we intend to keep ahead of Atteo's colleagues."
Kilby drew in an unsteady breath. "You warned Rane and Santin?"
Halder nodded. "I sent the alert signal to their apartment ComWeb in thecapital. Under the circumstances, I didn't think a person-to-person callwould be advisable. They'll have time to pack and get out to the ranchbefore we arrive. We'll give them the details then."
"Did you reset the trap switch at the house entry?"
Halder slowed the cab, turning it into one of the cross-city trafficlines above Draise. "No," he said. "Knocking out a few more Federationagents wouldn't give us any advantage. It'll be eight or nine hoursbefore Atteo will be able to talk; and, with any luck at all, we'll beclear of the planet by that time."
The dark woman who was Kilby and a controlled devil's swarm of microlifelooked over at him and asked in Kilby's voice, "Halder, do you think weshould still go on trying to find the others now?"
"Of course. Why stop?"
Kilby hesitated, said, "It took you three months to find me. Four monthslater, we located Rane Rellis ... and Santin, at almost the same time.Since then we've drawn one blank after another. A year and a half gone,and a year and a half left."
She paused, and Halder said nothing, knowing she was fighting to keepher voice steady. After a few seconds, Kilby went on. "Almost twelvehundred still to find, scattered over a thousand worlds. Most of themprobably in hiding, as we were. And with the Federation on our trail ...even if we get away this time, what chance is there now of contactingthe whole group before time runs out?"
Halder said patiently, "It's not an impossibility. We've been forced tospend most of the past year and a half gathering information, studyingthe intricate functioning of this gigantic civilization--so many thingsthat our mentors on Kalechi either weren't aware of or chose not to tellus. And we haven't done too badly, Kilby. We're prepared now to conductthe search for the group in a methodical manner. Nineteen hours inspace, and we'll be on another world, under cover again, with newidentities. Why shouldn't we continue with the plan until ..."
Kilby interrupted without change of expression. "Until we hear some daythat billions of human beings are dying on the Federation's worlds?"
Halder kept his eyes fixed on the traffic pattern ahead. "It won't cometo that," he said.
"Won't it? How can you be sure?" Kilby asked tonelessly.
"Well," Halder asked, "what else can we do? You aren't suggesting thatwe give ourselves up--"
"I've thought of it."
"And be picked apart mentally and physically in the Federation'slaboratories?" Halder shook his head. "In their eyes we'd be Kalechi'screatures ... monsters. Even if we turn ourselves in, they'll think it'ssome trick, that we'd realized we'd get caught anyway. We couldn'texpect much mercy. No, if everything fails, we'll see to it that theFederation gets adequate warning. But not, if we can avoid it, at theexpense of our own lives." He glanced over at her, his eyes troubled."We've been over this before, Kilby."
"I know." Kilby bit her lip. "You're right, I suppose."
Halder let the cab glide out of the traffic lane, swung it aroundtowards the top of a tall building three miles to their left. "We'll beat the club in a couple of minutes," he said. "If you're too disturbed,it would be better if you stayed in the car. I'll pick up ourflighthiking outfits and we can take the cab on to the city limitsbefore we dismiss it."
Kilby shook her head. "We agreed we shouldn't change any details of theescape plan unless it was absolutely necessary. I'll straighten out.I've just let this situation shake me too much."
* * * * *
They set the aircab to traffic-safe random cruise control before gettingout of it at their club. It lifted quietly into the air again as soon asthe door had closed, was out of sight beyond the building before theyreached the club entrance. The driver's records had indicated that hisshift would end in three hours. Until that time he would not be missed.More hours would pass after the cab was located before the man returnedto consciousness. What he had to say then would make no difference.
In one of the club rooms, rented to a Mr. and Mrs. Anley, they changedto shorts and flighthiking equipment, then took a tube to the outskirtsof Draise where vehicleless flight became possible. Forest parksinterspersed with small residential centers stretched away to the east.They set their flight harnesses to Draise's power broadcast system,moved up fifty feet and floated off into the woods, energizing drive anddirection units with the measured stroking motion which madeflighthiking one of the most relaxing and enjoyable of sports. Andone--so Halder had theorized--which would be considered an improbableoccupation for a couple attempting to escape from the Federation'sman-hunting systems.
For an hour and a half, they held a steady course eastwards, followingthe contours of the rolling forested ground, rarely emerging into theopen. Other groups of vehicleless fliers passed occasionally; as membersof a sporting fraternity, they exchanged waves and shouted greetings. Atlast, a long, wild valley opened ahead, showing no trace of humanhabitation; at its far end began open land, dotted with small tobaccofarms where automatic cultivators moved unhurriedly about. Kilby,glancing back over her shoulder at Halder for a moment, swung aroundtowards one of the farms, gliding down close to the ground, Haldertwenty feet behind her. They settled down beside a hedge at the foot ofa slope covered with tobacco plants. A small gate in the hedgeimmediately swung open.
"All clear here, folks!" a voice curiously similar to Halder's addressedthem from the gate speaker.
Rane Rellis, a lanky, red-headed man with a wide-boned face, wasstriding down the slope towards them as they moved through the gate. "Wegot your alert," he said, "but as it happens, we'd already realized thatsomething had gone wrong."
Kilby gave him a startled glance. "Somebody has been checking on you,too?"
"Not that ... at least as far as we know. Come on up to the shed.Santin's already inside the mountain." As they started along the narrowpath between the rows of plants, Rellis went on, "The first responsesto our inquiries came in today. One of them looked very promising.Santin flew her car to Draise immediately to inform you about it. Shescanned your home as usual before calling, discovered three strange menwaiting inside."
"When was this?" Halder interrupted.
"A few minutes after one o'clock. Santin checked at once at your placeof work and Kilby's, learned you both were absent, deduced you werestill at large and probably on your way here. She called to tell meabout it. Your alert signal sounded almost before she'd finishedtalking."
Halder glanced at Kilby. "We seem to have escaped arrest by somethinglike five minutes," he remarked dryly. "Were you able to bring therecords with you, Rane?"
"Yes, everything. If we get clear of Orado, we can pick up almost wherewe left off." Rane Rellis swung the door of the cultivator shed open andfollowed them in, closing and locking the door behind him. They crossedquickly through the small building to an open wall portal at the farend. Beyond the portal a large, brightly lit room was visible,comfortably furnished, windowless. Between that room and the shed theportal spanned a distance of seven miles, a vital point in theorganization of their escape route. If they were traced this far, thetrail would end--temporarily, at least--at the ranch.
They stepped over into the room, and Rane Rellis pulled down a switch.Behind them the portal entry vanished. Back in the deserted ranchbuilding, its mechanisms were bursting into flames, would burn fiercelyfor a few seconds and fuse to dead slag.
* * * * *
Rane said tightly, "I feel a little better now ... just a little! TheFed agents are good, but I haven't yet heard of detection devices thatcould drive through five hundred yards of solid rock to spot us inside amountain." He paused as a tall girl with black hair, dark-brown eyes,came in from an adjoining room. Santin Rellis was the only one of thefour who was not employing a biological disguise at the moment. In spiteof the differences in their appearance, she might have been taken forKilby's sister.
/> Halder told them what had occurred in Draise, concluded, "I'd believedthat suspicion was more likely to center first on one of you.Particularly, of course, on Santin, working openly in Orado'sIdentification Center."
Santin grinned. "And, less openly, copying out identity-patterns!" sheadded. Her face sobered quickly again. "There's no indication of whatdid attract attention to you?"
Halder shook his head. "I can only think it's the microbiological workI've been