They stepped over into the room, and Rane Rellis pulled down a switch.
Behind them the portal entry vanished. Back in the deserted ranch
building, its mechanisms were bursting into flames, would burn fiercely
for a few seconds and fuse to dead slag.

* * * * *

Rane said tightly, "I feel a little better now ... just a little! The
Fed agents are good, but I haven't yet heard of detection devices that
could drive through five hundred yards of solid rock to spot us inside a
mountain." He paused as a tall girl with black hair, dark-brown eyes,
came in from an adjoining room. Santin Rellis was the only one of the
four who was not employing a biological disguise at the moment. In spite
of the differences in their appearance, she might have been taken for
Kilby's sister.

Halder told them what had occurred in Draise, concluded, "I'd believed
that suspicion was more likely to center first on one of you.
Particularly, of course, on Santin, working openly in Orado's
Identification Center."

Santin grinned. "And, less openly, copying out identity-patterns!" she
added. Her face sobered quickly again. "There's no indication of what
did attract attention to you?"

Halder shook his head. "I can only think it's the microbiological work
I've been doing. That, of course, would suggest that they already have
an inkling of Kalechi's three-year plan to destroy the Federation."

Rane added, "And that at least one of the group already has been
captured!"

"Probably."

There was silence for a moment. Santin said evenly, "That isn't a
pleasant thought. Halder, everything we've learned recently at the
Identification Center indicates that Rane's theory is correct ... every
one of the twelve hundred members of the Kalechi group probably can be
analyzed down to the same three basic identity-patterns, reshuffled in
endless variation. The Federation wouldn't have to capture many of us
before discovering the fact. It will then start doing exactly what we're
trying to do--use it to identify the rest of the group."

Halder nodded. "I've thought of that."

"You still intend to use the Senla Starlight Cruisers to get out into
space?" Rane asked.

"Kilby and I will," Halder said. "But now, of course, you two had better
select one of the alternate escape routes."

"Why that?" Santin asked sharply.

Halder looked at her. "That's obvious, isn't it? There's a good chance
you're still completely in the clear."