back—but if we do it too soon, you won't have a chance to fetch them, and if we come too late...."
"Same problem we had before," John said. "I'm not anxious to time it that finely again, though I guess it wasn't as close as I thought, since Pei was there all the time."
"There are two coordinates left," Meilan said. "Humé told me about the numbers yesterday. We should check them both."
"I know which one is Ala's," John said, "but she won't be there; she'll be with Humé. So there's no point in—"
"But we can't assume the other coordinate is Humé's," Pei said. "It might be Meilan's or—"
"No," Meilan said. "It is Humé's."
"That's an interesting confusion," Pei said. "We do know where we're going, but perhaps the Standards don't. They may know we have coordinates. If we set down first at the wrong one...."
"It'll act as a diversion! Canute and I did that before, and it seemed to work."
"Perhaps you should go to Ala's enclave, then," Pei said. "I will go to Humé's."
So Pei was volunteering, too, when it counted. John was both disappointed and relieved. He had wanted to find Ala himself, but he didn't want to undertake another tense search so soon after the last. "Good enough. Let's break out the paste and spray so we can convert to Standard in a pinch—"
"I don't think they'll be fooled that way again," Betsy said. "And you already have two layers of color on you. It might start peeling or something."
"I suppose so. All right; let's make this look good. Drop me about five miles north of the enclave, so I seem to be sneaking in. Come back a couple of hours later five miles south of it; that's when we don't want Standards watching."
"You'll need more than two hours, then," Betsy said. "You can't go ten miles on foot and search the enclave in that time."
"Make it four hours, then. And—what time of day is it? At night we could make a quick light...."
"We won't know the time until we get there," Betsy said. "It might be halfway round the planet on the dark side."
"And Humé's enclave might be another half-planet from that! This is getting complicated!"
"Perhaps we must revise our plan again," Pei said. "We must be certain of our two remaining purebreds."
John sighed. "Yes. Drop me at Humé's. Then if you can't check the other enclave in time, come back. Our timing must be right."
"We will set down again five—is it miles?—south," Pei said. "Or at dusk, whichever comes later."
"I can estimate the miles," Betsy said. "It won't be exact either time, but if he makes a light—are there flashlights here?"
They checked. There were none.
Now the taxi was entering the storm region. Wind and rain buffeted it, and the pursuing craft were soon hidden.
"I hope this is half as difficult for them as it is for us!" John said. "I'll look for a light in the enclave. If nothing else, I'll make a fire. Somehow."
"Suppose it doesn't work?" Betsy asked. "I mean, if you can't find them, or you can't make a light, or the Standards catch on...."
"If there's any trouble, don't even try to pick me up. No sense in having us all caught. I can try to trek overland to another rendezvous. Uh—we'd better decide on one."
"Why not an empty enclave?" Meilan said. "They would not look for us there."
The others paused. "You're right!" John said. "They'd be sure we'd stay well away from the zoos! We could hide there indefinitely."
"But which one?" Betsy asked.
"Let me recommend my own," Pei said. "It is well protected, I know where the supplies are stored, and we all know where it is."
They exchanged glances. "I guess it's agreed," John said. "Okay, let's put down somewhere along here in this rain, so the Standards think we're getting out, then bounce over partway and do it again, and finally pass near Humé's enclave and drop me and Canute. By that time the Standards should be thoroughly confused. They can't make a thorough search of every place we stop—I hope."
They gave the taxi the coordinates again but put it on manual
"Same problem we had before," John said. "I'm not anxious to time it that finely again, though I guess it wasn't as close as I thought, since Pei was there all the time."
"There are two coordinates left," Meilan said. "Humé told me about the numbers yesterday. We should check them both."
"I know which one is Ala's," John said, "but she won't be there; she'll be with Humé. So there's no point in—"
"But we can't assume the other coordinate is Humé's," Pei said. "It might be Meilan's or—"
"No," Meilan said. "It is Humé's."
"That's an interesting confusion," Pei said. "We do know where we're going, but perhaps the Standards don't. They may know we have coordinates. If we set down first at the wrong one...."
"It'll act as a diversion! Canute and I did that before, and it seemed to work."
"Perhaps you should go to Ala's enclave, then," Pei said. "I will go to Humé's."
So Pei was volunteering, too, when it counted. John was both disappointed and relieved. He had wanted to find Ala himself, but he didn't want to undertake another tense search so soon after the last. "Good enough. Let's break out the paste and spray so we can convert to Standard in a pinch—"
"I don't think they'll be fooled that way again," Betsy said. "And you already have two layers of color on you. It might start peeling or something."
"I suppose so. All right; let's make this look good. Drop me about five miles north of the enclave, so I seem to be sneaking in. Come back a couple of hours later five miles south of it; that's when we don't want Standards watching."
"You'll need more than two hours, then," Betsy said. "You can't go ten miles on foot and search the enclave in that time."
"Make it four hours, then. And—what time of day is it? At night we could make a quick light...."
"We won't know the time until we get there," Betsy said. "It might be halfway round the planet on the dark side."
"And Humé's enclave might be another half-planet from that! This is getting complicated!"
"Perhaps we must revise our plan again," Pei said. "We must be certain of our two remaining purebreds."
John sighed. "Yes. Drop me at Humé's. Then if you can't check the other enclave in time, come back. Our timing must be right."
"We will set down again five—is it miles?—south," Pei said. "Or at dusk, whichever comes later."
"I can estimate the miles," Betsy said. "It won't be exact either time, but if he makes a light—are there flashlights here?"
They checked. There were none.
Now the taxi was entering the storm region. Wind and rain buffeted it, and the pursuing craft were soon hidden.
"I hope this is half as difficult for them as it is for us!" John said. "I'll look for a light in the enclave. If nothing else, I'll make a fire. Somehow."
"Suppose it doesn't work?" Betsy asked. "I mean, if you can't find them, or you can't make a light, or the Standards catch on...."
"If there's any trouble, don't even try to pick me up. No sense in having us all caught. I can try to trek overland to another rendezvous. Uh—we'd better decide on one."
"Why not an empty enclave?" Meilan said. "They would not look for us there."
The others paused. "You're right!" John said. "They'd be sure we'd stay well away from the zoos! We could hide there indefinitely."
"But which one?" Betsy asked.
"Let me recommend my own," Pei said. "It is well protected, I know where the supplies are stored, and we all know where it is."
They exchanged glances. "I guess it's agreed," John said. "Okay, let's put down somewhere along here in this rain, so the Standards think we're getting out, then bounce over partway and do it again, and finally pass near Humé's enclave and drop me and Canute. By that time the Standards should be thoroughly confused. They can't make a thorough search of every place we stop—I hope."
They gave the taxi the coordinates again but put it on manual
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