"Okay," Conor continued. "Situation rundown: evil... scientific corporation teleports a whole lot ofpeople from... o<strong>the</strong>r, uh, places over here. Where we apparently don't ex<strong>is</strong>t. But <strong>the</strong>y don't ex<strong>is</strong>t where Icome from ei<strong>the</strong>r, so I guess we're even. Then <strong>the</strong>y assign us to floors based on <strong>the</strong> actors who playedus. And <strong>the</strong>y tell us to behave ourselves and not try to escape.""Just like we're doing now," Paul said."Shut up," Conor said."You're not even going to try and get out?" Shane asked."I don't think we can," Jjaks said."Yeah, but if you don't try-""There are people trying," Alex said."Lots of people," Conor agreed. "Many of <strong>the</strong>m more powerful than us because <strong>the</strong>y have... like, specialpowers. So if Superman can't get out, what makes you think we can?""What kind of attitude <strong>is</strong> that?" Shane asked. "We're trapped in some building; we can't just sit aroundand do nothing! Why should-"The door opened. Jack stood <strong>the</strong>re and looked at <strong>the</strong>m. "What are you all doing in here?" he asked."<strong>Not</strong>hing," Conor replied. "How's <strong>the</strong> floor hacking going?"Jack shook h<strong>is</strong> head. "There's nothing out <strong>the</strong>re," he said, coming in and closing <strong>the</strong> door behind him."<strong>Not</strong> through <strong>the</strong> floors, or walls, or roof-""<strong>Not</strong>hing?" Alex asked."Yeah. It's all some... really huge empty space. We're not standing on anything or hanging fromanything. We're just floating in darkness.""How can that be?" Jjaks asked."How can any of th<strong>is</strong> be?" Jack asked, looking at him."So we're stuck here forever," Conor concluded. "Right. I can deal with that." He got off h<strong>is</strong> chair. "Nomore worrying about where <strong>the</strong> next meal <strong>is</strong> coming from or if I'll get killed tomorrow.""You could," Jack pointed out. "Remember what Neo said about what th<strong>is</strong> place <strong>is</strong> for? Some peoplemight pay to kill us. For fun."Conor pondered th<strong>is</strong>, <strong>the</strong>n shrugged. "Still beats real life. Here <strong>the</strong>y actually have to pay. Lunch?""But we could use that," Shane said, jumping to h<strong>is</strong> feet. "If o<strong>the</strong>r people are going to meet us, thatmeans that ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>y'll have to come here, and leave, or we'll get to leave. Which means that <strong>the</strong>re <strong>is</strong>a way out, and if <strong>the</strong>y come here we might have a chance to follow <strong>the</strong>m back...""Great!" Conor said with mock enthusiasm. "We'll do that. When <strong>the</strong>y come here. But <strong>the</strong>y're not herenow, are <strong>the</strong>y?""Well..."Conor headed towards <strong>the</strong> door. "Lunch.""So <strong>the</strong>re's nothing we can do but wait," Jjaks said."Story of my life," Alex said.**Alex extracted <strong>the</strong> three teenagers from <strong>the</strong> common room with varying degrees of ease. Eddie hadbeen moping at a table behind a shelf but willingly joined <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs; Jesse and Ted were still engrossed
in some inane cartoon on TV and claimed that <strong>the</strong>y weren't hungry and were fine with subs<strong>is</strong>ting mainlyoff potato chips, so Alex let <strong>the</strong>m be.Alex knocked on Julian's door. "Julian?"The door opened."The rest of us are going for lunch," Alex said. "Wanna join us?"Julian hesitated, <strong>the</strong>n nodded agreement and left h<strong>is</strong> room."Was anything burning?" he asked."<strong>Not</strong> that I know of; why?""I thought I smelt smoke just now. Weird."Neo was apparently in <strong>the</strong> middle of some important computer stuff and wouldn't join <strong>the</strong>m, so <strong>the</strong> eightof <strong>the</strong>m went on to <strong>the</strong> cafeteria without him, passing John Constantine on h<strong>is</strong> way back. He gave <strong>the</strong>ma brief, d<strong>is</strong>passionate glance and continued on to some o<strong>the</strong>r part of <strong>the</strong> hotel – ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> bar or someo<strong>the</strong>r fun place like that.Johnny Utah and Griffin were already at <strong>the</strong> cafeteria, sharing a table but adamantly refusing to talk toeach o<strong>the</strong>r. The o<strong>the</strong>rs got <strong>the</strong>ir food and joined <strong>the</strong>m, filling up <strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> seats and a second table.Griffin smiled at Jack. Jack glared at him and attacked h<strong>is</strong> chicken with undue force.On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r side of <strong>the</strong> cafeteria <strong>the</strong>re was some minor commotion going on near <strong>the</strong> food counter; anattacked chef lay broken on <strong>the</strong> ground in front of <strong>the</strong> counter, fizzing slightly and giving off electricsparks. Nearby people were yelling at each o<strong>the</strong>r in angry-sounding ways. <strong>Not</strong>hing major. Everyoneelse continued eating."So what were <strong>the</strong> rest of you doing while Jack and I were trying to get out?" Johnny asked.Jack looked up from h<strong>is</strong> food and stared at Johnny. "You didn't do anything," he pointed out."That's only because you wouldn't let me.""That's only because you dropped my ice pick into <strong>the</strong> hole.""It was an accident!"Jack snorted and returned to h<strong>is</strong> food. "That's what you said when you offed my stress ball.""...What were we doing?" Conor interrupted with sarcastic rhetoric."<strong>Not</strong>hing much," Jjaks said."That could be our tactic," Shane suggested. "They expect us to try and escape. So if we just sitaround and do nothing-""-we'll have <strong>the</strong> element of surpr<strong>is</strong>e?" Alex asked.Paul sighed."Our best bet <strong>is</strong> still to wait," Conor said. "They said <strong>the</strong>y're opening up th<strong>is</strong> place to <strong>the</strong> public in, what,a week? If <strong>the</strong>re's going to be any chance of getting out, it'll be when people are constantly moving inand out of th<strong>is</strong> place."A week?" Johnny protested. "You're going to be wiling pr<strong>is</strong>oners for a week?""I don't think we have a choice," Jjaks said."You're all crazy," Johnny said, shaking h<strong>is</strong> head."...and you're young, dumb and full of cum," Griffin murmured.
- Page 5: "Your behaviour these past few mont
- Page 9 and 10: Neo sank down on the sofa.He looked
- Page 11: "By a friend of one of the others w
- Page 14 and 15: Next morning62nd Floor. Arrival Lob
- Page 16 and 17: It is in fact at the cafeteria that
- Page 18 and 19: 'There is no exit here', read the h
- Page 20 and 21: Back from his breakfast, Griffin sa
- Page 22 and 23: Griffin glanced back at the three p
- Page 24 and 25: Alex looked up."...That's Paul, tha
- Page 26 and 27: The floor hackers stared at their l
- Page 30 and 31: "We want to get out as much as you
- Page 32 and 33: Yawning, Paul pushed open the door
- Page 35 and 36: Jack lunged at his neck. Both of th
- Page 37 and 38: Then they fell silent again as Neo
- Page 39 and 40: "I did you a favour, Jack," Griffin
- Page 41 and 42: "That's one," Neo said helpfully, p
- Page 43 and 44: New guy gave a start. "Uh," he said
- Page 45 and 46: His mom made better waffles than th
- Page 47 and 48: Tommy reluctantly handed over the b
- Page 49 and 50: It is after a day or two living at
- Page 51 and 52: There had existed for a time an Ame
- Page 53 and 54: he was pretty sure was a broken nos
- Page 55 and 56: Night. A shortage of actual beds me
- Page 57 and 58: Neo yanked his finger away to safet
- Page 59 and 60: Neo sat by himself in the cafeteria
- Page 61 and 62: Splash.The sudden rush of cold shoc
- Page 63 and 64: The stairwell door opened and the b
- Page 65 and 66: "Get everyone in here in fifteen mi
- Page 67 and 68: Human beings have a strange tendenc
- Page 69 and 70: Jack shrugged. "Suit yourself." He
- Page 71 and 72: "-but we won't know for sure either
- Page 73 and 74: **"We were just trying to get home!
- Page 75 and 76: "It's John, assholes."John Constant
- Page 77 and 78: The mob surged through both doors o
- Page 79 and 80:
"What?"A sudden telepathic message
- Page 81 and 82:
At the rear, not-Tim turned to face
- Page 83 and 84:
The lift dinged and opened its door
- Page 85 and 86:
Group B: Shane, Perry, Jjaks, Chris
- Page 87 and 88:
"Nah," Jesse said. "Might n-... - h
- Page 89 and 90:
The teen shrugged. "I don't know."
- Page 91 and 92:
"NO!" Shane yelled, running towards
- Page 93 and 94:
He smiled and vanished; leaving not
- Page 95 and 96:
"That wasn't really nice of y-" Dem
- Page 97 and 98:
"What? Hey, I just woke up.""...Dav
- Page 99 and 100:
"What-" Conor said, surveying the s
- Page 101 and 102:
"D'you have any food to spare? We'r
- Page 103 and 104:
Group C: Griffin, Kevin, Scott, Jul
- Page 105 and 106:
"...Er," said Dem. He put the most
- Page 107 and 108:
Group D: Neo, EddieStanding about d
- Page 109 and 110:
The cornflakes guy looked at him.Je
- Page 111 and 112:
"At least it meant we had heat," Ha
- Page 113 and 114:
Group B: Shane, Perry, Tommy, Chris
- Page 115 and 116:
"I can't bring them back to life,"
- Page 117 and 118:
Someone running after him from behi
- Page 119 and 120:
Then a ripple in the air; and sudde
- Page 121 and 122:
Nelson smirked and walked on to the
- Page 123 and 124:
"Yes sir," Ludlow hissed into his e
- Page 125 and 126:
Alex got slowly to his feet. He dim
- Page 127 and 128:
The face that looked up at him held
- Page 129 and 130:
First Combined MeetingThomas Ludlow
- Page 131 and 132:
- Reeves clears throat.- Utah shuts
- Page 133 and 134:
Griffin isn't the only one in the r
- Page 135 and 136:
He realised that he was not standin
- Page 137 and 138:
Ludlow smirked. "Thank you. Now I k
- Page 139 and 140:
Seventeen suspicious-looking, mostl
- Page 141 and 142:
Scott emerged from the alley he had
- Page 143 and 144:
Julian finished the stitches, close
- Page 145 and 146:
Stuck in House: Chris Townsend, Mat
- Page 147 and 148:
Loose in Kenselton Holding Facility
- Page 149 and 150:
Paul and the kids stared back at hi
- Page 151 and 152:
"Arctor, Robert," Dem said. "Get on
- Page 153 and 154:
With measured reluctance he tries t
- Page 155:
0704270/006/GRA"There are two kinds