"This is no time for personalities," Chung said. "Go on, Avis. You can
be thinking what records and other paper we should take, while you're
on your way. I've got to organize the evacuation. As for Miss Ziska,
well, Mike needs somebody to pull him out of his dive."
"Her?" Avis wailed, and fled.
Chung sat down and flipped his intercom to Phone Central. "Get me
Captain Janichevski aboard the _Pallas_," he ordered. "Hello, Adam?
About that general alarm--"
Blades raised a haggard countenance toward Ellen's. "You better clear
out, along with the women and any men who don't want to stay," he
said. "But I think most of them will take the chance. They're on a
profit-sharing scheme, they stand to lose too much if the place is
ruined."
"What do you mean?"
"It's a gamble, but I don't believe Hulse's sealed orders extend to
murder. If enough of us stay put, he'll have to catch that thing. He
jolly well knows its exact trajectory."
"You forget we're under martial law," Chung said, aside to him. "If we
don't go freely, he'll land some PP's and march us off at gunpoint.
There isn't any choice. We've had the course."
"I don't understand," Ellen said shakily.
Chung went back to his intercom. Blades fumbled out his pipe and
rolled it empty between his hands. "That missile was shot off on
purpose," he said.
"What? No, you must be sick, that's impossible!"
"I realize you didn't know about it. Only three or four officers have
been told. The job had to be done very, very secretly, or there'd be a
scandal, maybe an impeachment. But it's still sabotage."