"What about the others?" Hawkins asked.
"Fran Volkers and Don Batson have already gone back. Debra is staying here."
"Is that her choice?" Hawkins asked.
"Yes. It is her choice." The three figures faded to the point of almost disappearing, then reappeared. "We may not be able to keep the portal open much longer. Go!"
Hawkins unfastened the protective suit and threw it on top of the bomb. He walked to the portal and stepped through without a backward glance. The portal flashed and he was gone.
"One minute," Batson announced.
"What will happen now?" Fran suddenly asked. "What did your projections show as the most probable course of events if the bomb is stopped and the governments cooperate?"
Pencak smiled. "That, my dear, is for you to live." The old woman's smile dissolved and faded, along with the rest of her, and Fran and Don were left alone at the bottom of the crater.
"It worked," Don whispered.
Fran looked up where the first rays of the sun were lancing over the rim of the crater and tickling the far side with their warmth. "It worked so far. But now it's up to us to make sure things stay on track." She reached out and took Don's hand. "It's a long walk to the top. I think we ought to get going." Together they walked across the crater bottom toward the closest side, where a winding trail led to the rim.
The wall disappeared, leaving bare rock in its place. The Russian general turned and looked at Lamb. "The twenty-four hours are up."
Lamb nodded. "They've closed it off."
"They've been doing that at Tunguska on and off over the past day," the general commented. He reached a hand up and pressed an earplug tighter in as he strained to listen.
"Tunguska has closed again. My men also report that the strange craft went back through just three minutes ago." The general pulled the earplug out and regarded Lamb solemnly. "What do you think the Coalition's decision was?"
Lamb felt something give way inside himself and suddenly he felt lighter and freer than he had in years. He put an arm on the Russian's shoulder. "We may never know. We can only hope it was to extend the perimeter. If not-well, either way we must join together and prepare either for eventual acceptance into the Coalition or to fight the Swarm. But we no longer have to wonder what path to choose-it's been chosen for us."
Epilogue
Hawkins felt terribly disoriented for a few seconds. His hands twitched on the steering wheel and the pickup almost swerved off the road.
"Watch it, hon!" Mary exclaimed, her hand squeezing his arm.
Hawkins slammed on the brakes and pulled off the road onto the shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Mary asked, looking at him with concern.
Hawkins steadied himself against the back of the seat as he looked at his wife, alive and vibrant in the bright sunshine streaming through the windshield.
"Are you all right?"
Hawkins nodded. "I'm fine. Just fine." He fought back the confusion and forced a smile. "What's today's date?"
"Twenty-second June."
"What year?"
Mary playfully punched her husband on the shoulder. "Oh, come on, now. What are you trying to pull?"
"Please, Mary, just tell me the year?"
The smile faded from Mary's lips as she saw tears forming in her husband's eyes. "Nineteen ninety-one."
He turned off the engine and grabbed her with both arms, squeezing her tight to him. "Tell you what. Why don't we just sit here?" He wrapped her up tightly and waited, letting the minutes tick by until he knew it was safe and that the future was now much different.
The world dissolved around Debra, as if everything were going through a portal and she were the lone point of stability. There was a flash of white and then, in a dizzying array of colors, everything came back into focus-except it wasn't what had been.
Ayers Rock loomed in the near distance, intact and spectacular in the early afternoon sun. The desert that had surrounded the monolith in her time was replaced by rolling green plains.
She was standing in the center of a large circle, carpeted in some sort of soft red fabric. A waist-high railing surrounded the circle and there were people gathered all around. As soon as they saw her, a tall, strong-looking man strode forward, his arms outstretched. "Welcome, Debra. I am Raynor Batson Volkers and I welcome you to your time." He pointed at a skimmer, parked at the side of the circle. "My parents are waiting to talk to you."