up within minutes to repair the break, and very
little of the city's air would hiss away. But, in the meantime, every
activity in Mars City was snarled by the necessity to seek shelter. The
Chief had, indeed, created a situation of consternation in which it
would be easier for the Phoenix men to elude their enemies.

The armed men of the government forces were already running for the
houses in this area. Some of them were headed for the house from which
Dark watched.

The Phoenix men were donning marsuits. They would admit the refugees,
after requiring them to lay down their arms, and then leave the house in
their marsuits.

Dark grinned happily, and walked quickly through the house to the
attached garage. He climbed into the groundcar, started the engine, and
opened the garage door by the remote control mechanism on the dashboard.

Accelerating at full power, Dark drove the groundcar out of the garage
and spun into the street. The men afoot, seeking entrance to the houses,
paid no attention. The tank began to turn ponderously in his direction,
but by the time it was in a position to bring its guns to bear, Dark's
groundcar had reached the corner and raced around it into the broad
thoroughfare leading to Mars City's east airlock.

The airlock was only a dozen blocks away. The Chief's theory had been
that the government, depending on surprise in its move to surround the
Childress Barber College, would not attempt the complicated task of
checking all traffic passing through the airlock until it was realized
that some of the Phoenix men had escaped from the trap at the college.

Dark reached the airlock in minutes. The Chief's theory proved correct.
There were no police at the airlock, and the maintenance employee
stationed there did not even look up as Dark's approach activated the
inner door.

He drove the groundcar into the airlock. The inner door closed behind
him. The outer door opened, and Dark drove out onto the highway that
struck straight across the Syrtis Major Lowland toward the Aeria Desert
and Edom. It was as simple as that.

About ten miles out was the circular bypass highway that surrounded Mars
City, and Dark proposed to turn right on that, for his destination was
Hesperidum. The highway he was on would take him eastward, and
Hesperidum was about 8,000 kilometers southwest of Mars City--a little
better than two-days' drive at groundcar speed on the straight, flat
highways.

Dark reached over and