kind of thought about going down to the casinos... but after all this..."

"Well, I hardly think Woodrue's after you, Graham. I really don't see you having any problems."

"Wh.. what about you, Sir? I'd be leaving you on your own."

"Your solicitude is touching, Graham, but if he's planned anything, he'd have done it by now, and I've no intention of using anything suspect in this room. So, go... enjoy yourself May well be the only chance you get. Tomorrow's going to be rather busy."

"I'm still not happy about leaving you unprotected, Sir."

"Oh, I'll be fine, Graham. I'm prepared, don't you worry. It'll take more than the likes of Jason Woodrue to finish me off! Now off you go. Don't leave it too late... say a couple of hours... and make sure you don't wake me when you get back!"

"er, Doctor?

"Yes, Graham, what is it?"

"Are you, er, trying to get rid of me?"

"Whatever gives you that idea, Graham?" Arcane said innocently.

"In that case, I'd rather stay and make sure you're all right."

"Graham! Go!" Arcane ordered the man. His attitude became casual again when he saw the look of confusion and desolation crossing the assistant's face. "Very well, Graham... Yes, I am trying to get rid of you. Nothing sinister though... nothing for you to worry about." The look on Graham's face didn't lighten one jot. Arcane gave a deep sigh. "For the love of God, Graham!... Oh very well... if you must know, it's because I want to make damned sure I'm well and truly asleep by the time you do get back!" The desolation disappeared, but the confusion remained.

"er, why, Doctor... if you don't mind me asking?"

"Because I actually want to sleep tonight, which means my having to fall asleep before you do. Not to put too fine a point on it, Graham, you snore... rather loudly. Aside from the other distractions last night, the only reason I stopped hearing that bloody air conditioner is because the noise you were making drowned it out!"

"I.. I can't help it, Sir. I've got this sinus condition..."

"... You'll have a bloody sight more than that if that cacophony keeps me awake tonight as well! So, in the interests of both our well being, I'm suggesting that you make sure I'm fully asleep before you attempt to do so... is that understood?"

"Yes, Doctor. I'll, er, I'll keep my celphone with me in case you have any problems."

"Splendid, Graham. You do that. Now bugger off! The Vivarin's starting to wear offand I need my beauty sleep!" Graham nodded.

"Is it all right if I take a quick shower first, Sir. It's kind of hot and... I won't be long, and I don't want to disturb you with it when I get back?"

"Fine," Arcane muttered, going over to the kettle and pouring out the tea, which he took back to the bed. Reaching into one of the drawers for a few items, Graham scuttled into the bathroom. A minute later, the sound of running water could be heard.

Arcane had passed the time reading the rest of Dr. Nakamura's research, and had become so engrossed as to not notice the time. As tiredness reminded him that he really did need to sleep immediately, he glanced at his watch and became aware that nearly half an hour had passed.

The running water from the bathroom had stopped nearly twenty minutes ago, but Arcane was certain Graham hadn't left the bathroom yet. With a puzzled shrug, he got up off the bed and went over to the bathroom door, which he started to open. Yes, it was still locked.

"Graham!" he called out,

"c..can you be a little quieter, Sir?" came a timid little voice from within.

"Graham! What the hell are you doing in there?" Arcane ignored the request.

"Sshhh..." the voice whispered back, barely audible to Arcane, "I'm on the toilet, Sir..."

"Well thank you, Graham. My life is forever enriched for knowing that." For twenty minutes! "What in hell's name are you doing on the toi... No!... Don't answer that one!" Arcane's mind shuddered and tried to shut out the imagery.

"I'm having a little problem, Sir," the plaintive voice whined at Arcane. "I.. I need help."

"Well what do you expect *me* to do about it!?" Arcane snarled.

"Do.. do you think you can get the door open and, kind of come in, Sir?"

There was a silent pause.

"Sir?.. Doctor Arcane??.. Are you still there?"

"Graham, I can assure you that I have no intention whatsoever of going in there to help you with any little personal problems you may be having. I am *The* Doctor, not *your* doctor. Sort it out yourself... and quickly!"

"I.. I can't, Sir. *Please* come in. I *really* need your help."

Why me!? I might have known one decent uncomplicated night's sleep was too much to ask for. "Graham, after I've killed you, I really must get Stella to remind me to make sure that the next assistant I hire doesn't snore like a chainsaw, or suffer from air sickness, sinus or bowel problems!"

"It's not like that, Sir. Look... Just come in... *real* carefully."

"Bloody hell, Graham! This had better be worth it!" he snarled, trying the door again, this time with more force. It still wouldn't open. "Graham. At least get yourself up long enough to unlock this sodding door!"

"I can't, Sir! That's the problem!" Arcane glanced at the door handle. No lock that he could use a key or wire on. It was just an inside catch. He'd have to force it open. "Graham! I'm going to have to kick it open," he called in.

"*Please* try to do it carefully... and quietly!"

"How in hell's name am I supposed to kick a door in carefully and quietly, man!"

"Please, Doctor... just try!!" Graham seemed to be almost crying.

With an exasperated sigh, Arcane took a step back, tried to remember what martial arts he knew, and gave the door a swift, sharp front snap kick with his right leg... before bouncing back off it, cursing numerous expletives to himself, and clutching his painfully jarred knee and foot. "Sir??" a little voice came from within.

"Oh shut up, Graham!" Arcane snarled, hobbling around on his still sore leg. He wasn't certain, but the kick might not have been the only thing that snapped. Why do fictional heroes never have any trouble kicking in doors twice this thickness!!?? "Right!" he steeled.himself, this time balancing his weight on the injured leg, and working himself up to attempting something with the other one. It's only a flimsy hotel door, Anton. You can do this! "It's the only leg I've got left, Graham. If this doesn't work, you can bloody well sort your problem out on your own. Oh, and incidentally... if this isn't *really* worth my going through all this, I'm not waiting till I get back to Houma to kill you!" With a grunt of anger, he went for a front thrust kick with his left leg.

He gave another grimace of pain, but at least this seemed to do the trick, and the door flew open. Straightening himself up, Arcane looked inside, and immediately turned away, out of embarrassed instinct, at the sight of a rather sorry looking Graham, seated on the toilet ahead of him, trousers round his ankles and clutching a magazine over his lap to protect his modesty.

"Graham! Is this some sort of sick joke!?" he forced himself to turn back and limped angrily into the bathroom. The assistant just shook his head, tears now beginning to flow down his cheeks. "All right, Graham," Arcane tried to force himself to be patient, "Now what exactly is wrong? Are you ill? You don't exactly look it."

"No, Sir," Graham whispered.

"Fine. You're not ill! Well, in that case, has that back problem of yours caused you to be incapable of movement?" Graham just shook his head.

"So, you�re not ill and you can move... You know Graham, this isn�t looking too good from your point of view... believe me."

"I.. I know, Sir. But I can't move!..."

"... You said your ba..."

"... It's not my back, Sir. Take a look, Doctor... carefully." Graham looked downwards.

"Don't be ridiculous, man. What the hell do you think I am!?"

"Not that, Sir... *that*!" Graham inclined his head to the right hand side of the toilet, ever so carefully, and nodded towards the floor. With a puzzled grimace, Arcane approached and knelt down beside Graham, looking underneath the toilet.

"Ah!" were his only words as his eyes suddenly got noticeably wider at the sight of several pounds of explosives taped to the base of the porcelain, near to the wall of the bathroom, with a wire leading up to the seat. Very carefully, he rose to his feet again and started to back off.

"Doctor Arcane?" Graham looked up at him.

"Sshhh, Graham. Try to be nice and quiet, there's a good chap... and *don't* *move*!"

"I told you we had a problem," Graham whispered.

"No, Graham. *You've* got a problem. I think it's high time I was leaving." He edged his way back to the door. Graham looked at him, horrified.

"You... you can't leave me here, Doctor!" he moaned pathetically.

"Watch me," Arcane said callously, darting back out of the door and grabbing the worm box from the dressing table, along with the bag of research data, the laptop and the fossils. He cursed not having the time to rescue his other possessions, but under the circumstances...

"*Doctor*!" Graham whined as Arcane, groaning under the weight of the bag, unlocked the front door and started to drag himself out of the room. "Please, Doctor Arcane... don't leave me here! I'd... I'd never leave you like this..." There was no answer, "... I..I.. I guess I was wrong to think you were the greatest scientist in the world. I guess even your genius can't defuse one of Jason Woodrue's traps, Doctor..."

"... That's underhanded, sneaky, manipulative, and hitting below the belt, Graham!" Arcane stuck his head back round the door, "but if you think I'm seriously risking my life to defuse that thing, you're madder than Woodrue."

"Then call security, Sir. Get the professionals in... Anybody!"

"and have the police interfering in my affairs! Don't be ridiculous, Graham. Don't you think they'd be slightly suspicious when something untoward does happen to Woodrue!?"

"And they won't be suspicious when something happens to him after your hotel room blows up!? I've been loyal, dammit!" Graham snarled quietly to Arcane.

"Nothing personal, Graham. I wouldn't do this for *anybody*."

"Fine, *Doctor*! Guess I'll just have to call the police myself... if I'm *real* careful getting my celphone out... right now... while you're in range..." Graham muttered defiantly.

"Graham are you threatening me?"

"I'd never do that, Doctor," Graham said innocently, "Just kind of trying to save my life." He began moving very slightly, reaching for his jacket pocket.

"Wait!" Arcane said suddenly, beads of sweat beginning to drip from his forehead. With the amount of explosives down there, he'd have to be at least the other end of the corridor when it went off to escape death or injury, and that wasn't likely short of him being able to teleport! "Just stay right where you are, Graham. I'll take a look at it -- just a look, mind you -- and decide from there," he muttered, dumping the bags back in the room and carefully entering the bathroom again. He decided to leave the room door slightly open. If he did have to make a quick getaway, it could save him precious seconds.

"Thanks, Sir," Graham said appreciatively. "I.. I'm sure I'll be safe with you handling it," he added.

"You can cut the flattery, Graham! You got what you wanted, but I'm doing this for my benefit! Now, before I begin, tell me exactly what happened to get you into this predicament.

"Well, I sat down, Sir, and I heard this distinct clicking sound. I.. I didn't think too much about it, but I was reading, and accidentally dropped the magazine to the floor. When I reached down for it, I saw.. that," he indicated the bomb. "I tried not to move too much after that."

"No, well I can see how that wouldn't be advisable. Still, a certain amount of movement should be possible since you were obviously able to bend down and retrieve your magazine without setting it off, eh? That's a good sign. Until I see it, we won't know just how pressure sensitive it is, if at all." Arcane knelt down, still wincing at the pain in his right knee.

Carefully, he tried to get a better look at the device. "This is ludicrous, Graham. I can't get to it for your legs!" He straightened up and looked at the assistant. "Well, since you seem to have a little bit of movement, can you move your legs just a little, without shifting your weight?"

"In what way, Sir?"

"Try to bring them more together, and move them round to your left, so I can get in there and have a look at that thing."

Graham began moving ever so slightly, but it was obvious that the degree of movement required would mean a noticeable shift of his weight. Arcane held his hand up, stopping him from trying further. .

"No, this is no good at all. Right! Let's see," he contemplated the situation for a moment, "Fine. Try straightening your legs and holding them out a little. You should be able to do that without altering the balance of the weight of your body."

"Okay, Sir... but why?"

Arcane looked uncomfortable... well, even more uncomfortable than a man next to a very large bomb might look.

"Graham, I'm not exactly relishing doing this, but I'm going to have to remove your trousers and undergarments so that they're not in the way of my getting to that thing like they are now." Graham just nodded, and carefully straightened his legs. With slow and precise movements, keeping a constant eye on the assistant's weight balance and the bomb, Arcane slowly began removing Graham's shoes, and then very slowly inching the trousers from the man's legs.

"It's kinda like that movie last year, Doctor," Graham tried to take his mind off his mounting fear by indulging in more trivial conversation. Arcane just looked up in vacant surprise.

"What?"

"That one with Mel Gibson and the other guy. One of those 'Deadly Weapon' things... or something like that. You remember?"

"Not as such, Graham. I've got better things to do with my time than watching those sort of things. Still, life imitating what purports to be art, I suppose. No doubt a coincidence. Can't see Woodrue copying that sort of drivel deliberately." A thought occurred to Arcane; "Still, if .he did!?.. Graham! What do you remember from this film? What was the bomb like?.. How did it work?"

"I can't remember the details, Doctor, just that the explosion at the end was pretty violent."

"Well that's so reassuring, Graham. Thank you for that vote of confidence."

"I think it was a pretty complex one, and they couldn't defuse it, and they kind of had to drag him off quickly and hide in the bath to have that take the force of the blast... or something like that." Arcane glanced beside them.

"Well, considering the bath is in the second bathroom, I hardly think a plastic shower cubicle is going to offer much protection, not that even the sturdiest of porcelain or metal is going to stop the force of something this size. Graham, you really are being the voice of doom, aren't you!?"

"Doctor? er, do you think you can stop your hand from shaking so much?" Graham couldn't help noticing Arcane wasn't handling it as well as he'd hoped.

"Graham, if only I'd been warned that I'd be undressing my bloody assistant on a toilet and defusing a bomb the size of Nebraska tonight, maybe... just maybe, I'd have made sure I'd got more sleep last night, not to mention having less caffeine and alcohol! But I didn't, did I!?!?"

"Sorry, Sir," Graham said apologetically.

"We may both be very sorry in a minute!... ah, there we are!" he smiled, as he eased the last of Graham's clothing from the man. "Right, now just let me get in there... easy does it, Graham. Don't move too quickly," he instructed, as Graham slowly moved his legs apart for Arcane to get through them. The Doctor was having trouble reaching over, and grudgingly lowered himself onto his belly and crawled towards the device behind Graham.

"Ugghh!... Bloody Hell, Graham! This floor's soaking wet!" Arcane snarled. "It had better be water from your sodding shower!"

"Probably, sir... maybe," Graham muttered meekly. Arcane closed his eyes and gave an audible groan.

"er, what does it look like, Doctor?.. Can you get a good look at it yet?" Graham enquired after a minute or so.

"Hard to tell, but I don't think it has any sort of motion sensor, which is a good thing. There is some sort of wiring leading to a sensor under the seat, which looks pressure sensitive. I don't think it was an error that it didn't go off when you sat down. For some reason inexplicable to me, it looks deliberately designed to be detonated when the initial pressure is removed, that is, you get up again. Typical Woodrue! Bloody stupid way to design a bomb! If I'd done it, I'd have made sure the wretched thing went off the moment it was touched! Hah! The man can't even assassinate properly!"

"er, Doctor Arcane, do you, er, do you think you could kind of see to the bomb now and criticise Dr. Woodrue later? Can you get to it, Sir?

"I think I can remove the tape and bring the bomb itself away from its current position without detonating it."

"You think!?!?.." Graham exclaimed, "Can't you at least lie to me and say you can definitely do it!?"

"Certainly, Graham. I'm a hundred percent positive that I can definitely remove it without detonating it. Happy!?"

"Was that a lie, Sir?"

"Yes"

"Thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome... now shut up and stay very, *very* still."

Graham remained totally motionless as he heard the sound of adhesive tape being slowly removed. Swivelling his eyes around, all he could see was part of Arcane's back down to his right, and the rest of him on the floor at his feet. He decided that closing his eyes was preferable.

"Ah ha! Got you!" he heard Arcane utter with a degree of triumph. Opening his eyes again, he became aware of the Doctor crawling backwards very slowly, out from under him. "Did you, er, did you defuse it, Doctor?" he asked hopefully.

"Not yet, Graham. Just managed to get it free so I can work on it more comfortably. Returning to a kneeling position between Graham's legs, Arcane carefully lifted to bomb to almost the full extent of length the wire it was attached to gave him, which was just above the level of the toilet seat, where Graham could now see the thing clearly as well. "It's, er, it's kind of big, Sir," he said uneasily.

"It certainly is," Arcane muttered in agreement, "but fortunately for us, it seems to have been designed by a primate. If I'd designed the thing, I'd have made damned certain that it was tamper proof. Look at it, Graham! Not even a timing device in case of removal!"

"Doctor, *please* can you just defuse it!" Graham's tone of voice tried not to get too exasperated.

"Calm down, Graham! I'm examining it. One can't rush these things. I have to determine the best way to go about this."

"Doctor Arcane??"

"What?"

"Sir... have you ever done this before... defused a bomb, like?"

"Oh absolutely, Graham. It's just one of the many suicidally dangerous hobbies I indulge in every day. I fit it in somewhere between the abseiling down K2 and the canoeing along Niagara! OF COURSE I HAVEN'T BLOODY WELL DEFUSED A BOMB BEFORE! !"

"Oh God!!... Doctor, *please* call the professionals in!"

"Don't worry, Graham. I've learnt enough tips from people I have hired to use the things though. Unless it's particularly devious -- which seems unlikely if Wood rue's anything to do with it -- I should be able to handle it. Just simple applied physics really, and a good steady hand."

"Your hand's shaking like a leaf, Sir," Graham observed.

"Try to have a little more faith, Graham! I refuse to let either of us be killed by one of Jason Woodrue's devices!"

"Great. You think they'll carve that on our headstones!?"

"Fine. There's bloody gratitude for you. Why don't I just leave you to do it, then!?"

"Sorry, Sir," Graham mumbled, "Guess I'm just real scared."

"and I'm not, I suppose!!? I can handle it, Graham. Now let's see..." he examined the explosive device thoroughly, tracing various wires, figuring out a suitable strategy.

"You know, if it isn't a coincidence, I can't exactly see Woodrue copying a movie strategy...especially something like this. Not his style at all. Maybe whoever he hired is a film buff, but I doubt it."

"Does it really matter, Sir!? Whoever planted it, it's still here and dangerous!"

"It matters to me, Graham. Knowing more about who planted it helps me understand the type of device they'd use. Now Woodrue's style is sly, underhanded -- that poisoning, for instance - This... well this is just plain crude, humiliating and downright noticeable! And Woodrue expected his poison to work, and couldn't have possibly had time to arrange this as well, or even had the need to just yet. So, Graham! Who do we know who wants to kill me? Who'd choose a method that would make a statement; and add humiliation to the death?"

"CARLA JEFFRIES!" the two voices exclaimed as one.

"And it all makes perfect sense, Graham. Carla can never resist giving clues to her actions in her words. Thinking back to that conversation, things are becoming much clearer: 'Gaining more pieces'... 'exploding my mind'... 'succeeding and gaining my complex'... 'going up in the world'... oh, yes indeed, Graham! It all makes so much more sense now. Carla, not Woodrue!... Wait a minute! 'Explode my mind'. She planted it in a toilet... well that's bloody charming!..."

"Great, Sir... marvellous! Now there's two of them definitely out to kill us!"

"Me, Graham. Kill me! But it's a perfectly valid point. That does make things doubly problematic, doesn't it?" "If we get out of this alive... let's just go home, please!! I mean how do we know there aren't more of them trying to do this!?"

"Don't distract me, Graham! I'm still trying to deal with that all important first part of your last two sentences."

"You do know what to do, Doctor, don't you?" Graham asked again.

"I'm pretty certain I have to remove the wiring in a particular sequence. There's three of 'em. Now I'm sure of the first one to cut, but as to which of the last two..."

"You're just guessing, Sir!??"

"Don't be ridiculous. If I was just guessing, I'd be at the other end of the hotel and I'd leave you the cutters to do it with! No. I've got a good idea which to do after that... it's just that there's another wire here that doesn't seem connected to those three that's bothering me. Can't quite place what it's doing there. Hmmm... and speaking of cutters, better go find something to actually do it with."

Carefully, he laid the bomb at Graham's feet, and stood up, grimacing in pain as he did so, his right knee giving a rather unhealthy cracking sound. He hobbled out of the bathroom, and Graham heard the sound of him rummaging through drawers and luggage. Arcane was probably gone for only a minute or so, but it seemed an eternity to Graham.

"Here we are!" Arcane said, returning to the bathroom and his kneeling position between Graham's legs. He held up a pair of scissors. "Not exactly ideal wire cutters, but 't'will suffice. Now listen Carefully, Graham. You should just be able to reach out enough to take the bomb. You can rest it in your lap if you're very careful. Use the scissors and cut the wires in this precise order..."

"... You're not going to be doing it, Sir?"

"Try to look at this logically, Graham. We'd both be doing the exact same thing, so why should I be here risking my life when you can do it? I'll give you, say five minutes, and then return if... *when* there's no explosion. Don't you worry now. All you have to do is cut the wires in the following sequence: Red, blue, green. Simple enough, eh?"

"The wires are all kind of entwined, Doctor. I can't see them separately."

"Well what difference does that bloody make!? Just snip the correct colours. You don't have to have them miles apart, man!"

"I.. I can't, Sir... I've got red - green colour blindness!"

Arcane just stared at him and shook his head slowly. "Why am I not surprised? Look! This one's the red --" he pointed to a particular wire," -- and this one's the green!... Yes?"

"I can tell them when you're pointing, but once you've taken your hand away, they just look the same to me... I'm sorry, Doctor..." "

"You will be!"

"Why don't we get the professionals in to do it, Sir... if you don't want to?.."

"That's not an option, Graham!"

"Well neither is my cutting them!" Desperation was beginning to make Graham sound unusually adamant, "I'd be guessing, Sir."

"Well then, at least you'll have a fifty percent chance of getting it right, won't you?"

"You said you were certain they were right... you wouldn't be risking anything if that were true, Sir..."

"Well, maybe 'certain' is an exaggeration. 'Fairly certain' might be more appropriate."

"You're are just guessing, aren't you?"

"I am *not* guessing, Graham! I'm certain it's that order... if the principal I'm working to is the correct one... which I'm certain it is... fairly..."

"You've got a better chance of doing it correctly than I have, Doctor. At least you can see what colours they are."

"That's not the point, Graham."

"Yes it is!"

"Graham, to be perfectly brutal about this, the point is, I really don't want to end my life I blown to pieces by a sabotaged toilet!"

"Neither do I, Doctor! If you cut them, we'll probably be okay. If I cut them, I'll probably die!"

"Your point being? I pay you to take the risks, Graham, and it's not as though you weren't in enough trouble anyway. Don't think I've forgotten my little promise to you earlier. You haven't exactly redeemed yourself, have you? Quite frankly, Graham, what's been more of an incentive to do even this much has been the fact that if this thing goes off, I've got no bloody hotel room to sleep in tonight!"

"Thanks a million, *Sir*!" Graham sneered. "Nice to know over a year's loyal and devoted service means so much to you!"

"Don't start taking it so bloody personally, Graham! Try to see the big picture, old chap! Such loyalty wouldn't want to see me killed in such an absurd way..."

"Yeah, sure, and I need a death like this like a hole in the head!"

"I don't think there'd be enough of your head left to make a decent sized hole, Graham," Arcane quipped. Graham glowered at him lividly. "Just joking, Graham... trying to lighten the mood somewhat. You'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Yeah, you'll be real fine... the other end of the hotel."

"Well, that rather is the idea, isn't it? Look, I'll put the thing in your hand. I'll even cut the first wire for you, to get the red out of the way. You can tell the blue one easily enough, and then it's just the remaining one. You don't even have to know the colour. You can do it. I've got faith in you, Graham. Now, here you go," he cautiously handed the bomb to Graham, resting it on his lap. "Graham! Will you get that sodding magazine out of the way so I can put this down safely. Use your shirt to cover yourself, man!" he removed the magazine from Graham's hand, peering at it slightly before tossing it aside. His eyebrows raised momentarily.

"Interesting bathroom reading, Graham. I thought you weren't interested?" He couldn't resist a little smirk, despite the circumstances.

"I was just looking through to try and choose your present, *Sir*!" Graham sulked, trying for the guilt trip.

"How thoughtful!" Arcane retorted, with a look implying he didn't believe a word of it. "Right. Here we go!" He put the scissors to the red wire and started to close them. Graham couldn't help notice that Arcane had suddenly gone very tense, and even more beads of perspiration were starting to run down his face. His faith in Arcane was beginning to diminish even further when he saw the Doctor actually close his eyes and mumble something to himself as he forced the scissors closed, severing the red wire.

Nothing happened. Arcane opened his eyes and breathed an audible sigh of relief.

"Told you so, Graham, now here you are," he began to pass the scissors to Graham, who withdrew his hand.

"Doctor!!" Graham called out suddenly. "Doctor, I think it *was* tamper proof.. if anyone cut the first wire. I can hear a ticking sound behind me..."

Instantly, Arcane dropped to his belly again and crawled to the side of the toilet, then round the back of it, to look around.

"Oh bugger!" were his only words.

"OH BUGGER!! What does' oh bugger' mean! !??"

"It means, Graham, that I've got just over thirty seconds to get myself to the other end of this corridor," he darted back out from underneath and shoved the scissors into Graham's hand, "bye, old chap... good luck!"

"Doctor Arcane! Either *you* cut these wires *right* *now*, or I do it myself *right now*! !" Graham demanded in no uncertain terms.

"Don't be absurd, Graham. It'll take you 5 seconds at most to cut them. Give me twenty seconds to get away... fifteen??"

"*Right* *Now*!!" Graham snarled at him, threatening a random wire with the scissors. Arcane wasted two of them deliberating, panic taking over and sweeping logic away.

"OH BLOODY HELL, GRAHAM!!" He sobbed, grabbing the scissors back, and with shaking hands, put them round the blue wire. Graham even heard a whimper coming from him as he closed his eyes again and pressed down.

Nothing happened.

"Ohgodohgodohgod!!" Arcane whimpered to himself like a mantra as he hurriedly reached for the green wire."

"Will that work now... what with the other device!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!! !" Arcane yelled, giving a small cry of fear as he cut through the green one.

No explosion.

For seconds afterwards, a very shaking Arcane didn't even dare move.

"It's stopped ticking, Sir," Graham said shakily, but by now, Arcane could barely hear him. He was still trembling in the aftermath of terror. "It's over, Doctor," Graham reiterated, removing the now useless bomb from his lap and putting it down by the side of the toilet again.

"It.. it's over??" Arcane said in a tiny little voice, beginning to break into total exhausted relief. Graham just nodded, a broad smile crossing his face.

"IT'S OVER! !" The both shouted together, the flood of emotion overwhelming each other as they both began laughing insanely and hugging each other for all they were worth and Arcane burying his head in Graham's chest.

They didn't even notice the tiny knocking at the door.

"Dr. Arcane?" On getting no reply but seeing the door open, a figure walked into the room. Some movement could be heard from the open bathroom door. "Dr. Arcane, I saw the door open and I... OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME!!... I'm terribly sorry! I.. I thought... I'm sorry for disturbing you. Why don't I come back later... or something... anything... yes..." The unusually flustered figure of the manager turned and left hurriedly.

Logic and embarrassment instantly broke the mood of revelry and Arcane got up equally hurriedly, vainly reaching after her.

"Wait! I... it�s not what it seems.. ." it was too late, though. She'd already gone. Now back to being angry, Arcane just picked up Graham's clothing and threw them at the man disgustedly. "Get dressed, you moron!" he snarled, striding back into the bedroom again.

Continued in Part 4

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