Key to Survival

Chapter 8 Flame

Flame received her mother's mental signal. Yes, Gale, she thought. Something has come up. Are you available?

As it happened, she was, as Gale knew. Fifth was away and she had nothing important to do. On my way.

Flame conjured herself to the royal suite. "What is it?"

"The machines are running a test project, to find out how well human beings can survive when deprived of the benefits of magic and civilization. The other Glamors are occupied at the moment, and I am serving as the central communications person. This is new."

"A machines project? How can we affect it?"

"They actually extended an invitation," Gale said. "They want ten family units. They promise to return them safely when the project is done, and Idyll says they mean it. Subterfuge is alien to their nature; they don't need it. But there is a caution: the machines might renege if they don't like the result. So I think we need to get a Glamor on the scene, covertly."

"Confusion. The machines invited human participation?"

"It seems it could affect their plans for conquest. If the humans survive the test, figuratively, they will be more difficult to subdue. The machines would then raise their offer for Voila."

"Question."

"They might allow us the semblance of self rule, leaving our governing apparatus in place."

"Meaning that you and Havoc would remain as queen and king," Flame said dryly. "After they conquer us."

"If Voila enlists, they won't even conquer us. They won't need to. At any rate, it behooves us to see that this project is fairly run. It might affect our attitude toward them."

"Details?"

"Nine families have already signed up. Yours would be the tenth."

"Complication: Fifth is occupied elsewhere." No need to explain how, or with whom; Gale already knew.

"And you have no children," Gale agreed. "I was thinking of mocking up an ad hoc family unit."

"Question?"

"You, a man, and a child. The machines really don't care about our conventions; to them marriage is a social nuance. They will settle for any committed semblance."

Flame thought of something. "Warp has business elsewhere that he wants concealed. I agreed to cover for him if need be. I could emulate him, so that he seems to be accounted for."

Gale took it in stride. "Then we need a woman and a child. As it happens, Marionette is available."

"She will do. We're friends." Marionette was the Earth Mistress who had governed the space ship that first took the four siblings to Earth. She had proved to be competent, generous, and fair, as well as phenomenally sexy, and Warp had been quite taken with her though she was five years his senior. In fact they planned to marry, once the machines crisis was done. "But we still lack a child."

"I think that will have to be your sister Vila."

"Objection: she is barely five!"

"The age Warp's child would be, if he had married Marionette at the outset."

"But the risk! She's mortal."

"Idyll says she will survive, and it should be excellent experience for her."

Flame capitulated. If Gale could handle it, so could she. "Acquiescence."

Gale nodded. "When you have time, you should review the history of Havoc with the girl Opaline. Idyll says that you will interact with Opaline later, so you need to know her nature. Here is the memory." She sent it in a concentrated mental capsule, and Flame filed it away for future reference.

So it was that Flame, emulating her brother, linked with Marionette and Vila, melding as a temporary family group. They joined the collection of families boarding the ferry to the rendezvous with the machines transport ship orbiting Earth. Others might have thought it odd that such an enemy ship was allowed in that vicinity, but the future paths confirmed that this was a cooperative mission, not an attack. The machines were not yet ready for an attack, and in any event the Glamors would know of it well before it occurred. Meanwhile it behooved them to get along, maintaining lines of communication.

The other nine families were all Earthers, ignorant of the larger situation. All they knew was that they had been promised rare and challenging dangerous adventure, with prizes for the winners. The machines had even arranged for appropriate sums of money to be paid over.

If Flame had not already been well aware of the threat of the machines, this would have suggested it. They knew much more about the human culture than the humans knew about the machine culture. What Havoc had relayed about the humanoid robot's warning was being rapidly confirmed: the machines had overwhelming resources, and they used them carefully. This was a truly dangerous enemy.

Idyll here. This is an implanted message for you alone, Flame. There will be an aware machine aboard: state-of-their-art technology. Its purpose is to provoke you into using your Glamor powers so it can record the magic force for analysis. Do not allow it. This machine is dangerous—not to you personally, but to all Glamors. You must not use your powers on this mission. The information could destroy us all.

The message faded and was gone. Leaving Flame with much more of a mission than she had anticipated. Well, she would carry on. She was after all an Amazon.

Soon the shuttle docked at the alien ship, and the ten families boarded. Flame, Marionette, and Vila did their best to resemble an ordinary family, though probably the machines knew all about them already. Idyll's buried message indicated as much.

They were greeted by an obvious robot: a wheeled contraption with a lighted screen in lieu of a face. Flame suppressed a smile; the machines could do far better than that when they had reason. They, too, were faking it, so that ordinary Earthers would not suspect how sophisticated robots could be. "Welcome to Challenge Mission," the robot said, its screen flickering in time to its words. "We hope you find it worth your while. This way to your chambers." It rotated and wheeled down the hall that led into the ship.

Flame noted another thing: gravity was Earth-normal here, but the ship was in free-fall orbit and not spinning.

Artificial gravity. This was technology Earth lacked. And they weren't even trying to impress the Earthers, who hadn't noticed.

The chambers were elegant suites, one for each family. Each had bathing, sleeping, meal-making, and entertainment facilities. Vila was soon watching a humorous holo show featuring Earth clowns, laughing joyously.

"Curiosity," Flame said. She invoked a second holo, this one featuring nude dancing women of statuesque proportions. It was the kind of show her brother would have watched, and she was emulating Warp. Only her two family members knew she was neither Warp nor male.

"I could do such a dance for you, dear," Marionette murmured mischievously. "I am familiar with the routine."

"Just feed me, woman," Flame responded, patting her plush rear. Marionette was of course a superlative example of her gender. The Mistresses of Earth bore about the same relation to Monochrome, the Mistress of Mistresses, as ikons did to their Glamors. In fact they could be considered ikons, though on Earth there was only one Glamor and a thousand of them. Magic differed from planet to planet.

Marionette went to the food machine and soon had three nice plates with fresh vegetable salad, cool fruit juice, hot animal broth soup, and steak, all generated from the nutritive goo stored in the machine.

Vila wrinkled her nose at the healthy food. "No dessert?"

"When your plate is clean," Marionette said sternly.

"Aww." But was an act; Vila was a well behaved child who actually liked healthy food. Havoc and Gale, girt with the experience of raising four Glamor children, were doing it right with their normal one, encouraging her without spoiling her.

The trip took some time. "This is a cruise," Marionette said. "We should mingle."

"Affirmation," Flame agreed gruffly. Now she had more reason than ever to emulate normalcy.

"Bear in mind that Warp, though committed, has a thing for the women. He sneaks kisses, peeks, and feels."

Marionette was in a position to know. Flame had to make the emulation persuasive, and that meant more than appearance.

They left their suite to mingle with the other families, comparing universally favorable notes. There was a dance hall where the families could more sociably mix. Marionette was in much demand, as several Earthers recognized her as a Mistress. Her romance with the Glamor Warp was continuing social news on Earth. Warp, too, was approached by several of the women, who seemed thrilled to be held and covertly fondled by a genuine Glamor. And of course that much was true; she just was not the particular Glamor they thought. Vila was not known on Earth, but other children were glad to mingle with the daughter of a Glamor and a Mistress. So much for attempted ordinariness; had they wanted that, they should have been fully anonymous.

They mingled a sufficient time, returning to their suite to sleep. Vila had her own room, while Flame and Marionette shared a large bed.

They held hands so they could talk with limited telepathy. Something is on your mind, she thought.

Idyll left me a message: this mission is a ruse to get a Glamor close enough to study. I must not use my powers.

She was quick to understand. I'll help as well as I can.

Appreciation.

They lay there for a while. Too bad the machines are enemies, Marionette thought. They make excellent hosts.

They are trying to impress us, Flame replied. They are succeeding. If Voila enlists with them, all this can be ours.

If they are true to their word.

Idyll is working on that.

And if we fight them, all this will be used against us.

Affirmation.

Marionette hesitated, then broached a different subject. Your emulation is physically perfect. But can you emulate things they may be watching for, like nocturnal erections?

Flame knew it was a valid issue. But as a Glamor, she was able to make a perfect disguise, female or male.

She willed an erection. Touch it.

Marionette did, clasping the hard penis firmly with her hand. That's Warp, she agreed. And can you complete the act, if necessary?

Affirmation. But it is not necessary.

Marionette laughed, silently. She knew that however lean and tough Flame might be, and whatever she emulated, she was thoroughly heterosexual. There seemed to be no more to say. They slept.

Challenge planet was lush, with Earth-normal gravity, air, and climate. The families were conducted to an arena opening on ten individual regions, each of which was represented as being virtually identical to the others. "This is a naked survival challenge," the host robot explained. "You will navigate five separate natural challenges on your way to the victory camp. If you win through with all members of your family intact, you will receive twice the promised monetary reward. If you do not, you will be taken out and given half the promised reward. All well be returned safely to Earth, regardless; the challenges are realistic but are robotic. No one will actually die. We simply want to ascertain whether family units deprived of the benefits of magic of any Chroma, including Science technology, are able to survive primitive conditions. Follow the marked course. Natural food will be available along the way, and materials to fashion temporary clothing. However, there will be specific threats. Thank you for your participation."

Flame, Marionette, and Vila found themselves naked in their separate challenge course. This was a thick jungle with a single path leading toward their destination. It looked simple enough.

"I think pausing to fashion makeshift clothing would be a waste of time," Marionette said. "As long as the air is warm."

"Agreement," Vila said, liking the novelty.

"Warning," Flame said, sniffing. "I smell tiger." She had cultivated sharp senses, apart from her Glamor powers.

"They said there would be danger," Marionette said. "We had better prepare. What is the best defense against a tiger?"

"Avoidance," Flame said. "But I think we will not be allowed that luxury. The tiger will be lurking along the path we must traverse, and will pounce at its convenience. It is surely ravenous. We shall need weapons."

"Clubs?"

"And spears. Both can be fashioned from available wood. See, there are fallen branches."

They foraged for suitable wood, and soon had three clubs of assorted sizes, and three stout poles to serve as spears. They ground the ends against a stone to make reasonably sharp points.

"We are supposed to prevail without magic," Flame said. "So I will not use my Glamor powers. Even near-future sensing must be suspect and would perhaps disqualify me. But common sense precautions should suffice." And they would have to, as the Mistress knew.

Marionette raised a finger, thinking of something. "There are wild animal shows on Earth. We discourage cruelty, but animal trainers can make them do tricks like sitting on pedestals and jumping through hoops. I understand that the cracking of whips makes them take notice, and that a supposedly clumsy defense, such as a chair, is effective because the tigers don't know which of the four points of the legs to focus on, and hesitate. And a confident, aggressive manner can daunt them; they assume there must be some reason for it, and of course there is, if a man has a gun. We don't have a gun, but we could do the rest."

"We don't have a whip either," Flame said. "But maybe there is a substitute. How sharply can you clap your hands, Ette?"

Marionette clapped her hands. The report was startlingly loud. "One of my little talents," she said.

"That may be more effective than a spear," Flame agreed. "Let me make a four-pronged spear. It won't be very effective as a weapon, but if the prongs distract the tiger, we may not need a spear."

"Make it for me, daddy," Vila said. "So you can wield the real spear, just in case."

That did make sense, but might put the child at risk. "Can you do it without panicking? Tigers are big."

"With a Glamor daddy behind me? Sure."

Flame exchanged a glance with Marionette. Maybe it was feasible.

However, Marionette reminded Vila: they were supposed to be ordinary people, and shouldn't use Glamor powers for this challenge. She didn't add that Flame would not dare use her powers, even if their lives were threatened.

"Oh, sure," the child agreed, remembering. "I'm ordinary, anyway" She did have Glamor parents, so understood the situation. She was doing well, playing her role.

Flame fashioned a light bundle of sticks tied together by a vine, for the child to carry. Vila was right about one thing: if the tiger really went for her, Flame would be on it in an instant, with all of her Amazon-trained ferocity. But since she was supposed to be Warp, she hoped to be able to avoid revealing that training.

They followed the path through the jungle. Flame led the way, holding her spear, with the spears originally made for Marionette and Vila strapped to her back with vines liberated from an overgrown tree. Vila followed, and Marionette was last, alert for a possible rear attack.

There was a roar. Suddenly the tiger was charging them from the path ahead. There was no subtlety about it, no hiding and pouncing; maybe it knew they had no escape.

Flame stopped, spear ready. Vila walked around her, holding her bundle. And Marionette clapped her hands.

The tiger skidded to a halt, evidently nonplussed. It didn't know what to make of this. No screaming in fear, no desperate retreat, just this abrupt formation with the sharp sound. What was this prey doing?

"Back it off," Flame murmured.

Vila stepped forward, waving her sticks. Flame followed, keeping her spear ready.

The tiger considered briefly, then crouched, about to spring. And Marionette clapped her hands again.

The tiger retreated. It still wasn't satisfied that this prey wasn't vulnerable, but the sticks, sounds, and confidence was unnerving.

Step by step they drove it back. Every time it sought to spring, Marionette clapped, putting it off its focus. Finally it turned and bounded away, defeated.

They emerged from the jungle unscathed. The tiger had disappeared. "We did it!" Vila exclaimed jubilantly.

"So we did, dear," Marionette agreed. She stopped to kiss the child, then turned into Flame and kissed her. It was the kind of celebration expected of a relieved family. It seemed coincidental that no Glamor powers had been used.

"Berries!" Vila exclaimed. "Let's eat."

It was a good idea. They paused to make a light meal of berries, and to drink at the local stream. They could not be sure how far or long it would be before they encountered more of either.

The jungle gave way to a broad swamp with tufts of vegetation and occasional trees alternating with shallow open water. The path led straight into it. They would have to wade.

Marionette eyed it with misgiving. "There can be ugly things under mud."

"In the jungle there was only the tiger," Flame said. "No other threats we could see. I think they have set this up for one threat at a time. If we can identify it, we won't have to worry about any other. This is not a true wilderness."

"There it is!" Vila cried, pointing.

"A crocodile," Marionette said, shuddering. "Maybe ten feet long, with an armored hide. We aren't going to spook that with clapping or bundles of sticks."

"Especially not in its element," Flame agreed. "We need a new strategy."

"There are crocodile hunters on Earth," Marionette said. "Sometimes the animals have to be moved, for their own safety as well as that of human residents. The hunters use poles with loops of cord to tie their snouts closed so they can't bite. Then they can be hauled unwillingly away."

"You are one useful font of information, dear," Flame said, kissing her. She went in search of suitable vine.

In due course she had a pole rigged with a loop with a slip knot. Then she went after the croc.

It was almost too easy. She taunted it, and it charged, jaws snapping. She passed the loop over its snout and jerked it tight. Then hung on as it turned and charged away.

"Let it go," Monochrome advised. "If there's only the single one, we're done here."

Maybe so. But Flame fashioned another vine loop, just in case.

They crossed the swamp without further event. They had won bloodlessly, again, by being prepared. And again she had avoided using any Glamor powers.

There were fruit trees at the edge of the swamp. They picked and ate some.

The path led out of the swamp and to what appeared to be a bottomless gulf. A giant crack in the ground too wide to hurdle and extending seemingly endlessly to either side. Here and there a tree grew beside it, with some branches extending, but not nearly enough to enable any crossing. Perched in those branches was a flock of hawks.

Flame wasn't sure what the proper term for a collection of hawks was, but it hardly mattered. She suspected they were there for a reason.

"We have vines," Marionette said. "Could we fashion a rope to swing across, or to anchor at either side so we could scramble along it?"

"We could," Flame said. "But what would those hawks be doing meanwhile?"

"An air challenge," Marionette said. "We must cross while fighting them off. All they have to do is peck or claw at our hands." She gazed down into the crevice, and winced.

"Sticks and stones," Vila said. "I don't like being mean to birds, but maybe we have to."

"It would be difficult to swing across one-handed while beating off birds with the other," Marionette said.

"I was thinking maybe one of us crosses, while the others throw rocks."

Flame and Marionette exchanged another glance. "Out of the mouths of babes," the Mistress murmured. Then Flame got to work on a vine rope, while Marionette and Vila gathered stones and sticks.

When they were ready, Flame tied a stone to the end of her makeshift rope, whirled it several times around her head, and flung it across the chasm. Her aim was true, and it wrapped around a treetrunk and was firmly anchored.

Then she tied the near end to the larger tree on the near side, up at the base of the largest branch. Now they had a rope slanting down across the cleft.

Marionette, proficient in such womanly arts as Flame was not, had also fashioned crude mitts from twigs, leaves, and grass that they could use to protect their hands while clinging to the rope. They were ready.

"Who first?" Flame asked, eying the poised birds.

"I will," Vila volunteered. "I'm lightest."

Flame had expected to be the first, thinking the chasm would daunt the others. But this made sense. Not only was the child the lightest, but the other two had stronger throwing arms. They would best be able to protect Vila from the hawks.

"Remember," Marionette said as Vila took hold. "If you drop, you won't die. We will lose, but you will survive to return to Charm."

"Oh, sure. But I won't drop. I've climbed ropes before, and it's not that far."

Surely she had, and indeed it wasn't. It was the birds that couldn't be readily factored in.

"Just concentrate on getting there," Flame advised. "Don't look down, and try to ignore the birds. If one does nip you, don't let go of the rope."

"Got it, daddy."

Flame turned to Marionette. "You supply me. I'll throw."

"Of course, dear."

Vila swing out over the gulf. Immediately the hawks were airborne, circling her in a cloud. Too many to stop all at once.

"Hawks are generally solitary birds," Marionette said. "Most should hover while individuals attack."

They did. When the first hawk dived out of the cloud toward the girl, Flame hurled her first stone. Her aim was of course perfect; she never missed. This was not a Glamor power; it was her assiduous Amazon training. The stone struck the bird's body, knocking it clear of the girl.

Marionette slapped a second stone into Flame's hand, so that Flame could keep her eyes on the target.

A second hawk dived. Flame smashed it out of its path.

If the remaining hawks were daunted, they didn't show it. They kept diving, one by one, and kept getting blasted.

Soon Vila was across the chasm, untouched. She let go the rope, stood on the far bank, and waved cheerily.

The birds returned to perch on the branch.

"I'll go next," Marionette said. "There are fewer birds remaining. With luck you'll take the rest out before you have to cross."

"I can handle them."

"With your hands occupied?"

"Affirmation."

Marionette didn't question it further. She put her mitts on the line and started across.

The hawks rose in a smaller swarm and circled. One dived, and Flame took it out with a stone. Another dived, and was similarly taken.

Then Flame was out of stones. She took a stick and hurled it at the third bird. The stick was lighter and less regular than the stone, and did not fly as well, but it clipped the bird in the tail and sent it spiraling out of control. The next stick was better, and caught the next hawk in the head. It dropped into the chasm.

The fifth bird was smarter than the others, and tried to avoid the flying stick. It succeeded, but in so doing lost its chance at Marionette, who landed safely at the other side. She stood and made a victory signal.

Vila had been gathering rocks and sticks, a number salvaged from throws at earlier birds. The two of them stood ready to throw, but Flame was not comfortable with this. They were more likely to hit her than a bird, she being a much larger target. "Feint," she called. "Threaten, but don't throw. I'll protect myself."

They both looked doubtful, but nodded assent.

Flame took a stout stick in her right hand, and grabbed the rope with her unshielded left hand. She swung her foot up and hooked her knees over the rope. She started inch-worming along it, hanging by knees and hand.

There were few hawks remaining, but they were game. They clustered, and the first one dived. Flame bashed it out of the air with the stick.

By the time the last bird tried, she was across. She got on the bank as the bird dropped into the void. Once more she had avoided using any special powers.

Both Vila and Marionette hugged her. "Confession," Marionette whispered in her ear. "I wish you really were Warp. I'd give you such a reward!"

"Needless," Flame said somewhat sourly.

There were beets and carrots growing nearby. They considered, then pulled up a few and washed them and ate them. They still could not be sure that food would always be available at need.

The path led on until it wended down to an inlet of a sea. There it halted. They could see where it resumed on the far side of the inlet. "A fjord," Marionette said. "We have to cross—and I'll wager there are sharks."

"Sticks and stones won't stop them," Flame said. "Swimming seems inadvisable."

"Amen. But what else offers?"

"Go around?"

"Have you observed the geography?"

Flame looked. The land on either side of the fjord rose steeply into mountains, and their tops where white with snow. That was not a feasible route. "What do you recommend, Vila," Flame asked.

"Raft."

They nodded. It would take time, but seemed to be the only way.

They got to work locating fallen wood, rolling it to the water, and binding it together with vines. Flame realized that it was no coincidence that both logs and vines were readily available; the challenge was to figure out what was needed, and to put it together and use it. Every threat had a counter; it just had to be fathomed and applied.

"I think it's ready," Marionette said as they secured the last log. "All we need are the paddles."

"Negation," Flame said, gazing out where the inlet widened into the full expanse of the sea.

"Question?"

"Storm."

"Uh-oh." It was an Earth expression that covered the situation. "If that catches us, we could be swept into the water and become shark food."

"Affirmation."

"We'll just have to wait for it to pass."

"Negation."

Marionette looked where Flame was looking now. In the distance behind them was something moving toward them. "Wolves," Flame said.

"But wolves don't attack people," Marionette protested. "That's folklore."

"This is not Earth."

Marionette sighed. "Indeed it is not. Here wolves surely do attack people. What can we do?"

"We must risk the storm."

"Warp, I don't think Vila and I would be able to hold on if waves smash across the raft, as they surely will."

"We'll have to tie ourselves to the raft. It won't be fun, but we should survive." Marionette looked at Vila.

"Can you handle that?" The child gulped, daunted but brave. "I'll try."

Flame used vine to tie them both to the raft by arms, legs, and torso. She tied their paddles beside them. Then she tied her own lower portion, so she could sit up and paddle. "If a wave washes over you, close your eyes and hold your breath," she told them. "It won't cover you long. You may feel as if you're drowning, but you aren't."

The wolves arrived, eagerly slavering. Flame shoved off. The wolves splashed into the water in pursuit, but she knocked their heads with the paddle and they had to quit. The raft was on its way.

So was the storm. First came gusts of wind that shoved the raft farther into the fjord. Then came spatters of rain.

Flame secured her paddle beside her, as it was about to become useless. Then hell broke loose.

The winds turned violent, and big waves formed. The raft careened up a slope and into a trough. It spun about, and sheets of rain obliterated the rest of the world. Flame's eyes stung with the salt despite being tightly closed, and she had to keep spitting out brine. She suppressed the temptation to draw on her magic. This actually was good exercise for her, making do with entirely natural abilities.

The storm seemed to last an eternity as the raft pitched and yawed and the waves splashed frothily across it. But finally it passed, and Flame's more objective time sense told her it had been only about ten minutes. Time enough to wash them out if it was going to.

As the raft settled down, loosened but intact, she sat up, untied her legs, and went to untie the others. Both were spitting out salt water, no longer choking on it. Vila vomited over the edge while Marionette rubbed her rope-burned limbs. Her lovely long hair was now a tangled string. "You were right," she said. "It wasn't fun."

Flame set herself and started paddling. "But we survived."

"We survived," the woman agreed. She fetched her own paddle and started paddling on the other side of the raft. Flame's respect for her grew; she was pulling her weight.

Vila returned to the realm of the living. "Apology for making a mess."

"Accepted!" Flame and Marionette said together, laughing weakly.

They made their way across the fjord and landed safely. "I hate to leave this loyal servant," Flame said, looking at the raft. "But we can't take it with us."

Vila went to the raft, kneeled, and kissed its battered corner. "Bye, friend," she said, and actually shed a tear.

"You both are tired," Flame said. "Should we rest?"

"And get caught by another storm?" Marionette asked. "We have just one challenge to go. Then we can rest."

They glanced at Vila. "Agreement," the child said, though she looked as if she really wanted to rest.

"I am proud to have you in my family," Flame told her. Vila was actually sister, not daughter, but truly family.

They took their paddles as potential clubs—all else had been lost—and marched along the resumed path.

The land soon leveled out and turned dry, becoming a treeless plain.

"Tundra," Marionette said.

"What threat is likely here?"

"Uncertain. There are a number of prospects."

Flame saw something in the distance. "Bear?"

"I was hoping it wouldn't be that. These makeshift clubs won't be effective against a large determined bear.

Too massive, too strong, too well padded."

"We can sharpen them into spears."

"Same objection. We need something else. Soon."

"Fire," Vila said.

"Right again," Flame said. "Gather tinder."

Marionette and Vila scavenged the dry land for the dessicated remains of shrubbery, while Flame found a few sticks and stones. She was in luck; she found the right kind of stone.

They made a little pile of tinder, and Flame bashed two stones together to strike sparks. It wasn't easy, but she had learned the technique in Amazon training. Soon she had a smolder, then a flame.

The bear was closing the distance. It had winded them, and was hungry. It was indeed large, massing more than the three of them combined. It didn't hesitate; it charged in.

She could stop it readily with magic. But she did not.

"Scatter," Flame snapped. "So it has multiple targets."

They did. Meanwhile Flame had a stick in the flame, igniting the tip. It was a serviceable temporary torch.

The bear swerved to follow Marionette, the most luscious prey. It was massive, but was readily outpacing her.

Flame leaped after it, but she was not close enough to catch it before it caught Marionette. So she threw the torch at its flank.

The torch scored, and fur singed. The bear whirled to bite at it—and got the fire in its mouth. It howled.

Flame returned to fetch another torch. The second stick was spindly, but was now burning well. She lifted it and ran at the bear.

The bear smelled the fire and retreated, growling. It had learned respect. Flame pursued it, orienting the torch on its nose. The bear understood the threat. It had had enough. It turned and fled.

They had won the last challenge. All the same, they all took firesticks as they walked on along the path, just in case.

Before long they came to the concluding rendezvous. They were the first to make it, having dispatched their challenges relatively rapidly. But this was not a competition against other people, but a portion of a larger one: to demonstrate just how well naked humans could perform against natural threats.

"Now we can rest," Flame said.

They did so. Flame, as a Glamor, didn't actually need to, but as a theoretically normal man she emulated fatigue.

Marionette was physically tough, but she had had a considerable workout. And Vila threw herself down on the moss and slept. The rendezvous was a thicket of trees with a pleasant glade with a clear spring in the center. It was like a small paradise after the challenges of the wilderness.

Several other families straggled in, looking much the worse for wear. Some were injured, and some were almost terminally weak. But they had made it through.

In the end, seven families made it. That meant that three had lost. It had been a rough test, but a clear majority had survived it. That meant that the human species was more than minimally formidable. Would that dissuade the machines, or merely make them more careful? Flame feared the latter.

They waited for the robot to appear, or the shuttle to convey them to the spaceship and take them home. But there was nothing.

"What is this?" a man demanded. "We did our part. Where are they?"

"They're reneging," another man said. "We should never have trusted them."

Flame stopped herself from using her near future paths seeing. This, too, was a Glamor power.

Marionette stepped to the center and raised her hands for attention. "You know me, I think. I have a suspicion.

The machines set us up with five threats of the man versus nature variety. They did not say that the challenge was limited to those. They may be testing us to see what we do when we appear to have been forgotten or deceived. Do we remain effective, or do we dissolve into chaos? It surely makes a difference in their attitude toward us."

Flame saw several people nodding. They were listening to Marionette because she was a Mistress, a natural leader, but also because she was making sense.

"I believe we should demonstrate that we are resilient in the face of unexpected adversity," Marionette continued.

"We should become a community, organizing for indefinite survival. When they see that we are not collapsing, they will make their next move. My guess is that they will proffer a divisive challenge designed to turn us against each other. We must not fall for it. We must remain civilized, showing them that we hold their ploys in contempt."

The nods became open endorsements. Flame knew Marionette from way back, but was impressed again with this confirmation of her qualities of leadership. She was almost sorry she wasn't her brother Warp; the Mistress was indeed a worthy girlfriend.

"Select a community leader," Marionette said. "Get organized. That will force the machines to make the next move."

"The Glamor," a woman said, looking at Flame.

"Negation," Flame said. "We must show that ordinary folk can handle it. That's the point of this exercise."

They had to agree. They made nominations and had a spot vote, selecting one of the men. He immediately took hold, assigning the children to forage for food, the men to fashion tools for excavation and building, and the women to make fire and prepare food for the group. Soon there was organized activity.

Sure enough, the machines' shuttle appeared in the sky, coming down for a landing. Marionette had called that one accurately.

The robot emerged. "We regret that there is passage only for five families," it said. "We expected greater attrition. Decide which ones to leave behind."

There was a general exchange of glances. Score another for Marionette.

"This is unsatisfactory," the man leader said. "We'll await a better offer."

And the community building resumed. It was evident that the seven families were prepared to wait indefinitely, homesteading where they were.

"We will depart one day hence," the robot said. "With five or fewer families."

Marionette quietly circulated, talking to the others. "They are trying to divide us, to get some families to break ranks and report to the shuttle. They haven't even mentioned the 'lost' families, that need to be returned too. We must remain unified."

"But suppose they leave without any families?" a woman asked nervously.

"Then they will have openly reneged. That will provoke an intercultural incident. They aren't ready for that. It's a bluff."

"I hope so," the woman said.

"My family will be the last to board," Marionette said. "If any are left behind, we will be." That was persuasive. It was perhaps coincidental that it was the family best equipped to survive here.

They made a reasonable evening meal of berries, cooked tubers, fruits, and a rabbit one man speared. The predators were robots, but the rabbits turned out to be real. They lit torches and staged a dance. The women now were clothed in sparse grass skirts and halters, the men in crude vine loincloths. These makeshift outfits turned out to be extremely sexy, as the coverage provided by the grass was imperfect, and soon the dance dissolved into amorous couples.

Flame's family unit had volunteered for child care, while the parents coupled, maintaining the semblance of privacy. They kept the children occupied with fireside stories of the mythologies of Earth and Charm, and with songs the children could join in. Marionette was good at this too.

When the appointed hour came, no families boarded the shuttle. The bluff had been called.

"Reconsidering," the robot said. "There is room for all."

Victory!

The leader man nodded as if this were routine. "We will board together, after we shut down our camp."

They did so, and Flame and Marionette boarded last, true to their word.

And there, already aboard, were the three losing families. The machines had been true to their word: the people had lost, but not died.

They were true on the payments, too. The robot produced Earth credits and paid the seven winners double, the three losers half.

Satisfied, the families settled in for the return voyage. Several people approached Marionette to thank for her her guidance; she had bluffed out the machines.

But Flame knew it wasn't over until they were safely off the machines ship. She was desperate to know what the machines had in mind, but dared not use her future seeing to get any hint.

The information wasn't long in coming. The holo Vila was watching abruptly shifted to assume an amorphous form. "Glamor," it said.

The three of them gazed at it. Was this the final challenge?

"You are the aware machine," Flame said. "Controller level."

"Your companions are hostage. I will hole the ship, depressurizing it and causing all living creatures aboard to suffocate. Only you can save them."

It certainly wasn't being subtle! "Save them? How?"

"Destroy me before I act. You have one minute."

This was indeed the crisis. If she used her Glamor powers, the machine would record the magic force and send it to the machines command before it ceased functioning. If she did not, all mortals on the ship would die. Machines were not much for bluffing, and cared nothing for individual lives.

But she was prepared. "Negation."

"They will not die comfortably."

"They will not die at all," Flame said. "You will not hole the ship."

"For what reason?"

"Such an act would become an Incident that would alert the entire human culture to the menace of the machines before you wish it to be recognized. It will also defeat your hierarchy's primary purpose. It wishes to recruit my sister Voila to join the machines. Vila here is Voila's little sister. Marionette here is her brother's fiancee. I am not Warp, but his sister Flame, emulating him in order to mock up a sample family for this mission. If we die by machine treachery, Voila will be alienated and will never enlist with you; the chances of recruiting her would drop to zero. Your superiors would not be pleased."

"But you will save them, and yourself."

"Negation. I will die with them."

"This is a human bluff. All living things cling to their lives, whatever the cost."

"Try me," Flame said grimly. "I am as you can verify an Amazon. You surely know the nature of Amazons. The others don't have a choice."

They waited. The machine's holo faded and was replaced by Vila's program. The ship was not holed.

Marionette and Vila broke into tears of relief, hugging Flame from either side. They had known she would not yield. They had not known whether the machine would.

This time their victory was real.

But details remained. "Machine, I know you are listening," Flame said. "I revealed myself to you so that you would understand that you were dealing with an Amazon. But it occurs to me that your superiors in the machines hierarchy might not understand how an Amazon came to join the mission without your knowledge. The fact is you are not at fault; nothing can penetrate the disguise of a Glamor. But this fact may not yet be in the machines' data bank.

They might assume that you were defective, and terminate you. This would be unfair; you performed well. So probably it is best simply to delete this one item from your memory before making your report. It is after all irrelevant to the larger mission. It is of course your decision."

There was no response, but she suspected that the machine would follow her recommendation. Machines of that rank, with high level individual consciousness, surely had an instinct of self preservation.

And that would preserve her secret, so that no member of this mission beyond their little family unit would know that Warp was not here. So no one, especially the machines, would wonder exactly what Warp was really up to.

Now she had homework to do. She had to review the history of Havoc's association with the girl Opaline. It would probably be dull, but if Idyll recommended it, there was surely excellent reason.

So that night, as the ship traveled, she lay and opened the memory capsule Gale had given her. Actually, things were seldom dull when Havoc was involved. Why had he bothered to travel for several days with an ordinary mortal girl, when so much else was going on? Certainly he liked women of any age, and they liked him, but there had to be more to it than that. Flame was not romantically smitten with her father the way Weft was, but she had high respect for his abilities. He was after all the martial artist who had trained her before she became an Amazon.