She had been singing for nearly an hour. Inevitably, somebody had produced a guitar and asked her to perform. She was swept away from Kinsman by the crowd, as much a prisoner of her marvelous voice as he was of his haunting memories. Now, as he gazed out at the bleak beauty of the Sea of Clouds, her singing ended and Kinsman could hear snatches of whispered conversation among the partygoers:
"... Takamara says there hasn't been a dolphin in the 308
North Pacific all year. They've gone the way of the whales, looks like."
". . . get back in time to do some Christmas shopping. The kids will be so excited ..."
"... just rounded up the whole department and marched them off to an internment camp. Claimed they were deliberately holding back on developing the new pacification gas."
'The whole damned department?"
"Eighteen men and women. Took their families, too. They're all in Nebraska someplace, working in an Army base. The ones who refused to go are getting re-educated with electroshock therapy and mindbenders."
"Without a trial? Or due process?"
"Hah!"
"They can't do that! It's against the Constitution!"
"Sure it is. But don't say it too loudly. You could get a paid vacation to Nebraska, too, you know."
Hugh Harriman came up beside Kinsman. But now the little round man was quiet and serious. With a lift of his eyebrows, Harriman asked, "What's this I hear about a yellow alert?"
"Christ," Kinsman muttered. "Aren't there any secrets in this town?"
"I know we civilians aren't supposed to know," Harri- man said, "but how serious is it? Are you and Leonov going to arm-wrestle, or is this the real thing?"
"I wish I knew."
Harriman gulped at his drink. "That bad?"
"It won't be arm-wrestling."
"Damned fools."
A thought struck Kinsman, and he almost smiled. "Hey, if we're ordered to seal our half of the base from all foreign nationals, what the hell are we going to do with you? Brazil still hasn't come through with your papers, have they?"
"Of course not, the bastards. It's been almost two years now. I'm officially a stateless person. Another few months and I won't be able to stand up straight on Earth. They've got me by the balls—invite me up here with their sociology team and then revoke my citizenship."
