"Flathead," Jinny Anson growled.

"It's a trick," said Joanna.

"But she'll die!" Brudnoy said.

"Let her! It's her own damned fault."

Doug stared at the display screen showing the spacesuited figure standing defiantly at the hatch. If she were nervous or frightened it didn't show through the suit. She just stood there, arms folded across her chest.

"Jesus Christ," someone muttered.

Kris Cardenas leaned over Doug's shoulder. "The bugs will work their way through her boots in a couple of minutes, Doug."

"You can't let her kill herself."

"Why not?" Anson snapped.

"Bad publicity," Joanna answered.

While they argued above his head, Doug flicked to the Peacekeepers' suit-to-suit frequency. Hansen and several others were bellowing to the reporter to get back into the sunlight before the nanobugs killed her. She did not reply to them. Probably not even tuned in to the suit-to-suit freak, Doug thought.

He looked up at Brudnoy. "Lev, get a team of people down to that airlock. Bring a UV lamp to deactivate the bugs."

Brudnoy nodded once and started off.

Doug called after him, "Do not let any part of her suit inside the base! Understand? Her suit stays in the airlock chamber until we can make absolutely certain it's been fully decontaminated."

Zimmerman lumbered off, too.

"Where are you going, Professor?" Doug asked.

"To meet this foolish woman, where else?"

Doug turned back to the display screens on the console. Hansen and the others were still jabbering on their suit-to-suit frequency.

"Lieutenant Hansen!" Doug broke in. "Lieutenant, this is Douglas Stavenger."

"She's going to kill herself," Hansen said grimly.

"We're going to take her inside," Doug said. "Don't try to take advantage of the situation."

"I assure you," Hansen said,'that this insanity is entirely her own doing. I want no part of it."

"Fine," said Doug. Yet in his mind's eye he saw this as a ploy by the Peacekeeper lieutenant. Get us to open the hatch to save the life of a nutty reporter and they rush a squad of troopers to get to the hatch before we can close it again.

"Just to be on the safe side," Doug said, "I would appreciate it if you and your troopers began filing back toward your Clippership."

"You don't trust me?" Hansen's voice sounded surprised.

"It's easier to trust," said Doug, "when I can see that you're not going to rush that hatch."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you'll bear the responsibility for the reporter's death."

That was a stretch, Doug knew. We can't let a reporter die, he told himself. Bad enough their captain killed himself. Everybody on Earth would be turned totally against us. Reporter killed by Moonbase nanobugs. They'd nuke us and feel justified about it.

"I will order my troopers to stand clear of your airlock," Hansen said. "That will have to do."

Nodding wearily, Doug said, "Okay. I can accept that."

TOUCHDOWN PLUS 2 HOURS 11 MINUTES

Lev Brudnoy tapped Gordette's shoulder as he started out of the control center.