I wanted to tell you." She paused hesitantly.

'About us."

'Oh, yeah - what about us?"

'You and I are different. We are, uh - we're not like Jack and

Annie.

Or the others. I feel close to you in ways I can't explain. I don't

mean how it was before you went up to the Academy. I mean in ways I

don't understand. Haven't you ever felt that?"

Steve felt suddenly apprehensive. 'I'm not sure. Give me a

for-instance."

Roz tightened her grip on his hands, and drew her teeth over her bottom

lip. Finally she said, 'D'you remember the day before yesterday when

you finally woke up and I brought you breakfast?"

'How can I forget?" said Steve. 'It was the first time ever in my

whole life."

'Be serious,' snapped Roz. 'You remember later on telling me about

going up to Level Ten for your solo flight and how you felt when you

saw the overground?" Roz lowered her voice. 'Those things you felt

inside you? The fear of coming back in?" She saw Steve's eyes

widen.

'Don't worry, I won't ever tell anyone about that. But do you remember

me asking what day and what time it was you made that flight?"

'Yes,' whispered Steve.

'And you told me. But you never asked why I wanted to know." Roz

fixed her eyes on his. 'Do you know why I asked?"

Steve gazed back at her. 'Why don't you tell me?"

Roz's answer came in a hesitant whisper. 'Because I - I knew you were

up there. I felt everything you felt - when it happened. I felt the

same fear of being buried alive when you hesitated before taxying back

under the ramp door. I was in the path lab with the rest of my

class.

I suddenly cried out. I - I thought the ceiling was going to fall in

and crush me. Everyone thought I'd gone crazy. I've never had that

kind of feeling in my whole life before."

Steve tried to draw his hands away but Roz held on to him with

unexpected strength. The words came spilling from her lips. 'I saw it

all, Steve. The red trees, the mountains, the sun shining on the

water, the clouds, the waves of white sand. I was up there with

you."

An unknown terror sent Steve's heart pounding. 'Did you try to speak

to me through your mind? Was ityour voice I heard?"

'It may have been. There were other voices too."

'Yes,' he whispered.

'Where do they come from?"

'I don't know,' said Steve.

'Why is it happexing to us?" whispered Roz urgently.

'Why are we different?"

Steve felt giddy. There was a roaring in his ears. He felt his lips

moving; heard a far-offvoice saying, 'I don't know. I don't know. I

don't know." But another part of him knew that the wave of terror that

had swept through his body had been generated by the knowledge that the

answer to Roz's questions lay locked within his mind. Behind a door

that he dared not open. A door that had been locked by others because

it concealed a secret that could destroy the Amtrak Federation.

Rising early on the following day, Steve went to the Provo office in

New Deal Plaza where - with the help of a video-gram from Bart - he got

his movement orders amended to allow him to accompany his kin-sister to

Grand Central before reporting to the Trail-Blazer depot at Nixon-Fort

Worth. Annie Brickman brought Jack down to the subway to see them

off.

The shuttle from Phoenix slid to a halt at the platform. Roz and Steve

put their trailbags aboard then turned and embraced their guardians.

'G'bye, Poppa-Jack,' said Roz. She planted a kiss on his forehead and

ran a hand gently through his hair. Jack's lips moved in response, but

no sound came out.

'Goodbye, sir,' said Steve. He went down on one knee by the wheelchair

and threw an arm round his guard-father.

Jack's trembling grip on his other hand suddenly became firm and

strong. It was as if the dying man had summoned every last ounce of

energy in his exhausted body for the last embrace; the one his ward

would remember him by.

'G'bye Annie." Steve and Roz embraced their guard-mother.

Annie's high cheek-bones filled with colour, and her usually firm jaw

trembled. 'Ok. ay, you two - take care of yourselves. And always do

what's right. You got that?"

'Don't worry, Annie,' said Steve. 'You're going to be real proud of us

before we're through." He grasped his guard-mother's hand briefly an