“We don’t know about any bacteria or viruses it carries, either,” Steve added.

“Okay. I didn’t think that one through, obviously,” Dave said. Jerry admired him for admitting it without fussing. The recovery director went on, “Well, we’ll come up with something—unless we don’t, of course.”

“You really know how to cheer us up, don’t you?” Jerry said.

“I try,” Dave said. Jerry laughed. Dave wasn’t and never would be the funniest guy in the world, but he did try. Considering what he could have been, that counted.

A copter landed on the helipad at the Glomar Explorer’s stern. It wore white American stars, not red Soviet ones. It looked sleeker than the chopper the Chazhma had carried. How much that mattered, Jerry had no idea. The Russian machine (people who knew such things had told him it was a Kamov Ka-25) seemed to do its job just fine.

Half a dozen men got out of the whirlybird. They carried suitcases and duffel bags. Some of the B crew, Jerry thought. He’d wondered if they would import a real sf writer to take his place, somebody like Heinlein or Asimov or Niven or Anderson. None of the people on the helipad looked familiar that way, he noted with a certain amount of relief.

Of course, that proved nothing. This would only be the first bunch of new people. Every time a helicopter set down, he’d have to worry.

The new men wandered off the helipad. Stewards took charge of them. They’d have to learn their way around, as Jerry had. He smiled: he liked that. He wasn’t, or didn’t feel like, a freshman anymore.

Doc Borden was one of the people who boarded the copter for the flight back to Midway, and presumably on to civilization from there. Jerry supposed that meant one of the newcomers was a doctor, too. The NSA guys who’d used Clementine to seize Humpty Dumpty also left the Glomar Explorer. The capture vehicle wouldn’t have anything more to do this trip. The last departing man from the A crew was the engineer who’d had the mild heart attack. He’d done fine since then, but he’d probably want his own doc to look him over once he got to wherever he lived.

A voice from behind Jerry made him jump: “We still seem to be on the roster.”

“You snuck up on me, man,” Jerry accused Steve. “But yeah, for now.”

“I was wondering if they’d bring out somebody like Carl Sagan, someone with a big reputation,” Steve said. “And they may yet.”

“You mean I’m not the only one who gets all hinky about shit like that?” Jerry said in surprise.