GODS OF RIVERWORLD

The Snark then killed himself in the privacy of an unused apartment. By prearrangement with the Computer, the Snark was resurrected in a converter inside a world.

"The converter in which the Snark died would then disintegrate the body. The Snark did not want anybody finding it, though that possibility was remote."

Once inside Alice's world, Snark II did what had to be done. The androids were verbally programmed when they were out of sight of Alice and Magle

The flooding of the two worlds, though, was ordered from the outside.

"The Ethicals thought that they were one hundred per cent safe when they were in their private worlds. Of course, they were not nearly as security-conscious as we since they believed the tower to be an impregnable fortress. They knew that one of them was a traitor, but they still could not conceive that he would actually personally endanger them.

"But an ingenious person could flood the little worlds by ordering the liquid supply to pour into it until it was completely filled or its inhabitants had been drowned."

"That may be true," Alice said, "but how could the Snark shut the doors to the worlds? And how could he see what was going on in the worlds when the flooding began? The Computer had commands to open the door only to authorized codewords, and it would not transmit pictures or any communications except as ordered by the tenants. No one could override those."

"But they could be bypassed by various means. The Snark made cameras in the worlds he had gotten into via the recording-spheres, flew the cameras to the ceilings, probably at night, and attached them there. You see, the Computer had orders not to transmit wave frequencies through the-circuits of the walls except through certain cha

"But the doors?" Alice said.

"The Snark sealed the exterior of the door with a substance that hardened and so resisted the operating mechanisms of the doors, which open outward."

That meant that the Snark had sealed the doors while Alice's party was going on. The Snark had killed himself or herself, had been resurrected in an apartment, and then had flown in a chair to the central area and applied the substance to the exit doors of two of the worlds. Then the Snark had ordered the liquid supply to convert to bourbon and gin and started the deluging. After which, the Snark had committed suicide, been resurrected in an apartment, and returned to Alice's place as a guest. There the Snark had waited until the androids had started their predetermined attack. During the battle, the Snark had made sure that he was not harmed by the androids. His or her plans had not been completely successful, but the Snark was not dismayed. There would be other opportunities.

Li Po said, "Ah! Only those at the party could be suspects! So ... Gull or Star Spoon!"

"Not necessarily," Frigate said. "The Snark could be someone else, if that someone had had an opportunity to get into the worlds. It would have to be one of those raised, someone we know or ought to know. It could be many people. After all, we haven't seen all the bodies in Turpin's or Netley's ... my ... world. We should find out if anyone is missing from there."

"First, we put Gull and Star Spoon through the grinder," Burton said.

If one of them was so infernally clever, he thought, wouldn't he or she have anticipated that one of the others might be Sherlock Holmes enough to narrow the suspects to two?

If that was so, the Snark would know that his or her identity would soon be revealed.

Li Po, as if he had been reading Burton's thoughts said, "That accounts for the beamer on the table? You'll be ready for the Snark?"

"Yes. If one of them walks through the doorway with a weapon in hand, I won't be caught surprised."

"It seems to me," Alice said, "that they ... one of them ... could kill himself ... or herself ... and be resurrected elsewhere. What's to keep the Snark from coming through there?" She pointed at the open door to the corridor.

"Ah, that," Burton said. "Well, you see, I copied the killer's modus operandi. Very early this morning, I sealed Gull's and Star Spoon's doors."

Burton did not have to tell them what would happen. The guilty one would be unable to get out, and it would not be long before he or she knew why. The only escape was the route the Snark had often taken. Commit suicide and be resurrected elsewhere.

"What if the Snark pretends i

"We won't let either out. Sooner or later, the Snark will leave."

The immediate excitement had lifted them from the shock of finding out that the wathans were gone and the records erased. They were not concentrating on the numbing realization that they would be dead forever the next time they died. Or that those still alive in The Valley would not be raised again after they had died. Or that all that they had suffered to get here had been in vain.

No, he thought. It was not in vain, not wasted time. We have lived far longer than we thought we would when we died on Earth. Our youthful bodies were restored, and we fought and loved with the full vigor of youth and perfect health. We lived fiercely, we were active, and we worked hard for a goal. It has been worthwhile. And if we can live until the Gardenworlders come, we ... no. This phase of the project will be over, and we must die to make room for the resurrected in the next.

He would worry about that when the time came. Just now, the only thing to consider was the Snark.

"There's the screen," Frigate said. Burton got up and walked to the console in the corner. Gull looked out from the display. Seeing Burton, he said, "Good morning. I don't know what the matter is, but the door won't open for me."

"That's strange," Burton said. "Have you asked the Computer why?"

"Of course, but it says that it does not know."

"We'll see what we can do about it," Burton said. "Meanwhile, you don't have to starve. Get yourself breakfast, and we'll investigate."

When the screen had become blank, Burton asked that the screen in his bedroom be activated. It showed the room at once—Burton had not been sure that it would not have been cut off—and he saw that the bed was unoccupied. Star Spoon was not in sight, but she could be in the bathroom. He verified that his voice could be transmitted, and he called her loudly. Though he repeated her name several times, he was not answered.

"She's gone."

Frigate said, "Where's her body?"

"I don't know," Burton said. "We'll have to find out."

They went down the bedroom hall, all armed with beamers. Burton and Li Po used them to burn the sealing agent off. Since the smoke had an acrid odor, which made them cough, they had to slow down the burning to give the air-conditioning time to suck the smoke away. When the last of the glossy violet substance was gone, Burton gave the codeword, and the door swung open. Cautiously, he entered first, the beamer ready. The bedroom and bathroom were empty.

"She must have killed herself by stepping into the converter cabinet and having it incinerate her," Frigate said.

"That would make her disappearance more mysterious," Burton said. "I wonder where she could be"

Alice said, "You don't seem surprised, Dick."

"No. I didn't think that Gull had had time to learn how to operate the Computer well enough to do all the Snark has done."