"A good idea. I hadn't thought of the sympathy angle." "Not sympathy. Reality. I don't want them to approve of us as handsome accidentals and have them change their minds when they discover what we're really like." Anti looked doubtful, but she kept her objections to herself as she waddled away. Sitting in silence, he watched her go. She, at least, would derive some benefit. Dr. Cameron apparently hadn't noticed that exposure to extreme cold had done more to inhibit her unceasing growth than the acid bath. She'd never be normal again; that was obvious. But some day, if the cold treatment were properly investigated, she might be able to stand gravity. He examined the telecom. They were getting closer. No longer a bright point of light, Earth was a perceptible disc. He could see the outline of oceans, shapes of land; he could imagine people. Jordan came in. "The record is rigged up, though we haven't had to use it. But we have a friend behind us. An official friend." "Has he blipped us?" "Not yet. He keeps hanging on." "Is he overtaking us?" "He would like to." "Don't let him." "With this bag of bolts?" "Shake it apart if you have to," Docchi impatiently said. "How soon can you break into a broadcasting orbit?" "I thought that was our last resort." "Right. As far as Anti and I are concerned, this is it. Any argument against?" "None that I can think of," answered Jordan. "With a heavy cruiser behind us, no argument at all." * * * * * They were all in the control compartment. "I don't want a focus exclusively on me," Docchi was saying. "To a world of perfect normals I may look strange, but we have to avoid the family portrait effect." "Samples," suggested Anti. "In a sense, yes. A lot depends on whether they accept those samples." [Illustration] For the first time Dr. Cameron began to realize what they were up to. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "You've got to listen to me!" "We're not going to wait and we've already done enough listening to you," said Docchi. "Jordan, see that Cameron stays out of the telecom transmitting angle and doesn't interrupt. We've come too far for that." "Sure," Jordan promised harshly. "If he makes a sound, I'll melt the teeth out of his mouth." He held the toaster against his side, out of line with the telecom, but aimed at Cameron's face. Cameron began to shake with urgency, but he kept still. "Ready?" Docchi asked. "Flip the switch and we will be, with everything we've got. If they don't read us, it'll be because they don't want to." The rocket slipped out of the approach lanes. It spun down, the stern tubes pulsing brightly, coming toward Earth in a tight trajectory. [Illustration]