"There's one thing I want you to know," he said, pausing. "What is that?" "I love you," he said. She came into his arms like a tired, frightened child. "I knew that the minute I saw you," she said. He held her close to him and she lay there, seemingly very content. "All right," she said. "I'm ready." Her lips sought his. Kissing her, he reached behind her back and punched the red button. A relay thudded. Darkness closed in. * * * * * Kurt Zen came out of that darkness to find himself staring upward into the face of Sam West. There was something about that face that was familiar, something that he should have guessed long before. He tried to think what it was. "How'd you get to heaven?" he said. "The warhead had a delay relay on it," West explained. "It was about thirty seconds, as near as I can figure it. Anyhow it gave us just enough time to snatch both of you out of that rocket before she blew." What he said sounded very important. Under other circumstances, Zen knew he would have considered it important. But other things seemed more significant now. "Did she blow?" he asked. "All of ten minutes ago," West said exultantly. "Do you know what this means, Kurt? Do you know what it means?" "Yeah," Zen answered. "I won't have to be an eel." There was still this other thing that was important. "Say--" "An eel?" For an instant the craggy man was puzzled. Then he grasped the meaning. "You're right, Kurt. No eels--for any of us." "That's good," Zen said. "Nedra--" "She's right here beside you, still out from exhaustion. But she will be all right." "Good," Zen said again. This other fact was still in his mind. As he tried to think what it was, the answer came to him. He looked up at the craggy man. "You're not Sam West," he said. "No?" the craggy man said, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "Then who am I?" "You're Jal Jonner. Nobody but Jal Jonner could have done all the things you have done." "You're right, Kurt. I'm Jal Jonner. And you're Kurt Zen. And this is Nedra--" Zen saw the smile on the face of the craggy man. It was a very good smile, the best he had ever seen. Then it faded away as he sank into the deep slumber of exhaustion. He did not even feel Jonner place Nedra's hand in his as he went to sleep. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Doomsday Eve, by Robert Moore Williams