News From Elsewhere (22 page)

Colonel Krenin and Commander Thrace were ten minutes overdue when they emerged from the pyramid.

Dr. Chee and Professor Thompson were set to explode their recent anxiety and present curiosity in a great blast of questions; but when they saw the expressions on the faces of the two silent men, all the questions died.

“We found the Answer,” said Commander Thrace at length.

“What answer?” asked Dr. Chee gently. His companions were so abnormally calm that they seemed to be suffering from shock.

“There is only one Answer,” said Colonel Krenin. “It is your turn now. Go, and you too will find it.”

“There is no hazard?” asked Professor Thompson. Colonel Krenin smiled. He seemed to be gazing at something many millions of miles away or—perhaps—many thousands of years ago. “Only to our pride,” he answered softly.

Thompson and Chee could make nothing of that; and as there was only one obvious thing to do, they too entered the passage, leaving the Colonel and the Commander to wait for them.

Presently, Commander Thrace said, “I have just remembered something. How could you possibly understand the Voice? He—It—was speaking in English.”

The Colonel shook his head. “No, Russian.”

The Commander thought for a moment. “Neither Russian nor English,” he said. Then he added, “After that, I think we shall never be quite the same men again.”

Colonel Krenin gazed out over the bleak Martian desert. “No, never the same,” he agreed. “Soon it will be Professor Frontenac’s turn, and after that we must set up the cameras and television relays. Then all the different peoples of Earth will never be the same again.”

Commander Thrace idly stirred the dry red sand with his feet. He made miniature mountains and valleys, and absently began to visualize a tiny network of roads.

At length he said, “Do you think we shall ever manage to reclaim this wilderness?”

“We have to,” said Colonel Krenin simply. “This is home.”