Edith was still by her minicams, recording every word of Kadar's monologue. Doug walked slowly over to her as the astronomer at last climbed down from the table and headed for the double doors to the corridor.

"You're a glutton for punishment," Doug said as she clicked off the two cameras.

Edith grinned. "He seemed to enjoy being recorded. He played to the camera for the last half-hour or so."

"Is any of that stuff useful to you?"

She started to dismount the minicams. "Maybe," she answered over her shoulder. "A couple of sound bites, add a few clips of the artist's renderings of what the Farside base will look like."

"Artist's renderings?"

"You do have drawings of the facility, don't you? Architect's sketches?"

"Computer graphics."

"Fine," said Edith. "Perfect."

Doug helped her to collapse the tripods, then hefted them both in one hand.

"I borrowed those from your photo lab," Edith said.

"Oh. I thought you smuggled them into the base beneath your Peacekeeper's uniform."

She gave him a searching look. "For a guy who's staring disaster in the face, you're pretty chipper."

"Must be the company," Doug said.

He walked with her, still gripping the folded tripods, toward the double doors. The Cave was empty now, except for them and Bam Gordette lingering by the doors.

"Now which way is the photo lab?" Edith asked. "I still get a little lost in these tunnels."

"Corridors," Doug corrected. "We call them corridors. And I'll take these back to the photo lab. No need for you to walk all the way there; it's 'way past your own quarters."

"You mean that teeny little monk's cell you gave me?"

"It's as spacious and luxurious as any compartment in Moonbase, almost."

I'll bet your quarters are bigger."

Doug felt his cheeks coloring. "Well, yeah, but I'm a permanent resident-"

"And the big cheese."

"Your quarters are just as good as any part-timer's. Better than most, in fact."

"Really?"

She's teasing me, Doug realized. And I'm enjoying it.

Gordette held one of the doors open for them and they passed out into the corridor.

"Thanks, Bam," Doug said.

Gordette nodded without saying a word. Doug walked along the corridor with Edith, toward her room, and forgot about him and everyone else.

"Tell me about the nanobugs," Edith said. The corridor lights were turned down to their overnight level. It made the bare stone walls seem somehow softer, less austere.

"The ones we used to scare off the Peacekeepers?"

"No. The ones in your body."

Doug looked into her bright green eyes. She's a news reporter, he reminded himself. Her interest is in a story, not in you as a person.

"I took a really bad radiation dose, about eight years ago. Got caught out in the open during a solar flare. My mother brought Professor Zimmerman up here, and Kris Cardenas, too. But Zimmerman was the one who pumped me full of nanobugs."

"They saved your life."

"More than once," Doug said.