smoothing her
long hair, wiping off the tears that rol ed over her cheeks. Eventual y she began to quiet, and he moved to lie down again, but she grabbed his arm.
She was stil unconscious, but she gripped him with the strength of a ful -grown man. Then she spoke softly, in a voice total y unlike her own. It had
such depth and resonance to it, it didn't even sound human.
'They wil come,' she said. 'They are waiting. For so long, they have waited.'
Then she released him, and he forgot any idea of waking her. He had hurried back to his spot on the floor and had buried his head under the
blanket.
A couple of hours later they had dressed and come to the isolation complex, where they had been told to wait in the dark. Terry had not asked
Jennifer about who was coming. He was sure she wouldn't remember the nightmare, and he didn't real y want to hear about it, anyway. He was
feeling kind of superstitious these days. He supposed having a fiancée going to Mars could do that to a fel ow.
A man the size of a goril a approached. He was a security officer. There were a lot of them about. 'Are you Terry Hayes and Jennifer Wagner?' he
asked.
'Yeah,' Terry said. 'Can we go in now?'
'Let me see your identification.'
Terry presented the two badges NASA had issued for visiting Lauren. The man inspected them closely.
'Please, sir?' Jennifer whispered.
The man looked down at her for the longest time. Then he thrust back their I.D.'s. 'Come this way,' he said.
Lauren was beginning to despair of ever seeing Jennifer and Terry. The government was taking no chances with the big secret. As if she real y was
going to tel her fiancé and sister about the footprints.
"Hey, Terry, Jenny, guess what the president told us last night?'
Those people - whoever they were - were paranoid. Gary had tried to cal Kathy in California, but had found their outside lines blocked. They weren't
on TV as Gary had envisioned. They were alone in the conference room, wearing white flight suits. The hal on the other side of the glass was
empty, sealed off and guarded by men who looked to be CIA agents - the president's own boys. Gary was disgusted. He had explained to Jim that
he had to cal a girl in California, and Jim had gone to his room and returned with a lunch pail ful of tools. Now he was taking the video phone apart,
with Gary leaning over his shoulder. There was nothing else to do. The time had been earmarked for visiting with friends and relatives. Along with
Jennifer and Terry, Gary's parents were stranded outside. But Jim, it seemed, had no one waiting to say goodbye to him.
Jim had the video phone's guts exposed. Apparently he knew a way to circumvent the main switchboard. There wasn't much that Jim didn't know.
T-minus two hours and twenty-nine minutes,' the voice through the overhead speakers said.
'Half an hour,' Gary said, holding back a circuit board for Jim.
'Probably less,' Jim muttered. He took his soldering gun and picked up a microchip.
Lauren sighed. 'Why don't they let them in?'
Jim glanced up from his operation. 'You'l see them, Lauren, don't worry. You're not going anywhere until you do. I'm not.'
'Damn right,' Gary agreed. 'We'l go on strike.'
Lauren nodded without much hope. 'Thanks.'
Two minutes later Jim sat back from the disemboweled phone. 'I can trip it now,' he said to Gary.
'And then what?' Gary asked, his face feverish.
'You did say you knew her number?' Jim asked.
Gary tapped his head. 'Got it right here.'
'Good. Essential y what we have done is made this phone into a public one. You can dial her directly.'
'What if she's not home?' Gary asked.
'Seems I heard someone else ask that before,' Lauren muttered.
'I can't work miracles, Gary,' Jim said.
Gary smiled. 'You'l never convince me of that. What do I do?'
Jim picked up a pocket computer - which he had attached to the back of the phone - and two exposed wires. He touched the wires together and
there was a faint spark. 'Cal her now,' he said.
long hair, wiping off the tears that rol ed over her cheeks. Eventual y she began to quiet, and he moved to lie down again, but she grabbed his arm.
She was stil unconscious, but she gripped him with the strength of a ful -grown man. Then she spoke softly, in a voice total y unlike her own. It had
such depth and resonance to it, it didn't even sound human.
'They wil come,' she said. 'They are waiting. For so long, they have waited.'
Then she released him, and he forgot any idea of waking her. He had hurried back to his spot on the floor and had buried his head under the
blanket.
A couple of hours later they had dressed and come to the isolation complex, where they had been told to wait in the dark. Terry had not asked
Jennifer about who was coming. He was sure she wouldn't remember the nightmare, and he didn't real y want to hear about it, anyway. He was
feeling kind of superstitious these days. He supposed having a fiancée going to Mars could do that to a fel ow.
A man the size of a goril a approached. He was a security officer. There were a lot of them about. 'Are you Terry Hayes and Jennifer Wagner?' he
asked.
'Yeah,' Terry said. 'Can we go in now?'
'Let me see your identification.'
Terry presented the two badges NASA had issued for visiting Lauren. The man inspected them closely.
'Please, sir?' Jennifer whispered.
The man looked down at her for the longest time. Then he thrust back their I.D.'s. 'Come this way,' he said.
Lauren was beginning to despair of ever seeing Jennifer and Terry. The government was taking no chances with the big secret. As if she real y was
going to tel her fiancé and sister about the footprints.
"Hey, Terry, Jenny, guess what the president told us last night?'
Those people - whoever they were - were paranoid. Gary had tried to cal Kathy in California, but had found their outside lines blocked. They weren't
on TV as Gary had envisioned. They were alone in the conference room, wearing white flight suits. The hal on the other side of the glass was
empty, sealed off and guarded by men who looked to be CIA agents - the president's own boys. Gary was disgusted. He had explained to Jim that
he had to cal a girl in California, and Jim had gone to his room and returned with a lunch pail ful of tools. Now he was taking the video phone apart,
with Gary leaning over his shoulder. There was nothing else to do. The time had been earmarked for visiting with friends and relatives. Along with
Jennifer and Terry, Gary's parents were stranded outside. But Jim, it seemed, had no one waiting to say goodbye to him.
Jim had the video phone's guts exposed. Apparently he knew a way to circumvent the main switchboard. There wasn't much that Jim didn't know.
T-minus two hours and twenty-nine minutes,' the voice through the overhead speakers said.
'Half an hour,' Gary said, holding back a circuit board for Jim.
'Probably less,' Jim muttered. He took his soldering gun and picked up a microchip.
Lauren sighed. 'Why don't they let them in?'
Jim glanced up from his operation. 'You'l see them, Lauren, don't worry. You're not going anywhere until you do. I'm not.'
'Damn right,' Gary agreed. 'We'l go on strike.'
Lauren nodded without much hope. 'Thanks.'
Two minutes later Jim sat back from the disemboweled phone. 'I can trip it now,' he said to Gary.
'And then what?' Gary asked, his face feverish.
'You did say you knew her number?' Jim asked.
Gary tapped his head. 'Got it right here.'
'Good. Essential y what we have done is made this phone into a public one. You can dial her directly.'
'What if she's not home?' Gary asked.
'Seems I heard someone else ask that before,' Lauren muttered.
'I can't work miracles, Gary,' Jim said.
Gary smiled. 'You'l never convince me of that. What do I do?'
Jim picked up a pocket computer - which he had attached to the back of the phone - and two exposed wires. He touched the wires together and
there was a faint spark. 'Cal her now,' he said.
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