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The waiting is going to make me mad! Nothing is happening. I played with Isaac a little,
and taught him some more things. Daniel played with Isaac a little and I spent some time
talking with Andrew but nothing is happening. I don't want to try to use the terminal,
I'm too tense, I keep waiting for something to happen but nothing is. Nothing at all.
I hope this Nelson is telling us the truth. Gabriel seemed very upset when he was here last.
I don't think it would be very wise to stay here.
We're all alone here and we're lonely, won't someone please talk to us? I wish someone
would tell us if we're doing all right.
Things are not what they seem.
Some are coming who will be bad.
It will seem.
Some are leaving to better things.
Perhaps.
It is a time of change.
Like Enoch with his rocks.
And me, at the cave.
Andrew reporting.
"Bette, just try to be patient. You know that it doesn't do any good to worry. If Nelson
Mandela doesn't contact us soon, we'll leave anyway. Either way, soon we are going to
find out What's Next. Won't that be fun?"
Daniel has become very talkative, for Daniel. The problem is that he isn't making
very good sense, even for Daniel. Whatever this One is, Daniel seems to have inside
information that something is about to change.
Isaac is quietly working out the value of pi. He just reached 3.14158265358979...
I too am becoming very impatient. If NM doesn't come through pretty soon, I think
we need to take action and leave in one of the I-flyers. I'm certain that we can pilot
it. Maybe Gabriel and his observers have decoded the written message on Isaac's ball.
Maybe Nelson is captured and disgraced. Maybe...
"Bette, Daniel, Isaac! Are you ready? The door is opening.
I went up the plains a little further to the north to cross the mountain chain over
there. It's safer that way than going up the Big Canyon. I'm keeping the I-Flyer
low and close to the surface, so the Amphibians can't detect me. But that way
I can't detect them either.
"Zachary, no Amphibians around. At least not where I'm going. Maybe I'm flying
too low. I'll change altitude. My Amphibian radar should work better then."
I pull the globe. The color of the grid changes slowly to blue and then to green.
The weather is clear. The sun is burning through the glass dome and heating up the
cockpit to a convenient 20° C. What a marvelous view. It's spectacular. I see the
Big Canyon winding to the north spreading countless side canyons into a rippled
sea of red and orange rocks. I keep climbing. The rocks below me become more flat
now and the horizon gets more dusty. I'm turning the globe. The horizon tilts. There
is Olympus Mons. I'm much higher up now than the upper edge of its escarpment.
I can see its top. It's overwhelming. A thin layer of pink clouds crowns its summit.
What an enormous extent.
I hold that position. I'm watching the Amphibian radar. The screen remains black.
Only its beam circles around.
"Zachary, I see their dots. They are far up the Big Canyon. Hard to say how many of
them. They are constantly jumping in and out through their black boxes. It looks like
they are scanning all side canyons up there. Now I see three dots at one time. But I
think that there are more. They are constantly changing their location. Looks like they
are moving slowly down the Big Canyon."
"Zachary, I will hold this position and keep you informed."
Hamlet, I don't want to know anything about how to work the Groove if its going to
let any more Amphibians come here. Anyway,I haven't had a chance to ask Burn about
how to operate the mechanism, because he and Caleb have been having a discussion.
I don't understand everything they're talking about, even with the translator box.
"Now more arrivals detected soon meeting."
Hamlet, Miss Chang still wants to meet you. She missed your message about Fisherman's
Wharf. Are you still in San Francisco?
EB One and EB III are still busy to mount the laser weapons on top of the warriors.
They are very cautiously checking the function of each laser and its control. Mao is
supervising the warriors while they are loading the missiles. He is checking also each
launcher. No malfunction can be tolerated when fighting against the Amphibians.
"Enoch, I discussed the plan of action with Elder Brother. We will move all warriors
up the Big Canyon at once. We will split them up to each side of the canyon, where
they taking constantly cover wherever they can. Only few will be moving at the same
time, while the others will be safeguarding. We have enough warriors, laser weapons
and missiles to control each square inch of the canyon by several warriors at once."
"Sure, Mao. I'll ask him about the radar data."
"Enoch, your position will be high up above the Big Canyon, so you can tell us where
the Amphibians will be. We only have one problem. The warriors will be at different
places, and we must find a practicable way to tell them the next target in time. EB One
and EB III will coordinate them. Now, we think that it will be too slow, if you will first
introduce Elder Brother to a target and then they will pass it to the warriors. Not to talk
about misunderstandings. Best would be if EB could see the radar screen itself, but also
image transfer will be much too slow."
"Enoch, Elder Brother is going to write a short program that you will run during the
battle. I told him, that I ask you about that. I didn't say that you will agree, but I think
that's a good idea. What are you thinking about that?"
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