‘It’s all right,’ said Yo-less. ‘I told you. We’re not really here anyway. We’re just anxiety projections. I read about it in a book.’

‘That’s a relief, then,’ said Wobbler. ‘That’s worth knowing when you’re a billion miles out in space. Anyway . . . so how do we get back?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Johnny. ‘I generally do it by dying.’

‘Is there some other way?’ said Yo-less, after a long, thoughtful pause.

‘I don’t think there is for me. This is game space. You have to die to get out,’ said Johnny. ‘I think you can probably just fly back. I’m not definitely sure any harm can come to you. You’re not playing . . . in your heads, I mean.’

‘Well—’ Wobbler began.

‘But I should go soon, if I was you,’ said Johnny. ‘Before some more players arrive.’

‘We’d stay and help,’ said Wobbler, ‘but there’s no guns on these things, you see.’

He sounded worried.

‘Yeah. Silly of me not to have dreamed of any,’ said Johnny, kindly.

‘Yo-less might be right and we’re just stuff in your head,’ said Wobbler. ‘But even people in dreams don’t want to die, I expect.’

‘Right.’

‘You going to be in school tomorrow?’

‘Might be.’

‘Right. Well, then . . . chow.’

‘See you.’

‘You hang in there, right, Johnny?’ said Yo-less anxiously.

‘I’ll try to.’

‘Yeah, give them aliens hell, my man!’ said Bigmac, as the tankers turned.

Johnny could hear them still talking as the three ships accelerated away.

‘That was a foe-par, Bigmac. Johnny’s on the aliens’ side!’

‘What? You mean they’re on our side?’

‘No, they’re on their side. And so is he.’

‘Whose side are we on, then?’

‘We’re on his side.’

‘Oh. Right. Er. Yo-less?’

‘What?’

‘So who’s on our side?’

‘Eh? He is, I suppose.’

‘So is there anyone on the other side?’

The ships became dots on the radar, and then vanished off the edge of the screen.

Where to, Johnny had no idea.

I may have wished them here, or dreamed them, or something. But I mustn’t do it again. Maybe they’re not really here, but I don’t want to see my friends die. I don’t want to see anybody die.

At least I’m on my side.

He scanned the sky. After a while the Captain said: ‘You are not leaving?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Until you die, you mean.’

Johnny shrugged.

‘It’s the only way out,’ she said. ‘Fight until you die. That’s how all games go. You just hope you can get a bit further each time.’

There were still no more attackers on the screen. The fleet looked as if it wasn’t moving, but it had built up quite a speed. Every second was taking it further from game space. Every second meant that fewer and fewer players would have the patience or determination to go on looking for it.

He helped himself to some of the horrible nourishing soup from its spigot.

‘Johnny?’

‘Yes?’

‘I believe I upset you some time ago by suggesting that humans are bloodthirsty and dangerous.’