gone. He did not return that night.

*

The next day the woman was genuinely concerned. She had just begun to
lose hope, when the smoky film of the entrance dissolved and opened out
onto the cleft. A man stepped through, but it was not Lawrence.

"Morgan? What's wrong, where's Lawrence?"

"He's dead."

Such an empty shock. "What? What happened?"

He was trying to sabotage a missile base, with several others. His
papers were challenged and he was shot. I'm sorry."

"Dead," she stammered. "Dead. Will they kill us all, one by one?"
She began to weep.

"Unless we stop them."

"How, damn it! How?"

"A piece at a time."

"But you said you had a plan. For ME."

"I do."

"Well what is it? Stop treating me like a child!"

"Not now. I'll come back tomorrow after dark."

"All right. God." She could not believe it. He turned to go.

Without turning. "You'd best harden your heart, Elonna, or it will
freeze inside you. I'm sorry about Lawrence.

He was gone.

*

The next day seemed endless, but at last he came. He looked over the
equipment leaned against the wall, then came and sat across from her.
He was at once both kinder and colder.

"I have a plan, Elonna, and them is a reasonable chance it will work.
But it may be more than your mind is equipped to handle. Also. . .it
is sexual in nature."

"You think I don't know that, the way you're always looking at me?"

"Listen first. Save your scorn for the enemy. You will need it all."

"I'm sorry. I'm not mad at you."

"Never, NEVER apologize. And don't ever feel pity for a man who's done
you wrong. If you do at a critical time in this, we're lost."

"You're worse than he was."

"Yes, and I'm still alive." He stirred uncomfortably in the chair. "I
didn't mean that. Have you got any water?"

"Yes." She sent the boy to get some.

"Try to understand, Elonna. As undersecretary to Hunter, I'm
surrounded by them constantly. These guerrillas, even Lawrence, flit
in and out of the fire."

"Lawrence did more than flit."

"Yes he did. And if I could change that, I would..... But I live in
the midst of it. I can't afford the luxury of emotion. And I want
desperately to bring them down. That they're my own people doesn't
help."

She studied him more closely.

"You say they're your own people. What about us? Are we just pieces
on the board?"

"Not a fair question. You don't know what we're up against." The