Ballon shook it. "Good evening. I'm Colonel Ballon." He pointed with his thumb to the man in the business suit. "This is M. Marais of Customs. He wants me to tell you that this is not an international airport and that you are only here as a favor to myself and the Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale."

"Vive la France," Stoll said under his breath.

"Les passeports, " M. Marais said to Ballon.

"He wants to see your passports," Ballon said. "Then, hopefully, we can be on our way."

Stoll said to Ballon, "If I forgot mine, does that mean I get to go home?"

Ballon regarded him. "Are you the man with the machine?"

Stoll nodded.

"Then no. If I have to shoot Marais, you're coming with us."

Stoll reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew his passport. The others produced theirs as well.

Marais looked at each in turn, checking the faces against the photographs. Then he handed them back to Ballon, who passed them to Hood.

"Continuez," Marais said impatiently.

Ballon said, "I'm also supposed to tell you that, officially, you have not entered France. And that you will be expected to leave within twenty-four hours." '

"We don't exist but we do," Stoll said. "Aristotle would have loved that."

Nancy was standing behind him. "Why Aristotle?" she asked.

"He believed in abiogenesis, the idea that living creatures can arise from nonliving matter. Francesco Redi disproved it in the seventeenth century. And now we've disproved Redi."

Hood had returned the passports and stood watching Marais. He could tell from the man's face that all was not well. After a moment, Marais took Ballon aside. They spoke quietly for a moment. Then Ballon walked over. His face was even unhappier than before.

"What is it?" Hood asked.

"He's concerned," Ballon said. He looked at Hausen. "He doesn't want this very irregular situation to receive any publicity."

Hausen said coolly, "I don't blame him. Who would want to advertise that they are the home of Dominique?"

"No one," Ballon replied, "except, perhaps, the nation which gave us Hitler."

Hood's instinct in any confrontation of this type was to mediate. But he decided to stay out of the way of this one. Both men had been out of line, and he felt he could only make enemies by interfering.

Nancy said, "I came here to help stop the next Hitler, not make cracks about the last one. Anybody care to help?"

Shouldering past Ballon, Marais, and the other members of the Gendarmerie, Nancy headed for the terminal.

Hausen looked at Hood and then at Ballon. "She's right," he said. "My apologies to you both."

Ballon's mouth scrunched as if he weren't quite ready to let the matter go. Then it relaxed. He turned to Marais, who appeared deeply confused.

"Ŕ demain, " he said sternly, then signaled his men to go on. Hood, Stoll, and Hausen followed.