Juliet Parrish and Mike Donovan clung together for a long moment. Around them, the huge command center of the Visitors\u2019 Los Angeles Mother Ship was nearly silent. Where once thirty or more Visitor technicians worked at their various stations, now only two sat at their posts \u2014Martin, the fifth columnist leader, was at the navigation console, and Barbara, his unofficial second-in-command, was at the communications center. Elias Taylor leaned against the blown-open entrance doors, grinning at his friends, while Elizabeth Maxwell calmly sat by the doomsday device which she alone, with her half-human, half-Visitor powers, had been able to tum off, thus saving the Earth from almost certain destruction.<\/p>\n
But for a moment Mike and Julie were not aware of even these few friends. Their need for each other was compounded by the emotional relief of victory, and heightened by the near catastrophe of global destruction. Right now Julie wanted to be alone in some bedroom with Mike, while he, to his own surprise, felt the need for her to comfort him. He had to be the strong one, though, so Julie could continue to be strong. The Visitors were gone, victory was theirs, but there was so much left to do toward putting the world back to rights again.<\/p>\n
Over at the entrance, Elias let his gaze wander around the command center. His only concern, once they returned to Earth, was how to fit himself back into society. The thought of returning to his old way of life \u2014 to burglary, drug dealing, and petty crime \u2014 had no appeal to him anymore. Anger had motivated him before, and frustration, but now he knew that the need for excitement, for thrills had also played a large part in shaping his career; and since he\u2019d joined the rebels he\u2019d had all the excitement anyone could want, enough to last him for the rest of his life. But be wasn\u2019t too worried. He knew he wasn\u2019t alone anymore. His friends, both human and Visitor, would see him through whatever trials remained.<\/p>\n
An opened wall hatch in the bulkhead beyond the doomsday machine seemed somehow significant. He looked again at these few people doing what needed to be done, and thought there should be one more.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d he said at last, straightening up from his comfortable slouch. \u201cWhere\u2019s Diana?\u201d<\/p>\n
Julie looked at him, and her face lost some of its calm. She disengaged herself from Mike\u2019s embrace and nodded at the open hatch. \u201cI let her escape,\u201d she said simply.<\/p>\n
Mike stepped back and looked down at her in surprise. \u201cBut why?\u201d he asked. At their stations, Barbara and Martin paused to look at her uncertainly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to,\u201d Julie said. Her voice carried a silent appeal for understanding. \u201cI\u2019m not really sure what happened. But while I was keeping her covered, it was almost as if part of me were back in the conversion chamber Diana didn\u2019t speak, but I could hear her voice in my head. She kept saying, \u2018Don\u2019t move, be still, it will get you if you move.\u2019 My God, she wasn\u2019t talking. She was thinking<\/i> at me! I wasn\u2019t expecting that. I was expecting her to run or attack or something, but she just sat there in the corne. By the time I realized what was happening, she was halfway through that hatch.\u201d She turned to Martin. \u201cWhat was<\/i> happening?\u201d she asked. \u201cTelepathy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of anything like that,\u201d Martin said, \u201cbut then, I\u2019m not a conversion technician.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can\u2019t have gotten far,\u201d Mike Donovan said. \u201cThe toxin must have spread through the whole ship by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcept for here,\u201d Barbara pointed out. \u201cThere may be other pockets of clean air elsewhere, but that won\u2019t matter to Diana. That hatch leads to an escape shuttle. Mike, I don\u2019t think Diana\u2019s even on the ship anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn,\u201d Elias said. Elizabeth continued to sit quietly<\/p>\n
\u201cShe still can\u2019t get far,\u201d Martin sid. \u201cWe\u2019re too far from Earth now. The shuttle will never make it back there before its life support runs out. Those emergency shuttles are designed with very high power but limited range.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like it,\u201d Mike said. \u201cEspecially the implication that she had some kind of telepathic control over Julie. Why didn\u2019t she try that on someone before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what Julie\u2019s just told us,\u201d Barbara said, \u201cit sounds like a by-product of the conversion process, and Julie\u2019s the only one of us here who suffered that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so strange,\u201d Julie said. \u201cI wish we could find out more about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have time after we get back home,\u201d Mike told her, reaching out for her again. \u201cRight now this is our first order of business. \u201c<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Martin moved from console to console, reading dials, checking status lights. One particular panel held his attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Elias Taylor asked, coming up behind him and looking over his shoulder<\/p>\n
\u201cDamage report,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWhen we tried to get the doomsday device away from Earth, we accelerated too hard and too fast. Two of the engines went down in the attempt, and it looks like the others are failing too.\u201d He flipped switches, and the all but imperceptible humming of the drives stopped. \u201cThere\u2019s been some structural damage as well. These ships aren\u2019t designed to move through atmosphere except at a slow coast. We\u2019re going to have to make some repairs, or when we get back to Earth we\u2019ll just fall like a rock instead of floating over Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you fix it?\u201d Mike Donovan asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot by myself. It really takes a whole team to fly this thing. That\u2019s why we\u2019re having trouble now. If I\u2019d had a full crew when we were pulling away from Earth, we probably could have avoided damaging the ship. But it\u2019s been a long time since I studied any engineering, and even with help, I\u2019ll need some technicians who specialize in engine maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about Willie?\u201d Elias asked. \u201cOr one of the other fifth columnists down in the docking bay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWillie\u2019s just a cryogenics worker;\u201d Martin said. \u201cScott might be able to help, but I think we\u2019re in big trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may not be as bad as it seems,\u201d Barbara said, looking up from a large display panel showing a diagram of the ship. \u201cThe ship\u2019s atmosphere monitor indicates that the toxin didn\u2019t spread as far as we\u2019d thought.\u201d The others came over to see what she was talking about.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach major section of the ship,\u201d she said, pointing at the display, \u201cis represented diagrammatically. Here we are, and here are the crew\u2019s quarters, recreation area, the water hold, and so on. Each red section is contaminated, but see, that\u2019s only this area here.\u201d She pointed to the docking bay, the main corridors leading from it to the command center, and a section of cabins or offices off to one side of the main corridors. \u201cDiana must have sealed off most of the ship, probably to keep us bottled up when we made our attack. But it also kept the rest of the ship free of contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means most of the crew probably survived,\u201d Martin said with obvious relief. \u201cI have to admit I hated the thought of killing everybody like that. After all, most of the crew are only technicians and workers, people who just take orders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen surely some engine technicians have survived,\u201d Julie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut can we trust them?\u201d Donovan asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sure wouldn\u2019t,\u201d Elias Taylor said. \u201cThink about it, Julie.<\/p>\n
If they had done to us what we\u2019ve done to them, would we want to help them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a point,\u201d Julie said, \u201cbut more important is that even if we could trust them, we don\u2019t have enough antitoxin on board.\u201d She turned to Martin. \u201cIf we can find the technicians you need, can we get them to the engines without exposing them to contamination?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d he answered, examining the display panel. \u201cSee, the crew\u2019s quarters are here, the, engineering section is here, and the only way is through this area, the central access area.\u201d That part. of the display glowed bright red.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many do we need?\u201d Elias asked. \u201cMaggie brought enough antitoxin for thirty to forty people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat would be enough,\u201d Martin said, \u201cif it hasn\u2019t already been used. But how would you get it to them?\u201d The human rebels didn\u2019t understand his question, but Barbara did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink about it,\u201d she said. \u201cIn order to give them the antitoxin, you\u2019ll have to unseal a portion of the ship. You can\u2019t get in to them otherwise. And if you unseal, the toxin will get to them before you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGoddamn it!\u201d Julie cried. \u201cIf it were just us, all right, we\u2019ve been willing to die for our cause, though to come so close and not quite make it is almost more than I can stand. But there are ten thousand human beings in the holds of this ship. They\u2019ll die too if we don\u2019t get the ship back to Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019d guess about two thousand of our crew are still alive,\u201d Barbara said, \u201cif you figure that most of those who died from the toxin were soldiers and not workers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere may be a way out,\u201d Martin suggested hesitantly. \u201cThe ship carried enough air to recycle three times. If we could get all the rebels and fifth columnists in the contaminated area up here to the command center and somehow seal off the entrance Elias blew, we could open the docking bay and flush the air out of that part of the ship. We\u2019d have to use up a lot of our air reserves to make sure all the toxin was blown out, but if we can effect sufficient repairs to return to Los Angeles, we could pump more air aboard once we were back in Los Angeles\u2019s atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the toxin is all over the city by now,\u201d Elias said. \u201cNot counting the smog, the air there wouldn\u2019t do you any good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toxin wouldn\u2019t have drifted that high up,\u201d Mike Donovan reassured him. \u201cAt least not yet. Most of the toxin released by the balloons will be in the lower two or three miles of the atmosphere. We could put the ship out beyond the prevailing winds, maybe somewhere in the north Pacific where the air will be clean for at least a year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the only chance we\u2019ve got,\u201d Barbara said. \u201cBut if we\u2019re going to do it, we\u2019d better get started. With all engines shut down, we don\u2019t have power to keep our life support going for long.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there\u2019re all our friends down in the docking bay,\u201d Julie said. \u201cGod, they must be wondering what\u2019s been happening up here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can talk to them from here,\u201d Barbara said, going to the master communications panel.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven it we flush out all the toxin in the air;\u201d Martin said, \u201cwe\u2019re going to have trouble with the stuff that will be trapped in the clothing of those who died in the corridors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe we can move all the bodies into one of these sections,\u201d Donovan said, pointing to a red area near the main corridor, \u201cand then seal it off completely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, that\u2019s possible. And here,\u201d Martin pointed to a section of the corridor not far from the command center, \u201cthat\u2019s a security door, so we can keep the atmosphere in here while the rest of this area is being flushed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut wait,\u201d Juliet said. \u201cOur people will have the toxin all over their clothes too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody said decontamination would be simple,\u201d Martin said, \u201cbut we\u2019ve got other uniforms, and we can set up a shower system.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got the docking bay on the screen,\u201d Barbara said, and they all turned to see what was going on down there.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
William sat beside Harmony Moore\u2019s body in one of the compartments of the shuttle.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on,\u201d Sancho Gomez said from the door, \u201cthere\u2019s nothing more you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d William said. His voice was flat, the strange resonance peculiar to the Visitors somehow subdued by his grief. \u201cBut I told her I\u2019d never leave her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll be all right here,\u201d Sancho said, corning over to lay a reassuring hand on William\u2019s shoulder \u201cWe have wounded friends out there who need our help.\u201d<\/p>\n
William sighed, then nodded and got to his feet. Leaning on Sancho for support, he went with him out into the docking bay.<\/p>\n
The red powder of the toxin stained every surface and hung in the air like a cloud though it was now slowly sifting down to cover the deck with a layer of crimson dust. Rebels and fifth columnists were moving among those of their friends who had fallen to enemy fire. They had taken surprisingly few casualties, but not all were unscathed. The wounded were being made comfortable until some kind of first aid could be brought to them.<\/p>\n
Speakers high in the walls came to life. \u201cAttention all rebels and fifth columnists,\u201d a female voice said. \u201cThis is Barbara. We have taken control of the ship, and the doomsday bomb has been deactivated. But we have more work to do.\u201d Quickly she described the situation and the rough plan that had been worked out.<\/p>\n
Caleb Taylor and Maggie Blodgett came over to join Sancho and William as they listened to Barbara\u2019s report. \u201cI wish I knew if Elias was all right,\u201d Caleb said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll find out soon enough,\u201d Maggie reassured him. \u201cRight now we\u2019ve got to get everybody up the the command center.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll get right on it,\u201d Sancho said, and went off to organize litter crews to carry the wounded while William closed the shuttle hatch. With Caleb and Maggie supervising, they soon had all the humans and Visitors in order<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like this,\u201d Caleb said. \u201cHow can we trust those engineers Barbara says we need?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Maggie said, \u201cbut I don\u2019t think we have any choice.\u201d She turned to the others. \u201cAll right,\u201d she called out, \u201clet\u2019s get a move on.\u201d Then the speakers came on once more, but the voice was Juliet Parrish\u2019s this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaggie,\u201d Julie\u2019s voice said, \u201ccan you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Maggie said to the air as the rebels filed past her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d Julie said. \u201cHow much antitoxin is left?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think about ten or fifteen doses. It\u2019s on the shuttle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBring it with you,\u201d Juliet told her, \u201cand hurry. With our power down, we won\u2019t be able to breathe ourselves after a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maggie hurried back to the shuttle and went inside. She had to pass through the compartment where Harmony\u2019s body lay in order to get to the pitifully small supply of antitoxin. She got the pills from their storage place and came back. She couldn\u2019t help herself; she had to pause a moment with Harmony.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew each other for so short a time,\u201d she said softly. She wiped a red smear from the now cold face. \u201cBut you didn\u2019t die in vain \u2014 I hope.\u201d Then she hurried out to follow the others.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
The scene at Visitor Headquarters in Los Angeles was doubly chaotic. Bodies of Visitor soldiers littered the ground, mingled with those of the few rebels who had fallen. A thin red haze hung like a pall at knee height, slowly dissipating across the grounds. At the same time, the rebels who had discovered the cache of champagne and other fine beverages that Steven, the Visitor security chief, had kept on hand for his human collaborators, were having a wild, impromptu party. Even the wounded were joining in.<\/p>\n
But not Robert Maxwell. He and a few other rebels were checking the bodies of their fallen companions, finding those who still lived and carrying them to one of the trucks. Robert was anxious to get back to the lighthouse rebel base, concerned for those who were still there, and especially his three daughters. Robin, he knew, would be a particular problem, at least until Elizabeth, his half-human granddaughter, was returned safely \u2014 if she ever was. And there was a lot of work still ahead of them all putting their lives back together.<\/p>\n
Inside, in Steven\u2019s control room, several rebels stood examining the wall of computers, communicators, and other equipment the Visitors had installed. Steven\u2019s body had been \u00b7 unceremoniously pushed to one side. Jason Cunningham, a tall slender man in his late forties, went from panel to panel, examining the dials, the readouts, the controls and displays.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to keep this from being destroyed,\u201d he told his two companions. \u201cIf we can figure out how all this stuff works, we my gain something from the Visitors after all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the electrical engineer;\u201d Ian Browne said. Not as tall as Jason, he was even more slender; and rapidly balding in spite of not yet being thirty. \u201cAll I know is how to fix TV sets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you know enough not to damage anything while we take this apart,\u201d Jason told him.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t we leave it until later?\u201d Markos Dimitrios asked. The shortest of the three, bis Greek features were darkly handsome. \u201cI want to go out and join the party.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t do something to protect this equipment,\u201d Jason said, \u201cit will be destroyed by vandals. You saw how eager the others were to rip it apart. People won\u2019t want anything of the Visitors\u2019 to survive, so either we set a guard or try to take as much as we can with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I\u2019m not going to stay here any longer than I have to,\u201d Ian said. \u201cI\u2019ve got to get back to my TV store and find out if my family\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen let\u2019s get to work,\u201d Jason said. \u201cWe\u2019ll need screwdrivers, wire cutters, and wrenches.\u201d He turned to Markos. \u201cYou said there was a shop of some kind in the basement, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight. I\u2019ll go get whatever I can find.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat. Now, Ian,\u201d Jason said as Markos hurried off, \u201csome of these devices just slip into mounts. Be careful with the plugs and stack everything over on that table. When Markos comes back, you show him what to do. I\u2019ve got to get a truck and some help in carrying this stuff out.\u201d He left the man to his task and went out onto the balcony.<\/p>\n
Jason went over to the stone railing, where the body of Mike\u2019s mother, Eleanor Dupres, still lay, a look of surprise on her face. Below him he could see none of the rebel leaders. Only revelers were visible. He called down to one.<\/p>\n
\u201cFind Robert Maxwell,\u201d he said. \u201cI need some help up here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHaven\u2019t seen him,\u201d the man called back, his voice thick with drink.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen get Ham Tyler;\u201d Jason said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaven\u2019t seen him either \u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, go looking<\/i> for him, man,\u201d Jason Cuinningham said as he hurried toward the stairs. \u201cYou,\u201d he called out to another rebel who was talking with two women. \u201cCan you back a truck up here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSure thing,\u201d the man said and trotted off.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d one of the women asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to save some Visitor technology,\u201d Jason told her \u201cThey left a lot of stuff up here, and I\u2019m going to need help getting it out.\u201d He started back to the control room, the two women coming up the stairs behind him.<\/p>\n
Inside he found Markos and Ian working at disassemblingthe mass of electronics. Two dozen or more devices were already stacked on the table by the door, their wires dangling and tangled. Each piece of equipment was only two inches thick, typical of the compactness of Visitor electronics.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt comes apart easily,\u201d Ian said, wielding a screwdriver to disconnect a heavy cable from a conduit, \u201cbut there\u2019s an awful lot of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCut the wires if you have to,\u201d Jason said, then turned to the two women. \u201cGet this down to the truck,\u201d he said. \u201cBe careful with it if you can, but speed is more important than caution if it comes to that.\u201d He turned back to the instrument wall, picked up a wrench, and started undoing some of the more substantial mountings. \u201cGoing to be a real jigsaw puzzle putting this back together again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d a man\u2019s voice came from the door Jason turned to see Ham Tyler, nicknamed the Fixer; and behind him the bulk of his friend, Chris Faber.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething here you might be interested in,\u201d Jason said, \u201cif we can ever figure out how it works. I think some of this equipment was used for surveillance and espionage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ham\u2019s interest was suddenly aroused, though his only action was to raise an eyebrow. \u201cNot really my line,\u201d he said, \u201cbut you\u2019ve got a good point. Clemmons will know what to do with this. I\u2019ll send a message to him over in Detroit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat,\u201d Cunningham said, and went back to his work.<\/p>\n
Ham and Chris stepped out of the way as the two women rebels came back for another load of equipment, then went back out onto the balcony.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve done just about all we can here,\u201d Ham said. Chris Faber nodded, and again they stepped aside as the women, their arms laden with electronics, went past them down the stairs to where the truck was parked. The Fixer and his colleague followed, ducked around the open tailgate, and started across the lawn. Here the party was finally beginning to wind down. They saw Robert Maxwell, who now had drunks as well as wounded to attend to, and went over to say goodbye.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you can\u2019t leave now,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cI can\u2019t lead all these people by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou seem to be doing a pretty good job,\u201d Ham said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least stick around until Mike and Julie get back,\u201d Robert pleaded. \u201cYou\u2019re the only other authority figure we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job\u2019s finished once the battle is over,\u201d Ham Tyler said. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who\u2019s going to have to put the pieces back together again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would<\/i> kind of like to see Alice again,\u201d Chris said musingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s Alice?\u201d Ham asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a friend,\u201d Chris replied. \u201cJust like to say good-bye.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re getting soft,\u201d Ham said disgustedly.<\/p>\n
Robert grinned. \u201cI thought you and Alice seemed to be getting on pretty well ever since the raid on the pumping station.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a tough lady,\u201d Chris Faber said, his face bland.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, how about it,\u201d Robert asked Ham, \u201cyou going to stay with us just a little while longer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I\u2019ve got no choice.\u201d He rubbed his hand across his thinning hair. \u201cAnd, yes,\u201d he admitted, \u201cI would like to know if Donovan\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s got me worried,\u201d Maxwell said. \u201cWe should have heard from him by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least we know that they were able to stop the doomsday bomb,\u201d Chris said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless it blew up on the other side of the world,\u201d Ham countered.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Robert said. \u201cA bomb that big would have been noticeable even then, if it had gone off. Even against the full light of day, we would have seen the flash shining around the world like a new kind of sunset. But the fact that it didn\u2019t go off is all<\/i> we know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right,\u201d the Fixer said, \u201cI\u2019ll go along with you, but there are other groups all across the country, and they\u2019re going to have to be informed too. If we don\u2019t hear from Donovan pretty soon, I\u2019ll just have to get back to the network. Besides, there will be plenty of other jobs for me during the aftermath.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now,\u201d Robert Maxwell said, \u201cwe\u2019ve got to. get everybody into the trucks, and a lot of them are drunk. They\u2019ll follow your orders, Ham. Let\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one other thing,\u201d Ham said. \u201cIf Donovan and the others are all okay, they\u2019ll be bringing that Mother Ship back, isn\u2019t that right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Robert answered, \u201cunless they want to stay up there forever \u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you think the people of Los Angeles are going to feel about it when that thing is back in the sky again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t thought about that,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
William and another fifth columnist, George, stepped out of a large compartment into a corridor of the ship. Both carried sidearms, as did two or three others who, having been given the antitoxin, were at least momentarily immune to the thick red dust which covered everything. Other Visitors, trustees wearing respirators and torn-off sleeves to distinguish them from fifth columnists, were carrying bodies from the corridor into the compartment. These workers were a few of the survivors whom William had known, and had suggested could be trusted, at least somewhat. Those fifth columnists who did not need respirators were removing all weapons to yet another compartment before the trustees got to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts to find people you recognize,\u201d George said, turning over one of the dead soldiers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure that compartment can be completely sealed?\u201d<\/p>\n
William asked, indicating the place to which the bodies were being removed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI checked all the inside vents,\u201d George said. He moved to another body \u00b7 and tossed the dead soldier\u2019s rifle to a fifth columnist. Only those who had been with the invasion force were trusted to handle weapons, and there were few enough of them.<\/p>\n
William went up the corridor in the direction of the docking bay. The bodies here had all been taken to another compartment, which also had been sealed. Two or three of his shipmates, now in respirators, were sitting on the deck, resting a moment before going back to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cls it my imagination,\u201d one of these asked, \u201cor is the air beginning to get bad in here?\u201d He was breathing heavily, and not just from the exertion. The temperature was slowly rising as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ventilation has been cut off for over an hour,\u201d William said. \u201cNobody gets fresh air until this corridor is cleared.\u201d He didn\u2019t like playing the tough guard, but somebody had to do the job. The three in respirators struggled to their feet and went back up the corridor to where George and the other fifth columnists were supervising the continuing work. William sighed and followed them. There was an awful lot to do, and so little time to do it in.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Elias Taylor stood guard just inside the door to the quarters that so recently had been Diana\u2019s. A rebel and a fifth columnist, escorting three Visitors in respirators, came to a halt until Taylor let them in. There at a table sat Martin and Peter, shuffling a stack\u00a0 of papers. Peter, a fifth columnist of long standing, checked names off a list while Martin took three slim folders from a stack beside him.<\/p>\n
The Visitors and their guards stopped in front of the table. At Martin\u2019s nod, Elias closed the portal. There came the sound of air hissing through the ventilator system. After a moment, that too stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can take off your respirators now,\u201d Peter told the three prisoners. The two men hesitated, but the third, a woman, complied immediately. When she didn\u2019t collapse choking, the other two followed suit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation is this,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWe are stranded in space. All the other Mother Ships are now on their way out of the solar system. At this moment, we can neither join them nor go back to Earth. In trying to get Diana\u2019s doomsday device as far from the planet as possible, we suffered the loss of two engines and some slight structural damage. That must be repaired.\u201d He looked down at his folders. \u201cYou were all with the engineering section. Are you willing to help us get this ship running again?\u201d<\/p>\n
One Visitor, whos artificial face had Oriental features, shrugged his shoulders. \u201cI couldn\u2019t even if I wanted to,\u201d he said. \u201cI was just a maintenance man, not an engineer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about you?\u201d Peter asked the second man. The prisoner just stared at him, disdain evident on his face. Peter sighed and made a mark on his list. Then he and Martin both looked at the woman. Her gaze shifted from one to the other She put her hands to her face a moment, then sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d she said, \u201cI\u2019ll help. I guess we\u2019ll all die if I don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s correct,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n
Elias came up and led the woman Visitor through a door at the side while the guards gave the two men their respirators back. One of them picked up the third respirator to take with them back to the other Visitors yet to be interviewed. Elias returned, let the four of them out of the room, then turned back to Martin.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many so far?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven,\u201d Martin said. The strain was showing. \u201cBut none of them is really qualified. And we\u2019re not going to be able to keep refreshing the air in here much longer\u201d<\/p>\n
Elias heard footsteps out in the corridor and went to admit three more prisoners and their two guards. As before, the prisoners were wearing respirators. And as before, once they were inside, Elias closed the door so the air could be refreshed.<\/p>\n
Martin took up another stack of three folders, having put the last three to one side. Facing him now were three women, one apparently black. Once again he briefly told them the situation and asked if they would help. The three women looked at him but didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou all know,\u201d Peter said, \u201cthat Our Leader lied to us. The inhabitants of this world are not animals, but people not that different from ourselves in many ways. We have committed a great crime by trying to steal their water and take them back as food. It is up to us to make some small restitution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d rather die,\u201d the black Visitor said. She turned her face away. The second woman looked at her with disgust.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe may die anyway,\u201d she said. \u201cMuch good it will do you. Yes,\u201d she said to Peter, \u201cI\u2019Il help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re a fool,\u201d the third woman said. \u201cHow long do you think they\u2019ll let you live after they get you back to Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take my chances,\u201d the second woman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d Martin told her as Elias came up to lead her to the inner room. The guards gave the other two prisoners their respirators and, carrying the third respirator, led them back out into the hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat one will be a real help,\u201d Peter said, checking a name off his list. \u201cShe\u2019s a qualified engineering supervisor\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I trust her;\u201d Elias Taylor said. \u201cShe seemed just a little too willing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d Martin said, \u201cbut even so, what choice do we have?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, I know,\u201d Elias said, \u201cbut think about it. She could sabotage the engines instead of repairing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I can remember enough of my training,\u201d Martin said, \u201cto be able to detect that if she tries it.\u201d The door tone sounded, signaling the arrival of yet more interviewees. \u201cLet\u2019s get back to work,\u201d Martin said tiredly.<\/p>\n
Elias started to protest, then shook his head and went to open the door Beyond, as expected, were two more guards and three more Visitors. This was going to take a long time.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Barbara sat at the communications console in the command center The screen in front of her showed the interior of a barracks. Twenty or so Visitor soldiers, armed and armored but with their helmets off, sat or stood around within range of the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me speak to your ranking officer;\u201d Barbara said. The soldiers, grim and angry, exchanged glances until one, a sergeant, came to the front of the group.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess that\u2019s me,\u201d he said. His attitude indicated he didn\u2019t really give a damn.<\/p>\n
\u201cSergeant,\u201d Barbara said in a tired voice, \u201cas you are now aware, we control the entire ship. You are the last platoon of soldiers left alive. The others all died when the toxin was pumped into portions of the ventilating system.\u201d The sergeant lost his devil-may-care expression, and the other soldiers with him began muttering to each other \u201cThat is hard news, l know,\u201d Barbara went on, \u201cbut that\u2019s the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what do you want?\u201d the sergeant asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to kill any more of you than is necessary,\u201d Barbara said, \u201cbut we can\u2019t let you keep your weapons. Several of our people are outside your door right now. Put all your weapons into the security locker and move to the far side of the room. I\u2019ll unseal the door then, and let our people in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then they\u2019ll shoot us all down?\u201d a soldier in back called out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Barbara said. \u201cIf we wanted to kill you we could do it without risk. All I\u2019d have to do is pump toxin directly into your barracks.\u201d She didn\u2019t like threatening them with this, especially since she knew several of the men and women there. The sergeant\u2019s expression became even more grim. Barbara let the soldiers talk it over among themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat will it be?\u201d Barbara asked after a moment. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to make up your minds fast. We have too much else to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sergeant came away from his men and again faced the camera. \u201cAll right,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll go along with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara watched as one by one the soldiers went to the locker at the side of the barracks, put in his or her weapon, and then retreated to the other side of the room. She tried to see that each did as instructed, but sometimes two or three of the soldiers would crowd in together At last they finished. Barbara took a breath, punched a button, and the barracks portal unsealed.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Outside the portal, two rebels and two fifth columnists heard the lock click, then went inside, guns drawn. While one of the fifth columnists went to the gun cabinet, the other three kept the soldiers covered. The fifth columnist at the cabinet took a heavy device the size of a paperback book from his pocket and placed it over the latch. But before he could trip the lock, one of the soldiers pulled a pistol he\u2019d kept concealed, and shot him through the head.<\/p>\n
His victory was short-lived. The other three guards all fired in unison, and the soldier fell, blue sparks racing across his chest and abdomen.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnybody else want to try something?\u201d the rebel in charge asked while the other fifth columnist went over to the gun cabinet. The soldiers stood silently.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s dead,\u201d the man at the cabinet said, kneeling over his fallen companion. He stood and touched the switch on the locking device. There was a crackling as bolts welded themselves to the latch and door He grabbed his dead friend by the shoulders and while the two rebels covered him, dragged him out the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll have to tend to your own dead yourself,\u201d the rebel in charge said. As he stepped back out into the hall, the door closed, and he could hear it lock again.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Barbara watched the scene grimly. Several of the soldiers went to the cabinet, but the locking device resisted their efforts to remove it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still one gun in that room,\u201d Mike Donovan said, corning up to look over her shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s true, but the situation is a lot better than it was before. We could have lost twenty lives instead of just two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we can\u2019t trust any of them,\u201d Mike said. \u201cCan the gun shoot off the lock?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It\u2019s a special security device designed against that very thing. At least we can stop worrying about them for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
She switched the view to another part of the ship, a section of corridor where the fighting had been heavy. It was clear of bodies now, and the red dust on the floor was smeared with footprints and the tracks of dragged corpses.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooks good,\u201d Mike said. \u201cHow much more left to go?\u201d Barbara switched the scene again. Another empty corridor. Yet another shot showed Sancho Gomez and his crew still working. Visitor trustees in respirators were carrying bodies into a compartment under the watchful eye of several armed rebels and fifth columnists.<\/p>\n
Barbara turned on the mike and spoke into it. \u201cHow is it going?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Sancho Gomez looked up at the corner of the corridor wall from which Barbara\u2019s words had come.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re almost through here,\u201d he told her \u201cThen just two more sections left.\u201d \u201cVery good,\u201d he heard her answer as he went back to his work.<\/p>\n
The compartment into which the bodies were being carried was stacked high. Trustees in respirators brought in the last of them from the corridor, then left as Sancho surveyed the scene one more time. He turned away at last and closed the door behind him. He did not notice that one of the last bodies, that of Captain Jake, did not lie perfectly still but rolled over.<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the last of them,\u201d Elias Taylor said as he let yet another group of guards and prisoners into Diana\u2019s quarters. Martin and Peter slumped in their chairs as the three approached their desk. The prisoners were all men this time, all resembling Caucasians.<\/p>\n
The resonance in Peter\u2019s voice was coarsened by fatigue as he explained yet again what he wanted of these people. One of the three men nodded his head in agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could have learned a lot from humans,\u201d he said. \u201cNot all their technology is behind ours. I saw some articles on recombinant DNA. We haven\u2019t come nearly as far in that area. I\u2019ll be more than glad to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just relavish<\/i>,\u201d the one beside him said, spitting a stream of venom onto the floor in front of the desk. \u201cYou don\u2019t expect me to associate with creatures like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does relavish<\/i> mean?\u201d Elias asked from the door. \u201cMammalian vermin,\u201d Martin translated, \u201csort of like rats, in your language, but inedible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they\u2019re not inedible,\u201d the third prisoner said. \u201cHumans are very tasty. Will we be able to keep the ones we\u2019ve got in the hold?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Martin said shortly, and gestured to the guards. Elias came to lead the one who had agreed to cooperate to the back room to join the other Visitor technicians who had similarly expressed a willingness to help. The other two were given their respirators. Elias came back to let them out with their guards. At the same time he let in Juliet Parrish and Caleb Taylor, his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019s it going, Pop?\u201d Elias asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got the corridors cleared,\u201d Caleb said. \u201cWe can start flushing the air any time now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d Juliet said. \u201cHow many technicians do we have?\u201d she asked the two fifth columnists behind the desk.<\/p>\n
Peter looked at his list. \u201cSeventeen,\u201d he said, \u201cand several of them are even qualified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll all have to work under armed guard, though,\u201d Martin cautioned. \u201cI don\u2019t know any of them personally, and we can\u2019t take a chance on trusting them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree,\u201d Caleb said. \u201cI\u2019m going to personally pick their guards, and if any one of them even looks like he\u2019s trying to sabotage the engines, he\u2019ll finish the job in a wheelchair.\u201d<\/p>\n
The communicator at the side of the desk suddenly chimed. Martin pressed a button. \u201cYes,\u201d he said, \u201cwhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Julie there?\u201d Barbara\u2019s voice asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight here,\u201d Juliet said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d better come up the command center right away,\u201d Barbara said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting a signal, a strong one, from somewhere between here and your moon.\u201d<\/p>\n
~~~<\/p>\n
Mike and Barbara were sitting at the communications console, listening to a loud, strange, almost musically modulated signal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is<\/i> that,\u201d Mike Donovan asked, \u201ca Visitor version of heavy-metal rock?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Barbara said as Juliet and Martin came in. \u201cIt\u2019s a distress call.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut who could be sending it?\u201d Juliet asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s only one person I can think of,\u201d Martin said, \u201cand that\u2019s Diana.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s right,\u201d Barbara agreed. \u201cAnd only an escape shuttle has a transmitter powerful enough to send a signal that strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as far as we know,\u201d Donovan said, \u201cthere are no other escape shuttles out there, so it has to be Diana.\u201d Martin nodded. \u201cCan you tell what she\u2019s saying?\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara punched buttons on the console. \u201cI\u2019m afraid not,\u201d she said. \u201cIt sounds like a standard code, but the computer can\u2019t translate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it\u2019s not just a call for help,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThat would be broadcast in the clear.\u201d He reached over Barbara\u2019s shoulder and touched a few more buttons. \u201cNo good,\u201d he went on. \u201cThat\u2019s a high security signal, for ship\u2019s commanders only.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut who can she be calling?\u201d Juliet asked. \u201cCan that signal reach all the way to Sirius?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Barbara answered. \u201cIt can\u2019t even get to the rest of the fleet. They\u2019re all well out of range by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake a fix on it,\u201d Mike told her \u201cOnce we get this ship running again, I want to go pick her up. She has a lot to answer for\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara bent over the console. \u201cIt\u2019s like I said,\u201d she told them. \u201cIt\u2019s coming from a place about a quarter of the way between here and your moon. But it\u2019s going toward the moon, not Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
~~~~~<\/p>\n