Free Dancers in the Afterglow by Jack L. Chalker Page B

the stream to the generator, and from there to a pipe which reached over the fence at a little over a meter's height. There was a small push-valve on it, and this was how you could release the water.
    "You did a good job," one of the soldiers approved. They could never be certain if the same one was always talking and in charge or not, since they all looked and sounded exactly alike. "We are ahead of schedule. That is good. Now we must wait until they are ready to proceed. There are many, many, many camps like this. It takes time to get set up."
    "What comes next?" a woman asked. The guard smiled. "You will see. All in good time. Only one more thing to show you, and a few more things to do, and we can all get some sleep." With that he turned and approached the glowing, meter-high fence. "Watch!" he called, and they did as he jumped easily over it. Satisfied, he jumped back.
    "Doesn't hurt us," he noted. Then he picked up one of the loaves and threw it just over the fence.
    The loaf got almost directly over, then burst into flame in midair and vanished.
    "The same happens to you if you try and jump it, or even touch it," he warned. "If you don't believe that, then you might try it It would make a more effective demonstration."
    They sat in silence for a while, considering it, as the guard again vaulted the fence. A couple of other guards were bringing out portable soft yellow lighting and setting it up just outside the perimeter, near the open building. They played with the fixtures in the gloom until they had eliminated just about all shadow.
    The lighting was an unobtrusive soft glow, but it was clear that nothing would go on in the people's sleeping quarters that wasn't visible to humans and Machists alike.
    The captives settled back outside to think. "You believe that fence business?" one man asked skeptically.
    A short silence followed, then Genji replied, "I don't think so. Sounds like a lot of scare stuff to me."
    Yuri smiled. "Want to try it? We're dying to know," he said. Genji gave him a dirty look but said nothing.
    Yuri found a rock and tossed it over the fence.
    The rock expired violently.
    "But why are they immune?" a woman wondered.
    "Something they carry," Yuri speculated. "Something in their clothing, or boots, or maybe something they swallowed."
    "Bullshit!" said the first man emphatically. "Let's see."
    "Junge! No!" a woman screamed, but the man, a big, muscular fellow, ran at the fence and leaped. There was a brightness in the gloom, a reddish fire that swelled up, and then engulfed the man. He was gone.
    Someone sobbed. Moira was suddenly overcome with the shakes; Genji just stared at the point of the fence where the man had leaped. Azure clung tightly to Yuri, who squeezed her firmly.
    A guard came to their section and looked at the fence. He nodded, smiled, then leaped over and walked up to them.
    "Good demonstration," he approved, and then drew his weapon. "All right, everybody stand up, line up in front of the sleep-hut, here."
    Numbed, they all complied.
    "Now you will all remove all of your clothes and put them in a big pile here," he ordered, making a mark with his foot.
    There were several gasps and some protests. No one moved to comply.
    The guard fingered a stud on his pistol, then glanced behind him. They followed his gaze. Two other guards stood just outside the perimeter fence with pistols aimed at them.
    He pointed his pistol at a youngish, well-built woman close to him. "You first," he said.
    Her face was set, grim, defiant. "No. I'd rather die," she responded proudly. He fired his pistol, but the woman didn't flare and vanish. The weapon was on a different setting. Instead she froze, her face contorted in horrible pain. He released the stud, and she pitched forward, breathing hard but still conscious. Others moved to help her, but the guard motioned them back.
    "Remove your clothes and place them on the mark," he repeated.
    She looked up at him, hatred and fear in her eyes, then got up,