On the edge of hearing, Observer's voice whispered words which were eeriely unlike anything Jackie had heard before. "Observer?" She looked down at the tatters of her skirt with irritation, then surprise at the presence of light. She searched for the source of the fluorescence. It seemed to be coming from a cavern ahead. "Observer? Is this the place?"

Jackie listened intently, but there was no reply. Shrugging, she stood and walked more carefully towards the light.

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Now to the four-space. He held the idea which Apex had helped him to visualise and remembered the lesson given to him only hours before.

"But how am I supposed to create a four dimensinal Metaspace if I don't know what four dimensions look like?"

"You need to make Time visible, Mr du Plex. Use a fourth dimension we know, and make it more tangible."

"Yes I can see that, but what shall we do for time if Time is just another direction in Space?"

"I am sure that you must have heard of the recent developments in super-string theory?" Alf's slowly shaken head had denied this assumption. "Ah. Well briefly, super-string theory states that the mundane universe is not just three- or even four-dimensional but eleven-dimensional. The other seven are rolled up very small so we can't see them.

"The point is that this theory gives us several conveniently unused dimensions, one of which will serve as a new Time. You just have to unroll it."

"So it's true then? This super-string theory?"

Apex had sighed patiently. "Not exactly, Mr du Plex. It is as true as many theories, truer than most. But reality is relative. Nothing is true, everything is provable. Paradox is just nature's way of telling you to change your axioms.

"The magician takes from knowledge what he needs, to use it and not to change it. If it is changed by its use, its value is lost. For it is not then what it once was, and will be of no further use.

"Now do you understand?"

Alf remembered the brief argument they had had about how it might be less trouble to just unroll one of the super-strings and use that as a fourth dimension, but Apex had been right as usual.

He formed a bubble of probabilistic reality from the aether of uncertainty and tugged at its dimensional framework. Externalising Time, the reality froze. He unrolled one of the other dimensions just enough for his bubble to fit, then gave it a little shove along the tube. Voila! Instant Time!

The next step was to limn the Metaspace, to give it some actuality. Apex had suggested several possible universes, but none of them seemed to ring true. Alf had felt them all to be too concrete, too easily fathomed. Remembering something Apex had said about Atlanteans not comprehending four space because their mathematics hadn't encompassed such ideas, Alf's mind turned to fractals.

He planted Feigenbaum trees on the shoulders of Mandelbrot mountains which rose from seas of strange attractors. He released Lorenz butterflies to perturbate between the branches and started non-deterministic dragons to roil and tumble over the non-linear landscape.

When it was finished, Alf went back to his pocket dimension to fetch his charges and bring them to this geometer's nightmare.

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Looking up, Jackie saw no matching stalactite. In fact, the ceiling was a dome of iridescent stone. Carved into it were friezes of worshippers, not all of them human. Orgies of both sex and violence (usually at the same time) seemed the norm. Jackie quickly turned away as she began to make out some of the more detailed pictures.

"Jackie?"

"Where have you been Observer? And where is this place?"

"This is the ancient Temple of Psychic Communion. It survived the floods by virtue of being a sealed cavern. This is where you're going to summon the Other and give it back the energy from Parity's reserve."

"Look, you said before that summoning these Others was very unhealthy. Are you sure its safe?"

"No, but you should be safe enough with only a short exposure.

"Follow my voice will you? There's a goat's head mask over here that you that you'll need to wear."

Jackie looked in dismay at the object that Observer led her to. It had called it a goat's head mask, but the strips of mouldy skin that flapped away from a bone framework beneath didn't look much like a goat anymore. Only the horns were recognisable.

"Do you seriously expect me to wear this?"

"It is required for the ritual."

"But it's utterly disgusting!"

"Actually, considering its age it is remarkably well preserved. And you won't have to wear it for long."

Jackie hesitantly lifted the mask from its pedestal. The mould felt warm and furry, not at all squishy like she had expected. And it was much lighter than it looked as well. Maybe it would be alright for a few minutes. "I'll probably catch some horrible disease."

Observer sniffed disdainfully. "Unlikely. Now go back to the octagram, put on the mask and I'll explain what you have to do."

Walking back to the octagram which was inscribed into the cave floor, Jackie carefully donned the vile mask. It fitted a great deal more snugly than she would have liked. The neck opening felt much narrower than it had looked. With a final shove she felt the mask settling on her face and shoulders and certainty of purpose settle on her mind.

"I know what I have to do." She began her dance and heard Observer laugh triumphantly before it began the chant which would open the portal for the Other.

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Observer waited behind, its crystal structure gleaming in resplendant self-similarity. It at least had understood Alf's choice of battlefield. Apex had seemed a little nonplussed at having had all his suggestions ignored, but did grudgingly admit that Alf had made a strong choice. "Mr du Plex," he had said, "you certainly do learn quickly. Using these fractals as a basis should completely fox Parity simply because they are so new. At least someone has found a use for them."

Apex was to act as a channel for Observer's energies as well as adding his own to Alf's power. Since he would not be taking an active part, he was to hide in one of the microscopic landscapes that permeated the fractal dimension.

Alf would defend Observer's high perch atop a mountain peak from Parity's attacks. He hoped to coerce Parity into wasting his limited resources by jumping scale and herding chaos to confuse the demon.

He heard Apex begin his chant.

Alf readied himself for the onslaught.

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And all the time the chanting. She imagined the smell of incense in her nostrils and that the chant came from many throats. But that was ridiculous: she and Observer were alone.

Observer? Would Observer really know these things? As the dance continued, she felt her mind clearer than it had been for hours. This could not be Observer! She must stop this dance!

She willed her feet to stop their movement, but they would not. They seemed to stamp and leap of their own volition. She tried to throw herself to the ground, but she had no control of her body. She was trapped, trapped in her own flesh!

The mask. The mask was doing this to her. With a huge effort, she lifted her arms to her head to pull the mask away. What she felt was not flapping strip of mouldy leather, but fur. Living fur. And she felt her touch as surely as if the fur grew from her own skin.

What was happening to her?

She threw her head back and screamed. Above, stone faces watched, stone bodies writhed in ecstasy. The shadow of a stalactite shimmered directly above its earthbound twin.

The chanting grew even more in intensity and Jackie felt herself suffused with a tension which seemed to threaten to tear asunder space itself. The pressure tore waves of exquisite pain from her, pleasure that swarmed up her spine like ice and rammed itself into the base of her skull like a fist through plate glass.

A vast gout of power bridged the gap between the altar stalagmite and its shadow sibling. The portal was open.

A voice rang through the cave, clear and sonorous. "Oh, it has been so long since I felt the Power!" A figure formed by the altar, a small man with a fat face. Black, piggy little eyes glinted meanly. The carmine lips smeared themselves into a rictus that might have been a smile, once. Now it seemed to be just for appearances.

The creature that had once been a woman lay gasping at his feet. "Ah, the redoubtable Miss Cartwright I presume. Please, stand."

Shakily, the creature rose and tottered uncertainly on its newly formed hooves. "Affected by the presence of my benefactor, I see. No matter. You and I have had our good times together. The pleasures will continue, you can count on that.

"But it is time to punish the presumption of those who sought to oppose me in the past. Now you will pay, Aipecs of Cimmeria. Now you will pay!"

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"Mr du Plex, the way is open for Parity to appear in your Metaspace. Be ready!" And Apex disappeared. Immediately, Alf sensed his power augmented as his ally added his and Observer's resources to Alf's own huge reservoir. In his mind he heard Apex. "He is coming. Direct us, and it shall be done."

The laugh came again, closer this time. Alf quickly formed a simple shield to protect from surprise attack. Then the man appeared. A small fat man, with a mean face and black eyes. The black catsuit looked slightly silly on such a portly frame, but the expression forbade anyone to comment.

"Ah, Alf." His voice was sleek and self-assured. "How nice to meet you in person at last." He looked about him at the baroque landscape. "Not bad for a novice, but you are foolish if you think to distract me with four dimensions and an intricately fashioned reality. I am Ewan Parity, and I invented Metaspace.

"This is what you have to contend with after all." In a blink, Parity grew hundreds of feet in height. Alf saw the shadow of an enormous foot coming down on him. He thought small, and drew himself down into a tiny canyon which the fractal law of self-similarity dictated would be there. "Ha! So much for the great Alf du Plex!"

Alf reached out and pulled at Parity's projection. Rolling it up, he held the mighty Atlantean in the palm of his hand. It cost him a lot, but it was worth it for the look of surprise on the smug bastard's face.

The diminutive sorceror lifted his hands towards Alf. "No, Alf it will not be that easy." Parity clenched his fists and Alf felt his head gripped by a vice-like pressure. Collapsing to his knees, head in hands, despair washed over him. How could he fight this monster?

No, he wouldn't give up. Vision blurred by pain, Alf looked across the canyon and focussed on one of his dragons. He transported the creature to stand beside Parity and set it to attack him.

Unprepared for the attack, Parity fell back and released Alf from his agony. Quickly, Alf himself took the place of the dragon and began his own offensive. He hurled blast after blast of arcane energies at Parity's weakening defences. Alf gave the Atlantean no time to consider his next move by further harrying him with swarms of Lorenz butterflies, weird creatures which both model and determine weather patterns.

Like an avenging angel, Alf tore into Parity. Finally the monster's screens were down, worn away by the remorseless barrage. The reserves had been exhausted more quickly than Alf had hoped. He paused before delivering the coup de grace. "Have you anything to say before I dispense justice, Ewan Parity?"

Weak, the creature seemed. He lay there, beaten. Then his eyes flashed open and fire poured from the sockets, imprisoning Alf in burning limbo. "Yes, I have something to say. Never, never let down your defences. You fool, du Plex."

The monster looked away from his captive and greedily eyed Observer. "So, it is within my grasp. The ultimate brain." Reaching out an arm, he flicked Observer from its seat. The crystal now devoid of driving personality, he oozed into the lattice and took control. Alf felt Parity's influence withdraw from his own mind.

"Oh, the power. The power! I can do anything!" Arcs of emerald lightning swept over the surface of the lattice structure, illuminating Observer's ectoplasmic remains and Alf encased in shimmering red energy.

To Alf in his ruby prison, time seemed to travel very slowly. Time, that was it! If he pulled back from his Metaspace and stopped the clock, Parity would be trapped!

"No Alf, that won't be necessary." Was that Apex' voice? "It's being taken care of."

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He thought he should do this as a final kindness, let Project Prometheus preserve some of its mystery rather than the indignity of a core dump and post-mortem. The computer had even found itself a name: Observer.

But like all computers, when Observer's programming went wrong it was Big Red Switch time.

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A stentorian voice filled the cavern. "No! You can't do this to me! I'm not ready and I don't want to die..."

When the portal exploded, Jackie welcomed her release.

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The woman lay on the beach, its blue sand colouring her otherwise pale hair. A gentle breeze wafted across her, causing the fine powder to drift in the curves of her body. As one of the suns set, its fading light cast orange shadows over her sleeping face.

She woke slowly, worried looks crossing her face as she swam towards consciousness. When she opened her eyes, they took in the pastel landscape. She sat up, and ran blue sand through her fingers.

A noise behind her made her turn. A crowd of people walked from around a dune. They were brave little creeatures, about two feet tall with four arms. Short fur covered their bodies, apparently dyed in different patterns. Those at the head of the crowd sported crowns of woven flowers. They stopped a few yards short of her, seemingly unwilling to come any closer.

The woman shivered at the voice in her head. "These are the Loricki. They will be your friends and, in time, your subjects. Go with them now." She smiled at the nervous creatures and held out her hand. The largest looked at his companions, and walked forward boldly to touch her fingers.

"Hello," he said. "I am Bo Lorick. These are my friends Cham Lorick and Tem Lorick.

"You must be cold without any fur. Would you like to come back to our village where we have a warm fire?"

The woman smiled again. "Yes, Bo Lorick. I would like that very much."

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"Good morning Alf." The voice in his head was just as disconcerting as ever.

"Hello Observer." Apex' idea of letting Observer take over the secondary cortex in Alf's brain when its own neural substrate was turned off had been sound, but Alf thought he would never get used to it. "I think you learn your first material spells today, don't you? Come on, we'd better get a move on."

Another day as Apex' apprentices had begun.

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