hell," another said.

"We're going back down," Franks said. "Fall in by twos and follow us."

Reluctantly, the soldiers regrouped. The leadys watched without emotion
as the men marched slowly back toward the warehouse. Franks and Moss and
Taylor led them across the ground, glancing alertly at the leadys as
they walked.

They entered the warehouse. D-class leadys were loading material and
weapons on surface carts. Cranes and derricks were working busily
everywhere. The work was done with efficiency, but without hurry or
excitement.

The men stopped, watching. Leadys operating the little carts moved past
them, signaling silently to each other. Guns and parts were being
hoisted by magnetic cranes and lowered gently onto waiting carts.

"Come on," Franks said.

He turned toward the lip of the Tube. A row of D-class leadys was
standing in front of it, immobile and silent. Franks stopped, moving
back. He looked around. An A-class leady was coming toward him.

"Tell them to get out of the way," Franks said. He touched his gun. "You
had better move them."

Time passed, an endless moment, without measure. The men stood, nervous
and alert, watching the row of leadys in front of them.

"As you wish," the A-class leady said.

It signaled and the D-class leadys moved into life. They stepped slowly
aside.

Moss breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad that's over," he said to Franks. "Look at them all. Why don't
they try to stop us? They must know what we're going to do."

Franks laughed. "Stop us? You saw what happened when they tried to stop
us before. They can't; they're only machines. We built them so they
can't lay hands on us, and they know that."

His voice trailed off.

The men stared at the Tube entrance. Around them the leadys watched,
silent and impassive, their metal faces expressionless.

For a long time the men stood without moving. At last Taylor turned
away.

"Good God," he said. He was numb, without feeling of any kind.

The Tube was gone. It was sealed shut, fused over. Only a dull surface
of cooling metal greeted them.

The Tube had been closed.

* * * * *

Franks turned, his face pale and vacant.

The A-class leady shifted. "As you can see, the Tube has been shut. We
were prepared for this. As soon as all of you were on the surface, the
order was given. If you had gone back when we asked you, you would now
be safely down below. We had to work quickly becaus