The door opened, and Martha came across the office to where Wales sat hunched and weary with his hands spread out on the empty desk.
"It's time, Jay," she said. "Lee and the others are waiting."
He looked slowly up at her. "We got them all off," he said.
"Yes. We got them all off."
"About one thing," he said, "Fairlie was right. It'll be hard on Mars for us, harder because of all those last millions. But I don't think anyone will ever complain."
He thought of the people who had streamed through New York, into the Marslift rockets, these last weeks and days.
He thought of Sam Lanterman and his people from Pittsburgh, and Lanterman complaining, "Hell, I got to own a whole city and what happens—I get scared out of it! Oh well, I guess it won't be so bad out there."
Martha touched his shoulder gently. "Come, Jay."
He got to his feet and walked heavily with her to the lift.
They went down through the silent, empty building to the empty street. Empty, except for the car in which Kendrick and the two others waited, looking up silently at the crimson face of the thing that was coming fast, fast, toward Earth.