CRADLE OF SATURN BY JAMES P. HOGAN

“What’s happening in other places?” Colby asked. “We weren’t prepared for the whole global system going down at once. Since Washington went off the air, we don’t know what’s been going on.”

“Visibility in most places is too bad to for me to say much,” Idorf replied. “There have been large bolide explosions over Eastern Europe and much of Asia. Our radar shows more to be expected in the next few days. Big waves caused by offshore impacts in the western Mediterranean have done a lot of damage along the French and Spanish coasts. Barcelona has been practically wiped out by a direct strike.

The room listened grimly. Nobody asked further questions. Keene licked his lips. “You’re coming in via Amspace?” he queried.

“Yes.”

“Is there anyone available on the circuit there? Can I see how they’re doing while we’ve got the connection?”

Idorf looked away and seemed to be asking somebody something about how long they’d got. “Yes, we have someone there,” he replied. “They’re putting him on. But keep it brief. We’re getting near the edge of our range.”

The screen faded for a moment, then stabilized again to show a begrimed figure with a bandaged head, wearing a forage cap and dust-streaked shirt. It took Keene a moment to recognize him as Harry Halloran. “Harry?” he said, just to be sure.

“Lan Keene. Since we’re linking the Kronians to their ship, I take it you’ve got them back.”

“Yes, but don’t ask me to tell you the story. Listen, Harry, we may not have much time. I just wanted to know how it’s going there. Did Marvin get the evacuation started?”

Halloran shook his head. “Everyone’s still here at Kingsville. When we began assembling them here, rumors started going around that Amspace was buying up food and gas and hoarding it, and we got invaded.”

“Invaded? Who by?”

“People coming in from the coast. Some of them just seemed to go crazy—tearing the fences down and taking whatever they could grab. It’s still ugly, Lan. We’ve had to fight to hang on to what’s ours. There’s been shooting. I don’t know what we’d have done without our own security guys. The police are too stretched to deal with it.”

“Shooting? Anybody hurt?” Keene asked.

“Sure. Some dead on both sides. The plant was like a battleground this morning. It’s calmed down now, but for how long, I don’t know. We’re still trying to organize the move to Lubbock but a lot of people here are quitting and just going with the general flow.”

Keene put a hand to his head. It had to come. But so soon? And it was going to get worse. “Harry, do you know anything about the people from my outfit—Vicki and the girls there? They were supposed to have come into Kingsville too. Have you seen them anywhere? Do you know where they are?”

Halloran shook his head. “I did see them here last night. But now? Who knows? They could be anywhere in this, if they’re still around. There are people showing up and leaving all the time.”

Keene stared at the screen. Sariena was watching him. Suddenly, he knew what it was that had held him back. It had been there all the time, for years, and he just hadn’t let himself see it. He needed to get back there. But once he did—if he did—there would be only one way out.

“Harry, do one thing for me,” he said. “Find Vicki and tell her to get to San Saucillo with whoever of the girls can make it there. And tell her to stay there. Whatever happens.”

“Lan, we’ve got about—”

“Just do it, Harry. Find her, and tell her! This one thing. Okay?”

Halloran gulped and nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Not good enough, Harry.”

Halloran nodded rapidly. “Okay. If she’s here I’ll find her and I’ll tell her. What are you going to do?”

“Did Wally ever get back from Washington?” Keene asked.

“We heard he was on a plane that had to put down in St. Louis. I don’t know where he is now.”

“He told me that Marvin was getting the shuttle down at Montemorelos checked out. You have to know about it.”

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