It has a range up in the miles or tens of miles. We don't know
how to handle it yet. Whoever or whatever arrived in the thing Vale
saw, it or they has or have a weapon our Army can't buck, yet. The
point is that we can't wait to be rescued. We've got to get out of
here on our own feet. Literally. So we forget about highways. From
here on we sneak to safety as best we can. And we've got to put our
whole minds on it."

Jill shook her head as if to drive certain thoughts out of it. Then
she said, "I guess you're right. He would want me to be safe. And if I
can't do anything to help him, at least I can not make him worry. All
right! What does sneaking to safety mean?"

Lockley led her down the highway running from Boulder Lake to the
outside world. They came to a blasted-out cut for the highway to run
through. The road's concrete surface extended to the solid rock on
either side. There was no bare earth to take or hold footprints, and
there was a climbable slope.

"We go up here and take to the woods," said Lockley, "because we're
not as easy to spot in woodland as we'd be on a road. The characters
at the lake will know what roads are. If we figure out how to handle
their terror beam, they'll expect the attack to come by road. So
they'll set up a system to watch the roads. They ought to do it as
soon as possible. So we'll avoid notice by not using the roads. It's
lucky you've got good walking shoes on. That could be the deciding
factor in our staying alive."

He led the way, helping her climb. There would be no sign that they'd
abandoned the highway. In fact, there'd be no sign of their existence
except the small smashed car. Lockley's existence was known, but not
his and Jill's together.

Lockley did not feel comfortable about having deliberately shocked
Jill into paying some attention to her own situation instead of
staying absorbed in the possible or probable fate of Vale. But for
them to get clear was going to call for more than sentimentality on
Jill's part. Lockley couldn't carry the load alone.

There was an invasion in process. It could be, apparently, an invasion
from space, in which case the terror produced would be terror of the
unknown. But Lockley had conceived of the possibility that it might be
an invasion only from the other side of the world. Such an invasion
was thought of by every American at least once every twenty-four
hours. The fears it would arouse would be fears of the all too
thoroughly kn