"Why did the Arabs kidnap your father?" he asked Tani suddenly.
The girl hesitated. "He—he was working on teleportation. And somehow they got wind of it. It would have made space ships outdated. Armies could be transported instantly behind enemy lines. It would have made the United States supreme. He was about to succeed." She shook her head. "But I don't see how the Arabs learned about it."
"Don't you?"
"No." She looked puzzled, then her brown eyes widened in comprehension. "The Ring! But they're helping to rescue him."
"Why not? They're getting paid by both sides. You heard Thorpe admit that they'd sold the space drive to every one of the seven countries."
"No. I can't believe it, Clyde." She bit her lip. "They're not like that. Not really."
"Rubbish."
The girl's face had grown very white. "You won't let me down, Clyde. You'll get father out, whatever you do?"
He opened his nictitating lids, peered through the wall into the embassy. There were two women in the swimming pool. The sleeping chamber was empty. So was the hallway.