“Okay, everyone, gather round.”

Within moments he had them all in a group. Lucas and Camilla, Natalia, Tea, and Taj.

Megan.

“My best guess is that in four hours we’ll be back in complete contact with Houston”—he bowed to acknowledge Taj and Brahma’s back channel—“and we are likely to receive orders to return to Venture. Since we obviously aren’t equipped for real exploration or life support, that will be the plan.

“But we aren’t leaving anyone behind,” he said, realizing that some part of his brain had been working the problem and had made a decision. “Venture has room for an adult passenger, so Megan goes with Tea and me with no strain.” Pending further data, he was not going to factor this potential ghost Pogo Downey into the equation.

“I’m happy to take Camilla, too, but given that both vehicles were designed to lift off the Moon, there’s ample margin in propellant for Brahma to launch with fifty extra kilos, too. Consumables like oxygen and water might be an issue, but again, both spacecraft are configured for a crew of four and minimum ten days.”

He looked to Taj for confirmation. “We may have more,” the vyomanaut said.

“Right now we’re on day five. If we lift off later today, we’re home on day eight, nine latest. We all may have to, ah, breathe slower, but we should be able to make it.” He wasn’t entirely joking about that; one of the strategies developed for shortfalls in oxygen supplies was to drug one or more crew members, effectively cutting the rate of oxygen consumption in half.

“First step,” Zack said, turning to point. “I give you rover Buzz. Pressurized, capable of traversing several hundred meters with three passengers in a shirtsleeve environment.” He pointed to Megan. “You will be the driver.”

Megan smiled faintly. “I see a problem,” Natalia said, looking to Lucas and Taj, as if to say, You idiots, why do I have to say this! “Fine, Megan and Camilla drive to bottom of Vesuvius Vent. But, five astronauts, five EVA suits. How do our three passengers get from the rover to the spacecraft?”

The mind under stress was a wonderful tool. Zack was pleased that Natalia asked this, because he hadn’t solved that problem . . . until just now. “We do what they planned to do with a damaged shuttle in orbit. You fly up to it and send one EVA astronaut over carrying two extra suits. He goes inside, helps the crew members into them, and tows them to safety.

“So, we park the rover inside the membrane, meaning we have a pressurized environment outside it. Taj and Lucas go back to Brahma, then Lucas takes Taj’s empty suit, brings it to the membrane, puts Camilla in it and carries her back to Brahma. Repeat for Megan to Venture.”

“It will take time,” Natalia said. “Just getting back to the vehicles, up the vent—!”

“That’s why we need to get started.”

To Zack’s surprise—the gesture was as familiar as it was unexpected—Megan raised her hand. “I have a better plan.”

The group of eight had not been noisy, not in any way Zack noticed. But he did notice the sudden silence. “First we need to visit the Temple.”

“We already did,” Tea said quickly.

Megan refused to look at her. “You never got inside, though.” She stood and took Camilla by the hand. “We can.” Camilla nodded.

Zack glanced at Taj, Lucas, Natalia, Tea, each one responding with surprise or a headshake. “You know that?” he said to Megan. “That you can get in?”

“I wish I could be more specific. But, yes. We can, we should . . . it’s vital.”

“I need more than that,” Zack said quietly.

Taj suddenly put a hand to his right ear, where he wore an earpiece. He simply stepped away.

Megan was slowly shaking her head from side to side, eyes closed, as if searching for a lost memory. Then she looked directly into Zack’s eyes. “I can’t give you more. All I can tell you, darling, is that all your life you wanted to solve mysteries. It’s the one thing that drives you, more than love or money or family. Here you have the biggest one in human history, and it only costs you an hour of time, maybe two.”

“I’m risking the lives of seven other people.”

“Thank you for including us, but we won’t leave unless we go to the Temple first.” Zack watched as Lucas translated Megan’s words for Camilla, who nodded enthusiastically.

Zeiss camera-communicator under his arm, Taj returned, sparing Zack the agony of telling Megan that he would have to leave her . . . “We have a problem,” he said. “It seems that Pogo is alive and he has contacted Venture.”

Tea, Lucas, and Natalia asked different questions with what sounded like one voice. “Where is he?” “How’d he get through the membrane?” “What did he say?”

Taj motioned Zack and the others to follow him behind the rover. “You need to see this.”

All five EVA suits had been stored here, three Brahma and two Venture , leaning against the side of the rover like a row of worn-out football players.

Now there were four. Zack could do the math. “One of the suits is gone. Mine.”

Taj nodded. “And Downey is obviously wearing a suit that has a radio operating on Venture frequencies. And he is at the floor of Vesuvius Vent.”

Lucas said, “Now what do we do?”

Zack tried not to war-game it. You’re a smart guy. A decision like this is like shooting an important basket—think too much and you’ll fuck it up. The loss of his suit didn’t affect the plan in any major way. “Two teams,” he said. “Taj and Tea, back to Brahma and Venture, catch up with Pogo and prepare for the suit transfer. Use Yvonne’s and Dennis’s when you come back.

“The rest of us are taking the rover to the Temple. We will be at the membrane in two hours, answers or not.”

He didn’t wait for a response or a demurral and avoided looking into either Megan’s or Tea’s eyes. “Go!”

Now he had a plan. Of course, there was that old saying: No battle plan survives contact with the enemy. Well, hell.

Were the Architects enemies? One way to find out.

Thank you for agreeing to participate in supporting the Destiny-7 mission. Your signature on this document indicates your acceptance of the security requirements in Tab A. . . .

COVER NOTE TO HOME TEAM MEMO, FORWARDED IN ITS ENTIRETY TO SKY NEWS BY WADE WILLIAMS, AUGUST 23, 2019

“Sit down and shut the fuck up.”

Harley had brought Rachel to the Home Team room for the replay of her conversation with Megan. It had taken a while to get the dozen participants together—several had gone elsewhere to nap or eat.

By the time Williams, Creel, Valdez, and Matulka had been corralled, Harley had lost patience and ordered Sasha Blaine to start the playback.

Which allowed Harley to speak sharply to Wade Williams when he was the last stray to bumble in, making the additional mistake of wondering aloud what was going on.

There was an audible intake of breath around the table at Harley’s words, as if he had risen from his wheelchair and slugged the elderly writer-scientist. For perhaps the first time in his seventy-odd years, Williams chose not to speak and searched for a place at the table. But he was so noisy about it that Harley was forced to say, “All right, Sasha. Hit pause.”

As, on the screen, Megan Stewart looked out at the group from inside Keanu, Harley addressed Williams. “If you can’t figure out what we’re doing anymore, Dr. Williams, I suggest you ask Mr. Creel to fill you in, quietly. I understand he’s familiar with the task.

“You were all eager to sign up for this job. Based on the performance of the majority, I’m guessing you were only thinking how neat it would look on your résumés. It obviously wasn’t because you understood the hard work involved. Yes, you may not be eating good, regular meals. Yes, you may be awake for two days straight. And yes, you may have to listen to someone in authority speaking sharply to you.”