Rotterjack lowered his voice to a whisper in the back of the vehicle. "All hell's going to break loose. McClennan and Schwartz and I will have a real fight . . . Whose side are you on?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Are you voting for Armageddon, or do we have a chance?"

Arthur started to reply, then shut his mouth and shook his head.

"Crockerman's going to flip when he hears about this," Rotterjack said.

Arthur called Oregon from Adelaide's airport while waiting for the Army limo to pick up the United States group. He was exhausted from the day and the long flight back. It was early in the morning in Oregon and Francine answered with a voice full of sleep.

"Sorry to wake you," Arthur said. "I'm not going to be able to call for a couple of days."

"It's lovely to hear from you. I love you."

"Miss you both desperately. I feel like a man cut loose. Nothing is real anymore."

"What can you tell me?"

"Nothing," Arthur said, pinching his cheek lightly.

"Well, then, I've got something to tell you. Guess who called?"

"Oh, I don't know. Who? Not—"

"You guessed it. Chris Riley. He told me to write it down. 'Two new unusual objects the size of asteroids have been discovered, each about two hundred kilometers in diameter. They have the albedo of fresh ice—almost pure white. They are traveling in highly unusual orbits—both hyperbolic. They may or may not be huge, very young comets.' Does this make any sense to you? He said it might."

"Fragments of Europa?"

"Isn't this romantic?" Francine asked, still sleepy. "He said you might think that."

"Go on," Arthur said, his sensation of unreality increasing.

She continued to read the message. " 'If they are fragments of Europa, they are traveling along virtually impossible paths, widely separated. One of them will rendezvous with Venus next year, when Venus is at . . .' Just a second. Got another page here ... 'at superior conjunction. The other will rendezvous with Mars in late 1997.' Got that?"

"I think so," Arthur said.

"Marty's asleep, but he told me to tell you that Gauge will now sit and heel at his command. He's very proud of that. Also, he's finished all the Tarzan books."

"Attaboy." His eyes closed for a moment and he experienced a small blackout. "Sweetheart, I'm dead on my feet. I'm going to fall over if I don't get to sleep shortly."

"We both hope you're home soon. I've gotten used to having you around the house. It seems empty now."

"I love you," Arthur said, eyes still closed, trying to visualize her face.

"Love you, too."

He climbed into the limo beside Warren and Rotterjack. "What have you heard about two ice asteroids?" he asked them.

They shook their heads.

"One will probably resurface Venus, and the other will wreak havoc on Mars, both next year."