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three hovered over their scanning equipment, lost in the search for information.

FIVE
    The laughing and the bolts banging on the table had either driven the remaining crew members from the mess area or brought them over to watch. Those who did watch wanted to give advice, and Cutler wouldn't allow it. She did offer them a chance to roll up and sit down, but she insisted that they'd have to start where the ship touched down instead of joining the adventure in progress.
    Everyone declined, and one by one the kibitzers left.
    The planet slowly displayed its colors outside the windows, intriguing in its strangeness. Cutler was used to seeing Earth-the big blue and white mass against the blackness of space-but she wasn't used to the hints of red, the shape of the continents, the way the clouds formed over this distinct ball.
    She caught herself looking at it from time to time, remembering that there were other adventures in her life-real adventures, just waiting to be had.
    "Waiting" was the key word. No one had told her that patience would be a virtue in space.
    But the game was helping her, Mayweather, Anderson, and Novakovich kill time. Except for the loss of Anderson's first character, Mr. Doom, things had gone along smoothly. The players had managed to make it across the bridge and through a crossing in a road that had traps. Novakovich's player, Rust, had used one hand-grenade-like bomb to clear out a roadblock, and it had worked. Otherwise, all three players still had their full ammunition and weapons.
    "Now you're approaching the outskirts of the ruined Martian city," Cutler said, describing the scene that faced them. "The main road in front of you goes between tall buildings, with lots of debris in the street. There is a staircase entrance on the right side of the street that goes down into a subway system."
    "What about going up?" Anderson asked. He was proving her most inquisitive and competitive player. "Are the buildings connected?"
    Cutler tried not to show her surprise. She had designed the path into the city to have three main routes, underground, surface, and through the connecting bridges between the buildings. But she hadn't planned on telling the players about the connecting bridges unless they asked. And she hadn't expected anyone to ask so soon.
    "The buildings are connected by sky bridges in most cases," Cutler said, "Some of the sky bridges are in need of repair, just as the rest of the buildings in this ruined old city are."
    The players sat in silence for a moment, all clearly thinking. Novakovich checked his padd as if it gave him answers about where he was going. All it did, of course, was tell him where he'd been. He was the only one who assiduously followed her advice to map their progression. The others had dropped that suggestion in the game's first real hour.
    Finally Mayweather said, "I vote we stay together and stay on the ground."
    "Why?" Anderson asked. "Seems to me going up would be the safest way."
    "We can always go inside and up," Mayweather said. "I think we should make as much ground out in the open, where we can see what's coming at us."
    "Yeah," Novakovich said. "I like that idea. Rust is sticking with Unk."
    "Sounds good to me," Anderson said. "Dr. Mean is with Unk as well. Let's go in on the ground."
    Cutler sighed with relief. So far, these guys worked well as a team. She remembered from her childhood days players who squabbled about every fork in the road. In fact, she remembered that better than she remembered the rules.
    Maybe these players worked well together in the game because they had to in real life. They knew the value of teamwork, even if no one was directly in charge.
    "Ahead of you one block is a large pile of what looks to be wrecked transportation vehicles," Cutler said, looking at her notes. "These vehicles are long and narrow, and were designed to carry a lot of passengers. The pileup fills most of the street."
    "Lots of options now," Anderson said, rubbing his hands