kept trying. Without success. Finally he lowered the
antenna. "It's useless. They can't hear me. Or they hear me and won't
answer. Or--"

"Or they don't exist."

"I'll try once more." Hendricks raised the antenna. "Scott, can you
hear me? Come in!"

He listened. There was only static. Then, still very faintly--

"This is Scott."

His fingers tightened. "Scott! Is it you?"

"This is Scott."

Klaus squatted down. "Is it your command?"

"Scott, listen. Do you understand? About them, the claws. Did you get
my message? Did you hear me?"

"Yes." Faintly. Almost inaudible. He could hardly make out the word.

"You got my message? Is everything all right at the bunker? None of
them have got in?"

"Everything is all right."

"Have they tried to get in?"

The voice was weaker.

"No."

Hendricks turned to Klaus. "They're all right."

"Have they been attacked?"

"No." Hendricks pressed the phone tighter to his ear. "Scott, I can
hardly hear you. Have you notified the Moon Base? Do they know? Are
they alerted?"

No answer.

"Scott! Can you hear me?"

Silence.

Hendricks relaxed, sagging. "Faded out. Must be radiation pools."

* * * * *

Hendricks and Klaus looked at each other. Neither of them said
anything. After a time Klaus said, "Did it sound like any of your men?
Could you identify the voice?"

"It was too faint."

"You couldn't be certain?"

"No."

"Then it could have been--"

"I don't know. Now I'm not sure. Let's go back down and get the lid
closed."

They climbed back down the ladder slowly, into the warm cellar. Klaus
bolted the lid behind them. Tasso waited for them, her face
expressionless.

"Any luck?" she asked.

Neither of them answered. "Well?" Klaus said at last. "What do you
think, Major? Was it your officer, or was it one of _them_?"

"I don't know."

"Then we're just where we were before."

Hendricks stared down at the floor, his jaw set. "We'll have to go. To
be sure."

"Anyhow, we have food here for only a few weeks. We'd have to go up
after that, in any case."

"Apparently so."

"What's wrong?" Tasso demanded. "Did you get across to your bunker?
What's the matter?"

"It may have been one of my men," Hendricks said slowly. "Or it may
have been one of _them_. But we'll never know standing here." He
examined his watch. "Let's turn in and get some sleep. We want to be
up early tomorrow."

"Early?"

"Our best chance to get