'There <strong>is</strong> no exit here', read <strong>the</strong> handwritten sign pasted on <strong>the</strong> door leading to <strong>the</strong> first floor's corridor.Conor ra<strong>is</strong>ed h<strong>is</strong> hands in despair and dropped <strong>the</strong>m. "Great," he muttered.Jack knocked on <strong>the</strong> door."If you're not one of us, go away," said an annoyed voice, its owner <strong>the</strong> self-proclaimed gatekeeper of<strong>the</strong> first floor's door."Are you sure <strong>the</strong>re's no way out in <strong>the</strong>re?" Jack asked."We're sure. And you're not one of us. Shoo.""What's at <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r end, through <strong>the</strong> stairwell?""A wall.""Have you tried knocking through it?" Conor asked."No, but several folks from <strong>the</strong> fifteenth floor did.""Did <strong>the</strong>y manage it?" Conor asked."Yes.""So what did <strong>the</strong>y find?""Ano<strong>the</strong>r wall."**"<strong>Whoa</strong>," said Ted, a look of complete awe on h<strong>is</strong> face."Then we managed to kick 'em out."Some confused-looking guy had meanwhile come out of <strong>the</strong> lift lobby and had been watching <strong>the</strong>exchange with puzzlement. "Er," he ventured during <strong>the</strong> break in <strong>the</strong> conversation, "I was told to comehere..."The door opened. They had a brief glimpse of a corridor whose end was filled with bits of plaster and agaping hole revealing a brick wall. Some hapless guy was down on <strong>the</strong> floor attempting to clean up <strong>the</strong>plaster."Get in <strong>the</strong>re," <strong>the</strong> sentry said with a jerk of h<strong>is</strong> head in <strong>the</strong> requested direction, and <strong>the</strong> newcomer wentin looking confused. "<strong>Not</strong> you thr-" H<strong>is</strong> eyes narrowed in recognition, and he swore. "Hey, you're-" Apause, <strong>the</strong>n he looked back into <strong>the</strong> corridor and called out: "Hey, Joe! There are Keanu-spawn ou<strong>the</strong>re!" He looked back at <strong>the</strong>m, laughed in a not-too-friendly way, and <strong>the</strong>n closed <strong>the</strong> door in <strong>the</strong>irfaces. "Shoo," he added through <strong>the</strong> closed door, in case <strong>the</strong> previous pleas to leave had not quite gotthrough to <strong>the</strong>m."'Keanu-spawn'?" Conor asked incredulously.Jack was meanwhile staring at <strong>the</strong> grey cement of <strong>the</strong> stairwell landing. He stamped at it, <strong>the</strong>n stoppedand looked back up. "Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> lowest floor, right?" he asked."How would we know, dude?""There's got to be something we could use to break through..."Jack trailed off, <strong>the</strong>n suddenly turned and headed back up <strong>the</strong> stairwell to <strong>the</strong> fourth floor, Conor andTed following behind.**Jack didn't quite know what he was looking for; a sledgehammer, perhaps, or a pneumatic drill, but until<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong> boxes stacked on <strong>the</strong> shelves and floor of <strong>the</strong> common room seemed filled with whole lots ofinteresting and mostly-useless things, such as a brand-new copy of a 1987 Singapore postal code
directory whose ex<strong>is</strong>tence in Kenselton Hotel was completely inexplicable and had probably just beenput <strong>the</strong>re for <strong>the</strong> lulz.Conor had given up watching him and had gone to rummage through <strong>the</strong> DVD collection. He flippedthrough several with no comment, and <strong>the</strong>n he reached a Keanu film. He looked at its cover, hesitated,<strong>the</strong>n flipped it back and stood up. He looked at <strong>the</strong> box. He used h<strong>is</strong> leg to close its flaps. He stood<strong>the</strong>re a while longer, <strong>the</strong>n looked at <strong>the</strong> TV, picked up <strong>the</strong> remote control, and turned <strong>the</strong> TV on. Somecartoon was showing. Conor walked over to <strong>the</strong> sofa and slumped down on it.Neo entered <strong>the</strong> room in search of water, Ted trailing behind him out of sheer boredom and havingnothing better to do than to follow The One around <strong>the</strong> place."Stop following me," Neo muttered as he got a cup and filled it at <strong>the</strong> water cooler."I'm bored, dude," Ted said by way of explanation, and <strong>the</strong>n he real<strong>is</strong>ed that <strong>the</strong> TV was on andscreening a most excellent cartoon. H<strong>is</strong> face lit up. He left Neo and went to join Conor on <strong>the</strong> sofa.Neo fin<strong>is</strong>hed h<strong>is</strong> drink, left <strong>the</strong> cup in <strong>the</strong> sink and headed back out to h<strong>is</strong> beloved computer; when h<strong>is</strong>joyous reunion was rudely interrupted by <strong>the</strong> recently-arrived Dr. Julian Mercer, who stared at him as heleft <strong>the</strong> common room.Neo <strong>the</strong>n real<strong>is</strong>ed that nothing was stopping him from continuing on to h<strong>is</strong> beloved computer. So heopened <strong>the</strong> door to h<strong>is</strong> room-"Who are you?"-and mentally swore. Annoyed, he turned to face Julian, trying h<strong>is</strong> best to non-verbally communicate <strong>the</strong>fact that all he wanted was to get back to <strong>the</strong> computer, plus he knew kung fu so it really wouldn't be agood idea to try and stop him like he was doing now.Julian backed off a little. Neo took that as a sign that successful communication had been managed.Julian looked traumat<strong>is</strong>ed. Neo inwardly sighed. "Next door," he said by way of ass<strong>is</strong>tance, <strong>the</strong>n wentinto <strong>the</strong> room and shut <strong>the</strong> door.The problem about <strong>the</strong> phrase 'next door' <strong>is</strong> that it can, when <strong>the</strong> instruction <strong>is</strong> given near a room flankedby two o<strong>the</strong>rs, refer to ei<strong>the</strong>r of two rooms.So it was that John Constantine found h<strong>is</strong> little smoking break interrupted by some guy who looked a lotlike those doctors who wouldn't quit pestering him to quit smoking.Th<strong>is</strong> did not make him happy at all. He glared at Julian, who stumbled back, coughing, out <strong>the</strong> quicklyslammed-shutdoor, where he leant against <strong>the</strong> wall and hyperventilated.Some teenager named Jesse Walker came through <strong>the</strong> stairwell door and stared at him."<strong>Whoa</strong>," Jesse said."Hi," he added to Julian, walking up to him. "What's going on here?"Julian just continued looking traumat<strong>is</strong>ed."Is <strong>the</strong>re anyone else around?"Julian gave a traumat<strong>is</strong>ed nod.Jesse pushed open <strong>the</strong> nearest door and was engulfed in cigarette smoke; closed it, pushed open <strong>the</strong>next, decided that Neo and h<strong>is</strong> beloved computer did not look that interesting; closed that, opened <strong>the</strong>next, and perked up as he saw signs of life in <strong>the</strong> forms of Jack, Ted and Conor."Hi," he greeted.Jack had just d<strong>is</strong>covered a d<strong>is</strong>emdoored door bolt and a nice big tube of super-Superglue. He decidedthat <strong>the</strong>y might be useful in <strong>the</strong> future, and kept <strong>the</strong>m to a side.Jesse felt sad and neglected. Then he saw that <strong>the</strong> TV was on, and screening a most excellent cartoon,and went to join Conor and Ted on <strong>the</strong> sofa.
- Page 5: "Your behaviour these past few mont
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Jack shrugged. "Suit yourself." He
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"-but we won't know for sure either
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**"We were just trying to get home!
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"It's John, assholes."John Constant
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The mob surged through both doors o
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"What?"A sudden telepathic message
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At the rear, not-Tim turned to face
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The lift dinged and opened its door
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Group B: Shane, Perry, Jjaks, Chris
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"Nah," Jesse said. "Might n-... - h
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The teen shrugged. "I don't know."
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"NO!" Shane yelled, running towards
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He smiled and vanished; leaving not
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"That wasn't really nice of y-" Dem
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"What? Hey, I just woke up.""...Dav
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"What-" Conor said, surveying the s
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"D'you have any food to spare? We'r
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Group C: Griffin, Kevin, Scott, Jul
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"...Er," said Dem. He put the most
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Group D: Neo, EddieStanding about d
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The cornflakes guy looked at him.Je
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"At least it meant we had heat," Ha
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Group B: Shane, Perry, Tommy, Chris
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"I can't bring them back to life,"
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Someone running after him from behi
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Then a ripple in the air; and sudde
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Nelson smirked and walked on to the
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"Yes sir," Ludlow hissed into his e
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Alex got slowly to his feet. He dim
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The face that looked up at him held
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First Combined MeetingThomas Ludlow
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- Reeves clears throat.- Utah shuts
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Griffin isn't the only one in the r
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He realised that he was not standin
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Ludlow smirked. "Thank you. Now I k
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Seventeen suspicious-looking, mostl
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Scott emerged from the alley he had
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Julian finished the stitches, close
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Stuck in House: Chris Townsend, Mat
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Loose in Kenselton Holding Facility
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Paul and the kids stared back at hi
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"Arctor, Robert," Dem said. "Get on
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With measured reluctance he tries t
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0704270/006/GRA"There are two kinds