Gary Hudson activated the speaker system. It wouldn't matter now, voices wouldn't add to the noise of the turbo expander. "MINUS EIGHTY MINUTES AND COUNTING," the computer said. Damn, it feels good to hear that again!
The door to the Operations Planning Room opened, and Lee Arteria came out wearing the silk kimono that Hudson kept in the shower in his office suite. "Yours, Hudson? I like your taste," she said. "But someone seems to have moved my clothes."
"Next room. You won't need all the weapons, you know."
"I don't need any, do I?"
Hudson frowned. "Not by me. But I haven't told them upstairs about the change in the passenger list. Not too late to rethink it."
"Nothing to rethink. This career's over."
"So you run away. What do you think you'll do up there?"
She shook her head. "I'm not useless you know. I have an engineering degree. Air Force ROTC. I wanted to work in the space program. I got my commission, but they didn't need engineers, and they did need police investigators. I was good at that, but I can learn anything." She smiled slightly, a thin, wistful smile. "I can make babies. My biological clock is going tick, tick, brrinnggg!"
"OK, you convinced me. I gather you already convinced Dr. Needleton."
"Let's say he's no longer objecting."
"All right, the hour's up. Where is she?" Moorkith demanded.
Colonel Murphy looked embarrassed. "She ordered the helicopter to meet her at an area above Cajon Pass, but the place was empty when they got there. We're searching the area."
"Searching the area."
"Yes, Mr. Moorkith. She may be hurt, or taken prisoner."
"I don't believe one word of that," Moorkith said. "And neither do you. She's gone over. Helping them! That's what's happened. Now, Colonel, unless you want to explain all this to the Secretary of Defense, you will cooperate with me."
"What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to think! What could have persuaded her to help the Angels? She must know they'd be caught."
Lieutenant Billings had been listening quietly. Now he drew in his breath sharply.
Moorkith looked at him. "Well, Lieutenant?"
"Nothing, sir. Just a thought."
"Out with it," Moorkith said.
Billings shook his head. "Sir, it was nothing--"
"Tell us," Colonel Murphy said.
"Maybe they won't get caught, sir."
Murphy frowned. "Billings, there's no way! There's no place in this country, on this continent--oh.
"What in hell are you talking about, Colonel?" Moorkith demanded.
"Nothing, sir."
"God damn you people! You know something, you know something--" He stopped and looked thoughtful. "So. Not on this continent. Not on this planet, right? They have a way to get back to orbit, don't they? What is it? Where?"
"No place," Murphy said. "It's silly."
"Silly or not, Colonel, this is a direct order from me acting with the authority of the National Security Counciclass="underline" how might they get those Angels back into orbit?"
Murphy and Billings looked at each other helplessly. Finally Murphy said, slowly, "Phoenix."
"There's a rocket ship in Phoenix?"
"MINUS FIFTY MINUTES AND COUNTING. TAKE YOUR LAUNCH STATIONS. CLEAR THE BASE AREA. CLEAR THE BASE AREA."
Bob Needleton was buttoning his shirt as he came out of the Ops Planning Room. Everyone carefully looked away as he came out onto the porch. "Where is she?" he asked.
"Getting aboard," Harry said. "Uh--you're not going to make trouble?"
"Huh? No. She goes. I'll be staying here to fight the danelaw."
He went down to the Phoenix hangar. The roof was open now, open to the stars burning brightly in the high desert. The moon was just going down, and there was the faintest tinge of dawn to the east, but straight above was cold and dark and clear.
Sherrine and Arteria were climbing up the scaffolding. Hudson and Alex stood at the top, sixty feet above.
"Go with God," Gordon shouted.
"Yo!"
Bob Needleton waved. "Good-bye, Sherrine. Captain Arteria… Lee. Name them after the kids in Doc Smith's Children of the Lens. Guys, I'm hungry."
"There's food left over," Harry said. "Look we've all got our escape assignments. You're to go in Lee's car. They thought that would be appropriate. If you're--Sandy here will drive, he knows the area."
Hudson got into the ship.
"CLEAR THE BASE AREA."
"Guess that's it, then," Bob Needleton said. "Seems like an--I guess it's over. From the Ice to the Desert." He stood at the door to the hangar, reluctant to leave, until Harry pulled him away.
They reached the car. Sandy Sanders was already in the driver's seat.
Wheep! Wheep!
The fax machine startled them.
CAPTAIN LEE ARTERIA THIS IS COLONEL ANTHONY MURPHY. OFFICIAL. MISTER JHERI MOORKITH WITH AUTHORITY OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL HAS ASSUMED COMMAND OF OPERATION FALLEN ANGEL. HE HAS DECIDED THAT THERE WILL BE AN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE OUR JURISDICTION BY ILLEGAL LAUNCH OF A USAF EXPERIMENTAL SHIP CALLED PHOENIX AT PRESENT HELD IN A USAF MUSEUM AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE. YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO DO ALL IN YOUR POWER TO PREVENT THE LAUNCH OF THE PHOENIX ROCKET. FYI MOORKITH LEFT HERE TEN MINUTES AGO WITH LIEUTENANT BILLINGS IN YOUR HELICOPTER, DESTINATION EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, REPEAT, DESTINATION EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE.
"Holy shit," Needleton said. "How do we tell Hudson?"
"Cissy and Gordon are still in the blockhouse," Harry said. He looked at his watch. "I think they are."
"Harry, run this over," Bob said. "Have him read it to Hudson."
"Then what?" Sandy asked.
"Then nothing," Harry said. "Hudson ordered us not to fight, and it don't matter anyway. We can't fight a chopper. Can't even mess up the landing areas, there are too many up here. Get Bob out of here, Sandy."
Sandy looked to Needleton. Bob nodded. "Let's go," he said. "Who knows, if enough of us run away, maybe they'll chase us. Let's go."
Miller read the fax and shook his head. "I've got a bad feeling about this--" He punched the intercom button. "Phoenix, we have a problem." He read the fax.
There was a long pause.
"Okay, we got it," Hudson said. "Not that there's much we can do. We wait. Know any prayers?"
"Edwards," Lee Arteria said. "Moorkith said Edwards, so that's where they're taking him! I know Murphy, if they were coming to Thunder Ridge he'd have said Thunder Ridge. I think we're going to make it!"
"Cutting it damned close," Hudson said. "Miller, get your people out of here. We may be able to shave a few minutes off the launch time. I'll talk to Commander Hopkins. You people, get out. Now! Go!"
"MINUS TWENTY MINUTES AND COUNTING," the computer said.
"And who do you think it's talking to?" Sherrine asked.
"No one, I hope," Gary said. "But you never know about fans. And Harry."
"We're blind in here," Arteria said. "If I'd been thinking we could have rigged up a way to communicate with whoever's in my car--"
"Bob Needleton," Hudson said.
"Alex, is it always like this?" Arteria asked. "Waiting? I'm beginning to know what criminals must feel like--"
"Phoenix, this is Freedom," a woman's voice said.
"Roger, Freedom."
"I am patching in a relay. Stand by."
"Alex, this is Gordon. We relay to you."
"Roger, Gordo. Good to hear from you. What's up?"
"Not you, but Air Police helicopter has landed at Edwards main base."
"Eighteen miles from here," Hudson muttered. "Ten minutes flight--"