"Who are you?" Sally demanded, at last. "Why do you have on those funny clothes? Where did you come from?" "Where?" Cole looked around at the children. "From a long way off. A long way." He shook his head slowly from side to side, trying to clear it. "What's your therapy?" Earl said. "My therapy?" "What do you do? Where do you work?" Cole took a deep breath and let it out again slowly. "I fix things. All kinds of things. Any kind." Earl sneered. "Nobody fixes things. When they break you throw them away." Cole didn't hear him. Sudden need had roused him, getting him suddenly to his feet. "You know any work I can find?" he demanded. "Things I could do? I can fix anything. Clocks, type-writers, refrigerators, pots and pans. Leaks in the roof. I can fix anything there is." Steven held out his inter-system vidsender. "Fix this." There was silence. Slowly, Cole's eyes focussed on the box. "That?" "My sender. Earl broke it." Cole took the box slowly. He turned it over, holding it up to the light. He frowned, concentrating on it. His long, slender fingers moved carefully over the surface, exploring it. "He'll steal it!" Earl said suddenly. "No." Cole shook his head vaguely. "I'm reliable." His sensitive fingers found the studs that held the box together. He depressed the studs, pushing them expertly in. The box opened, revealing its complex interior. "He got it open," Sally whispered. "Give it back!" Steven demanded, a little frightened. He held out his hand. "I want it back." The three children watched Cole apprehensively. Cole fumbled in his pocket. Slowly he brought out his tiny screwdrivers and pliers. He laid them in a row beside him. He made no move to return the box. "I want it back," Steven said feebly. Cole looked up. His faded blue eyes took in the sight of the three children standing before him in the gloom. "I'll fix it for you. You said you wanted it fixed." "I want it back." Steven stood on one foot, then the other, torn by doubt and indecision. "Can you really fix it? Can you make it work again?" "Yes." "All right. Fix it for me, then." A sly smile flickered across Cole's tired face. "Now, wait a minute. If I fix it, will you bring me something to eat? I'm not fixing it for nothing." "Something to eat?" "Food. I need hot food. Maybe some coffee." Steven nodded. "Yes. I'll get it for you." Cole relaxed. "Fine. That's fine." He turned his attention back to the box resting between his knees. "Then I'll fix it for you. I'll fix it for you good." His fingers flew, working and twisting, tracing down wires and relays, exploring and examining. Finding out about the inter-system vidsender. Discovering how it worked. Steven slipped into the house through the emergency door. He made his way to the kitchen with great care, walking on tip-toe. He punched the kitchen controls at random, his heart beating excitedly. The stove began to whirr, purring into life. Meter readings came on, crossing toward the completion marks.