s. (No
kidding?)

Led to a drab underground city, dimly lit, dank, noisome with mold and
mildew. (Quick, the chlorophyll.)

Assigned bunks in a dormitory, with four men to a room. (Be it ever so
humble--bah!)

Told to keep things clean and assigned temporarily to a garbage pickup
detail. (For this I left Sheboygan?)

Read to from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and
Public Law 1182 (concerned with the Nowhere Journey, it told them
nothing they did not already know).

Given as complete a battery of tests, mental, emotional and physical,
as Temple ever knew existed. (Cripes, man! How the hell should I know
what the cube root of -5 is? I never finished high school!)

Subjected to an exhaustive, overlong, and at times meaningless
personal interview. (No, doc, honest. I never knew I had
a--uh--anxiety neurosis. Is it dangerous?)

"How do you do, Temple? Sit down."

"Thank you."

"Thought you'd like to know that while your overall test score is not
uncanny, it's decidedly high."

"So what?"

"So nothing--not necessarily. Except that with it you have a very well
balanced personality. We can use you, Temple."

"That's why I'm here."

"I mean--elsewhere. Mars is only a way station, a training center for
a select few. It takes an awful lot of administrative work to keep
this place going, which explains the need for all the station
personnel."

"Listen. The last few weeks I had everything thrown at me.
Everything, the works. Mind answering one question?"

"Shoot."

"What's this all about?"

"Temple, I don't know!"

"You what?"

"I know you find it hard to believe, but I don't. There isn't a man
here on Mars who knows the whole story, either--and certainly not on
Earth. We know enough to keep everything in operation. And we know
it's important, all of it, everything we do."

"You mentioned a need for some men elsewhere. Where?"

The psychiatrist shrugged. "I don't know. Somewhere. Anywhere." He
spread his hands out eloquently. "That's where the Nowhere Journey
comes in."

"Surely you can tell me something more than--"

"Absolutely not. It isn't that I don't want to. I can't. I don't
know."

"Well, one more question I'd like you to answer."

The psychiatrist lit a cigarette, grinned. "Say, who is interviewing
whom?"

"This one I think you can tackle. I have a brother, Jason Temple.
Embarked on the Nowhere Journey five years ago. I wonder--"

"So that's the one factor in your