"Invite him into the ship and bring him back with it."
"All right," said the President, "but be careful."
"He's given up," said Blake, gesturing toward the screen.
The alien had given up his incomprehensible gesticulating and stood with his odd arms folded in an uncomfortable-looking knot.
"Major," said MacIlheny, "open the cargo hold."
The officer looked puzzled, but did as he was told. After all, the President himself had ordered him to obey MacIlheny. He touched a button on one side of the control panel. After four or five seconds, a light came on above it, indicating that the cargo hold of the RJ-37 was open. The alien evidently saw the door swing inward; he hesitated for a moment, then went around to the side of the ship, out of range of the TV camera.
But he didn't go inside immediately. MacIlheny hadn't expected him to; the alien couldn't be that stupid. After perhaps half a minute, the alien figure reappeared and strode deliberately back to his own ship. He opened a port in the side and disappeared within.
Then, quite suddenly, the screen went blank.
"What happened?" snapped MacIlheny.
Blake, who had been watching the beam control instruments, said: "I don't know how he's done it, but he's managed to jam our radio beam! We're not getting any signal through!"