The Lomac offices were on the second floor of a building less than five minutes walk from the hotel. The boys received application forms from a bored clerk and sat down at a table to fill them out according to previous plan. In his application Rick emphasized his experience with electronic equipment and in wiring circuits. Scotty stressed his mechanical experience with standard machine-shop equipment, and with motor repair. This had been John Gordon's suggestion, since it would result in their being placed in different departments at the rocket base, thus enabling them to cover more ground. The clerk checked their forms, then nodded. "Okay. We can use both of you, if you pass the security check. Ever been cleared?" "We're both cleared for top secret," Rick told him. "What agency?" "JANIG." The clerk glanced up but made no comment. Rick guessed that JANIG clearances were not common. He was a little surprised that the clerk knew the agency; not many people did, because JANIG's activities were never publicized. "It will take anywhere from a few days to two weeks to get your clearances verified and your files transferred. We can't do anything for you until then. When we want you, we'll call you. That's all." Rick hesitated at the door. "Where are the used-car dealers located?" "Fifth Street and Main Street." Rick thanked him and the boys walked out into the brilliant sunlight. "Feel up to getting the jeep?" Rick asked. The boys had taken off from New York shortly after midnight and had ridden all night on a plane that, as Scotty had said, "landed in every cow pasture west of Chicago." They had not slept much. "Let's get the jeep," Scotty replied. "We can catch up on our sleep after lunch." However, getting the jeep was not as simple as they had expected. Not until they reached the fifth used-car dealer did they find one for sale. Scotty put the jeep through its paces, then drove it back to the car lot. He looked at it thoughtfully and shrugged. "I wouldn't call it a pile of junk, but that's only because I'm polite." The salesman, a lean Westerner, looked pained. "What do you want for the price? A Jaguar?" "No," Scotty said. "Just something that runs." "This runs." "Not exactly. It limps. Put a new timer in, replace the front-wheel bearings, grind the valves, and we'll take it." Rick smothered a grin. Scotty's wink had told him the jeep would do. His pal was trying to get the price down. The salesman sighed. "How are you going to pay for it?" "Cash. Either repair it, or knock off the cost of repairs, and it's a deal." "You named it. We'll knock off the repair costs." In another hour the jeep was theirs and the boys had obtained a vehicle registration and Nevada driver's licenses. As they drove to the hotel, Rick asked, "Is it really in good shape?" "Not bad. It does need some work, but we can do it in a few hours ourselves." "Now that we have wheels, let's get cleaned up, have a nap, and then see the town," Rick suggested.