"Lindsay, Jim. We've another one. Haynes just called. Heading for
Mojave, should be arriving pretty soon."
"Haynes just called and it is due to land?" demanded Roberts. His
voice seemed to come awake and alert instantly. "High speed, huh?"
"Yup."
"I'm shucking into clothing and I'll be in the scanning room of your
ship in a few minutes."
* * * * *
Roberts hung up, making a remark about finding things in your own
backyard. It was true, reflected Lindsay. The spaceport outside of the
scanning room greenhouse lay darkly quiet. A few flickers of distant
lights were caused by motion of men between them and him, and on the
horizon he could see the soldier-like columns of the vertical boundary
marker lights piercing the sky. Lindsay fumbled in a pocket, and swore
because his cigarettes were in his battle shirt on the chair beside
the bed, and he was still dressed in pajama top and trousers over
the pajama bottoms. He wondered whether he could steal in and get
cigarettes, or whether he'd better wake Jenna anyway, and wondered
where she kept them in the ship--somehow he never really knew because
there was always a package available when he wanted one. He wondered--
And the door opened and Jenna entered with a bright smile. "Cigarette,
darling?" she asked. Over her nightgown she wore Ralph's battle shirt.
She was holding the lighter to two of them held simultaneously between
her very red lips.
He would have forgiven her anything for that. And the fact that instead
of being dull with sleep, Jenna looked fresh and bright gave the woman
an added charm. "Ghastly time to be up and around," she observed with a
smile. She handed him one of the cigarettes and glanced at the clock.
"Oh-two-hundred," she said idly. "Pacific War Time. Thirteen hundred
and twenty-seventh day of. What's up, Ralph?"
Lindsay puffed deeply and let the smoke trickle out with his words.
"Another one--high-speed job."