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documentary about a manned mission that had landed on Mars; an industrial
espionage thriller set in Russia, China, and Europe; and other snippets of the
world of the twenty-
first century. Because of the security that had been enforced at Pipe Organ,
however, phone capability was not included-a Message Center screened all
callout requests. The few that Cassidy attempted out of curiosity to some
numbers advertised openly in the directory under "Sex Partners, Groups &
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Clubs" had been denied.
'All set?" one of the guards inquired, keeping his voice low.
"We're ready," Cassidy said.
"Nothing to carry?" the other asked, looking around the room.
"I guess not," Ferracini said. "We didn't exactly come here prepared for a
vacation." They walked into the darkened outer room, where a night nurse was
sitting by the far door, bathed in a circle of light from the lamp on her
desk. "Where's Floyd?" Ferracini asked.
"He went on ahead with Paddy and Ed," Cassidy replied. "We'll catch up with
them over on the other side."
They stopped in front of the nurse's desk on their way out. "Thanks for
putting him back together again," Cassidy said to her. "You people did a good
job, really. That's how he looks.
It's normal."
"Thanks for everything," Ferracini said. "Sorry we have to rush off like
this."
"We're sorry it couldn't have been longer, too," the nurse replied. "Well,
whatever this is all about, and wherever you're going-good luck."
They went out in the corridor and along to the elevators, where two more ClAP
guards were waiting with Anna Kharkiovitch and Keith Adamson. One of them was
holding a car ready, and with few words the party descended to one of the
underground levels. They followed a long, brightly lighted tunnel that led
underneath the central compound to a concourse below the lobby of the main
building. A couple of senior CIAF officers were waiting to take them through
into the security area, and minutes later they were on their way down to the
transfer lock, in the heart of the Pipe
Organ complex.
They came out into another concourse and went through some doors on the
opposite side to find themselves in the lock antechamber. A small group was
waiting around the two gurneys on which
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Ryan and Payne had been brought across. It included the scientists T'ung-Sen,
Hallman, and Eddie, as well as Dr. Pfanzer, both Scholders, and both
Winslades. Up in the control room another handful of scientists, backed by a
squad of CIAF guards, had moved the bewildered duty crew over to one wall of
the room and taken their places at the key operators' stations. There was an
air of urgency about the place.
Young Winslade came over to shake everyone's hand in turn, followed by young
Scholder.
"Well, that's all of you," he said. "I'm sorry your visit to our world
couldn't have been longer.
There's so much we could have shown you."
"I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but I do know you people are sticking
your necks out for us," Ferracini said. "We appreciate it." Cassidy and Lamson
echoed the sentiment.
"We feel we owe you at least that much," young Scholder said. Then somebody
came out of the control room and signaled from the gallery.
"I hate to cut this short, but time is critical," young Winslade said. "The
beam's up and centered."
"It's time," Winslade told his party.
Ferracini moved up beside the gurneys and looked down at Payne. "Feel up to
traveling, Ed?"
"If we're going home, I'll damn well get off this thing and walk if I have
to," Payne rasped. Ferracini grinned.
"You'll have to stay out of trouble with that hip after we get '4 back,
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Paddy," Winslade said, patting Ryan on the shoulder. "You'd never be able to
explain away the X-rays."
A couple of ClAP troopers took the gurneys and began ~ wheeling them into the
lock. The rest of the party followed. Scholder lingered for a moment to shake
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