"There aren't any ports in the subject countries. And if one had been built, and the _Siegfried_ landed there--well, it simply couldn't have been done inconspicuously. We have psychoelectronic communicators scattered over the whole world, and what's more important, the best grapevine connections. We'd have heard." "What about the polar regions? Antarctica?" "I guess it would be technically possible--though enormously difficult and expensive--to build a spaceport there. But it just isn't reasonable. They aren't that scared of our interference." Manning bit his lip. "One little thing," he murmured, half to himself, "makes me think that ship isn't in the Schwarzwald at all. Herr Schwinzog gloated that your raid missed the refining plant; he must have forgotten for a moment that you're supposed to believe the space ship is there too...." Abruptly he raised his head. "Listen--maybe there's one part of Germany you didn't investigate." "What do you mean?" "Where Eddie and I were, just this afternoon. Long Island." * * * * * Kane and Vzryvov looked at him with wild surmise. "You might be right," Kane said jerkily. "There's a field there that would do. But a space ship landing would have been seen for hundreds of miles--" His eyes widened with a sudden idea. "They needn't have landed it there, though. They could have brought it down in the ocean, and towed it in!" "Sure," said Manning, though he hadn't thought of that. "An amphibious operation. The island's well-guarded?" "Suspiciously so, now that you mention it. We don't have a single agent there--we've been concentrating on the expeditionary force in Europe, of course, and we've supposed the additional Long Island defenses were merely installed in fear of an attack on the German colony, when the people hear--But that could be it! They could have hidden the ship under our noses!" He sprang to his feet; he wore a look almost of gaiety, but his eyes held feverish lights. "If we could only start after it tonight! But this things calls for preparation. They'll be ready for anything, invisibility units included.... But we've got to try tomorrow night. If the ship is there--it may not be much longer." Manning and Dugan exchanged glances. Manning said pointblank: "Are we in on this deal? We were soldiers in our own time, and--Americans...." Reading Kane's face, he realized he hadn't needed to ask. V The boat slipped silently, impelled by muffled oars, toward the shore that lay dark and seemingly lifeless a furlong away. The underground in New York had a couple of motor launches--but there might be sound detectors on that shore, which would not be fooled by the powerful invisibility unit that purred quietly, clamped to athwart amidships. So they rowed.