The cargo hoverplane flew over the continent in the bright morning sunshine, toward the Martin Mountains. The sun rose quite rapidly as they flew eastward to meet it. Sunlight sparkled off the snow which blanketed the world.

"What story did you leave on the office recorder?" Anna asked.

"I said that we had all quit," Richard replied.

"You did not!"

Richard just laughed.

In addition to Roger and Todd, Anna had chosen her three immediate assistants to come along – Richard, Susan, and Daniel.

Roger had procured ten graduate students of archaeology from Heller University, who sat behind them. Like lambs to the slaughter, they had cheerfully volunteered for hundreds of hours of free labor in exchange for being on hand when the site was uncovered.

They had been sworn to secrecy. The last thing Anna wanted was any members from the press traipsing over the site, ruining things and getting in the way. She had made herself abundantly clear about this.

She had also made herself abundantly clear that she was in charge of the expedition. She and Roger had had a very sharp argument about that on the airfield this morning, an argument which had lasted all of ten seconds.

The person with the money had won.

To keep the press away, however, she had to come up with a valid reason for the disappearance of herself and her staff, for she was a prominent member of the community. Putting together the bicentennial was a full time job, and she would be missed, even on a Saturday. She had delegated this task to Richard.

"No, seriously," Richard said. "The message I left says that you have contracted a sexually transmitted disease and have quit the museum in shame. Out of loyalty, the rest of us followed you, and we're all in hiding."

"I almost wish that were true," Anna replied. She glanced at Todd, who was staring out the window. She wished she could read his expression. Was he bored or fascinated by what he saw? She couldn't tell.

"I said that you were away on vacation for the weekend," Richard continued, more serious now. "You're preparing for a heavy slew of private meetings on Monday and Tuesday, meetings which will occupy all of your time. Daniel and I are in Bainesville trying to get a donation for the Terrian prehistory exhibit, and Susan – well, Susan, you've had a death in the family. I'm so sorry," he reached over and patted Susan gently on the arm, "I'm afraid your grandmother has died."

Susan thrust out her lower lip.

"So my cover story only lasts until Tuesday?" Anna asked. "Richard, this dig will take a couple of weeks, at least!"

Richard threw up his hands. "Hey, I'm open to ideas."

She sighed. "Right. We'll come up with something."

She unbuckled her seat belt, stood up, and faced everyone in the plane. She looked over the students Roger had brought with him.

Three of them were Dreamers, which had caught her off guard. She had never been completely comfortable around Dreamers. Terrians didn't bother her in the slightest – in fact, she liked Terrians – but seeing human beings act like Terrians always made her feel awkward, as if something was wrong with them, but she wasn't allowed to say anything because it wouldn't be polite.

She knew it was probably because she had been born and raised in the city, and Dreamers, with rare exception, shunned the cities completely. So she hardly ever came into contact with them.

All three were in the rear of the cabin. One was meditating, or whatever it was they did, crouching on the floor with his knees pointed up and his eyes closed. The other two were standing, holding their staffs. They were still human, and still laughed and talked and ate and drank like humans. It was just that they were also part Terrian, and sometimes did things like the Terrians did.

At least, Anna noted with relief, they didn't have any problems with the plane ride. No Terrian in history had ever allowed itself to be given a ride in a plane. Terrians hated leaving contact with the ground. It was an old joke that the only plane they enjoyed was the dream plane.

She thrust her feelings of discomfort about Dreamers to the back of her mind and addressed the students.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for coming along. I know it was short notice, and maybe you had plans for the weekend. If any of you wish to go back to your partying instead of join us for the dig, you're more than welcome to do so."

They all chuckled at this.

"Now remember – winter is not quite over. In case any of you were raised in a locked room and don't know this, I'd like to tell you that it is cold in the mountains. Very cold. So don't over-exert yourselves or wander too far from camp.

"Also, watch out for Springbringers. We'll be working just 70 kilometers south of the springhole. Spring is almost here, and that means that some poor creature's going to be jumping into that great big hole sometime soon." She leaned forward a little. "And I don't want it to be any of you."

More chuckling.

"I've included a picture of the Springbringer in your information packets, in case any of you don't know what they look like. They're the first flowers to bloom every year in this part of the world, so if you see any flowers at all, they're probably Springbringers. Just stay far away from them. Is that understood?"

They all nodded.

"Great. We'll be landing in about 30 minutes." She sat down.

Roger leaned across the aisle. "Actually, we had to change course to avoid some weather, so we'll be landing in about an hour."

Anna nodded vaguely, and looked at Todd, still staring out the window.

"Hey!" she said brightly, nudging him. "In a few weeks, some little animal is going to be infected with pollen, and it'll head north to jump in that big hole and make spring. If we have time, you want to go watch? It's not too far away. A lot of people camp at the springhole every year to watch it happen, and to rescue any people or Grendlers who might have been infected. I've heard it's pretty fun! Better than the zoo, eh?"

Todd just shrugged, without looking at her.

Anna tightened her lips briefly in frustration, wishing she knew what the hell he wanted. What magic word did she have to speak, what magic wand did she have to possess, to become a part of his world?

Todd bent down and rummaged through his pack, stored under the seat.

"What are you looking for, honey?"

"Action Ace."

"I thought you finished your Action Ace game."

"I did."

"Then what do you-"

"I've finished it lots of times," he said simply. "Where is it?"

"I packed your VR gear in your suitcase. It's in the cargo hold."

"Uh! Mom! Why?"

"Well, you told me last night you finished Action Ace. I thought that meant you were through with it."

"I'm never through with it!" he whined. "Why did you pack it in the cargo hold? I can't get it there!"

"I just told you why, so stop that. I didn't know you'd be upset. You'll just have to wait until we reach the site."

Todd folded his arms in a miniature huff and stared out the window again, as if his mother had just committed a crime. Anna sighed and shook her head.

He didn't speak to her the rest of the way.

 

Anna's headache began after they landed at Howie airfield, in the tiny town of Chamisa Trail, and it wasn't just because of the high altitude. Todd whined again about Action Ace. Loudly, in front of the others.

"No, Todd, I am not going to open the luggage here! Your suitcase is buried deep, and we've got a schedule to keep." She almost felt like slapping him. "Now go get on the bus!"

She turned back to the screen at the airfield's only phone booth. Needing repair, it spit a constant stream of static at her, but she was still able to get her point across to the man at the other end.

"Mr. Thompson, I specifically contracted you to meet me here at the airfield this morning with digging equipment. I'm here, you're not. You've got five seconds to tell me why I shouldn't call someone else."

"Because there is no one else," Mr. Thompson said, not intimidated in the slightest. "This isn't the big city. The nearest town beyond this one is 275 kilometers away. You wouldn't have your digging equipment until tomorrow."

"Better than not having it at all," Anna shot back. "Time's up." She made to switch off the machine.

"Wait!" This had gotten Mr. Thompson's attention. "I'm sorry." He smiled weakly. "My men were there this morning, but you didn't arrive, so they came back, thinking it was a mistake, or a trick."

Anna closed her eyes, as if doing so could shield her from the stupidity of the universe. "Incredible," she breathed, then said slowly, "We were only delayed by half an hour. Did your men even bother checking?"

"Uh...we will be out to meet you as soon as possible." Mr. Thompson smiled desperately.

"Glad to hear it." She snapped the screen off.

She turned to find Todd looking at her curiously. Suddenly, Anna felt very ashamed, but she didn't know why. Without a word, she stalked toward the bus.

Todd just watched her go.

 

The site of the biodome, which had sheltered Eden Advance during their first year on the planet, was deep in the mountains, and Anna knew it was pure fortune that there was a town with an airfield relatively close by. Chamisa Trail, the only settlement anywhere close, was about 15 kilometers southeast of the site. Beyond that, they were in wilderness.

The drive out was cold and miserable. It was snowing, and the "bus" Anna had hired had turned out to be two open-topped double-length dunerails. But they got them safely, if slowly, over the terrain. Behind them chugged two bulldozers and one oddly-shaped vehicle with drilling equipment attached to both its front and rear. Everyone was packed tightly in the rails. They had had to stash some of their luggage in the digging vehicles.

One of the students, who swore he knew what he was doing, was at the wheel of the lead dunerail. Beside him sat Roger. He had a map spread on his lap, a satellite tracker in his hand, and gigantic earmuffs over his head. He kept looking down at the map and then up at the terrain, back and forth, as if trying to match things together. He squinted the entire time, no matter what he was looking at.

Todd just sat huddled in his seat every moment, wrapped in covers. He almost looked ill.

After what seemed like eternity, Roger told the driver to stop. He got out and called, "This is the place! Everyone, set up some tents. Um...does anyone know how to make a fire?"

Todd just shrank further under his covers. Anna really couldn't blame him.

 

Six hours later, with the sun still an hour from setting, the tents were up, two fire pits were close together and warming everyone, and a general survey area had been staked out. Digging would start the next day.

The three drivers of the digging vehicles were getting to know the rest of them, and becoming interested in what they were actually doing out there. The drivers really became popular with the students when they pulled out their "party supplies." Anna declined when they told her it was homemade.

She had one more task to complete before the day was out, and Todd actually showed a little bit of interest when she stuck a large rod in the ground and started pressing buttons on its surface.

"What's this for?" he asked.

Anna looked up, surprised. "I thought you were playing Action Ace."

He shrugged. "I am. It's really getting too easy. Next week, they're coming out with "Action Ace: Fists of Fire!" It's got five new levels, and it's got an option for you to hire soldiers to go with you and be under your command, and my friend Jesse said that sometimes, one of the soldiers turns out to be a Council agent, and can turn against you, and shoot you in the back!"

"Really?" Anna pretended to be interested.

"Uh huh. I can't wait for it to come out! I wish it was out now. I've already memorized Action Ace. I can play it in my sleep. Dad said he's going to get it for me."

"He did, huh?" Anna tried to concentrate on what she was doing, listen to her son, and ignore the sudden mention of her ex-husband at the same time. "Well, I suppose your father knows what's best."

"Then why did you leave?"

Anna stopped, flinching hard. Damn him, she thought. But it was a fair question.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, he left me. Not that it makes much of a difference. Your father and I just don't get along any more."

In fact, she knew, the only thing she and Matt agreed on at all was that Todd was to be kept out of their disagreements. He would not be used as a weapon, or an informant, or a messenger. He was the only spot of neutral territory between them. Even so, he was still caught in the crossfire sometimes, despite their best efforts. What was the old saying? she thought, "When elephants fight, grass gets trampled?"

Todd just looked at his feet, kicking the snow briefly. Anna could tell he wasn't satisfied with her answer, but apparently he wasn't going to pursue it.

"What are you doing?" he asked again.

"Well, this is a geoscan. It's similar to a geolock, but instead of locking up land, it simply scans it."

"What for?"

"For anything I tell it to."

"What are you telling it to?"

"I'm telling it to look for anything made of metal or plastic to a depth of nine meters. In the old, old days, you see, we'd be here for years, sifting up dirt one centimeter at a time. But if I can establish that there is nothing of interest in the top nine meters – say, another recording chip, for example – then we can bulldoze down to that depth in a couple of days without fear of damaging anything valuable. Pretty neat, huh?"

"Yeah," he said with a shrug, and wandered back to their tent.

Anna sadly watched him go. She'd arranged with Matt to keep him for an entire week, saying she wanted to use the opportunity to teach him something, thinking he would enjoy the dig. She now had to admit that her real reason for keeping him was because she didn't want to make another trip back to the airfield so soon after reaching the site, just to put him on a plane.

She wondered if she had made the right decision. Sometimes, it was so hard to tell.

 

A few minutes later, she visited Roger in his tent, where he sat, still poring over a map. She placed the geoscan in front of him.

"Nothing," she said. "We're clear to dig nine meters deep throughout the entire zone."

"Great!" he said, beaming. "What time should we start?"

Anna shrugged, suddenly tired of dealing with it all for the day. "Whenever we wake up. We're away from our offices, Fulbright. For once in our lives, lets just wing it without a schedule."

"Sounds good to me. Here." He pulled out a thermos. "Join me in a cup of hot chocolate?"

"Sure," Anna said with a smile. "My poison is usually Callion tea, but I haven't had hot chocolate in years!"

He poured, and they drank in silence for a few moments. It was too late to do any more work, too early to turn in, too freezing to do anything at all. The cold seeped into the tent, making everything uncomfortable. The entire world seemed stuck in a kind of twilight limbo. The sounds of the others' laughter, gathered around the fires, drifted in.

"You know," he finally said, "I wasn't entirely accurate when I said that money was the only reason I came to you yesterday."

"Oh?"

"It's well known that you are a considerable authority on the Founding Fifteen."

Anna shrugged. "They're my primary field of study. I don't know that I'm any more of an authority than other scholars."

"I think you are. So do a lot of others."

"Really?" Anna was genuinely surprised and flattered.

"Sure. I mean, others know about them, too, certainly. But no archaeologist or historian specializes in a single area of human study like you do. Most of us concentrate on alien archaeology, and finding more Terrian cities, rather than the human history on this planet, which is relatively new.

"Search any of our memories, or test our knowledge, and there are probably one or two facts each of us has yet to learn. But you know everything about them that has ever been discovered. Every paper, every finding – you've got it memorized. No, Anna, you are the specialist in the Founding Fifteen."

Anna sipped her hot chocolate, taking this in. She reached the bottom of the mug. She wished he would offer her another cup, but he didn't seem to notice, and she didn't want to ask. She also wondered where these compliments were coming from, and why he'd brought them up.

"What are you doing with the maps?" she asked.

"Trying to trace their route to New Pacifica," he said with a smile. "Now that we know where the Winter Camp is, perhaps we can find the path they finally found through these mountains."

Anna looked over the maps with him, intrigued. "I believe Eben Singh died about one or two weeks after they left the Winter Camp," she said. "We have an old gear recording, about five seconds long, of the place where she was buried, but we've never been able to find it, or match it to any landscapes. It's odd, you know, because it features four distinct, tiny mesas."

"Have you tried satellite topography scans?"

"Yes, but we can't get the money or time to do a sweep of the entire range."

"Well, maybe now you can. Just scan the immediate area west of this site, in an expanding cone. You'll find it."

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "I hope so. I hope the earthquake which covered the Winter Camp didn't alter too many other things."

"Would you like another cup?"

"Please."

He poured them both some more hot chocolate. "You know, it's so fascinating to me how much the Founding Fifteen survived," he said. "They discovered so much about this planet which was deadly, and they did it the hard way. But almost all of them survived to pass that knowledge on. One would expect a higher mortality rate in their situation, but they weathered every storm. Truly remarkable."

"Well, we're only talking about the Founding Fifteen," Anna said. "You're forgetting about the other evac pod from the Roanoke, none of whose members survived. When you factor them in, Eden Advance's mortality rate jumps to about 60 percent."

"Yes, but those people were killed by the Council back on the stations, not by the planet," Roger pointed out. "So was Eben, and Commander O'Neill."

"True," Anna conceded, and took another sip. "It could have been, and should have been, the Founding Sixteen. Or the Founding Twenty. Or Thirty."

"The risks of being a pioneer."

"Mm." She took another sip.

"Tell me, have you ever made any progress on discovering the circumstances of the colony ship's crash?"

She shook her head. "Nothing new in that area for about 30 years."

"What about the tale that Dreamer brought to light a few years ago? Henderson, wasn't it?"

Anna was appalled. "You believe him? The tale that a space traveler from an advanced alien civilization helped down the colony ship? Honestly, I don't know where these myths come from."

Roger shrugged noncommittally. "It's a tale from the Terrian tribe near New Pacifica. The Terrians are usually pretty accurate about things like this."

"Rubbish," Anna scoffed.

Roger decided to switch to what he hoped would be a friendlier topic. "What's your position on the Heller Conspiracy Theory?"

"Also rubbish. There is no proof whatsoever that Julia Heller was a Council agent."

"Ah, but Dr. Ebman discovered an old journal entry made by Devon Adair several years ago-"

"I'm well aware of what Dr. Ebman discovered."

"And it didn't change your mind?" Roger was amazed.

"Why should it? He's basing his entire theory on five words in the middle of a sentence, handwritten by Devon Adair in a letter during a power blackout. Julia's ties to the Council. Could mean anything."

"But the word Council was spelled with a capital 'C.'"

"So what? She was probably referring to the Terrian Relations Council, of which Dr. Heller was a prominent member for most of her life. Honestly. One capital letter and the world goes bananas."

Roger shrugged again, realizing she had a point. "But what if we found evidence here, at this site, that Julia Heller was a Council agent?"

Anna hesitated, then shrugged. "I would accept it, of course. I'd have to." But she suddenly couldn't look at him.

"You really adore them, don't you?"

She looked up. "What do you mean?"

"The Founding Fifteen. You adore them. You almost worship them."

She shrugged again. "As I said, they're my primary field of study."

"That's not an answer."

Anna was amazed. She really hadn't credited Roger with much insight.

She thought about it for a second. "Well, it's just as you said earlier. I'm fascinated with their trip across the continent. Their story is one of winning against incredible odds. By all rights, they shouldn't have survived two weeks on this planet, let alone the rest of their natural lives. But they did. They were beautiful. They were strong. They were..."

She searched for what she wanted to say. They were what? she thought. Everything she wasn't, and wished she could be?

"They're my heroes," she finally said.

Then she gave an embarrassed smile and explained. "I often went to Adair Park as a child, just to look at their statues. They're carved in bronze, in the most exquisite detail! I'd look up at the face of Devon Adair, standing in the front, facing the ocean, with the wind blowing the hair back out of her face. And I used to imagine what it would be like to be her, or just to meet her! I would just sit for hours looking at them. Or I would wander in and out among them, touching them, and I wished that I could have been with them. Been a part of their world. I still do."

A small smile crossed Roger's face. "Well, to a certain extent, I suppose that's justified. But let me tell you something, Anna." He leaned forward. "They weren't superpeople."

"Oh, I know that!" Anna scoffed, suddenly loud and embarrassed.

"Do you? Do you indeed?" Roger gazed at her, thinking. "I'm not so sure. We spend our lives uncovering the past, to find out who we are and where we came from. We try to find a bridge across time, to find a way to touch people who are long dead, people who shaped the world. You and I are news reporters, long after the news has come and gone. Nothing more.

"But it's possible for us to get so caught up in the past that we forget the present, and the future. We tend to build legends where none were, or latch on to ordinary, mundane events – or people – to find some kind of inspiration or meaning in life. We do this naturally, but we can sometimes take it too far.

"These heroes of yours – you know who they were? They were ordinary, everyday people like you and me. They didn't have super powers, they didn't have gun fights, they didn't save the planet every week on a holovision show. They had arguments with each other. They fought with each other. They sometimes let each other down. Some of them had addictions, some of them panicked and hid in fear when the going got tough, sometimes they even lied to each other. They bitched, they whined, they moaned, they snapped at each other, they ate and drank and pissed just like everyone else.

"Those bronze statues in Adair Park are a myth. I'll guarantee you that they never once, in their entire journey, looked the way those statues are posing. Not once. And if you were to magically go back in time and be a part of their journey, I think you'd find it exciting for about one hour, until you got cold and hungry and miserable and frightened and sick of spirulina like the rest of them. And you probably would not get along with half of the Founding Fifteen.

"You can study them, and revere them, and remember them all you want, but eventually, there comes a point when you just have to let them go."

They stared at each other for a few seconds, then Anna took a deep breath. "I can tell that you're a philosopher as well as an archaeologist, Dr. Fulbright."

"The two go hand in hand."

She smiled diplomatically. "Well, you've...certainly given me a lot to think about." She gently put the cup down and stood up. "Good night, Dr. Fulbright."

He nodded solemnly, aware he'd just gone too far. "Good night."

Anna left.

As she made her way back to her tent, she saw that Todd was sitting with the students around the campfires, trying to laugh along with them. Thankfully, they were mindful of Todd's presence, and didn't let the humor or carousing get out of hand, and they were trying to include him in conversation.

She lay wearily on her sleeping bag and put on her gear set. Flipping around the eyepiece, she tried to watch some television before dozing off. She could have switched it to holovision, but she just didn't feel like it.

The first thing to hit her eye was an episode of "Jeopardy 3000."

An answer flashed to the screen in blue and white, while a voice read, "'One of the Founding Fifteen, he was the Deputy Secretary of Interstellar Development.' Alan?"

"Who was Alonzo Solace?"

"No. Mary?"

"Who was Morgan Martin?"

"Correct. You're in the lead."

"I'll take Terrians for $1,000, please, Alex."

"That answer is today's Daily Double."

While the audience applauded, Anna shook her head. Alonzo Solace, indeed. That was an easy one. What were kids coming to these days?

Abandoning "Jeopardy 3000," she switched over to a news channel to see what was going on in the world she'd left behind. Connie Pride, the most famous newswoman on the planet, sat behind a desk and read the latest developments to the ears of the world.

"Representatives of the Miners Coalition met with government leaders today in New Pacifica in another attempt to repeal the laws banning geolocks. They cite the laws as outdated, and claim that they only exist because of one bad experience almost 200 years ago."

The scene cut to a man in a business suit talking to a reporter outside a building. The byline read "Joseph Alessandro."

The man said, "Because Devon Adair had one bad experience with a geolock – an experience caused by someone with no training to use such a device – she overreacted and made absolutely sure that laws banning geolocks were included in the New Pacifican Constitution. This was just an emotional reaction on her part, and was a decision completely devoid of any logic or reason. And because people are afraid to change the constitution, that bad decision is strangling the mining industry today, almost 200 years later."

Back in the studio, Connie continued. "Terrians and Dreamers alike showed up in New Pacifica to support the ban. They claim that geolocks upset the natural balance of the planet, and pose a major threat to Terrians and Dreamers, who could be killed if caught in a geolock. Mr. Alessandro denies this, saying that mining companies would employ Dreamers to ensure this would never happen."

The scene switched to a view of the shoreline, while Connie continued speaking. "Several boat owners in New Pacifica have experienced rough trips on the water recently when they insist there should be none. They assert that one of the tidal wave suppressers in the bay has malfunctioned, causing slight tremors in the bay. But City Councilman Rod Andrews says that can't happen."

"We've got three wave suppressers out there in that bay," Rod Andrews was suddenly saying, "designed to send shock waves into the ocean and protect New Pacifica from impending tsunamis. If any of them were malfunctioning, first of all, we'd know about it because the fault would show up on our 24-hour monitoring station. And second of all, it wouldn't be sending out little tremors like people have been saying, it would be sending out Force 10 blasts, and that's not happening. Nor could it happen, because it's got five failsafes to keep it from happening."

The scene switched back to Connie in the studio. "Nevertheless, owners of large and small boats alike insist that choppy seas have sprung up suddenly in the bay for no discernible reason. The city has contracted Bolton Marine and Animal Research to look into the matter."

Connie's face got a little cheerier as she allowed just the hint of a smile. "In other news, strong rumors persist that a major archaeological find is in the works."

Anna sat bolt upright, her eyes wide, her heart racing.

"There has been no confirmation as yet, but anonymous sources say that Anna LeClark, curator of the New Pacifica Historical Museum, is in the process of uncovering what could be the site of the legendary Winter Camp from year 1, one of the most sought-after pieces of information by historians around the planet.

"This rumor is made more intriguing by the fact that Ms. LeClark and most of her senior staff have disappeared and cannot be reached for comment.

"However, to gauge the incredible reaction that this rumor has caused, Justin Curtis is standing by with the founder of the Morgan Martin Appreciation Society, Ms. Mary Br-"

"Fulbright!" Anna threw off her head set and was out of the tent before it even reached the ground.

The people gathered around the campfires leaped up, looking around for danger. Roger dashed out of his tent. "What? What is it?"

"They know! They know, damn you! We haven't even been here for a full day, and they already know!"

"Who?" he gasped. "Who knows what? What are you talking about?"

"The press! I just heard it on the news! The whole goddamned planet just heard it on the news!" She rounded on the students. "And I want to know which one of you talked!"

A sea of shocked faces stared back at her.

"Come on!" she demanded. "Who talked?"

"No one!" one of the young women protested. "None of us talked! Why would we?"

"Do the words financial reward strike a bell with you?" Anna shot back.

"Look, Anna," Roger said. "I don't know how this happened, but you can rest assured that none of us-"

"Rest assured, my ass! Someone talked!"

"Stop it!" came the screech of a nine-year-old boy. "Stop it! Stop yelling at everyone! I'm the one who told!"

Anna looked down at her son. Tears were streaming down his face.

Horrified, she sank to her knees in the snow. "You told? You? But who...why?"

"I called Jesse and told him I would be gone all week! I told him where I was going, and what we were doing! I told Dad when I talked to him last night!"

"But why?" Anna asked.

"You didn't tell me it was a secret!" the boy wailed.

Anna just stared at him, stunned. Hadn't she? She couldn't recall. No. No, she hadn't. She had never bothered to tell Todd that the expedition was a secret. It had never occurred to her.

She sank her head until it rested on his. The others were looking on, still stunned from the sudden outburst.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "You're right. I never told you. I never told, and I should have. It's all my fault."

The others looked around at each other, or their shoes, or the mountains in silence.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again. "It wasn't your fault." Then she stood up, and breathed deeply. "I...deeply apologize for all that I just said. The fault was entirely, completely my own."

"Well, hey," one of the students said, trying to lighten the situation. "This isn't all bad. I mean, we can set up a zone to keep the reporters from walking where they're not supposed to, and the coverage could be kind of nice..." His voice trailed off. The others nodded to support his valiant attempt.

"He's right, Anna," Roger said. "This isn't the end of the world, and certainly isn't the end of the expedition."

"But what about thieves?" she asked. "Archaeological finds bring lots of money, and thievery is one of the biggest problems our field has faced, ever since it began. They'll be coming here in droves."

"Action Ace could fight them off!" Todd said hopefully.

"We'll just have to tighten up security by ourselves," Richard suggested. "After all, that's what they did almost 200 years ago, here in this very spot."

"The Founding Fifteen didn't have a population to fight off – or to draw upon for resources," Anna said, slowly taking charge of the situation once more. "I'm going to contact Howard, get two or three of his security staff out here by tomorrow evening, along with a perimeter monitor. I really should have brought them along, anyway."

"More plane trips, bus rides, and overtime pay for personnel?" Susan asked. Susan was Anna's financial advisor. "Anna, we really can't cut into the bicentennial budget any more, not even for something like this."

Anna slowly walked around the campfires, thinking. Everyone watched her.

"Then lets bring the bicentennial here," she said.

"What?" Richard asked. Again, Anna had stunned everyone.

"Lets bring it here. This find has come along right before the bicentennial. That's too good of a coincidence to pass up. It'll never come again. Within six days, we can have the biodome uncovered and excavated. That's more than enough time to collect anything Eden Advance might have left behind. We can open it up to the public, let them walk through it. We can airlift the transrover here from the museum! We can hold the celebration here! Since we've never found the crash site itself, it's the next best thing!"

Everyone else, even the three men hired for digging, looked at each other, thinking about the idea.

Roger watched her intently. "Anna," he finally said, "I am not on the Bicentennial Planning Committee. I have no say in where you hold it. But do you think the rest of your committee will accept this idea?"

"I can swing it," she said confidently. "And if they say no, then I can accept that. In the meantime, everyone, expect some camera crews here tomorrow morning. If this is as big a media event as I think it will be, maybe we can even have a groundbreaking ceremony or something."

Everyone was still standing, looking at her.

"That's all," she said crisply. "Again, I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. Good night, everyone." She went back to her tent.

Everyone took deep breaths and sat down. A bulldozer driver leaned over to Todd and said, almost admiringly, "Hey, kid – your mom's a pretty volatile woman!"

"Yeah." Todd stared deep into the embers of the fire. "I know."