"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--"
"Five," Arteria said.
"And they'll hear the compressor," Hudson said.
"I don't think so," Arteria said. "We drove a good halfway here before we heard it--but you can see the lights up here with no trouble at all."
"Oh, shit," Hudson said.
"MINUS FIFTEEN MINUTES AND COUNTING."
"All right, now where is this Phoenix?" Moorkith demanded.
"Phoenix, sir?" the operations sergeant asked. The name tag on his coverall said "MacDaniel." "It's in a museum up on Thunder Ridge."
"Thunder Ridge? Where's that?"
The sergeant pointed. "You see them lights up there across the lake? That's Thunder Ridge."
Moorkith turned to Billings. "What in the hell are you up to?"
"Sir? You asked to be taken to Edwards. We're at Edwards."
"God damn you, you knew I wanted to get to the Phoenix!"
Billings kept a straight face. "Sir, you told Colonel Murphy I was to take you to Edwards. I took you to Edwards. I assume you want to clear this activity on U.S. Air Force property with the base commander. Sir."
"And where is he?" Moorkith demanded.
The operations sergeant looked at Billings, then back at Moorkith. "Sir, he's in Rosamond. He doesn't live on base."
"Then who the hell is in charge here?"
"Sir, that would be the Officer of the Day, Major Cobb."
"And where is he?"
"In the Operations Office, sir."
"You bastards are going to give me a runaround all night, aren't you?" Moorkith demanded. "You're all in this together. You're finished, Billings, you and Murphy and Arteria, you're all finished!"
"Yes, sir. Did you want to see Major Cobb, sir?"
"No, I want you to take me up to Thunder Ridge."
"Yes, sir. Sergeant, see that this chopper is fueled up and--"
"Damn it, NOW!"
"But, sir, we're low on fuel. And, Sergeant, I thought I heard a funny noise in the main bearing. Probably nothing, but you better check it out."
Sergeant MacDaniel fought with a grin and almost won. "Yes, sir."
"Space cadets," Moorkith said. "Sergeant, get me a car. That car. Right there. Are the keys in it? Good. You two, you guys with the guns, come with me. Now. Lieutenant, when you get your helicopter working, you can use it to get up on that ridge and stop that launch or you can stuff it up your ass. Either way, Billings, either way, you are finished. Done. Do you understand me?"
"Well, not quite, sir. Now I suppose it's pretty astonishing that a bunch of Air Force people would have an interest in space--"
"And you can quit stalling, too," Moorkith said. "All right you men. Get in the car. I'll drive. Sergeant, open the fucking gate, and don't give me any problems about that."
Sergeant MacDaniel shrugged. "Yes, sir. Give me a moment to get the keys."
Inspector Glen Bailey drove the Green Police car through Mojave and east on Highway 58, keeping his eyes on Thunder Ridge more than on the road. Any moment now, he thought. Any moment.
As he drove he sang softly to himself.
"And the Earth is clean as a springtime dream,
No factory smokes appear,
For they've left the land to the gardener's hand,
And they all are orbiting here…"
Bob Needleton looked at his watch. "Stop," he said. Sandy pulled over to the edge of the road. Needleton got out and leaned on the car. He looked south, to Thunder Ridge, and waited. It was just before dawn, a few stars left in the west, none in the east, but it was still dark on the ground. Not quite dawn, Needleton thought. Not by Mohammed's definition, can't tell a black thread from a white one--
There was a flash on Thunder Ridge. Then another, even brighter.
Jheri Moorkith could see the big hangar through the fence. The base area of Thunder Ridge was deserted, but there were lights everywhere, and the roof of the big building two hundred yards away had been swung open. The Air Police car stopped, and Airman Joey Murasaki got out. "Gate's locked," he shouted. "No keys."
The hangar was just ahead, but there was no way through the locked gate. Jheri Moorkith was tempted to scream, but managed to be calm. "Shoot the lock off," he ordered.
Sergeant Malcolm Lincoln sniffed. "Sir, that works better in movies than the real world. Maybe I should get a hammer out of the trunk and open it with that?"
"I don't care how you do it, open that gate!"
Two blows of the hammer smashed the lock, but the gate still wouldn't open. "It's wired shut," Sergeant Lincoln said. "Joey, get me the bolt cutters out of the trunk."
There was a bright flash from the hangar. The corrugated aluminum walls shook, and there was thunder.