name Appollonius mean to you?"

"A sentient hyperdimensional matrix computer that was hijacked while en route

to

Langley," Wyrdrune said. "Morpheus used it to raid classified data banks. It

was

destroyed in a fire when the late Shiek Al'Hassan hit the Park Avenue

penthouse

Morpheus was renting under the name John Roderick. That's one of the reasons

he's the late Shiek Al'Hassan. Any more questions?"

Makepeace grunted. "No, that will do. I'm quite satisfied."

"Wouldn't it have been simpler just to have Kira vouch for me, since she'd

already passed your muster?"

"Perhaps, perhaps," said Makepeace, "but on the other hand, you might have

been

holding her at gunpoint or some such thing. Or she might have been under a

spell

to force her cooperation. You never know. Possibilities abound. I'm a careful

man, Melvin. Morpheus pays me to be careful, pays me handsomely. Now what is

it

I can do for you?"

Wyrdrune and Kira exchanged glances. "You called us," said Wyrdrune.

Makepeace grunted. "Ah, yes, yes, so I did. Slipped my mind for a moment." He

sat down on the edge of the fountain, took out a huge purple handkerchief,

and

mopped his face with it. "You'll have to excuse me, it's been a long day. The

morlocks are trying to yank my tenure once again. Looking for loopholes so

they

can get me. Accusing me of incompetence, teaching my classes drunk. Hah!

Rubbishl I can teach twice as well drunk as any of those morons can sober. My

lectures are always packed! Packed, I tell you! Those bastards are just

jealous

because I publish more than they do, and I'm popular with the students. Why—"

Wyrdrune cleared his throat. "Uh, Dr. Makepeace? Can we get to the point,

please?" He glanced at Kira. She shrugged.

"The point?" said Makepeace, looking up at them, his eyes bloodshot. "Ah,

yes,

of course, the point, the point." He looked at Kira. "You asked me to call

you

if I heard anything."

"You've heard from him?" said Kira anxiously.

"Well, no, not exactly, not exactly," Makepeace said, shifting his immense

weight slightly and reaching into his pocket for his steel cigar case.

A thin tentacle came up out of the fountain, wavering like a stalk, reaching

stealthily for his pocket. Makepeace's hand brushed the tentacle as it was

reaching into the very pocket he was going for. He leapt up with a roar and

plunged both arms into the fountain up to his elbows, snarling with the cigar

butt clenched between his teeth. The water in the fountain churned, and

several

tentacles came out, wrapping themselves around Makepeace's neck. Still