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'Who was the first?' said Lu-Tze 'Yes!'

'Creator and Destroyer?'

'Daht!'

'Apparently complicated, apparently patternless behaviour that nevertheless has a simple, deterministic explanation and is a key to new levels of understanding of the multidimensional universe?'

'You'd better believe it- What?'

'Got to ot to keep up!' shouted Lu-Tze excitedly, hopping from foot to foot 'You're what people think you are! And they've changed you! I hope you're good at sums!'

'You can't tell me what to be!' Kaos roared 'I' coonna happen now that the Auditors have taken over! The rules, mister! That's what they are! They're the cold dead rules!' Silver lightning flickered in the walking cloud that had once been Ronnie Then cloud, cart and horse vanished 'Well, could have been worse, I suppose,' said Lu-Tze to hiht lad, really Possibly a bit too old-fashioned'

He turned round and found a crowd of Auditors watching hirinned his sheepish little grin He'd had just about enough for one day 'Well I expect you have heard of Rule One, right?' he said That seeive them pause One said, 'We know millions of rules, human'

'Billions Trillions,' said another 'Well you can't attack me,' said Lu-Tze, ''cos of Rule One' The nearest Auditors went into a huddle 'It ravitation'

'No, quantuically there cannot be a Rule One because at that point there would be no concept of plurality'

'But if there is not a Rule One, can there be any other rules? If there is no Rule One, where is Rule Two?'

'There are millions of rules! They cannot fail to be nuht Lu-Tze All I have to do is wait until their heads melt But an Auditor stepped forward It looked more wild-eyed than the others, and wasan axe 'We do not have to discuss this!' it snapped 'We must think: This is nonsense, ill not discuss it!'

'But what is Rule-' an Auditor began 'You will call me Mr White!'

'Mr White, what is Rule One?'