Here, in the fifth volume of the exciting series, ten of science fiction's most gifted writers take readers on a journey of wonder and excitement in an astounding alternate history. Let the secret history of the world be told-of the alien virus that struck Earth after World War II, and of the handful of the survivors who found they now possessed superhuman powers. Some were called Aces, endowed with powerful mental and physical prowess. The others were Jokers, tormented by bizarre mind or body disfigurements. Some served humanity. Others caused terror. And now, forty years later, as a gang war between the Shadow Fists and the mafia rages out of control in the streets of Jokertown, Aces and Jokers go underground-to wage their own war against the powers of the netherworld. Featuring the talents of John J. Miller, Roger Zelazny, Leanne C. Harper, Arthur Byron Cover, Melina C. Snodgrass, Edward Bryant, Stephen Leigh, Pat Cadigan, Walter Jon Williams, and George R. R. Martin. The Wild Cards Universe The Original Triad #1 Wild Cards #2 Aces High #3 Jokers Wild The Puppetman Quartet #4: Aces Abroad #5: Down and Dirty #6: Ace in the Hole #7: Dead Man’s Hand The Rox Triad #8: One-Eyed Jacks #9: Jokertown Shuffle #10: Dealer’s Choice #11: Double Solitaire #12: Turn of the Cards The Card Sharks Triad #13: Card Sharks #14: Marked Cards #15: Black Trump #16: Deuces Down #17: Death Draws Five The Committee Triad #18: Inside Straight #19: Busted Flush #20: Suicide Kings The Fort Freak Triad #21: Fort Freak #22: Lowball #23: High Stakes The American Triad #24: Mississippi Roll #25: Low Chicago #26: Texas Hold 'Em George R. R. Martin has been a full-time writer for over 25 years. He is the author of the acclaimed, internationally bestselling fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire , which is the basis of HBO's popular Game of Thrones television series. Martin has won multiple science fiction awards, including 4 Hugos, 2 Nebulas, the Bram Stoker, the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Daedelus, the Balrog, and the Daikon (Japanese Hugo). The Wild Cards Trust is the creator of the Wild Cards series. Wild Cards V: Down and Dirty By George R. R. Martin Tom Doherty Associates Copyright © 1988 George R. R. Martin and the Wild Cards Trust All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7653-3559-3 Contents Title Page, Copyright Notice, Dedication, Acknowledgment, Note to Readers, October 1986–April 1987, Only the Dead Know Jokertown, All the King's Horses, Part I, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part I, Breakdown, All the King's Horses, Part II, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part II, Jesus Was an Ace, All the King's Horses, Part III, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part III, May 1987, All the King's Horses, Part IV, Blood Ties, Part I, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part IV, The Second Coming of Buddy Holley, Blood Ties, Part II, June 1987, All the King's Horses, Part V, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part V, The Hue of a Mind, Blood Ties, Part III, Addicted to Love, Takedown, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part VI, Blood Ties, Part IV, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part VII, Blood Ties, Part V, All the King's Horses, Part VI, Mortality, Blood Ties VI, Concerto for Siren and Serotonin, Part VIII, "What Rough Beast ...", Only the Dead Know Jokertown — Epilogue, All the King's Horses, Part VII, About the Editor, The Wild Cards Series, Copyright Acknowledgments, Copyright, CHAPTER 1 Only the Dead Know Jokertown by John J. Miller I BRENNAN MOVED THROUGH THE autumnal night as if he were part of it, or it were part of him. The fall had brought a coolness to the air that reminded Brennan, however palely, of the Catskills. He missed the mountains more than almost anything, but as long as Kien was free they were as unattainable as the ghosts of dead friends and lovers that had lately come to haunt his dreams. He loved the mountains as surely as he loved all the people he'd failed down through the years, but who could love the dirty sprawl of the city? Who could even know the city, could even know Jokertown? Not him, certainly, but Kien's presence bound him to Jokertown as solidly as chains of adamantine steel. He crossed the street, entering the half block of urban debris that bordered the Crystal Palace. With the sixth sense of the hunter he could feel eyes follow him as he passed through the wreckage. He shifted the canvas bag that carried his broken-down bow to a more comfortable position, wondering, not for the first time, what sort of creatures chose to make the mounds of junk their home. Once or twice he heard twittering rustles that weren't the wind and glimpsed flashes of movement that weren't shifting moonshadow, but no one interfered as he swung up onto the rusted fire escape hanging down the Palace's rear wall. He climbed silently to the roof, went through the security system that would have given him pause if